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Gu La sat on the hastily assembled, slightly crude metal spectator bleachers, his gaze fixed on the wide, prepared arena below.
The draw results had placed Tang Wulin as number one for Shrek Academy—the first competitor to step onto the field.
His opponent was Nangong Yun of the Federation Representative Team, a Soul King whose martial soul was the Elemental-type Wind Spirit.
Nangong Yun was tall and lean, bearing the effortless confidence of a scion from an ancient noble family. His eyes held a quiet arrogance, the kind bred by privilege and inherited power.
His soul rings—two purples, three blacks—rotated slowly around him, confirming he was no ordinary talent.
Many of the Federation's political families held delicate—or outright hostile—relations with Shrek Academy. They leveraged generations of accumulated resources to raise heirs whose strength was never to be underestimated.
Nangong Yun gave Tang Wulin a respectful nod—polite, but not subservient. It was the silent acknowledgment a warrior gives to another worthy of respect.
He had studied Tang Wulin's record: the early defeat to Sun Moon, the dazzling performance in Xingluo. His family had provided detailed dossiers. He would not underestimate him because of his youth.
Tang Wulin smiled back warmly.
"Begin!" the referee's voice rang out—
Instantly, Nangong Yun tapped the ground with his toe. The air around him twisted violently, and his body lifted effortlessly, suspended ten meters above the arena—held aloft by a swirling vortex.
Maintaining flight for long periods drained soul power heavily—but he knew Tang Wulin's close-range combat prowess was terrifying. He would not risk touching the ground.
Simultaneously, he murmured a soul incantation. His first and second soul rings flared.
"O mighty hurricane, heed my call!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The air on all four sides of the arena was violently sucked inward. Four small, swirling vortices of emerald wind erupted—each rapidly growing, devouring ambient wind elements, swelling into monstrous spirals that howled like living beasts.
Then, a one-word Battle Armor materialized over his body, its silver-gray plates gleaming with a brilliant "Wind" glyph on the chestplate, dramatically enhancing his control over wind elements.
He slammed his palms together. His fourth soul ring ignited—Fusion.
The four vortices, now over three meters in diameter, were crushed together by an invisible force—and exploded into a single, unified vortex.
A colossal, towering cyclone, over ten meters wide, stretched from earth to sky. Its core was a storm of razor-sharp wind blades, roaring with a deafening, earth-shaking howl.
Its force was more than ten times greater than any single vortex—a force worthy of a natural disaster.
Nangong Yun swept his arm forward.
The monstrous cyclone surged forward, bearing down on Tang Wulin with the intent to obliterate.
Facing this terrifying assault, Tang Wulin's expression did not change. He did not even release his Blue Silver Grass Soul.
Against an aerial opponent wielding such wide-area attacks, Blue Silver Grass was ineffective.
Instead, he bent his knees slightly. The ground cracked beneath him in fine lines.
Golden bloodline energy erupted from his body like burning flames, enveloping him entirely.
"ROOOOAAARRR!"
A dragon's roar, thunderous and primal, erupted from within him.
He kicked off the ground—and launched skyward like a golden cannonball.
It was the legendary technique of Zhuo Shi: Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens!
This leap carried him over thirty meters in an instant—closing the distance to Nangong Yun mid-air.
Nangong Yun paled. He hastily summoned a thick wall of compressed wind around himself and retreated backward, desperately trying to create space.
But Tang Wulin, suspended in midair without any support, twisted his waist violently.
A second dragon roar echoed.
He launched again—Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens—this time changing direction, hurtling toward Nangong Yun with unstoppable force.
BOOM!
The golden dragon-shaped aura slammed into the wind shield. The shield warped violently, shrieking under unbearable strain.
Nangong Yun scrambled, pouring every ounce of soul power into maintaining the shield and evading.
But Tang Wulin clung to him like a shadow. His fists rained down in rapid succession—each blow carrying crushing force and a thunderous dragon cry. Golden fist shadows fell like a storm.
Above the arena, the cyclone raged uncontrollably—but could not keep pace with the two combatants' blinding speed. It could only scream in impotent fury.
On the spectator seats, Gu La shook his head.
Nangong Yun's tactics were sound. His cyclone was devastating. But he had met Tang Wulin.
