{T/N: Congratulations to destroyerhack74 for achieving 3rd place in the Fan ranking. This bonus chapter is for you.}
Chapter 99: Not on the Same Starting Line
After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally looked toward Huo Yuhao, his voice tinged with difficulty as he asked.
"Huo… Huo Yuhao, are you certain you want to face all three members of Class One by yourself?"
"Absolutely."
Huo Yuhao nodded, taking a deep breath as if preparing for a pre-battle warm-up, subtly loosening every joint in his body.
"Shall we begin?"
"Since you've made your decision, both teams, retreat to the edges of the arena. No spirit release until I announce the start."
With Du Weilun's voice echoing like a decree, Huo Yuhao cast one last glance at Tang San. Just as he turned toward the arena's edge, a chilling voice sounded from behind him.
"Huo Yuhao… For the past years, I have been looking forward to this day every moment."
"I don't know where your confidence comes from, but if you think we're on the same starting line, you're free to be reckless before me."
Huo Yuhao's steps froze. He turned back, locking eyes with Tang San, whose gaze burned with searing hatred. Every word he spoke was measured and deliberate.
"I will make you pay dearly for your ignorance. And everything you did to me back then—I will return it double!"
"Is that so?"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, nodding ever so slightly, almost in acknowledgment.
"In truth… I feel the same way. I've been anticipating this day as well."
"Though, unfortunately, your wish might be hard to realize. After all, I promised my teacher I would win this championship for her… and I promised Dong'er I'd give you a proper beating…"
"Oh, by the way, there's one thing you've completely misunderstood."
As he studied Tang San's increasingly twisted expression, Huo Yuhao's lips curled slightly—but there was no warmth in his eyes. Only an endless, icy calm stared back.
"We are not on the same starting line."
Watching the two locked in this silent war of wills, Du Weilun remained silent. Only after both teams had taken their designated positions did he loudly announce:
"Prepare—match start!"
The instant the words fell, Huo Yuhao's feet struck the ground with thunderous force. His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, aiming straight at the trio. As golden light flared in his eyes, his Spirit Eyes' spirit ring swiftly activated, releasing his spirit power in full.
The two, Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan, who had only just begun releasing their own spirit abilities, felt their hearts skip a beat at how fast Huo Yuhao had reached the center of the arena.
So fast!?
Their shock deepened as their eyes met Huo Yuhao's indifferent gaze. Without a shred of hesitation, the first and second Spirit Rings lit up in succession.
Invisible threads of life force silently released, leaving Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan no room for caution. The fleeting golden light in Huo Yuhao's eyes was all they saw before the world seemed to plunge into darkness.
First Spirit Skill: Spiritual Shock.
As though struck in the head by a heavy hammer, the two, crushed under Huo Yuhao's spiritual pressure, had no chance to resist. Just like Wu Feng facing Gu Yuena in the morning, they collapsed without warning under Du Weilun's stunned gaze.
Though no physical contact had been made, it seemed as though Huo Yuhao's flashing eyes alone had turned a three-on-one into a one-on-one confrontation.
At this moment, the barely perceptible threads released earlier had silently wrapped around Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan's waists. Pulled through the air, the two unconscious students resembled fish dragged from water, soaring through the arena in a bizarre trajectory straight toward Du Weilun at the edge.
Since it was a personal grudge, it was best for the bystanders to leave the field as soon as possible. To avoid harming the two's spiritual sea, Huo Yuhao had deliberately reduced the power of the Spiritual Shock skill.
"This is impossible!"
Yan Shaozhe, atop the high platform, sprang to his feet, disbelief dripping from his voice. "His spirit skill was supposed to be an illusion!?"
With his perceptive eyes, he immediately discerned the trick: the fleeting golden light was a form of spiritual attack, while the threads lifting the two out of the arena were nearly invisible, even to him.
But what stunned him most was that Huo Yuhao had never used either of these skills before. Worse, how could his spiritual attack fell two fellow Spirit Grandmasters in a single strike?
This defied all logic!
Xian Lin'er's eyes also shone with shock, tinged with envy. This boy… no wonder he didn't hesitate to reveal his spirit abilities back then. He clearly had hidden trump cards.
"Enough fussing. That kid dared to go solo; he must have some confidence…"
Xuan Zi's eyes flickered with unusual light, though he quickly regained his composure, huffing coldly.
"Even if he's hiding some power, thinking that alone ensures victory is far too naive."
The match continued. Tang San, now facing the realization that he had lost two teammates at the start, tensed, belatedly acknowledging that he may have underestimated Huo Yuhao.
Even compared to his years of daily training with the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power was stronger.
As Huo Yuhao charged at him, Tang San's first Spirit Ring flared. With the cultivation of a Spirit Elder, his first spirit skill surpassed what a regular first spirit ring could achieve. In an instant, hundreds of Blue Silver Grass tendrils surged like a cerulean tide toward Huo Yuhao.
The terrifying visual drew gasps from onlookers. On the surface, it was just a spirit skill, but in reality, it also contained Tang San's self-created Spirit Ability after his rebirth, Blue Silver Entanglement.
Even Xuan Zi couldn't help but nod in approval. Developing Blue Silver Grass martial spirit to this level—Tang San's talent was truly extraordinary.
