After stepping off the battlefield, the True illusion seamlessly merged with reality. Zhang Ping absentmindedly walked toward the Soul Hall Team's resting area.
"Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Seeing her teammates' speechless expressions, Zhang Ping couldn't help but feel confused.
Sure, even she hadn't expected herself to achieve a one versus four, but what was with their expressions?
At that moment, the referee's voice rang out.
"Will the Soul Hall Team please send their second contestant to the stage."
Hearing this, a burly young man from the Soul Hall Team walked forward, patted Zhang Ping on the shoulder, sighed, and said, "Don't be discouraged."
With that, he strode toward the battlefield.
"???"
Zhang Ping was utterly baffled.
"Here, look back at the stage."
Hu Liena pointed toward the battlefield.
Zhang Ping turned her head to look, and on the vast square before the Pope's Palace, she saw Mu Yang—whom she had supposedly defeated—still standing there completely unscathed, just as he had been at the start of the match.
Instantly, her expression shifted several times before she clenched her jaw and lowered her head with a darkened face.
Clearly, her so-called one versus four was nothing more than a fabricated illusion.
The reality was that she had simply fallen into an illusion technique and walked off the battlefield of her own accord.
"I didn't expect Mu Yang's strength to be this formidable. Looks like, aside from the three of us, there's probably no one in our team who can withstand even a single move from him. What do you think? Should we adjust our lineup?"
Yan sighed as she spoke to Xie Yue and Hu Liena.
"No need. In a battle of spiritual power, even the slightest gap is as vast as an abyss.
Aside from Nana, even if we go up, we probably wouldn't be able to stop him either. But at the very least, we can deplete his spiritual energy to prepare for Nana to defeat him.
And once we take down Mu Yang, with Nana's strength, even if her soul power level is lower than Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang, she can definitely take down the remaining six members of the Blazing Fire Team."
Xie Yue shook his head, rejecting Yan's proposal.
"Damn it! That bastard set me up earlier."
The individual match format had nullified their team's greatest trump card, making defeat a very real possibility.
Thinking about the bet with Mu Yang,Yan gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Yan, look at it positively. At the very least, Mu Yang didn't go all out against us."
Xie Yue patted Yan's shoulder in reassurance.
Yes, Zhang Ping had lost the match, but she wasn't injured at all.
Her combat strength was still at its peak and wouldn't affect the subsequent battles in any way.
This proved that, although Mu Yang was their opponent in the tournament, he wasn't the type to resort to ruthless tactics just to win.
If he had chosen to severely injure every opponent from their team, then even if the Soul Hall Team managed to win this round, they wouldn't be in the best condition for tomorrow's championship match.
And if they lost this round, then the team battle against Skywater Academy in the afternoon would be an outright disaster.
Hearing this, Yan fell into deep thought for a moment before asking, "Do you think that guy held back because he wants all seven of us to praise Huo Wu together?"
Xie Yue: "…"
Hu Liena rolled her eyes and snapped, "Shut that crow's mouth of yours!"
"Next!"
"Will the Soul Hall Team please send their third contestant to the stage!"
"Next!"
"Will the Soul Hall Team please send their fourth contestant to the stage!"
"Next!"
"Will the Soul Hall Team please send their fifth contestant to the stage!"
Another teammate was eliminated. Under the referee's signal, as the fifth contestant of the Soul Hall Team,Yan stepped onto the battlefield with a solemn expression.
"Mu Yang, I admit that your strength is formidable, but I won't give up!"
The moment he entered the stage,Yan declared loudly.
"Mm-hmm, I know."
Mu Yang nodded with a grin.
Since he had already achieved a one versus four, he planned to extend it to a one versus seven.
Letting his opponent say something to boost their courage was only fair; otherwise, it would make him seem too heartless.
"Hmph~! Flame Lord, Possession!"
With a cold snort, a crimson glow flashed, releasing an intense heat as Yan Flame Lord Soul Possession activated.
"Match, begin!"
With the referee's command, the match officially started.
This time, Mu Yang didn't use his spiritual secret technique to instantly defeat his opponent.
As a high-tier five-ring food-type Soul King, it was reasonable for him to control a four-ring Soul Ancestor with his spiritual technique.
However, if he could control another five-ring Soul King like Yan, then regardless of whether it seemed reasonable, it would still be far too conspicuous.
To avoid drawing too much attention, Mu Yang decided not to use his spiritual secret technique against the Golden Generation trio.
Instead, he would counter them using the Iceflame Secret Art.
If he used his spiritual technique, it would be an instant kill.
If he used his Iceflame Secret Art, it would be a back-and-forth battle.
Even though the two secret techniques were of similar caliber, in the eyes of others, the former would seem far more dangerous.
After all, instantly killing an opponent sounded terrifying.
If a five-ring Soul King could instantly defeat another five-ring Soul King, then wouldn't he be able to do the same at nine rings in the future?
Therefore, by using the Iceflame Secret Art instead, he would significantly lower the perceived threat he posed to others.
"Hmm? Where's your spiritual technique?"
Noticing that Mu Yang showed no signs of using his spiritual secret technique, the ever-cautious Yan was puzzled.
"Heh, take a guess."
Mu Yang chuckled and countered with a question.
Seeing this,Yan raised an eyebrow.
After frowning and pondering for a moment, Yan suddenly grinned and said,"I get it! Mu Yang, could it be that you can't use that spiritual technique frequently?
Or maybe… your spiritual technique isn't all that impressive and can only work on Soul Masters much weaker than you?"
Although he had no evidence,Yan was convinced that his guess was close to the truth—or perhaps, it was the truth.
"Tsk~! Genius!"
Clicking his tongue, Mu Yang gave Yan a thumbs-up.
"Hmph! Second Soul Skill, Granite Rock!"
With a smug snort, Fei Yanyan's second soul ring flickered, causing his body to swell dramatically.
Like a molten lava beast, his aura surged.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Magma Surge!"
In the next moment, as his surging soul power erupted, the ground beneath Yan's feet glowed red.
Boiling magma gushed forth, spreading across a twenty-meter radius around him in an instant.
"Such a petty trick, and you dare to show off?"
Mu Yang cast a disdainful glance at the scene.
With a surge of secret power, an icy-blue soul power radiance flared around him.
Accompanied by a thunderous dragon roar, a vividly lifelike, three-zhang-long Iceflame Divine Dragon rose into the sky behind him.
Iceflame Secret Art: Iceflame Dragon Technique!
"Witness my Great Majestic Heavenly Dragon!"
In the next instant, Mu Yang shouted, thrusting his palms forward.
The soaring Iceflame Divine Dragon opened its maw wide, releasing a fan-shaped torrent of iceflame energy that swept downward with a bone-chilling aura.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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