Ye Xinglan's aura surged dramatically as she gripped her sword with both hands.
Thanks to the battle armor gauntlets she wore, the strength in her arms was now comparable to that of a Soul King-level Soul Master. But even with this enhancement, it still wasn't enough—her only option now was to hold off Qian Xingmo at all costs.
Battle armor?!Qian Xingmo was briefly stunned. Even though it was only a part of a full battle armor set, it was still surprising.
He hadn't acquired his first piece of battle armor until his third year, and yet this fourteen-year-old girl before him had forged a piece in her first year?
Just what kind of monsters were in this year's freshman class?
In Ye Xinglan's hands, her Stellar Sword shone with radiant starlight, and her gauntlets shimmered with a glowing resonance—this was a sign of perfect compatibility!
Taking advantage of Qian Xingmo's brief distraction, Ye Xinglan activated the intent of man-and-sword-unity, slashing seven times in quick succession.
The sword's light was cold, yet the twinkling starlight it gave off made people feel a strange sense of warmth.
Suddenly, Qian Xingmo had a bad feeling—his own Thousand Star Sword began to tremble faintly.
Star Blade!
His third spirit ring lit up, sending out a dazzling starlight which managed to block Ye Xinglan's sword strike.
But in that very instant—he saw her smiling.
"That soul flute was so disgusting… my head still feels like it's splitting," came Xie Xie's voice from behind him.
With the maxed-out speed of an agility-type Soul Elder, his Light Dragon Blade slashed toward Qian Xingmo.
Damn!Qian Xingmo's eyes narrowed. He never expected that a Power Attack-type Soul King like himself could actually be forced into such a situation by a group of Soul Elders.
A light flashed at his chest, connecting to both legs.
"No! Xie Xie, stop—don't rush in!"Ye Xinglan shouted in warning.
Xie Xie wanted to stop, but it was too late—he couldn't brake in time.
Like a cannonball, he smashed straight into Qian Xingmo and was immediately blasted out of the arena, where he was carried away by Shrek's medical staff.
"Why is it always me who gets hurt..." Xie Xie groaned weakly while flying through the air.
"Poor kid… he got knocked silly," one of the medics tsked.
"Enough talk—go get the dean. The kid looks like he's half-dead," another medic said helplessly.
Now facing chest and leg battle armor, Ye Xinglan broke into a cold sweat.How are we supposed to fight this?!
"I'll help you! Gu Yue is holding off the other six."Xu Xiaoyan's voice rang out.
"Let's just fight. We're with you."Gu Yue said coldly as a massive tornado roared behind her.
"Hehe, buns ready!"came Xu Lizhi's goofy yet comforting voice.
You guys…
Ye Xinglan turned and looked back at her teammates. Despite the lingering effects of the soul flute's spiritual attack, which still made their heads ache slightly, their words completely washed away her pain.
Yes! What's so scary about a Soul King?!She was here to challenge such odds, to hone herself in adversity.
And most importantly—she wasn't alone!
BOOM!!
Gu You crashed straight into the Golden Leaf Wall, the impact strong enough to make the dragon scales on his body tremble.
The wall shattered, but the collision left him momentarily numb.
So hard! was the first thought that flashed through his mind.
"Come on!"
Taking advantage of Gu You's moment of paralysis, Ye Shihong rushed to Bai Hanying, and the two embraced tightly.
A golden and crimson light shone from their bodies, merging together.
Gold!Crimson!
Dual One-Word Battle Armor!
The audience erupted.This battle was worth every moment. Not only was it a fight where the weak battled the strong, it was also a confrontation between battle armor masters.
The appearance of two full sets of One-Word Battle Armor greatly increased Ye Shihong and Bai Hanying's power.
Both of them were Soul Emperors, and with battle armor boosting them, they could now unleash strength on par with Soul Douluos.
Crimson and golden soul power intertwined and grew in power. The shattered golden leaves from Gu You's impact rose up once more.
The entire arena was now filled with golden leaves, the fragrance of peach blossoms lingering in the air. Peach blossoms reappeared, intertwining with the golden leaves.
It was breathtaking.That was all the spectators outside the arena could say.
Golden leaves and crimson peach blossoms danced through the sky, rising and falling, shimmering with radiant light.
"Martial Soul Fusion Technique—Dance of Crimson Peach and Golden Leaf!"
In a flash, all the golden leaves and peach blossoms fused together.
Like a sky full of flying swords, they converged into a soaring dragon, charging toward Gu You.
The power of a Martial Soul Fusion Technique between two Soul Emperors, boosted to near Soul Douluo level, was at least equivalent to a single strike from an ordinary Title Douluo.
Could he block it? Could Gu You withstand that?
The numbing sensation faded, and Gu You's eyes—rarely seen serious—turned solemn.His body became fully covered in scales as he activated the maximum defense of his Purple-Gold Dragon Armor.
Meanwhile, soul rings began rising beneath his feet.
The terrifying colors of his soul rings flashed brilliantly—
An orange soul ring!!
Nearly all the Soul Masters from Shrek Academy had heard rumors about Gu You.
That he'd had a red third soul ring. At the time, most had dismissed it as a legend—even with online videos, it seemed too outlandish to believe.
But now—seeing it with their own eyes—it was even more absurd than the stories.
What is an orange soul ring?It's the mark of a true savage beast soul ring, offering boosts far beyond the leap from Soul Sage to Soul Douluo.
But the most shocking part?
Gu You had ten soul rings.
People thought Twin Spirits only allowed soul rings to appear one set at a time.They had not guessed wrong, but rather—they had underestimated Gu You's abilities.
Beneath his feet, six soul rings, and beside him, four blood-colored qi soul rings floated.
To those unfamiliar with the secret, this setup would seem utterly incomprehensible.
The golden leaves and peach blossoms came pouring down like a storm, rapidly closing in on Gu You.
CLANG! CLANG!
The metallic scraping of the leaves and petals against his dragon scales rang out.
This fusion technique truly had formidable offensive power.
But—don't forget—even if his Purple-Gold Dragon Armor couldn't fully block it…
He still had battle armor!
Purple—Gold!
ROAR!!
A dragon's roar burst from Gu You's body as his form was fully encased in armor.
At that moment, his aura surged—to the level of a Title Douluo!
Two-Word Battle Armor!!
What?!
The entire arena fell into stunned silence.
Normally, One-Word and Two-Word Battle Armor grants around 20% strength boost to a compatible host.
But Gu You's armor seemed to give a full 30% boost.
This wasn't some kind of bug—it was because Gu You used exceptionally high-quality fused alloys, whose properties were a perfect match for him.
So yes, it was possible for him to receive an even greater boost.
But a true 30% boost?
The real reason was because Gu You's soul power had already reached level 68, close to Soul Sage level. And the enhancement from...
(End of Chapter)