Chapter 156: Elephant Armored Academy Flopped Again

Looking at the dazzling colorful light spreading across the northern battle platform, Huo Wu slightly parted her red lips, her eyes widening in shock.

She could clearly tell that this was not a Seven-in-One Martial Soul Fusion Skill but rather a Soul Skill Fusion Skill. However, even though it was just a Soul Skill Fusion Skill, it was still quite remarkable.

After all, this fusion skill involved seven participants, making its power undoubtedly superior to an ordinary two-person Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Moreover, this Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Skill appeared to be a spiritual control type. Given Canghui Team's lineup of one Soul Ancestor and six Soul Elders, it was clear that any soul master below the five-ring level would be completely unable to resist it. Even a five-ring Soul King might stumble under its influence.

"Tsk~ What a pity!"

Mu Yang sighed inwardly.

"Pity? What do you mean?"

Huo Wushuang, standing nearby, asked.

"Canghui Team's overall talent is lacking. If they had innate soul power at level six or seven, just this one skill alone would be enough to establish them among the continent's top powerhouses in the future," Mu Yang said, shaking his head.

He had forgotten the exact name of this Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Skill, but he knew its power was nothing to underestimate. Unfortunately, due to the overall weak cultivation talent of these seven, its potential was ultimately limited.

Moreover, a Soul Skill Fusion Skill was fundamentally different from a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The former merely fused soul skills, while the latter involved the direct fusion of martial souls.

Right now, Canghui Team was executing this fusion skill using their captain's fourth soul skill, combined with the third soul skills of the other six members. This was undoubtedly pushing the power of a Soul Skill Fusion Skill to its absolute peak.

However, this didn't mean that when their soul power levels increased in the future, they would be able to maintain this fusion using their highest-level soul skills.

The only guaranteed combination for this Soul Skill Fusion Skill was specifically the captain's fourth soul skill and the third soul skills of the other six members.

"Captain, that move from Canghui Team doesn't seem simple. Could we block it?"

Huo Yun asked in a low voice.

"Pfft, it's just Canghui. If we face them later, our lady Huo Wu can simply activate Repelling Fire Ring at the start. Even if it doesn't immediately knock all seven of them off the stage, it will still disrupt their formation and break their skill," Mu Yang said dismissively.

The battle platform had a diameter of thirty meters, and Huo Wu's third soul skill, Repelling Fire Ring, was an instant-cast ability that covered a range of sixty to seventy meters with a height of three meters. This kind of large-area crowd control soul skill was practically a 'divine skill' in tournament battles.

Once Repelling Fire Ring was activated, no formation could hold, and without their formation, Canghui Team's Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Skill would most likely fail.

Of course, that was assuming Mu Yang didn't make a move himself.

If he acted the moment the match started and hit one of them with True Illusion or Soul Seizing Secret Art, Canghui Team's trump card would be rendered useless regardless.

As for using his overwhelming spiritual power to directly break through their spiritual control-type fusion skill, that was unnecessary. He believed in showing mercy when possible—Canghui Team had no enmity with him, so there was no need to turn them into fools on purpose.

After a while, the massive pillar of seven-colored light on the platform gradually faded, the radiant glow receded, and everything around them became clear again, revealing the fourteen members of both teams.

However, unlike before the match, only Canghui Team's seven members remained standing. The seven burly members of Elephant Armored Team were now all lying unconscious on the stage.

Seeing this, even before the referee could announce the result, Elephant Armored Academy's dean, Hu Yan Hong, immediately rushed onto the platform to check on his team's condition.

His reaction was understandable. All seven members of Elephant Armored Team were his juniors, and their captain, Hu Yan Li, was not only the direct grandson of his elder brother Hu Yan Zhen but also the most talented genius in the Elephant Armored Clan. He carried the future hopes of their sect, so any mishap was absolutely unacceptable.

"Senior, no need to worry. We didn't go too far—they're just unconscious," Canghui Team's captain reassured the visibly tense Hu Yan Hong.

Canghui Team's seven members were well aware of their own academy's limited strength. The Elephant Armored Academy and the powerful Elephant Armored Clan behind them were entities they couldn't afford to provoke.

Moreover, the Soul Master Tournament had strict rules against causing severe injuries or fatalities. They wouldn't dare to be too ruthless.

Otherwise, even if the tournament committee didn't punish them harshly, their own academy wouldn't be able to handle the retaliation from Elephant Armored Academy and the Elephant Armored Clan afterward.

"Whew~"

After carefully inspecting them and confirming that Hu Yan Li and the other six were indeed only unconscious without any severe mental trauma, just as Canghui Team's captain had said, Hu Yan Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there were no irreversible accidents, the outcome of the match didn't really matter. Losing in the preliminaries to a non-elemental academy was something Elephant Armored Academy had long been accustomed to.

Moreover, losing to a rare Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Skill wasn't particularly disgraceful.

At this moment, the referee stepped onto the stage and announced the match result:

"Preliminary Round, Fifth Match—Elephant Armored Academy versus Canghui Academy! Canghui Academy wins!"

"This year's Soul Master Tournament… Elephant Armored Academy flopped again~"

Looking at the seven unconscious members of Elephant Armored Team being carried off the stage like dead pigs, Mu Yang couldn't help but sigh.

Although Elephant Armored Academy had only lost one out of their five matches so far, it was already certain that they wouldn't be able to secure a spot for the next stage of the tournament.

Neither the four elemental academies nor Shrek Academy were teams Elephant Armored Academy could compete with.

As expected, there was a reason why some people excluded Elephant Armored Academy from the elemental academies, believing that only four elemental academies existed within the Heaven Dou Empire instead of five.

Elephant Armored Academy's consistently poor performance in the Soul Master Tournament, frequently failing to advance to the knockout rounds, placed it on a completely different level compared to the other four elemental academies, which qualified for the knockout rounds every year. It was no surprise that some no longer considered Elephant Armored Academy as part of the elemental academies.

"I don't really know what's going on, but my father said that in recent decades, Elephant Armored Academy has been getting worse and worse.

If this continues, they might really be excluded from the four elemental academies."

Huo Wu said seriously.

Glancing at her, Mu Yang whispered, "Have you ever considered the possibility that… Elephant Armored Academy has already been excluded?"

Huo Wu: "…"

Well, now that she thought about it, that might actually be the case.

Ever since the Elephant Armored Clan became lapdogs of the Spirit Hall, the stance of Elephant Armored Academy had also shifted accordingly.

Not to mention Thunderclap Academy, which was affiliated with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—even Fire, Sky Water, and Divine Wind Academies, which had always maintained neutrality, had started subtly distancing themselves from Elephant Armored Academy.

Different paths meant no common cause. With their diverging stances and Elephant Armored Academy's declining performance, it was only natural for them to be excluded from the elemental academies