Chapter 61: The Important Thing Is Not to Let Failure Defeat You

"Xiao Xiao, I'm counting on you!"

With that, Wang Dong flapped his wings and flew to rendezvous with Huo Yuhao. Hearing Wang Dong's call to action, Xiao Xiao immediately sprang into motion, manipulating her Three-Life Soul Suppressing Cauldron to press down toward Ning Wuque in an attempt to buy time for the two of them.

However.

Clang—

The Three-Life Soul Suppressing Cauldron hurtled toward Ning Wuque, only to be steadily caught by him with a single hand. Using his other hand to forcefully pin down the cauldron's ear, he slammed his foot down onto the ground, blasting out a crater.

Restraining Xiao Xiao's cauldron with one foot, he completely ignored the little girl's adorable face, tear-stained from the pain of her martial soul being restricted. Instead, his gaze locked directly onto Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, who were now embracing each other.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao's face was flushed completely crimson. Having been tipped off by Ning Wuque, he was aware that Wang Dong was actually a girl, yet he had never let on that he knew.

Therefore, after being embraced by a female other than his mother, the greenhorn youth predictably blushed from ear to ear.

The sight of it made the audience mistakenly believe the two were homosexual, and several girls even covered their mouths to muffle their joyful laughter.

"Oh ho, going super saiyan?"

Ning Wuque murmured to himself, though he remained stationary, quietly executing his martial soul avatar integration.

He wouldn't dare take this lightly. The moment his first soul ring lit up, his physical stats were pushed to their absolute peak normal condition.

Choosing not to stop the two from performing a soul bone or martial soul fusion skill, he wanted to see where his limits truly lay. Besides, Wu Feng would handle the aftermath.

If he couldn't beat a trio of peak-condition opponents, how could he possibly fail against two exhausted fighters and a battered Xiao Xiao? Even Ning Tian could waltz up with her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda and secure a win!

So, flex a little! In an overwhelmingly dominant match, why not show off? When you're riding the dragon's head to victory, you've got to flex!

"No, it's not working!"

On their end, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong attempted to execute their martial soul fusion skill, but no matter what they tried, it failed to trigger, as if their bodies refused to let them overdraw their energy.

Suddenly, just as the two of them were completely at their wits' end, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind:

"Silly Yuhao, if you can't manage a martial soul fusion skill, why don't you use your fused soul power to amplify a soul skill instead?"

"R-Right, Wang Dong! Use your Butterfly God's Light!"

Struck by this revelation, Huo Yuhao immediately channeled the soul power within himself, pumping a surge of energy straight into Wang Dong's body. Understanding his intent with tacit agreement, Wang Dong poured the formidable, newly-fused portion of their soul power entirely into her second soul skill.

Swish—

Wang Dong's already dazzling and radiant butterfly wings expanded to twice their size in an instant. Detaching herself from Huo Yuhao, she condensed a golden orb of light right before her chest.

Soul Power Fusion Skill—Butterfly God's Light!

Without any hesitation, Wang Dong poured every ounce of her soul power into this soul skill. Instantly, a brilliant golden laser beam erupted and surged toward Ning Wuque.

As for Ning Wuque himself, he stood unmoving in his tracks, mustered all his physical strength, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Within his spiritual sea, a colossal ant let out an insectoid screech:

"Kreeaaah—"

Ning Wuque's willpower was accepted by his martial soul, and through it, manifested over his arms to form an invisible armor forged entirely from sheer will!

Fixating on the oncoming golden beam, he chose to take it head-on!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~

The laser bombardment lasted for a full two seconds.

Right there on the spot, having taken the full brunt of the fusion-powered Butterfly God's Light squarely on the chin, Ning Wuque slowly lowered his arms and offered his critique:

"Compared to a true martial soul fusion skill, this is far too lacking. What a pity I didn't get to experience the real deal between the two of you. Now, it's my turn."

Raising his head, the utterly exhausted Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stared at Ning Wuque in the distance. He could hardly be described as completely unscathed, but any injuries were trivial at best.

Only his hands were dyed a complete, glowing gold, as though he were wearing a pair of perfectly fitted golden gauntlets, and the residual special soul power clinging to them made movement slightly stiff.

Yet, to Ning Wuque, this was nothing at all!

Too weak. Merely fusing their soul power hadn't even reached one-fifth of the power output of a genuine martial soul fusion skill between him and Wang Dong. For it to inflict even restrictive-level damage on him was an unexpectedly mild result.

At the very least, it confirmed one thing: lacking any other means, Ning Wuque wouldn't be able to shrug off a true martial soul fusion skill from the two of them.

If he were to take a direct hit from "The Golden Road," Ning Wuque would instantly lose his combat capability and be locked down on the spot!

"Time to head off and rest."

Uttering these words, Ning Wuque grabbed the ear of the Three-Life Soul Suppressing Cauldron in one hand and strode forward step by step.

Clang—

With a casual flick, Ning Wuque tossed the massive cauldron back into the arms of little Xiao Xiao, shoving her along as she flew off the fighting platform.

Pacing forward, he looked down condescendingly at the two figures sprawled on the ground. Grabbing them by the collars with one hand each, he hoisted them up as effortlessly as lifting rabbit ears, then carried them step by step to the edge of the stage.

Thud—

The two were gently tossed off the platform.

"The match is over, the team led by Ning Tian wins!"

The referee proclaimed the match's verdict.

Across the abruptly silent competition grounds, Ning Wuque turned around and walked back step by step.

He didn't bother picking up the soul-guiding training apparatus scattered on the ground; those items had already been retrieved by Ning Tian the moment the match ended.

Since her boyfriend liked to play around, as his girlfriend, she certainly wouldn't pull the rug out from under him.

And thus, the three of them slowly departed amidst the gazes of the crowd. Today's matches were concluded, and their next bout would take place tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a piece of news spread like wildfire in the aftermath of today's match:

Ning Wuque, much like Wu Feng, had been wearing immensely heavy soul-guiding devices the entire time. Every single fight he had taken on in the Great Soul Arena had been performed while severely restricting his true strength!

This revelation left a certain turtle somewhat hard-pressed to accept, but apart from that, it ignited an even greater, bloodthirsty anticipation among the spectators toward Ning Wuque!

......

"Am... am I really that weak... I... I couldn't even..."

In the small grove by the shores of the Sea of God, completely isolated from others, Wu Feng finally let her guard down and fully displayed her most vulnerable side in front of the two of them.

Large, pearly tears streamed down from her eyes. She simply couldn't accept the reality of her defeat at the hands of Huo Yuhao's trio, and even lacked the courage to look Ning Wuque in the eye.

Clearly... at the very beginning, she had looked down on those three with utter disdain, yet the result...

"You've already done wonderfully, Feng, meimei. Neither Yuhao nor the others are stronger than you individually; it's just that they happened to complement each other's strengths.

Just think about it, why do powerful soul beasts require soul masters to form hunting parties? To a certain extent, this is the ultimate proof of your own strength!"

Pulling the sobbing Wu Feng into an embrace, Ning Tian patted her back with one hand while gently stroking her hair with the other, offering a steady stream of comfort.

Leaning against the trunk of a large tree, Ning Wuque had no intention of provoking Wu Feng further. He understood the exact reason for her loss.

It wasn't a matter of raw strength, but rather running into a hard counter.

"Learning from setbacks is an essential part of life. You know full well how much hardship I've endured over the years. What truly matters is never letting defeat break your spirit, Wu Feng."

Slowly and steadily, he offered his consolation.