Aside from Gu Yue, who already knew Huo Yuhao's information, the eyes of everyone else present could not help but fall on the longsword in Huo Yuhao's hand. Xie Xie and Tang Wulin quickly realized that this was not a Spirit, but a melee spirit tool. However, they were in the middle of a battle, and there was no time for them to think further.
Xie Xie closed in once more. His Light Dragon Dagger drew streaks of afterimages as it stabbed toward Huo Yuhao's vital points from various angles. Yet every attack was steadily parried by the longsword in Huo Yuhao's hand, producing short, crisp clashing sounds. Facing Xie Xie, who had a two-ring cultivation, Huo Yuhao did not even use Mental Detection. He responded calmly, relying solely on his own reactions and eyesight.
Having cultivated the Body Sect's secret methods since childhood, even as a mental-type Spirit Master, his physical fitness had long since surpassed that of an ordinary Spirit Elder. Unable to land a hit for a long time, Xie Xie's offensive gradually turned anxious. Tang Wulin, who had been waiting for an opportunity, finally made his move. Several strands of Blue Silver Grass scurried across the ground like spirit snakes, silently entwining toward Huo Yuhao's feet.
Huo Yuhao swept his longsword downward. A cold light flashed, and the tough Blue Silver Grass snapped in response. At the very same moment he cut through the Blue Silver Grass, Huo Yuhao, who had been on the defensive, moved. His figure was like an arrow released from a bowstring, pouncing straight at Xie Xie. The distance between them was not far to begin with, and the speed Huo Yuhao erupted with now far exceeded Xie Xie's expectations.
The blade swept across, creating a sharp whistling sound through the air. Xie Xie's pupils constricted sharply, feeling a heavy sense of pressure from that simple sword strike. In a flash, he had no time to dodge, and his first spirit ring suddenly lit up. He unleashed his first Spirit Ability, Light Dragon Blade. A golden blade of light shot out from the dagger, faintly carrying a clear dragon's roar as it met the sweeping longsword head-on.
The blade of light and the sword edge collided violently. Spirit power surged and scattered, causing Huo Yuhao's offensive to stall. Xie Xie took the opportunity to tap his toes on the ground and retreat rapidly. He narrowly pulled back several meters, fine beads of cold sweat already seeping from his forehead. Huo Yuhao had not even used his Spirit yet, and he had already brought such heavy pressure, causing a sense of despair to involuntarily rise in Xie Xie's heart.
But he was not the type to be crushed by a setback. That sense of despair instantly transformed into a more surging battle intent. He shouted to Wulin to go all out. Tang Wulin moved in response. He stopped controlling the Blue Silver Grass and instead launched a charge toward Huo Yuhao as well. To be able to stay in Class Zero, what he relied on was never just the Blue Silver Grass Spirit.
Xie Xie knew his speed would not give him an advantage before Huo Yuhao, so he simply gave up on skirmishing. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and the second spirit ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up. He activated his second Spirit Ability, Light Dragon Storm. In Huo Yuhao's vision, Xie Xie's figure seemed to vanish instantly, replaced by a golden ball of light carrying a sharp aura, sweeping toward him like a miniature metal storm.
Even without using any Spirit Ability, under the subtle insight of the Spirit Eyes, Huo Yuhao could still judge that it was Xie Xie using himself as an axis. The boy was pushing his speed to the limit and driving his twin daggers into a frantic spin to form a violent offensive and defensive maneuver. Facing such a sharp Spirit Ability, Huo Yuhao no longer acted overconfidently. Under the cover of the Simulation Spirit Ability, Mental Detection quietly unfolded.
He withdrew his sword and stepped back half a pace, then flicked his wrist. The tip of the sword brightened like a cold star, instantly thrusting out several condensed sword shadows. Every strike landed with incomparable precision on Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger blades, which were spinning so fast they had almost become blurred images. Sparks continuously splattered at the collision points between the sword tip and the dagger blades, the crisp clashing sounds merging into one.
Huo Yuhao's sword strikes seemed effortless, but the power and angle of every hit were just right. After several strikes, that violent golden whirlwind was actually forced to a halt. Xie Xie stumbled out of his skill state, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath. He looked up at Huo Yuhao, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock. He knew better than anyone what kind of terrifying eyesight, judgment, and control were required to accurately strike his Spirit with every sword blow in that high-speed state without harming him.
