"Brother!"
As soon as Xiao Hongchen landed, Meng Hongchen grabbed the railing and called out impatiently. Although she didn't say anything, how could a brother not know what his sister was thinking?
Xiao Hongchen's eyes were fixed intently on Huo Yuhao. "It's been so long, and we can fight again. Let's have this exchange before the next competition."
"As you wish." Huo Yuhao remained calm.
Their conversation echoed around the martial arts arena.
Dozens of people present became interested and watched the competition stage intently.
Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, who were acting as hosts, exchanged a glance, and the former stepped forward and said, "In this sparring session, you should try your best to show your strength. I will protect you."
On the field, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Hongchen both nodded.
Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly, said no more, took a few steps back, and calmly called out, "The sparring officially begins."
Everyone's eyes immediately focused, and the surrounding air seemed to become solemn.
"Buzz." A buzzing sound rang out, and Xiao Hongchen was the first to react. Perhaps knowing that Huo Yuhao was no ordinary person, he directly summoned his spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—displaying his cultivation as a Soul Emperor.
As the first and third spirit rings lit up, a strong golden light spread from his body, and the surrounding metallic aura surged considerably. Strangely, Xiao Hongchen had an extra leg on his buttocks, which was pure gold.
He slightly arched his back and squatted down; even though it was hidden by his clothes, his back could be seen glowing, as if many protrusions were rising up. The
Three-Legged Golden Toad—this was Xiao Hongchen's martial soul, a top-tier martial soul.
As the spirit rings lit up, his hands flashed with spatial fluctuations, triggering a storage-type spirit tool. The next moment, he threw more than a hundred small metal balls into the air.
Strangely, after the metal sphere entered mid-air, it not only hovered but also began to transform inexplicably, like a Transformer. At an extremely rapid pace, it transformed into numerous small, exquisite soul-guided cannons. The metallic-looking barrels were aimed directly at Huo Yuhao, while simultaneously protecting Xiao Hongchen within the cannon array. The sheer number of
soul-guided cannons, almost overwhelming, instantly astonished many. Even though Shrek Academy now placed great emphasis on soul-guided devices, no particularly powerful soul-guided master student had yet managed to stand out and leave a lasting impression.
Controlling so many soul-guided cannons simultaneously would consume an enormous amount of soul power, theoretically making it impossible.
But Xiao Hongchen was different. After activating his first and third soul skills, he immediately activated his second and fourth.
Centered on Xiao Hongchen, countless golden points of light inexplicably appeared around him, surging wildly towards him with the force of a vast ocean—these were all gold elemental soul power in the air.
When the light touched his body, it scattered, emitting a faint golden halo, as if it were burning.
When the golden halo swept across the soul-guided cannon transformed from the metal sphere, it shone brightly, and the next moment, a terrifying soul power storm began.
Hundreds of soul-guided cannons fired simultaneously, the air trembled, demonstrating the terrifying impact.
The observing students, even the Soul Saints, changed their expressions drastically.
Such a dense attack, even a defensive Soul Saint would have to consider the consequences of directly withstanding it.
However, a surprising scene then appeared: Huo Yuhao, swept up in the soul power storm, did not move at all, just stood there motionless.
Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao had initially thought Huo Yuhao was prepared to counterattack, so they watched from a short distance. However, even after the soul power storm tore through the ground, kicking up countless dust particles, Huo Yuhao still did not move.
This caused the two women's expressions to change slightly.
"Yuhao!" Ma Xiaotao exclaimed.
Zhang Lexuan frowned, about to make a move, but at that moment, she keenly sensed a mental fluctuation stopping in front of Ma Xiaotao, causing her to pause.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, the soul power storm unleashed by Xiao Hongchen directly enveloped "Huo Yuhao's" entire body. With a deafening roar, the floor shattered, countless dust fragments floated in the air, and the surrounding light dimmed. "
Oh no!"
The thought flashed through everyone's minds—something terrible had happened.
Wang Dong'er's pupils contracted, and she gripped the railing tightly.
Even the instigator, Xiao Hongchen, froze in place.
Meng Hongchen stared blankly at her brother.
Although she had wanted Xiao Hongchen to give Huo Yuhao a good beating, she hadn't intended to kill him.
"This power is quite frightening."
