"Pff!"
Huo Tongtian grunted, spewing a mouthful of fresh blood, and staggered back, retreating repeatedly on the platform before finally stabilizing his balance after more than a dozen steps.
The combat between the two was as fast as lightning; they separated after a brief skirmish. Onlookers had assumed the young man named Xia Luo would be the one to meet his demise, but it turned out to be Huo Tongtian who suffered a significant loss.
His warhorse knocked down, his sword kicked away, and even he himself forced to retreat again and again—just who was this Xia Luo, and how did he possess such skills?
Spectators like Li Zhenyue, Lyu Chan, and Xu Baiday, along with many other experts, narrowed their eyes, observing Luo Yu carefully without any trace of disdain.
The pre-broadcast Bai Feng and Li Heizi were stunned.
"How... How can this freshman have such combat power?"
"This is too unscientific."
The instructors were also quite surprised.
"This little guy has amazing counter-attacking skills, each move is just right. We thought Huo Tongtian was already brave enough, but this Xia Luo is even more exceptional."
Principal Shi Kai was silent, but he thought to himself: God's Child didn't take this guy out in a second, clearly he held back.
No, it was more like holding back a sea.
Huo Tongtian raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and gave Luo Yu a thumbs-up.
"Impressive, your body technique is amazing. You must have a reclusive master as a teacher, an extraordinary person indeed."
Luo Yu was about to say he had no teacher, but then he considered the more than a hundred rays of Golden Origin Force inside the Cyan Stone Lotus Space of his Dantian—they were all like his teachers.
"Step down, you're no match for me," Luo Yu kindly reminded him.
Huo Tongtian shook his head:
"Since I can't outfight you in terms of physical technique, don't blame me for using the quality of Ancient Spirits to forcibly overpower you."
"It may be somewhat ignoble to win this way, but talent is capital."
"Swoosh—"
Huo Tongtian closed his eyes, and a whirlwind gathered on the platform, carrying the pungent stench of a battlefield's blood.
"Form up!"
He raised his arm, his voice deep and robust, resonant like a commander controlling the lives of millions on the battlefield.
"Acknowledged—"
Amid the blood and spirits, myriad ghostly souls formed rows and readied their weapons.
"Bury the enemy before us, attack!"
At Huo Tongtian's command, a blood-red flag emblazoned with ancient seals danced in the wind, and as it vibrated, the fierce souls formed into military arrays and charged out. Though he had his eyes closed, he seemed to have opened a Heavenly Eye, drawing his bow and taking aim at Luo Yu's chest.
"Damn, that move is too twisted."
"Can't beat one-on-one so he resorts to a mob attack?"
"Damn, isn't this unsporting? These Ancient Spirits of the Champion Marquis are too much."
"Is it a bit scary? These fierce souls from the ancient battlefields are not vegetarians. Xia Luo is going to lose."
"No way around it, Xia Luo's Ancient Spirit is at too much of a disadvantage."
The exceptionally charming and young beauty Dajiuer quietly stood outside the arena, watching the battle on the platform.
As Huo Tongtian's technique unfolded, her eyes remained unflickered.
As if she was completely indifferent to the outcome.
She was primarily observing Xia Luo's eyes and noticed that no matter what, he always had a confident look.
"He has a trump card."
"And it's a strong one," Dajiuer concluded.
Luo Yu faced the ferocious spirits swarming over the platform's sky.
He looked up.
The phantom of an old farmer behind him automatically entered his body.
Human-Spirit Fusion.
"The last struggle, huh?" Huo Tongtian's eyes opened, now radiant and commanding.
He held his longbow at full draw, accumulating a terrifying force. The arrow's tension was palpable but not released, locking onto Luo Yu's presence.
Any flaw would result in a thunderous strike.
As the ghastly spirits drew near and the entire platform seemed to wobble.
When almost everyone thought Luo Yu was about to lose, he, united with the spirit, faced the myriad strong forces before him and softly said:
"Merely dead objects."
"Having seen me, why do you not kneel?"
As his voice spread, everyone found it outrageous—opponents were bombarding with genuine attacks, and here he was quipping?
Yet a shocking scene unfolded.
All the fierce spirits charging forward slammed on the brakes mid-air, dropping all malice.
