A towering beam of light shot up, and the Star Observation Platform immediately activated. A peculiar energy ripple began to diffuse.
The sky darkened in the next moment, and all light was swallowed in an instant, leaving only the radiant walls surrounding them. The day had unknowingly transformed into an endless starry sky, with twinkling stars so close they seemed within reach.
A strange and pure energy descended from the heavens, bathing the entire Star Observation Platform. The sight left Shen Yi visibly astonished, let alone Jing Shaoyu and the other six.
Jing Shaoyu was slightly surprised but also pleased. A faint golden halo appeared around the seven opponents, and their auras had noticeably strengthened. Clearly, the home-field advantage had given them a boost.
However, this stellar enhancement wasn't exclusive. Ye Xinglan in front of him also emitted golden light, while Xu Xiaoyan behind him was even more exaggerated. The golden light around her was so dense it nearly formed a rising mist, obscuring her face from those nearby.
"Wow! Brother Shaoyu, this feels so amazing and comfortable!" Xu Xiaoyan's voice trembled with excitement.
"I can see that," Jing Shaoyu chuckled. "Looks like this will be your stage, Xiaoyan!"
Jing Shaoyu himself was also enveloped in a golden halo, though not as bright as Xu Xiaoyan's, it was comparable to Ye Xinglan's.
Li Zhilong observed Xu Xiaoyan's situation with astonishment. He couldn't immediately figure out why this was happening and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
According to the teaching experience of Tiankong Star Academy, each student's perception and affinity for stellar energy varied. The higher the affinity, the stronger the stellar energy fluctuations on the Star Observation Platform, and the more tangible the stellar energy became.
The dense, almost tangible golden mist around Xu Xiaoyan was a typical manifestation of stellar energy materialization. Even Li Zhilong, who was familiar with this place, had never seen such a phenomenon before, so he couldn't immediately comprehend Xu Xiaoyan's transformation.
Lost in thought, he shouted, "Begin the match!"
With Li Zhilong's command, the sixth match of Jing Shaoyu's team's final assessment officially began.
On Shrek Academy's side, four figures shot out like lightning, their speed so fast that a series of afterimages trailed behind them.
Wu Siduo was the fastest, charging ahead with her Nether Cat Spirit Martial Soul attached. Her agile figure moved like a true wildcat, graceful and elusive, making it impossible for the eyes to catch her movements. As she dashed forward, four purple Soul Rings radiated brilliantly, and a nether-purple energy enveloped her body.
Behind Wu Siduo, Na'er, Ye Xinglan, and Mo Hentian, the three strong-attack Soul Masters, advanced side by side. Na'er's aura was smooth and natural, Ye Xinglan's was sharp and fierce, and Mo Hentian's was domineering and powerful. Spear, sword, and hammer in their hands seemed like extensions of their bodies, wielded with ease and precision, as if they were born for them. They moved like sharp swords, breaking through all obstacles, closely following Wu Siduo.
On the Tiankong Star Academy's side, the seven students reacted in unison, leaping into the air with light, bird-like movements.
Their leader, Xiao Tiantian, slightly bent forward, a layer of dark red light erupting from his body. His eyes filled with a dark red substance, and a pair of bat-like wings unfolded from his back. His slender figure expanded, becoming exceptionally burly, with four purple Soul Rings flashing above his head, making his presence particularly striking. An evil and tyrannical aura emanated from him.
"Is this the Demon King Martial Soul?" Jing Shaoyu was momentarily stunned, sensing a familiar aura from Xiao Tiantian's Martial Soul. It seemed to be connected to his own Doomsday Godslaying Spear Martial Soul. He had a premonition that if he chose to release his Doomsday Godslaying Spear Martial Soul now, Xiao Tiantian would immediately kneel before him.
Beside Xiao Tiantian, Ye Zishu's Martial Soul was the most peculiar—a slender bamboo. As the second of his four Soul Rings lit up, the bamboo gently swayed, and countless bamboo leaves flew up, forming a pair of wings behind him. With a push from the bamboo, he leaped into the air, floating lightly as if he were a dandelion seed.
