Looking at Huo Yuhao opening his arms with a cheeky smile yet acting all serious, Dong Xinyi gritted her teeth and threw herself into Huo Yuhao's embrace. She decided to give it a try—after all, desperate times called for desperate measures.
This time, it was Huo Yuhao who froze. He had only been joking; who knew Dong Xinyi would actually take it seriously?
"Whoa!" The spectating students and teachers erupted in an uproar. Like a bunch of roosters crowing at dawn, they stretched their necks, eyes glued to the scene, eager to witness a miracle. Even Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun in the distance perked up with interest.
"Could it be... could they also have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" Outside the arena, already eliminated, Xiao Xiao widened her eyes at the scene, her face full of disbelief.
At the moment Dong Xinyi embraced Huo Yuhao, she emptied her mind, trying her best to sense any changes in the soul power within her body. However, one second passed, three seconds passed, five seconds passed—and the truth was clear: she had overthought it.
Realizing she had been played, Dong Xinyi's face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. She shoved Huo Yuhao away, her teeth grinding audibly. If this hadn't been during a match, she definitely wouldn't have let Huo Yuhao off the hook.
Huo Yuhao looked awkward and didn't know what to say for a moment. He simply changed the subject."Xinyi, give me a hand. Thunder Prison—don't attack."
Dong Xinyi was puzzled."Why use a skill if I'm not attacking?"But seeing Huo Yuhao's serious expression, she didn't press the issue. After all these days of working together, they'd built up some tacit understanding.
"Thunder Prison."
Dong Xinyi raised her Purple Thunder Staff, which burst into a mass of purplish-black lightning at the tip. The lightning was about to spread wildly like usual—when a white spherical barrier wrapped around it, suppressing the surge.
"Full output. Hurry!"Huo Yuhao urged her.
Although still confused, Dong Xinyi, trusting Huo Yuhao, continued injecting lightning through her staff into the sphere.
"Keep going."Huo Yuhao spoke as he poured a massive amount of soul power into the barrier to reinforce it.
"ROAR!"Suddenly, a tiger's soul-shaking roar echoed out. Both Huo Yuhao and Dong Xinyi felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon them. They stiffened—this level of pressure was something they'd only experienced from Zhou Yi.
"Not good! The Netherworld White Tiger is almost formed!"Dong Xinyi panicked, desperately pouring every ounce of soul power into her Purple Thunder Staff. The lightning at its tip surged violently, flooding into the spherical shield.
Finally, with Dong Xinyi going all out, the sphere became saturated with purplish-black lightning. She staggered—her body straining under the excessive consumption of soul power.
"You get off the field. Leave the rest to me," said Huo Yuhao.
Dong Xinyi nodded and quickly exited the arena. She wasn't stubborn—her current condition was poor, her soul power nearly depleted. Staying would only distract Huo Yuhao.
With Dong Xinyi withdrawn, Huo Yuhao had no more restraints. His soul power flowed into the sphere like it was free. In front of him, the sphere now had a diameter of around seventy centimeters, glowing with a sinister purplish-black light.
The light sphere looked like a super-sized Rasengan. Inside, it wasn't just lightning—besides the soul power maintaining the outer barrier, Huo Yuhao also injected soul power into the core, trying to amplify its power further.
Unlike a standard Rasengan, the energy inside this sphere wasn't rotating in a smooth spiral. The lightning and soul power surged chaotically. There was no helping it—lightning was a destructive force, extremely hard to control. Expecting it to behave like ordinary soul power was far too ambitious, especially when it wasn't even his own lightning.
Due to the destructive nature of lightning, the soul shield was being constantly consumed. It was a bit of a losing game, but there was no other choice. To win, while not revealing too much of his true strength to Shrek Academy's upper echelon, this cumbersome method was necessary.
As usual, Huo Yuhao compressed the sphere gradually. Sixty centimeters. Fifty. Forty. Finally, when it shrank to a thirty-centimeter ball, that was his limit.
"That's a Martial Soul Combination Skill."Du Weilun exclaimed in shock. The spectators were boiling with excitement. A Martial Soul Fusion Skill against a Martial Soul Combination Skill—what a rare clash!
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, a thunderous tiger roar shook the entire arena. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Martial Soul Fusion Skill was complete. Their figures vanished, replaced by a massive white tiger over eight meters long and nearly three meters tall. Purple demonic patterns lined its body, radiating a savage aura. Yet, it was not a physical body—its form had a translucent, energy-like appearance.
"Give up. The moment our Netherworld White Tiger appears, this match's outcome was decided. You're a formidable opponent, but using a Martial Soul Combination Skill to block the Netherworld White Tiger is wishful thinking."The white tiger spoke in Dai Huabin's voice.
"You're too slow. Go all out—if I get hurt, I won't blame you. That'll just mean I'm not strong enough."Huo Yuhao's voice was strained. The energy inside the orb was too violent, and containing it was extremely difficult.
"In that case—take this!"The massive white tiger leaped more than ten meters forward, now only fifteen meters from Huo Yuhao. With another jump, it raised a massive paw, white light condensed on its claws, and it struck down toward the tiny figure below.
"Hah!"Below, Huo Yuhao roared, hurling the purplish-black sphere toward the Netherworld White Tiger. In an instant, the arena was engulfed in blinding white light and ominous black energy.
Outside the field, every student held their breath, completely focused on this legendary moment. But while they were excited, one person was far from thrilled—the bald referee. He was in disbelief: the combined attack of two Soul Grandmasters and one Soul Elder was so terrifying that even he, a Soul Sage, felt threatened.
BOOM!
The noise was deafening. The energy collision echoed endlessly. Huo Yuhao, being too close, was blasted backward by the shockwave.
As he was sent flying, the massive Netherworld White Tiger crashed to the ground with a muffled thud. It no longer had the same dominant aura as before. Its right paw was mangled—fortunately, it wasn't a real body. If it had been, that injury would've meant lifelong disability.
Clearly, the Netherworld White Tiger had reached its limit. Its form flickered before finally collapsing, revealing Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu slumped on the ground. They had drained nearly all their soul power to sustain the fusion and had little fight left in them.
On the other side, Huo Yuhao staggered to his feet. His condition wasn't much better—covered in dirt, swaying as if he might fall at any moment. But his attention wasn't on Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
(End of Chapter)