Unrivaled Tang Sect - Chapter 229 - The Story Behind The Baked Bread
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Chapter 229 - The Story Behind The Baked Bread

Chapter 226.1: Dazzling Golden True Body

Other than this heavy cannon, He Caitou looked just like a steel porcupine, as uncountable cannon barrels emerged all over his body. He was practically a metal monster! He Caitou's entire body was completely covered by this soul tool fortress.

He Caitou and Huo Yuhao were the only soul engineers among the Shrek's Seven Monsters. Huo Yuhao was both a soul engineer and a soul master, while He Caitou was a pure soul engineer. Most of the time, Huo Yuhao was far too outstanding, to the point where he would steal all the limelight away from He Caitou. However, He Caitou had been working hard this whole time, and had been able to casually focus on his own cultivation and research with Huo Yuhao's halo masking him. His improvements and advancements with soul tools over the past two years in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy were definitely comparable to Huo Yuhao's.

The other five immediately separated, and He Caitou was all by himself as his body flickered before countless beams of light erupted and went straight for Han Ruoruo.

w.a.n.g Yan was the referee, but even his jaw hung slack at this moment. This explosive attack from He Caitou is way too powerful!

Han Ruoruo could feel the imminent threat from her opponent acutely. She finally chose to avoid meeting this force head-on, and opted to evade this attack instead. The Dazzling Golden Rope that was soaring forward suddenly changed direction and plummeted downwards before it planted itself steadily onto the ground, while Han Ruoruo's shook her body subtly before she propelled herself away.

One could see from a distance that there was an enormous pillar of light surging forward like a shooting star somewhere high up on the Sea G.o.d's Island. This was the effect of He Caitou's soul tool fortress being used at full power. Juxtaposed with the disturbance caused by his explosive sh.e.l.l, the academy was finally riled up.

Everybody else began to move when He Caitou launched this attack. Xiao Xiao began to blow her Ninephoenix Wors.h.i.+pping Flute once more, and one soul ring sparkled on her body as light rippled outward. However, these circles weren't targeting Han Ruoruo, they were going for the Berserk Lightning Panther, Chu Qingtian, who was evading the attack on one side and currently watching He Caitou with a look of astonishment.

Chu Qingtian had truly been frightened. He was part of the Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, but this was the first time he had seen a high-level soul engineer's prowess.

Another person slunk out when He Caitou fired his attack… Jiang Nannan.

Jiang Nannan was an agility-type soul master, and her lean and slender thighs pushed off the ground and jumped more than ten meters horizontally. She arrived next to Chu Qingtian after another bounce.

Chu Qingtian was also an agility-type soul master, and he was even known as the fastest person in the inner courtyard, so his reaction wasn't slow at all. Even though Jiang Nannan had a weaker cultivation, he had already seen the Shrek's Seven Monsters' prowess, and he didn't dare to be complacent at all. His body image flashed as he attempted to escape the battlefield. He was still confident in his own speed.

However, a dash of golden light suddenly flickered across his eyes right at this moment, and another streak of white light flashed by immediately afterwards. His mind was instantly thrown into a complete blank, while everything around him became blurry. The sky around him seemed like it was spinning round and round, and his body had only just left the ground before he touched down once more.

Huo Yuhao's fourth soul ring was sparkling; it was his Spirit Eyes' fourth soul skill, Spiritual Confusion!

All Jiang Nannan needed was this little bit of time. Han Ruoruo had been forced away by He Caitou's a.s.sault, who had been positioned towards her right side. This forced Han Rourou to dodge towards the left, while Chu Qingtian was already on the right. This meant Han Rourou and Chu Qingtian were separated the moment He Caitou launched his attack.

Han Ruoruo knew that he was in trouble, but it was too late to help him. On the other side, Jiang Nannan had arrived right next to Chu Qingtian.

She planted her right foot on Chu Qingtian's abdomen and kicked Chu Qingtian's body until his back arched upwards. Jiang Nannan grabbed Chu Qingtian's shoulder immediately afterwards, while her soft and tender waist flipped backwards, tossing Chu Qingtian heavily onto the ground.

There was no need to see what happened next. Their cultivations were similar enough, and Chu Qingtian was disoriented because of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Confusion. Jiang Nannan threw another right kick before she used Waist Bow and threw him into the air.

