After closing the Eye of Genesis and Annihilation, Huo Yuhao decided to continue cultivating for the rest of the night.
Even though he had already reached the bottleneck at Rank 30 and couldn't increase his soul power any further through training, the insights he'd gained from witnessing the golden light of creation were worth digesting through meditation.
As he began cultivating, Huo Yuhao was surprised to find that his soul power absorption and circulation speed had increased by more than tenfold.
'…Is this the benefit of the enhancement in my life level by the Light of Life? Higher affinity with soul power…'
He was ecstatic.
After all, cultivating an Ultimate Martial Soul was notoriously slow. Even cultivating in sync with Meng Hongchen could only speed things up a little. That was why his spiritual power realm far surpassed his soul power level.
But now, with this improvement, his cultivation speed had even exceeded that of regular soul masters.
'A shame I'm at a bottleneck now and can't experience the thrill of rapid level gains.'
—
The next day marked the start of the Top Eight matches.
"We're up against the Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. Shrek's opponent is… the weakest team among the top eight. The tournament organizers aren't even trying to hide their bias."
Sitting in the waiting area, Ma Rulong sneered and glanced at the high spectator stand where the Star Luo Emperor was seated.
"Right, Big Brother Ma! Since the knockout stage started, Shrek's opponents have been totally unremarkable. So shameless!" Lin Xi said indignantly.
"Isn't that just proof that the current Shrek Academy is nothing but a sub-par team hiding behind a prestigious name?"
Xiao Hongchen scoffed and yawned. He was already beginning to feel this so-called elite tournament was painfully boring.
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"Senior Xiao, Shrek's team was indeed weak before. But now, two Soul Emperors and a Soul King on their side seem ready to compete. We shouldn't be careless."
Indeed—just Ma Xiaotao alone, who was close to Soul Sage level in the original storyline and capable of soloing the Sun Moon Academy team, was already a serious threat.
"And don't forget their reserve members. Some of them aren't to be underestimated either~ Especially that… um, what was his name? Three Stones? His ability to swap positions with his target is just too annoying."
Meng Hongchen added helpfully. Xiao Hongchen, however, still looked unimpressed.
Just then—speak of the devil—Shrek Academy's team appeared at the waiting area entrance.
Seeing that familiar green uniform, the Sun Moon team all narrowed their eyes and sized them up.
Ma Rulong frowned when he saw someone new leading the group and whispered to the others:
"That fiery chick—haven't seen her before. A new competitor?"
With her flowing red hair, fiery aura, tall and bold figure, Huo Yuhao immediately recognized her.
Before he could explain Ma Xiaotao's identity, she walked straight toward them, frowning.
"Hey, hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to stare and gossip about people right in front of them?" she said sharply.
Her red eyes seemed to burn with flames. Huo Yuhao felt the air around them heat up.
After witnessing the entire team get wiped out by a five-ring Evil Soul Master, and seeing the reserve members push through the eliminations, Ma Xiaotao had built up a lot of rage.
Now, just looking at the smug faces of the Sun Moon team instantly made her blood boil.
Seeing her daring to challenge their entire squad alone, Ma Rulong couldn't help but chuckle angrily. He stood up, walked straight toward her, and locked eyes.
"We like to stare. Got a problem, lady?"
Ma Xiaotao's flames blazed higher. There weren't many people in this world who dared to speak to her that way. The few who had… were ash.
"You—!"
Ma Rulong suddenly felt as if he were standing in front of a furnace. The temperature soared instantly.
Just as he sensed real flames flickering in her eyes and quickly activated his defensive soul tool—
A chilling aura swept in from behind him, instantly snuffing out her fire.
"Crazy woman. Chill out."
The biting cold froze Ma Xiaotao's surging flames and calmed her rage a bit. But when she heard "crazy woman," her temper flared again.
She turned toward the voice and saw a young boy with blue hair and blue eyes calmly staring at her.
Only then did she realize… her flames had been suppressed by his ice aura?
She knew Huo Yuhao had ice abilities—it had been exposed in earlier matches. But no one yet knew he wielded Ultimate Ice.
Even realizing her fire was being suppressed, Ma Xiaotao didn't yet grasp the implications.
Still, deep down, she grew very cautious of Huo Yuhao. His true strength was unreadable, and his power might be a very bad sign for Shrek Academy.
"Tch. Watch it."
She glared at Huo Yuhao and walked away with a snort.
Meng Hongchen leaned over and nudged Yuhao's ribs, chuckling.
"Not bad, Junior. Caught the attention of a spicy big sister."
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes.
There was a reason he'd deliberately released his Ultimate Ice to counter her Evilfire.
'Heh. Play the long game, catch the big fish.'
—
The Top Eight matches began shortly after.
Shrek Academy faced the weakest team, Qianling Academy.
The match format was 2v2, 2v2, and a final 3v3 if needed—a best of three.
In the first two rounds, both sides cautiously fielded non-core members.
After two rounds, it was one win each—a tie.
"So it comes down to the final round…"
Ma Rulong narrowed his eyes, watching Shrek's lineup.
"Wait… just one person?"
Seeing Shrek Academy send only Ma Xiaotao to the stage, the entire arena was in an uproar.
Qianling's three Soul Kings were furious. What, are you looking down on us? One Soul Emperor vs. three Soul Kings?
Yes. And just ten minutes later… Ma Xiaotao defeated all three with barely any effort.
The crowd was stunned again.
What's more, the three Soul Kings had to be urgently carried off the field by the medical team.
"She's not just strong… she's ruthless too."
"Now you understand why I told you to keep those invincibility barriers active?"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, the entire Sun Moon team nodded with grim faces.
(End of Chapter)
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