"The Soul Fighting Competition, the first match of the top 16 to top 8, Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy versus the previous champion, Shrek Academy!"
The referee's voice rang out from the arena, and the cheers of the audience followed, wave after wave, instantly making the entire venue lively.
Ma Rulong watched the seven members of Shrek Academy filing onto the arena and leaned in a bit closer. "Senior, their main team members are finally taking the field."
Lin Xiao nodded, his gaze not leaving the arena. "I think you should pay attention to the last two kids."
"Them?" Ma Rulong frowned. "Senior, aside from the first few matches where one of the kids somehow simulated six hundred-thousand-year soul rings, they haven't been particularly outstanding, and their cultivation is just a Soul Elder and a Great Soul Master."
"Yes." Lin Xiao smiled. "That's why even we know those two kids are only a Soul Elder and a Great Soul Master. Why would Shrek Academy send them up instead of someone with higher cultivation?"
"Is it a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" Ma Rulong said uncertainly. "We discussed it with Father before; those two have used a powerful control soul skill."
"Maybe. But in a team battle with only seven people, sacrificing two spots just for a Martial Soul Fusion Skill seems a bit forced. Perhaps those two play a more important role in that team than we expect."
Lin Xiao withdrew his gaze and glanced at Ma Rulong.
Some things he couldn't say outright; he could only hint this much. Whether Ma Rulong could take it in was up to him. After all, he wasn't the team leader, and some arrangements had to be made by Ma Rulong himself.
"The match begins!"
In the arena, with the referee's command, dazzling phoenix flames rose almost instantly. The protective barrier around the arena blocked the terrifying heat, but the surrounding air was already distorting continuously. From outside the barrier, the figures inside appeared blurred.
The torment of the past half-month had built up frustration in Ma Xiaotao and the others. Now in the arena, they no longer cared about tactics and just wanted to vent all their pent-up anger.
Below the arena, Wang Yan suddenly sat up straight, his face becoming unusually serious. He knew Ma Xiaotao and the others had completely forgotten their tactics. Then, he looked toward Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao still smiled and nodded at Wang Yan, but this smile made his face even uglier.
"Senior, this..."
It wasn't just Wang Yan whose face was ugly. At first, when he didn't know the strength of Shrek Academy's three main members, Ma Rulong always wanted them to act early to probe their power.
But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he somewhat wished they wouldn't act.
"As expected of Shrek Academy."
Lin Xiao also sighed lightly. This year it was Ma Xiaotao; the previous year it was Zhang Lexuan. Shrek Academy's inner court disciples had to complete monitoring tasks, and with considerable casualties, they could still ensure at least one such exceptionally talented disciple in every competition.
Regardless of their training methods, at the very least, their students' talents indeed surpassed those of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
"How about it, scared?" Lin Xiao smiled at Ma Rulong.
"No." Ma Rulong's expression had calmed down as he slowly shook his head. "If we can't even beat their three main members, we'll have no chance later."
"Confidence is good. Prepare well."
Lin Xiao looked back at the arena. As soul rings lit up one after another around Xu Sanshi, Ma Xiaotao had already been sent into the Dou Ling Academy formation by Xu Sanshi's Mystic Deep Replacement, followed by a phoenix cry resounding through the venue.
"Their Soul Ancestor is very strong. That soul skill should allow him to swap positions with others. Originally used to change positions and protect teammates, but he can use it for active offense."
"Yes, indeed very strong." Lin Xiao glanced at the Dou Ling Academy side. "Look, Dou Ling Academy isn't unprepared; they've used soul tools to block the line of sight, but he can still precisely hit the people in the back."
Ma Rulong nodded as he listened to Lin Xiao, but soon stopped, realizing something. "Senior, are you saying his soul skill doesn't rely on eyes to lock onto the target?"
"I'm just guessing casually." Lin Xiao smiled. "Didn't you discuss it with Teacher Ma before?"
"No." Ma Rulong shook his head. "Before, we just thought that Soul Ancestor's performance was quite good, but now that you mention it, Senior, I also notice he seems to never confirm the target when using his soul skill."
"That kind of soul skill is similar to our soul guidance rays, and it can't control the direction. He shouldn't be so confident every time he releases it. And every target is a key position of the opponent."
"Maybe..." Ma Rulong hesitated, his gaze finally slowly shifting to Huo Yuhao at the back of Shrek Academy's formation. "Maybe someone else is helping him aim."
Soul masters' soul skills are all kinds of strange, and some support-type soul masters can play completely unpredictable roles.
Although the Sun Moon Empire is more skilled in soul tools, after the Sun Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent for over a thousand years, the people of the Sun Moon Empire have still been somewhat influenced and have done some research on martial souls.
Though it sounds surprising, there might really be a support soul skill that helps other soul masters determine soul skill targets.
In the previous matches, the others had more or less displayed their soul skills, and Ma Rulong had a rough judgment of them.
Only Huo Yuhao—from the initial six-hundred-thousand-year soul rings to the later two ten-year soul rings—although he was on the field, aside from the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong, he had no particularly outstanding moments.
Originally thought he was sent up because of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Wang Dong, but now it seems, perhaps as Lin Xiao said, Huo Yuhao holds a higher position in Shrek Academy's team.
After all, if there really is such a peculiar support soul skill, only Huo Yuhao, who has never shown what soul skill he used, could have it.
On the other side, Mi Jia, who had hunted soul rings with Lin Xiao, glanced at the pondering Ma Rulong and gave Lin Xiao a thumbs up. "Senior is amazing; with just a few words, you made the captain show this expression."
"You watch the match properly. I'm just guessing; the truth still needs to be verified." Lin Xiao laughed and scolded, looking at Ma Rulong beside him.
Whether the result Lin Jiayi wanted to see could appear depended on how much the team captain Ma Rulong, could figure out.
He no longer watched the situation in the arena. From the moment Ma Xiaotao entered the Dou Ling Academy formation, the outcome of this match was no longer in suspense.
Perhaps because of the knot in her heart, or perhaps because Huo Yuhao was there to relieve her worries, her power poured out without reservation, and that trace of evil intent was extremely glaring in the eyes of evil soul masters.
And the Holy Spirit Church had probably already found their "Saintess."
"Let's go. There's only this one match in the morning; let's head back." Without waiting for the people in the arena to come down, Lin Xiao had already stood up.
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