He Caitou's soul tool fortress rapidly turned towards him, terrifying Chu Qingtian, who had just recovered his senses.

Fortunately, this was just a practice battle. He Caitou's petrifying cannon barrels flickered once before they returned to normal.

Han Ruoruo had been forced backwards, but she responded immediately. Another golden soul ring sparkled as her elegant figure bounced off the ground, and circles of light waved outward. While she defended herself in every possible way, her Dazzling Golden Rope snaked with lightning speed towards Jiang Nannan and Chu Qingtian.

Providing aid to their compatriots was the most important role of control-type soul masters.

However, Huo Yuhao was also the main control-type soul master of his team. How could he give her this chance?

He channeled his Spiritual Confusion as he reached out with his right hand, and w.a.n.g Dong'er slid into his embrace. She hadn't been doing much throughout the entire battle.

An enormous eye with a vertical pupil and tinged with incredibly beautiful colors instantly appeared on the battlefield.

This vertical eye's brilliance was far too ill.u.s.trious, to the point where Han Ruoruo couldn't ignore it. The alarm in her heart paused her forward momentum momentarily, and a golden road immediately stretched out before her. If she hadn't stopped in her tracks, then that golden road would have shone directly upon her.

The three-colored radiance flickered, and the dazzling Golden Road sprawled horizontally in front of her eyes.

The Golden Road didn't touch Han Ruoruo at all… but it struck her Dazzling Golden Rope!

The Dazzling Golden Rope's forward movement ceased, and it grew soft and slack, as if it had lost all vitality. It couldn't complete its rescue mission for Chu Qingtian. Thus, w.a.n.g Yan had already ruled Chu Qingtian out of the battle at this point. If He Caitou hadn't shown mercy, this Berserk Lightning Panther would have been cooked.

Shrek's Seven Monsters chose to divide and conquer even when they were seven versus three against a Soul Emperor, a Soul Sage, and a Soul Douluo, and their plan succeeded.

Even Han Ruoruo was unable to save her two comrades in time. Even though Xu Sans.h.i.+ had been kicked out, this exchange of one for two was worth it for Shrek's Seven Monsters.

Han Ruoruo paused and stared at the five of them who were still maintaining their complete formation, and didn't prevent Jiang Nannan from jumping back to rejoin them.

She nodded softly and said, "It's no wonder the academy granted you all the t.i.tle of Shrek's Seven Monsters for life. We were not nearly as powerful as you guys when we were your age. However, you guys are still young. Let me teach you a lesson."

She made this statement very casually, and there wasn't a tinge of outrageousness or arrogance in it at all. It felt as if it was a simple statement of fact, but immense pressure began to rise in the Shrek's Seven Monsters' hearts at this moment.

Han Ruoruo raised both arms at the same time, and silver light burst forth from her eyes again. The Dazzling Golden Rope spun around her pet.i.te frame rapidly, and began to dance.

The light became increasingly blurry, and Huo Yuhao realized to his shock that his Spiritual Detection couldn't reach her anymore, it couldn't pierce those golden circles. Han Ruoruo's Dazzling Golden Rope was charged with spiritual undulations; this was an effect obtained by fusing spiritual power and soul power together.

He Caitou's dark golden cannon barrel sparkled, and golden lights spurted continually. However, he had lost Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection lock-on, and thus wasn't so confident in his shot's accuracy anymore.

He was a Cla.s.s 7 soul engineer, but he was ultimately still a Soul Emperor. The heavy cannon on his shoulder was a Cla.s.s 7 soul tool, but one more blast would consume too much of his soul power, possibly more than it had in the previous strike.

A pale silver light covered Han Ruoruo's body, and she stared at Huo Yuhao meaningfully before she vanished entirely, along with the mix of gold and silver lights.

Countless Dazzling Golden Ropes that were both gold and silver erupted in all directions when she disappeared, blanketing the entire battlefield in an instant.

Circles of the same colors rapidly appeared on the ground, and bore towards Shrek's Seven Monsters with blinding speed.

The Dazzling Golden True Body! Faced with the pressure of Shrek's Seven Monsters, Han Ruoruo had finally used her martial soul true body.

