Training Bout

The Central Academy of the Spirit Hall, the Small Arena.

Weather: Sunny. Temperature: Moderate.

On the Arena, Xie Yue gripped the Moon Blade tightly with both hands and swung it fiercely at Zhou You. But as his opponent raised the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella, he suddenly withdrew his strength, preventing the blade from actually touching the umbrella surface.

At the same time, with the other hand, the hilt of the sword was turned clockwise, and the Moon Blade was held in reverse. The curved blade seemed to become a hook, and the tip drilled into the inside of the umbrella edge. With a forceful pull, it was attempted to pry open the umbrella shield.

Yan, watching from below the Arena, stared wide-eyed and gasped.

"You can do that?"

Hu Liena, who was also watching the game from the side, curled the corners of her mouth slightly, and there was a hint of pride in her eyes, but it was not annoying, but rather made people feel that she was charming and cute.

After this period of arduous training, Xie Yue is no longer the same as before; he has become stronger!

Now that he and Zhou You are both Soul Grandmaster, both with two Soul Rings and two Soul Skills, if he wants to win, he must improve in all aspects, especially in cultivating his tactical awareness.

Compared to the past, Xie Yue's adaptability has indeed improved a lot. In his hands, the Moon Blade is no longer just a simple offensive weapon, but can change its function according to the scene, situation, and timing.

For example, Xie Yue is taking advantage of the large arc of the Moon Blade and turning it into a hook, thus preventing Zhou You's First Soul Skill from accumulating damage through his attacks.

He wielded a curved blade with a flair reminiscent of the Parting Hook.

However, when Xie Yue finally managed to pull down the umbrella, he saw a flash of cold light behind it. His expression changed immediately, and he quickly turned his head. A white light flashed across his cheek.

Before long, he felt a warmth on his cheek, and a strand of hair quietly fell to the ground.

Xie Yue immediately rolled to one side, and the next moment, the white light almost grazed his scalp, nearly shaving off his skull.

But before he could even feel relieved, he started again. This time, however, he was forced to retreat, back and forth, until he was more than five meters away before he stopped.

Xie Yue looked somewhat aggrieved. He glanced at the two Moon Blades in his hands, then at the five-meter-long sword opposite him.

This is outrageous!

Zhou You's two sets of Soul Skills were truly disgusting to him. If he released the Blade Qi from a distance, the First Soul Skill of the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella would come into play, inevitably leading to a repeat of the same mistake.

If he were to engage in close combat, he would be forced back by that longsword. The five-meter distance was practically an insurmountable chasm in battle. After careful consideration, Xie Yue found himself somewhat helpless.

But he refused to accept his fate! He activated his First Soul Skill!

Transparent energy suddenly appeared on the Moon Blade, taking the blade as its model and generating two illusory Blade Qi, which remained hidden and did not appear, enveloping the two swords like a scabbard.

"Oh?" Zhou You was slightly surprised.

Is that Sword Qi?

"When did Xie Yue learn this move?" Yan, who was sitting in the audience, was taken aback. He had never seen Xie Yue use this move before.

Hu Liena said proudly, "This is a technique that my brother figured out himself. By covering the Moon Blade with the Blade Qi was originally launched in mid-air, it can effectively enhance the blade's cutting power and greatly reduce the consumption of Soul Power."

"Self-Created Soul Skill!" Yan was shocked, clearly understanding the significance of this matter.

"Hmph." Hu Liena tilted her head slightly, her long, straight, white neck making her look like a proud white Swan.

She glanced at Zhou You, thinking to herself, 'Brother hasn't stopped improving at all these days!'

Xie Yue thrust his twin blades into the ground with ease, as if slicing through tofu. Then, with a sudden jerk, the Arena floor was ripped up as if by a bulldozer, rolling forward like a tidal wave.

In response, Zhou You simply raised his umbrella and thrust forward with his shield, deftly knocking away the incoming rubble. Looking ahead, he found that Xie Yue had vanished from his sight.

His pupils darted rapidly left and right; no one was there. So there was only one answer.

Above!

He looked up and, sure enough, saw Xie Yue's figure leaping high into the air.

