stonecrandall Chapter 161 My life has been like walking on thin ice
Chapter 161 My life has been like walking on thin ice
Chapter 161 My life has been like walking on thin ice
"quiet."
The authoritative voice echoed throughout Xingluo Square, instantly silencing the previously noisy square.
All the soldiers maintaining order stood at attention, their rifles striking the ground simultaneously, the rhythmic clanging creating a powerful, chilling atmosphere that permeated the entire area.
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived."
Another loud voice rang out.
Swah——
As this announcement was made, hundreds of thousands of spectators knelt down in unison.
The soldiers responsible for maintaining order knelt on one knee and bowed their heads slightly, while the participating students from various Soul Master academies simply bowed in unison to show their respect for the Star Luo Emperor.
"All of you, rise."
Xu Jiawei's gentle voice came from the city wall.
The audience then stood up, and the students from the participating academies straightened their backs, all eyes turning to the figure on the city wall.
"As the most important event in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent, I am deeply honored to be able to personally preside over the Soul Battle Tournament."
On behalf of the Star Luo Empire, I warmly welcome the participating teams from all academies. I hope you will all achieve your desired results in the competition over the next month.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The team leaders and students from all 133 colleges bowed again in respect.
Xu Jiawei's gaze returned to the front of the rest area, and he nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Without further ado, I believe everyone has been eagerly anticipating this. Therefore, I hereby declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament officially open!"
boom--
As Xu Jiawei finished speaking, a total of 108 cannon salutes rang out from the city wall, and the entire Xingluo Square was engulfed in a deafening roar of excitement.
After Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao took their seats in the main seats, the former prime minister stepped forward a few steps, gathered his soul power, and loudly proclaimed:
"A total of 133 colleges participated in this competition. After a draw, one college received a bye and advanced directly to the second round."
The first round of the competition is a team-based elimination tournament. The first match is between the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy team from the Douling Empire and Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the entire continent.
Now, let's give a warm welcome to the two teams from the first round of this competition!
With these words, the cheers from the audience clearly rose even higher.
But then, as Huo Yuhao slowly walked onto the competition stage alone, the noisy Xingluo Square suddenly became deathly silent, and then an uncontrollable murmur spread among the audience.
"What's going on? Am I seeing things? Only one person from Shrek Academy came up?"
"This boy doesn't look very old. Is he a reserve member? Is Shrek Academy preparing to take on seven opponents by themselves? That's incredibly arrogant!"
"But don't you think he's really handsome? Besides, haven't you heard the rumors about the Shrek Academy team?"
"Could it be? It can't be true!"
"..."
The seven members of the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy who came up from the other side of the stage all looked increasingly grim, and their steps were even a little unsteady.
They had clearly recalled the previous rumors, and now, looking at Huo Yuhao alone opposite them, they had only one thought in their minds.
Are we really going to fight a 100,000-year-old soul beast?
The referee, standing in the center of the arena, frowned slightly, glanced at Huo Yuhao, and reminded him, "Shrek Academy player, please note. This is a team battle, not an individual match. Please get your teammates on the field as soon as possible."
As a referee with the cultivation level of a Soul Douluo, he could naturally sense that Huo Yuhao was a pure human. In his opinion, the talk of a 100,000-year-old soul beast or some kind of transformation was completely nonsense.
Even in previous competitions, Shrek Academy would never be so arrogant as to only allow reserve players to participate in the knockout stage.
The knockout stage is a single-elimination tournament; if you lose, you can pack your bags and go home.
Huo Yuhao replied calmly, "Of course I know this is a team battle, but His Majesty the Star Luo Emperor asked me to prepare a special warm-up for the opening of this tournament."
After all, he had received a free soul bone from Xu Jiawei, and besides, this coincided with Huo Yuhao's thoughts.
The more talent and strength he displays, the more uneasy Dai Hao will become.
Furthermore, in his previous life, he was forcibly confined to a room by a Title Douluo at the Star Emperor Hotel to check whether he was a ferocious beast in human form.
To be honest, the security measures at the Star Emperor Hotel are practically non-existent.
Upon hearing that it was related to the Star Luo Emperor, the referee's expression immediately became solemn, and he fell silent.
