"Dammit!"
Huo Wushuang was forced to cut off his soul skill and leap to the side, when Zhu Zhuqing suddenly sped up and charged at him.
It was her first soul skill, Hell Rush Stab.
Not far away, Huo Lie faced the same situation, only this time his opponent was Oslo.
"Third soul skill, Defying Flame Ring!" Seeing the danger, Huo Wu immediately unleashed her third soul skill. A wall of fire three meters high surged up from the ground, expanding outward at great speed. Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie took the chance to retreat quickly and regroup with Huo Wu.
Closest to them, Yang Yunhai thrust his spear straight into the ground.
Boom!
The fire wall crashed into him, whipping his clothes about, but he stood firm and unmoved.
Behind him, Zhu Zhuqing and Oslo bent their waists, then leapt into the air, vaulting over the three-meter wall of fire.
At the rear, "Fourth soul skill, Xuanwu Barrier!" Shi Mo activated his fourth soul skill, shielding Ye Lingling and his elder brother inside a defensive shell.
Yang Yunhai rose, Zhu Zhuqing and Oslo landed, and the three pressed forward to break the formation.
"Dammit!" Huo Wu's chest heaved with anger. The fireball already condensed in her hand was flung out, flying straight toward Yang Yunhai.
He met it without fear. The vine-serpents behind him bit down together, directly clashing with the fireball.
Boom!
The violent explosion filled the air with flames. Two vine-serpents staggered back from the impact.
Yang Yunhai followed up, his spear sweeping forward to scatter the flames.
"Not so fast!" Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie rushed to intercept.
"First soul skill, Hell Rush Stab!" Zhu Zhuqing accelerated and reached them first, her sharp claws swiping toward Huo Wushuang's neck.
"Second soul skill, Extreme Shadow Assault! First soul skill, Shadow Claw!" Oslo was no less aggressive, accelerating to pounce on Huo Lie.
Behind them, the vine-serpents steadied themselves and opened their maws, spewing pale breath toward Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie.
"Third soul skill, Defying Flame—" Huo Wu reacted instantly, preparing to release her third soul skill again.
"Whoosh!" A black-green spear shot forward like a streak of light. Huo Wu's pupils shrank; she was forced to abort her skill and dodge to the side.
Yang Yunhai surged forward, and with a wave of his hand, the vine armor on his chest burst forth three tendrils. One lashed around Huo Wu's waist, while the other two shot toward the two auxiliary soul masters behind her. With a lift of his arm, the vine hoisted Huo Wu into the air first.
In the next moment, secondary vines sprouted from the main tendril, binding Huo Wu tightly in a Yang-style wrap.
"Dammit, let me go!" Huo Wu struggled fiercely, her figure only made more prominent, eyes blazing as she glared at Yang Yunhai.
The two auxiliaries tried to run, but they were no match for the speed of the vines. Both were snared around the waist and hoisted up.
"Third soul skill, Parasite." Yang Yunhai cast a glance at Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie, and parasitic seeds sprouted across their bodies.
Bound by vines, their movements stalled. Zhu Zhuqing and Oslo immediately seized the chance, pressing their claws to their throats.
Yang Yunhai turned back, controlling the vines to lower the now-trussed Huo Wu, Huo Chui, and Huo Jun onto the ground.
"..." Returning from the air, Huo Yun and Huo Yu saw the scene and fell silent.
The outcome was already decided.
With vines this resistant to fire, even if they stood still and let them burn, they might not break. It was hopeless.
Inside the vines, Huo Wu's eyes were bloodshot, locked firmly on Yang Yunhai.
'What are you staring at? If I wasn't fast enough with the binding, if my control wasn't precise, without keeping the vines thornless—you'd have been thoroughly exposed by now.'
Yang Yunhai ignored her and turned his gaze toward Huo Wushuang, his tone calm. "I think we've already won."
He loosened the vines just enough to expose their heads.
The Blazing Academy members all fell silent, their eyes turning to Huo Wu. She clenched her teeth and said, "Yang Yunhai, I have two questions."
"First, in your match against Shrek Academy, did you target that fat one deliberately in advance?"
'That's not polite!' In the stands, Ma Hongjun's eyelids twitched.
"Yes," Yang Yunhai answered without hesitation.
"—!" The stands erupted in uproar.
"Damn, Heaven Dou Royal Academy really knows how to lay traps! From the very first match of the qualifiers they were already digging holes for Blazing Academy!"
"I can only say Blazing Academy lost without injustice. This Yang Yunhai is ridiculous. He can attack, control, defend—his combat power is off the charts! Compared to him, Shrek's Tang San's Blue Silver Grass is just a little brother."
On stage, Huo Wu's expression shifted. She gritted her teeth again. "Second question. Is your Martial Soul immune to fire?"
Yang Yunhai shook his head lightly. "Not completely immune. It's just resistant up to a certain strength of flame."
"What the hell!? A plant-type Martial Soul that resists fire?! Then it has no weakness!" The audience boiled over.
