All of this happened in but a single instant.
With Huo Yuhao's mental force, activating Spirit Abilities was already much faster than for average people.
By the time the Inner Court Disciples had just finished their Spirit Body Enhancements, the preparatory team had already completed the layout for their first wave of offense.
Right then, the fourth spirit ring beneath Xu Sanshi, who stood at the very front of the team, suddenly flickered! A hard-to-detect spatial fluctuation rippled out from him!
In the next instant, Xu Sanshi's figure vanished from the team! In his place appeared someone who had originally been standing in the back row of the Inner Court team—Gongyang Mo!
That support system Spirit Master, who held his fingers in an orchid gesture, appeared in the middle of the preparatory team's encirclement with a face full of confusion! This was the tactic they had discussed beforehand.
Xu Sanshi used his fourth Spirit Ability, Mysterious Underworld Displacement, to swap in one of the opponent's team members. As for who to swap? As a descendant of Elder Mu, Bei Bei had grown up in the Inner Court and knew some information about these Inner Court Disciples.
Although he wasn't clear on their specific Spirit Abilities, he knew that this 'sissy' Gongyang Mo was a support system Spirit Master. The combat power of Inner Court Disciples was not weak, so they only dared to swap in a support.
Furthermore, focusing the support first in a team battle was the most widely spread and effective tactical concept on the continent. These Inner Court Disciples were already powerful to begin with; if they had support buffs on top of that, there would be no point in fighting.
At this moment, Gongyang Mo stood within the preparatory team's encirclement, completely dazed. Before he could react to what had happened, attacks surged in from all directions simultaneously!
Although he was a Level 59 Spirit King, as a support system Spirit Master, his defensive power was naturally not strong, and he lacked any powerful means to face an enemy. Facing the siege of several people, he didn't even have time to release a single Spirit Ability before he was instantly defeated!
Xuan Zi grabbed Gongyang Mo, threw him out of the Soul Fighting Arena, and simultaneously indicated that he was eliminated.
The entire process took only a few breaths. Gongyang Mo, who had previously suggested they should 'go easy' on the Reserve team members now sat on the ground with a blank expression.
He hadn't expected that he would actually be the first one eliminated in this friendly match.
Meanwhile, the expressions of the remaining six on the Inner Court side changed slightly. They had already given this battle enough importance, but this scene still exceeded their expectations.
Everything happened too suddenly for the Inner Court Disciples to even attempt a rescue.
By the time they reacted, Gongyang Mo had already been eliminated. Subsequently, they vented their fury onto Xu Sanshi. At this moment, Xu Sanshi was standing in the heart of the Inner Court team, surrounded by angry gazes.
"You're looking for death!"
Ma Xiaotao shouted in anger, and her Phoenix Evil Fire instantly erupted! Under the burning of the Phoenix Evil Fire, Xu Sanshi wouldn't be able to hold out for long even if he used his Black Tortoise Bloodline. He simply gave up resistance and was directly hauled out by Xuan Zi, becoming the second one eliminated.
However, trading a defensive Spirit Ancestor for a support system Spirit King was a profit no matter how one looked at it!
After Xu Sanshi was eliminated, a clear phoenix cry rang out from Ma Xiaotao's mouth! Carrying the sky-toppling Phoenix Evil Fire, she was like a burning meteor as she charged toward the opposing side!
Dai Yueheng also gave a low shout, activating his first, third, and fifth buff-type Spirit Abilities simultaneously!
White Tiger Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, White Tiger Demon God Transformation!
Three lights flickered on him in succession. His entire being radiated a majestic and ferocious aura as he followed closely behind Ma Xiaotao! Chen Zifeng and Xi Xi lunged forward rapidly from the left and right flanks respectively.
Meanwhile, Yao Haoxuan and Ling Luochen released their Spirits from the rear to provide support and control.
Huo Yuhao's mental force far exceeded his teammates, so under Mental Resonance, the mental force boost for his teammates was also immense.
Yao Haoxuan's second and third Spirit Abilities both determined their effects based on the relative mental force strength of both sides. But now, with the preparatory team's mental force greatly increased, his weakening Spirit Abilities simply couldn't take effect!
As for Ling Luochen, she was worried about being suppressed by Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice, so she didn't dare to use ice-attribute Spirit Abilities on a large scale. If she were countered by that Ultimate Ice, not only would she fail to control the opponents, but she herself would fall into a passive position. Therefore, she could only cautiously manipulate a few streams of cold air to provide limited control.
