Chapter 112: One Through Four (Mid)

The whole venue fell silent.

If Tang Xiaolei's recent defeat still involved his own panic, then Yan Er's loss this time was a complete crushing.

To the audience, Huo Yutong merely released her martial soul, without even needing to use a soul skill, and instantly dealt with Yan Er's strong‑attack Soul Ancestor.

This is undeniably a display of strength; could she truly be, as her displayed soul rings suggest, the strongest Soul Emperor in history? Xu Jiawei's gaze had already grown fervent.

He knew Huo Yutong's nationality; she is a citizen of the Star Net Empire, which means she could be courted. Though someone with such talent will likely belong to Shilake's forces in the future, it does not stop Xu Jiawei from befriending her.

A twelve‑year‑old Soul Emperor, and all red rings—if that is true, she is undoubtedly the most formidable genius ever on Douluo Continent! Even if not, her effortless victory over Tang Xiaolei and her instant kill of Yan Er stand as proof; no one will doubt her strength.

Xiao Hongchen had already sat back down, his gaze unusually solemn for the first time.

Obviously, his confidence had been shaken.

He asked himself honestly: if it were him, could he have dispatched Yan Er so effortlessly?

He refused to contemplate the answer, because it was obvious.

This was the first time he began to doubt his status as the first prodigy of his generation.

Onstage, as the team‑leading teacher of Zheng Tian Academy took Yan Er off the stage, Huo Yutong soon faced her third opponent.

He was a broad‑shouldered youth named Yang Yifan, whose gaze at Huo Yutong was exceedingly solemn.

He knew Yan Er's strength; it was roughly even with his own, and since Yan Er was instantly killed by Huo Yutong, he feared he wouldn't last long either.

Now, under his lead, the mindset of some Zheng Tian Academy contestants had shifted—from trying to defeat Shilake Academy to, subconsciously, wondering how to lose more gracefully.

There was no way around it; the pressure Huo Yutong exerted on them was overwhelming, and they saw no hope of beating her.

When the referee announced the start, a dagger materialized in Yang Yifan's hand, and he lunged at Huo Yutong.

Zheng Tian Academy finally had a contestant who wasn't suppressed by her.

Huo Yutong made no rash moves; she simply stood her ground, waiting for Yang Yifan to charge.

Don't be fooled by Yang Yifan's massive build; as a swift‑attack type, his speed was astonishingly fast—within a few breaths he was already at Huo Yutong's side. His second soul ring flared, and the long dagger emitted white light, slashing toward Huo Yutong.

As the dagger came down, his entire musculature tensed, ready to meet Huo Yutong's defense and counterattack.

However, contrary to his expectation, Huo Yutong showed no intention to defend from the outset.

A burst of blue light shot from her eyes; the nearby Yang Yifan had no chance to dodge, instantly emitting a muffled groan, blood spouting from his mouth and nose while his second soul skill was forcibly interrupted, and the dagger's light gradually faded.

Immediately, diamond ice crystals surfaced on Huo Yutong's hand; the Ice Emperor's Ao activated, easily clamping Yang Yifan's robust body and hurling him off the arena.

As he flew outward, Yang Yifan's body instantly turned into an ice statue mid‑air, landing with a "clang" on the ground.

The referee couldn't help but swallow.

The third, and Huo Yutong still maintained a crushing stance. Is she aiming for a one‑through‑seven and failing?

That question arose not only in his mind but in everyone's.

One‑through‑seven has occurred in tournament history, but such a crushing record is rare; in the past several decades, no one has achieved it again.

Yet Huo Yutong now exuded that momentum; against three foes she defeated them almost with a single move each, showing virtually no fatigue. At this pace, a one‑through‑seven is not impossible.

The team‑leading teacher of Zheng Tian Academy finally could no longer hold back; this is the first round of the league. If Huo Yutong truly gave them a one‑through‑seven, he'd likely be fired as soon as he returned to the academy.

He turned his darkened face toward the girl beside him.

"Yu Mengdi, it's yours now. Don't try to probe for information, and don't hide your clumsiness. Preserving the academy's reputation is paramount; eliminate her as much as possible, and if you can't, at least inflict heavy damage."

"Yes!"

The girl named Yu Mengdi answered, lifted her head and chest, and stepped onto the arena.

She was the vice‑captain of this Zheng Tian Academy representative team, ranking second in cultivation only to Ye Wuqing.

One could say the teacher's order for her to go all‑out reflected his stance; even if other teams saw through her soul skill, it didn't matter—she must knock Huo Yutong off the stage.

Seeing her step onto the stage, Huo Yutong's gaze grew solemn.

She kept her spiritual detection active, clearly feeling that the soul‑power fluctuations within this girl far exceeded those of the previous two contestants; evidently she was a second Soul King‑level powerhouse.

Even Huo Yutong now could not claim a guaranteed win against a Soul King; in the first match against Tang Xiaolei, her advantage stemmed more from restraint and Tang's terror, otherwise she couldn't have won so easily.

Later, against Yan Er and Yang Yifan, she also relied largely on restraint and calculated tactics; otherwise winning would have required more effort.

Now facing this new Soul King, she hurriedly summoned 120% of her spirit.

Her mission was not only to win, but to win spectacularly, imprinting her formidable image into the minds of all participating academies.

Yu Mengdi stared intently at Huo Yutong, flames blazing in her eyes.

Even with the cautionary tales of the three previous contestants, she still doubted that Huo Yutong could be a Soul Emperor equipped with six hundred‑thousand‑year soul rings; even if Huo Yutong had been cultivating since birth, reaching Soul Emperor at twelve was impossible, let alone bearing so many hundred‑thousand‑year soul rings—those beasts aren't like cabbages.

Her current thought mirrored Yan Er's: even if she couldn't defeat Huo Yutong, she would tear away her false veil.

Seeing both were ready, the referee, without further words, shouted:

"The match begins!"

In an instant, a pair of holy wings unfolded behind Yu Mengdi; bathed in the sacred light, her figure appeared profoundly divine.

Her martial soul was the rare angel martial soul, and in terms of potential she was hardly inferior to Ye Wuqing.

Simultaneously, two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings rose—this match finally produced its first ten‑thousand‑year soul ring.

(End of Chapter)