Chapter 37: Xiao Xiao vs. Ning Tian

Round of sixteen, match one.

"Freshman Class Nine, Wu Feng!"

The red-haired girl crossed her arms and declared in a resonant voice, her gaze filled with intimidating hostility: "Level 25 Assault System Battle Soul Master!"

As her words fell, a scorching aura erupted from her body. Sharp, scarlet scales emerged, stretched by bulging muscles, transforming her already lithe frame into something more athletic and powerful. The fighting spirit in her eyes ignited like flickering flames.

"Come on, little girl! Let me see what you’re really capable of!"

At this moment, Wu Feng’s fighting spirit was at an unprecedented high.

"Xiao, Xiao Xiao... Freshman Class One."

Xiao Xiao looked at Wu Feng with a bewildered expression, completely baffled by where this sudden, inexplicable hostility and aggression were coming from.

*What did I do? What crime did I commit?*

*We don’t even know each other!*

*I haven't even seen her once before this match!*

"Crazy woman..." Xiao Xiao muttered, feeling somewhat annoyed as she glanced at the fiercely burning Wu Feng. "Though, it seems she put all her stat points into her physique rather than her intelligence..."

Who starts a fight by blurting out all their own intel? Martial Soul, rank, profession—why didn't she just recite her soul skills for everyone to hear?

"Class Nine, Ning Tian, Level 31 Support System."

The blonde girl standing behind Wu Feng spoke in a flat, calm voice.

Xiao Xiao: "..."

Arrogance requires a backup power source, and as it turns out, Wu Feng had Ning Tian.

"Match start!"

The moment the referee’s voice faded, Wu Feng shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, seeking a swift victory.

*Swish—*

Behind her, Ning Tian moved with perfect coordination, retreating to the edge of the arena while cradling a brilliant, iridescent glazed pagoda.

Then, two balls of light flew from her activated first soul ring, merging into her two teammates. "The Seven Treasures have their glory; the first is: Speed!"

Wu Feng’s speed increased by more than thirty percent instantly. She moved almost like an Agility System soul master in an Assault System's skin, leaving behind several afterimages as she dashed forward.

"Come! Xiao Xiao, let’s settle this once and for all!"

Empowered by the buff, she seemed inexplicably more excited, as if there were something worth protecting behind her, driving her to give everything she had.

"First Soul Skill: Dragon’s Fire!"

As she surged forward, Wu Feng waved her arms, and crimson flames manifested out of thin air around her, swirling rapidly. Every subsequent movement was accompanied by the glow of searing fire.

She stomped the ground and unleashed a heavy punch toward the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron blocking her path.

*Clang!*

With a thunderous roar, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was sent flying, knocked back on the spot, leaving a scorched, charred mark on its side from Wu Feng’s fire.

*Her own soul skill provides a continuous attack boost... and she has a speed increase of over one-third from her teammate.*

For the first time in a battle, Xiao Xiao felt the situation becoming troublesome.

The opponent wouldn't fall for positioning traps!

While the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was top-tier for dealing with ordinary opponents, if someone could爆发 (burst) with enough force to knock the cauldron away...

Then it was time to switch to an offensive mode!

"Hoo..."

Xiao Xiao exhaled deeply and issued a command in a low voice: "Amplify."

"Ah? Oh, okay..."

The girl holding the light orb responded in a panic, activating her only century-level soul skill: a 15% attack boost. Another teammate also cast a skill, stacking it with the first: a 20% defense increase.

"Woo—"

A short, sharp flute sound cut through the air. Before the suddenly slowed and sluggish-feeling Wu Feng could grasp the situation, three heavy cauldrons appeared overhead, crashing together to form a massive object two yards in diameter.

Ning Tian’s expression shifted abruptly, and she chanted rapidly in a voice that nearly cracked: "The Seven Treasures have their glory; the third is: Power!"

Just as her soul skill took effect:

"Heavy treasure of the nation, the tremor of the cauldron!"

With a sharp cry that echoed across the arena, the combination soul skill that had swept through over a dozen matches in the freshman tournament reappeared, capturing everyone's attention.

It even caught the eye of someone watching from afar—someone who hadn't been paying much attention until now.

"Interesting~"

An unkempt old man, looking disheveled, chugged wine while sitting lazily on a wall. His crimson eyes scanned the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. "This power already exceeds that of a typical three-ringed soul master..."

*BOOM!*

The heavy cauldron smashed down.

"Ugh..."

Wu Feng, pinned beneath the cauldron, collapsed to her knees, blood seeping from her nose and mouth. Her hands, raised to push against the weight, could not withstand the pressure. Even her scales cracked and shattered under the tremors of the giant vessel, drawing a spray of blood.

"Suppress!"

Xiao Xiao issued another command.

*BANG!*

The force on the cauldron intensified, pressing down on Wu Feng’s arms and shoulders, forcing her frame lower as more blood splattered from her mouth.

"Pfft... cough! Cough..."

Coughing up blood, Wu Feng let out a weak laugh beneath the cauldron: "Is this... is this all you’ve got?"

Her low laughter gradually grew louder, tinged with a sense of relief.

"Haha... you lost!"

Following Wu Feng’s final roar, a streak of cyan light successfully broke through to Xiao Xiao’s position.

Her teammate, whose arms had transformed into blades, activated her soul skill again. A layer of cyan radiance coated the blades, increasing their lethality once more. Even from two or three meters away, Xiao Xiao felt a sense of impending doom, as if she were about to be sliced in half.

Agility System, Nanmen Yun'er, Jade Azure Bird Martial Soul!

When a soul master who leaned toward the Control System and possessed a fragile body was approached by an Agility System master, the outcome seemed sealed.

Even the referee on the sidelines prepared to rush in to pull Xiao Xiao away before retrieving the person under the cauldron.

However...

"Well timed~"

Xiao Xiao’s eyes suddenly turned intense. Her feet executed an incredibly strange set of steps, and her hands, infused with soul power, turned a translucent, jade-white, radiating a strange, enduring sense of solidity.

*How is this possible?*

The Azure Bird, who had slashed out her light blade, widened her eyes in disbelief as she watched Xiao Xiao sway, creating illusions and dodging the attack.

"Again!"

The Azure Bird gritted her teeth, her blade-wielding hands unleashing a near-impenetrable web of strikes.

Although her second soul skill had been wasted, her current hand-blades remained, and the attribute bonuses from Ning Tian were still in effect. She refused to believe the opponent could survive another round of attacks!

However, she was destined to be disappointed.

*Ding, ding...*

Xiao Xiao’s movements were like a phantom. Her hands traced jade-white arcs, creating a bizarre pulling force field that, through a combination of techniques, managed to negate nearly half of the striking force.

Although her palms were splattered with blood from the repeated collisions, it was only skin-deep; no bones or tendons had been harmed.

"This is impossible!"

Nanmen Yun'er found it impossible to accept what she was seeing.

Is this the physical strength a soul master with an external object-type Martial Soul should have? Even Wu Feng might not have been able to withstand this barrage with her bare hands alone!

What kind of trick was this person using?