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I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: Seven Kill Shock the World
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Beneath the golden afterglow, two figures stood frozen like statues—gilded, luminous, and motionless.
Ning Tian hovered in the air, wings gently fluttering as she gazed down at the radiant "Golden Road" below. A wry smile touched her lips, yet her eyes shimmered with quiet delight.
She'd sensed something was wrong the moment before Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong unleashed their fusion skill—but there hadn't been time to rescue Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er.
All she could do was activate her external soul bone, Windrend Wings, and flee the attack's range alone.
"You truly gave me a surprise," she said softly.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, supporting each other as they rose to their feet—both nearly drained of soul power—stared up at her in stunned disbelief. They'd never imagined Ning Tian could fly, let alone escape their ultimate technique in time.
But regardless—
This match was theirs to win.
"Xin—finish it!" Huo Yuhao called out.
Dugu Xin said nothing. Instead, both of his soul rings flared at once. His jade-green eyes turned fully golden, and even the emerald scales on his serpentine tail shimmered with yellow light.
As the glow dimmed, his tail coiled, his serpent jaws parted—and a thick cloud of black venom erupted, laced with countless poison darts that scattered through the air, surging toward Ning Tian.
Ning Tian's eyes hardened with resolve.
Even alone, she wouldn't surrender. As heir to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, her pride wouldn't allow it.
Besides—
She wasn't defenseless.
"Wind Devours the Clouds!"
She swept her Windrend Wings, summoning a violent gale. Razor-sharp wind blades erupted from the wing edges—countless, nearly invisible, spinning and weaving into a dense net in midair.
Like white arrows, they shot downward, tearing into the toxic mist. The fog churned and twisted under their assault; the poison darts shattered one by one against their keen edges.
Seizing the opening, Ning Tian aimed to strike Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong and eliminate them—but Dugu Xin intercepted her.
Moments later, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong recovered enough soul power to rejoin the fight. Now outnumbered three to one, even Ning Tian's extraordinary mobility couldn't turn the tide. As an auxiliary soul master, she simply lacked the offensive power to overcome them.
In the end, Team Huo Yuhao advanced to the finals.
On the spectator stands, Yan Shaozhe, Qian Duoduo, and even Elder Xuan had risen to their feet.
Qian Duoduo sighed, reminiscing. "These two semifinals were more thrilling than any freshman final in thousands of years—two external soul bones, two fusion skills… tsk tsk."
But then his expression soured.
His plan had likely failed. With a fusion skill like that, the Martial Soul Department would never let Huo Yuhao go.
He glanced at Yan Shaozhe, frustration clear.
"You're not actually giving him up, are you?"
"What do you think?" Yan Shaozhe replied with a playful smirk—his eyes sharp, cunning, and utterly unreadable.
Qian Duoduo's mood darkened. The student he'd thought was already in his grasp was slipping away. He turned helplessly to Fan Yu behind him and shook his head.
Fan Yu could only nod in understanding.
But just as they were about to concede—
"If you want him so badly… he's yours."
Elder Xuan suddenly spoke. He'd swapped his chicken leg for a whole roasted chicken, munching lazily while swigging wine—his eyes half-lidded, as if none of this mattered.
Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu's hearts leapt.
After despair, hope!
But confusion followed.
Elder Xuan had always favored the Martial Soul Department—why hand Huo Yuhao to Soul Engineering?
Before anyone from the Martial Soul side could protest, Wang Yan blurted out anxiously, "Elder Xuan! How can you let go of a genius with a top-tier Body Martial Soul and a fusion skill? He belongs with us!"
Qian Duoduo's eyes flared with fury.
Even Fan Yu shot Wang Yan a death glare.
If not for decorum, they'd have cursed him on the spot. Again?! This meddlesome Wang Yan—always stirring trouble, as if deliberately sabotaging the Soul Engineering Department! Why not just let them have Huo Yuhao?
The Martial Soul Department wasn't short on prodigies!
Fortunately, Elder Xuan had made up his mind.
He waved off Wang Yan's protests with an impatient flick. "What matters most in a Body Martial Soul? Potential. The capacity for martial soul mutation under combat stress. Today's pressure was immense—yet his soul showed no sign of mutation. That means he lacks the essence of a true Body Martial Soul. He's older than ideal, his soul power is low, and his first soul ring is only ten years. Even with a fusion skill, he doesn't merit Core Disciple status in our department."
"So if the Soul Engineering Department wants him—take him."
Wang Yan opened his mouth to argue—but Qian Duoduo shot him a warning look, and Fan Yu clamped a hand over his mouth. No one intervened.
Yan Shaozhe, though he'd held Huo Yuhao in higher regard, was happy to oblige Elder Xuan. He turned to Du Weilun. "Since Elder Xuan has spoken, remove Huo Yuhao from both Core and Provisional Core Disciple lists in the Martial Soul Department. The Soul Engineering Department will grant him Core Disciple status."
"Yes, Headmaster."
Du Weilun had no objections.
Meanwhile, outside Arena Two—
"Young Miss… I lost," Wu Feng said, her golden statue form now restored. Head bowed in shame, she reported to Ning Tian—though her sidelong glare at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong promised vengeance.
Huo Yuhao awkwardly looked away. Wang Dong, however, grinned smugly and stuck out his tongue in a silly face.
Wu Feng clenched her fists, itching to punch someone—
but forced herself to stay composed in front of Ning Tian.
"No," Ning Tian corrected gently, masking her own exhaustion with grace. "We lost." She praised Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's brilliance, her tone warm despite defeat.
Chen Junting, approaching just then, paused to watch. Only after she finished did he step forward.
"You hid your strength well," he said with a light chuckle as he joined Huo Yuhao's trio.
Huo Yuhao scratched his head sheepishly. Dugu Xin smiled but stayed silent. Only Wang Dong puffed with pride. "Pretty impressive, right? We actually saved that move for you. If you'd been hit by the Golden Road, you'd have lost to us too."
"Is that so?" Chen Junting replied noncommittally.
Later, as the group headed toward the cafeteria, Ning Tian finally let her guard down. Leaning against Chen Junting's arm, she murmured, "We lost… to a fusion skill."
Chen Junting gently pressed his forehead to hers in silent comfort. After a long moment, he pulled back and whispered, "I watched the second half. As an auxiliary soul master and team leader… you did more than well."
Ning Tian sighed—then smiled.
She didn't dwell on defeat. Within breaths, she'd steadied her heart. Now, her mind turned to Huo Yuhao's fusion skill.
But then—
"What a pity Wang Dong already joined the Tang Sect."
A flicker of regret crossed her face.
If only she'd acted sooner!
At first, Wang Dong's aristocratic airs made it clear he came from a powerful, wealthy family—so she'd assumed he'd never join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Who'd have guessed he'd end up in the Tang Sect…and now shared a fusion skill with Huo Yuhao?
At this, Chen Junting's lips curled into an enigmatic smile. Just as Ning Tian frowned in confusion, he leaned in and murmured softly—
"What if… Wang Dong were a girl?"
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