Chapter 146

The next day, the people from Shilake Academy came to Star Net Square again.

They looked relaxed, while at Zhengtian Academy, both students and teachers were already ashen-faced.

They had faced Shilake Academy in the individual elimination matches before; back then, Huo Yutong alone took out four of them. If they again sent a few Soul Ancestors to test the waters this time, they probably couldn't even handle one Huo Yutong.

Needless to say, the three Soul Kings they have left will be the ones to take the field this time.

But the person Shilake Academy sent out was somewhat unexpected.

"Shilake Academy, Tang Wulin."

Looking at the handsome youth before him, Tang Xiaolei felt a sudden, unprepared sensation.

They had considered the possibility of Shilake sending Tang Wulin, after all, he is one of the few at Shilake Academy capable of dueling a Soul King one-on-one.

But they deemed this possibility low, given that previously either Huo Yutong or Dai Yaoheng could easily defeat them one-on-one.

Consequently, now that Tang Wulin actually took the stage, Tang Xiaolei felt a bit at a loss.

The referee furrowed his brows and coughed once.

"Zhengtian Academy's contestant?"

Usually, in an individual elimination match, when one side announces its name, the other side should respond as well; it's a matter of etiquette. Not doing so isn't against the rules, but it makes Zhengtian Academy seem ignorant of propriety.

Hearing the referee's voice, Tang Xiaolei finally snapped back to attention and quickly gave his name.

"Zhengtian Academy, Tang Xiaolei."

After that, there was nothing left to exchange pleasantries about; Tang Xiaolei's attention was now wholly focused on Tang Wulin.

Earlier, they predicted that Shilake would most likely send out Huo Yutong or Dai Yaoheng as their first fighter, so he was actually being used as cannon fodder—just expected to do his best, not to achieve any particular result.

But now the opponent had changed to Tang Wulin, and Tang Xiaolei suddenly felt he could give it a go.

Even if beating Shilake is impossible, at least he might still be able to defeat this little brat who just broke through to the second ring.

Tang Xiaolei swallowed, nervously wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

The referee glanced at him, sighed helplessly, and declared:

"Match start."

Not daring to waste a second, Tang Xiaolei reached out, and the Violet Splendor Bow appeared in his hand.

Then, without hesitation, he drew the bow and loosed his first soul ring as an arrow.

"Whoosh—"

The yellow arrow shot through the air, emitting a sharp sound.

Tang Wulin narrowed his eyes, and at the critical moment stepped left to dodge the strike.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Tang Xiaolei had already nocked a second arrow onto the bowstring.

Unlike the first arrow's swiftness, the second arrow was imbued with a violent intent.

Obviously, this arrow's power was far greater than the previous one's.

This time, Tang Wulin's countermeasure was different. He stomped the ground hard with his foot and then surged forward at an extraordinary speed.

His instantaneous acceleration exceeded Tang Xiaolei's expectations, causing the second arrow to miss entirely.

At this point, whether the second arrow hit its target was no longer important.

What mattered was that Tang Wulin had taken advantage of the time Tang Xiaolei spent nocking the second arrow to close in on him.

Impossible! How could this guy be so fast! Tang Xiaolei mentally cursed, Tang Wulin's burst of speed now rivaled that of an agility-attack Soul King! Zhengtian Academy is a traditional soul master academy, and like Shilake Academy, it strongly disfavors soul tools, so he failed to see the truth behind Tang Wulin's abnormal speed.

On the contrary, the people from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Institute saw through it at a glance.

"A soul tool thruster? To achieve this level of speed, it would likely require a fourth‑class one; it seems our assessment of this kid's physical condition needs to be raised."

A soul tool thruster differs from ordinary soul tools; it tests the user's physical condition more than their soul power.

A fourth‑class soul tool thruster can be used with just three rings of cultivation, but without a Soul King‑level physique, using it would be quite unpleasant.

Seeing Tang Wulin's relaxed demeanor, this fourth‑class soul tool thruster likely imposed no burden on him at all—remarkable even among Soul Kings.

Moreover, they suddenly realized something.

"How is this kid using a fourth‑class soul tool thruster with only two rings?"

In fact, until a few days ago, Tang Wulin found using this fourth‑class soul tool thruster somewhat strained; his physique met the standard, but his soul power fell short, making it uncomfortable to use.

But now that problem is gone; while breaking through the fourth seal, his soul power level also rose to thirty‑plus, so although he still can't call himself a Soul Elder, using a fourth‑class soul tool thruster presents no obstacle anymore.

On the stage, Tang Xiaolei, flustered by Tang Wulin's sudden burst of speed, hastily transformed his fifth soul ring into an arrow, preparing to repel Tang Wulin in one strike.

Unfortunately, as an archer whose only combat means is ranged attack, his melee capability is virtually nil; thus, the moment Tang Wulin successfully closed in, he lost all possibility of resistance.

Tang Wulin kicked him in the stomach; the tremendous impact nearly knocked him unconscious, and then the Golden Dragon Claw appeared, slashing toward Tang Xiaolei's head.

The supervising teacher from Zhengtian Academy sprang up from his seat.

Perhaps Tang Xiaolei amounts to little compared to Shilake's top talents, but he is absolutely one of the two greatest geniuses in Zhengtian Academy; if something happened to him, the supervising teacher would have a hard time explaining it upon return.

Fortunately, Tang Wulin's dragon claw halted before striking Tang Xiaolei's head, and Tang Xiaolei now dared not move at all.

Overwhelming fear left him breathless; he could sense that Tang Wulin had merely thought of killing him—a notion the referee couldn't even save him from.

Tang Wulin released the other hand gripping Tang Xiaolei's shoulder and gave him a smile.

"You have been eliminated."

"Ah, yes, yes! Thank you!"

Tang Xiaolei quickly nodded, turned, and ran down the stage.

Star Net Square seemed to have just awakened, erupting in a tremendous cheer.

In this match, Tang Wulin's performance was no less than Huo Yutong's before; if Huo Yutong had overwhelmed Tang Xiaolei with immense pressure, making him breathless, and then deepened that effect with mental‑interference skills, Tang Wulin instead crushed Tang Xiaolei with absolute violence.

The two methods are not superior or inferior to each other, and their impact is comparable; but if one asks which the audience prefers, Tang Wulin's simple, brutal way of winning is clearly more appealing.

(End of chapter)