Chapter 95: Battle Against Thunder Academy

Seeing everyone become unusually excited one by one, Yu Xiaogang continued: "Classmates, soul bones are extremely valuable; only the champion of the final round can obtain them. This is the greatest reward in the history of the Soul Master Competition. I can promise you that the rewards will be divided according to performance later."

Everyone got excited again at his words, and Yang Xiong couldn't help internally muttering: It's just three soul bones, the one truly suitable for me is that skull, but knowing Yu Xiaogang's nature, he'll definitely give them to his disciple Tang San, leaving none for me; the other two I don't really care about.

Rather than hoping to win the Soul Master Competition, it's better to go directly to Ning Fengzhi; perhaps the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect also has such collectibles. If not, call two experts to go to Sunset Forest and the Star Dou Great Forest; I know some similar rumors.

After Yu Xiaogang's hype, everyone walked onto the Arena full of confidence, as if the championship were within reach.

Following Yu Xiaogang's arrangement, Yang Xiong acted as the single‑arrowhead Power Type Soul Grandmaster, Ma Hongjun handled aerial harassment, Zhu Zhuqing served as an Agility Attack System Soul Grandmaster, and Qin Shuang guarded the three auxiliaries.

Upon stepping onto the Arena and seeing the setup of the Flame Radiance Academy opposite, Yang Xiong was speechless.

The opposite side didn't even field a single auxiliary; apart from one Control System Soul Grandmaster, they were all Power Type and Agility Attack System Soul Grandmasters, not even a Defense System Soul Grandmaster—apparently they received information from Shrek's side.

The Control System Soul Grandmaster opposite wielded the martial soul Heavenly Blue Vine, but his soul power was only level 36, and judging by his age he must be over twenty‑two.

Especially their captain, the only Soul Ancestor in their team, whose martial soul was the Crimson Flame Tiger—quite a decent martial soul.

Just as Yang Xiong expected, at the start of the match the three of Yang Xiong rushed straight at the opponent's formation.

But the opponents clearly anticipated this, sending three people to meet Yang Xiong, including countless Heavenly Blue Vines leaping from the ground, nearly surrounding him.

Yang Xiong teleported to the front of that Control System Soul Grandmaster, and three Soul Grandmasters came to his rescue; with a single strike, an opponent Soul Grandmaster was blasted several meters away, even a strand of blood spurted from his mouth, yet he quickly recovered and continued to press on Yang Xiong.

Yang Xiong suddenly found himself trapped in a heavy encirclement, soul skills pouring in endlessly; even though his own attack power was formidable, his movements were somewhat sluggish.

Compared with Yang Xiong, the others fared worse; the other three battle soul masters each had to face Soul Grandmasters whose soul power differed by more than five levels, leaving them scrambling.

Even though the Shrek team had Ning Rongrong's auxiliary and Oscar's Sausage, they soon fell behind; especially the three auxiliaries were each shattered one by one, quickly being knocked off the Arena.

As the other six fell one after another, a phenomenon arose where seven opponents surrounded Yang Xiong; although he performed well, crushing four of them, he eventually couldn't sustain and simply leapt off the Arena.

In fact, Yang Xiong only exerted about fifty percent of his strength, roughly the level of a Soul Ancestor, and faced so many that he had no way out, not to mention he never intended to win.

In the end, Shrek Academy lost to the Flame Radiance Academy, recording two consecutive defeats.

Although the opposite side had four of their members defeated consecutively by Yang Xiong, the actual scene wasn't that spectacular; the whole team was chaotic, lacking even a basic commander. If not for Yang Xiong's superior combat power, it would have been a total collapse of seven.

After the match, Yu Xiaogang's complexion grew even darker; the whole process lacked the explosive effect he imagined. Yang Xiong performed well but as expected; the other battle soul masters, when faced with Soul Grandmasters over five levels higher, were defeated very cleanly.

Even the referee sighed, having presided over so many matches never having seen a team field three auxiliaries.

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's face turned a deep iron blue, and he brushed off his sleeves and left; after all, he had arranged the tactics for this battle and couldn't just berate every substitute, nor blame the auxiliary Soul Grandmaster members for being weak.

Next they immediately faced a mid‑tier team; this time Flanders announced a forfeit, since the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team's match would attract many academy officials, even Emperor Xue Ye would watch. Rather than lose face, they claimed multiple main members were injured and surrendered early, at least salvaging some reputation.

However, after consecutive losses, the Shrek squad's record became ten wins and three losses, including a three‑game losing streak.

After two days of rest, Tang San and the three others had fully recovered, and the team returned to its former state.

Unfortunately, just as they rejoined, the draw assigned them to Thunder Academy.

As everyone knows, Thunder Academy is also one of the Five Element Academies; purely in strength it stands out, having achieved a thirteen‑match winning streak, sharing the top spot among all teams—a truly dominant force.

Moreover, Thunder Academy boasts four Soul Ancestors, exceeding even Chi Huo Xue Yuan and Xiangjia Academy in number, and all members wield Lightning Attribute martial souls with tremendous destructive power.

After Tang San and the others returned to the team, Yang Xiong was placed back at his Defense System Soul Grandmaster position; the formation remained a 3‑1‑2‑1 line: Dai Mubai at the front, followed by Xiao Wu and Tai Long as wings, then Tang San in the center as controller, and finally Yang Xiong with the two auxiliaries.

