This was the first group Huo Yuhao's team encountered where all members were above level twenty. Yet, their team didn't even achieve first place in the first area?
The three individuals, Huang Chutian and his teammates, were indeed very strong, but in the previous area, they unluckily encountered opponents with a countering spirit, resulting in four wins and one loss, forcing them to switch to the second area.
On this side, Wang Dong flew out first. As soon as the Radiant Goddess Butterfly appeared, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo's eyes immediately changed.
Huang Chutian let out a low roar, striding quickly to meet Wang Dong. Each step he took on the ground produced rumbling sounds. When he was about three meters from Wang Dong, he swung both arms to strike.
Wang Dong's two wings behind his back folded forward to block.
With a bang, Wang Dong descended from the air, retreating several steps before stabilizing his body.
As for Huang Chutian, the moment he touched the ground, he immediately charged forward to continue his pursuit.
At the same time, a large black cauldron suddenly appeared, blocking Huang Chutian's path. It was so abrupt that an outsider would have thought he had actively moved forward to meet the cauldron.
Huang Chutian was slightly startled, but his entire body was in mid-air, with no leverage to change direction. He could only channel his strength into two punches at the great cauldron.
A bizarre scene suddenly unfolded in the sky: the large cauldron, as if sentient, suddenly retreated more than thirty centimeters, perfectly dodging his two punches, and then advanced again.
Huang Chutian yelled, using his head to block the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron.
Bang! Huang Chutian was sent flying backward, and the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron landed in front of Wang Dong.
Finally, Xiao Xiao had made her move!
Wang Yan's eyes flashed. He realized that Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul was a bit peculiar, and her timing was incredibly precise.
Wang Dong looked at Xiao Xiao and smiled:
"This guy's strength is quite formidable. His Martial Soul must be the Great Strength Divine Ape. Watch this!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he launched himself upward, and his first Spirit Ring lit up.
"Huang Chutian, let's see if your bronze body and iron skin can withstand my two wings!"
As Wang Dong finished speaking, his two wings spread wide and he charged straight towards his opponent.
Just as Wang Dong charged, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo also began to act. Being twins, they understood each other perfectly, and in an instant, their entire bodies' spirit power fluctuated. Their blue hair, which had previously floated more than ten meters in the air, transformed into a large net, covering Wang Dong.
Using a net to catch a butterfly, this move was excellent!
Net Release (creating a net) was their spirit skill. Both girls possessed the same spirit skill and were telepathically connected. In a flash, the blue net had almost completely covered the space around Wang Dong; even Huo Yuhao using Spiritual Detection couldn't find a blind spot.
Huang Chutian's figure quickly retreated behind the net. The net, as if sentient, automatically parted to make way for him.
The situation Huo Yuhao worried about most had appeared: one attack-type spirit master and two control-type spirit masters. These two control-type spirit masters were also twins, making their coordination incredibly tight.
The two wings behind Wang Dong unleashed their power. This net was originally the bane of a Butterfly Martial Soul, but after a period of furious flapping, generating terrifying destructive power, the wings created an opening. Huo Yuhao immediately used Spiritual Detection Resonance to guide Wang Dong to charge straight towards Huang Chutian.
Huang Chutian and the Lan Susu sisters were startled. The destructive power of the Radiant Goddess Butterfly was terrifying. They couldn't believe that Wang Dong could accurately pinpoint Huang Chutian's position even while his vision was obstructed by the Hair Net.
Huang Chutian roared, his first soul ring flashing brightly. His fists seemed to double in size, and his golden, gleaming fists swung up to meet Wang Dong's wings. The Lan Susu sisters' Hair Net continued to entangle and harass their opponent.
*Clang!* The wing blades struck the iron fists, creating a sound like two pieces of metal colliding. Huang Chutian's legs trembled, and his body staggered back five or six steps. A large patch of fresh blood soaked his fists where they had been cut.
Huang Chutian's expression changed. His Mighty Ape Martial Soul was also very powerful; his body was like bronze skin and iron bones, and his strength was immense. He hadn't expected to be able to block Wang Dong's wings. In truth, it wasn't that his strength was inferior, but that Wang Dong's two wing blades, when swung, created incredibly sharp gusts of wind. If he continued to block them, his fists would surely be severely injured.
With a single strike, Huang Chutian was forced back, and Wang Dong's momentum surged. The two wings on his back, combined with his body, spun powerfully like a whirlwind, tearing the continuously entangling Hair Net into small pieces.