The hurricane could not pierce the Golden Dragon King's bloodline defense. And Tang Wulin didn't even need to land a direct hit. The sheer shockwave and pressure from his punches—just grazing Nangong Yun—would be enough to rupture his internal organs.
Indeed, less than fifteen seconds later—
A muffled crack rang out, followed by a cry of pain.
Nangong Yun's wind shield shattered under a single punch. His body flew backward like a severed kite, crashing hard against the arena's edge. He writhed twice but could not rise—his internal organs crushed by the concussive force.
Tang Wulin landed lightly, breathing steady, as if his earlier display had been nothing more than a warm-up.
"Victory: Shrek Academy—Tang Wulin!" the referee declared.
On Shrek's side, Feng Wuyu chuckled loudly, stroking his fiery red beard. His booming laughter carried across the stands: "Hah! Good! Well done!"
The Federation representative glared furiously—but Feng Wuyu didn't even glance his way.
—
The second Soul Master match: Qing Liuli of the Spirit Pagoda versus Lei Yue of the War God Hall.
Lei Yue lived up to his name—towering, muscular, with a rugged, unyielding face.
His martial soul was Thunder Giant Arm—a mutation of the Thunder Giant Soul. He had abandoned the rest of his body's form, focusing solely on enhancing his two arms to near-Body Martial Soul levels. His strength and lightning affinity reached extremes. His destructive power was terrifying.
No words were exchanged. As soon as the referee called "Begin," Lei Yue roared.
His arms swelled violently. His skin darkened to deep purple. Thick, silver lightning arcs—alive, writhing—snaked over his limbs, crackling with explosive energy.
The raw power warped the air around him. His soul rings: three purples, two blacks.
First and fourth rings ignited.
Giant's Might! Thunder Armor!
His already massive arms expanded another third. Muscles bulged like boulders. Thick lightning formed a crackling armor over them.
He stomped the ground. The arena trembled. He charged forward like a god of thunder descending, his fist a comet of destruction, aimed straight at Qing Liuli.
The punch carried a shrieking, annihilating lightning.
Qing Liuli stood motionless.
Faced with such ferocity, she didn't move a step.
A faint, almost imperceptible emerald glow flickered in her eyes.
Fifth Soul Skill—Misfortune!
Her spirit soul, the True Demon of Misfortune, had already evolved—further empowered by the residual emotions and spiritual fragments of the Seven Old Demons from Demon Island. Her ability to manipulate minds had reached terrifying heights.
She simply raised her right hand.
The pink lotus lantern spirit soul in her palm emitted a soft, hazy glow—silent, invisible—and enveloped the charging Lei Yue.
Lei Yue's charge froze.
His furious expression melted into vacant, feverish obsession.
In the mental illusion Qing Liuli wove, he saw himself achieving unimaginable power—breaking through every limit.
"ROOOOAAAAAARRR!" he bellowed—a sound not human.
He turned his fists wildly—attacking empty air.
First Soul Skill! Fourth Soul Skill! Second Soul Skill!
He unleashed his strongest attacks in endless, uncontrolled succession. Lightning exploded everywhere, arcing wildly, carving black craters into the arena floor. His soul power drained like a ruptured dam.
To the spectators, it looked as if Lei Yue had suddenly gone insane—punching nothing, screaming at the void. Within seconds, his massive body stiffened. The lightning vanished. His arms shrank back to normal. His face turned deathly pale. He collapsed face-first onto the ground—soul power completely depleted, unconscious.
Qing Liuli hadn't moved a single step.
"Victory: Spirit Pagoda—Qing Liuli."
The crowd fell silent. Many stared at her with deep unease. Such an insidious, overwhelming control ability was nearly impossible to defend against.
Qing Liuli showed no expression. She turned and walked calmly back to the Spirit Pagoda's rest zone—as if she'd merely brushed off dust.
—
The following matches saw another Spirit Pagoda Soul Master defeat a Federation opponent. Shrek's Wu Siduo effortlessly crushed her War God Hall rival with her powerful self-fusion technique.
The fifth match: Gu Yue's turn.
Her opponent: Kai Xuan, of the Federation.
His name was unusual. His martial soul was even more so: Heavy Armor Core.
A rare weapon-type martial soul—the fusion of a highly condensed mechanical energy core and defensive system.
