"Have you guys noticed that Si Qianyi and the others are acting a bit strange!"
On the edge of the arena, Lu Xiaoshuang frowned as she watched the commotion in the ring, her tone filled with deep suspicion.
The fourth-year students Si Qianyi, Shangguan You Lan, Luo Pianruo, Luo Wanruo, and Zhan Sheng were all Power-Attack Battle Soul Kings with mental control systems. Their pride lay in their formidable charm and control abilities.
Yet, up to this point, besides Si Qianyi revealing a slight hint of mental charm when she manifested her martial soul, all subsequent clashes had been pure exchanges of strength and skill. Their potent mental control skills had shown no sign of appearing.
As the top team of their fourth year, the soul skills of Si Qianyi and her four companions all served similar functions. Furthermore, their martial souls could cooperate and stack upon each other, forming a formidable combination known within the academy as the Invincible Four Melodies, a four-chapter soul skill combo.
The first soul skill: all five of them possessed Sound Kill. With the soul skill combo, it became the Chapter of Slaughter!
The second soul skill: all five of them focused on defense. With the soul skill combo, it became the Chapter of Defense!
The third soul skill: all five of them specialized in charm. With the soul skill combo, it became the Chapter of Charm!
The fourth soul skill: all five of them had Chaotic Perception. With the soul skill combo, it became the Chapter of Chaos!
These four soul skills, combined into four formations, respectively emphasized offense, defense, charm, and the confusion of the five senses. They covered nearly every aspect of combat to a perfect state, a combination of soul skills with absolutely no flaws.
Since the Chapter of Charm and the Chapter of Chaos relied on the third and fourth spirit rings, their abilities and power were the strongest.
Moreover, all five of them were currently Soul Kings. They surely must have composed the latest fifth movement, yet they hadn't used it. While it could be understood as saving their trump card for last, the fact that they hadn't even used the Chapter of Charm and the Chapter of Chaos was truly bizarre.
"Shuang'er, you're talking about why Si Qianyi and the other four haven't used their Chapter of Charm and Chapter of Chaos, right!"
Rou Yuzhu asked, hands on her hips, with a sigh.
"Yes, those are their strongest, even their signature skills. Once used, they are guaranteed to turn the tide of battle."
"They have relied on these two soul skills time and again to turn weakness into strength and come back from defeat. But I can't understand why they aren't using them against Wang Zhong."
Lu Xiaoshuang nodded affirmatively, voicing her confusion.
"They are useless."
It wasn't Rou Yuzhu who answered, but Yu Feixue. With a voice devoid of any fluctuation, she stated a fact that left Lu Xiaoshuang utterly stunned.
"Useless? How is that possible, Feixue?" Lu Xiaoshuang's eyes widened, finding such an answer incomprehensible.
"It's actually quite obvious."
"The moment Si Qianyi activated her Neon Robe martial soul, it was already determined that their Chapter of Charm and Chapter of Chaos would have no effect on Wang Zhong."
"That kid Wang Zhong is completely immune to the mental charm emanating from Neon Robe!"
"Although I don't know how he managed it, that's the reality. Si Qianyi and the others also determined this, so they didn't waste any soul power to activate these two combo soul skills. They even skipped the probing."
Yu Feixue sighed softly, expressing her admiration for the decision made by Si Qianyi and her companions.
If she were in their shoes on the arena and discovered her opponent was completely immune to ice attributes, no matter what, she would still use her strongest attack to test and verify it. She wouldn't stop unless the facts were laid bare before her.
However, Si Qianyi and the others completely accepted this fact, abandoned their strongest combo soul skills, saved their soul power, and looked for other opportunities. Such a decision made Yu Feixue feel that she still had much to learn.
On the arena, Si Qianyi and the four others regrouped.
Si Qianyi gave the other four a look and stepped forward, striking an identical starting pose to Cuiyue's under Wang Zhong's surprised gaze.
Simultaneously, Shangguan You Lan brought a transverse flute to her lips and blew a mournful tune. Zhan Sheng held drumsticks and beat upon an invisible drum in front of him, sending waves of passionate and intense drumbeats echoing in all directions.
