Unfortunately for Shui Bing'er, her initial strategy to restrict Dugu Yan failed—Dugu Yan's level was significantly higher. As soon as Dugu Yan sensed the incoming danger, she immediately activated her fourth soul skill, Jade Phosphor Mirage, which boosted her speed by 300% and allowed her to split into five afterimages. One of these afterimages remained in place as a decoy, perfectly overlapping her real body and tricking Shui Bing'er into thinking her control skill had succeeded.
Although Dugu Yan managed to evade the attack, she looked with frustration at two teammates who had been frozen in place. She'd warned them not to underestimate their opponents!
"Yufeng, Oslo, break free from the ice quickly! Increase your speed—this soul skill is instantaneous, and you'll be frozen if you're too slow!" Dugu Yan ordered sternly.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan had no concerns. Zhu Zhuqing's task was to strike from the rear, so she had already boosted her speed to the maximum and was flanking from the left.
She called to her support, "Shimo, Shimo! Protect Rongrong at all costs!"
"Yes!" the two replied firmly.
Shui Bing'er's Ice Seal soul skill was indeed troublesome, but in the meantime, Ning Rongrong, observing from the rear, immediately cast her auxiliary abilities, strengthening Zhu Zhuqing, Oslo, and Yufeng with the apt support they needed: "Strength, Speed, Soul, Defense!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong's flawless execution, Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up in approval. Su Ming was right—Rongrong had mastered her multi-focus control to a level that allowed her to provide customized support, greatly conserving her soul power.
Thanks to her buffs, Yufeng and Oslo quickly broke free of the ice. They felt a bit embarrassed, with Yufeng promptly taking to the air and Oslo activating his third soul skill, Ghost Panther Transformation, to boost his speed and flank from the opposite side.
As for the front line, Dugu Yan was firmly in control, ensuring that Tianshui Academy's power-attack soul masters couldn't break through her defenses. Her poison was formidable!
Once her teammates had freed themselves, Dugu Yan wasted no time in activating her first soul skill, Jade Phosphor Poison! Her Jade Phosphor Serpent spewed a steady stream of green poison mist across the center of the field, enveloping Tianshui Academy's front three.
Realizing the danger, Shui Bing'er ordered, "Fall back! Xue Wu, Rain Dance! Yue'er, Extreme Cold Tornado! Try to blow away that poison mist!"
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing had already approached from the side and was moving in to strike the backline. Sensing this, Shui Bing'er didn't hesitate to activate her third soul skill, Repelling Ice Ring, creating a shockwave that pushed back anyone nearby and inflicted frost damage.
Both Oslo and Yufeng were forcefully repelled, but to Shui Bing'er's surprise, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to have vanished!
Su Ming, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but smile. This was the first time Zhu Zhuqing had deployed this particular soul skill in combat—now they'd see just how effective it was.
Although Su Ming doubted Tianshui Academy would use their fusion skill in this friendly match, Zhu Zhuqing's sole mission was to neutralize Xue Wu, the opposing team's support, which she was well on her way to accomplishing.
Ning Fengzhi, noticing Zhu Zhuqing's disappearing act, remarked to Su Ming, "Your friend's soul skill is quite remarkable; even I was momentarily taken aback by her sudden disappearance."
Su Ming replied casually, "Zhu Zhuqing was lucky—this skill complements her traditional agility and stealth-type attack style well. But to someone like Grandpa Jian, her invisibility would hardly be an issue, right?"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin nodded, "This young girl's soul skill is indeed excellent. However, with her current power level, her aura is not completely concealed, and I can easily sense her. But when she reaches Titled Douluo level, her assassination skills will be fearsome, perhaps even surpassing those of certain specialists within the Spirit Hall."
Ning Fengzhi added, "Rongrong's fortunate to have such a teammate. With this skill, as long as she doesn't actively engage, even Soul Kings or Soul Emperors wouldn't detect her presence. And once she strikes, it'll mean trouble for whoever's her target!"
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo's focus was on his granddaughter, Dugu Yan. Her spirit evolution had unexpectedly altered her abilities, and he couldn't help but feel a touch of jealousy. Watching her battle, he felt deeply gratified, though he found it hard to believe that her spirit evolution had changed her skills so significantly.
As the battle continued, Zhu Zhuqing was startled by Shui Bing'er's Repelling Ice Ring, which had nearly forced her out of hiding. But she reacted quickly, activating her fourth soul skill.
Now cloaked in invisibility, she quietly stalked her target, knowing Shui Bing'er couldn't keep her defensive skill active indefinitely. Her strategy was to wait for the perfect moment to strike and throw her opponents into disarray.
Shui Bing'er remained calm and instructed her team, "Everyone, regroup! Xue Wu, center position! Stay alert and focus on dispersing the poison mist first!"
Following her lead, the remaining four members of Tianshui Academy gathered, shielding Xue Wu. Unfortunately, the other three members, caught in the poison mist, were already beyond saving.
Shui Bing'er barely had time to order her team to disperse the poison mist before the three caught in the fog were mysteriously flung out of the arena, their condition unclear.