Thanks to Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Resonance, Xiao Xiao also became aware of Wang Dong's situation. Her hands, which were about to activate the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron, paused.
"Aaaah!" Huang Chutian roared in fury. He brought his hands together above his head, and his second soul ring lit up. His entire body was enveloped in a golden glow, his hands grew larger, his body expanded, and every muscle on him pulsed with terrifying explosive power. The golden light covered his body, then gradually converged on his raised fists.
"Hammer of Force!" Huang Chutian shouted, slamming his fists down towards Wang Dong. A ball of golden light shot straight from his fists towards Wang Dong. This ball of light could even track its target; Wang Dong moved several times but couldn't evade it.
Wang Dong gritted his teeth, about to meet the attack with his wing blades, when a smile suddenly appeared on his face. Ignoring the approaching light, he spun around, shattered the remaining Hair Net, and charged straight towards Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo.
The Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron suddenly appeared behind Wang Dong. Immediately, the Force Cannon Hammer and the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron collided. A stream of black energy flew out from the top of the great cauldron, and at the same time, a deafening clang echoed in the air.
After the Force Cannon Hammer collided with the black halo, it immediately weakened by more than half. It then struck the top of the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron, creating a loud explosion. At this point, Huang Chutian's attack was completely neutralized, while the Lan sisters had to face Wang Dong's full-power strike.
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo clearly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Although Huang Chutian was at a disadvantage against Wang Dong, he hadn't lost yet. However, the two girls had forgotten that their opponent wasn't alone! By the time Wang Dong broke through the hair net and launched his attack, it was too late for the two girls to use their second soul ring, as this soul ring required a period of preparation to unleash its greatest power.
The two exchanged glances, simultaneously seeing the determination in each other's eyes. The soul rings on their bodies immediately vanished, and they both extended their arms, embracing each other tightly.
Wang Dong was stunned by this action. What were these two trying to do?
The answer appeared instantly. A massive surge of soul power bloomed in a flash, and then a dark blue aura erupted from Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, obscuring the two girls from outside view. At the same time, their long hair floated upwards, transforming into a translucent blue. Each delicate strand flew out, coiling around Wang Dong. His blade struck the hair net, but it no longer broke easily as before. He felt that what he had just slashed possessed immense elasticity and resilience; the more he chopped and struggled, the tighter it wove around him. The moment he was completely enveloped was also the moment Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection Resonance lost its effect.
Had Huo Yuhao retracted his skill? No, he hadn't. It was because, under the formidable power of the hair net, Huo Yuhao's skill had become completely ineffective. After all, Huo Yuhao was only a Soul Master of the ten-odd ranks.
In that same instant, Wang Dong was like a zongzi, tightly bound by layers of hair in mid-air. And this hair net wasn't merely binding him; it was also menacingly flying towards Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao.
"Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
Xiao Xiao exclaimed in surprise. Her Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron swiftly unleashed its full power. The great cauldron instantly split into three, flying to envelop the net.
What was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? It was a skill unleashed by two Soul Masters cooperating. Martial Soul Fusion Skills far surpassed ordinary skills of the same rank; though both were of the same rank, they were incomparable. Moreover, only a select few Soul Masters possessed the ability to use such a skill.
In Huang Chutian's team, although Huang Chutian possessed immense strength, their trump card was the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Lan sisters.
In previous assessment matches, these two girls had always endured, trying not to use it, even if it meant suffering a loss. But today, they could not afford another defeat. Just like Huo Yuhao's team, Huang Chutian's team was the ace team of New Student Class Seven, tasked with competing for the championship of this assessment.
Therefore, that glance earlier signified the two girls' agreement, and then, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill – Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare – appeared.
Let alone a Great Soul Master, even a Soul Venerable, if alone, would find it extremely difficult to escape this Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare.
The moment Xiao Xiao saw her three large black cauldrons being swallowed by the Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare, she immediately shouted. Three loud explosions simultaneously rang out from within the Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare.
Instantly, the Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare was momentarily shattered by the shock. This was precisely the skill that had blocked Huang Chutian's earlier attack, Xiao Xiao's first soul skill – Cauldron's Quake.
The power of this Cauldron's Quake far surpassed its earlier use; how could one compare to three?
The mystique of Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron lay in this: when the three cauldrons converged, they generated extremely powerful defense, but when separated, they created terrifying offensive power.
However, the Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill! Xiao Xiao's full-power attack only made it tremble and shake; it hadn't been completely destroyed. In a flash, it was already before Xiao Xiao again.
