Douluo: In an extraordinary world, with unparallel understanding!

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As the captain of the Earth Dragon Sect battle team, Nan Qiuqiu felt an overwhelming sense of despair. 

"Xiao Ye, let's go together." 

In the end, Nan Qiuqiu selected Xiao Ye, the second-strongest member of the team, to step forward and face the Sun Moon Imperial Battle Team. 

If the two of them couldn't handle the opposing duo, then surrendering early would be the wisest choice. 

On the other side, Huo Yuhao and Zhou Xinghao stepped onto the stage simultaneously. 

As the energy canopy above the arena descended, forming a protective barrier around the stage, the referee's voice rang out: 

"Match, begin!" 

Both sides released their soul rings. 

Nan Qiuqiu and Xiao Ye both had the optimal soul ring configuration—two yellow, two purple, and one black. 

Nan Qiuqiu's martial soul was the Rouge Dragon, a pink-colored sub-dragon with a unique annihilation attribute. Xiao Ye's martial soul, the Night Dragon, possessed a darkness attribute and could absorb light. 

Huo Yuhao and Zhou Xinghao also unleashed their martial souls. 

Huo Yuhao's soul rings glowed—one white, one purple, and three black. Zhou Xinghao had two yellow, two purple, and one black. 

Spiritual Detection Sharing! 

Xiao Ye's Night Dragon, as a darkness-attributed control-type Soul King, immediately unleashed its power the moment the battle began. The light surrounding him and Nan Qiuqiu seemed to be devoured by his martial soul, plunging the area into darkness. 

The darkness rapidly expanded toward Huo Yuhao and Zhou Xinghao. 

However, with Huo Yuhao's spiritual power covering the entire arena, this soul skill had almost no effect on him. Even Zhou Xinghao was barely affected. 

Zhou Xinghao activated his battle armor, and in an instant, glowing lights flickered across its surface as twelve soul cannons deployed around him. 

With Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing, his targeting was flawlessly precise. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

Twelve sixth-tier soul cannon shells fired. 

At a distance of just a hundred meters, the shells reached their targets in an instant. 

Xiao Ye's expression changed slightly. 

Damn it. 

His opponents weren't affected by the darkness at all. 

A layer of dark energy condensed over the Night Dragon's body, spreading outward to envelop both Xiao Ye and Nan Qiuqiu. 

The dark energy formed a protective barrier around them, splitting into two individual shields surrounding each of them. 

The moment Xiao Ye sensed the cannon shells' trajectory, he withdrew the darkness shroud. Nan Qiuqiu regained her vision just in time to dodge the barrage. 

However, no sooner had the first round of shelling ended than the second wave followed immediately. 

Under Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing, Zhou Xinghao's soul cannons had an unprecedented level of accuracy, maximizing the efficiency of all twelve cannons. 

If the first bombardment still allowed for some room to evade, the second left no space to escape. 

Twelve cannons weren't quite enough. 

Only someone like Xiao Hongchen, with over a hundred soul cannons, could achieve a true full-area bombardment. That would be truly exhilarating. 

Ratatatatata! 

With just twelve cannons, a strategic setup was required. 

Following Huo Yuhao's guidance, the first barrage blocked off the most basic escape routes, compressing Xiao Ye and Nan Qiuqiu's movement options to the bare minimum. 

The moment they made their evasive maneuver, Huo Yuhao, using his Spiritual Detection, could instantly analyze their escape trajectory. 

Because of this, with only a few seconds' notice of their movements, the second round of shelling became completely unavoidable. 

This was prediction! 

Two consecutive barrages—one of them had to land. 

More experienced opponents, after witnessing this strategy firsthand, would quickly realize that the smartest choice was to endure a single shell from the first wave and then escape. 

Unfortunately, Nan Qiuqiu and Xiao Ye didn't know that. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

Deafening explosions resounded across the arena. 

The moment the sixth-tier soul cannon shells hit the ground, even the metal arena showed signs of melting. The entire platform trembled violently, and the raging shockwaves rippled outward, causing the surrounding soul barrier to shimmer with wave-like distortions. 

As the dust and residual energy dissipated, the disheveled figures of Nan Qiuqiu and Xiao Ye burst out from within. 

Both of them charged straight toward Huo Yuhao and Zhou Xinghao. 

They were incredibly fast. 

However, their every move remained under Huo Yuhao's meticulous observation. Due to Spiritual Detection Sharing, even Zhou Xinghao had full awareness of their locations. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The third wave of bombardment commenced. 

If they kept charging forward, they would collide head-on with another barrage of sixth-tier soul cannon shells. The protective dark energy shield that Xiao Ye had conjured earlier had already shattered. Both of them had used defensive soul skills to withstand the previous attack, leaving them momentarily vulnerable due to the cooldown period. 

