Chapter 100 Douling Academy.
Early morning, Xingluo Square!
Standing at the window of the Xinghuang Hotel, one could clearly see the sea of people on Xingluo Square in the distance. A dense, dark mass of heads. The clamor could be heard simply by opening the hotel window.
However, it was quite a coincidence that just as Wu Xuan and his group reached the stairs, the people from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy also emerged from their room. They walked out of their private conference room together. The two teams descended the stairs together.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team was led by another elder besides Elder Ma. He smiled and nodded to Wang Yan, who returned the gesture. But the atmosphere between the students from both sides was far less harmonious.
Xiao Hongchen spotted Wu Xuan immediately, a victor's smile spreading across his face. He chuckled, "An ultimate martial soul, huh? That's quite impressive!"
Wu Xuan smiled and shook his head. "You're joking. An ultimate martial soul is just so-so to me, nothing particularly special."
"What do you mean?" Xiao Hongchen's smug expression vanished, his eyes fixed on Wu Xuan.
"Brother! That guy's showing off," Meng Hongchen retorted.
"Tsk tsk! You're overthinking it. As for whether I'm showing off or not, you'll understand once we reach the final four." With that, Wu Xuan ignored them, quickening his pace and overtaking them.
Perhaps because the Star Luo Empire had allowed more spectators today, Star Luo Square was unusually crowded. It was practically a sea of people, packed together. Amidst the throng, it was a dense, black mass of faces.
The competition rest area, however, was noticeably quieter. The vast majority of participating teams had already been eliminated, leaving sixteen teams representing the most powerful academies on the continent. Four matches will be played today, and four more tomorrow. Then there will be individual matches against the same opponents, also over two days. After all four days of matches, the round of 16 to 8 will conclude. There will be a one-day rest period after each round of elimination matches before the next round begins.
Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy will both play in today's four matches. However, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's match is in the afternoon, so they could have skipped the morning match. They still came, undoubtedly to watch how Shrek Academy would fare against a team of five Soul Kings from the Douling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy.
As the match time approaches, the atmosphere among the audience grows increasingly heated.
This is an elimination tournament, specifically the round of 16. Losing means elimination from the competition, while each win advances the ranking significantly. Undoubtedly, every participating academy will give their all under these circumstances.
Having watched many matches, the audience has naturally become more discerning. The most intense showdown is about to begin; how could they not want to see it?
The audience at Xingluo Square was larger than usual today, having squeezed in through various connections and channels. Everyone was there to witness a thrilling match! Especially since Shrek Academy would be competing again this morning, and their opponents were the top four from the previous tournament. This made the event even more anticipated.
"I'll reiterate, Dai Yueheng will be the main attacker, Ma Xiaotao, you'll assist him. Try not to use your fifth and sixth soul skills," Wang Yan nag.
"Understood, Teacher Wang!" Ma Xiaotao waved her hand, inwardly annoyed. "Assist? Impossible!"
"The round of 16, first match: Shrek Advanced Soul Master Academy vs. Douling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. Both teams, take the stage." The referee's voice pulled Wang Yan back to reality. Ma Xiaotao was the first to stand up, striding confidently ahead, followed by Dai Yueheng, Wu Xuan, Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan.
The seven filed onto the stage.
Meanwhile, the Douling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy team also walked onto the stage.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng stood one after the other at the front. Their opponents, the members of the Douling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy, had a young man who appeared to be about the same age as Dai Yueheng standing at the front.
This young man had a large frame but was very thin, with somewhat sunken cheeks, but his eyes were bright and piercing. He stepped forward, walked to the referee's side, and said to Shrek Academy, "Dai Yueheng, in the last All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, you were the captain of the reserve team. How come you're the vice-captain now?"
Dai Yueheng wasn't annoyed by this and said calmly, "The capable rise to the top. Captain is just an empty title."
Gu Zhujian looked Ma Xiaotao up and down, curled his lip, and said, "The capable rise to the top? I don't think so. Tsk! Show us what you've got later."
Ma Xiaotao was instantly amused and said, "Fine! Gu Zhujian, is it? If I go too far later, don't beg for mercy!"
A cold glint flashed in Gu Zhujian's eyes, but he just smiled and didn't refute. The other members of the Soul Fighting Team behind him all looked very confident, as if they were very sure they could defeat Shrek Academy.