This was also a martial soul true body, but the feeling she gave the six of them was vastly different from before. What was different? There was no longer a single target!

Wu Ming's martial soul true body was charged with high-temperature Golden Crow Primordial Fire, but her original body was still there. However, Han Ruoruo's Dazzling Golden True Body was similar to Chu Qingtian's Lightning Transformation; she transformed into innumerable Dazzling Golden Ropes, how were they supposed to a.s.sault them?

Bei Bei was the first to suffer.

Bei Bei planted his right foot heavily onto the ground when he realized things were going wrong, then he activated his Thunderous Dragon Head toward the ground. Large patches of lightning spread across the ground as he attempted to impede the Dazzling Golden True Body's advance.

However, his attack was completely futile. The Dazzling Golden True Body didn't even pause for a moment amongst the flickering streaks of lightning, and it continued to surge forward. A gold and silver circle of light soundlessly appeared beneath Bei Bei's feet, and a gold and silver beam of light rose into the sky immediately afterwards, sending Bei Bei flying through the air.

All his soul power and his soul skills were sealed once he was struck. He was completely wrapped up by the Dazzling Golden Rope once he was tossed into the sky.

Han Ruoruo didn't just use her Dazzling Golden True Body. She was their senior sister, and the arrogance and pride in her heart was triggered when Shrek's Seven Monsters displayed their prowess. She had also used her eighth and most powerful soul skill: Golden Skysurge.

This was an incredibly powerful domain-like soul skill that could be used on a group of targets or a single target!

Chapter 226.2: Dazzling Golden True Body

Jiang Nannan almost instantly followed Bei Bei's footsteps, and was hurled into the air.

Xiao Xiao had already laid down her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron and attempted to shake off Han Ruoruo's Dazzling Golden True Body. However, her actions were to no avail as well, and in the end, both her and her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron were sent into the sky.

Han Ruoruo had erupted with her seventh and eighth soul skills at the same time. She was a powerful Soul Douluo after all, and Shrek's Seven Monsters didn't stand any chance if she purely used her strength to overpower them.

Huo Yuhao felt trouble coming the moment she made her move. He still couldn't find out where she really was, since Han Ruoruo's spiritual power was comparable to his, and her soul power was so much stronger, in addition to the fact that she was using her martial soul true body. Huo Yuhao needed a cultivation of seven soul rings to suppress her with spiritual power at the least; anything else was impossible.

He stretched his arms out wide and hugged w.a.n.g Dong'er while his eyes lit up at the same time. Another pair of huge dark blue eyes sparkled along with his.

The Snow Lady's pet.i.te frame instantly enlarged, and the Snow Empress' virtual projection appeared behind Huo Yuhao's back. The water around the Sea G.o.d's Island began to ripple torrentially after it appeared.

The air grew moist as enormous snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Huo Yuhao gradually masked his own figure among all those snowflakes.

The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice had finally descended upon the world once more!

This was the fusion between the Ice Empress' Domain of Perpetual Ice and the Snow Empress' Snowy Dance of the Brilliant Sun. Both were incredibly powerful soul skills in their own right.

The temperature across the entire battleground began to plummet. Wu Ming had long since backed out of the battlefield, and was back to normal, but her expression changed in an instant.

This was because she was a fire-type soul master, so her perception of this extreme chill was far more conspicuous. She could clearly feel how low the battlefield's temperature had dropped.

Bei Bei, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan had been thrown out of the circle after they were tossed into the air one after another. This was a practice battle after all, and Han Ruoruo definitely didn't want to hurt them.

Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er's figures vanished within the tremendous patches of ice and frost, and even He Caitou's disappeared as well. The ground was covered with gold and silver circles of light in the same instant.

Streak after streak of dual-colored light surged up from the ground and stirred the waltzing snowflakes in the sky, attempting to find the three of them. However, just like how Huo Yuhao couldn't determine Han Ruoruo's location, Han Ruoruo couldn't find Huo Yuhao either, not within his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice.

Wu Ming's expression was a little sullen. She knew that she had already lost to Huo Yuhao in terms of elements, the palm she took before this was based on that elemental difference. Her Golden Crow Primordial Fire was strong, but it was nowhere near as extreme as Huo Yuhao's ice and snow. Her element had been overpowered, and the formidable chill from that simple-looking strike had defeated her.

