The rewards from this trip to the Black Market at Sky Sword Mountain were immense. Although the head spirit bone was acquired almost by accident, it provided only a minimal boost to soul power. However, the improvements brought by the spirit bone were not just limited to soul power.
The ranking battles continued.
The ranking battles progressed steadily to the middle of the tournament.
Once again, Wujie Academy faced off against the Blaze Academy.
"This time, let me take it on!" Before anyone could react, Feng Xiaotian stood up.
In the next moment, he was already flying toward the arena.
Blaze Academy's first contestant was the Soul King, Huo Xiangche.
"Damn it, it's that Feng Xiaotian again! Does he want to use our Blaze Academy to get attention, just like Yun Yibai did?!"
At this moment, Huo Wushuang was extremely displeased. Although he had a decent relationship with Feng Xiaotian, that didn't mean he could allow the other to use Blaze Academy as a stepping stone.
Beside him, Huo Wu was tightly gripping her hands, and her palms were slightly swollen, with small bumps appearing on the back of her hands.
"Humph! I won't let him succeed!" Huo Wu snorted coldly.
For someone as proud as Huo Wu, a cold snort seemed to be her usual response.
"Xiaowu~" Originally, Huo Wushuang's anger was directed at Feng Xiaotian, but as soon as Huo Wu spoke, his focus shifted back to her.
Huo Wushuang looked at her with some pity. He hadn't expected that the words he had said that day would cause Huo Wu to harm herself like this. In the end, her goal was simply to grow stronger quickly and get back at Feng Xiaotian.
"Sigh! Where in the world can I find Ghost Cutting Grass that's over two hundred years old?" Huo Wushuang thought to himself.
The Ghost Cutting Grass was already rare, and the one that could completely heal Huo Wu's condition needed to be over two hundred years old.
That's what made Huo Wushuang feel helpless.
The Ghost Cutting Grass was said to come from the underworld, but this story was somewhat exaggerated. In reality, its growing environment was extremely harsh, and it could only be found in places where the yin and yang forces intersected.
Such places were typically characterized by strange natural phenomena.
For example, during the transition between day and night, one might find traces of Ghost Cutting Grass at the peak of the highest mountain.
There were also certain places where cold and hot air intermingled, creating a mist—such places were also highly likely to contain Ghost Cutting Grass.
The Ghost Cutting Grass thrived in these extreme environments.
On the competition stage, Feng Xiaotian had already eliminated Blaze Academy's first five players. Only Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu remained.
To conserve more of his soul power, Feng Xiaotian didn't hold back.
To be honest, he didn't have a spirit bone like Yun Yibai's that could efficiently recover soul power.
"Feng Xiaotian, you're such a bastard!" As soon as Huo Wushuang stepped onto the stage, he muttered angrily at Feng Xiaotian.
Feng Xiaotian: "??? "
"I won't let you succeed." Huo Wushuang assumed a battle-ready stance.
With the referee's signal, Huo Wushuang activated his martial soul. His hands transformed into fire dragon claws, charging toward Feng Xiaotian.
The Wujie Academy team watched Feng Xiaotian's battle with interest.
"Blaze Academy seems a bit different today!" Oscar, who was usually very active in the Wujie Academy team, remarked.
Within Wujie Academy, usually...
Yun Yibai was calm, Dugu Yan was cold and stunning, Feng Xiaotian was proud and aloof, Yang Tai was obsessed with battle, Niu Tian was steady, and Ye Lingling was quiet.
"That's true. In this ranking battle against Blaze Academy, their offensive and attitude seem more intense than usual," Yang Tai observed.
"Did something happen to Feng Xiaotian?" Niu Tian also joined the conversation. Oscar's comment had caught their attention.
"It doesn't seem like it. Feng-ge hasn't visited Blaze Academy in quite a while," Oscar replied.
"Maybe Feng Xiaotian wants to defeat Blaze Academy just like Yun Yibai did—by doing it all by himself!" Oscar mused.
"After all, no one likes to be a stepping stone for others to reach the top," Dugu Yan commented indifferently, her gaze focused on the arena.
...
"Huo Wushuang, stop struggling. It's meaningless!" Feng Xiaotian, with his dual wind wings, soared through the air. He released several wind blades toward Huo Wushuang.
Huo Wushuang dodged the first few attacks from Feng Xiaotian, but the wind blades that followed were too fast for him to evade.
Huo Wushuang activated his soul skill, and fiery attacks broke through the wind blades.
"Bullshit!"
"Even if I can't defeat you, don't think you can use Blaze Academy to make a name for yourself!"
"In that case, don't blame me for disregarding our friendship!" With that, Feng Xiaotian accelerated.
"Swift Wind Demon Wolf... Slash Combo!!" Feng Xiaotian's voice rang out, low and ominous.
The audience could only see Feng Xiaotian's figure vanish. Then, a green arc of light darted across the competition stage.
The green arc left multiple afterimages, and Feng Xiaotian's attacks came in waves like a torrential storm. Huo Wushuang fought back with all his might, creating walls of fire to resist the continuous onslaught.
Huo Wushuang kept resisting, but his heart was full of helplessness. How many times had he lost to Feng Xiaotian's "Swift Wind Demon Wolf Slash Combo"?
In the beginning, it was bearable, but as the combo continued, both the speed and power of the attacks increased, leaving him unable to defend.
Normally, when Feng Xiaotian's combo reached twenty or more slashes, Huo Wushuang couldn't hold on any longer. Not to mention, the gap between him and Feng Xiaotian was now even greater.
But this time, he still held on. Huo Wushuang's eyes showed no sign of retreat. In his heart, there was only one thought: This time, I will hold on, no matter what, and create a bigger advantage for Huo Wu.
As time passed, Huo Wushuang's stamina began to deplete. His soul power dwindled, and the light of the flames grew dimmer.
"Huo Wushuang, you are impressive. Despite such a large gap, you've managed to hold on until now. Your willpower has grown stronger," Feng Xiaotian's voice echoed near his ear, carrying a tone of admiration.
"Heh, if you can stay in the Hurricane Gorge for so long, why can't I improve?" Huo Wushuang, drenched in sweat, replied weakly.
"Good! But the result of this match is already decided." Feng Xiaotian finally sent Huo Wushuang off the competition stage.
Due to his exhaustion, Huo Wushuang was carried off by the other Blaze Academy members.
Huo Wushuang looked at Huo Wu. "Little sister, I did my best!"
"Mm!"
Huo Wu glanced at Feng Xiaotian on the stage. "I will defeat him!"