Suddenly, just as the atmosphere froze, a faint laugh came from the side, near Ma Xiaotao.
Everyone heard the voice.
Everyone's eyes widened, because it was Huo Yuhao's voice.
The next moment, a figure slowly materialized before Ma Xiaotao. The smiling face was none other than Huo Yuhao.
"You…" Xiao Hongchen was stunned. He was certain he had locked onto Huo Yuhao, hence all his attacks. But why had Huo Yuhao suddenly shifted his position?
Who was the Huo Yuhao who had just remained in place?
Who was he?
It was simple. Huo Yuhao had used a simulation soul skill. He left a strand of soul power in place, simulating his own appearance and aura, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake. His true form blended into the surrounding environment, appearing as if he were invisible, making him difficult to detect.
Only Zhang Lexuan might have noticed something amiss; the mental fluctuations she sensed originated from this.
This was the change Huo Yuhao experienced after his mental power level increased significantly. He didn't need any powerful soul skill counterattack to weaken his enemy.
After this soul power storm ended, Xiao Hongchen's soul power had decreased by at least one-fifth.
If he hadn't had the help of his second soul skill, Golden Boiling, he would likely have lost even more soul power.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao cried out in pain and quickly covered his backside.
Many people's lips twitched.
Zhang Lexuan even shook her head and smiled.
But then, Ma Xiaotao, standing behind Huo Yuhao, angrily took a long leg and kicked him in the butt.
"Huo Yuhao, you scared the hell out of me!" Ma Xiaotao said coquettishly, hands on her hips. Seeing
his wife's anger, Huo Yuhao smiled sheepishly and firmly admitted his mistake, "Sister, I was wrong."
Ma Xiaotao's heaving chest clearly showed she was genuinely frightened, to the point that she forgot Huo Yuhao's cunning abilities.
This was a classic case of being blinded by concern.
"Let's continue sparring, I'll deal with you later," Ma Xiaotao said, giving Huo Yuhao a disgruntled look.
"Okay," Huo Yuhao quickly nodded, glancing back at Xiao Hongchen, while also subtly gesturing to Wang Dong'er to reassure her.
The brief interlude ended, and while the onlookers were thoroughly entertained, they also felt a growing sense of apprehension towards Huo Yuhao's abilities.
The consequences of a Soul Master's excessive Soul Power depletion were extremely severe.
Xiao Hongchen's expression turned serious. He released his mental power, locking onto Huo Yuhao once more. Without hesitation, golden light emanated from his body as he manipulated the fifty Soul Guidance Cannons suspended in mid-air to fire simultaneously. This time, however, it wasn't just Soul Guidance Cannons; it included numerous other types of Soul Guidance attacks:
Soul Light Rays, Piercing Rays, Paralyzing Rays, Explosive Light Bullets…
a deluge of attacks surged forth once more.
Golden light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, his mental detection soul skill already covering the entire arena. Facing the dense attacks, Huo Yuhao moved forward step by step, but a strange thing happened.
Even with numerous attacks, none of them could land on him. Huo Yuhao seemed to be able to foresee the future, always managing to "bypass" danger at just the right moment.
It was like on a battlefield, while other soldiers were afraid to advance due to the hail of bullets, Huo Yuhao strolled leisurely, the seemingly extremely dangerous "bullets" always grazing past him.
Even with area-of-effect attacks like explosive light blasts that couldn't be dodged, Huo Yuhao could often release a thick ice wall at the initial point of the explosion, the surging cold air blocking all the explosive power.
A clamor immediately rose from the stands; no one had expected Huo Yuhao to be able to face such a dense array of soul-guided cannons in this way.
The exchange students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy were stunned. Although they had come to Shrek Academy, their primary attack method was still a combination of soul skills and soul tools. They could even temporarily suppress other Shrek students in their sparring, but Huo Yuhao's performance was a complete counter to theirs.
Watching Huo Yuhao approach, Xiao Hongchen also felt the pressure. His gaze sharpened, and he controlled fifty soul cannons to continue firing, providing overwhelming firepower. At the same time, he unleashed his soul power, forcibly fusing the remaining fifty stationary soul cannons together.
Visibly, a massive cannon began to take shape. This was the power of the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul—its talent was metal control. Xiao Hongchen could use this ability to continuously manipulate metal into soul tools as he desired.
