Chapter 18: Crushing Xu Sanshi, Two Mysterious Water Pills
"AH——!!"
With a shrill scream, a massive shockwave from the explosion sent Xu Sanshi flying violently. He slammed heavily onto the ground outside the dueling platform, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The entire arena fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's eyes were wide as they looked at the scorched Young Master of the Xuanming Sect lying outside the ring, and then at the youth on the platform who was completely unharmed, without even a wrinkle on his clothes.
A one-hit kill? A one-ring soul master insta-killed a three-ring soul master?
The referee teacher froze for several seconds before raising his hand as if waking from a dream: "In this soul duel, student Huo Yuhao wins—"
"Wait!" A roar interrupted the referee's announcement.
Xu Sanshi scrambled up from the ground. His current appearance was pathetic; his original school uniform had been blown into rags, his face was covered in black soot, and faint smoke was still rising from his hair. But the rage in his eyes was even more intense than before.
"I don't accept this!" Xu Sanshi slapped the dust off himself and pointed at Huo Yuhao on the stage, roaring through gritted teeth: "This kid just got lucky! He took advantage of my carelessness to sneak attack me! I demand a rematch!"
As one of the twin stars of the Outer Court, losing to a one-ring freshman was an absolute humiliation. If he didn't regain his face today, how could he continue to stay at Shrek? How could he pursue Jiang Nannan?
The referee teacher frowned and looked at Huo Yuhao: "Student Huo Yuhao, do you agree to his proposal?
According to the rules, since he fell out of the ring, you are already the winner and can refuse."
Huo Yuhao crossed his arms, looking down at the disheveled Xu Sanshi from the stage. The look in his Sharingan was one of undisguised contempt.
"Struggling at death's door yet refusing to admit defeat..." Huo Yuhao tilted his head slightly, his voice as cold as ice: "How ugly."
"What did you say?!"
Xu Sanshi was completely enraged by these words, veins popping on his forehead. He pulled another porcelain bottle from his clothes: "I'll add another Mysterious Water Pill! If you can defeat me again in this round, both of these pills are yours! What do you say? Do you dare to take the bet?!"
Huo Yuhao looked at the two Mysterious Water Pills, and the corners of his cold mouth slowly curled into a mocking sneer.
"That's more like it." Huo Yuhao reassumed his battle stance.
Xu Sanshi jumped back onto the platform, and this time, he cast away all his contempt.
"Second round, let the duel begin!" Following the referee's order, the fight resumed.
This time, Xu Sanshi did not rashly activate his displacement skill. Instead, he immediately raised his Xuanming Tortoise Shield, warily watching Huo Yuhao's every move.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Huo Yuhao didn't waste any words. With a flick of his wrist, several more shuriken were released.
"This move again?"
Xu Sanshi sneered. "Attacking blindly?
Do you think the same trick will work on me twice?"
He held the massive shield horizontally in front of him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shuriken struck the shield with crisp metallic sounds and were deflected one after another.
"It seems I was just being too light on you before." Xu Sanshi hid behind his shield, his tone mocking.
"Your attacks might be strange, but your power is
too low. You can't break my defense at all!"
However, just as he thought he had the upper hand, a scorching aura suddenly came from a blind spot behind him.
What?
Xu Sanshi turned his head abruptly.
He saw that those shuriken had actually collided and deflected off each other in mid-air in a bizarre way, bypassing his shield at an impossible angle to strike at his back! Even more terrifying was that crimson flames had ignited out of thin air on these shuriken!
Uchiha Style: Shurikenjutsu! Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Red Claw!
"Damn it!" Xu Sanshi turned pale. This angle of attack was too tricky; simply holding up a shield couldn't block it. "Don't underestimate my Martial Soul! You're too naive! Second Spirit Skill: Xuanming Shield Array!"
Weng—! His yellow hundred-year ring lit up. The shield in Xu Sanshi's hand instantly split, transforming into countless black shield shadows that revolved rapidly around him, forming a 360-degree ink-green energy barrier.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The flaming shuriken struck the shield array, exploding into sparks, but they couldn't break through that heavy layer of defense.