It could be said that before Huo Yuhao had even taken the initiative to attack, he had already restricted two of the opponent's team members.
Under Mental Detection Sharing, the preparatory team members were very clear about every single move of the Inner Court members.
However, even with a series of buffs, the gap in strength between the two sides was still very obvious.
On the front lines, Bei Bei had already clashed with Dai Yueheng. After a few exchanges, Bei Bei was beaten back repeatedly, barely managing to hold his ground.
On the other side, He Caitou's long-range spirit tools were all focused on Ma Xiaotao. Combined with the cooperation of Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, the three of them working together barely managed to entangle Ma Xiaotao for a moment.
Jiang Nannan met Chen Zifeng. Chen Zifeng's Soul-Chasing Sword was exceptionally sharp, and Jiang Nannan didn't dare to take it head-on. She could only rely on her agile movement to weave and tangle within the sword light.
This left one person unaccounted for. Xi Xi! At this moment, she was like a bolt of lightning, bypassing the front-line battlefield and heading straight for the rear!
Under Spirit Body Enhancement, her skin turned dark, and her pupils became vertical slits. Her Spirit was the Lightning Leopard. In terms of speed, she was even a few points faster than the flying Ma Xiaotao! Like a streak of black lightning, she instantly rushed in front of Huo Yuhao!
She wanted to see just how strong Huo Yuhao's strength really was!
Xi Xi's movements naturally couldn't escape Huo Yuhao's eyes.
Mental Detection blanketed the entire field; everyone was within his perception.
Although Xi Xi's speed was fast, in his mental World, every movement was slowed down countless times and was clearly visible.
In the blink of an eye, she had reached Huo Yuhao's front! Her hands, which had turned into sharp claws, were raised high, the sharp tips aimed at his neck. She believed that whether the opponent had a Mental-type Spirit or the Ultimate Ice attribute, at such a close distance, his physical body's defense shouldn't be able to block her next attack.
But at the very moment Xi Xi was about to launch her attack, she saw Huo Yuhao turn his head to look at her. Those eyes were calm as water, yet deep as an abyss. Despite him being several years younger than her, this gaze made her heart skip a beat involuntarily.
How to describe Huo Yuhao's look? Xi Xi felt it was indifference, and even more so, majesty. That gaze seemed to come from a higher dimension, looking down upon everything without any emotion.
And after that single glance... Xi Xi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head!
The intense pain came without warning. Her pupils dilated instantly, and her whole body froze in place; those high-raised claws could no longer descend. Immediately after, her vision went black. She lost consciousness and slumped down limply.
In this friendly match, Huo Yuhao hadn't intended to take over everything from the start. He mainly acted as support and control, wanting to give his teammates a chance to go all out. To let them feel the taste of dueling against the strong and to let them accumulate experience in actual combat.
And just as he eliminated Xi Xi with a single Soul Shock, the other 'front lines' had already collapsed one after another.
Bei Bei was ultimately not Dai Yueheng's match and was swatted away by a palm from the White Tiger-enhanced man.
Jiang Nannan's flexible movement ultimately couldn't escape Chen Zifeng's 'Sword Manipulation Technique'.
He Caitou, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao teamed up to tangle with Ma Xiaotao, but in the face of that sky-toppling Phoenix Evil Fire, they simply couldn't hold out for long.
One by one, they were hauled out of the arena by Xuan Zi.
In the blink of an eye, Huo Yuhao was the only preparatory team member left on the Soul Fighting Arena, standing all alone in the center of the field.
Opposite him, the Inner Court Disciples did not continue their attack.
Ma Xiaotao's pair of fiery red wings flapped slowly as she floated in mid-air. The expression on her face had softened considerably, losing the sharpness and edge from just a moment ago.
She looked down at Huo Yuhao and called out, "Yuhao, just concede!"
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over the people opposite him, his expression shifting slightly. As for the win or loss of this match, he didn't really care. It was just a friendly match. Winning or losing wasn't important; what mattered was letting everyone get familiar with cooperation and understanding each other's strength.
On the high platform, Xuan Zi watched Huo Yuhao's expression, seemingly worried that he would concede directly.
If that happened, he wouldn't be able to see the good show.
He immediately called out, "Yuhao!"
His voice was raspy, yet it carried a hint of instigation.
"These seniors of yours have always been arrogant. If you can..." He paused and grinned. "Then let them also experience the taste of being crushed."
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.