Before long, while the other soul cannons were exerting all their strength, roaring as they attacked Huo Yuhao, a three-meter-long, thirty-centimeter-caliber explosive cannon, its surface engraved with dark golden cloud patterns, was completed.
Xiao Hongchen's gaze met Huo Yuhao's. He gritted his teeth, his muscles bulging, and channeled his soul power into the explosive cannon. The cannon's muzzle, radiating a dangerous aura, flickered with a faint light, the brightness around it decreasing as the vortex swirled.
While Xiao Hongchen completed this series of actions, Huo Yuhao wasn't idle either; a silvery-white light flickered in his eyes.
Suddenly, under everyone's watchful eyes, the dense barrage of soul-guided cannon attacks ceased. Xiao Hongchen held the explosive cannon in both hands, his sharp gaze locked onto Huo Yuhao, and then resolutely pressed the release button.
"Boom!" With the button triggered, a deafening roar immediately resounded. The cloud patterns on the cannon's surface seemed to come alive, emitting a faint glow, and a beam of dark golden light shot out.
The light was dazzling, the dark golden light like the rising sun on the horizon, coloring everything, and a deathly wave emanated from within it.
Unbeknownst to them, the energy output of the soul power shield surrounding the arena had already increased by two levels, enough to defend against attacks from a Title Douluo-level expert.
Even so, many inner court students showed strong apprehension through the shield. In the wild, they might have many ways to dodge, but this was an arena, making evasion almost impossible.
This was also why so many soul tools were forbidden in the Soul Battle Tournament—their attack coverage area was too vast. "
I'll see how you dodge this time..." The moment he fired the explosive cannon, Xiao Hongchen's thoughts began to race.
How to dodge?
In fact, Huo Yuhao hadn't even considered dodging. His hair moved without wind, and his pupils had already turned silver-white.
A massive amount of spiritual power surged forth, spreading across the entire arena, with faint ripples appearing.
He lightly tapped the space in front of him with his finger.
"What's that?"
Suddenly, the audience in the stands all widened their eyes, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.
Xiao Hongchen was still anticipating Huo Yuhao's solution, but he was quickly stunned after the cannonball was launched.
A strange silver-white light appeared in the sky, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves around the training ground, causing many to fall. Faintly, there seemed to be the ticking of a clock. The moment the explosive
ball of light detonated, the silver-white light immediately burst forth, the already shattered ball of light strangely frozen, as if time had been paused.
"What the hell is this?"
Exclamations rang out, and the students in the stands were dumbfounded.
Even the experienced older generation of inner court students were speechless.
"It's a time-attribute ability, but why is it so exaggerated?" Zhang Lexuan sensed it carefully and immediately guessed the reason, secretly astonished.
In reality, while the time attribute was strong, it wasn't this exaggerated.
The Shrek City Lord Shi Xing possessed the time attribute, and even had a space attribute, but it was definitely weaker than this.
"Senior Sister," Ma Xiaotao called out inexplicably.
Zhang Lexuan reacted and continued looking, her pupils shrinking instantly.
The explosive ball of light, which had already exploded but was now frozen in place, began to shrink back strangely. Surrounded by a silvery-white light, and witnessed by dozens of people, the ball of light slowly returned to its original form.
In the end, right before Xiao Hongchen's eyes, the ball of light shrank back into the cannon barrel and transformed back into accumulating soul power.
Deathly silence fell over the martial arts arena.
Xiao Hongchen, the person involved, was completely dumbfounded.
Where's my cannon?
This scene was like a dream replaying the competition in the Star Luo Empire, where Huo Yuhao had somehow managed to make his cannon disappear.
But while Xiao Hongchen was bewildered, Huo Yuhao was not. His eyes flashed with a silvery-white light before quietly returning to normal.
With a light tap of his toes, his body shot forward, his right hand glowing with a dark golden light, the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear poised to strike.
A sharp aura spread, and as he advanced, the space itself seemed to tear apart, leaving behind dark streaks.
"Wait." Xiao Hongchen regained his senses and gestured for him to stop.
Huo Yuhao paused, stopping in place, the light in his hand slowly fading. Xiao
Hongchen took a deep breath, looking at Huo Yuhao with a grim expression. "Senior Sister, I concede this spar."
Zhang Lexuan glanced at Xiao Hongchen, said nothing, and announced, "Huo Yuhao wins this spar."
