The next moment, Lin Yang vanished from the spot.
"What?"
Zhao Yu's thrust missed. Before he could react, a dull sound came from behind, followed by his teammates' screams.
He spun around and saw the team's control-type Soul Master lying unconscious on the ground.
"One!"
Lin Yang smiled, raised one finger, and vanished again.
The entire venue fell silent for a moment before Zhao Yu shouted, "Be careful! He's incredibly fast!"
"I'll handle it!" A burly team member stepped forward. His fourth spirit ring glowed purple. "Fourth Soul Skill: Earthquake Tremor!"
He stomped heavily. The training ground's floor rippled like water.
"Too slow!" Lin Yang suddenly appeared behind him and punched the back of his neck.
"Third Soul Skill: Rock Bear Body!" A layer of earthy yellow light enveloped the burly member, completely protecting him.
There's no way he can break my third soul skill with bare hands!
A smug light flashed in the burly member's eyes.
But Lin Yang simply smiled and threw another punch.
In this highly transparent world, how could one protect against all these flaws?
The punch landed. The seemingly unbreakable barrier shattered instantly. The terrifying impact caused the burly member's eyes to roll back as he collapsed.
Lin Yang raised two fingers. "Second."
Damn it! Zhao Yu roared lowly. His spear trembled violently and instantly released countless spear flowers. "Fourth Soul Skill: Spear Shadow!"
At the same time, attacks from the agility-type member came from behind.
Lin Yang didn't dodge. He quickly extended both hands. With his right hand, he accurately caught the real spear amid the countless shadows. With his left, he grabbed the agility-type Soul Master's neck and squeezed lightly. The opponent's face immediately turned red.
Lin Yang casually threw him aside. The person couldn't get up for a while.
"Third!"
"You..." Sweat beaded on Zhao Yu's forehead. His gaze toward Lin Yang was filled with terror.
Is this the true strength expected of a four-ring Soul Master?
Lin Yang smiled lightly, grabbed the opponent's Martial Soul, and twisted sharply. The spear flew out of Zhao Yu's hand and shot toward the nearby Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master.
"I surrender!"
The moment the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master spoke, the spear stabbed straight into the ground in front of him, vibrating with a buzzing sound.
When Lin Yang's gaze turned to the remaining two Soul Masters, they immediately raised their hands in terror.
"We surrender!"
When he looked at Zhao Yu again, the latter's face was filled with bitterness. "I… I surrender too!"
Lin Yang retracted his hand, looked around the room, and said calmly, "Not bad. You lasted thirty seconds."
Meng Shenji, who had been watching, twitched his mouth. "You call this 'not bad'?"
Tang Nian opened his mouth, looked at his fallen teammates, then at the calm Lin Yang, and was completely speechless.
Why had he refused? How could one person, without even releasing his Martial Soul, defeat a coordinated team in just thirty seconds?
What kind of monster is this?
Lin Yang approached Zhao Yu with a friendly smile. "Captain, please take care of me in the upcoming matches."
"No, no, no!" Zhao Yu waved his hands frantically. He couldn't possibly remain team leader now.
"You should," Lin Yang said with a light laugh. "Chairman Meng was only joking. You know this team best, so you should naturally command it. I'm fine just being a member."
"This..." Zhao Yu unconsciously looked at Tang Nian, who looked at Meng Shenji.
Meng Shenji snorted softly but was satisfied. The boy was capable, not arrogant, knew when to advance and retreat, and understood how to make decisions. He had performed excellently from start to finish.
"You can arrange it yourselves." With that, Meng Shenji turned and left, his task complete.
After Meng Shenji left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and unconsciously looked at Lin Yang.
Lin Yang smiled. "I was serious earlier."
Zhao Yu stared at him, then nodded and said in a low voice, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
...
The next day, the third round of the Soul Master Elite Tournament finals officially began.
In this round, the Spirit Hall and Thunder Academy teams received byes, while the remaining eight teams competed for four spots.
Among them, Heavenly Dou Royal Academy faced Skywater Academy.
That day, Lin Yang entered the stage as a substitute, replacing one of the team's original Soul Masters.
In the spectator seats, Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks angrily. "Hmph, he said he wasn't interested in this kind of tournament before, but now he's become a main player."
"I heard it was the Emperor Xue Ye's idea," Ye Lingling said from the side.
Dugu Yan smiled faintly. "That's not all. What he really wants is that ten-thousand-year soul bone."
As they spoke, the battle in the arena had already begun.
Lin Yang's appearance drew a lot of attention to the Heavenly Dou Team. After all, they were already in the finals, and any unexpected change could trigger a chain reaction.
"Hey, don't you think the Heavenly Dou Team seems different from before?"
"That's ridiculous. Who wouldn't notice if they added a Soul Master?"
"No, it's not that. They just… seem much more confident than before."
"So what? They only added one Soul Master, not a Soul King. Anyway, the final victory will definitely… huh, it's already over?"
While the group was talking, Heavenly Dou Academy had finished annihilating Skywater Academy. Heavenly Dou advanced, while Heavenly Water was eliminated.
"Can someone tell me what just happened?"
"It was that newly added Soul Master. He single-handedly knocked out Skywater Academy's captain and support from the tournament."
"Wow, that's brutal! Kicking such a cute girl?"
Is that the important point?
When Heavenly Dou won, the Emperor Xue Ye seated on the highest floor showed a meaningful smile. His choice had been correct. Lin Yang had brought hope of victory to this team.
"Your Majesty, this student named Lin Yang seems to be Heavenly Dou Academy's trump card," said an elegant middle-aged man standing to the Emperor Xue Ye's right. A strange light flashed in his eyes when he looked at Lin Yang. "He actually defeated Heavenly Water's captain using only his physical body, without any soul skills."
"Haha, Sect Master Ning," the Emperor Xue Ye laughed and waved his hand. "Forget about film negatives and cards. These kids are really skilled."
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly and said nothing more.
To the Emperor Xue Ye's left sat an elderly man in magnificent platinum robes. His face showed no clear expression, but a faint trace of contempt lingered in his eyes.
Just adding one more Soul Master—how could they compete against Spirit Hall's seeded team? It was nothing but a death struggle.
...