After consecutively defeating Huo Yu, Huo Chui, and Huo Jun, the only remaining members of the Shrek Team were Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu, who was currently on the battlefield.
In contrast, the Blazing Team still had four members yet to take the stage, all of whom were stronger and tougher opponents.
Their disadvantage was clear. Whether it was Tang San and Dai Mubai, who had yet to fight, or Xiao Wu, who was already in the ring, all of them wore solemn expressions.
Following the referee's signal, the Blazing Team sent out their fourth participant.
"Soul Possession: Fire Leopard!"
With a low shout, Huo Lie's body flashed with a crimson glow. His Beast-type Martial Soul, Fire Leopard, possessed him—his muscles swelled, his hands transformed into leopard claws, and four soul rings, yellow, yellow, purple, and purple, shimmered around him.
"The match begins!"
At the referee's command, the battle resumed.
"Third Soul Skill: Seven-Star Flame Burst!"
Right as the match started, Huo Lie, aiming for a swift victory, activated his third soul skill to seize the initiative.
However, while Huo Lie was fast, Xiao Wu was even faster.
"Second Soul Skill: Charm!"
At the same moment that Huo Lie activated his thousand-year third soul skill, Xiao Wu's second soul ring lit up, and a pink glow flashed through her eyes. An invisible wave of spiritual power surged forth, instantly invading Huo Lie's mind.
Both were four-ring Soul Ancestors, but one was activating a thousand-year soul skill, while the other was using a hundred-year soul skill—naturally, Xiao Wu's skill was faster.
After all, the stronger the offensive soul skill, the longer its activation time.
For example, among ninth soul skills, practically no Titled Douluo in the world could instantly unleash a ninth-rank offensive skill—it always required some casting time.
As spiritual power flooded his mind, Huo Lie's body stiffened, his face paled, and he stood frozen on the spot.
Being forcibly interrupted mid-skill, he suffered a minor backlash.
However, for Huo Lie, the real problem wasn't the slight backlash—it was the fact that in a one-on-one battle, he had been completely restrained by Xiao Wu's spiritual control skill.
In terms of soul power, both Xiao Wu and Huo Lie were equal, at level 42.
But when it came to spiritual power, even without a dedicated cultivation method, as a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit, Xiao Wu's spiritual strength was naturally far superior to Huo Lie, whose Martial Soul was merely a Fire Leopard.
With overwhelming power suppressing the weak, Huo Lie had no chance in this spiritual contest.
Swish!
With her sudden success, Xiao Wu swiftly kicked off the ground and shot forward.
The battle stage was only a hundred meters in diameter—not particularly large. Since neither of them was standing at the edge, the distance between them was only about forty to fifty meters.
At the speed of a four-ring Soul Master, it was too short a distance for Huo Lie to break free from Charm in time. Before he could recover, Xiao Wu had already arrived right in front of him.
"First Soul Skill: Waist Bow!"
With a crisp shout, Xiao Wu, having applied a boost-type soul skill earlier, kicked out with her right leg, striking Huo Lie's waist.
Then, she unleashed her signature move—the Eight-Stage Throw, demonstrating to the audience the brutal elegance of a seemingly delicate yet explosively violent combat style.
By the time Huo Lie snapped out of the control effect, he found himself airborne. The roar of the wind filled his ears, and he felt something tightly wrapped around his neck.
In the next instant—
Boom!
Before the crowd could react, Huo Lie was slammed into the ground like a ragdoll, his neck locked by Xiao Wu's legs. A cloud of dust exploded upon impact.
The unexpected throw left Huo Lie dazed, his vision spinning with stars, his entire body aching as if his bones had shattered. Temporarily, he lost the ability to resist.
And when facing an immobilized opponent, Xiao Wu's specialty was relentless follow-up attacks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Seven consecutive slams later, Xiao Wu didn't finish the eighth with another impact. Instead, she twisted her legs and hurled Huo Lie toward the edge of the battlefield.
According to tournament rules, once a contestant touched the ground outside the white boundary, they were eliminated.
Boom!
Huo Lie crashed heavily outside the ring. It took him more than ten seconds before he groggily shook his head and struggled to stand.
"Blazing Team, please send out your fifth contestant!"
Seeing Xiao Wu decisively eliminate Huo Lie, the referee loudly announced.
With another victory, Xiao Wu momentarily set aside her concerns about the Blazing Team and lifted her chin proudly.
Despite the overwhelming strength of the Blazing Team, Shrek had not chosen to forfeit for a reason.
Flender, Liu Erlong, and the others had keenly observed that, aside from the two three-ring substitutes and the powerhouse trio of Mu Yang, Huo Wu, and Huo Wushuang, the remaining five members of the Blazing Team had only just advanced to the four-ring level.
For Soul Masters who were newly promoted to the four-ring level and were not of the spiritual category, none could withstand Xiao Wu's Charm soul skill if their soul power was not significantly superior to hers.
Once her skill took effect, she would immediately close the distance and use the Eight-Stage Throw to send her opponent flying out of the battlefield, securing an easy victory.
With this tactic, Xiao Wu was expected to eliminate at least two or three four-ring opponents. Even if Shrek lost the overall match, they would at least go down with dignity and maintain a favorable trade-off in battle damage.
Clearly, the strategy was working. By relying solely on her first and second soul skills, plus a self-created technique, Xiao Wu had eliminated an opponent of equal soul power without consuming much energy.
"Tsk, how brutal."
Mu Yang, watching Huo Lie struggle to stand with a bruised face, couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic.
That said, despite Huo Lie's battered appearance, he wasn't seriously injured.
After all, Soul Masters had physical resilience far beyond ordinary people. The higher their soul power, the more durable their bodies became. Moreover, as a Beast Soul Master, Huo Lie's endurance was even greater while under Martial Soul Possession, making him more resilient than most Tool Soul Masters of the same rank.
Conversely, Xiao Wu's greatest weakness was her lack of a one-hit-kill ability.
In a structured Soul Battle match, this was manageable, but in a real life-or-death battle, as a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she was at a disadvantage compared to the top talents of her rank.
However, when it came to survivability, Xiao Wu was unrivaled. With Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body, two near-divine skills, she had defensive capabilities that many geniuses could only envy.
Soon, the Blazing Team sent out their fifth contestant, Huo Yun.
Moments later, Xiao Wu executed the same strategy on Huo Yun.
As a speed-type flying Soul Master without defensive skills, Huo Yun, like Huo Lie, was unable to withstand Xiao Wu's three-move combo.
In a high-paced Soul Battle, where mere seconds of distraction could determine victory, losing focus for even a moment was a fatal mistake
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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