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"What kind of joke is this? Captain, how are we supposed to fight that? Five Soul Sects paired with two Soul Elders?!" Huo Lie (Fire Leopard) said, face ashen.
"And the Soul Sects are at least level forty-six! I didn't expect that guy Yu Tianheng to already be level forty-nine!" Huo Yun (Fire Crane) added.
Huo Jun (Fire Star) muttered, "So this is the strength of Emperor Team One?"
Huo Chui (Fire Star) growled bitterly, "Shameless Shrek Academy. Look at the mess they caused. It was just a showcase match, and they still went that hard. Now look—Emperor Team Two has become Emperor Team One. How are we supposed to beat that?!"
"Why is the captain of Emperor Team One a level thirty-nine Blue Silver Grass soul master?!" Huo Yu (Fire Crane) asked, puzzled.
Huo Wu (Fire Shadow) sighed helplessly. "Huo Yu, you shut-in. Our idol defeated Tai Nuo of the Strength Clan when he was only a Grandmaster a year ago. It was the talk of the continent—you seriously don't know that?!"
Huo Yu scratched his head. "Huo Wu-jie, was it really that big a deal?"
Huo Wu pressed a palm to her forehead in exasperation.
Huo Wushuang (One-Horned Fire Tyrannosaurus) rallied them. "Since Emperor Team One is confirmed for the qualifiers, there's nothing we can change."
"What we can do is play every round well and let the crowd—our friends and folks—see the flair of our Blazing Academy!"
"We have to face Emperor Team One, and all the other academies do too. Looked at that way, losing to Emperor Team One doesn't even count as a loss!"
"As long as we perform in the later rounds, we still have a real shot at advancing to the ranking tournament!"
"Ge is right! This time we must show the true style of Blazing Academy!" Huo Wu said excitedly.
Huo Lie chuckled. "Huo Wu-jie, I think you just want to shine in front of your idol, Ye Lan, right?"
Huo Wu thumped Huo Lie on the head.
"You talk too much!"
"Alright, it's our turn. Straighten your uniforms—we go out together!" Huo Wushuang barked.
"Yes, Captain!"
On a square stage fifty meters across, fourteen people from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and Blazing Academy stood on opposite sides.
Blazing Academy took a triangular formation: Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie (Fire Leopard) at the point, with the two Fire Crane users, Huo Yu and Huo Yun, to the left and right.
Huo Wu and the two auxiliary Fire Star soul masters, Huo Jun and Huo Chui, held the rear.
Heaven Dou Imperial Academy stood in a three–four layout, with Shi Mo, Shi Mo and Yu Tianheng in front, while Ye Lan, Ye Lengleng, Ning Rongrong, and Yu Feng took position behind.
Once both sides were set, the referee cried out, excitement in his voice:
"Qualifiers—Round Two, Second Division, Second Arena—second half begins now! Let's look forward to the brilliant performance of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!"
"Emperor!"
"Emperor!"
"Emperor!"
At the referee's signal, fourteen rays flared across the stage as everyone entered Martial Soul Possession.
Yu Feng's Windchime Bird flared to life and he shot skyward at once. Spreading his brown wings, he arrowed toward the two Fire Crane users of Blazing Academy.
To prevent interference with Rongrong and Lengleng, Yu Feng's job was to tie down the enemy flyers.
Seeing the Windchime Bird streak toward them, Huo Yun and Huo Yu immediately chose to double-team him.
Their soul power was seven levels lower than the Windchime Bird's—and across a whole major rank!
So they didn't feel it was unsporting to attack him two-on-one.
Catching their move, Ye Lan barked at the instant the two Fire Cranes converged, "Rongrong! Buff Yu Feng!"
"Nine Treasures has a name—First, Strength; Second, Speed; Third, Soul!" Ning Rongrong chanted swiftly.
A nine-colored brilliance flashed over Yu Feng. His speed, soul power, and strength each soared by forty percent.