Just at this moment, Huo Yuhao suddenly let out a loud shout.
"Wang Dong!"
Nearby, the Heaven's Net and Earth's Snare, which was descending upon Xiao Xiao, seemed to be startled by Huo Yuhao's shout and suddenly halted in mid-air. Deep within it, a brilliant blue light suddenly appeared.
All this time, Huo Yuhao had been continuously using Spiritual Detection. Earlier, it had lost its effect only because the Heavenly Net Earth Trap's encirclement was too tight, but now there was a change, and Xiao Xiao began to sense it again. The moment Huo Yuhao shouted, Xiao Xiao was startled and discovered with alarm that the change was too fast, too obvious; the Spiritual Detection Resonance instantly pierced straight into the center of the Heavenly Net Earth Trap.
Not only that, Huo Yuhao's soul power fluctuations also seemed to be increasing, making it impossible for her to clearly identify what that power was. The next instant, she felt as if something had flashed through her brain, leaving her mind completely dazed.
After receiving that strike, the Heavenly Net Earth Trap also trembled violently, then disintegrated and scattered, receding as quickly as the tide.
"Pant, pant, pant."
Wang Dong was released and fell straight to the ground, gasping continuously. Clearly, his physical strength had been significantly depleted. As for the Lan sisters, they were even worse off; both had already fallen into a coma.
Huo Yuhao's complexion was not much better; it was extremely pale. Even the Spiritual Detection Resonance had disappeared at some point. Though he wasn't panting like Wang Dong, his heart was pounding incessantly.
Wang Dong stood in the arena, completely stunned. He couldn't believe what had just happened.
When he saw the Lan sisters unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Heavenly Net Earth Trap, his heart was filled with dread. He had originally thought his team was sure to lose this time, but who would have thought that this change would occur in the end?
But what annoyed him most was that even he didn't know how Huo Yuhao had turned the tide and when he had made his move. Because everything happened after his shout, it was certainly Huo Yuhao who delivered this final strike; there was no mistake.
How did he do it? Even Teacher Wang Yan couldn't answer this question.
At this moment, the battle showed no signs of ending. Although Huang Chutian was shaken to his core when he saw the Heavenly Net Earth Trap fail and the Lan Susu sisters had fallen to the ground, a moment later, he immediately regained his composure. With a low shout, he charged straight towards the nearest Wang Dong. He guessed that Wang Dong was the one who had broken the Heavenly Net Earth Trap, while Huo Yuhao, with only a ten-year Soul Ring, was not worth paying attention to.
At this moment, Wang Dong was almost exhausted. Seeing Huang Chutian charge towards him, his wings tried to flap once, and his body retreated backwards as he shouted loudly:
"Xiao Xiao, this time it's your turn."
"Leave it to me!"
Xiao Xiao snorted lightly. Her Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron merged again. Even without Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Resonance support, Huang Chutian was already right in front of her, and the great cauldron flew up to block in front of Wang Dong.
Behind them, Huo Yuhao directly sat down cross-legged to meditate and recover his Spiritual Power. He had just expended a great deal, but fortunately, he was no longer as weak as before. His Purple Demon Eyes had made qualitative progress, and his Spiritual Power was not completely depleted. At this moment, if he merely circulated a little soul power, his mind would immediately become dazed, unable to continue using Spiritual Detection Resonance, so he had to try to meditate and recover a little.
Huo Yuhao alone, of course, could not have broken the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Although his hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring was powerful, he could not yet fully utilize its might.
The Heavenly Net Earth Trap was broken due to many reasons, among which Huo Yuhao played a crucial role.
The moment he spoke, Wang Dong understood and continuously used his second Soul Skill. Although Wang Dong's second Soul Skill couldn't break through the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, it originated from a thousand-year Soul Ring and possessed considerable power. While it couldn't shatter the skill, it wasn't difficult to deplete the opponent's soul power.
Afterwards, Huo Yuhao continued his attack. When his Spiritual Detection was blocked by the Heavenly Net Earth Web, he concentrated his spiritual power at a single point, breaking through the encirclement with one strike to complete his detection. However, at this moment, the detection range was limited to a straight line.
When he found the location of the two sisters, Lan Susu, his Purple Demon Eyes erupted with full power. The moment Xiao Xiao felt dizzy was precisely when Huo Yuhao launched his full-force attack.