Rather than becoming a mainstream Battle Armor user, he had forged a unique path: becoming a rare Mecha Master—though he insisted on calling himself a "Mecha-Armor Master."
Kai Xuan pressed a button on a metal bracelet on his wrist. A square slab of metal dropped out.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
A flurry of mechanical transformations rang out. A sleek, silver-gray micro-armor rapidly enveloped his body.
It resembled an advanced exoskeleton—fully enclosing him, joints articulated with precision. Behind his back, a subtly protruding energy core pulsed with steady, controlled output.
He crouched slightly, arms crossed before his chest in a defensive stance. Faint blue energy pathways glowed within the armor's seams.
Han Tianyi was absent. No one from the Spirit Pagoda questioned whether a Mecha-Armor Master was even eligible to compete. After all, the combat power of such armor—due to its size and metal integrity—far surpassed the flesh of any Soul Master.
Gu La didn't care. He watched Kai Xuan's armor with quiet interest.
Gu Yue frowned slightly. This unconventional opponent troubled her.
She took a deep breath. Her pale hands rose slowly. Crimson, azure, ochre, and verdant light began to swirl gently around her fingertips. Elemental particles in the air grew restless.
The referee's arm swept down: "Begin!"
Kai Xuan reacted instantly.
The moment the word left the referee's lips, his silver-gray micro-armor emitted a low hum. The core behind his back pulsed brighter.
He did not charge. He planted his feet firmly, knees bent, arms still crossed in perfect defensive posture.
Hydraulic systems in his joints hissed softly, ready to absorb impact.
His metallic mask concealed eyes sharp as blades, fixed on Gu Yue. He analyzed every micro-expression.
"Target: Gu Yue. Soul: Elementalist. Threat Level: High. Tactical Priority: Defend first. Analyze elemental attack patterns. Seek energy gaps for counterattack."
Inside his mind, the armor's auxiliary combat system began processing data at lightning speed, offering countless tactical suggestions.
Gu Yue stood still. Her robes stirred as if caught in an unseen wind.
She observed Kai Xuan's posture. Her expression remained calm—even facing armor built to Battle Armor standards.
She understood: this "Mecha-Armor" was rare. Not a Mecha, but closer to a Body martial soul. Its defense and energy source were unknown. Blind aggression was unwise.
Her slender fingers danced like invisible pianists before her.
In an instant, blazing fire, freezing water, heavy earth, and nimble wind elements coalesced around her, swirling in glowing hues. The air vibrated with heightened elemental activity.
"Let's test it," she thought.
Her right index finger flicked.
Hssss!
A thin, crimson thread of flame—no thicker than an arm—shot out like a venomous snake. Silent, swift, aimed precisely at the core of Kai Xuan's chestplate.
Not a wide-area blast. Pure concentration. Pure penetration.
Kai Xuan's pupils contracted.
The combat system screamed:
"High-energy flame reaction! Extreme penetration! Recommend evasion or enhanced defense!"
Yet he trusted his armor's integrity. He activated his soul rings. The Heavy Armor Core released metallic-colored soul power.
His crossed arms thrust forward. Blue energy patterns on his forearms flared to blinding intensity, forming a visible hexagonal honeycomb shield.
Puff!
The flame thread struck the center of the shield—not exploding, but drilling.
It spun violently, like a diamond-tipped drill. The shield glowed red-hot, shuddering, visibly denting inward.
Kai Xuan felt searing heat and immense pressure through his arms. Internal temperature spiked. Cooling systems activated at full capacity.
"Unbelievable penetration! This isn't normal elemental control!"
He gritted his teeth, pouring more soul power into his arms. The energy patterns blazed like overloaded circuitry—finally halting the flame's advance and dissipating it.
"Energy consumption estimate increased by 15%. Target's elemental purity exceeds computational models." He assessed, and decided: no more passive defense.
At the moment the flame vanished, Kai Xuan moved.
His foot thrusters erupted twin bursts of blue flame—delivering a powerful lateral thrust.
He slid sideways like a cannonball, closing the distance to Gu Yue in an instant.
His right arm reconfigured. Armor plates slid open, revealing a dark muzzle.
Shh! Shh! Shh!