Defensive soul skills often have weaknesses. 

Even powerful defensive techniques, though they may seem to have no cooldown, actually have an invisible one. 

For instance, if a defensive skill lasts for three minutes but is broken during that time, it is still considered in effect until the duration ends. 

In other words, it cannot be recast immediately. 

This is the concept of hidden cooldown. 

Su Yu had once spoken about fully integrating soul skills into one's own abilities—being able to activate them freely using soul power without relying on soul rings. He wasn't the only one who had explored this path. 

The idea itself was meaningful, and there were undoubtedly others who had sought to achieve it. 

However, mastering even a single soul skill to that level was already an extraordinary feat. 

Yet Su Yu had refined all his soul skills to that level, even enhancing their effects through personal insights, constantly improving upon their original limitations. 

Absolutely insane. 

Huo Yuhao felt an increasing sense of awe toward Yu Ge's unfathomable abilities. 

Even though he had spent years training to integrate his own soul skills, with the guidance of Su Yu, Ice Emperor, and Skydream Iceworm, he had only managed to fully internalize Spiritual Detection and Ice Emperor's Pincer. 

At this moment, with their defensive skills temporarily unusable, Xiao Ye and Nan Qiuqiu had no choice but to halt their charge and evade the incoming third wave of soul cannon bombardment. 

"This is all sixth-tier soul cannonfire. He can't have enough soul power to keep firing indefinitely!" Nan Qiuqiu gritted her teeth. 

Just a little longer… just a little longer. 

Eventually, they would exhaust their soul power. 

However, Zhou Xinghao, who only needed to input soul power and fire the soul cannons without expending extra effort on aiming, still had plenty of energy left. Thanks to Huo Yuhao's assistance, he didn't need to focus on targeting. 

Instead, he dedicated his remaining focus entirely to his battle armor, which continuously absorbed ambient energy through its soul power replenishment array, keeping his reserves from depleting. 

Unlike Xiao Ping's battle armor, which reinforced soul barriers, Zhou Xinghao's armor was specifically designed to complement his soul cannon warfare strategy, allowing him to recover soul power at an accelerated rate. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

Even as Nan Qiuqiu dodged, she kept closing the distance. 

"Enough!" 

Her eyes widened. The distance between them was now within her attack range. 

"First Soul Skill—Annihilation Light!" 

"Third Soul Skill—Annihilation Chain Explosion!" 

A mass of pink energy condensed around her, forming a dazzling beam that instantly cut through the air, closing the 30-meter gap in a flash—its target: Zhou Xinghao, who had transformed into a human artillery platform. 

The Annihilation Light streaked toward its mark. 

Zhou Xinghao didn't even bother to block it. 

He just kept firing. 

Huo Yuhao's hands were encased in layers of ice and snow, hardened to an extreme degree. Diamond-like crystalline structures spread across his arms, transforming them into an impenetrable shield that effortlessly blocked the Annihilation Light. 

The continuous explosions of Annihilation Light barely affected him. 

This was the advantage of casting soul skills as an extension of oneself. 

Complete control. 

Being annihilated? 

Then simply abandon that portion of soul power, rechannel fresh energy to restore the ice crystals, and maintain an uninterrupted defense. 

"The annihilation attribute… it really isn't easy to withstand." 

Huo Yuhao glanced at his unscathed hands and murmured to himself. 

Despite the fierce battle unfolding on the arena, only a minute had passed since the fight began. 

Nan Qiuqiu and Xiao Ye had barely lasted a full minute before being bombarded a second time. 

Had the referee not intervened in time—cutting off the soul cannon barrage before it could land—both of them would have sustained severe injuries, rendering them unable to continue the competition. 

One had to admit, the referee was competent, ensuring Nan Qiuqiu and Xiao Ye were rescued and remained technically fit to fight. 

Although the previous round of bombardment had left them with significant injuries, a brief recovery period would still allow them to participate in future matches. 

However, there was no helping it. 

The referee was, after all, aligned with the Sun-Moon Empire, and he had been ordered to preserve the Earth Dragon Sect's chances in the tournament. 

After all, Sun-Moon Hall still needed a "one-versus-seven" showcase. 

Unfortunately… 

Despite the referee's efforts, the Earth Dragon Sect was already in despair. 

Their strongest duo, their "big sister" and "big brother," had stepped onto the stage only to be effortlessly defeated—humiliated, even. 

Their confidence had been completely shattered. 

"Earth Dragon Sect concedes." 

"…" 

Su Yu watched the disheartened Earth Dragon Sect surrender, feeling a tinge of helplessness. 

They had crushed their opponents' spirits so thoroughly that they gave up entirely. 

