Chapter 158 The Ultimate Ice Overwhelms the Entire Scene, Dai Huabin Invited to the Sea God Pavilion
The form of the Extreme Ice Netherworld White Tiger dispersed, and Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu stood on the field once again.
Dai Yueheng withdrew his Martial Spirit, Xi Xi slumped to the ground, panting, and Ling Luochen's hand trembled slightly as she held her ice crystal staff.
The ice encasing Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo only began to melt slowly after Xue Di withdrew her domain.
Gongyang Mo sneezed loudly.
"I'm freezing!" Gongyang Mo shivered as he hugged himself.
Ma Xiaotao broke free from the ice, shivering all over. The flames of the Evil Fire Phoenix finally reignited, driving away the chill from her body.
She glanced toward Xue Di.
Xue Di stood quietly on the sidelines, her white dress completely dry.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath, filled with helplessness.
If you can't beat her, you can't beat her. There was nothing more to say.
Xuanzi jumped down from the viewing platform. When he landed, his long robe fluttered in the wind, revealing the tattered cloth shoes beneath.
"And the results?" he asked Du Weilun.
Du Weilun flipped through the records.
"All seven members of the main team were either subdued or defeated."
"The reserve team suffered zero casualties. Wang Dong'er's soul power was significantly depleted, but the rest of the team remained in good condition. The entire match lasted four minutes and twenty-seven seconds."
Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds.
The reserve team had completely overwhelmed the main team.
The arena fell silent for several seconds.
Xuanzi paced back and forth a few times before suddenly speaking.
"Since that's the case..." His voice was lazy, but everyone present perked up their ears.
"I'd like to change the original arrangements."
Dai Huabin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Xuanzi pointed toward Ma Xiaotao's side, then toward Dai Huabin's side.
"How about we switch the positions of the starting lineup and the reserve team?"
Ma Xiaotao was slightly stunned upon hearing Xuanzi's words. She opened her mouth but said nothing.
A loss was a loss.
Dai Yueheng stood in the middle of the arena, his right fist clenching and relaxing.
Blood still dripped from his torn palms. The enhancement from the White Tiger Demon God Transformation quickly faded after the battle, replaced by soreness throughout his body and a faint sense of frustration.
To be honest, being defeated by his own younger brother's Martial Spirit Fusion Skill was not a pleasant feeling.
But he did not object.
Gongyang Mo huddled beside Xi Xi, sneezing repeatedly. His nose had turned red from the cold, and he had no mood to discuss who should remain on the main team.
Chen Zifeng and Yao Haoxuan were still sitting on the ground.
After being knocked down by Wang Dong'er's Butterfly Goddess Slash, neither of them got up. It wasn't because they couldn't—it was because they simply didn't want to.
Two Soul Kings above level 50 had been defeated by a level 35 Goddess of Light Butterfly. If word got out, it would be humiliating.
Yao Haoxuan secretly glanced toward Wang Dong'er.
The girl with long, light-blue hair was stretching her wrists. Although her soul power had been heavily depleted, the stubborn determination on her face remained.
Yao Haoxuan silently looked away.
He made up his mind that no matter who asked, he would claim he didn't remember today's battle.
Ling Luochen stood in the corner, holding her ice crystal staff.
From beginning to end, she had barely been able to fight because all of her ice-element soul skills had become completely ineffective within Xue Qingyao's domain.
Ordinary ice simply could not compare to the Ultimate Ice.
She had only heard about that fact before.
Today, she had witnessed it with her own eyes.
Ling Luochen bit her lower lip, unable to describe how she felt.
Jealousy?
Resentment?
Or something else?
Whatever it was, her emotions were complicated.
No one from the main team spoke.
The reserve team also remained silent.
Xiao Xiao said nothing.
She knew very well that their victory over Chen Zifeng and Yao Haoxuan was largely thanks to Sister Xue'er's domain suppression.
The opponents' strength had been reduced by at least forty percent, while Ning Tian had continuously boosted their side.