Once the seven contestants from Tianling Academy stood trembling, the referee took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"I think everyone is clear about the rules. Both sides may use most of their soul tools in the match. If one side concedes, the other side may not continue to attack. Both sides, now step back to the sides of the arena and await my command to begin the match."
Once both sides had retreated to the edge of the field, the referee, who was standing in the center of the field, slowly raised his right hand.
The entire Xingluo Square seemed to freeze for a moment as the referee moved.
Hundreds of thousands of eyes were now focused on Huo Yuhao, everyone wanting to know if this Shrek Academy student was really as rumored.
The Tianling Academy team members were shaking even more violently. All seven of them were nervously staring in Huo Yuhao's direction. If it weren't for their captain holding on with all his might, they probably would have already thought about abandoning the competition and running away.
"The match begins—"
With the referee's resounding shout that echoed throughout the arena, an indescribable sense of terror suddenly and abruptly appeared on the competition stage.
An extremely cold aura erupted from Huo Yuhao, and ice-blue dragon scales instantly covered his entire body, shimmering dazzlingly in the sunlight.
A blizzard, visible to the naked eye, rose from beneath his feet. The sudden blizzard spread and expanded almost instantly, transforming the entire massive competition arena into a white, snow-covered world in the blink of an eye.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, seven blood-red spirit rings appeared behind Huo Yuhao.
The terrifying aura of that 100,000-year-old soul ring still made everyone in the arena tremble, even through the protective shield of the arena.
The audience fell silent instantly, while on the city wall, Xu Jiawei, Dai Hao, and the civil and military officials behind them all stood up abruptly, their faces filled with shock, clearly unable to believe what they were seeing.
Xu Jiawei looked at Dai Hao's face, which had turned ashen and almost black, and smiled bitterly to himself:
"Huo Yuhao, you've really given me a huge surprise. If I had known there was someone like this who wanted me dead, I probably wouldn't have dared to close my eyes at night."
Even though Xu Jiawei had informed Huo Yuhao beforehand, he had no idea that Huo Yuhao could pull off such a grand show. But without a doubt, the effect was excellent.
"It's fake, it must be fake."
Xiao Hongchen clenched his fists tightly, his face turning grim.
As a genius who reached the Soul King level and became a Level 5 Soul Master before the age of fifteen, he was always extremely proud that his talent was the best among his peers.
But now, not only is Huo Yuhao going to take away his sister, but his own talent as a Soul Master is also going to be completely outclassed by him.
How could he possibly shoot Huo Yuhao's butt with a soul-guided cannon?
I'm afraid that during the match, I'll get completely dominated by my opponent.
Huo Yuhao, you've made me lose completely!
The situation on the competition stage changed once again.
One of the seven crimson spirit rings shone brightly, and the next moment, a deep and majestic dragon roar resounded through the sky.
hold head high--
Amidst the horrified gazes of countless onlookers, Huo Yuhao's figure vanished from the competition stage.
Instead, an enormous, ice-blue dragon appeared in mid-air.
The dragon's entire body was made of ice crystals, its wings blotted out the sky, and every scale shimmered with diamond-like light.
The extreme cold of the dragon's might spread wildly, and with the flapping of its massive dragon wings, a huge ice and snow storm descended from the sky, causing the temperature on the entire arena to plummet at an alarming rate.
Even the yellow protective shield maintained by multiple Soul Masters gradually turned white and was eventually frozen solid. The raging cold wave instantly covered the seven members of the Heavenly Spirit Academy.
The Soul Masters responsible for maintaining the protective shield were suffering terribly. The extreme cold was constantly seeping into their bodies through the Soul Guidance Protective Shield, making it difficult for their Soul Power to circulate.
After the snow and ice slowly dissipated, what came into everyone's view was seven lifelike ice sculptures, each with a different posture.
Behind the ice sculpture, the protective shield, which was purely formed from soul power, had solidified into a huge wall of ice crystals, gleaming in the sunlight.
The figure of the frost dragon disappeared, and Huo Yuhao reappeared in the same spot, his long black hair fluttering in the wind and snow.
In a world still covered in ice and snow, it appeared even more gentle and ethereal, making it impossible to associate it with the terrifying frost dragon from before.