But as soon as they stepped onto the Arena, every member of Thunder Academy felt an overwhelming pressure; the entire Arena was filled with terrifying thunderous aura, making the air seem saturated with explosive power.

Thunder Academy's four Soul Ancestors were: Captain Yu Tianxin, a level‑43 Power Type War Soul Ancestor with the martial soul Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon; Deputy Captain Lei Dong, a level‑42 Control System War Soul Ancestor whose martial soul is Thunder Spider; member Lei Tian, a level‑42 Power Type War Soul Ancestor wielding the martial soul Thunder Eagle; and member Lei Mie, a level‑41 Agility Attack System Soul Ancestor with the martial soul Thunder Blade.

Surprisingly, the team had no auxiliary Soul Grandmaster at all, only one Control System Soul Grandmaster, the rest all being Power Type and Agility Attack System.

When the match began, all members of Thunder Academy surged forward, each exuding great momentum and incredible speed—truly worthy of Lightning Attribute soul masters.

Tang San's eyes flashed; countless Blue Silver Grass instantly erupted across the Arena, all swirling toward the seven members of Thunder Academy, evidently to slow their attacks and at least curb their offensive thrust.

However, an opposing Soul Elder activated a massive‑area soul skill: Thunder Under Heaven, and instantly the Arena filled with countless bolts of lightning that struck the Blue Silver Grass; the vast swath of grass was instantly scorched black and shattered into fragments.

Tang San was also shocked that his Blue Silver Grass was countered again, and the Lightning Attribute's countereffect was no weaker than that of the Chi Huo Xue Yuan; under the lightning barrage, the Blue Silver Grass was not only extremely fragile but even his martial soul felt a slight numbness from the electric influence.

Seeing both sides about to clash, Ning Rongrong raised the massive Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda and chanted, "Seven Treasures have a famous name: Strength!"

Three beams of light immediately granted a Power Type amplification support to the frontmost Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Tai Long.

But even with Ning Rongrong's boost, the two sides collided at high speed, and the three were knocked back several meters.

Dai Mubai's opponent was Thunder Academy's captain Yu Tianxin, whose martial soul was also the top‑grade Beast Soul Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, with soul power at level 43; the two clashed swiftly.

Although Xiao Wu and Tai Long had auxiliaries, when a Soul Elder faced a Soul Ancestor it was still a tough fight.

Tang San reacted instantly, the countless Blue Silver Grass instantly wrapped around Dai Mubai and the other two, pulling them out of the direct battle and at least preventing them from being surrounded.

At the same time, a strand of Blue Silver Grass coiled around Yang Xiong's abdomen, instantly moving him from the rear to the front of the formation.

Now the opposite side had a full seven battle soul masters, essentially the ultimate limit flow; with only three or four of them, they could not possibly hold.

In an instant, the Shrek formation completely changed; the two auxiliaries lost their protection, the line became 2‑1‑2‑2, with Yang Xiong and Dai Mubai at the forefront.

Clearly Tang San knew Yang Xiong's strength; in a flash Yang Xiong faced Yu Tianxin, while Dai Mubai's opponent turned out to be another foe, Lei Tian, whose martial soul was Thunder Eagle, level 42 Power Type War Soul Ancestor; Xiao Wu had to contend with Lei Mie, the level‑41 Agility Attack System Soul Ancestor.

Both sides fought back and forth, but Tang San's Blue Silver Grass control was clearly inferior to Deputy Captain Lei Dong's, after all he was a Soul Ancestor.

Lei Dong's martial soul, Thunder Spider, was a massive spider covered in lightning, capable of spitting lightning‑charged silk to control the entire field.

In terms of agility, the silk was indeed a bit weaker than Blue Silver Grass, but because it bore lightning, its attack and destructive power were stronger.

Each time Blue Silver Grass collided with the silk, the grass was quickly scorched black by the electricity, leaving Tang San feeling rather miserable.

Especially when the opposite seven pressed together, in the blink of an eye Yang Xiong's four had to face a six‑person onslaught.

At this moment Yang Xiong fought alone against Yu Tianxin, who was dubbed the Blue Lightning Twin Stars; his attack power was indeed formidable, both strength and speed excellent, yet against Yang Xiong he held no advantage, even being completely restrained by Yang Xiong.

On the Arena, a captain usually serves as the spearhead; if unable to break through the enemy formation or being restrained, the captain's leading role disappears.

Yu Tianxin sneered coldly: "Does Heaven Dou Royal Academy have no one left? To think you'd use a Soul Elder to restrain me—how contemptible."

Yang Xiong laughed at the corner of his mouth: "Is it us who look down on you, or are you just that weak? A so‑called captain can't even beat me."

The two exchanged punches and kicks countless times, but essentially they were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Yang Xiong felt that each time he clashed with Yu Tianxin, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul emitted terrifying lightning power, even his arms and legs tingled slightly, truly the most destructive Lightning Attribute.

Now Yang Xiong also understood why the Body Sect's first iron rule forbids casual use of soul skills; colliding with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul makes the body easily impacted—this is the most terrifying aspect of the lightning element.

(End of Chapter)