"Both sides step back and prepare for the match." The referee today looked to be at least sixty years old, but compared to the previous referees, he had a more composed demeanor, and his cultivation was obviously more profound. With him standing in the center, both sides felt separated by a barrier.
According to Wang Yan's intelligence, the captain of the Douling team was Gu Zhu Jian, who had just spoken. His martial soul was Purple Bamboo, and he was a level 57 offensive-type battle soul king. As an offensive-type battle soul master with a weapon martial soul, his combat power was extremely strong. Purple Bamboo was a very special existence.
Their vice-captain was an extremely burly young man standing next to Gu Zhu Jian. His name was Qian Yuan, and his martial soul was a rare offensive-type beast martial soul, the Terrorclaw Bear. The Terrorclaw Bear martial soul possessed immense strength and excellent offense and defense. It could be considered one of the top martial souls. His soul power was also level 53.
The core of the Douling team was a small, thin young man standing at the back, named Xiao Feng. His martial soul was a spiritual-type weapon martial soul called the Mysterious Pearl. His spiritual-type martial soul was mainly for environmental purposes. He was extremely powerful, and his soul power had reached level 54.
These three could be said to be the absolute core of this team. Besides them, there were two other Soul Kings: Chi Hengyu, a level 52 defensive Soul King, and Han Ling'er, a level 51 agility-based Soul King. Han Ling'er was one of the two female team members.
The remaining two Soul Masters were Tang Niuniu, a support-type Soul King, and Qing Feng, a control-type Soul King. Each of them had their own unique characteristics.
As both sides retreated, their formations began to change.
On Shrek Academy's side, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were naturally at the forefront. Behind them, extending slightly to the sides, were Wu Xuan, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi. In the center of the rear were Ling Luochen and Jiang Nannan.
On the other side, the Douling team also formed a formation as they retreated. However, a scene that surprised Shrek Academy appeared. Gu Zhujian, the captain and a power-attack-type Soul Master, did not appear at the forefront of their team, but instead stood in the center.
Standing at the forefront were Qian Yuan, the Terror Claw Bear Soul King, and Chi Hengyu, the defensive Vajra Giant Shield Soul King.
The agility-type battle spirit Wang Hanling'er was hidden behind them, very close. Meanwhile, the two control-type battle spirit masters in the team stood on the flanks, protecting the core of the team, Gu Zhu Jian, and the support-type weapon spirit master, Tang Niu Niu, at the very back.
Seeing that both sides were in position, the referee gestured to their captains and shouted, "The match begins!" Before the words were even finished, the referee seemed to teleport away from the center of the arena.
Both teams of spirit masters released their martial spirits immediately.
Ma Xiaotao's body erupted with intense phoenix flames—two yellow, two purple, and two black spirit rings—six in total, showcasing her power.
Dai Yueheng, standing to the side, simply shook his head helplessly, seemingly lacking any fighting spirit.
Unlike the Shrek Academy team's composure, the Dou Ling team seemed to be in a rush; after releasing their martial spirits, three of the seven immediately unleashed their spirit skills. Keep in mind, the two sides were a hundred meters apart on the wide arena. A soul skill capable of spanning a hundred meters is extremely rare at the Soul King level.
Chi Hengyu, a defensive Soul Master from the Douling Battle Team, unleashed his massive Vajra Shield Martial Soul.
The enormous shield was rectangular at the top and triangular at the bottom. Its total height exceeded two meters, and its width was over one and a half meters. Even someone as robust as Chi Hengyu had to tilt the shield upwards to lift it off the ground.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Vajra Barrier."
After releasing the Vajra Shield, Chi Hengyu's first action was to forcefully plunge the shield into the ground. Immediately afterward, his fifth Soul Ring lit up, a bright white light radiating from its purple brilliance. The already massive Vajra Shield instantly expanded, splitting into two, then four, then eight, transforming almost instantly into a vast shield wall, forcefully blocking everything in its path.
He wasn't the only one to activate it simultaneously; Qing Feng, a control-type Soul Master, and Tang Niuniu, a support-type Weapon Soul Master, also attacked at the same time.