Feeling the surge, Yu Feng grew even more dismissive of the Fire Cranes.
His dive accelerated again—he became a brown meteor streaking across the sky.
Huo Yu and Huo Yun's pupils tightened as the "brown meteor" bore down on them.
"The Windchime Bird's too fast!"
"Flame Halo!" they shouted together. The crimson feathers on their crane bodies ignited in an instant.
The Flame Halo raised the ambient temperature sharply; the air around Blazing Academy twisted and shimmered with heat.
Don't be fooled by Yu Feng's pretty-boy looks—his fighting style was nothing if not reckless.
Seeing the enemy trigger a soul skill, Yu Feng refused to be outdone.
A yellow ring flashed around the Windchime Bird. His wings turned silver—metallic luster gleamed along the feathers.
Yu Feng became a silver meteor and slammed into Huo Yun (Fire Crane)!
Bang!!
Huo Yun was smashed more than twenty meters back on the spot!
On the other side, Huo Yu didn't glance at Huo Yun at all. He seized on the opening after Yu Feng's charge; his second yellow ring blazed to life!
At the same time, the first rings of Blazing Academy's Huo Chui and Huo Jun (Fire Star) lit up.
"Fire Star as Silk!"
"Fire Star as Silk!"
"Flame of the Raging Wind!"
Countless sparks streamed into Huo Yu's body, further amplifying his fire-attribute attacks!
Huo Yu beat his wings and spat a threadlike jet of fire from his beak.
Wind stokes fire—
The thin flame surged in power at once, turning into a roaring orange inferno.
The "Flame of the Raging Wind," now vastly stronger in might and speed, swallowed Yu Feng whole!
Coughing blood after being blown away, Huo Yun cried in fierce excitement, "We did it!"
If his severe injury could force the enemy's only aerial fighter off the field, then the sacrifice was worth it!
Meanwhile, on the ground—
Yu Tianheng, both arms fully dragonized into long thunder-dragon claws, charged at Huo Wushuang.
"Huo Wushuang! Let's see whether your Fire Dragon is fiercer—or my Thunder Dragon is stronger!"
"Just what I wanted!" Huo Wushuang roared back.
He said that, but he was honest enough to trigger his third purple ring at once—"Tyrant Dragon's Fury."
"Tyrant Dragon's Fury" instantly boosted his Fire Force and raw strength by fifty percent.
Huo Wushuang's Fire Dragon–possessed body swelled again, crimson-gold light flickering over his scales.
His whole form burned with blazing flame. Facing the fully kindled, crimson-gold Huo Wushuang, Yu Tianheng still didn't open "Wrath of Thunder." After all, his third soul skill was a berserk-type; he had no desire to gas out early.
Besides, he wasn't fighting alone.
Lightning-wreathed dragon claws and flame-wreathed scarlet talons crashed together.
Bang!
Yu Tianheng staggered back seven or eight steps from the collision!
Though he held the level advantage, he hadn't activated any amplifying skills.
Huo Wushuang's claws tingled—though Yu Tianheng hadn't used a skill, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon covered his whole body in lightning.
Huo Wushuang didn't understand why Yu Tianheng was being so arrogant, refusing to use a skill and choosing to brawl.
But he was confident that with "Tyrant Dragon's Fury" active, his all-encompassing flames would char Yu Tianheng black.
Yet when he focused on Yu Tianheng's foreclaws, he realized there were no burns at all!
Was it the Nine-Heart Begonia's healing?
No—he hadn't seen any Begonia petals!
Feeling the strength of "Life Share," Yu Tianheng let out a draconic roar. Not taking damage felt too good!
He lunged at Huo Wushuang again. Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda flashed once more, granting him a forty percent strength boost in an instant.
Yu Tianheng fought like a man possessed, charging Huo Wushuang without the slightest restraint. His moves were bold and open, a berserker's rhythm, completely ignoring his own defense.
