"Wang Dong, prepare your second soul skill. Finish off Wu Feng."
"Xiao Xiao, coordinate your attacks with my hidden weapons. Don't worry about disrupting my rhythm."
While firing hidden weapons, Huo Yuhao spoke to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, calculating his stamina and soul power at the same time.
Seeing this, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao quickly nodded. Wang Dong began preparing her second soul skill, while Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron released waves of vibration that interfered with Wu Feng, who was trapped at its center.
Under the close surveillance of the Eye of Truth combined with spiritual detection, the hidden weapons thrown by Huo Yuhao were analyzed and guided through their trajectories. Even with the vibrations from Xiao Xiao's cauldron, every projectile still struck Wu Feng with precision.
Up on the viewing platform, the teachers watching the match were full of astonishment.
"Teacher Zhou, the student you trained is something else! Wasn't he registered as an agility-type Battle Soul Master? Why does he look more like a power-type?"
"I've never seen an agility-type soul master who could suppress a power-type soul master enhanced by a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Elder!"
"Even a typical power-type soul master at one or two rings couldn't achieve such overwhelming suppression."
"Don't forget, the White Tiger Meteor Shower,one of the most representative area suppression skills of power-type soul masters,is a four-ring Soul Ancestor ability! Four rings!"
"Indeed, indeed. I didn't expect Teacher Zhou to hide such a talent."
At these remarks, Mu Jin's face turned green with frustration. Still, her surprise outweighed her anger, though her heart felt bitter.
Judging by the way things were going, she had already lost her bet with Zhou Yi. Losing a soul bone, even an ordinary one, was painful,but worse was losing to Zhou Yi herself.
"Incredible! That little fellow's skill with hidden weapons already surpasses that Tang Ya girl by far."
"It seems Tang Sect might be revitalized in his hands one day. Still, hidden weapons are…"
"Not necessarily. To me, his technique is secondary,the most impressive part is his insight and calculation."
"Look at his attack patterns. They seem chaotic, but in truth, they are methodical. He could easily adapt to using long-range soul tools."
"He could be trained as a team's core strategist. But… why isn't he attacking the support-type soul master in the back?"
"Indeed. Wu Feng is already powerless. Wouldn't it be better to take out the support-type first? Once the buffs disappear, Wu Feng will fall even faster."
Ignoring the audience's discussions, Huo Yuhao's dominance and battlefield control were truly terrifying.
Each hidden weapon he threw wasn't especially powerful, but the sheer quantity made up for it. Hundreds of projectiles filled the air, dazzling the eyes.
What made it even more frightening was that every piece seemed precisely calculated,each one paving the way for a more effective next strike.
Joints, acupoints, and meridians,none of his hits were fatal, but each hampered movement. After being struck repeatedly, Wu Feng had no strength left to fight back.
Behind her, Ning Tian, the support-type soul master, finally realized her helplessness. After applying every possible enhancement to her teammate, all she could do was watch.
Though the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect did train its support soul masters for emergencies, Ning Tian found herself powerless.
The Tang Sect that produced hidden weapons had long declined, and Shrek Academy's freshman exams forbade soul tools. Even though she knew a bit of hand-to-hand combat, she was nowhere near a match for a power-type soul master like Wu Feng.
Even as she repeatedly used her second soul skill to dispel the cauldron's control, it was futile,because a new wave of hidden weapons came crashing down the next instant.
"Ah!" Wu Feng roared in frustration amid the storm of hidden weapons. But she didn't dare move recklessly; if she dropped her guard for even a second, she could imagine being beaten beyond recognition by Huo Yuhao.
The unending barrage, combined with the synchronized vibrations of Xiao Xiao's cauldron, left Wu Feng feeling like a trapped insect in a spider's web,slowly being devoured. Her defeat was only a matter of time.
"No! I can't lose! Damn it, how can I fall here…"
No matter how unwilling Wu Feng was, she eventually collapsed.
After all, besides Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao, there was also Wang Dong's thousand-year second soul ring ability. How could Wu Feng, already weakened, withstand Wang Dong's charged-up Butterfly Goddess Light?
Seeing Wu Feng fall, Huo Yuhao stopped wasting hidden weapons. Though the flurry seemed to last forever, it had only been about twenty seconds.
The "rain of hidden weapons" that filled the air totaled barely over a thousand pieces.
Looking at the fallen Wu Feng, Ning Tian sighed quietly and raised her hand to concede. As a support-type soul master, what could she do even if unharmed,fight hand-to-hand?
With the referee's declaration of Wang Dong's team's victory, Huo Yuhao used the Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon technique to retrieve usable hidden weapons, then left with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
As they stepped down, Ning Tian's gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao. He met her eyes and gave a small nod before turning away.