However, the angle this guy chose was very tricky; the sun was shining brightly behind him, so Zhou You could only squint at him.

He nodded secretly. Xie Yue now knew how to use the environment to set up a trap. As expected of the leader of the Golden Generation in the original work, his Talent in combat was indeed undeniable.

However, she's still a bit too inexperienced.

Although Zhou You's vision was obstructed by the sunlight, his hearing remained sharp. He simply closed his eyes, twitched his ears slightly, and caught the hissing sound coming from behind him. He then swung his sword in a backhand strike.

--"choke"!

A Moon Blade spun and flew out of the arena.

Wow, so you're using the Moon Blade like a boomerang? That's quite an idea.

At this moment, Xie Yue's body had already fallen, and his sneak attack had failed. He was not surprised, and immediately threw out another Moon Blade.

The exaggeratedly curved scimitar instantly transformed into a flying disc, drawing a huge arc in the air, as if it had its own consciousness, slashing at Zhou You's legs from a tricky angle, close to the ground!

The timing was impeccable; just as the Moon Blade approached Zhou You's legs, the Xie Yue was almost upon Zhou You's head.

The latter responded directly: he raised the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella, letting Xie Yue's legs step on the umbrella surface, and with his other hand he gripped the Umbrella Sword and slashed at the Moon Blade.

However, at that moment, the approaching Moon Blade suddenly disintegrated! The Umbrella Sword lost its target.

Zhou You sensed something amiss above him and turned to look. He saw two "hooks" hooked onto the edge of the umbrella, and Xie Yue's face, which exuded a hint of wickedness, peeked out from behind the umbrella.

You've fallen for their trap!

He seized the opportunity and immediately extended his Moon Blade into the "safe zone" behind the umbrella. His second Soul Ring lit up, and a storm of Blade Qi energy was ready to be unleashed!

But at that moment, Zhou You's lips curled into a smile, and the umbrella suddenly began to spin around the umbrella post. Xie Yue immediately lost his balance and was flung away by centrifugal force.

However, he reacted quickly. Seeing that the plan had failed, he immediately did a somersault and landed on the ground, throwing out his twin blades. The two flying discs flew around the umbrella from the left and right, attempting to attack Zhou You from both sides!

He himself rushed forward.

If Zhou You were to block both Moon Blades at the same time, his defenses would be wide open!

That was his thought, but Zhou You did not do as he had planned. He ignored the threats that were about to come from the left and right. The Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella was facing Xie Yue, and Zhou You's body was covered by the umbrella, making it difficult to tell what was real and what was not.

Suddenly, a silver light shot out from under the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella, coiling towards Xie Yue's foot like a venomous snake. Xie Yue was already charging forward and had no time to brake or change direction. By the time he noticed, his left ankle suddenly tightened.

He looked down and saw a slender, flexible sword wrapped around his foot like a ribbon.

'Oh no!'

The thought had barely crossed Xie Yue's mind when he was suddenly pulled down, his face tilted upwards, his back sliding along the ground towards the Hun Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella.

Zhou You was extremely cunning. He actually took several steps back, giving Xie Yue the position he had just been standing in, placing him right in the center of the attack from the two Moon Blades on the left and right!

Left with no other choice, Xie Yue had to dispel his Martial Soul and dismantle the two Moon Blades.

But he didn't have time to re-manifest his Martial Soul, because Zhou You wouldn't give him that chance.

Sure enough, the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella instantly closed, transforming from a "shield" into an "Iron Mace" once more, its tip thrusting forward to pierce Xie Yue's throat.

The latter tried to resist, but could not stop the enormous force beneath his feet from pulling him forward, as if he himself had delivered his vital organs directly to Zhou You.

Finally, the tip of the umbrella stopped a few inches in front of Xie Yue's throat.

"Is that enough?" The outcome was decided, and Zhou You dispelled the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella.

Xie Yue sighed and got up from the ground.

Thank you for your guidance.

"You're welcome." Zhou You also let out a slow breath.

Controlling the intensity of this "instructional move" is quite a challenge for him.

Aizen is right. It's very difficult to control the force needed to step on an ant without killing it!