Three micro-guided soul guidance projectiles—each as thin as a finger, trailing white smoke—shot out in a triangular formation, sealing off her left and right evasion paths!
"Close combat? Or just forcing me to defend?" Gu Yue's eyes narrowed. She didn't retreat.
Instead, she pressed her left hand downward.
BOOM!
A massive earthen wall erupted from the ground—directly in the projectiles' path.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three explosions rocked the wall. Dust billowed.
But in the very moment the wall rose, Kai Xuan used the smoke as cover—and had already closed in on her flank.
His left arm transformed, deploying a high-frequency oscillating particle blade. It whined as it sliced through the air—a swift, lethal slash aimed at her waist.
The transition from defense to offense was seamless.
"Plan successful! Forced her to use earth defense. Line of sight obscured. Probability of successful close-range strike: 78%." Kai Xuan calculated, as always, relying on data.
But Gu Yue seemed to have foreseen his move.
The moment the wall rose, countless tiny, spinning emerald wind blades had already gathered silently around her.
As Kai Xuan's blade slashed toward her—
The wind blades surged together in perfect unison, forming a small but razor-sharp emerald vortex.
The vortex didn't just deflect the particle blade—it deflected its trajectory, letting the edge graze her sleeve.
Then, the vortex continued, spinning like a grinding wheel toward the joints of Kai Xuan's arm.
"What?!"
Kai Xuan's combat system screamed:
"CRITICAL WARNING! HIGH-INTENSITY WIND CUTTING ATTACK! JOINT STRUCTURE BELOW THRESHOLD! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
"Shut up, idiot!"
He couldn't afford to lose his arm. He twisted violently, the armor groaning in protest. His right leg lashed out like a steel whip—sweeping toward Gu Yue's lower body—trying to force her back, using the recoil to retreat.
But Gu Yue had no intention of giving him space.
"You have no chance," she said, her voice cold and clear.
Her previously lowered right hand suddenly opened—then clenched into a fist.
The residual fire energy from her earlier flame, the earth dust from the collapsed wall, the swirling wind vortex, and the ambient moisture in the air—all of it—suddenly obeyed an invisible command.
BOOM!
A bizarre four-colored energy vortex erupted around Kai Xuan.
Crimson fire, ochre dust, emerald wind, and pale blue vapor spun violently, colliding, annihilating, and reborn in chaotic cycles.
Inside, elemental chaos reigned. Terrifying shear forces and energy surges tore at everything.
"ALERT! ALERT! UNKNOWN COMPOSITE ELEMENTAL REACTION! ENERGY FIELD EXTREMELY UNSTABLE! DEFENSE SYSTEM OVERLOADING! MAXIMUM OUTPUT NOW!" the armor screamed its highest-priority warning.
Kai Xuan felt as if trapped in an elemental hell. His armor groaned ominously, metal straining as if ready to tear apart.
He roared, pouring every last drop of soul power into the armor. All output ports opened. He tried to blast through the vortex with his strongest shield.
Gu Yue watched him struggle, expression calm.
Her earlier defensive maneuvers and tests had not been random. She had been quietly laying elemental sigils—culminating in this decisive trap.
Her control over elements had long transcended mere release. She now wove them—like a master weaver crafting a net of death.
With Gu La watching, she didn't want to expend too much effort on a mere machine.
"Enough."
She flicked her wrist.
The violent four-colored vortex vanished—as if it had never existed.
Only Kai Xuan remained—kneeling, his armor charred and cracked in multiple places, sparking with electricity, leaking steam, gasping for breath.
His soul power was nearly gone.
He lifted his head, staring at Gu Yue—still pristine, her breathing steady.
Beneath his mask, his face was filled with disbelief—and quiet defeat.
He had no words. Her elemental mastery had shattered his computational models.
"Victory: Spirit Pagoda—Gu Yue," the referee announced.
Gu Yue gave a slight nod, turned, and walked calmly off the arena—as if she'd merely completed a training drill.
Only Kai Xuan and the most perceptive observers understood: within those brief seconds lay flawless calculation, perfect prediction, and absolute dominance.
On the spectator seats, Gu La's lips twitched—barely, but unmistakably.
The leaders and competitors of other factions now looked at Gu Yue with even greater gravity.
This girl… was far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.
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