The Luo sisters, Luo Pianruo and Luo Wanruo, had been sitting cross-legged since the beginning and hadn't moved. A guzheng lay across their laps, and amidst the flute and drum sounds, they plucked its strings, sending clear and high-pitched notes resonating.
The five of them unleashed explosive bursts of aura and soul power, merging tightly together to form a reservoir of soul power and strength, from which an astonishing and terrifying destructive aura surged forth.
Under Wang Zhong's perception, the gate of this reservoir was Si Qianyi, who stood at the forefront in the Cuiyue starting pose, her body acting as a dam, holding all the power behind her.
When the dam broke, it would surely cause earth-shattering, mountain-shaking upheaval!
"Wang Zhong, surrender!"
"You have no chance left!"
Si Qianyi held a palm vertically in front of her chest, her gaze solemn as she stared at Wang Zhong, urging him.
"Surrender? Why?"
Wang Zhong assumed a defensive stance, asking with a fog of confusion.
"Our fifth soul skill is called Annihilation!"
"Based on this soul skill, we've created our fifth soul skill combo, the Chapter of Destruction!"
"While I don't know why you can be immune to mental control and charm, this fifth soul skill combo excels in destruction and power. It will gather the strength of all five of us into me, unleashing a final, most powerful, and deadliest full-force strike."
Si Qianyi suppressed the surging soul power and strength within her body, calmly explaining.
"Although you are showing leniency, senior sister, to put it bluntly!"
"Even with the combined might of all five of you, you cannot overpower me. I have absolute confidence in my strength!" Wang Zhong's expression remained unchanged, as if stating a fact.
"Yes, I acknowledge that statement!"
"Your strength is truly terrifying. With just one blow, you nearly shattered our proudest defense, the Chapter of Defense, and inflicted injuries on us to varying degrees."
"But this strength, you gave it to me earlier! You are now facing the strongest strike formed by the combined might of our five selves, plus the power of your own attack!"
"This is the first time I am controlling such immense power. You might very well die!"
Si Qianyi's Neon Robe rustled violently at this moment, as if caught in a raging storm.
"Your martial soul has the ability to borrow strength!" Wang Zhong exclaimed in surprise. Now he understood. Si Qianyi did not possess the same strength as him; she was merely borrowing his power.
"Yes. While the external manifestation of the Neon Robe martial soul appears to have astonishing defense, its most fundamental reason is its ability to turn an opponent's strength against them! It transforms borrowed strength into attack and defense. However, this borrowing of strength has its limits. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to injure you."
Si Qianyi nodded in agreement, affirming Wang Zhong's guess and providing an explanation.
"Senior sister, you might have misunderstood. At my current stage, my strongest asset isn't strength, but defense!"
"Feel free to attack. I also want to see how far my body can withstand."
Wang Zhong stood with his feet apart, stomping heavily on the arena. He clenched his fists, crossed his arms over his chest, ready to withstand the attack head-on with his body.
"You're crazy!"
"Just come at me!"
His unwavering voice caused Si Qianyi's delicate eyebrows to furrow deeply. However, she ultimately hesitated no longer. As her fifth spirit ring slowly rotated beneath her feet, she called out in a clear, cold voice.
"Fifth soul skill, Annihilation!"
Behind her, Shangguan You Lan, Zhan Sheng, Luo Pianruo, and Luo Wanruo echoed in unison.
"Fifth soul skill, Annihilation!"
"Soul skill combo, Chapter of Destruction!"
The five spoke as one, their soul power accumulating to its limit at this moment, instantly surging into Si Qianyi's body, or rather, into the Neon Robe martial soul.
The Neon Robe martial soul trembled incessantly. As Si Qianyi threw a punch through the air, a colossal and terrifying fire phoenix erupted from the martial soul. Its wings flapped, transforming into a fiery red arrow loosed from a bowstring, streaking towards Wang Zhong like lightning.
The fire phoenix let out a sky-shattering cry, its passage causing the heavens to crack and the earth to shake, the mountains and rivers to tremble. The arena was torn apart like paper, its surface riddled with cracks.
The fearsome wind pressure hit them head-on, causing Wang Zhong's eyes to narrow.
This strike, born from the combined might of six individuals, was terrifyingly powerful!