A blazing red light burst forth, following the golden glow emanating from Gu Yue. A powerful golden-red flame ignited around her, burning fiercely.
"Elemental fusion?"
Ye Yingluo looked on in shock from the platform.
This girl… she's a genius. An absolute genius!
Even without knowing her Martial Soul or Soul Skills, just the fact that she could fuse the light and fire elements at her age… The word "genius" was far from enough to describe her.
The moment the black curtain of darkness neared the golden-red flames, it was instantly dissolved, like snow melting under a blazing sun. It couldn't even get close.
Suddenly, a massive skeletal dragon claw burst out of the dark curtain, slamming toward Gu Yue.
At the same time, six enormous green snake phantoms appeared, their jaws wide open, surrounding the dragon claw. They curved around Gu Yue and lunged toward Tang Wulin and Xie Xie in the rear.
Qing Ying Devour!
Wei Xiaofeng's second Soul Skill.
A blue-gold vine lashed out—Tang Wulin pulled Gu Yue back, retreating her from danger. The golden-red light spread over all three of them, forming a shield that still kept the dark curtain at bay.
At the same moment, Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass erupted from the ground once more, coiling toward the opposing side. Xie Xie suddenly accelerated—his figure turning ethereal, a blur of light gleaming across his Light Dragon Dagger as he met the snake shadows head-on, disrupting their advance with bursts of brilliance.
Tang Wulin yanked Gu Yue behind him and once again faced the skeletal claw. His left hand, holding his forging hammer, smashed toward one of the serpent heads, while his right hand turned golden, grabbing at the skeletal dragon claw.
But the bone claw retracted sharply, and in the next instant, a black silhouette appeared in front of Tang Wulin.
The dual-element glow of light and fire clashed violently with the figure's black energy, creating a sizzle like oil hitting water. The shadow agilely dodged Tang Wulin's golden claw and sent a swift punch toward his chest.
The attack came so suddenly that Tang Wulin couldn't react in time. In terms of speed and combat awareness, he was still well behind Xie Xie. Worse, the black figure had completely avoided the Blue Silver Grass traps.
Can't dodge it!
Tang Wulin's eyes flashed. His Thousand-Refined Heavy Silver Hammer appeared in his right hand.
If he couldn't evade, then he wouldn't!
The hammer slammed forward—attack the attacker.
Thump! The black figure's fist landed gently on Tang Wulin's body, and his hammer swiped right through it.
To his surprise, the black figure shattered into strands of dark energy, vanishing into the air. A cold sensation rushed into Tang Wulin's body, spreading through his limbs and bones. He shivered uncontrollably.
Damn, I've been hit.
It was Zhang Yangzi's second Soul Skill: Shadow Clone.
At that moment, Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass finally pierced the dark mist. He grunted, suppressing the discomfort within, and forcefully channeled his Soul Power.
Dozens of vines whipped up violently, sweeping through the black curtain like a living storm.
Though usually soft and flexible, the Blue Silver Grass had now become tough as steel, covering the entire darkness with ruthless lashes.
Even the retreating skeletal claw was knocked aside by the flailing vines.
In the chaos, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng were all affected, staggering back from the onslaught.
Who could have expected this?
This seemingly weak ten-year-old Spirit Ring, Blue Silver Grass, actually erupted with such power!
Zhang Yangzi, having just succeeded in ambushing Tang Wulin, had momentarily let down his guard. A single vine lashed across his side—it burned like fire.
Wei Xiaofeng's control over Qing Ying Devour was broken. Wang Jinxi, despite his sturdy physique, was forced to retreat by the relentless barrage of vines.
"Wulin, are you alright?"
Gu Yue pressed a hand to Tang Wulin's back, channeling soft light-element Soul Power into his body.
A warm current flowed through him—Tang Wulin immediately felt much better.
"I'm fine," he said, forcing himself to endure the chill.
Suddenly, Gu Yue shouted in fury:
"You bastards—go to hell!"
Nan Fusheng tried to stop her from behind, but it was too late.
A flash of green light surged from her body—her speed skyrocketed.
She raised both hands, and a storm of fireballs and ice spears exploded into the sky, raining down toward Class One.
The green glow around her intensified, and her eyes shone with frightening brilliance. After the first barrage of fireballs, her arms turned ice-blue, and the ice spears she conjured began to dissolve mid-air, merging with the swirling green light.
The howling wind from the arena felt like a return to the typhoon just days ago.
Wind mixed with ice. In seconds, it formed a towering five-meter-high, one-meter-wide vortex, roaring toward the four students of Class One.
The temperature plummeted, and shards of ice spun within the tornado, slashing the air with piercing screeches.
The four opponents all blanched. Wang Jinxi stepped forward to shield them, while the others summoned all their Soul Power for protection.
Evade?
Impossible. The entire airflow of the arena had been twisted by the vortex. It dragged at their movements, cutting their speed in half.
There was no way out.
On the stage, Instructor Long Hengxu stood frozen.
"What the…? This—this is a one-ring Soul Master's Soul Skill?
Even some three-ring Soul Masters couldn't release something like this!"
Ice Storm!
The combination of ice and wind elements.
Among the four members of Class Five, the strongest had never been Xie Xie, despite his twin Martial Souls and higher Soul Power.
It was Gu Yue.
She had never revealed her true strength in previous matches.
Today, with Tang Wulin wounded, she finally unleashed one of her most powerful attacks in anger.
But the moment the Ice Storm completed, Gu Yue's face turned ghostly pale. Her body trembled and nearly collapsed, saved only by Nan Fusheng, who caught her just in time.
Crashing sounds echoed from the storm as the gale tore at the bodies of Class One's students. Within the whirlwind, flashes of light flickered—it showed they were barely holding on with their Martial Souls.
After more than ten seconds, the Ice Storm finally began to dissipate. The temperature across the entire arena had dropped sharply.
As the storm cleared, Zhang Yangzi and the others slowly reappeared.
At the front, Wang Jinxi's uniform had been shredded into rags, and thin cuts covered his body. Thankfully, he'd shielded his face with his arms and avoided disfigurement.
Zhang Yangzi and Wei Xiaofeng fared slightly better, though both were pale-faced and struggling.
Wang Billy, on the other hand, had lost consciousness entirely.
As a support-type Soul Master, he simply didn't have the endurance the others did.
But even the remaining three had burned through massive amounts of Soul Power just to survive that storm.
In the crowd, students from all grades of the junior division were now staring at Gu Yue with new eyes.
Was she a first-year student?
What kind of monster would she become in the future?
Xie Xie, holding his Light Dragon Dagger, stepped forward slowly.
"Give up," he said flatly.
Everyone could see that Zhang Yangzi and the others had spent more than half their Soul Power and were all injured to varying degrees.
"We haven't lost yet."
Zhang Yangzi's voice was sharp, every word spat through gritted teeth.
Wei Xiaofeng glanced at him hesitantly.
"Are you sure…?"
Zhang Yangzi shot him a fierce glare.
"We can't lose. Jinxi—let's do it!"
Wang Jinxi straightened his back and let out a roar, the black mist around his body surging.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Zhang Yangzi dashed behind him and hugged him around the waist.
A deep dragon's roar and a sharp eagle's cry rang out at once.
Their bodies turned pitch black—and then, impossibly, began to fuse.
Zhang Yangzi's form turned into a black light, merging silently into Wang Jinxi's body. The pair of light wings on Zhang Yangzi's back expanded, becoming part of Wang Jinxi's wings.
Wang Jinxi's body then began to swell, growing in size. A massive tail burst from his lower back. His left arm transformed, matching the skeletal dragon claw of his right.
His aura surged violently.