Thrown off by the crazed onslaught, Huo Wushuang's tempo broke; he scrambled to respond, forced steadily backward under Yu Tianheng's blows.
Seeing their captain falter, Huo Lie (Fire Leopard) instantly gave up his plan to sneak the enemy supports.
After all, the Xuanwu Turtle soul master was glued to both the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda and the Nine-Heart Begonia. Since the Xuanwu Turtle refused to move—
He had no choice but to help with Yu Tianheng. Huo Lie dove into the melee to join Huo Wushuang against him.
A three-man brawl erupted. Though Huo Wushuang regained his rhythm and took the upper hand, Huo Lie soon noticed something unnerving:
Even though he and Huo Wushuang landed more hits on Yu Tianheng, Yu Tianheng didn't seem injured at all—while cuts and burns kept piling up on both of them.
At the back line, Ye Lan continuously summoned stalks of Blue Silver Grass.
He shifted the "injuries" Yu Feng and Yu Tianheng received onto the Blue Silver Grass. Although wounds could be transferred, Heaven Dou's shared health bar was steadily ticking down.
Others couldn't see the "Life Share" HP bar. If they could, they would be stunned by the several meters of lifebar floating over the Blue Silver Grass!
Huo Wu, as a control-type master, was happy at first to see Huo Yun and Huo Yu pinning Yu Feng while Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie double-teamed Yu Tianheng—local two-vs-one, overall four-vs-two.
But she was shocked to realize that even after countless swipes of leopard claws, dragon talons, and burns, Yu Tianheng remained "unscathed."
Up in the sky, roasted by the flames, Yu Feng was also "unscathed!"
And Huo Yu's "Flame of the Raging Wind" was stacked with a double "Flame Halo" and a double "Fire Star as Silk"—a terrifying fire-attack combo!
Was it the idol?
Or the Nine-Heart Begonia?
Huo Wu glanced across at the Heaven Dou formation.
It was the idol, of course.
She didn't know what skill it was, but her idol's black–violet ring had been shining the entire time!
A defensive skill?
From the opening exchange to both sides finishing their probes, not even ten seconds had passed.
Huo Wu couldn't keep her composure any longer. She had known the gap between them and Emperor Team One was large—
She hadn't expected it to be this large!
Even four-on-two and they still hadn't taken down a single opponent!
"Repelling Flame Ring!"
Her third purple ring flared and a crimson ring blasted outward from her core.
The instant it struck Yu Tianheng and Yu Feng, a powerful force erupted across their bodies.
Bang!!
Both were hurled twenty meters back!
A golden soul glow rippled over Ye Lan as he guided two thick Blue Silver Grass tendrils to catch Yu Tianheng and Yu Feng, sparing them collision damage.
Supporting himself on the grass, Yu Tianheng laughed, "Captain Ye! Your soul skill is insane! Today I finally understand what a berserk skill really is. 'Wrath of Thunder' is garbage next to this! Your 'Life Share' is the true berserk—completely ignoring injuries!"
Yu Feng crowed, "Hee-hee! Captain Ye, did you see me swimming through those flames?!"
"Think the junior girls saw my marvelous flight?!"
The Blue Silver Grass holding them twitched furiously, as if protesting.
As though to say: Swimming? Berserk?
Weren't we the ones carrying your damage?
Ye Lan checked the shared HP.
Mm. Even with those two playing wild, the bar had only dropped by a tenth.
"Lengleng, heal."
"Nine-Heart Sacred Begonia—Fourth," Ye Lengleng murmured.
Countless pale-pink petals drifted across the team. Healing each person was equivalent to restoring the shared total life.
Seven healed meant sevenfold healing speed.
Under sevenfold recovery, the shared HP refilled in moments.
"Great work, Lengleng!" Ye Lan praised.
"Hey, what about me!" Ning Rongrong pouted.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"You too, Rongrong—you're amazing," Ye Lan said with a grin.
