Just as Lu Qingming opened his mouth to say something, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. His words stopped mid-sentence, and a sense of dread surged in his heart. Lu Qingming panicked internally, thinking something was wrong. His mind raced — on one hand, he feared being injured so badly he'd miss his chance to attend Shrek Academy; on the other hand, he hoped Du Weilun would step in and help in time.
A gust of wind blew past his face, yet Lu Qingming remained unharmed where he stood. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Xiao Xiao had already joined forces with Dong Xinyi. Together, they had Zhang Kui on the ropes — he was clearly losing ground and wouldn't last much longer.
Looking to the other side, Wang Qiu'er was chasing while Huo Yuhao was dodging. It was clear their battle wouldn't end quickly. Lu Qingming grew anxious, but he also understood his current state. After thanking Xiao Xiao for going easy on him, he left the stage begrudgingly.
"Is running away all you know how to do?"On the battle platform, Wang Qiu'er stopped and asked angrily.
A white blur flashed by, revealing Huo Yuhao's figure. He shrugged and replied casually,"Miss, your skills are impressive. I truly admire them, and I admit I'm far from your level. But surely, I can't just surrender, right?"
Wang Qiu'er was momentarily speechless. Since she had summoned her Golden Dragon Spear, Huo Yuhao had completely avoided any direct confrontation. He had switched to a delay tactic instead. Observing Xiao Xiao's performance, Wang Qiu'er understood exactly what Huo Yuhao was trying to pull. But every time she tried to deal with Xiao Xiao or Dong Xinyi first, Huo Yuhao would jump in with a surprise attack. This repetitive interference drove her absolutely mad.
Truth be told, Huo Yuhao felt wronged.You're using a damn divine weapon — how the hell am I supposed to fight that?Luckily, the weapon didn't seem to be performing at full strength — or maybe it was just Wang Qiu'er who couldn't wield its full power. Otherwise, Huo Yuhao would've been obliterated already.
Suddenly, a muffled explosion drew their attention. They turned toward the source and saw Xiao Xiao and Dong Xinyi standing side by side. On the opposite side, Du Weilun was shielding the young man named Zhang Kui, standing in front of a dozen purple-black lightning balls and a large black cauldron. But neither the lightning nor the cauldron could advance even two meters further — they were frozen midair, completely immobilized.
Still, it was enough. Xiao Xiao and Dong Xinyi had achieved their objective. They no longer cared about Zhang Kui and instead began walking toward Huo Yuhao.
"Use that move. I'll hold her off."
"Are you sure? Don't underestimate her."Huo Yuhao frowned as he looked at Xiao Xiao, who was now standing nearby. Her face had turned slightly pale, clearly affected by her earlier fierce attack. Truthfully, if Xiao Xiao hadn't fought so hard earlier, Huo Yuhao would've already quit the match. No way he would've dragged it out this long.
"We've got to try. Like you said, are you really willing to just give up like this?"
Huo Yuhao hesitated briefly before nodding."Alright, we'll do it your way. But be careful. Don't push yourself too hard. Safety first."
Xiao Xiao just smiled faintly, nodded, and then turned to face Wang Qiu'er head-on.
Wang Qiu'er glanced at Huo Yuhao, then shifted her gaze to Xiao Xiao."He couldn't stop me. You think you can?"From beginning to end, she never looked flustered — even when facing a 3-on-1 situation.
"Try it and find out. If you're so capable, break through my Three Lives Soul-Shocking Cauldron first."As soon as she finished speaking, the pitch-black cauldron appeared before Xiao Xiao, splitting into three and blocking Wang Qiu'er's path.
"Is that so? Then let's see."Wang Qiu'er snorted coldly. Her spear trembled as a barrage of spear shadows surged toward the black cauldron, and she herself followed closely behind, spear in hand.
On the other side, having fought Wang Qiu'er firsthand, Huo Yuhao knew just how terrifying her strength was. He didn't expect Xiao Xiao to hold out for long. As time ticked away in this race against the clock, and the audience watched in suspense, their Martial Soul Fusion Technique — Spiraling Sphere appeared once again.
"Look! There it is! It's that move again!"In the audience, excited new students shouted.
"Stop overreacting. Look carefully — it's clearly weaker than last time."An upperclassman quickly noticed the difference.
"Well, that makes sense. Last time, that kid used it at full power to match the Dai Clan's Martial Soul Fusion technique — the Nether White Tiger."
"Beibei, what do you think? Can Yuhao and the others win?"
"Heh, hard to say. We saw it up close last time — that move was ridiculously powerful. Normally, someone with three soul rings shouldn't stand a chance against it. Even if it's only half as strong this time, Wang Qiu'er doesn't seem like your average three-ringed soul master. Look at her — calm and confident the entire time. I wouldn't be surprised if she's still hiding a trump card."The speaker looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, handsome, dressed in a light purple long robe with an air of scholarly nobility. He looked like he'd been born into prestige. Beside him stood a girl of similar age, with a medium-length ponytail of jet-black hair, dressed in a blue short skirt. No need to describe her looks — in her hands were two grilled fish: one untouched, the other half-devoured. Her fair cheeks were smudged with oil.
These two were, of course, Tang Ya and Beibei. Among the spectators, they were VIPs — always present at Huo Yuhao's matches. By now, the little grudge from the Star Dou Great Forest was ancient history to them.
While the crowd below watched with easy smiles and snacks, things weren't nearly as relaxing for Xiao Xiao. Only three moves into the fight and her delicate face was already bloodless. Only after personally fighting Wang Qiu'er did she truly grasp the immense pressure Huo Yuhao had been under.
A metallic clash rang out as spear met cauldron, sparks flying. In a split second, the black cauldron was sent flying backward — crashing into Xiao Xiao behind it. Fortunately, she was far enough from the edge of the stage; otherwise, she might've been knocked right off.
The cauldron dragged Xiao Xiao back over 20 meters before finally stopping. A small half-inch dent marked where the spear had struck. Xiao Xiao herself was in worse shape — blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, proof of her serious injury.
Seeing the dent in the cauldron, Xiao Xiao was shocked, though others couldn't tell. She knew better than anyone how tough her Three Lives Soul-Shocking Cauldron was. This was the first time it had ever been damaged.
Taking a deep breath, the cauldron turned into a black mist and disappeared into Xiao Xiao's body. She had actively recalled it. Now that her Martial Soul was damaged, she couldn't let things get any worse. Fortunately, a soul master and their Martial Soul were one — as long as it wasn't completely destroyed, it wasn't catastrophic.
Though the process was risky, the goal had been achieved. Xiao Xiao showed a faint smile on her pale face and quickly darted aside.
(End of Chapter)