The truth was clear: although the Heavenly Net Earth Web was powerful, it was not without weaknesses. The most obvious weakness at this moment was the cultivation of the two individuals. Even working together, they couldn't maintain it for too long. While their soul power was being depleted by Wang Dong's attacks, Huo Yuhao launched a surprise assault. Their minds and spirits were attacked, their skill was instantly broken, and the Heavenly Net Earth Web's backlash caused both of them to fall unconscious.
Yet, for just this pair of sisters to be able to make Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong lose their combat ability was enough to prove the formidable power of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Although Huo Yuhao might not seem outstanding on the surface, his Soul Ring was, after all, a million-year one!
Huang Chutian swung both hands, punching hard into the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron. His first Soul Skill erupted: Great Strength Vajra Fist!
– Clang…clang…
The great cauldron and the iron fist collided. The Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron was knocked back nearly a meter, but Huang Chutian's offensive had halted, and his body began to tremble.
Xiao Xiao's great cauldron also had the ability to stun. Not only could it injure opponents with its vibrations, but it could also cause a stun effect within a range of one chi.
While Huang Chutian was still dazed, Xiao Xiao snorted lightly, and the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron split into three, encircling Huang Chutian.
The stunning effect only lasted for a moment. Huang Chutian was now clear-headed but did not continue his attack, instead standing back to observe the situation.
On his side, the two Lan Susu sisters had lost their combat ability. Although Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao were exhausted, they could still stand. At this moment, only a swift victory could secure the ultimate win.
As soon as he finished thinking, Huang Chutian roared, stomped his feet forcefully, and launched himself high into the air. He raised both fists above his head, his second Soul Ring flashed, and the Hammer of Force prepared to attack.
Xiao Xiao also clasped her hands together. The three great cauldrons surrounding Huang Chutian also flew up and pressed in, giving him no chance to attack.
At this moment, Huang Chutian smiled slyly. While the three great cauldrons were pressing in, he immediately changed his posture, head pointing downwards, and launched a full-force attack, a beam of golden light shooting towards Xiao Xiao.
Using the stratagem of Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao, Huang Chutian didn't believe Xiao Xiao would dare to suffer mutual losses with him. As long as she pulled back the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron to protect herself, he could immediately close in. The chance for victory had arrived!
Huang Chutian's calculation was excellent. If Xiao Xiao wanted to block his attack, she would definitely have to combine the three cauldrons. In that moment, Huang Chutian would seize the opportunity to close in on his opponent. No matter who he attacked, the three of them wouldn't be able to stop him.
But in a flash, Huang Chutian felt dizzy, and his Force Cannon Hammer missed its target…
The beam of golden light shot outwards and exploded with a bang, shattering the partition of the combat zone. Students undergoing assessments in other areas also turned back in shock to look…
At this moment, the battle between Huo Yuhao's group and Huang Chutian's group was nearing its conclusion.
Xiao Xiao's three great cauldrons, which were retreating, preparing to merge, suddenly shook violently and surged forward, striking Huang Chu Tian. As Xiao Xiao's second Soul Ring flashed, Huang Chu Tian was sent flying out of the arena by a black beam of light. If Wang Yan hadn't gently reached out to catch him, who knows how much further he would have flown.
The black beam of light lingered for about three seconds before disappearing. Only then could Huang Chu Tian move again.
The second Soul Skill of the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron: Cauldron's Surge.
Cauldron's Surge targets only one opponent, not only dealing damage upon impact but also stunning the opponent and knocking them far away. This is a control skill. With these two skills, Xiao Xiao truly deserves the title of Control System Battle Soul Master.
Of course, Xiao Xiao couldn't have known beforehand that her opponent would miss. She decided to go on the offensive rather than defensive, thanks to Huo Yuhao's support from behind.
But Xiao Xiao didn't know that in that instant, Huo Yuhao had unleashed three skills at once, and these three Soul Skills had also completely depleted his remaining soul power.
Among these three skills, Spiritual Interference was a large-area attack skill that Huo Yuhao was using for the first time.
Although weaker than Soul Shock, it was effective over a large area. Moreover, Spiritual Interference silently infiltrated the opponent's mind, making it impossible to guard against; otherwise, how could Huang Chu Tian have missed!
Wang Yan announced:
"Huo Yuhao's team wins."
After speaking, he took the still dazed Huang Chu Tian to Lan Su Su and Lan Luo Luo and used soul power to help the three of them regain consciousness.
After waking up, the Lan Su Su sisters felt as if their heads were about to split open, as if a thousand needles were piercing them.