If the enemy simply refused to fight, then how was he supposed to complete a one-versus-seven? 

"Looks like, Xiao Ping, you'll have to wait a little longer to finish your mission." 

Xiao Ping, standing nearby, sighed in frustration. 

He had hoped to be the first to complete the challenge, but things were proving more difficult than expected—for all the wrong reasons. 

Good news: I'm definitely strong enough for a one-versus-seven. 

Bad news: Our team is too strong. The enemy won't even give me a chance. 

"It seems we'll have to manipulate the lottery draw." 

"We need to make sure that in the first round, the match format is a one-versus-seven." 

Wait—no. 

We need to ensure the first round is a solo battle format. 

That way, during the match, he could deliberately act weak, bait the enemy into thinking they have a chance, and force them to send in more fighters, allowing the full one-versus-seven to play out. 

Who would've thought… 

That the hardest part of completing Ming Hongchen's tournament challenge wouldn't be winning a one-versus-seven—but tricking their opponents into sending out enough fighters to make it possible. 

---

The Sun-Moon Royal Battle Team's matches ended swiftly, yet no team dared to look down on the Earth Dragon Sect. 

Instead, after witnessing this match, everyone had come to a deeper understanding of just how terrifyingly strong the Sun-Moon Royal Battle Team truly was. 

"…" 

"Group B, First Match: Tang Sect versus Heaven Dou Academy." 

"First Round: Team Battle." 

Su Yu had been pondering how to lead his team to victory while also fulfilling his mission. 

Ideally, the individual match should be drawn for the first round. 

However, cheating wasn't a viable option. 

"I wonder if the power of fate could influence the outcome." 

Using the power of fate to manipulate the draw? 

That seemed worth experimenting with. 

Since mastering fate energy, Su Yu had been exploring its applications. However, without a pressing need, his progress had been relatively slow. 

Perhaps today, by starting with small-scale applications, he could become more proficient in using fate energy? 

Su Yu activated the power of fate within his mental sea, sensing its elusive, unfathomable essence and observing the subtle changes it brought. 

To Su Yu, fate was nothing more than a sequence of deductions. 

There were no predetermined results, no fixed future—everything was fluid and subject to change. 

What existed was simply the most probable outcome based on existing conditions. 

Of course, among all possibilities, certain special factors could influence fate, causing events to converge on a specific outcome. 

For instance, if Su Yu had never appeared, the development of Douluo Continent would have likely followed the original storyline, influenced by the intervention of divine kings. 

As he immersed himself in the perception of fate energy, Su Yu gradually gained new insights. 

The best use of fate energy was deduction. 

"I can use it to predict the possible results of the draw." 

Not just the draw—perhaps he could also deduce other future possibilities that excluded his subjective interference. 

For example: 

- The training results of a new cultivation system 

- The design of a core formation array 

- The establishment of an entirely new system 

Rather than simulating the construction process, he could first form a basic framework and then use fate energy to predict the outcomes of cultivating within that system. 

If it led to fatal consequences, he could discard it immediately. 

If survival was possible, he could analyze conditions, identify flaws, and make targeted improvements. 

At last, Su Yu had found the correct way to utilize fate energy. 

When he opened his eyes, the competition had reached Group C. 

Now was the perfect time to test his theory. 

The "Fate" rune in Su Yu's mental sea flickered, releasing strands of fate energy that emerged from the void and provided him with subtle feedback. 

"Individual Match." 

"First Round: Individual Match!" 

"Team Match." 

"Second Round: Team Match!" 

As the referee announced the results, a smile appeared on Su Yu's face. 

No cheating had taken place, yet through fate energy, he had foreseen the exact outcome of the draw. 

Of course, this was only possible because: 

1. Su Yu was physically present at the scene. 

2. The draw, despite its various fairness measures, was still subject to probability rather than absolute randomness. 

Moreover, Su Yu's deduction was built on a key premise—the draw had already occurred. 

He wasn't changing the result. 

He was merely obtaining it. 

"Altering the outcome through fate energy is nearly impossible. But predicting the result?" 

"That, I can do." 

As Su Yu absorbed these insights, the runes within his mental sea grew more refined. 

The "Fate" rune began to subtly morph, and within its structure, a foundational framework for "Derivation" took shape. 

During the fourth round of draws, Su Yu made another attempt. 

This time, his prediction was slightly off—the first two match orders were reversed. 

Learning from this experience, he analyzed his errors and refined his deduction process. 

He no longer restricted himself to predicting the match draws—instead, he began deducing other surrounding events. 

By the end of the day, Su Yu had gained significant progress. 

Within his mental sea, the "Derivation" rune had nearly fully formed. 

Beneath the "Fate" rune, a large "Derivation" rune had begun to grow—almost like a tumor. 

(End of Chapter.)