Chapter 100: Burden

The other six teammates' gazes toward Tie Li changed; was he still a human Soul Master, or more like a humanoid Soul Beast?

Zhao Tianhe took a brand‑new load‑bearing suit; even a strength‑type Four‑Ring Soul Ancestor would find it noticeably burdensome.

With Tie Li's limb loads still attached, he put on this brand‑new load‑bearing suit again.

Relying only on his bodily strength, Tie Li's movements became much more clumsy under the load.

"All right, I'll make the arrangements now; Wan Li, you take Mu Wei and Zhang Xiaohe to face those four;

but I need to add one rule: nobody may use a third Soul Technique."

The four Soul Elders' expressions hardened slightly, especially Gu Qi; if he could use a third Soul Technique, the amplification from a Thousand‑Year Soul Technique would let him fly briefly.

At Zhao Tianhe's signal, the seven split into two teams.

"Hahaha, looks like this is my home field this time."

Tuo Yu seemed excited; the load targets the body, and as a Control‑type Soul Master with a special Mirror‑Shadow martial soul, the load doesn't affect his combat power.

With the Thousand‑Year Soul Technique restricted, the leader lost thunder‑and‑light amplification; the melting point of thunder‑and‑light might not dissolve my Ghost Vine.

Tuo Yu silently speculated that the more he thought this way, the more he believed he held a huge advantage.

The most affected should be the Agile Attack‑type Soul Masters, especially Gu Qi; with even the third Soul Technique barred, his flight advantage vanished completely.

"Later I'll hold Mu Wei head‑on, and you try to attack Tuo Yu."

"Alright, I'll do my best," Zhang Xiaohe replied quickly; his appearance was a bit youthful, and it was his first time in a Soul Battle of this level, making him look rather nervous.

Compared with Zhang Xiaohe, Mu Wei was steadier, though a hint of tension still lingered in his features.

Tuo Yu's side also held a brief discussion; they were relatively relaxed, since Tuo Yu's martial soul had a great advantage in this situation.

Seeing both sides nearly ready, Zhao Tianhe announced the Soul Battle's start.

The seven simultaneously summoned their martial souls and Soul Rings.

"Bang—"

The instant the martial soul was summoned, Tie Li launched the first offensive.

"Why is the impact so small now? His soul‑power quality is that high?" Zhao Tianhe observed Tie Li's sudden burst speed, noting that the load's effect had greatly lessened when he released his martial soul.

But Tie Li dared not use the First Soul Technique; entering Thunder Hammer Form would greatly increase the martial soul's weight, and with the load, his situation would become similar to theirs.

"Roaaar—"

Tuo Yu summoned the Vajra Bear as the team's strong point, meeting Tie Li head‑on.

Gu Qi entered Martial Soul Possession State; the load‑bearing suit prevented him from soaring, limiting him to about a meter off the ground.

"Bang—"

The others hadn't reacted yet when the Vajra Bear's body was flung backward; Tie Li's Second Soul Technique ignited, his own power stacking with a Shock Repel effect.

At that moment Tuo Yu controlled the Ghost Vine to restrain Tie Li; vines coiled around his legs, interlaced with purple Lightning Light, the melting point still terrifying, and the vines on his legs began to show signs of melting.

Mu Wei collided with Jue Dun; their Soul Power Levels were similar, but the martial soul's traits made Mu Wei the attacking side.

Ning Ning's Amplification Soul Technique had already been applied to them; even if Gu Qi received Ning Ning's boost, he couldn't maintain flight—the load's impact on him was too great.

Unable to fly, his advantage vanished, leaving him to face the ferocious Tie Li on the ground.

Tie Li bared eight snow‑white teeth, and Gu Qi felt deeply aggrieved.

"Bang—"

His fate was the same as the Vajra Bear's, flung backward.

Zhang Xiaohe timed his strike at Tuo Yu, his snow‑white figure trying to maintain high mobility, but the load‑bearing suit kept slowing him down.

Tuo Yu sent out a Ghost Vine that bound his body, slamming him heavily to the ground.

Zhang Xiaohe's two Hundred‑Year Soul Rings added speed and attack attributes; the load‑bearing suit's restriction on him was the only one in the team besides Gu Qi's.

Tie Li had already shattered the Ghost Vine around his ankle; propelled by his power, his speed was the fastest among all participants.

The Vajra Bear was merely blasted away by Tie Li; the spot struck by the purple Thunder Hammer showed dents and burns, yet it remained combat‑ready, sprinting back to the field to cooperate with the Ghost Vine to block Tie Li.

Using the Second Soul Technique again, the Vajra Bear was hurled away a second time; the successive injuries prevented it from staying upright.

Without the Vajra Bear, the Ghost Vine alone couldn't trap Tie Li.

When Tie Li's hammer body halted a inch before Tuo Yu, the outcome was decided.

"All right, that's enough," Zhao Tianhe said, halting the Soul Battle.

Based on the first match's performance, he planned to rebalance everyone's strength again.

If individual power isn't limited, any team arrangement yields the same result.

Therefore, he intended to increase Tie Li's load again while reducing the load on the two Agile Attack‑type members.

The lineup remained unchanged: three versus four.

This time Tie Li almost lost; after Gu Qi lightened his weight, he gained brief flight ability, causing too much trouble;

The load‑bearing suit's weight made Tie Li's movements sluggish, giving them a good counter‑attack.

The reason they won this Soul Battle was mainly Mu Wei's all‑out strike at the final moment.

The Scale‑Armored Elephant was exceptionally strong; it forced past Jue Dun's defense, delivering a sudden blow to Gu Qi's abdomen, which finally gave Tie Li a chance.

After the Soul Battle ended, Zhao Tianhe gave everyone a half‑hour rest, then started a new Soul Battle; the load‑bearing suit on Tie Li kept stacking, already reaching the standard of a Soul King‑level strength‑type Soul Master.

With the third Soul Technique barred, the load kept increasing, making Tie Li even less daring to use the First Soul Technique.

From then on, victory could no longer be guaranteed.

Until night fell, the seven lay exhausted on the Soul Battle arena, panting heavily and looking utterly disheveled.

A faint floral scent drifted onto them, instantly dissipating most of their fatigue.

"Thanks, Teacher Yu," Zhao Tianhe chuckled awkwardly; the only response was a rolling eye and a turned‑away back.

Besides going to find Teacher Yu, he also had the cafeteria specially prepare precious food.

"It's the azure clam," Tuo Yu was the first to recognize the dish on the platter.

Inside a fist‑sized shell clam is a dark‑blue, pearl‑like soft body, emitting a strong fishy odor; just one sniff makes a person feel uneasy.

"This was specially shipped from Hanhai City, it can improve your physical condition; it's a good item the academy prepared for you, so don't waste it."

Tie Li stepped forward and sniffed; the fishy smell made him strongly suspect the food had expired and spoiled, and he had not the slightest appetite.

"Boss, you scared?" Tuo Yu was actually the first to step forward, swallowing the dark‑blue clam whole, their face still showing a look of enjoyment.

(End of chapter)