And Huo Yuhao had truly done it. The more he understood the difficulty, the more Xie Xie felt a bottomless gap. His hand gripping the Light Dragon Dagger trembled slightly, whether from exhaustion or emotional turmoil. However, he had already given his all for this battle. Although his attack had been blocked by Huo Yuhao, it was not in vain, because Tang Wulin's attack had arrived.
He had never expected his second Spirit Ability to defeat Huo Yuhao; he was merely creating the best opportunity for Tang Wulin's attack. At the moment Huo Yuhao forced Xie Xie back with a sword strike, Tang Wulin had silently circled behind him. At this moment, Tang Wulin's right arm had swelled by nearly a circle compared to before. Its surface was covered in a layer of fine and solid diamond-shaped golden scales, shimmering with a brilliant golden light under the training hall's lamps.
The five fingers of his right hand had completely transformed into sharp dragon claws, a cold glint faintly appearing at their tips. Even without turning back, Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection had already presented the scene behind him in his mind. An instinctive sense of danger radiated from those Golden Dragon Claws, causing a flicker of surprise to cross his heart. This youth clearly only had a one-ring cultivation, yet he could actually make him feel threatened.
However, the difference in spirit power between the two was right there, so Huo Yuhao's surprise only lasted for an instant. With his speed, he could have easily avoided this claw. But he chose not to dodge. He also wanted to see for himself exactly what kind of power Tang Wulin's claw possessed. Huo Yuhao suddenly spun around, his ice-blue longsword drawing a cold arc in the air. The blade did not shy away, meeting the Golden Dragon Claw tearing through the air head-on.
The moment the sword edge and the dragon claw collided violently, a majestic force far exceeding both of their expectations erupted. Huo Yuhao's heart jolted. He had not expected that this youth, who only had one ring and whose Spirit was just Blue Silver Grass, would possess such formidable physical body strength. A look of surprise also flashed in Tang Wulin's eyes. He had always been confident in his strength, yet the recoil from that strike just now had actually left his entire right arm feeling slightly numb.
Amidst a thunderous roar, Tang Wulin was shaken back several steps by that brute force. Just as he stabilized himself and was about to launch another attack, his pupils suddenly constricted. A cold sword tip was silently pressed against the center of his forehead. Just one more inch, and it could easily pierce his skull. Victory and defeat had been decided in an instant. Wu Changkong's cold voice rang out at the right time, announcing that Huo Yuhao wins.
Xie Xie walked to Tang Wulin's side. The two looked at each other and simultaneously gave a bitter smile, shaking their heads. They had already done their best, and Tang Wulin had even brought out his trump card, the Golden Dragon Claw, yet they still lost so decisively. As the winner, Huo Yuhao did not show the slightest hint of pride. He lowered his gaze, staring at the spirit tool longsword in his hand.
This Rank 4 melee spirit tool that had accompanied him for eight months appeared intact on the outside. But under the powerful vision of the Spirit Eyes, he discovered that several fine cracks had appeared in the precise and complex spirit tool patterns on the blade, and the path of spirit power flow had been destroyed. His gaze slowly shifted to Tang Wulin nearby. What caused all this should be that overbearingly peerless claw strike from just now. His judgment was indeed correct; that claw strike certainly did not seem simple.
Wu Changkong slowly walked onto the field, his gaze lingering on Huo Yuhao for a few seconds. His intention was to use this battle to figure out the new student's strength and combat style to determine his future training direction. However, the result far exceeded expectations. Huo Yuhao had not even released his Spirit, yet he had so calmly defeated Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, whom Wu Changkong had personally trained for a year.
To the point that even now, he remained completely ignorant of Huo Yuhao's Spirit characteristics and Spirit Ability composition. Wu Changkong's brow furrowed slightly, his voice still cold as he looked at Huo Yuhao and asked why he did not use his Spirit. He remarked that his combat ability was indeed good among Spirit Elders, but underestimating the enemy has always been a major taboo in Spirit Master duels.
Having grown up under the tutelage of two top powerhouses, Leng Yaozhu and Han Tianyi, Huo Yuhao had long since etched the rule of never underestimating the enemy into his instincts. He met Wu Changkong's gaze and answered honestly. He told the teacher that he did not underestimate the enemy. He paused, his tone as calm as ever, and explained that if he used his Spirit, this battle would have ended too quickly.
Wu Changkong's eyes flickered slightly. He could tell Huo Yuhao was not one for reckless words, but the phrase "too quickly" instead piqued his deeper curiosity. He wondered just how quickly it would be. He took a step forward and told the boy to use his Spirit Abilities and let him see.
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