"You think you can trap me? Not that easy!"
Zhang Hao's Soul Power surged violently as his Blazing Sun Bird let out a sharp cry.
Flames erupted around him, forming a scorching ring of fire in an attempt to burn away the approaching Wooden Vines.
"Sizzle—"
The Wooden Vines sizzled upon contact with the flames, but contrary to Zhang Hao's expectations, they didn't wither quickly.
Instead, even more new vines sprouted from the burned areas, displaying astonishing resilience.
Su Yu twitched his fingertips slightly, causing the outermost vines to suddenly bend.
The tips of the Wooden Vines no longer thrust toward Zhang Hao but instead plunged firmly into the ground.
Instantly, the vines grew into an impenetrable wooden wall, tightly containing the spread of the flames within.
Zhang Hao watched the ever-encroaching net of vines and the closing wooden walls around him, his expression finally changing:
"This is... if you're this strong, what's the point of competing?"
A faint smile played on Su Yu's lips as he lightly flicked his fingers, causing the wooden wall to contract further inward. The flames visible through the gaps noticeably dimmed.
"Don't be so quick to admit defeat," he said, his tone composed.
"Your Blazing Sun Bird Martial Soul is a fire attribute. Why not try again? You might just burn yourself a way out."
Zhang Hao glanced at the tightening vine net around him and the solid wooden walls, his face flushing red.
The flames still flickered weakly, but they couldn't even burn through the vines beside him, let alone break free.
"Try what?" he grunted, his voice tinged with frustrated annoyance.
"These damn vines are like forged iron—the fire can't burn through them. All that effort was wasted."
With that, he retracted his Martial Soul, and the flames around him instantly extinguished, leaving only beads of sweat glistening at his temples under the sunlight.
"I admit defeat," Zhang Hao turned his head away, his voice muffled but without the previous defiance.
"I yield. Your Wood Release is truly impressive—not only can it bind people, but it also plays mind games."
Su Yu raised his hand with a smile, and the wooden walls and vine net vanished from the arena:
"You were too kind."
The referee promptly announced, "Su Yu wins!"
The audience erupted into laughter and cheers, with someone teasing:
"Zhang Hao got 'penned in' by those Wooden Vines!"
Zhang Hao's ears burned with embarrassment as he shot a glare at the speaker before turning and stepping off the arena.
After Su Yu descended from the platform, Hu Liena hurried to his side, gently massaging his shoulders:
"Brother Su Yu, a victorious start!"
"Yes, Nana. The second round draw is about to begin. You need to give it your all too!"
"Mm! I won't let our teacher down!"
As the two chatted happily, a student was forcefully thrown off the martial arena nearby.
Following Hu Liena's gaze toward the high platform, Su Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
A cute boy stood calmly, having just retracted his hands, but the fierceness of his earlier strike starkly contrasted with his adorable appearance.
The oppressive aura of the White Armored Earth Dragon Martial Soul hadn't fully dissipated, and the ground seemed to retain a faint tremor.
"White Armored Earth Dragon—a top-tier beast Martial Soul with astonishing explosive power. He's a formidable opponent!"
"His control is quite impressive too. That last strike sent his opponent flying without dealing a lethal blow."
Just then, the referee loudly read out the matchups for the second round, and Hu Liena's name was prominently listed.
Hu Liena took a deep breath and turned to walk toward the martial arena. As she passed by the boy, he glanced up at her—his eyes clear yet carrying a barely perceptible fighting spirit.
Hu Liena's opponent was a girl whose Martial Soul was the Star Spirit Staff, also a control-type Martial Soul.
After swiftly defeating the Star Spirit Staff Soul Master, Hu Liena stepped down with a relaxed smile.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. As the final advancement match concluded, the list of the top ten was finalized.
Su Yu, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, and the boy with the White Armored Earth Dragon Martial Soul were all among them, each a standout among the new students.
When the referee announced the match pairings, Su Yu's heart leaped with joy upon seeing his opponent!
His opponent was Xie Yue!
Heh heh, Xie Yue! Finally, a chance to beat him up!
Su Yu directly leaped onto the arena, looking excitedly at Xie Yue below.
Xie Yue stood offstage, seeing Su Yu's "eager to pummel him" expression. His brow twitched slightly, a cold glint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.
His Soul Power stirred slightly around him, the Moon Blade Martial Soul quietly manifesting, its silvery-white blade gleaming with a cold light.
He'd stolen his sister, and now he wanted to beat him up? Today, Xie Yue was determined to teach Su Yu a proper lesson!
Xie Yue snorted coldly, tapped the ground with his toes, and swept onto the stage like a phantom, facing Su Yu from a distance.
Before they even made a move, invisible sparks seemed to clash in the air.
On the high platform, Golden Crocodile Douluo watched the two on the arena, stroking his beard as he said:
"One with the unpredictable Wood Release, the other with the swift Moon Blade. This match will be interesting."
Holy Dragon Douluo also nodded. "Xie Yue's Moon Blade Martial Soul has begun to grasp the essence of the agility-attack system—extremely fast. If Su Yu gets closed in on, he might be in trouble."
Bi Bidong's gaze fell on Su Yu, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest, her expression still calm.
On the arena, Su Yu flexed his wrists and laughed. "Don't hold back. Let me see how fast your Moon Blade really is."
Xie Yue's eyes sharpened, his first Soul Ring suddenly glowing. "As you wish!"
Before his words faded, his figure had turned into an afterimage, the Moon Blade tearing through the air with a sharp whistle, heading straight for Su Yu's face!
"Wood Release: Hokage-Style Partitioning Barrier!"
Su Yu remained unflustered, crossing his arms sharply in front of him. Several thick wooden vines shot out from his sleeves, weaving into a sturdy vine shield.
"Clang!"
The Moon Blade slammed fiercely into the vine shield, emitting a piercing metallic clash, sparks flying everywhere.
Xie Yue felt a steady force transmit through, the Moon Blade actually rebounding slightly from the impact.
"Not bad."
Xie Yue's eyes turned colder, his body spinning in mid-air as the Moon Blade swung out again.
This time, instead of a direct slash, it cunningly aimed for Su Yu's wrists and waist, attempting to bypass the vine shield's defense.
Su Yu's footwork shifted, his body dodging as flexibly as a willow in the wind.
Simultaneously, the vine shields on his arms rotated, always managing to block the Moon Blade at the last possible moment.
He even had enough leeway to split off two slender vines, whipping them like lashes toward Xie Yue's lower body, forcing him to retract his blade to block.
"Only know how to dodge?"
Xie Yue snorted coldly, his second Soul Ring suddenly glowing, the Moon Blade's radiance turning even sharper:
"First Spirit Ability: Moon Wheel Dance!"
His speed abruptly increased, leaving several afterimages on the arena.
Each afterimage held a Moon Blade, attacking Su Yu simultaneously from different directions, forming an impenetrable net of blades.
"Wood Release: Wooden Formation Wall!"
Su Yu clapped his hands together, several wooden pillars burst from the ground, forming an arched wall around him.
"Swish, swish, swish—"
Xie Yue's Moon Blade afterimages continuously slashed against the Wood Interlocking Wall, producing a series of dense cutting sounds as sparks flew like a sudden downpour.
Those sharp Moon Blades struck the wall surface, yet only left shallow white marks, unable to penetrate even half an inch.