Seeing the flames blocked outside, Xu Sanshi breathed a sigh of relief and then laughed wildly: "Hahaha! It's useless! My Xuanming Tortoise Shield is a top-tier defensive soul! If I want to defend, no one can break it!"
Huo Yuhao stopped moving and looked at the turtle-shell-like light barrier.
"A shrinking turtle?" Huo Yuhao mocked. "Do you think hiding in a shell will prevent me from doing anything to you?"
Huo Yuhao's hands formed seals again. This time, his hand-seal speed was faster than ever before. The chakra in his body surged violently.
"Water Release: Water Collision Wave!"
Hula—! To the shock of all the spectators, a massive water tornado suddenly swirled out of thin air on the dueling platform! Huo Yuhao was surrounded by surging water currents.
"Go!" He pointed a single hand forward. The water tornado instantly transformed into a towering wave, crashing down on Xu Sanshi's Xuanming Shield Array with the force of ten thousand catties.
"Heavens!" An exclamation broke out from the stands. "That one-ring soul master... can actually create such a large-scale water-attribute soul skill out of thin air in an arena with no water?!"
"How is this possible? Can his soul power even afford this consumption?"
Not only the students, but even the referee teacher was dumbfounded. A "soul skill" of this scale would normally require at least a three-ring Soul Elder to release.
Facing the roaring giant wave, Xu Sanshi was not afraid but instead rejoiced. "Idiot!" he shouted from within the shield array.
"My Xuanming Tortoise is originally a dual water and earth attribute! Water attribute attacks are significantly weakened against me!"
"This move is useless against me!"
The massive wave instantly submerged Xu Sanshi, completely enveloping him and his shield array. Sure enough, as he said, the shield array did not break in the water;
instead, it became even more solid due to the nourishment of the same attribute.
However, Huo Yuhao stood atop the waves, looking down at the "turtle shell" underwater, the mocking smile on his lips growing more cruel.
"Oh? Useless?" Huo Yuhao challenged. "Then what if... I add this?"
Zizi zi! Huo Yuhao didn't stop. The moment the Water Collision Wave was finished, his hands had already formed new seals. This time, it was lightning!
The chakra in his body was compressed to the extreme, condensing into a dazzling blue-white electric light in his palm.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Boom! Huo Yuhao pushed both hands forward.
A bolt of lightning, sharp as a spear, instantly plunged into the water below.
Water is a conductor.
When the violent Lightning Release chakra touched the water surrounding Xu Sanshi, the effect underwent a qualitative change.
The originally mild water now became the most lethal conductor! At that moment, the entire dueling platform was lit up by blue electric light.
"What?!" Underwater, Xu Sanshi's pupils snapped shut.
He saw the lightning spreading rapidly through the water. "You actually control the lightning attribute too?!"
"A third attribute?!" How was this possible?!
He had thought this kid's Martial Soul was special, possessing fire and water at most. But now, this lethal lightning shattered all his illusions.
Crackle—!! The lightning instantly penetrated the Xuanming Shield Array. Xu Sanshi's defense was as thin as tissue paper in the face of Huo Yuhao's dual-element attack.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH——!!!" A scream even more shrill than before echoed through the arena.
The Xuanming Shield Array instantly shattered. Xu Sanshi's entire body convulsed violently in the water, his hair stood on end, white foam came from his mouth, and black smoke rose from his body.
Only two seconds passed before the water wave dissipated.
Xu Sanshi collapsed on the wet platform like a pile of mud, scorched black, his body still twitching uncontrollably. His eyes were rolled back, and he let out unconscious moans, having completely lost the ability to fight.
"No... impossible... you... are only... one ring..." Until the moment he lost consciousness, he couldn't accept this reality.
The referee teacher swallowed hard, looking at the youth standing in the middle of the standing water with a cold expression. Too strong. This combination of attributes was practically art.
"The match is decided! Huo Yuhao wins overwhelmingly!"
The cheers finally erupted after a delay. Huo Yuhao ignored the surrounding noise. He walked to Xu Sanshi's side and took the porcelain bottle containing the two Mysterious Water Pills.
"Your failure is my reality."
With that, Huo Yuhao turned and left, leaving behind only an arrogant silhouette.
End of this chapter...