"Seven Stars Bamboo, an extremely rare plant-type Martial Soul. It's said to absorb stellar energy for cultivation, though it doesn't inherently possess stellar attributes," Jing Shaoyu recalled the information about Ye Zishu's Martial Soul.
Gu Tianming and Zhang Xining's Martial Souls were traditional flying types—one was a Sky Hawk, a swift-attack Martial Soul, and the other was a Skylark, a sound-based control Martial Soul.
The most interesting was Li Yaoyao. This petite beauty leaped into the air, her body suddenly enveloped in flames. Her already fair skin turned pitch black, resembling charcoal, while her arms solidified into rocks. Flames shot out, propelling her into the sky at an incredible speed.
Her Martial Soul was a Meteor, a bizarre Martial Soul with both fire and earth attributes, even possessing a faint stellar attribute, giving it high potential.
Han Yushang's back sprouted a pair of colorful butterfly wings. With a gentle flap, she floated into the air like a petal.
Lastly, Xu Yile's Martial Soul was quite intriguing—a golden crown with wings, with a star at its center. Seeing this winged crown, Xu Xiaoyan, enveloped in golden mist, had a subtle change in expression.
"The Flying Star Crown, Xu Yile's Martial Soul. Without a doubt, like Xu Xiaoyan, she is a descendant of the Xu family, the royal family of the former Star Luo Empire."
As Xu Yile's first purple Soul Ring lit up, the wings of the Flying Star Crown expanded, gently flapping to carry her into the air.
Everyone had taken to the skies!
The entire Tiankong Star Academy's team flying was indeed a challenge for Shrek Academy, which lacked flight capabilities. Although Jing Shaoyu himself could fly, his teammates at the front couldn't!
However, this didn't mean they were helpless. They had prepared multiple strategies to deal with airborne opponents.
Wu Siduo and the other three at the front didn't slow down, already reaching seventy meters away in the blink of an eye. If their opponents hadn't taken to the air, they would have already launched their attacks.
At the same time, a snowflake drifted down onto Ye Zishu's head, making him feel a chill. He instinctively looked up, only to be dumbfounded.
A blizzard—a violent blizzard—had descended upon the Star Observation Platform without warning. Massive snowflakes mixed with fist-sized hailstones, driven by the howling wind, pelted the seven airborne Tiankong students.
The Tiankong seven were stunned. They had never encountered such a situation before. Floating in the air like kites with broken strings, they could only focus on maintaining their balance, with no time to ponder the origin of the blizzard.
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As it turned out, even the most adept flyers couldn't soar in a sky ravaged by a blizzard. The Tiankong seven wobbled precariously in the air. If they weren't Soul Grandmaster-level Soul Masters, the fierce gale would have blown them away.
On the ground, the Shrek seven remained composed. This blizzard was their creation—Gu Yue's ice and wind elements combined with Jing Shaoyu's wind-binding technique had created a storm powerful enough to rival a minor natural disaster.
Now, the only option for the Tiankong seven was to land. If they stayed airborne, they would only be worn down by the blizzard, eventually succumbing to defeat.
"Captain, this won't work!" Ye Zishu shouted at Xiao Tiantian, his mouth filling with snow within seconds.
"I know!" Xiao Tiantian yelled back, swallowing snow as he shouted, "Yaoyao, it's up to you!"
"Got it!" Li Yaoyau shouted, then quickly closed her mouth. Her fourth Soul Ring lit up, and a burst of fire erupted from her body. The snow around her instantly vanished, and her figure disappeared, replaced by a massive, flaming meteor hurtling toward the backline of Shrek Academy.
Although they didn't know the exact origin of the blizzard, they knew it was undoubtedly linked to their opponents. So, they aimed to take out the backline first, then land and surround the remaining four.
Thus, Li Yaoyao, transformed into a massive meteor, charged fearlessly toward Jing Shaoyu, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue, a hundred meters away. Her body, wreathed in flames, also shimmered with golden light—a buff from Xu Yile.
The searing meteor easily pierced through the blizzard's blockade, giving her team
mates a brief respite while fiercely crashing toward Jing Shaoyu, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue.