After He Caitou was surrounded and defeated, then rescued by Xuan Zi, the other students took the opportunity to form their own teams with familiar companions.
Huo Yuhao quickly glanced at the groups present. Since he was planning to meet up with Ning Tian, his group was still some distance away from Bei Bei's team.
Thus, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng formed a small team.
Meanwhile, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan,the three fifth-year Soul Elders,stuck together. Other second-, third-, and fourth-year students also formed their own teams and prepared to fight independently.
However, Huo Yuhao had no intention of forcing his group to join Bei Bei's. After all, standing out too much would only attract unwanted attention. As the strongest trio on the field, Bei Bei's team would surely become everyone's main target.
Since Huo Yuhao didn't plan to reveal his Spiritual Detection Sharing ability, he saw no reason to join a direct confrontation. Staying on the edge of the battlefield and observing would be fine.
"Everyone, let's work together and eliminate the fourth-years' teams first! After that, we can compete among ourselves!" a fourth-year Soul Ancestor shouted.
The others nodded in agreement, and soon, all eyes turned toward the most prominent figures on the field,Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan.
Their four spirit rings each glowed among a sea of two- and three-ring opponents, making them stand out even more.
Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao, who responded with a hand gesture signaling retreat. He then quietly led his team toward the edge of the arena.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao activated his second spirit skill. With the influence of Spiritual Parasite, his spiritual power radiated outward. Once the faint mental wave touched others, they subconsciously overlooked Huo Yuhao's group.
Because the ability wasn't focused on a single person, it wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as when he had used it against the Mutant Strength Ape. Still, it was strong enough to bypass the students' spiritual defenses and subtly interfere with their perception.
Under the wide-area effect of Spiritual Parasite, Huo Yuhao implanted subtle mental suggestions, causing others to instinctively ignore his team's presence,even during combat.
Bei Bei noticed the surrounding teams forming an encirclement and realized things were not looking good. Despite inwardly groaning, he wasted no time and immediately joined forces with Xu Sanshi to engage their opponents.
Three against eighteen,most of whom were Soul Ancestors. Even though Bei Bei's team members were Soul Elders, they had no guarantee of victory.
Still, the situation had already reached the point of no return; no one wanted to give up now.
On the left side were Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Xie Huanyue, and Huang Chutian,outstanding second-year students,attacking alongside four fourth-year Soul Ancestors.
On the right, six third-year Soul Ancestors closed in from another direction. The teams were well-balanced, with strong-attack, defense, and agility types.
At the rear, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan supported the offensive teams with control and auxiliary abilities.
Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei exchanged a look, then split left and right to confront the attackers.
As a defense-type Soul Master, Xu Sanshi charged the left flank first. His Xuanwu Shield slammed into the ground, releasing waves of black energy that surged toward the enemies.
His first and third spirit rings lit up simultaneously. Empowered by Xuanwu's might, his shockwave knocked back Zhu Lu and Huang Chutian while slowing the others' advance.
But the opposing numbers were overwhelming,eight in total, including two defense-type Soul Ancestors,so the attack's power was quickly dispersed.
They regrouped and attacked again. Though Xu Sanshi's defense ranked among the best of the Soul Elders, he couldn't withstand them forever. Surrounded by so many strong opponents, he could only fight defensively, buying time for Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan.
Meanwhile, Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan faced the right-side group. Jiang Nannan's agile figure darted past Bei Bei like lightning as she charged into the six enemies.
Their strategy was clear,let Xu Sanshi stall one side while they crushed the weaker flank first.
However, behind those six opponents stood the support squad of Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan. Though only Grandmasters, they still posed a nuisance.
Thus, Jiang Nannan's target became them. If she could close the distance, her Soul Elder-level strength would overwhelm them easily.
Seeing this, the six third-years tried to intercept her, playing right into Bei Bei's plan.
Bei Bei's third and fourth spirit rings glowed in succession,Thunder Fury and Thunder Dragon Head. A deafening dragon roar echoed as his half-dragonized body crackled with lightning, and a massive dragon-shaped bolt of thunder, a meter wide, surged forward, tearing through the enemy ranks.
Enhanced by Thunder Fury, Bei Bei's attack carried power on par with a Soul King's. Though the six Soul Ancestors were numerous, defending against this strike was no simple matter.
Forced onto the defensive, they could no longer stop Jiang Nannan. In a few flashes, she appeared before Lan Susu's group.
They didn't give up easily,unleashing all their control and support abilities to delay her. The Lan sisters embraced, activating their Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Heaven's Net!
At the edge of the arena, Huo Yuhao analyzed the battle through his spiritual perception, giving precise commands to Ning Tian.
He directed her to use her second spirit skill to free several controlled students from their abnormal states.
Wu Feng, standing in front of Ning Tian, was confused. She didn't understand why Huo Yuhao wasn't engaging directly, or why no one seemed to notice them at all.
Ning Tian, however, gradually realized what was happening,Huo Yuhao was deliberately helping key players from both sides, ensuring that the battle remained balanced and dragged on longer.
Xuan Zi, outside the field, occasionally carried off heavily injured students. His cloudy old eyes often turned toward Huo Yuhao's group at the edge of the arena.
He could tell they hadn't been targeted or even noticed by others.
"A mental ability, perhaps?" he thought. "But even that alone can't justify Elder Mu's special attention to you."
Xuan Zi's focus remained on Huo Yuhao, as Elder Mu had specifically asked him to watch over this student.
"A main-body martial soul… not exactly ideal for cultivation. Elder Mu, I hope you're not mistaken about this one."
Back in the arena, the battle intensified.
Xu Sanshi was reaching his limit. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had just activated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill,Nether White Tiger.
"I can't hold on much longer! Bei Bei, how much longer do you need?" Xu Sanshi shouted.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nannan had already eliminated Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan after a fierce assault. Still, she was exhausted from the Lan sisters' final fusion skill and paused to recover.
Bei Bei had also taken down two enemies, but it would take time to finish the rest.
"Haha! Hold on, man! A real man doesn't admit defeat so easily!" Bei Bei laughed, teasing the battered Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi, bruised and furious, yelled back, "Bei Bei, you bastard! Stop talking and come try it yourself if you're so tough!"
His fourth spirit ring lit up,his fourth skill, Xuanwu Swap.
In a flash, Bei Bei's vision shifted, and suddenly a pair of massive tiger claws struck at his face.
It was Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Nether White Tiger attack.
Bei Bei's defense wasn't as strong as Xu Sanshi's, and he was slammed to the ground by the powerful blow.
The nearby students didn't hesitate,though momentarily surprised, they quickly launched more spirit skills at Bei Bei.
Realizing the danger, Bei Bei covered his body with his dragonized arm and unleashed a burst of lightning to drive them back.
He knew Xu Sanshi hadn't done it on purpose,his friend had truly reached his limit. The pressure from the Nether White Tiger was immense.
Moments later, Bei Bei swapped back and rejoined his fight against the remaining four Soul Ancestors.
Jiang Nannan also reentered the fray, and with Bei Bei's support, they quickly overwhelmed their opponents.
"It's our turn now," Huo Yuhao said to his team.
He lifted his mental suppression, then unleashed a focused Spiritual Shock aimed at the Nether White Tiger. The blast instantly disrupted Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's fusion, knocking them unconscious.
As they fainted, Dai Huabin cursed, "Damn it…"
That familiar sensation,he instantly knew who had done it. Even as he was carried off the field, he still couldn't understand how he had completely ignored Huo Yuhao's presence.
With the Nether White Tiger eliminated, the pressure on Xu Sanshi dropped dramatically.
Only then did everyone realize that while they'd been fighting desperately, another team had remained untouched and unscathed.
Bei Bei spotted Huo Yuhao and called out, "Junior brother! Go help Sanshi!"
Huo Yuhao nodded. Beside him, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong rushed forward to assist, while Wu Feng charged even faster,boosted by the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's buffs.
However, she was quickly defeated and taken off the field by Xuan Zi.
Huo Yuhao could only sigh at her recklessness.
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong learned from her mistake, staying behind Xu Sanshi and providing ranged support to ease the pressure.
Huo Yuhao assisted intermittently with mental attacks, helping Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan finish off the last few opponents.
At last, the battle ended. Though Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan were exhausted, they emerged victorious.
Huo Yuhao silently shook his head. He had planned to balance the battlefield so that Wu Feng could secure a spot in the final lineup.
After all, it wouldn't hurt to do Ning Tian, his sponsor, a small favor,and maybe earn a few more gold soul coins in the process.
But who could have guessed that Wu Feng would be reckless enough to charge straight into a fight between Soul Ancestors?
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