On Arena One, Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuyun stood in formation, silently awaiting the referee's signal.
Both were students of Baiyun Academy, and having made it to the finals, their strength was beyond question. Neither dared to underestimate the other.
At that moment, the referee's voice boomed out.
[Contestants, take your positions!]
[The match is about to begin!]
It was still that same lofty, heavenly voice.
Of course, this wasn't due to the referee's own power, but rather an effect of the arena's broadcasting equipment.
[Ready…]
[…Begin!!]
As the referee's command fell, a faint smile emerged on Hu Liena's face. With the release of her martial soul, her beauty seemed to amplify. A fluffy, reddish tail sprouted behind her, and a faint pink glow enveloped her body. Her eyes sparkled as she looked directly at Zhu Zhuyun—her charm wasn't limited to the opposite sex.
This was a spirit-type illusion technique. Regardless of gender, anyone who made eye contact with her would fall into its effects.
But to Hu Liena's surprise, Zhu Zhuyun, with only three spirit rings—purple, purple, and black—was completely unaffected. In fact, she boldly met Hu Liena's gaze head-on!
How is that possible? Could her spiritual power be even stronger than mine? Hu Liena was deeply shocked. What she didn't realize was that Zhu Zhuyun's immunity to her charm technique didn't come from her own strength, but from the three-headed dog at her side.
Though Zhu Zhuyun's personal abilities weren't particularly impressive, her contracted spirit beast certainly was. While Hu Liena's six-tailed white fox was already a rare and powerful spirit beast, it paled in comparison to Zhu Zhuyun's mutated three-headed dog.
The difference between the two was enough to make one despair.
Truth be told, Zhu Zhuyun's entire journey to the finals could be credited to her three-headed dog. Her own power had little to do with it.
But this was, after all, a contract soul master competition. Relying on one's spirit beast was nothing to be ashamed of. Zhu Zhuyun accepted this openly and with confidence.
"Surprised?"
Noticing the astonishment in Hu Liena's eyes, Zhu Zhuyun smiled faintly and said calmly, "That surprises you? There's more to come. Xiao San, show her what you've got!"
As if understanding the command, the snowy white three-headed dog let out a howl. A silent wave of energy spread out.
In the next instant, Hu Liena felt the world shift.
A moment later, she found herself transported from the arena to a land of snow and ice.
Everything was white. Snow blanketed the ground, and flakes continued to fall from the sky. A deep, bone-chilling cold surrounded her from every direction.
A cold wind swept past, making the lightly-dressed Hu Liena shiver. She reached out to catch a snowflake, feeling the overwhelming realism of the illusion.
Looking across at Zhu Zhuyun, she exclaimed in disbelief, "An illusion?! You can create something this real? How is that possible? Is your spiritual power really that strong?"
"It's not me who's powerful—it's Xiao San."
Zhu Zhuyun knelt down, affectionately rubbing her three-headed dog's head and smoothing its back. Her attitude was full of love and pride. After all, with such a powerful partner, who wouldn't be proud? Especially when her own potential wasn't particularly great—she'd probably spend her life being carried by this little companion.
If not for her sister Zhu Zhuqing's connections—or more accurately, Zhu Zhuqing's backing by Ye Cheng—the Cerberus clan would never have allowed her to sign a contract with this beast. Connections really were everything.
"This little guy?"
Hu Liena looked at the adorable three-headed dog with disbelief. "Isn't your Cerberus ice-elemental? How can it cast such a powerful illusion?"
"I never said Xiao San was just ice-elemental." Zhu Zhuyun smiled slyly, inwardly thrilled. Showing off in front of a top student felt just like downing an ice-cold drink after hours under the blazing summer sun—pure satisfaction.
"Could it be… it's dual-element like my Xiao Bai? Ice and spirit?" Hu Liena looked at the snow-white dog with icy blue patterns and speculated.
"You guess."
Zhu Zhuyun smiled back, refusing to answer directly. Hu Liena found herself grinding her teeth in frustration. Smug much? So what if you've got a good sister? Without nepotism, could you have even dreamed of contracting such a powerful beast?
"…Hmph. Whatever."
Suppressing her irritation, Hu Liena wasn't about to give up just because she was trapped in an illusion. Her mastery of illusions might just be her ticket out. After all, she was a fox—an expert in illusion techniques!
She couldn't believe a dog could outperform her in illusions!
"Xiao Bai, let's do this!"
Taking a deep breath, Hu Liena unleashed her spirit power to its limit. Aside from the fluffy tail behind her, two fox ears sprouted from her head.
"Woowoo!"
Her six-tailed white fox let out a call, glowing with white light before merging into Hu Liena's body. This was the natural result of a soul master and spirit beast reaching a deep level of synchronization—Fusion.
In this state, the contract soul master could use all of the beast's abilities and even inherit its physical traits.
Some masters with matching elements or complementary traits could even achieve a synergy greater than the sum of their parts.
For Hu Liena, the fusion was especially successful due to the fact that her martial soul was also a fox, giving her exceptional compatibility with the six-tailed white fox. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy to grasp such a skill.
Though Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er had both used fusion in earlier battles, theirs had only scratched the surface—they hadn't truly inherited their beasts' powers or elevated them.
Hu Liena's fusion, however, was different. After fusing with the six-tailed white fox, her spiritual power and physical capabilities surged. She could now wield all of the fox's talents—and the fusion even sparked a chemical reaction that made the strong even stronger. A true 1+1>2 effect.
Crack!
Fissures began appearing in the icy illusion world.
"She's actually starting to break free!"
Zhu Zhuyun's eyes widened with awe and admiration. Then her expression sobered.
"Unfortunately… you're too late!"
Back in the real world—
Bang!
Zhu Zhuyun struck Hu Liena's neck with a hand chop, knocking her out cold—just as Hu Liena had done to her opponents before.
The irony was hard to miss.
______________________
This book is COMPLETED in my patreon, patreon.com/ryuuu_
Your support is greatly appreciated!