Ning Tian frowned, wondering why Huo Yuhao hadn't attacked her. Did he look down on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's support power? Or did he have another motive?
As a support-type soul master, she was naturally observant. Something about his restraint didn't fit ordinary combat logic,eliminating support first was a universal principle.
Moreover, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect often invested in and recruited civilian soul masters. Huo Yuhao, as a Tang Sect disciple, was certainly a commoner; otherwise, Tang Sect wouldn't have taken him in.
Was this a gesture of goodwill? He had practically carried his team to victory,what was he trying to show? His skill? Or something else? Perhaps both. She decided she'd speak to him privately later.
As Ning Tian escorted the unconscious Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er to the infirmary, she kept thinking about Huo Yuhao's performance.
Meanwhile, Fan Yu stood frozen where he was, utterly stunned.
For a soul engineer like him, Huo Yuhao's performance was breathtaking,his analytical and computational instincts in battle were exactly what made a perfect Combat Soul Engineer.
Even more impressive was his control and composure. He wasn't just fighting; he was coordinating his team, commanding the flow of the battle.
And by sparing Ning Tian, he exuded a kind of calm arrogance,an unshakable confidence that everything was under his control, that there was no need to attack someone irrelevant.
Fan Yu laughed. "I like this kid." Then, turning to Zhou Yi, he sighed.
"I didn't expect your student, Huo Yuhao, to be this outstanding. But with such a display, I fear the Martial Soul Department won't let him go."
Even if the Martial Soul Department disdained soul masters who relied on external tools, Huo Yuhao's insight alone made him perfect as a team commander.
He might not be given top-tier attention, but he'd certainly be trained as a core disciple.
Without bothering with Zhou Yi and Mu Jin's bet, Fan Yu said, "The match's over. I'm heading off first."
He quickly left the platform toward the Soul Tool Department, eager to report Huo Yuhao's performance to Qian Duoduo,hoping to recruit him before the Martial Soul Department could.
Even at a high price, it would be worth it. In Huo Yuhao, Fan Yu saw the hope of completing the Ultimate Soldier Project,the hope of the Soul Tool Department's resurgence.
The round of thirty-two was over, and the next day came quickly.
Today's matches drew even Elder Xuan to the stands, sitting dead center, eating and drinking happily.
After the draw, the top sixteen matches began in an expanded arena.
Huo Yuhao's team would face one of the two Soul Elder teams in the freshman exams,the Evil Phantom Moon team.
Compared to the other small twelve-year-olds, Evil Phantom Moon's towering figure of 1.7 meters in both height and waist made him quite the sight.
"Both teams, report your names and prepare to enter," said the referee.
As they stepped into the arena, Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and told Wang Dong, "Prepare for soul skill fusion. Leave that big guy to you."
"Xiao Xiao, control him when the time comes. I'll handle the other two."
"This time, we finish the fight fast. Go all out."
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao exchanged serious looks and nodded.
Huo Yuhao rarely laid out a plan before a match unless the opponent was truly difficult.
Once both teams were in position and names reported, the referee shouted, "Begin!"
Both sides activated their martial souls. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, however, switched positions first.
Wang Dong stepped back, both her first and second soul rings lighting up as radiant energy gathered on her butterfly wings.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron charged forward to meet Evil Phantom Moon head-on.
From the shadows cast by the cauldron, several nearly invisible hidden weapons shot out, bypassing Evil Phantom Moon and striking the two brothers Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba, who had been trying to hide behind him.
"Ouch! What was that?"
That brief distraction allowed Xiao Xiao's cauldron to fully trap Evil Phantom Moon.
Then came the soul skill fusion,this time faster and less draining than Wang Dong's.
But instead of using three separate cauldrons to generate vibrations, Xiao Xiao merged them into one massive cauldron for maximum suppression.
The strain was immense, but the result was devastating,Evil Phantom Moon's body froze in place. Shocked, he realized he couldn't use his soul skills, only brute soul power.
Powerful waves of suppression forced him to burn through his energy to resist.
Though as a three-ring Soul Elder he had the advantage, everyone could see Xiao Xiao's face growing pale from the strain. But it was enough.
Because within ten seconds, Wang Dong's soul skill fusion was ready.
The enormous crescent light blade from their entrance exam returned,Butterfly Goddess Light fused with Guillotine Wings!
Seeing this, Evil Phantom Moon panicked. The pressure of the soul power alone told him he couldn't survive that strike without his defenses up,it could even kill him.
"I surren," he tried to shout, but under Xiao Xiao's suppression, he couldn't finish.
All he could feel was death creeping closer, as if his life would end in the very next moment.
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