"Go, Ruoruo!" While Wu Ming's despondence was extremely ephemeral, her mentality was very strong, and she immediately began to cheer for Han Ruoruo.

The gold and silver circles started to transform on the ground. They gradually dissipated, and everything changed into horizontal patterns of light. These patterns began to ripple immediately afterwards, and they swept up into the sky like tidal waves. The turbulent ice and snow was stirred up even more vigorously, and the air was filled with dense, extremely powerful soul power undulations.

The ice and snow that were originally concentrated inside the Sparring Arena were whipped into pieces, and they gradually drifted into the air outside. Han Ruoruo had unleashed her sixth soul skill, Golden Wave. This was an areof-effect control-type soul skill, and its main function was to dispel.

She naturally couldn't dispel Huo Yuhao's domain, but she could still dispel the ice and snow that Huo Yuhao had formed inside this domain with his soul power.

The situation immediately descended into an impa.s.se.

It was alright if she couldn't find Huo Yuhao, as Han Ruoruo had absolute confidence that he would still be the first to drop if this stalemate was allowed to continue. He was only a Soul King after all, and their cultivations were ultimately still worlds apart.

Furthermore, Han Ruoruo's Golden Wave meant that Huo Yuhao's snowflakes were also within the area of effect. This combat practice would be over the moment she discovered Huo Yuhao.

"We've lost, senior sister." Huo Yuhao didn't attempt to keep this up, and his voice resonated through the air.

It was almost like an instant reaction to opportunity. Han Ruoruo's Dazzling Golden True Body immediately pinpointed his location when his voice rang out, and her Golden Wave transformed back into the Golden Skysurge and barreled towards them.

However, a dark blue streak flickered once in midair, and a crack slashed through her Golden Skysurge. Three snowflakes rapidly drifted down outside the Sparring Arena as they revealed their human forms: Huo Yuhao, w.a.n.g Dong'er, and He Caitou.

Huo Yuhao's face was a little pale, and it was apparent that this was caused by expending too much soul power. The ice and snow swiftly disappeared from the mountaintop, while the gold and silver colors receded Han Ruoruo stood all by herself in center of the Sparring Arena.

However, she didn't have the look of elation that she was supposed to have after certain victory; there was only astonishment.

"You… you can break through my Golden Skysurge?" Huo Yuhao's sword naturally wasn't able to break through completely, but this was only because there was a tremendous gap between their cultivations. Han Ruoruo was absolutely certain that her Golden Skysurge wouldn't have been able to withstand Huo Yuhao's dark blue sword radiance if they had the same cultivation. That sword had possessed both extreme chill and incredible sharpness.

Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, "I did no such thing. You're too powerful, senior sister."

Yes, Han Ruoruo was too powerful. She had practically defeated Shrek's Seven Monsters with a single strike.

Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and Chu Qingtian were still shaken by the Shrek's Seven Monsters' prowess. However, the seven of them seemed a little dull… they had been defeated, after all.

This was what a gap in ability and cultivation meant, and perhaps also what a gap in battle experience meant. Han Ruoruo had been one versus six, but they had had no chance at all. Wu Ming was only knocked out because her element was countered, and she wasn't familiar with Huo Yuhao's abilities.

The temperature of the Sparring Arena had dropped from all the ice and snow strewn across the ground. The teachers that came from elsewhere to watch were both stunned and slack-jawed. They came over to emphasize the importance of safety, and they inspected the grounds to ensure that they hadn't been overly damaged before they walked away.

Xu Sans.h.i.+ grumbled, "Senior sister Han, you're too brutal. I didn't even get to use my real abilities before I was thrown out of the fight."

Han Ruoruo snapped, "You didn't get to use your abilities? You managed to swap Ming'er away. What's up with you, Ming'er? You couldn't even last a little while longer?"

Wu Ming was even more despondent than Xu Sans.h.i.+ was. "I couldn't take it, Ruoruo! I don't even know what soul skill Huo Yuhao used when he hit me with his palm, but my martial soul true body was instantly dispelled. If he hadn't withdrawn his soul power in time, I might've been severely wounded. His Ultimate Ice is powerful… his element completely overpowered mine."