On the other side, Huo Wu called out, worried, "Huo Yun, are you alright?!"
"I—can still fight!" Huo Yun gritted out.
Seeing Ye Lan's side joking around, Huo Wushuang knew this fight had become grim.
Ye Lan's third ring had been glowing nonstop, and the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda's rings were also lit.
In other words, it had actually been six-on-four just now.
The Nine-Heart Begonia and the Xuanwu Turtle hadn't even begun to exert themselves.
Meanwhile, on his side, everyone but Huo Wu had already used skills—
And they still hadn't downed anyone. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's depth was unfathomable.
And rumor had it they still had a Soul King who hadn't even played. What kind of monsters were these people…
With the bar refilled, Ye Lan projected his voice with soul power:
"Since we're done probing, bring out your strongest techniques!"
"Let me witness the power of Blazing Academy—extreme-fire-attribute soul masters!"
Hearing that her idol wanted to see their best, Huo Wu's fighting spirit erupted.
"Idol! Then watch closely!"
Her battle-lust blazed bright.
"Idol?! Teacher, your fanbase is huge!" Ning Rongrong laughed, shaking Ye Lan's arm.
Ye Lan waved it off and looked to the Shi brothers. "Shi Mo, Shi Mo—your time to shine is coming."
"Idol?! He's my idol! Yours? Don't just claim him!" Dugu Yan huffed jealously.
Dugu Bo, gnawing on a drumstick, chuckled. "Relax, Yan'er. Little Lan's so outstanding—of course plenty of girls will fancy him."
"Grandpa, am I your granddaughter or is that brash woman your granddaughter?!" Dugu Yan grumbled.
Xiao Xue didn't want Ye Lan stringing more flowers, either. She tugged Zhu Zhuqing's hand. "Zhuqing, once the match ends, let's go find Ye Lan!"
"I'm going too!" Dugu Yan added.
After declaring to Ye Lan, Huo Wu faced her team.
"From the earlier probe, we still don't know why they aren't taking damage."
"But it's certain that conventional tactics can't threaten Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!"
"So—we go one hundred and twenty percent!"
"Begin preparations!"
"Yes! Blazing Battle Team—united in heart!" they shouted together.
The other six gathered around Huo Wu in the center.
Huo Jun and Huo Chui's third purple rings flashed at once.
"Fire Star as Rain!"
"Fire Star as Rain!"
The faint sparks around them condensed into great streams, pouring into Huo Wu's body.
Huo Wu's scarlet hair flared with dazzling crimson light.
Her hair rose like living flame!
The double Fire Star infusion detonated the "Fire Shadow" martial soul within her, pushing her fire attributes to a higher tier.
Next, the second rings of the Fire Cranes, Huo Yun and Huo Yu, flared again.
"Flame Halo!"
"Flame Halo!"
Two layers of halos amplified all fire-attribute soul skills yet again!
Huo Wu's fourth purple ring lit. A red-white sphere formed over her upraised palm!
"Fire—Dance—Shining Sun!"
The small white-hot orb swelled in an instant into a massive incandescent sun.
The moment it appeared, the bright sky dimmed.
It felt as though the true sun had descended into Huo Wu's hand.
The Great Spirit Arena's temperature soared sharply.
Sweat beaded on countless foreheads, yet the "white sun's" glare couldn't stop the spectators—they had to see the result!
And Huo Wu wasn't done yet.
Huo Wushuang and Huo Lie's soul rings flashed again!
"Flame Ring," "Fire Star as Rain," and the field-wide temperature spike from the "white sun" transformed their contributions into something more terrifying than ever.
"Flowing Fire!"
"Dragonflame's Wrath!"
One large, one small, two streams of incandescent gold fire sprayed into the "white sun."
Huo Wu's "Shining Sun" ignited further, blooming into cyan fire!
