As a support-type soul master, Zhao Haochen naturally stood at the back. He shouted loudly, "Come quickly, my big drumsticks!"
A yellow soul ring rippled from beneath his feet, and two flashes of yellow light appeared in his hands, transforming into two braised chicken drumsticks.
He quickly handed them to Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao. Although Wang Dong was proud by nature, she didn't dare to be careless in front of a senior with four soul rings. Taking one of the braised drumsticks, she took a bite.
At the same time, her martial soul, the Bright Goddess Butterfly, appeared behind her. Magnificent blue-violet butterfly wings with golden patterns unfolded brilliantly.
After eating the braised drumstick, Wang Dong immediately felt her body become lighter and more agile.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, focused his attention on this food-type soul master's soul skill. Taking a bite himself, he used his Spirit Eyes to analyze its structure and discovered the secret within.
"The arrangement of the soul power in this skill is similar to amplifying skills like Fury of Thunder, but it's denser and more stable," he thought.
"Moreover, its soul power nature is gentler, allowing others to absorb it. However, this also wastes much of the energy, making it weaker than other amplification skills of the same level."
"I haven't seen other support-type soul skills yet. I'll compare them later. For now, I need to deal with this battle first."
Wang Dong charged forward, her soul rings,a yellow and a purple,rising beneath her feet. The second, the purple one, shone especially brightly.
As the yellow soul ring glowed, Huo Yuhao saw through his Spirit Eyes that Wang Dong's soul power rapidly flowed into her front wings, forming golden runes. These runes drew in surrounding specks of light that gathered onto the wings.
The blue wings' edges emitted golden lines that expanded outward, forming three-inch-long golden blades along their rims.
Her back wings spread wide to control her direction, while her front wings folded together as she lunged toward the senior.
The senior didn't move. Golden scales rapidly formed and covered his entire body like armor. Except for his eyes, nose, and mouth, no skin was exposed after his martial soul possessed him.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple,the ideal four-ring combination appeared on him. His first two yellow rings lit up.
Through Huo Yuhao's eyes, he saw the senior's soul power circulate swiftly through specific meridians, forming two layers of defense,one over the scales, another beneath them along his skin.
"First Soul Skill: Golden Battle Armor. Second Soul Skill: Golden Tyrant Body," the senior said calmly.
He didn't use any special moves, simply spreading his arms to block Wang Dong's strike with overwhelming strength.
"Not bad attack power. Excellent soul ring combination," he commented.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao wasn't idle. From an angle hidden from most onlookers,noticed only by the examiner keeping watch at the side,four Bone-Piercing Nails and four Locust Stones curved through the air toward the defending senior.
Since his blind spot was used, the senior didn't notice, let alone defend.
Ding, ding, ding, ding!
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The Bone-Piercing Nails hit first. Though designed to pierce armor and aimed precisely at the weaker joints, the gap in their strength was too great. Moreover, Huo Yuhao avoided using more dangerous Tang Sect weapons like Dragon Beard Needles to keep the fight fair.
Then, the Locust Stones struck the already-embedded nails, pushing them deeper through the armor gaps, piercing the skin slightly,just shallow wounds.
"Impressive. No wonder your soul power is low,you must be a Tang Sect recruit. Your technique might even surpass Beibei's," the examiner said, eyes filled with new respect.
Even if it was due to carelessness, a hit was a hit. The fact that Huo Yuhao broke through his defense, even slightly, meant he could have used poison.
Though the Tang Sect had declined, Tang Ya and Beibei were still well-known at Shrek Academy, and everyone knew the Tang Sect's trademark expertise.
"I've lost face this time. Looks like I'll have to get serious. Be careful, kids!" the senior shouted, his body bursting with golden light.
The light forced Wang Dong and the embedded nails backward. His third soul ring shone, and the scales on his body shot outward, leaving behind a golden-skinned form that looked oddly comical.
However, the scattered scales transformed into glowing particles, forming a three-meter-tall humanoid golden phantom around him.
"This is my third soul skill, Golden Scale True Body. It may not be a true Martial Soul Avatar, but it's one of the strongest among three-ringed soul skills."
"I was careless before, but now I'm fully defended!"