Huo Yuhao casually stomped his foot, and the ice crystals on the seven ice sculptures melted one after another, revealing the Tianling Academy contestants who were still unconscious inside.
He looked at the referee, who was already in shock, and calmly asked, "Can we declare the match over?"
The stunned referee finally snapped out of his daze and exhaled a heavy puff of white breath.
Only by being on the same stage as him could he more clearly perceive just how extreme the chill was.
Just now, his soul seemed to freeze for a moment because of the frost dragon's might, which is why he was unable to stop the dragon's attack in time.
Without a doubt, that is the true form of the Martial Soul!
Such a young Soul Saint?
This is the first time in the history of the Soul Fighting Tournament that a Soul Saint-level contestant has appeared.
The referee felt his throat go dry. After quickly checking that the Tianling Academy contestant was not seriously injured, his respect for Huo Yuhao deepened.
The opponent's control over their own abilities has clearly reached a level of complete mastery.
The referee composed himself and announced loudly, "Shrek Academy wins the first match of the elimination round!"
At this moment, Xingluo Square fell completely silent.
But after a brief silence came even more frenzied cheers, and the atmosphere of the entire venue was completely ignited at that moment.
An overwhelming and invincible crushing force, seven 100,000-year soul rings, and that frost dragon that seemed to be the true form of a martial soul.
The spectators at the scene never expected to see something so exciting in the first round of elimination matches; their ticket money was definitely worth it!
Especially considering Huo Yuhao's handsome appearance, coupled with the previous rumors of romantic entanglements, it's no wonder that ordinary viewers blushed.
Even the female students from other academies in front of the rest area had their eyes sparkling with admiration, wishing they could replace the girls from Shrek Academy and get close to Huo Yuhao themselves.
The atmosphere within the Sun and Moon team was completely different, appearing exceptionally gloomy and desolate.
This year, it seems, will be another year where they strive for second place.
This applies not only to this session, but probably to the next session as well.
Xiao Hongchen lowered his eyes, shook his head with a complicated expression, and his voice was filled with an unprecedented sense of confusion.
"Dream, you say my life has been like walking on thin ice, will I ever reach the other side?"
Seeing his older brother deeply affected, Meng Hongchen, who had merged with Huo Yuhao's soul power, naturally knew Huo Yuhao's true soul power cultivation level.
But Huo Yuhao must have had his reasons for doing this.
Caught between family ties and romantic love, Meng Hongchen's eyes darted around, and a brilliant plan came to mind.
She moved closer to Xiao Hongchen and said confidently, "Brother, don't be discouraged. You still have your sister, me!"
"Dream, you don't understand at all. I can't see through that guy's soul skills at all, and I'm afraid even Elder Ma can't tell the difference between the real and the fake."
Xiao Hongchen has always been an arrogant person. He never thought that there was anyone more talented than him in this world, but Huo Yuhao's soul skill performance completely crushed all his previous understanding.
"Even if his seven 100,000-year soul rings are fake, the terrifying power of his soul skills is something that someone his age could never demonstrate."
He saw it clearly from the sidelines.
If it weren't for the 108 Soul Masters responsible for the protective shield pouring their Soul Power into it, turning the shield a deep yellow, the shield would probably have shattered completely under Huo Yuhao's nonchalant attack.
Meng Hongchen raised an eyebrow and said helplessly, "Brother, military strategy says that if we can't attack head-on, can't we outsmart them?"
Don't forget, your sister and I have a Soul Fusion Skill. Once he becomes the son-in-law of our Hongchen family and joins our Mingde Hall, won't the championship of the next Soul Master Competition be a sure thing?
"Oh dear, it'll be a little tough on me, like offering myself to a tiger. But for the honor of the family, this sacrifice is worthwhile. I think if Grandpa knew, he would definitely approve of my plan."
Xiao Hongchen, who was still depressed, almost burst out laughing on the spot after hearing these words.
"Meng Hongchen, what kind of nonsense is this? You're just throwing yourself away. Don't even think about it. Even if I, Xiao Hongchen, jump off the Mingdu city wall, I will never let you get close to that bastard Huo Yuhao."
"Brother, we don't even have city walls in the Ming Dynasty..."
"Dream of the Red Dust, are you determined to drive me to my death?!"
(End of this chapter)