Earlier, Dugu Yan, while unleashing her first soul skill, had hidden several small green snakes within the mist, setting up for her second soul skill, Jade Phosphor Venom Fang. Those who were bitten by the snakes suffered temporary blindness and paralysis, causing them to be thrown out without even understanding what had happened.
Shui Bing'er looked at her remaining three teammates, feeling a heavy sense of defeat. The strength gap was too wide, and they still had to be wary of Zhu Zhuqing, who was stealthily hidden on the field, ready to attack at any moment. Shui Bing'er could only rely on her instincts, occasionally using her third soul skill to try and reveal Zhu Zhuqing's location.
However, this tactic was not sustainable—her third soul skill drained significant soul power, while Zhu Zhuqing, aided by Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Tower, could likely maintain her fourth soul skill longer than Shui Bing'er could manage.
After a tense stalemate, Shui Bing'er reluctantly raised her right hand toward the referee and announced, "We surrender!"
Only then did Zhu Zhuqing reveal herself, startling Shui Bing'er. Zhu Zhuqing had positioned herself right at the edge of her Repelling Ice Ring's effective range, ready to strike if Shui Bing'er hadn't conceded. Zhu Zhuqing could have risked attacking Xue Wu as soon as Shui Bing'er used her third soul skill, but she decided to play it safe, cautious in a friendly match and wanting to observe Shui Bing'er's potential response.
The arena was packed with spectators, and both teams preferred to keep some of their true capabilities hidden.
During this match, everyone held back a bit—Shui Bing'er never used her fourth soul skill, Zhu Zhuqing relied solely on the concealment aspect of her fourth soul skill, and Dugu Yan only used one illusion from her fourth skill. Overall, not much was revealed.
The announcer, realizing the need for diplomacy, praised, "What a breathtaking match! Both sides were evenly matched, reaching an impasse. This concludes the friendly match between Tianshui Academy and Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. A grand luncheon awaits, so please make your way to the hall!"
Tianshui Team: …
They appreciated the announcer's kindness, though they found the phrasing a bit odd—it would have sounded better if he had simply declared the match over!
Xue Wu gave Shui Bing'er a supportive pat on the shoulder. "Bing'er, this was my fault; that agility-type soul master clearly targeted me!"
Shui Bing'er shook her head, saying, "Xue Wu, it's not your fault. We weren't able to protect you. Her skill is truly extraordinary—I couldn't even sense her location. If she had chosen me as her target, I doubt I would have lasted long unless we used our Ice and Snow Drift fusion skill to freeze her in place. Otherwise, none of us could handle her."
After a moment's thought, she whispered, "And honestly, we didn't lose out here—didn't Su Ming activate the livestream at the start? Let's look forward to some rewards tonight."
Xue Wu's eyes sparkled with excitement. This was her first chance at a reward, and she regretted not having the journal earlier. Unlike other heroines who had received the journal years ago, they had missed out on multiple live-streamed events.
At lunch, Shui Yue'er, full of confidence, eagerly approached Su Ming to strike up a conversation. Su Ming was delighted but found her enthusiasm a little overwhelming.
"Ouch!" Shui Yue'er suddenly clutched her head, looking teary-eyed at her sister.
"Why did you do that, Sister?"
Shui Bing'er, exasperated, apologized to Su Ming. "Please don't mind her. Yue'er's a bit of a fangirl and can be a little… uninhibited. You're probably the best-looking guy she's seen."
Feeling that her words might come across poorly, Shui Bing'er added, "Well, Yue'er hasn't really met many men. You know, at Tianshui Academy, from the headmaster to the students, everyone is female. She might be fangirling just because she doesn't see many guys."
Su Ming chuckled, shaking his head to show he didn't mind. In fact, Shui Yue'er's enthusiasm offered him an opportunity to get closer to the three sisters.
The group continued chatting, and as all three Tianshui Academy leaders had journals, everyone shared an understanding of the true purpose of this match: a chance to assess their own strengths and prepare for the main competition.
When lunch was nearly over, Xiao Wu took the chance to pull Shui Bing'er aside under the pretense of a restroom break.
Su Ming, though curious, shrugged it off. It wasn't uncommon for girls to go to the restroom together.
Outside the restroom, Shui Bing'er asked, "Xiao Wu, did you want to talk about something?"
Nervously, Xiao Wu said sweetly, "Sister Bing'er, I actually have a request. Do you think you could help me?"
With her natural charm, Xiao Wu's request hit Shui Bing'er right in her "big sister" heart. As the Tianshui Academy leader, Shui Bing'er was known for helping others, and she couldn't resist the "big sister" appeal.
"Sister Bing'er," Xiao Wu continued sincerely, "you've read all of Su Ming's journal, right?"
Shui Bing'er nodded.
Xiao Wu pressed on, "Then you know just how horrible Tang San is to me, and how awful Dai Mubai was to Zhuqing. Now that they're both with Thunder Academy, I was hoping that if you face Thunder Academy in the tournament, you might help us teach them a harsh lesson."
Looking at Xiao Wu's "pitiful" expression, Shui Bing'er felt a surge of empathy. She recalled that in the original story, Xiao Wu had practically served as Tang San's sacrifice, providing him with spirit rings, a scabbard, and even a 100,000-year-old spirit ring and bone!
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