"The wise repay hatred with justice and kindness with kindness."
A familiar voice rose by Huo Yu'er's ear, snapping her out of her rage-filled state.
"Master?!"
Huo Yu'er looked around but couldn't find Ye Wen anywhere. However, after considering her master's abilities, it was perfectly normal that a Great Soul Master like her couldn't locate him.
Ye Wen added more fuel to the fire.
"Beat him! If you don't leave him half-dead today, I'll personally set your next training regimen."
Huo Yu'er opened her mouth, still vividly remembering the intensity of Ye Wen's training—it was far more brutal than anything Shrek Academy could offer. Though Ye Wen delivered these icy words with his usual warm tone, Huo Yu'er felt a comforting warmth in her heart.
Huo Yu'er adjusted her state slightly, cracking her knuckles until they popped audibly.
"Xiao Xiao, Wu Lin, I'll take the lead, and you two support me."
Though Huo Yu'er wasn't the strongest in terms of cultivation among the first-year students, over the past three months, she had established herself as the most formidable presence.
Xiao Xiao and Tang Wu Lin didn't hesitate to agree.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yi, the homeroom teacher of Class One, watched from the stands with cold disdain, sneering at Huo Yu'er.
Over the past month since consuming the immortal herb, Huo Yu'er had been deliberately hiding her true strength, never revealing that she had already broken through to Level 20.
In Zhou Yi's eyes, while Huo Yu'er might hold her own in one-on-one combat, she would undoubtedly drag her teammates down in this three-person freshmen tournament, leading to their eventual elimination.
"State your names," the referee announced.
Huo Yu'er's side spoke first. "Huo Yu'er, Xiao Xiao, Tang Wu Lin."
"Dai Huabing, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie," the opposing team replied.
Ye Wen's gaze swept back and forth across the six participants on the stage—not because of any lecherous intent, as they were all just kids who hadn't fully matured yet.
His focus lingered more on Tang Wulin. He vaguely recalled that in the original timeline, Tang San named his son Tang Wulin and his daughter Tang Wutong. The first two characters represented Tang San and Xiao Wu's love, while the latter carried different expectations.
For boys, the name symbolized being an auspicious child like the mythical qilin. For girls, it represented the hope of becoming a phoenix tree that attracts a noble mate, with the added implication of high moral character.
Ye Wen chuckled silently. 'Only Tang San, the paragon of purity, could come up with such names.'
As for Dai Huabing? Ye Wen couldn't even be bothered to glance at him. Anyone capable of harming an eight-year-old loli—what kind of decent person could he possibly be?
Finally, Ye Wen's gaze settled briefly on Cui Yajie.
Her Nine-Tailed Fox spirit—a truly nostalgic sight. This was the same spirit wielded by Hu Liena, one of Bibi Dong's disciples, an exceptionally powerful spirit excelling in both spiritual and physical aspects.
Unfortunately, this girl was nothing more than a minor character; she had no significant role later on.
After both teams summoned their spirits, Ye Wen's expression grew slightly odd.
"Did Tang San get abused by Xiao Wu? Why would he choose this spirit?"
There stood Tang Wu Lin, looking rather puppy-like, with two pink bunny ears sprouting from his forehead as his spirit rings lit up.
And indeed, his spirit was none other than the Soft Bone Rabbit.
Seeing such a setup on a boy was… quite eye-watering.
Ye Wen couldn't help but wonder if he'd gotten it wrong. Could this still be the cross-dressing Tang Wutong from the original timeline? He discreetly activated divine power to probe Tang Wulin.
Of course, Ye Wen didn't directly peek into Tang Wulin's consciousness—that domain was under constant surveillance by Tang San's lingering godly awareness.
Such suffocating control would make any mature child with a sense of privacy feel nauseated.
After confirming that Tang Wulin was indeed male, Ye Wen felt even more disgusted and shifted his gaze away.
At this moment, the little Snow Maiden began clapping and cheering.
Contrary to Zhou Yi's claims, Huo Yu'er hadn't dragged her team down in previous matches. Instead, the trio had crushed their opponents with overwhelming force to reach this point.
Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle.
Dai Huabing, deeply influenced by this principle, knew that if they split up, they would be defeated one by one.
"Cui Yajie, hold them off!" Dai Huabing commanded loudly.
Though Cui Yajie disliked Dai Huabing's domineering tone, she also didn't want to lose here.
"First Spirit Skill—Charm!"
But just as Cui Yajie began generating mental fluctuations, Huo Yu'er immediately shouted, "Close your eyes!"
In group combat, the captain's orders were absolute. Xiao Xiao and Tang Wulin instantly shut their eyes and continued charging forward.
At the same time, Huo Yu'er summoned her two spirit rings. Her first ring, as white as jade, activated almost simultaneously with Cui Yajie's Charm skill.
Among the four skills granted by Tian Meng Ice Silkworm, two were overwhelmingly powerful support abilities. If discovered, they would likely attract unwanted attention from the soul-guiding department—a waste of time Ye Wen wouldn't tolerate or bother teaching Huo Yu'er.
The Spiritual Chaos Domain was too rare to explain away as a simple ten-year spirit ring, so Huo Yuer consistently showcased her first spirit skill instead.
"First Spirit Skill—Spiritual Shock!!!"
Cui Yajie felt a pair of eyes looming infinitely large before her. Her Charm skill dissipated instantly, followed by an intense wave of pain. Her vision went black, and she collapsed unconscious.
Meanwhile, Dai Huabing unleashed the ancestral technique of the White Tiger Dai Clan.
"Spirit Fusion Technique—Netherworld White Tiger."
The reason Spirit Fusion Techniques were so revered on the Douluo Continent was that two soul masters of the same level could use them to gain the ability to fight above their rank.
From the stands, Ye Wen immediately assessed the Netherworld White Tiger's strength—it hovered between the levels of a Soul Ancestor and a Soul King.
For Huo Yu'er's team, whose average soul power didn't exceed Level 30, this was an overwhelmingly terrifying opponent.
After all, even a small difference in levels among soul masters could result in vastly different combat capabilities.
In the original timeline, Huo Yuhao only managed to defeat Dai Huabing by using a Spirit Fusion Technique with Wang Dong.
However—
Ye Wen wasn't worried. After all, this was his disciple, whom he had trained for several months.
Huo Yuer remained calm under pressure and immediately issued orders.
"Xiao Xiao, restrain him!"
"Got it!"
Birds of a feather flock together. Despite Xiao Xiao's cute and delicate appearance, she boldly unleashed her first spirit—the Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron.
"Second Spirit Skill—Cauldron's Ripple!"
Black ripples surged from the Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron, rushing toward the newly formed Netherworld White Tiger.
The next second, the majestic Netherworld White Tiger froze in place.
But in the face of overwhelming power, this control-type spirit skill couldn't restrain the Netherworld White Tiger for even a single second.
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