The result seemed expected, causing little stir, but after today's exchange, Huo Yuhao's name would likely resound throughout the inner courtyard.
Pairs of eyes were fixed on him, complex emotions of admiration rising and falling.
"You're even more difficult to deal with than two years ago," Xiao Hongchen said in a deep voice.
"Not bad," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile, "Thank you for the concession."
Xiao Hongchen politely clasped his hands in a fist salute, said nothing more, and leaped back to the stands.
Meng Hongchen and the other Sun Moon exchange students hurriedly stepped forward as if to ask something, but Xiao Hongchen shook his head at them.
Seeing this, Meng Hongchen and the other exchange students gave up their idea, but their expressions were still quite solemn.
The new competition was just a few months away, and Huo Yuhao's performance this time was terrifying.
Although that ability didn't cause any damage, forcing the opponent's soul skill back to its original state was already the greatest damage.
"Senior Sister, I'll go back to the stands first." Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow at Ma Xiaotao, then turned to Zhang Lexuan.
Ma Xiaotao's lips curled slightly, but she didn't say anything.
"Okay." Zhang Lexuan nodded with a light smile, and while everyone was still in shock from what had just happened, her gentle voice rang out, "Next, who will go?"
The senior sister spoke, and the students looked at each other in surprise. Shocked as they were, the competition had to continue, and two students quickly stepped forward.
But that was none of Huo Yuhao's business. He'd barely returned to the stands when Bei Bei and the others surrounded him. Seeing everyone about to start chattering, Huo Yuhao immediately stopped them, saying,
"Stop! Let's drink and chat after the sparring is over."
Huo Yuhao's awkwardness made everyone exchange smiles, and they agreed.
The sparring continued on the field…
.....................
You can now download the complete English PDF version of the novel you're currently reading through my Patreon shop. In addition, you'll find hundreds of other novels, fanfics, and collections available there.
I've also uploaded a large number of new Douluo fanfics recently, including many reader-requested titles and several newly completed novels.
For readers looking for a larger library, the Patreon collection section now includes a massive collection featuring 64+ completed Douluo novels, along with many other individual releases.
A limited-time discount is currently active across the Patreon shop, including novels and collections, though it won't be available forever.
Some recently uploaded titles include:
• Douluo: Practicing Medicine, Yet the Goddesses Can Hear My Thoughts (18+)
• Douluo: Ice God Sword Martial Soul — The Entire Extreme North Offers Sacrifices (18+)
• Douluo: Me, Starting Out as a Celestial Dragon (18+)
• Douluo: Invincible Through Sign-Ins Starting from Spirit Hall (18+)
• Douluo: Sign-In to Become a God — Starting with a Sign-In at Bibi Dong's Bedroom (18+)
• Douluo: Destined Villain — Becoming a God Through Marriage (18+)
• Douluo: Evil Eye Dragon God, Many Wives, Many Blessings (18+)
• Douluo: Many Children, Much Blessing — Starting from Tianshui Academy (18+)
• Douluo: Steal Tang San Mother at the Beginning (18+)
• Douluo: Huo Yuhao Knows the Plot
• Douluo: Tang San Becomes a Girl (18+)
• Douluo: Xiao Yan Transmigrates As Tang San
• Douluo: They Go Wild with Cheats After Reading My Diary
• Douluo: Writing a Diary — Turns Out I'm the Strongest One!
• Douluo: Legend of the Ancestral Dragon
• Douluo: Double Comparisons, This Yuhao Is Too Cruel!
• Douluo: Starting with Bibi Dong Burying Me Alive
• Douluo: Starting with Hypnotic Time Stop Dual Martial Souls (18+)
• Douluo: The Legend of Fallen (18+)
• Douluo: Plane Master (18+)
• Douluo: The Shapeshifting Star Sovereign Martial Soul (18+)
• Douluo: Random Notes (18+)
• Douluo: The Legend of the Madman
• Douluo: Nanny Ye Xishui, Defeating God King Tang San (18+)
And many more.
There are now over 310+ novels available on Patreon, with new titles being added regularly.
Thank you again for your patience, support, and encouragement. I truly appreciate every reader who chooses to spend their time reading my translations.
Patreon.com/UIGOD_Official
(End of Chapter)