Beside him, Luo Yanglu cleared his throat in a quiet cough, offering Wu Zhangkong a discreet warning.
*Stop staring at our Spirit Pagoda's genius.*
Wu Zhangkong came back to his senses, withdrew his gaze, and shot Luo Yanglu a sidelong glance.
He knew very well that the man belonged to the Spirit Pagoda. His cultivation alone was far beyond what a teacher at East Sea Academy ought to possess. It seemed the Spirit Pagoda had also set its sights on these promising saplings.
Composing himself, Wu Zhangkong stopped staring at Huo Yuhao and turned his attention back to the match.
The instant Huo Yuhao deployed his Spiritual Interference Domain, Gu Yuena made her move.
A silver luminescence flashed across her body, and in the next heartbeat she appeared several dozen meters away, standing right behind Xu Xiaoyan. "Xiaoyan," she said softly, "step out of the ring for now."
"Dream on! Can't you see me?"
Xie Xie snorted coldly from the side. Slashing his Light Dragon Dagger to cleave through the fireball Gu Yuena had tossed, he surged forward. He had stayed glued to Xu Xiaoyan's side precisely to guard against Gu Yuena's spatial teleportation!
At the same time, Xu Xiaoyan's small face tightened, taking on unprecedented solemnity. She raised the ice staff in her hands high, a brilliant spark flashing through her eyes.
"Stars in the sky, sparkling bright, shine forever, bring lasting peace! Grant me strength, my Star Wheel!"
As she completed her chant, the tip of the ice staff flared with sudden light. Watching from the sidelines, the two teachers could vaguely see a faint, golden beam descending from the sky and striking the tip with pinpoint precision.
Instantly, the top of the ice staff lit up like an ignited torch. A burst of golden brilliance erupted and slowly expanded outward, finally condensing into a golden wheel containing a six-pointed star that hovered before her, exuding a mysterious aura.
Immediately after, Xu Xiaoyan unleashed her first Soul Skill—Star Wheel Chains!
Magnificent lines of light formed beneath Gu Yuena as the star wheel quietly surfaced, sending chains woven of starlight coiling upward.
Star Wheel Chains carried absolute establishment!
Whoever was bound could not break free within one second!
"A controllable Martial Soul mutation—that is the marvel of the Star Wheel Ice Staff. What's more, the astrological attribute carries absolute establishment. I have high hopes for her future," Luo Yanglu remarked with slight emotion. "Student Xu Xiaoyan's talent is quite remarkable, wouldn't you say?"
Wu Zhangkong replied coldly, "She started with innate full soul power and is only at Rank Nineteen even now; she has a long way to go. Besides, she hasn't even realized she only bound empty air. Her combat sense still needs a great deal of work."
"..."
*Where do you think we are? Did you really expect these kids to break through Yuhao's Spirit Sea Realm spiritual domain?*
Luo Yanglu gave Wu Zhangkong a speechless look and returned his gaze to the fight.
Just as Wu Zhangkong had pointed out, the starlit chains had not bound Gu Yuena at all; they were wrapped around empty air.
Before Xu Xiaoyan had even activated her Soul Skill, Gu Yuena had already shifted position in Xie Xie's eyes, yet Xu Xiaoyan had still cast the skill at that spot. To her eyes, it seemed Gu Yuena had been standing there all along.
An instant later, Xu Xiaoyan even called out anxiously, "Student Xie Xie, attack quickly! I've caught her!"
"..."
Seeing this bizarre scene unfold, Xie Xie halted his charge toward Gu Yuena, his eyelids twitching madly.
Student Xu Xiaoyan wouldn't make such a rudimentary mistake on her own. That meant the problem had to stem from a single person.
*Boss Huo!*
They had fallen under the sway of a hypnotic spiritual Soul Skill; the Gu Yuena Xu Xiaoyan was seeing wasn't her actual self at all!
Gu Yuena offered Xie Xie a sweet smile. "Did you forget? This is a team battle. With Yuhao's spiritual power, he can directly influence all of you at once."
"...Sister Na, the person I admire most after Boss Huo is you. Please have mercy!" Xie Xie pleaded, plastering an ingratiating smile across his face.
"Too late. Where did all that arrogance from a moment ago go?"
Gu Yuena's smile vanished. With a cold snort, a burst of azure light flashed around her, drastically boosting her speed as her hands moved in a flurry.