Yet, in the next moment, the strange occurrence that Bei Bei had once experienced repeated itself. The hundred tendrils passed harmlessly through Huo Yuhao, as if he were not even there.
Tang San's eyes glinted with purple light.
Impossible… how could this be? The aura and movements were flawless—even with the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, how could he misjudge?
Was the opponent's Spirit Ability not the simulation from his previous life?
Though shocked, Tang San remained calm. His first spirit skill flared again, hundreds of Blue Silver Grass sprouting outward from his body, forming a vast ocean.
Having witnessed Huo Yuhao defeat Bei Bei with this spirit skill, Tang San was well-prepared. This technique was his countermeasure, designed specifically for Huo Yuhao's spirit skill.
Illusions were still illusions. Huo Yuhao hadn't actually vanished. Any approach would force him to tread on the Blue Silver Grass, each blade subtly linked to Tang San, providing real-time feedback of Huo Yuhao's location.
"Huo Yuhao, enough of your childish tricks. Stop this now."
Tang San's sharp cry coincided with the release of a sleeve arrow.
Ding—
It struck something solid, rebounding crisply, and at that instant, Huo Yuhao's form revealed itself, now less than a meter away.
Tang San's pupils constricted. What speed was this? He thought the opponent had just tentatively stepped on the Blue Silver Grass at the edge, and in less than a second, he was in front of him!
Before Tang San could react, a fist blazing with golden light slammed into his side.
"That is..."
The familiar aura made the two Deans and Xuan Zi flinch. The fusion of spiritual and spirit power—how could they not recognize this move?
That boy wielded the same ability as Mu En!
The heavy impact shook everyone's hearts as Tang San spun violently through the air. Yet Huo Yuhao showed no sign of letting him escape, releasing threads once more, as if an invisible force pulled Tang San back.
Grasping Tang San by the neck, Huo Yuhao slammed him to the ground.
Bang!
Pain radiated through Tang San's face. Disoriented, he saw Huo Yuhao looming above, expressionless, his eyes as cold as in the previous life, never betraying even a trace of anger.
For reasons unknown, Tang San's heart quivered upon meeting Huo Yuhao's gaze again. His body froze, a thought he couldn't believe entering his mind:
Am I… afraid?
Immediately, an indescribable rage and brutality surged within him.
"Huo Yuhao!!!"
The dull ache in his cheek only fanned his fury. He roared, venting the sudden fear, "You deserve to die!!!"
Thanks to Yan Shaozhe's prior guidance, Tang San had mentally rehearsed every scenario for fighting Huo Yuhao. Considering his opponent's spiritual detection, he finally unleashed his long-hidden third spirit skill as Huo Yuhao approached.
With the third Spirit Ring glowing brightly with purple light, a blue light sphere erupted from Tang San's hand. Upon contact, it expanded into a massive web, ensnaring Huo Yuhao.
The rage in Tang San's heart had already made him ignore the pain in his body. Realizing that Blue Silver Grass could not completely defeat Huo Yuhao, he unhesitatingly switched to his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Spirit.
The dark and unadorned hammer, as soon as it appeared in his hand, cut through the air, letting out a mournful howl as it smashed towards Huo Yuhao.
"Victory is already belong—"
Yan Shaozhe's tense heart skipped a beat. That punch to Tang San's face was terrifying. If they lost… even he dared not imagine the consequences.
Clang—
A harsh clash of metal and golden light erupted as a white-blue glow spread from Huo Yuhao's palm to his chest. Yan Shaozhe stared, dumbfounded.
"What… is that?"
"Twin Martial Spirits!?"
Huo Yuhao's arms were now covered in dragon scales. Xuan Zi trembled violently, dropping his wine gourd, spilling its contents without a care.
"What an aura… what quality of Martial Spirit is this!?"
Seeing everyone's shocked faces, Zhang Lexuan felt a surge of satisfaction. Especially when she saw that no spirit ring rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, a sense of superiority that only she knew, but no one else did, made the corners of her mouth curve upwards uncontrollably.
Exhilarating!
Looking at the ice-blue sword that condensed in Huo Yuhao's hand and easily blocked his Clear Sky Hammer, Tang San was momentarily taken aback.
Impossible! His second Martial Spirit was the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress! Where did this draconic aura come from? Was Huo Yuhao this powerful in his previous life?
The web binding Huo Yuhao shattered under the intense cold.
The sword in Huo Yuhao's hand flared brilliantly, an overwhelming sense of imminent death washing over Tang San.
He didn't even have time to react. The icy-blue blade slashed outward with lethal precision.
At the last moment, a white figure seemed to teleport in front of Tang San—it was Du Weilun.
Feeling the sword's aura, even he trembled. Judging Tang San could not block, he unleashed his Spirit Skill, only to have the blade effortlessly slice through his robe, leaving a ghastly gash on his arm.
Crack-crack—
White frost spread along the wound. In an instant, Du Weilun realized his arm was numb.
Curiosity overriding fear, he looked up at Huo Yuhao, his voice dry: "Is this your own self-created Spirit Ability?"
"No... a friend taught me." Huo Yuhao slowly spoke.
Afterwards, he cast one last look at Tang San—still trembling, whether from exhaustion or relief—and walked away without another glance.
A few steps later, Du Weilun's voice echoed across the arena:
"The winning side is Freshman Class Five, Huo Yuhao."
(End of Chapter)