Temporarily Leaving Star Luo City
"…Ontology Academy wins!"
The referee's voice had barely fallen when the entire Xingluo City Square erupted.
Whoa!
A deafening uproar instantly swept through the audience.
"What kind of soul skill was that kid using just now? I didn't see anything at all, yet everyone from Douhun Academy collapsed!"
"This has to be fake, right? Did Douhun Advanced Soul Master Academy throw the match?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who would dare joke with the honor of their own academy? If my guess is correct, that person from Noumenon Academy should be a spiritual-type soul master. What he just released must have been some kind of large-scale spiritual attack soul skill."
...
Yuhao's performance once again shocked everyone present.
In that brief moment just now, he had consecutively released two spiritual soul skills—Soul Shock and Mental Interference.
Both of these soul skills had already reached the level equivalent to six-thousand-year soul skills. Coupled with Yuhao's terrifying mental power that combined both tangible and intangible aspects, their stacking effect was unimaginably powerful.
That was why he was able to knock out all seven opponents in an instant.
Even Yuhao himself was slightly surprised by the result.
After all, this was the first time he had used Soul Shock and Mental Interference together in actual combat.
"So this is the true potential of the four spiritual soul skills Brother Tianmeng bestowed upon me…"
Yuhao silently reflected in his heart.
Without lingering on the arena, he turned around and walked toward the edge of the competition ring.
However, as he passed by Long Aotian, Zhen Yue, and the other six teammates, he discovered that all of them were still standing there stiffly, completely motionless, as if they hadn't recovered from what they had just witnessed.
"The match is over," Yuhao said calmly. "Let's go down."
Hearing his voice, the six of them finally snapped back to reality.
They looked at one another, and in each other's eyes, they could clearly see shock, disbelief, and a trace of fear.
At the very beginning of the match, Yuhao had said something to them.
"Don't make a move later. I'll handle the opponents alone."
At that time, they thought Yuhao was joking.
Later, when they realized that he was serious, although none of them objected aloud, deep down they all believed it was impossible.
After all, no matter how weak the opposing team was, they were still seven soul masters.
Even Zhen Yue, whose cultivation had already reached the level of a six-ring Soul Emperor, did not dare claim that he could win a one-versus-seven battle with absolute certainty.
Thus, their original plan was simple—play along with Yuhao for the time being, and once he showed signs of being overwhelmed, they would immediately step in.
But who could have imagined that in less than a single breath's time, all seven opponents would fall unconscious before Yuhao?
At this moment, Long Aotian, Zhen Yue, and the other four members had completely surrendered to Yuhao, both in strength and in conviction.
...
After returning to the resting area, Lang Ya greeted Yuhao with a smile and motioned for him to sit down and rest.
Then he spoke in a gentle tone:
"Yuhao, your mental power seems to have grown even stronger."
"It's nothing special," Yuhao replied calmly. "The main reason is that the opponents were too weak and had almost no resistance against spiritual attacks."
There was no trace of pride in his voice as he continued:
"If the opposing team had a Soul King among them, the effect of the soul skills I just used wouldn't have been nearly as decisive."
"Uh…"
Yuhao's extremely casual explanation left Lang Ya momentarily speechless.
He quickly changed the topic and said:
"Yuhao, the first round of knockout matches has concluded. Next will be the round-robin stage. The competition format will be different, and the opponents will only grow stronger. Why don't we take advantage of the next two or three days to formulate some tactics in advance?"
Although Lang Ya was an elder of the Noumenon Sect and possessed the strength of a Contra, he still consciously lowered his posture when speaking to Yuhao, the young sect master.
His tone was more like discussion than command.
"Elder Lang Ya," Yuhao said after a brief pause, "I don't think that's necessary."
"In the round-robin stage, the only real threat to us is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. But the probability of us being placed in the same group as them is extremely low."
"As for the other academies," Yuhao continued, "whether it's team battles, individual battles, or two-versus-two and three-versus-three matches, I'm confident that we can completely suppress them."
At this point, he paused slightly before adding:
"In battles where both sides are evenly matched, tactics and strategies have value. But in the face of absolute strength, all schemes are meaningless."
Lang Ya fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"What you said makes sense," he said slowly. "Alright, then we won't arrange tactics for now. Once the groupings are announced, we'll discuss the specific lineup and order."
Yuhao had no objections.
But suddenly, Lang Ya seemed to remember something and added:
"Still… there's also Shrek Academy."
"Shrek Academy?" Yuhao smiled faintly. "You don't need to worry about them—at least not within the first three rounds of the round-robin."
He clearly didn't place Shrek Academy in his immediate considerations.
Lang Ya was slightly stunned, a puzzled look appearing on his face.
Then he recalled that during Shrek Academy's first match, they had sent out all reserve members.
Although they still won, the process had been unexpectedly difficult.
Previously, Lang Ya thought that Shrek Academy was simply being overly arrogant and using the match as training.
But judging from Yuhao's words now, it seemed that Shrek Academy had no choice but to do so.
Could it be that something had gone wrong with Shrek Academy's official team members?
Lang Ya was curious, but seeing that Yuhao had no intention of elaborating, he didn't ask further.
Yuhao quickly shifted the topic.
"Elder Lang Ya, is Elder Jin still at the hotel?"
"Yes," Lang Ya nodded. "Elder Jin said that there was nothing worth watching in the knockout matches, so he stayed behind."
"Good," Yuhao replied. "I need to see him."
"Do you have something important to discuss with Elder Jin?" Lang Ya asked.
"Yes," Yuhao nodded. "There is indeed something important."
He then added:
"Elder Lang Ya, I'll be going to meet Elder Jin now. After that, I'll need to leave the city for a while. I probably won't be back until the first day of the round-robin stage ends."
"What?" Lang Ya was startled. "What if we have a match on the first day?"
"That's simple," Yuhao said calmly. "Don't we have substitutes?"
As he spoke, Yuhao turned his gaze toward Wei Na, who was sitting quietly on the bench.
"Hey, big-eyed girl."
"Huh?" Wei Na froze for a moment before reacting. "Are you calling me?"
After all, no one had ever given her such a nickname before.
"Yes, you," Yuhao nodded. "Didn't you want to participate in the competition? If we have a match on the first day of the round-robin, you'll replace me."
Then he added casually:
"Although your strength is indeed quite poor, if you cooperate properly with the other six, it shouldn't be a problem."
At first, Wei Na was secretly delighted upon hearing that she would finally get a chance to play.
But the moment she heard the second half of Yuhao's words, her expression immediately darkened.
Just as she was about to argue back, Yuhao had already turned his head away, completely ignoring her reaction.
This made Wei Na so angry that her teeth itched.
After that, Yuhao didn't stay in the square to continue watching the matches. He turned around and left.
...
After leaving the competition square, Yuhao returned straight to the hotel and found Jin Peng.
Jin Peng was somewhat surprised by Yuhao's sudden return. However, before he could ask anything, Yuhao spoke first:
"Elder Jin, I need you to return to the Noumenon Sect immediately and invite my teacher to come."
Afterward, Yuhao explained certain internal matters to Jin Peng in detail.
Upon hearing this, Jin Peng didn't hesitate at all. He turned around and left the hotel right away, heading straight for the Noumenon Sect.
Not long after Jin Peng departed, Yuhao also left Xingluo City.
However, his destination was not the Noumenon Sect.
Instead—
He headed toward the Star Dou Forest.