Without a second word, they knelt down in the sky, visibly trembling.
"What's going on?"
"What just happened?"
"What's this about, these fierce spirits kneeling just like that, what kind of ability is this?"
"Holy shit, stop messing around!"
Astonished cries filled the air, everyone watching was dumbfounded, including the instructors on the high platform who fell silent too.
"Impossible!"
Huo Tongtian stared intensely at the kneeling vicious spirit, his face full of disbelief.
No one knew better than him how unbridled these spirits were. What kind of existence would it take to subdue them?
He didn't plan to wait for an opening, and instead shot out the long arrow pulled to its full extent.
The long arrow streaked out like a meteor, emitting bursts of sonic booms, carrying a bloodied aura as if it transformed into a blood-colored dragon, fiercely roaring.
"Form up, block it," Luo Yu murmured, his words terse and to the point.
Surprised voices spread around, those were faces filled with shock.
"Giving orders?"
"Who is he commanding?"
When the blood dragon formed by the long arrow charged, all the kneeling Ancient Spirits quickly stood up, formed a battle array, and intercepted the long arrow, defecting on the spot.
"Boom—"
The battle array's qi and blood surged like a rainbow, colliding fiercely with the blood dragon concocted by the long arrow.
Both sides suffered casualties, and together they dissipated into the blood sea spilling from the banner of the Sealwolf Julu.
"Pfft—"
Huo Tongtian suffered a backlash, spitting out fresh blood, his face as pale as gold paper.
He exclaimed:
"This can't be possible."
"What technique did you just use? Why could it cause my generals to betray me?"
Luo Yu shook his head and didn't continue to attack.
"Those vicious spirits are merely the foreign races that died under the Champion Marquis's hands in years past. They follow you simply because you're strong."
"Now that they take my commands, it's naturally because..."
"I am stronger."
Huo Tongtian's eyes widened: "Are you saying that your Ancient Spirits are stronger than the Champion Marquis? Impossible!!"
Luo Yu shook his head.
"Step down."
"Whoosh—"
With a flicker, he dashed from his spot, grabbed Huo Tongtian's collar, and threw him down off the stage.
Although the move was potent and heavy, it was filled with finesse.
Huo Tongtian staggered repeatedly after landing but eventually stabilized himself. His breath was weak, but he hadn't suffered any significant injuries.
However, he looked somewhat dazed.
"Defeated?"
"I was defeated just like this?"
The outcome was decided, and the whole place was astir.
The way people looked at Luo Yu had completely changed.
"Just who is this remarkable figure? Why haven't we heard of him before?"
"Defeating Chang Yuchun in one battle could be a fluke, but resolving the Champion Marquis in the second couldn't possibly be mere chance, could it?"
Lyu Chan, with her arms crossed, said:
"That guy's Ancient Spirit is strange!"
"It's definitely not some old farmer; an old farmer wouldn't be able to make so many vicious spirits submit."
Bai Feng on the other side of the live broadcast was dumbfounded, staring at the screen in amazement before turning his head to look at Li Heizi next to him.
"I... "
"The new student I received is this fierce?"
"This kid isn't really a dark horse who could take second place, is he?"
Li Heizi cursed: "Shit, you're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? My bet for second place wasn't on this kid."
Bai Feng suddenly had an ominous premonition.
Ignoring this youngster's advice to place a bet could be a loss.
Then he shook his head; there were so many strong new students.
They can't let this guy steal the spotlight.
With one defeat after another, the students below were cautious for a while, reflecting on the recent battle and calculating their odds should they challenge him.
Upon reflection, it seemed they couldn't even beat Huo Tongtian.
Damn it, they were majorly demoralized.
At this moment, Li Zhenyue called out to Luo Yu from below the stage:
"May I ask Xiao Luo, who exactly is your Ancient Spirit? Surely not as simple as an old farmer, I presume!"
Luo Yu looked at him; he was a young man filled with the military majesty of army formations, exuding an extraordinary aura.
"Want to know?"
"Come up and talk."
Instantly, the whole place was in an uproar. Li Zhenyue was rumored to possess an Ancient Spirit that is half-god and half-human.
In this batch of new students, aside from the God's Child, he was subtly acknowledged by everyone as number one.
Facing such a figure, Xiao Luo showed no respect whatsoever.