Tang Niu Niu was petite, and with a sway, her ears became fluffy, making her incredibly cute. She clasped her hands together in front of her, and her third spirit ring lit up, a beam of azure light shining directly on Qing Feng. Her spirit was a raccoon, a purely supportive spirit. The spirit skill she used now could amplify all her output spirit power for her partner's next spirit skill, increasing its power by a certain percentage. The degree of amplification depended on the difference in cultivation levels between the two. The smaller the difference in cultivation levels, the higher the amplification percentage.
Qing Feng's fourth spirit ring lit up, a layer of earthen-yellow light spreading from his feet. Immediately afterward, the entire arena began to shake violently. With a thunderous roar, a massive earthen wall surged towards the Shrek Academy seven, like a tidal wave. Furthermore, before Chi Hengyu's Vajra Barrier, earthen spikes emerged, pointing outwards, forming a solid wall that, combined with the thick earthen barrier, made Chi Hengyu's defense virtually impenetrable.
To prevent Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill, Xiao Feng, the main control soul master, held out his hands, and a white bead emitting a faint purple mist appeared in his palms. His fourth soul ring, a thousand-year-old ring, shone brightly, and the bead immediately emitted a dense purple light, covering the seven members of the Douling team and a large area around them. Within the purple light, everything became illusory and indistinct.
The Mysterious Bead Martial Soul, a special mental weapon Martial Soul, protects and supports teammates by releasing various illusionary abilities while simultaneously deceiving the enemy.
The Douling team had built that fortress-like defensive line in the blink of an eye; their purpose was obvious. They must have some incredibly powerful special attack ability that needed time to prepare before unleashing a devastating attack. As for what this attack ability was, no one knew yet. But it was clear that this tactic was specifically aimed at Shrek Academy.
"Wu Xuan!" Ma Xiaotao called softly.
"Here it comes! First Soul Skill, Gathering Spirit Wind!"
Wu Xuan stepped forward, his first yellow Soul Ring gleaming. As his hands rapidly formed hand seals, a cool breeze quickly blew from around him, rushing towards Ma Xiaotao at the forefront.
Wang Yan, in the Shrek Academy rest area, slammed his fist on the table in anger. Ma Xiaotao's actions clearly showed she wasn't going to hide her abilities, ignoring his instructions.
Dai Yueheng, from the White Tiger lineage, possessed the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul, a regular in the Soul Master Competition. Anyone with a bit of experience knew his abilities and his unchanging Soul Skills, offering him little value for concealment. That's why Wang Yan had assigned him to be the main attacker.
The plan was good, but how could the provoked Ma Xiaotao possibly listen?
Ma Xiaotao felt a cool sensation throughout her body. The next moment, the phoenix flames within her burned intensely as if she were on drugs. Her pink eyes transformed into blazing golden-red flames, and a resounding phoenix cry echoed throughout the arena. Ma Xiaotao's phoenix wings flapped behind her, her entire body enveloped in golden-red flames, hovering in mid-air.
Her second, third, and fifth spirit rings lit up simultaneously.
Under the astonished gazes of the six members of the Douling team, Ma Xiaotao, suspended in mid-air, was engulfed in scorching flames, like a real fire phoenix descending from the sky. At that moment, half of the arena was bathed in the golden-red light of her phoenix flames.
Her fifth spirit skill, Phoenix Piercing Clouds Strike, a powerful single-target attack spirit skill, amplified by the Fiery Phoenix and Phoenix Wings Soaring, was no less powerful than her sixth spirit skill.
The seemingly indestructible wall of steel only lasted a few seconds before being reduced to ruins by Ma Xiaotao's transformed fire phoenix.
Seeing the terrified Chi Hengyu at the front, Ma Xiaotao unleashed a Phoenix Fire Stream. The terrifying heat caused Chi Hengyu to groan and bleed from the corner of his mouth before being immediately dragged away by the referee.
Wu Xuan coldly snorted at the mist covering the Douling Academy, and the next moment, his soul power surged wildly. Centered on Wu Xuan, a turquoise gale howled out. The mental mist covering the Douling students was completely swept away in an instant by the extreme wind.
"How is this possible? This is a mist condensed from my mental power! How can it be blown away by a gust of wind like this?" Xiao Feng roared through gritted teeth.
At this moment, the audience and Shrek Academy members outside the arena finally saw what the Douling Academy had done: they were assembling a massive, highly destructive soul-guided cannon.
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