As for the Star Luo Empire?
Anyone with even a bit of knowledge about the continent knew that the White Tiger Dai Clan was even more domineering than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Moreover, the royal Dai family of Star Luo already had enough powerful experts and didn't have a high demand for outside talents and strong individuals.
Take someone like Dugu Bo, for example. In the Heaven Dou Empire, his status was on par with that of an imperial prince—if not even higher.
When he was needed, Emperor Xue Ye wouldn't issue direct orders but would instead discuss matters with him.
But if he were in Star Luo? That wouldn't even be a consideration. Unless one reached the level of a Spirit Hall Worship elder, they wouldn't even be acknowledged.
Even ordinary genius soul masters might not think highly of Star Luo, let alone someone like Mu Yang and his team.
Davis's attempt to recruit them was doomed to be a wasted effort.
Seeing that Mu Yang and his team remained completely unmoved, not even bothering to respond, Davis's expression darkened once more.
It wasn't rejection that stung—it was being treated like air.
But after a moment's thought, Davis realized that their indifference was understandable.
After all, Blazing Academy currently had two Titled Douluos overseeing it. In terms of prestige alone, they ranked just below Spirit Hall, the two empires, and the three upper sects.
On top of that, Mu Yang and his two teammates were direct relatives of those two Douluos. It wasn't surprising that they didn't think much of Star Luo.
At that moment, the referee stepped onto the stage.
"All participants, release your martial souls and prepare. The match is about to begin!"
Immediately, the fourteen members of both teams activated their Beast Souls and revealed their Tool Souls. Soul rings flashed brilliantly across the stage.
"Begin!"
With the referee's command, the match officially started.
Soul Captivation!
In an instant, Mu Yang's expression sharpened as he activated his secret soul technique.
An invisible, formless spiritual force instantly spanned dozens of meters and penetrated Zhu Zhuyun's mind.
Davis had reached the five-ring level, and Zhu Zhuyun was at the high stage of the four-ring level. Their Spirit Fusion Ability, Hell White Tiger, was not something to be underestimated.
If they successfully activated it, both he and his cousin Huo Wu would be forced to reveal their trump cards.
Thus, directly using Soul Captivation to control Zhu Zhuyun and prevent them from fusing their spirits was the simplest and most effective strategy—one that also minimized the exposure of their hidden strengths.
After all, Zhu Zhuyun was only a four-ring Soul Ancestor, while he was a five-ring Soul King. A Soul King controlling a Soul Ancestor with a spiritual secret technique was only natural and wouldn't attract too much attention.
"Zhuyun, come!"
Seeing that Zhu Zhuyun wasn't following their pre-match strategy, Davis called out to her.
However, to Davis's astonishment, Zhu Zhuyun ignored him completely.
Instead, she raised her right hand and turned toward the referee, who had just stepped back from the stage.
"Referee, I surrender!"
"…What?"
Hearing this, Davis was utterly dumbfounded. What was going on?
Zhu Zhuyun cast him a glance but said nothing. Under the bewildered gazes of her teammates, she walked off the battle stage on her own.
Making an opponent voluntarily surrender was already Mu Yang holding back. Otherwise, he could have played an even trickier game.
For instance, he could have made Zhu Zhuyun ambush Davis. Caught off guard, Davis would most likely be taken down.
After all, Davis would never expect that his own fiancée, with whom he shared a Spirit Fusion Ability, would suddenly betray him on the battlefield and land a vicious strike on his kidneys.
However, since Mu Yang had used a similar tactic during the preliminary rounds—one that had involved many individuals—he refrained from repeating it. He didn't want people to recall past incidents, draw connections, and bring trouble upon himself.
Besides, Davis was just a small fry. Without the Hell White Tiger fusion technique, either Huo Wu or Huo Wushuang could easily take him down.
"Go, take him down!"
Mu Yang instructed Huo Wushuang, who was momentarily stunned at the front of their formation.
Hearing this, Huo Wushuang snapped back to reality. He immediately understood that Mu Yang had intervened in secret. Without hesitation, his third soul ring lit up, his aura surged dramatically, and he charged forward.
"Third Soul Skill—Repelling Fire Ring!"
At the same time, Huo Wu also sprang into action. With a swift step forward, her third soul ring flashed brightly, and a brilliant ring of flames erupted in an instant.
The battle stage had a diameter of 100 meters, while the Repelling Fire Ring covered a range of 60 to 70 meters. Since the ring's center moved forward and the Star Luo Royal Academy team wasn't positioned right at the edge, they were immediately enveloped by the expanding flames.
As the fiery ring spread outward, it passed harmlessly through Mu Yang and his teammates like an illusion. But when it reached Davis and his team, it transformed into a powerful repelling force.
"Boom! Boom! Boom—"
In an instant, the six remaining members of the Star Luo Royal Academy team were sent flying by the force.
Among them, only Davis, as a five-ring Soul King, had a strong enough resistance to stabilize himself mid-air and avoid being knocked out of bounds. The other five four-ring Soul Ancestors were all blasted off the battle stage.
There was no doubt about it—Repelling Fire Ring was a divine skill in a tournament setting.
Moreover, Huo Wu's soul power had already reached the high stage of the five-ring level, and her third soul ring was over 7,000 years old—exceeding the age of most four-ring Soul Ancestors' fourth soul rings.
Using it against a group of four-ring Soul Ancestors? Too easy.
"First Soul Skill—Scarlet Flame Fireball!"
Strike while the iron is hot!
Before Davis could fully regain his footing, Huo Wushuang unleashed his first soul skill. A massive fireball, radiating a violent aura, shot toward Davis.
"Hmph! Third Soul Skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation! First Soul Skill—White Tiger Barrier!"
With a cold snort, Davis immediately activated his attribute-boosting soul skill, drastically increasing his strength, and then swiftly deployed his first defensive soul skill.
A golden light flashed around his body as a protective barrier materialized.
"Boom—"
The massive fireball exploded upon impact. Flames burst forth, accompanied by a deafening blast.
The Scarlet Flame Fireball shattered Davis's protective barrier, but since the White Tiger Barrier had absorbed most of the impact, Davis remained largely unharmed. His protective soul power absorbed the remaining force.
"Fourth Soul Skill—White Tiger Annihilating Strike!"
In the next moment, Davis's surging soul power condensed into dazzling light around his right fist as he struck toward Huo Wushuang in mid-air.
As he launched his attack, Davis could already envision himself landing a devastating blow and taking Huo Wushuang down in a single move.
Although his White Tiger Annihilating Strike appeared to be a powerful energy-based attack, it was, in fact, a mental assault technique.
Both he and Huo Wushuang were five-ring Soul Kings, and since they were both from the Power Attack branch, their levels weren't significantly different. Davis was confident that his spiritual power wasn't inferior to Huo Wushuang's.
Catching him off guard with this mental attack should surely leave Huo Wushuang reeling.
Huo Wushuang: Keep dreaming!
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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