Chapter Thirty: The Inescapable Net

"As long as I use it diligently, there is hope for awakening the characteristics of my Martial Soul..."

Huo Yuhao's gaze drifted into the void. Standing on the arena, his mind wandered: "Setting aside what characteristics the Spiritual Eyes might eventually awaken, even just figuring out how to use them is a problem."

Eyes were meant for seeing; how could there be any special way to use them? They weren't like blades, spears, swords, or halberds, which had martial arts manuals one could follow to practice diligently.

—Surely, it couldn't just be about looking?

But even if it were, what exactly was he supposed to look at?

"Both teams, take your positions!"

Wang Yan, who had retreated to the sidelines, glanced at the distracted Huo Yuhao and deliberately shouted, "The match begins!"

As a scholar with a deep interest in Martial Souls, he had his eyes fixed firmly on Huo Yuhao today.

"Let me see your secrets..." A flicker of anticipation appeared in Wang Yan's eyes.

Betting his many honors on this, he was determined to see through the boy's secrets during today's matches, deduce his Martial Soul's attributes, and understand every single move he made on the field.

However, to his disappointment, Huo Yuhao didn't even make any special movements this time. He simply stood there as his white soul ring rose from beneath his feet, only to be retracted shortly after.

The three opponents on the other side collapsed one by one, without a sound.

This... this shouldn't be happening!

How could there be no movement at all? Mass silence? Or was it the application of a negative status effect? Or perhaps something closer to a spiritual attack?

Wang Yan adjusted his glasses, feeling a sense of panic. Huo Yuhao hadn't revealed much soul power fluctuation. If it truly were a spiritual attack, it would mean he didn't need to channel soul power to launch it...

Was that something a one-ring Soul Master could achieve? Was it logical?

"Boom... boom!"

A familiar, thunderous sound echoed from the adjacent arena. But this time, the opponent fighting against her was clearly much more resilient; the impact on the ground reverberated four or five times before ceasing, leaving the spectators' feet numb. At the same time, golden light began to illuminate the horizon.

"Sigh~"

Wang Yan wiped his glasses, feeling somewhat dejected. These little ones really were using the same trick for everything. Could it be that they were actually going to clear the entire freshman assessment using the same strategy?

The rising generation was truly formidable. With their strength, they might even qualify for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

"Glory~"

Recalling Elder Xuan's earnest teachings, Wang Yan's expression turned solemn instantly: "I will work hard to secure the position of team leader for the tournament, lead those little monsters to victory, and defend the glory of Shrek Academy!"

And, he added silently, make you truly acknowledge me as your disciple!

...

Perhaps to save time, all freshmen were required to participate in a total of four rounds of combat on the second day.

Clearly, this was quite unfriendly to students whose soul skills had extremely long cooldown times. After all, such restrictive soul skills were often overwhelmingly powerful; if they fought at full capacity, they would undoubtedly be top-tier teams.

Beyond that, the schedule also affected those who encountered evenly matched opponents right from the start, or those unlucky ones who exhausted their soul power against powerful enemies. If these students were eliminated simply because of the academy's peculiar tournament system... it would be a pity.

But the bad news was—on the third day, the number of rounds was increased to five.

The intensity and ferocity of the battles were pushed to the limit. It remained to be seen if any of the freshmen would be unable to withstand it and choose to forfeit a round.

"District 33, sixth round, Huo Yuhao's team versus Huang Chutian's team!"

Following Wang Yan's loud announcement, Huo Yuhao, who had been daydreaming since yesterday, focused his gaze on his opponents for the first time.

Among the three people on the other side, there was actually a pair of identical twin girls. Their long blue hair, reaching almost to their waists, seemed to ripple with a soft light and emitted a strange resonance, intertwining and connecting with each other.

'Twin sisters?'

Huo Yuhao's intuition told him that the team before him was not simple; it was likely that all three were Great Soul Masters above level 20.

As Wang Yan gave the order, Huang Chutian took several heavy steps forward and summoned his Martial Soul. His muscular physique suddenly tore through his upper garment: "Vajra Ape! Possess!"

At the same time, the twin sisters flashed behind him. As their soul rings rose, their long hair extended rapidly, shrouding nearly half the field from both sides.

"Two control types and one assault type. It looks like they’ve practiced this specifically."

Huo Yuhao examined the opponent's formation with interest, his attention falling on the sisters' extended hair: "And, their Martial Soul is actually hair."

It was his first time seeing someone whose Martial Soul was a body part, just like his own.

"Roar!"

Huang Chutian took the initiative, dragging his sturdy frame forward in a rapid charge. He kicked off the ground, leaped high into the air, and then brought his clenched fists down with a heavy smash.

To his shock, Huo Yuhao didn't dodge or evade; he simply stood there, staring at him as he descended from the sky.

"Hmph!"

How foolish~

Huang Chutian's eyes turned vicious. The soul power gathering in his hands intensified, manifesting as a sphere of earthy-yellow light that enveloped his clenched fists.

"Power Hammer!"

"Go and lie in the hospital bed!"

"Bang—"

With a thunderous crash, the human-ape smashed into the ground. His body skidded forward along the ground due to the remaining momentum, but Huo Yuhao simply shifted his feet and easily avoided the path of his impact.

Soul Shock. Whoever he stared at, fell asleep.

He hadn't received a single negative review yet.

Glancing at the incapacitated Huang Chutian, Huo Yuhao retracted his soul ring and looked at the remaining two with composure.

"Come on~ Let me see what other tricks you have."

"It would be best if you could give me some inspiration."

"..."

The two sisters looked at each other with terror in their eyes, which then gradually transformed into a look of determination.

Retracting their soul rings to channel their Martial Soul, they opened their arms and embraced each other deeply.

The next moment, a powerful surge of soul power erupted. Accompanied by a thick, bright blue halo, their bodies were enveloped, and their wildly flowing hair was completely dyed in a fluorescent blue glow. It grew and spread rapidly, intertwining into a layered net that lashed out toward him.

"Martial Soul Fusion, Heaven and Earth Net!"

The blue strands arrived in an instant, completely wrapping around the defenseless Huo Yuhao.

*Sssss~*

Layer after layer of the web tightened, emitting a dull, screeching sound. The force contained within it intensified rapidly as it constricted, making even Huo Yuhao—who possessed a physique comparable to a three-ringed soul master—feel a terrifying power threatening to twist and pull him apart.

"The total soul power is indeed just over the three-ring level..."

Although his body was suspended in mid-air, nearly on the verge of being torn asunder, he still had the leisure to keep his Spirit Detection active, observing everything within this blue web: "But the power of this skill seems even stronger than Bei Bei's before his dragon transformation. There's simply no possibility of resisting this."