In the VIP gallery, Ning Fengzhi murmured, "What a terrifying girl—her fire is compact, no soul power leaking at all. She's fully mastered the combined fusion technique! That attack could be lethal even to a Soul Emperor, couldn't it?"
"Xiao Lan, you're being a bit arrogant now."
"Seven extreme-fire soul masters stacked together are still fearsome."
Ye Lan opened the "Golden Eyes," staring straight into the cyan sun, and nodded. That "cyan sun" had definitely reached the realm of ultimate fire.
"Not bad. Now this is interesting," Ye Lan said, eyes alight.
"Shi Mo, Shi Mo! Use Xuanwu!"
The brothers nodded, bumped fists, and a black-ashen glow flashed between them before washing over their bodies.
The shadows of the Xuanwu Turtles fused; both vanished in an instant.
A great Xuanwu phantom expanded to cover Ye Lan, Yu Tianheng, Ye Lengleng, and the others.
This Xuanwu was larger than before—
Four meters high, fifteen meters long!
Coiled around the shell, a black serpent writhed; and a layer of heavy black water sheathed the carapace.
And still not done—
Golden soul light burst from Ye Lan. Countless gold-veined, jade-hued vine-galaxies unfurled beneath the Xuanwu phantom.
"Nature Domain!"
"Life Share!"
An emerald field swallowed the stage; the HP of every Blue Silver Grass unit rose by fifty percent in an instant!
Ye Lan's "I Want to Grow Up" life bonus reached six hundred percent!
Ultimate Water: final life +100%!
His combat Blue Silver Grass units increased from thirty to thirty-six!
With Life Share active, the Blue Silver Grass instantly provided seven hundred fifty-six times the base HP across the team!
The lifebar over Ye Lan's head stretched from several meters to dozens!
In a game, the bar wouldn't even fit on the screen anymore.
The cyan sun in Huo Wu's palm swelled to the limit—it could no longer hold its form. Even though Heaven Dou had used the "Xuanwu" fusion, Huo Wu believed that their cyan sun—forged from the total power and perfect unity of Blazing Academy—was something even the idol's team could not withstand!
"Idol, run!" Huo Wu shouted.
The cyan sun twisted the air until it seemed to melt it—
Then it smashed into the black heavy-water sheathing the Xuanwu.
Bang!!
Scalding fire met Xuanwu's black water; the massive temperature difference—
Exploded into white steam! A mushroom cloud of vapor surged skyward!
The Soul Sages and Douluo in the stands moved at once, throwing up soul shields to protect the audience. None of them had imagined a fight between Soul Sect teams could unleash something so terrifying.
Blazing Academy panted heavily. Their faces were pale, with a hint of flush.
"Did it work?" Huo Wushuang whispered.
The steam thinned. A black silhouette emerged— the colossal Xuanwu still stood, unmoved.
Seeing the unscathed Xuanwu, Huo Wu couldn't believe that Blazing Academy's strongest strike hadn't left so much as a scratch.
Her strength drained away. She dropped to her knees, staring at the behemoth in despair.
So this was the despair that came with the idol.
Ye Lan glanced up at the shared HP bar. Roughly a seventh had been shaved off.
"Not bad. Blazing Academy—you have my recognition," he said, giving a thumbs-up.
At his words, Huo Wu's desolate expression softened into a relieved smile.
An idol is an idol.
What was I thinking, imagining we could win?
Being recognized by him was already enough.
She still didn't know where the "injuries" had gone, but she believed he wouldn't praise them without reason.
"We concede. Ye Lan, Blazing Academy offers early congratulations to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy on advancing!" Huo Wushuang said, helping Huo Wu to her feet.
"You too—keep pushing. I'll be waiting for you at the summit," Ye Lan encouraged.
"Let's congratulate Heaven Dou Imperial Academy on taking the first victory!"
"And give Blazing Academy a big hand for a spectacular performance!"
"Emperor!"
"Emperor!"
"Emperor!"
(End of Chapter)