Chapter 324: Xu Tianzhen's Astonishment
That was, of course, impossible. While their soul power cultivation was roughly the same, in terms of combat strength, Xu Tianzhen was far inferior.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao activated his Sun Moon Profound Art. An invisible suction force spread out from him, drawing in the surrounding solar energy at a frenzied pace.
His mastery of the Sun Moon Profound Art had already reached the sixth level, meaning he no longer needed to sit in meditation to absorb the essence of the sun and moon simply activating the technique was enough. Meditation only improved efficiency.
Standing still while absorbing solar energy was effortless.
The orange red light Xu Tianzhen had just released posed no threat to him, so he remained motionless as the attack struck. The next moment, the light hit Huo Yuhao directly but failed to inflict even the slightest injury.
A trace of satisfaction appeared on his face. He could feel his body's physical resilience improving an almost imperceptible increase, but with his exceptional spiritual power, he could easily discern the difference.
"Not bad. Xu Tianzhen seems to be a soul master capable of refining solar energy for her own use. Hmm, overall, she has some value."
He looked at her with a gaze that carried a hint of encouragement, hoping she would exhaust all her soul power before stepping down.
Xu Tianzhen initially worried when she saw her attack land cleanly without triggering a defensive soul tool. After all, she only wanted to defeat Huo Yuhao, not kill him.
Yes, she held some resentment toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy it stemmed from her father and royal brother, Xu Tianran, forbidding her from attending Shrek Academy and instead sending her to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
But personal grievances aside, she understood Huo Yuhao's significance and knew that their fight had limits killing him was out of the question. They weren't true enemies; there was no need for a life or death battle.
Yet when she realized that Huo Yuhao remained completely unharmed, she was stunned. Based on what she knew, his martial soul was the Spirit Eyes a spiritual type martial soul. Even with martial soul possession, his physical defense should barely improve.
Could he possess a soul bone with a defensive ability?
She speculated that since Huo Yuhao was a genius soul engineer, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy would logically invest in him, possibly gifting him soul bones.
"Keep going."
She charged forward, her eyes beginning to glow gold and red. At the same time, she raised her hands toward the sky. A massive orange red orb, resembling a rising sun, appeared in her grasp.
The temperature in the air soared once more, and spectators near the arena were now drenched in sweat.
The orb emitted a blinding golden red light, enveloping the entire battlefield. From a distance, it looked like a hundred meter tall pillar of light had descended from the heavens, engulfing the entire stage.
This was her fifth soul skill Radiant Brilliance.
Many spectators instinctively shut their eyes to shield themselves from the intense light.
But not Huo Yuhao.
With his Spirit Eyes and Eye of Destiny, his vision far surpassed that of ordinary people. A mere burst of intense light was nothing to him. Besides, with his Spiritual Detection Sharing, he could easily track his opponent's movements without using his eyes.
He calmly observed Xu Tianzhen as she used the light to quickly close the distance between them.
Looking at the unwavering expression on Huo Yuhao's face, Xu Tianzhen felt a sudden sense of absurdity. She couldn't understand why her fifth soul skill seemed completely ineffective against him. This shouldn't be happening!
Even against some of the empire's Titled Douluo, if they were unprepared, her fifth soul skill's sudden burst of light would cause their eyes to instinctively shut for a moment. After all, Titled Douluo had immense soul power, but very few had eyes resistant to extreme light exposure.
"Is he just bluffing? Or did he use a soul skill from a soul bone to counter my fifth soul skill?"
Doubts surged through her mind.
"Hmph, let's see what he does next. My fifth soul skill works like a domain it continuously gathers solar energy, increasing the temperature in the illuminated area to burn him.
Its greatest strength is that the longer it lasts, the more energy it accumulates. Once I unleash all that stored solar energy in an instant, victory will be mine."
She calmed herself. As long as she accumulated enough solar energy, she could activate her sixth soul skill, Solar Gaze, to defeat him.
Shrek Academy Waiting Area
Xu Sanshi squinted at the arena, where the bright light made it difficult to see inside. Because he was further away, the glare wasn't as overwhelming, so he didn't need to close his eyes like those seated closer.
However, he was frustrated that he couldn't see what was happening inside. Understanding an opponent's soul skills and combat style was crucial for Shrek Academy's future championship hopes.
In Xu Sanshi's view, there was only one team worth worrying about in this tournament the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
They were the only team strong enough to threaten Shrek Academy's path to the championship.
As Shrek Academy's team captain, he was responsible for leading his team to victory. Even though, due to Xuan Zi's incident, Shrek Academy's reputation in the tournament had plummeted some had even begun questioning whether their years of consecutive victories were due to cheating Xu Sanshi's loyalty to the academy ran deep.
The slander from outsiders infuriated him.
Of course, there was one upside to all this. Jiang Nannan, too, was upset by the negative rumors. To Xu Sanshi, that meant they shared a common stance on something, giving him an excuse to start conversations with her.
"Sanshi, who do you think has the upper hand?" Cai Mei'er asked as she watched the battlefield.
With Xuan Zi gone, she had to step in to keep things under control. Given Shrek Academy's current reputation in the Sun Moon Empire, she worried that something might happen to the students.
Xu Sanshi straightened his expression and replied, "Xu Tianzhen, obviously. After all, Huo Yuhao has been stuck in her soul skill for too long. That's not like him.
In his last match, he crushed the Dragon Slayer Sect effortlessly. Now that he's changed his combat style, he must be in trouble."
As for the rumors that Huo Yuhao and Kong Deming had worked together to capture Xuan Zi, Xu Sanshi didn't take them seriously.
A mere Soul Emperor? Participating in a battle at Xuan Lao's level? Please.
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