"Dean, you're not serious, are you?"
Elder Ma's tone was somewhat probing.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Jing Hongchen replied irritably.
"Hahaha..."
"Indeed not."
Elder Ma chuckled dryly, "It's just that I think the competition isn't very fair for Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Qin Xiao.
After all, any member of the home team is a Soul King level powerhouse, a strength that is not comparable to the three of them."
After listening to Elder Ma, Jing Hongchen gave him a glance, "Don't worry, if anything happens to Qin Xiao and the other two, I won't need you to take responsibility.
With that assurance, you can let them go ahead without any worry, right?"
Jing Hongchen could tell at a glance that his old pal was worried about potential problems during the match and didn't want to be left holding the bag.
"Ha, hahaha..."
Elder Ma chuckled again, "Dean, what are you saying?
Since you want to train these kids, we will cooperate with you."
With that, he looked towards Ma Rulong and the others, saying: "The three of you then. Ma Rulong, Chen An, Chen Fei."
"Ah?"
Ma Rulong and the others were startled upon hearing this.
Elder Ma waved at the three of them, "What are you still waiting for there? Don't make the dean wait."
"Alright then."
Although the three of them were reluctant to bully the younger ones, since Elder Ma had instructed them so, they had no reason to refuse.
They had to push themselves forward and head to the center of the square with reluctance.
"Do you have any problems?"
Jing Hongchen looked towards Qin Xiao and the other two.
"I am just an assistant."
Qin Xiao shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he was just an insignificant person and shouldn't be relied upon.
Of course.
This was also in accordance with Jing Hongchen's request.
He had said that Qin Xiao should be treated as a trump card, only to appear in the finals.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, he must not make a move.
Usually, it was enough for him to pretend to be a spirit-type Assistant Soul Master.
"And you?"
Jing Hongchen turned to ask Meng Hongchen.
"I'm an assistant too."
"Wouldn't it be fine to just use soul tools to protect my brother?"
Meng Hongchen also had her own role.
Jing Hongchen then turned to Xiao Hongchen.
However.
Before Xiao Hongchen could answer, Jing Hongchen waved his hand, "All the offensive damage depends on you now. Good luck."
At that moment, Xiao Hongchen suddenly felt an immense pressure.
There was also the feeling that if they lost, he would be dishonoring his ancestors.
"Fine, let's start then."
Jing Hongchen waved his hand, and Qin Xiao and the others also stepped forward.
They faced Ma Rulong and his two teammates from a distance.
"Ready."
Following Jing Hongchen's command, Ma Rulong, Chen Fei, and Chen An, along with the other home team members, summoned their Martial Souls and took out their combat-oriented soul tools from their Spatial Soul Guidance Devices.
Each person had at least a dozen black cannon barrels on them, giving off the vibe of war machines.
"Brother, whether we can win this round all depends on you now."
Meng Hongchen encouraged Xiao Hongchen from behind him.
"Now I'm starting to doubt whether you two are reliable."
Upon hearing Xiao Hongchen's words, Meng Hongchen pouted, "You can doubt me, but you can't doubt Uncle Qin, right?"
Uh... Xiao Hongchen was at a loss for words.
He realized that after spending some time together, his sister seemed to be getting further and further away from him.
"Alright then, I'll do my best, and the rest is up to you two."
Xiao Hongchen nodded helplessly, as if resigned to his fate.
Subsequently, he too took out his soul tool.
"To think..."
"They are all Fixed-mount Soul Guidance Devices?"
"Junior, are you serious?"
Seeing the soul tool Xiao Hongchen took out, the expressions of Ma Rulong and others on the opposite side changed drastically.
Fixed-mount Soul Guidance Devices, although powerful, have an issue with accuracy.
This is no secret to Soul Masters.
Even in Soul Master competitions, using Fixed-mount Soul Guidance Devices is a huge taboo.
"I... I have no choice,"
"Because I'm only responsible for the brute force."
"I'll leave the rest to miracles."
Xiao Hongchen replied solemnly.
In reality, it was also his first time cooperating with Qin Xiao, and he was not at all confident.
However,
Meng Hongchen couldn't help but correct him, "Brother, you're wrong to say that."
"We should have faith in Uncle Qin. Your slogan should be that you're responsible for the brute force, and leave the rest to Uncle Qin."
"You... You've been poisoned by Qin Xiao's charm,"
Xiao Hongchen shook his head helplessly.
But, in the next moment, his expression changed dramatically.
Because the world he saw underwent an earth-shattering change.
It was Qin Xiao who had activated Mental Sharing for Xiao Hongchen and also initiated Spiritual Detection.
"This... this..."
Xiao Hongchen was so astonished that he was speechless.
"Hehe, how does it feel?"
Meng Hongchen asked with a giggle by Xiao Hongchen's side.
Having experienced the power of Spiritual Detection and Mental Sharing before, she understood what Xiao Hongchen was feeling.
"Haha, to be honest, I feel like I could hit my target even if I launched an attack with my eyes closed,"
Xiao Hongchen laughed heartily.
"Why is he so confident?"
Cheng An frowned.
"Perhaps this is the magic of that Qin Xiao," Ma Rulong said meaningfully.
His gaze was fixed on Qin Xiao, noticing an odd fluctuation bursting from Qin Xiao which connected with Xiao Hongchen.
"In a moment, go all out and take out the assistant first,"
Ma Rulong said again.
Chen An, Chen Fei, silently nodded.
Meanwhile,
Jing Hongchen announced solemnly once more, "The match begins!"
Everyone had been paying attention to Jing Hongchen, waiting for his command.
As his voice fell, Chen Fei and Chen An launched their attacks immediately.
They each raised their soul laser guns and fired without charging.
This was a standard tactic, intended to suppress the opponent and allow Ma Rulong time to prepare his powerful soul tool.
They believed that once Ma Rulong's soul tool was fully charged, what would follow would be a Soul Guidance Cannon's devastating sweep, making it difficult to lose.
"Heh, they're still just kids after all. Have they forgotten to dodge in the face of an attack?"
Chen Fei coldly sneered as he watched Qin Xiao, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen not dodge the attack.
Chen An nodded as well, "It seems like we won't need the captain to finish charging. We're about to end the fight with just the soul laser guns."
Both of them thought similarly.
Not dodging now, could they possibly dodge later?
But, in the next moment, their pupils suddenly constricted.
The image of the trio being blasted away didn't happen, instead the attacks they launched passed right through those three figures?
And the ripples that spread out gave them a feeling as if they were looking at reflections in water.
"What the hell... What's happening?"
"Did we miss?"
Both felt a sense of unreality.
What they didn't know was that the scene they saw was simulated by Qin Xiao's Simulation Soul Technique.
In actuality,
Qin Xiao, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen had already left their previous positions.
"Illusion!
Now I see why Qin Xiao is held in such high regard. It turns out, his Martial Soul is related to the mind!"
Ma Rulong, indeed a well-informed captain, immediately realized the crux of the issue.