Wang Dong'er crossed her arms and remained silent.
She might be stubborn, but she wasn't foolish.
The reason the Butterfly Goddess Slash had broken through Chen Zifeng's fifth soul skill wasn't just because of Ning Tian's triple enhancement. It was also because Chen Zifeng's soul power circulation had been disrupted by the domain.
Under normal circumstances, a level 57 Soul King could have sent her flying with a single strike.
Only the Butterfly Goddess Moonblade she unleashed after Martial Spirit Fusion could truly contend with a Soul King head-on.
However, that move consumed an enormous amount of soul power, and Dai Huabin didn't allow Wang Dong'er to use it casually.
Cui Yajie also remained quiet, her long pink hair swaying gently in the cold breeze.
She was one of the clearest thinkers on the battlefield.
Reviewing the entire battle from beginning to end, she reached one conclusion.
Without Sister Xue'er, this battle could never have been won.
But a victory was still a victory.
Breaking the silence, Dai Huabin finally spoke.
"Elder Xuan, there's no need for that."
His tone remained calm.
"The biggest reason we won was Xue'er's domain suppression. Throughout the match, the main team's strength was restricted by at least forty percent because of her Ultimate Ice, giving us the opportunity to overwhelm them."
He paused before adding,
"Besides, Xue'er doesn't like battles like this. She normally doesn't participate."
That single sentence carried a great deal of meaning.
Xuanzi narrowed his cloudy old eyes and gently shook the wine gourd in his hand.
Dai Huabin's words were polite, but his intention was obvious.
Xue Qingyao belonged to him, not to the academy.
Did they expect her to suppress the enemy in every competition?
That was wishful thinking.
Mu En had already spoken with him.
This white-haired woman in a white dress was no ordinary person, and the origins of her Ultimate Ice were even harder to investigate.
Since the old man had already agreed to grant her student status, he had no intention of taking advantage of her goodwill.
"Hmm."
Xuanzi nodded and didn't pursue the matter further.
Ma Xiaotao turned her head slightly and glanced at Dai Huabin.
She understood.
Dai Huabin wasn't being modest.
He was deliberately drawing a line.
He was telling Elder Xuan that Xue Qingyao was an unpredictable variable, not a permanent member of the academy's combat strength. Future team formations shouldn't rely on her.
This kid might be young, but he was remarkably shrewd.
Xuanzi took another sip of wine and wiped his mouth.
"Alright. I won't make things difficult for your young friend."
The old man's tone remained lazy.
"However, the team's structure still needs to be adjusted."
He raised a hand and tapped twice.
"Reserve Team Captain: Dai Huabin."
"Main Team Captain: Ma Xiaotao."
"That's settled."
Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.
If the starting lineup had truly been replaced, it would have been incredibly embarrassing.
Xi Xi collapsed onto the ground and patted her chest.
"I was so scared. I thought I was about to get demoted," she muttered.
Gongyang Mo blew his nose and rubbed his hands together for warmth.
"You should think about me. I was frozen into an ice pop in a single move despite being a level 59 Soul King. I'm the one who should be worried about getting demoted."
Xi Xi rolled her eyes.
"Look who's talking. At least you were frozen by Xue Qingyao. I almost got swatted away by the tail of that Extreme Ice Netherworld White Tiger."
After hearing that, Gongyang Mo actually nodded sympathetically.
Xuanzi ignored the two of them whispering.
"Alright."
The old man clapped his hands, causing dust to drift down from his sleeves.
"You two teams should use this morning to get familiar with one another."
"During the tournament, the main team and the reserve team will need to substitute for each other at any time. You can't afford to be unfamiliar with each other's soul skills."
After saying that, Xuanzi looked toward Dai Huabin and Ma Xiaotao.
"Dai Huabin, come to the Sea God Pavilion at two o'clock this afternoon."
"Xiao Tao, bring him there."
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[end of the chapter]