'Impossible… impossible…'
On the viewing platform, Tang San's jaw clenched.
'It must be the Immortal Herbs. It has to be the Immortal Herbs! Heaven is unjust. All the advantages, all the fortune, are given to Yang Yunhai!'
'Without Immortal Herbs, my Blue Silver Grass is just trash!'
"We admit defeat." Huo Wu's eyes still burned, but she forced the words through her teeth.
Yang Yunhai released the vines, then glanced at Ye Lingling. She raised her Nine-Heart Begonia, purple light blossoming as countless petals drifted out, falling over everyone—including Blazing Academy.
"Thank you," Huo Wushuang said, his expression complicated.
Yang Yunhai smiled. "You're welcome."
"We'll face each other again. Don't think that just because your Martial Soul resists fire, you'll win for sure." Huo Wu glared at him with fierce resolve.
"Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Yang Yunhai returned the smile. "I'll be waiting."
Turning, he rejoined his team.
The referee's voice rang out, "Heaven Dou Royal Academy wins!"
"Whoooa!" The crowd erupted into cheers.
Both teams exited the arena.
"Qinghe, tell the Great Spirit Arena staff to expand the rings. They're too small now." In the VIP seats, Emperor Xue Ye turned to Xue Qinghe.
"Yes, Father." Qinghe nodded and left.
In the contestants' stand, the other academies wore heavy expressions. "How can Yang Yunhai be this strong? What are we supposed to do when we face him?"
At Shrek's side, Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and the others also looked grim.
Ning Rongrong, with a sidelong glance at Tang San's yet-again dark expression, quietly bit her lip.
'The gap is too big. In strength, in mentality—everything.'
Tang San calmed himself. 'I still have the Clear Sky Hammer. Blue Silver Grass is only temporary. Yang Yunhai, once I can cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer, I'll crush you beneath my feet. No—once I reach Soul Ancestor, even at the same level, I might not lose to you!'
His face smoothed into calm composure once more, the same serene air as always.
"…" Ning Rongrong was speechless. She glanced at Yu Xiaogang's equally stiff expression.
In her heart, she thought, 'These two master and disciple really do love to act. Every time they get their confidence back, they put on that calm front like it's only natural.'
Meanwhile, in the Blazing Academy's rest area—
"Huo Wushuang, in a few days we'll take revenge for you." Feng Xiaotian's low voice came as the group sat in gloom.
"If we couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?" Huo Wushuang snorted coldly.
"You know I didn't mean it like that," Feng Xiaotian said with a smile. "It wasn't your strength that lost, but elemental countering. If Yang Yunhai's Martial Soul wasn't fire-resistant, Huo Wu's fourth soul skill would have taken them down."
"But if he resists fire, that doesn't mean he resists wind. Many soul master battles are decided by attribute countering. Like us—we only lost to Thunderclap Academy because of their elemental advantage."
"So don't let it weigh too heavily on you."
The Blazing team's expressions eased slightly.
"Huo Wu," Feng Xiaotian suddenly spoke, "don't you really want to go out with me?"
"…"
"Fine. If you can lead your team to defeat Heaven Dou Royal Academy, defeat that Yang Yunhai, I'll agree. Brother, let's go." With that, she left the room, leaving a stunned Feng Xiaotian and speechless teammates.
Huo Wushuang hurried after her. "Sister, you weren't serious just now, were you?"
"Heh." Huo Wu gave him a glance. "Brother, do you really think Feng Xiaotian can beat Yang Yunhai?"
"I… don't know." Huo Wushuang scratched his head.
"Forget Yang Yunhai's vines fixing themselves into the ground. Just those Xuanwu shields from Shi Mo and Shi Mo, do you think the Godwind Academy can blow them apart?" she said coldly. "And if they dare land on the ground, Yang Yunhai's third soul skill alone will make them suffer."
Huo Wushuang was stunned. "Then why did you say that to Feng Xiaotian?"
"If he had even a bit of sense, he wouldn't have agreed just now." Huo Wu frowned. "Better to cut off his thoughts here, so he doesn't stick to me like plaster later."
"I'm warning you all, don't breathe a word of this."
"Of course!" her teammates nodded hastily.
Poor Feng Xiaotian. In their hearts, the whole team silently mourned for him.
At Shrek Academy, Tang San returned to the back mountain after they got back, furiously training Distraction Control.
His Blue Silver Grass might not match Yang Yunhai's strength, but in developing its abilities, he refused to lose.
'Two lifetimes, and I'd lose in comprehension to a native? Impossible! I'm the Tang Sect's first disciple in years to craft Buddha Fury Tang Lotus. How could my understanding be weaker than a child's?'
At Heaven Dou Royal Academy's hotel, Yang Yunhai was also training, but this time on the Mysterious Jade Hand.
Meanwhile, he pondered:
'Could it be possible to extend the Mysterious Jade Hand's effect across my entire arm… even my whole body?'
'And if Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track combined with lightning-attribute soul power, would its explosive speed be even stronger?'
He resolved to test it when the chance came.
(End of Chapter)
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