Han Ruoruo's gaze changed a little when she turned towards Huo Yuhao again. Han Ruoruo hadn't felt comfortable inside his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice either. She was fettered by the low temperature and extreme chill even under the effects of her Dazzling Golden True Body. The snowflakes that fell from the sky possessed formidable offensive strength at the same time, and she had consumed a lot of soul power. Not to mention the stunning sword that sliced open her Golden Skysurge at the end, which left an exceptionally strong impression.

"Stop complaining, everyone." w.a.n.g Yan came over with a smile on his face. "This sparring match was short, but it was spectacular. Bei Bei, Yuhao, you guys lost the fight, but you guys were still glorious in defeat. You guys have to know that Ruoruo is considered one of the strongest students in the inner courtyard, and the cultivation difference isn't something that can be made up with numbers.

"This was a practice battle after all, so it's natural for everyone to feel a little restrained. You guys have already adjusted extremely well. It seems like the two years that the few of you have spent apart didn't diminish your teamwork or your tacit understandings. In fact, it was Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and Qingtian who were lacking rapport. Ruoruo, you underestimated your opponents from the very beginning, right?"

Han Ruoruo blushed a little when she met w.a.n.g Yan's intense gaze, and nodded slightly. She had indeed underestimated her adversaries; the gap in their cultivations was simply too great, and she possessed a martial soul true body while they didn't, which meant a world of difference. Otherwise, a.s.sault-type soul masters would never make the first move in a group battle; it was always the control-type soul masters who unleashed their soul skills first. If she shared a better coordination or chemistry with Wu Ming, then Wu Ming wouldn't have landed herself in that awkward situation.

w.a.n.g Yan chuckled and said, "And you, Qingtian, you weren't able to display your full power, and your reactions were a little slow. If you had used your Lightning Transformation the moment Ming'er was swapped away by that Mysterious Underworld Displacement, she might have been able to escape the soul skills that came right after."

Chu Qingtian nodded as Wu Ming shot a fierce glare in his direction. It was clear that she wasn't very pleased with his performance.

w.a.n.g Yan turned towards Wu Ming and said, "Actually, you did a good job. A fight between soul masters means both sides must try their best to suppress each other by maximizing their respective strengths and fortes. However, you have to be clear about what's up with your opponents. Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice isn't a secret, and I know you wanted to fight against it in your heart. The fact that it can be described as an Ultimate element already proves his elemental advantage. However, even I didn't expect Huo Yuhao to be able to break your martial soul true body. Still, your defeat isn't unfair at all. Even though you're a Soul Sage, it's not easy to defend yourself against six people barraging you at the same time. The only problem was with your mentality. You must have thought that the others wouldn't be able to do anything to you if you unleashed your martial soul true body, so breaking through their siege wouldn't be too difficult, and you could possibly turn the tables on them instead. If you had opted to break through their encirclement instead of facing them head-on, you might have had a different outcome."

Chapter 226.3: Dazzling Golden True Body

Wu Ming was initially astonished as she listened to w.a.n.g Yan's a.n.a.lysis, but this quickly transformed into admiration and respect. She had felt that it wasn't worth it when Han Ruoruo walked away with w.a.n.g Yan that day. w.a.n.g Yan was a teacher, but he only had six rings, and he was more than forty years old. It was hard to say whether he could become a t.i.tled Douluo in his lifetime. In contrast, Han Ruoruo had already become a powerful Soul Douluo at the age of a little more than thirty, so she was bound to become a t.i.tled Douluo in the future. There was an immense distance between their power and potential.

But she had to admit that w.a.n.g Yan's observation skills, his perception of people, and his ability to judge abilities were exceptional as she continued listening to his a.n.a.lysis. He was almost able to describe her exact mentality and thoughts.

w.a.n.g Yan turned towards Shrek's Seven Monsters after he was done with the three of them. "You guys did alright just now, and your teamwork was a lot better in comparison. However, there were many problems as well. Bei Bei, Sans.h.i.+, have you guys tried your best?"

Bei Bei exchanged a look with Xu Sans.h.i.+. w.a.n.g Yan hadn't given them pointers in a long time, and he hit the right note in his first statement.

Wu Ming's eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Ah, you guys dared to hold back in a practice battle against us?"