In a flash, swarms of fireballs and icicles poured toward Xie Xie like a torrential downpour, blotting out the sky.
Unable to tell whether the barrage before him was real or an illusion, Xie Xie had no choice but to unleash his second Soul Skill—Light Dragon Storm!
Using himself as an axis, he spun at high speed, sweeping his Light Dragon Dagger into a storm of sharp radiance that whistled tightly around his body. The lethal vortex formed an impenetrable defense that deflected most of the elemental assault.
Yet as Gu Yuena began to exert more power and combined twin-element attacks, Xie Xie's defenses buckled, and he was quickly overwhelmed.
In the very next moment, Xu Xiaoyan was swept out of the ring by Gu Yuena's spatial elements, leaving her standing on the sidelines with a dazed expression.
*Light, space, fire, ice... That girl truly has mastered six elements! What a terrifying Martial Soul.*
Wu Zhangkong looked deeply at Gu Yuena, then turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao.
That battle had also drawn to a close.
In Tang Wulin's eyes, the moment the three of them rushed before Huo Yuhao, Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi had inexplicably turned on each other. Their Bone Dragon Claw and Soaring Eagle Strike had been executed with consummate skill, but they had unleashed them entirely on their own ally...
Then Huo Yuhao had stepped forward and swept both of them out of the ring with effortless ease.
"..."
At that moment, Tang Wulin felt completely speechless and thoroughly despairing.
*How could the spiritual attribute be this eerie?!*
Even so, he couldn't simply surrender. Gathering every ounce of strength he had, Tang Wulin sent his Bluesilver Grass surging forward into a bind while striking out with his gold-scaled fist, launching an all-out offensive against Huo Yuhao.
Indeed, the first Soul Skill he had chosen was Bind.
The Sea God's Soul Skill had been Bind as well... Not that he blindly worshiped the man, but if a god's Soul Skill had been Bind, it proved the skill was decent enough, right?
As for the golden scales on his hand, he had obtained them after unsealing the Golden Dragon King's seal, and they multiplied his physical strength several times over.
Huo Yuhao shifted his feet by a hair's breadth, causing every strand of Bluesilver Grass to lash through empty air. Watching the incoming fist, he simply met it with an open palm.
Tang Wulin's fist came to an abrupt halt, resting firmly against Huo Yuhao's palm.
It wasn't because of brute force. Tang Wulin could feel it with absolute clarity: Huo Yuhao hadn't met force with force. Instead, he had utilized a peculiar technique to redirect the kinetic energy, giving Tang Wulin the hollow sensation of punching straight into cotton!
*How is that possible?*
*Isn't this absurdly strong?*
Without soul power, without even summoning a Martial Soul, he had casually caught the blow just like that...
"Student Wulin, it's over."
Huo Yuhao's soft murmur sounded right beside his ear. Tang Wulin felt an immense surge of power crash into him, sending his body flying backward through the air.
Yet an invisible force seemed to cradle him, softening the impact as he flew beyond the boundary of the ring.
"..."
Tang Wulin blinked, staring blankly at Huo Yuhao.
Student Yuhao... was truly terrifyingly strong.
Seeing that the outcome was decided, Wu Zhangkong looked at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, taking a deep breath.
A Rank Thirty-Five Soul Elder with a Body Martial Soul of the spiritual attribute, along with an Innate Domain...
A Rank Twenty-Eight Great Spirit Master with a Martial Soul controlling six elements, who had already learned elemental fusion...
Both of them were talents qualified to enter Shrek's Inner Court directly. In fact, their abilities far exceeded every standard; they could easily be groomed as candidates for the future Master of the Sea God Pavilion!
Wu Zhangkong took another deep breath and turned to Luo Yanglu. "Their combat techniques still need refinement. I will guide them thoroughly from now on to make sure none of their talent goes to waste!"
He had assumed that no matter how strong Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena were, facing five opponents whose combat prowess was basically equivalent to Great Spirit Masters would force them to show their true hand. Yet it was now obvious that this hadn't come anywhere near their limits. Tomorrow, he would test them personally before instructing them in actual combat.
Luo Yanglu said, "...As for Yuhao, you really don't need to instruct him."
*I'm serious—I'm just afraid you'll end up thoroughly demoralized, Teacher Wu.*
Chapter 65