The power of Soul Shock was quite immense; even someone of Ma Xiaotao's cultivation level would be affected. The two of them were also subjected to a backlash from their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It could be said that Huang Chu Tian's team suffered heavy losses in this battle. Today, Lan Su Su and Lan Luo Luo would certainly not recover their combat power in time, and they still had four more battles to fight!
Huo Yuhao's team was in a much better situation. After all, they had won. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had only expended too much soul power but were not injured at all; they could recover after resting for two matches. During that time, Xiao Xiao would be the main force.
Wang Dong helped Huo Yuhao inside. Xiao Xiao stepped forward and asked:
"Class leader, why did Huang Chu Tian miss that last attack?"
Huo Yuhao gave a wry smile:
"Let's not talk about this for now. We should quickly meditate to recover our soul power. There are still four more matches, I just hope the other teams are also depleted..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately sat cross-legged and meditated.
It wasn't just Xiao Xiao who was puzzled; Wang Dong had another question in his heart: why had the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Lan Su Su sisters been dispelled so quickly? If their Martial Soul Fusion Skill could only be maintained for such a short time and came at such a cost, the two of them would certainly not have used it. He had only unleashed a thousand-year Soul Skill, yet it had caused the two of them to become disoriented, even unconscious. What had happened? Recalling Huo Yuhao's cry earlier, he always felt that something was a little off, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
The New Student Assessment had passed its initial stage. At this point, performance was extremely crucial; winning a match meant an additional one percent chance. Every group had begun to fight with all their might.
The battle between Huo Yuhao's group and Chu Huangtian's group deeply shook the other groups. They all admitted they couldn't possess such strength. Consequently, everyone tried their utmost to defeat other groups, hoping that even if they later encountered the two powerhouses, it wouldn't be a complete loss. This led to a situation where many matches in the assessment resulted in both sides suffering heavy losses...
The first round quickly concluded. Just as Huo Yuhao had anticipated, the other groups all suffered considerable exhaustion. After all, they had already fought once yesterday, and today, before fully recovering, they had to fight again.
As a seeded group, Huo Yuhao's team was the first to appear in the second match. Their opponent this time was a group of new students from Class Four.
The two sides announced their names and chose their positions. Huo Yuhao's group's formation had a slight change: Xiao Xiao stood first, followed by Huo Yuhao, while Wang Dong, a Strength Attack System Soul Master, stood at the very back. Before Wang Yan even announced the start of the match, Wang Dong immediately sat down cross-legged and began to meditate in the middle of the battlefield.
This was also a task Huo Yuhao had assigned him. The most important thing was to restore his soul power; only when Wang Dong recovered to his best state could they achieve a complete victory.
"Go, Xiao Xiao!" Huo Yuhao said in a low voice.
"Class Monitor, don't worry, we will definitely win!"
After Wang Yan announced the start of the match, both sides simultaneously released their Martial Souls. Through prior observation, Huo Yuhao already knew about their opponents: all three were Agility Attack System Soul Masters, primarily relying on speed.
As soon as the match began, the three Agility Attack System Soul Masters, having released their Martial Souls, all rushed forward, splitting into three directions to attack Xiao Xiao.
They all saw Wang Dong sitting in meditation. Their opponents had effectively lost a Strength Attack System Soul Master, so they had to immediately seize the opportunity. Although all three had consumed a fair amount of soul power, they still attacked with all their might.
Wang Yan stood by the side of the arena, intently watching Huo Yuhao. At this moment, Wang Dong had lost his combat effectiveness, and Xiao Xiao alone could not resist the three Agility Attack System Soul Masters. The key lay with Huo Yuhao; Wang Yan absolutely had to figure out how Huo Yuhao's Soul Skill was released.
Huo Yuhao's eyes glowed brightly. Although the golden light was not too clear, Wang Yan still saw it. When a Soul Master releases their Martial Soul, a change in their eyes is common. As for the white Soul Ring beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, it was even less worth mentioning. Everything still proceeded in the usual sequence, and Wang Yan, as before, could not discern Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul.
An astonishing scene appeared. Under everyone's gaze, Xiao Xiao split her Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron into three. The three great cauldrons, as if sentient, stopped at three different positions, blocking the path of the three opponents. The opponents were three Agility Attack System Soul Masters, with combat power around rank nineteen. Because their speed was too fast, they had no time to change their moves and could only exert their strength to strike the three great cauldrons.
They did not possess strength like Chu Huangtian's Great Strength Ape Martial Soul; as soon as they touched the great cauldrons, they were immediately sent flying backward.