Bei Bei pulled a long face and replied, "How can we hold anything back, teacher w.a.n.g? Aren't you clear about our abilities?"

w.a.n.g Yan smiled and said, "You are also clear about whether you held back or not. Let's not talk about the fact that your martial souls can mutate, the things you two did on the battlefield were far from the level that your abilities can normally achieve. The two of you have the most experience, and have the highest cultivation amongst the seven of you. Your element might not be as strong as Yuhao's, but the chemistry between the two of you is comparable to that between Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er. Sans.h.i.+ used the Mysterious Underworld Displacement during the previous battle, but what about you, Bei Bei? You were treading water from beginning to end. If I'm not wrong, Sans.h.i.+ had the ability to break free when he was entangled. Even though your cultivation is a world apart from Ruoruo's, you shouldn't have lost so easily. I'm fairly certain that you have other moves you didn't use."

"Uh…"

Xu Sans.h.i.+ and Bei Bei were chided until they could only exchange foolish looks with one another. They really had to respect and admire w.a.n.g Yan!

w.a.n.g Yan smiled and said, "Let me guess what you guys were thinking. I believe you guys wanted to see how everyone has improved, and how their chemistry is like. Not giving your all is also reasonable, as this is a practice combat, after all. I can understand that there are some abilities that are difficult to control once you guys use them, right?"

"You're way too perceptive, teacher w.a.n.g," Xu Sans.h.i.+ spoke sincerely.

w.a.n.g Yan laughed and replied, "I can only see clearer than most. I'm not sure why the two of you decided to tread water, but you guys didn't put in as much effort as Yuhao did in terms of cooperating with the team.

"It's your turn, Xiao Xiao. Your performance wasn't good except for the moment when you blocked Wu Ming's attack by displaying impressive controlling capabilities. Your cooperation with the rest was the most insufficient of the entire team. It's clear that you felt like there was nothing much to do during the later parts of the battle, and you hadn't completely integrated into the group, so you didn't unleash your abilities properly. Therefore, the seven of you practicing together is the right thing to do."

"Yes, teacher w.a.n.g." Xiao Xiao responded with a red tinge in her cheeks. She had toiled in her cultivation over the years, and she had learned so much from Elder Xuan. But during last season's big compet.i.tion, her abilities weren't strong enough and so she didn't have much chemistry or teamwork with her team in the first place. And over the past few years, she had been focusing on increasing her own strength. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was their main control-type soul master, and he wasn't familiar with her abilities either, so Xiao Xiao was a lot more ineffective with Huo Yuhao at the helm.

w.a.n.g Yan turned towards He Caitou with a faint smile. "Caitou, both you and Nannan have given me the most pleasant of surprises. It's clear that you have achieved great success with soul tools, and I am certain that you have other even more powerful abilities, but you didn't channel all your energy for safety reasons."

Han Ruoruo chimed in and said, "Yes, he made me feel very threatened. Otherwise, I wouldn't have used Golden Skysurge directly after using my Dazzling Golden True Body."

He Caitou smiled sheepishly, but didn't say anything.

w.a.n.g Yan then turned towards Jiang Nannan. "Nannan, your abilities are becoming a lot more mature. Even though you're not a Soul Emperor yet, you are no longer just an agility-type soul master on the battlefield, you are also accomplis.h.i.+ng certain controlling functions and capabilities. The person who had the best performance was actually you, and not Yuhao. The reason is because everyone has a different role in a team, and you fulfilled your role exceptionally well."

Jiang Nannan flashed a faint smile, and her enchanting beauty made Xu Sans.h.i.+ exclaim out loud…

w.a.n.g Yan finally looked at Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er, but he heaved a faint sigh instead of anything else.

Huo Yuhao said, "You can speak easy, teacher w.a.n.g. I can take it. I know my performance wasn't good just now."

w.a.n.g Yan shook his head and smiled. "I'm not sighing because your performance wasn't good, I'm sighing because I'm full of awe and admiration.

"Your abilities are just too incredible. I never thought that you would improve to such a level after five years. Even though your performance did have its blemishes, it can be considered quite excellent on the whole. There are a few issues you have to pay attention to. If I'm not wrong, your Domain will also affect your teammates, and the most you can do is prevent them from being injured inside, but it will greatly restrict them and their ability to use their own skills. Otherwise, you wouldn't have used that Domain so late in the battle, correct?"

