Chapter 459 - Another Soul Fusion Skill (1/2)

Were Long Chen not eliminated in the beginning of the match, the Imperial Sun Moon Academy team might have had a chance to turn things around. But without their captain, they were stuck on the defensive.

Long Chen finally regained consciousness. Jaw clenched in pain and neck sore, he slowly recovered sight of the arena as he roused. The view before him, that of a spectator looking in, confused him at first. Eventually, he came to the conclusion he had been defeated, though how in which he had been taken down he could not recall. His face soured.

Through sheer will, Long Chen slowly but surely grasped at the bits of memory floating in his mind. The process of bringing out his full strength, soul power coursing through his veins. The strange sensation that overtook his body right after. His brow furrowed as he remembered his source of power snuffed out like a candle wick. His body had frozen, leaving him open to his opponent's attacks and an instant knockout.

He was disappointed with himself. He knew how important this match was for his academy, yet he had gotten eliminated and left them at a huge disadvantage. Even so, the match wasn't over yet. He had faith in his teammates. Although he was the captain, he wasn't the true ace of their team.

You guys have to win! He clenched his fists.

“Skytiger!” Jian Mochen shouted, blood streaming down the corner of his mouth.

Kuang Zhantian threw her Skytiger Axe. Not at Tang Wulin or anyone else on the Shrek Academy team, but at Jian Mochen.

In one quick motion, Jian Mochen tossed his s.h.i.+eld to meet the axe.

The instant the two touched, a blinding light illuminated the arena, swallowing Jian Mochen and Kuang Zhantian whole. From the light burst a gigantic winged tiger, heading straight for Gu Yue's blue fireb.a.l.l.s.

Upon impact, the dazzling blue explosions shook the arena. Knocked back, the tiger let out a roar of pain as the flames penetrated into its body and dyed it blue.

Is that a soul fusion skill? It's gotta be! Tang Wulin's evaluation was correct. Jian Mochen and Kuang Zhantian fused their martial souls to summon a Skytiger.

As powerful as the tiger was, the might of the fireb.a.l.l.s had been unquestionable and wasn't something it could just shrug off. The tiger's form flickered transparent, brought forth by its great energy consumption to endure the attack.

Tang Wulin straightened his back, a determined light gleaming in his eyes. His blood essence surged in reverse and starlight shrouded his claw, manifesting as a golden gauntlet.

“Battle armor!” the referee blurted out from the air.

I-is that actually a piece of two-word armor? No way. It can't be. He's too young to handle such a thing! It must be something else, like a one-word armor piece made of spirit alloy! Although the referee and the higher-ups of the Imperial Sun Moon Academy held Shrek Academy in contempt, upon sight of Tang Wulin's gauntlet they were overcome with shock and disbelief.

If it had only been something out of the ordinary, they wouldn't be so bitter. But the sheer impossibility of Tang Wulin's actions was what drove them up the wall. How strong his body must be to handle such a powerful gauntlet at his age, the higher-ups of the Imperial Sun Moon Academy couldn't begin to comprehend. Normally, only blacksmiths of the sixth rank or higher could craft one-word battle armor with spirit alloy, let alone a fifth-rank blacksmith! Generally, academies didn't allow their students to enlist outside help and forced them to cooperate with each other. Only then would they be able to truly walk the path of a battle armor master.

There were unwritten rules for battle armor masters. During the creation of a set of two-word battle armor, which included the process of designing, forging, crafting, and tuning, none of those involved could be more than one soul ring level apart. The gap in ages no more than three years. This way, everyone's blood essence and aura were similar to one another, enabling the end user of the battle armor to fully fuse with it.

Two-word battle armor was considered a turning point and threshold for 'true' battle armor because such armor could fuse with the user and become an extension of their body. During the fusion, every detail mattered,.and the slightest mistake could ruin everything. In comparison, it was far easier to advance from two-word to three-word. At that point, the user could borrow help from not just their peers.

This was why battle armor was so rare and difficult to craft. Many conditions had to be met to successfully create a two-word armor.

Although one-word battle armor didn't face the same restrictions, what Tang Wulin had wasn't ordinary one-word armor! Since it was crafted from spirit alloy, it already had the basic functionality of a two-word armor! It was practically a prototype two-word gauntlet! He couldn't replace it anymore since it had fused with his body, so it had been under the same restrictions as a two-word piece of armor.

From this, the higher-ups of the Imperial Sun Moon Academy deduced that Tang Wulin had personally had a hand in crafting it. Not only that, the people who helped him were within three years of age and one soul ring level from him! Such restrictions were nigh impossible for those his age to fulfill. He wasn't just strong, but he was also backed up by a group of prodigal professionals! That was far more terrifying than his strength.