He charged toward Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.
At the back, Zhao Haochen, being a one-ring food-type soul master, could only panic,unsure what to do.
Seeing the massive golden figure charge at them, even Wang Dong grew nervous. She'd rarely fought real battles; her past spars at the Clear Sky Sect were never serious, since no one dared strike the sect's little princess.
She hesitated, unsure whether to fight or retreat.
"What are you spacing out for? Use your second soul skill and aim for his face! If not, use the first one,don't hold back," Huo Yuhao's calm voice rang in her ears.
Instinctively, Wang Dong obeyed, launching her second soul skill,Butterfly Goddess' Light.
Though she hadn't fully mastered the powerful millennium skill, now wasn't the time for hesitation. The examiner, noticing her preparation, slowed his pace to allow her time to cast.
After all, testing control and mastery was part of the assessment, and he knew a single strike wouldn't harm him seriously.
As her purple ring glowed brightly, golden runes across her butterfly wings lit up, gathering vast light energy.
Thanks to her extensive training, Wang Dong's control was far above average. With the time given, she activated not only her second but also her first soul skill,Wing Blade.
Normally, Butterfly Goddess' Light was a wide-area attack using gathered light energy, difficult even for her to control. But Wing Blade compressed that same energy into sharp, focused blades.
As the massive light energy condensed, Wang Dong's wings turned entirely golden, radiating upward.
A huge crescent-shaped golden light blade formed and slashed toward the examiner.
The effort drained her completely. Combining two soul skills,especially one of millennium level,was exhausting for a new Grandmaster-ranked soul master. Just managing to aim it was impressive.
The examiner's expression grew serious. His fourth, purple soul ring lit up. The three-meter golden phantom shrank to two meters, its light solidifying into a metallic sheen,his fourth soul skill, Indestructible Golden Body.
This skill, strengthened by his previous ones, made his defense comparable to that of a ten-thousand-year ring.
But linked amplification and true fusion are vastly different. If the former adds power linearly, the latter multiplies it exponentially.
Though Wang Dong's cultivation was lower, her two-skill fusion attack was terrifyingly strong. Without the examiner giving her time, she could never have pulled it off.
When the light faded, the defense specialist had held his ground, but his solid golden body had become dim and cracked slightly where the light blade struck.
"Hah... enough. The test is over. You all pass," he said with a sigh.
"What? The incense stick isn't even burned out," the recording examiner asked.
"There's no need to test further," the defensive examiner replied as his golden form dissolved.
He appeared unharmed,except for two small needles sticking comically out of his nostrils. Though only surface injuries, it was an amusing sight, especially since they got through his full defense.
"Ahem, I'll announce the results," he said, pulling out the needles as if nothing had happened.
"Wang Dong: Excellent strength, combat skills, and tactics. Sufficient real-combat awareness. Overall: responsive and decisive. Pass."
"Huo Yuhao: Low strength, excellent combat skills, exceptional tactical thinking and combat sense. Outstanding perception, displays leadership qualities. Pass."
"Zhao Haochen: Adequate strength, decent skills, fair tactics, and teamwork lacking. Proficient in soul skill use. Pass."
"Any questions?" he asked, scanning the three.
Wang Dong, pale from exhaustion, bit her lip silently. Zhao Haochen, having barely used any energy, looked overjoyed at passing.
Huo Yuhao, though also pale, wasn't from lack of soul power,his mental energy was heavily taxed from analyzing defenses and timing attacks precisely. His soul power recovered easily thanks to the Skydream Iceworm, but his spirit strength did not.
"Alright, if there are no issues, leave the field. Don't delay the next group," another examiner said, stepping forward,a five-ringed healing-type support master. Under his healing, everyone's minor injuries quickly faded.
Huo Yuhao headed toward the freshman teaching building. Zhao Haochen had already disappeared, likely off to find friends. But Wang Dong followed behind.
"Hey, are you from the Tang Sect?" her clear voice called out.
"First, I'm not 'hey.' My name's Huo Yuhao. Second, what does that have to do with you?"
He replied calmly, thinking helplessly, "What a hassle... it's like she's under a spell,mention Tang Sect and she's glued to me."
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