Huo Yuhao nodded. Niu Tian told him back then that his Domain was good, but it had an all-around impact, and that extreme chill would affect everything within the domain. He could protect the people inside, but the people under his protection would be restricted to some extent, and they wouldn't be able to exercise their own abilities.

w.a.n.g Yan continued, "I've considered that you guys haven't worked together for a long time, and everyone isn't that familiar with each other's soul skills yet, so your performance can still be considered good. This was especially true when you attempted to suppress Ruoruo in the beginning, and you proved the advantage of having spiritual control. You were also holding back, because I vaguely remember that you have a third eye…"

w.a.n.g Yan turned to w.a.n.g Dong'er afterwards and said, "Dong'er, I want to remind you that you are ranked number three in terms of cultivation amongst the entire team. You're a Soul Emperor, and even though you have the advantage of a martial soul fusion with Huo Yuhao, you're not his appendage. During the practice combat, you didn't really use your own abilities at all besides providing support for Huo Yuhao. You also have twin martial souls, and I'm absolutely certain that your six soul skills are not useless. Furthermore, you still have your soul bones, and their attached abilities. You should have been able to accomplish much more. Perhaps you wish to a.s.sist Yuhao, but please don't attach yourself to him."

Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong'er smiled at each other as they listened to w.a.n.g Yan's comments. w.a.n.g Dong'er giggled and said, "You've finally said something wrong, teacher w.a.n.g. That is hard to come by indeed."

"Eh?" w.a.n.g Yan was slightly taken aback, but he quickly understood what was going on. There was a look of revelation on his face as he said, "I understand now. You guys were doing all that on purpose? Is w.a.n.g Dong'er supposed to come out only for killer moves and final blows?"

w.a.n.g Dong'er giggled once more, but didn't say anything else.

Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and Chu Qingtian felt even more incredulous as they listened to w.a.n.g Yan's a.n.a.lysis. These Shrek's Seven Monsters had already shaken them up during the previous sparring session… and yet, they hadn't given everything they had. What level would they reach if they were allowed to exercise all their abilities properly?

w.a.n.g Yan said, "Alright, you guys can continue to practice. I trust that you guys can do better. Ruoruo, Wu Ming, Qingtian, let's give the place over to them. We've been here for quite a while."

"Okay." Han Ruoruo nodded agreement. Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian didn't object either, and they bid their farewells to Shrek's Seven Monsters before they departed the Sparring Arena.

They hadn't walked too far when Han Ruouruo whispered to w.a.n.g Yan, "You said they were all holding back. If they had better teamwork and could exercise all their abilities properly, would they be able to defeat me?"

w.a.n.g Yan laughed and stole a glimpse at her. "It's not like you to lack self-confidence! They will probably need another five years to defeat you. At the very least, most of them have to have their martial soul true bodies before they can accomplish that feat. Defeating you is not possible at the moment. I did point out that they were holding back, but they were also holding back because you were simply too powerful, and you suppressed them to the point where they couldn't really exercise their strengths. The gap between your cultivations is simply too great.

"Everything I said before was mainly to give them more confidence."

Wu Ming slid in from the side and said, "Teacher w.a.n.g, why didn't you ask Huo Yuhao about that palm of his? I still don't understand it even now."

w.a.n.g Yan smiled and replied, "That palm is extremely sophisticated. When he reached out with that palm, I could feel that even time itself seemed freeze. He was even able to dispel your martial soul true body… what level of power is that? That means he must be heavily restricted by something. If I'm not wrong, distance is one of the things restricting him, and that palm of his can only take effect within a certain distance. You have to flex your own strengths if you wish to fight against him, and you will be able to use your martial soul true body to the best of its ability if you use your Golden Crow Primordial Fire at long range. With Huo Yuhao's current cultivation, I don't think he can beat you yet if it's one-on-one."

Han Ruoruo thought of something and said, "One-on-one? What if it's two-versus-one? If w.a.n.g Dong'er is added to the mix…"

w.a.n.g Yan shook his head and said, "That, I don't know. All I can tell you is that during the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, one of them only had three rings, while the other was only had two, and they still managed to unleash four martial soul fusion skills during their final battle."