Welcome our new Patron: kurtis newman
------------------------------------------------------
Though Ye Wen had not yet taught Huo Yu'er how to craft soul tools, he had instructed her and the other women on how to fight against soul engineers.
After all, this was an era dominated by soul tools—it would be irresponsible not to teach them about combating such opponents.
Soul-guided armor did exist in this era, though it bore a striking resemblance to the Divine Armors of ten thousand years later—both were ancient wearable suits of armor.
However, due to the rules of the Soul Master Tournament, which prohibited equipping soul tools before the match began, this otherwise excellent invention had not appeared on the tournament stage in its early days.
The elite soul engineers of the Sun Moon Empire were no pushovers, easily manipulated by the natives of Douluo Continent. If the rules bound them, they would find ways to exploit loopholes.
Thus, the automatic self-wearing soul-guided armor was born.
This marked the beginning of the modernization of soul tools in the Sun Moon Empire.
But perfection was rare in this world.
Though Ye Wen had not specifically taught Huo Yu'er and the others how to counter soul-guided armor, the principles remained universal.
The functions provided by soul-guided armor were straightforward: increased defense and amplification of the soul master's abilities.
There was nothing groundbreaking here. Ye Wen had already drilled these countermeasures into Huo Yu'er.
Through her "God's Perspective" granted by her Spirit Eye martial soul, Huo Yu'er quickly identified a flaw in Mi Jia's armor.
While the automatic self-wearing soul-guided armor that could equip itself in less than a second was indeed a powerful tool, the very feature of "automatic wearing" was also its weakness.
To achieve automatic wearing, the soul tool had to be meticulously designed—an elegance that often came at the cost of fragility.
In the split second Mi Jia was distracted, Huo Yu'er seized one of his shoulders.
Mi Jia, confused by the sudden action, was ultimately just a soul engineer—not a combat expert.
Though the Snow Empress martial soul appeared delicate, it was capable of unleashing terrifying close-combat techniques like the Snow Empress Triad—a testament to its prowess in melee battles.
Combined with Huo Yu'er's consistent physical training, her Snow Empress form boasted physical strength that rivaled even the most formidable bestial martial souls.
"Crack—"
A sharp sound echoed as Mi Jia instantly felt an excruciating pain. Glancing down, he saw his arm twisted into an unnatural position.
Before he could scream, Huo Yu'er unleashed a flurry of attacks:
- A sweeping leg strike.
- A hard stomp.
- A bone-twisting grip.
Within just a few exchanges, Mi Jia collapsed to the ground, his limbs contorted in a horrifying manner.
Huo Yu'er rose calmly, activating her first soul skill—"Emperor Sword."
The long blade radiated a bone-chilling cold as she slowly pressed its tip against Mi Jia's body and said indifferently:
"Yield, or I can't guarantee you'll walk away intact."
Seeing that Huo Yu'er hadn't delivered a fatal blow, the Sun Moon Empire's side breathed a sigh of relief. After all, unlike the tournaments of ten thousand years ago—where crippling an opponent was often dismissed as unintentional homicide—the current tournament allowed for lethal force.
Jing Hongchen acted decisively, immediately declaring Mi Jia's surrender. He had seen enough young hotheads stubbornly refuse to retreat, only to die on the arena floor.
The participants sent by the Sun Moon Empire were among their rarest geniuses—they couldn't afford to lose them over such a trivial matter.
However, when Jing Hongchen saw Mi Jia being carried back in such a pitiful state, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
Though anyone who used soul tools could call themselves a soul engineer, the field was divided into several distinct schools.
The mainstream school focused on ranged combat using soul-guided rays. Naturally, these soul engineers rarely engaged in close-quarters combat.
In fact, primitive melee combat was considered outdated by these self-proclaimed noble soul engineers.
Of course, there were exceptions—some soul engineers specialized in using close-combat soul tools to enhance their martial souls—but they were a minority.
Though this battle was a guaranteed loss, Jing Hongchen couldn't help but take note of the combat techniques taught at Tianxing Academy. He even resolved to send a group of students to learn those self-created soul skills in the near future.
After all, Tianxing Academy openly welcomed all comers—anyone who arrived was accepted.
"Grandfather, let me go next," Xiao Hongchen stepped forward, eager to take the stage.
But Ma Rulong , the captain of the Sun Moon team, firmly blocked his path.
"This match is mine."
Jing Hongchen gazed at Ma Rulong 's resolute expression and nodded in approval.
From the previous match, it was clear that Mi Jia hadn't drained much of Huo Yu'er's soul power. Ironically, a Soul King had been reduced to such a pitiful state without significantly depleting the soul power of a mere Soul Elder. It was a testament to how surreal this era had become.
Though Xiao Hongchen was Jing Hongchen's prized grandson—young and already a Soul King, hailed as the most talented prodigy of the Sun Moon Empire in a century—Jing Hongchen didn't believe his grandson stood a chance against Huo Yu'er.
Xiao Hongchen's reputation was somewhat inflated, while Huo Yu'er's ability to lead Tianxing Academy as a Soul Elder and advance to the semifinals spoke volumes about her true caliber.
The Sun Moon Empire could afford to lose, but consecutive defeats would severely damage the empire's prestige.
Ma Rulong strode onto the arena, his tall frame clad in golden-red battle attire, exuding an aura of valor.
Huo Yu'er's brow furrowed slightly. To take on all seven opponents consecutively, she had thoroughly studied the Sun Moon team's data before the match.
Though the highest cultivation level of participants in the Soul Master Tournament had shifted from Soul Kings to Soul Emperors over time, no one had yet reached the threshold of a Soul Sage to compete in the tournament.
But Ma Rulong was different.
Ma Rulong was a pure soul engineer, and all his combat techniques were honed to maximize the efficiency of his soul tools.
He was an extremist in the realm of soul engineering—an embodiment of the "Ultimate Soul Tool" doctrine.
In an era without soul batteries, Ma Rulong was one of the rare geniuses capable of wielding soul tools across cultivation ranks.
As the referee called for the match to begin, Ma Rulong entered his Spirit Attachment state. His martial soul was peculiar—his head suddenly swelled to an exaggerated size, clearly disproportionate to the rest of his body. His hair thinned and grew sparse, giving him a somewhat sleazy appearance.
His martial soul was the Big-Headed Spirit Ape, an auxiliary-type bestial martial soul. Its lack of direct combat capabilities had pushed Ma Rulong toward the path of extreme soul engineering.
------------------------------------------------------
400+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)