Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

Xie Yue slid across the ground face-first.

By sheer coincidence, he came to a stop exactly four meters in front of Tuoba Yan.

Tuoba Yan smiled. "Xie Yue, what are you doing? Even if you want to admit defeat, there's no need to bow so deeply before me!"

Xie Yue's mind went blank.

Tuoba Yan's humiliating words reached his ears. He quickly scrambled up from the ground.

His eyes narrowed slightly as a sinister gleam flickered within them.

Tuoba Yan was right in front of him. Xie Yue was confident that at such close range, he could injure Tuoba Yan.

The moment Xie Yue took a step forward, Tuoba Yan, who had been watching him closely, raised his hand. Golden light enveloped Xie Yue once more.

Xie Yue was launched into the air again. Before he could recover his senses, the Suspended Flight vanished, and he slammed viciously back onto the ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Xie Yue fell from the air and crashed into the ground three more times.

All of this happened within a mere five seconds.

To the onlookers, it was utterly comical. Every time Xie Yue got up and charged at Tuoba Yan, he would be flung into the air by an invisible force the instant he took a step, then ruthlessly smashed back into the ground.

The four-meter distance seemed as vast as ten thousand miles to Xie Yue.

Xie Yue climbed up again, but instead of attacking Tuoba Yan immediately, he said smugly, "Suspended Flight? Heh, heh. I've figured out your soul skill. You should start praying for yourself!"

Once again, Xie Yue charged toward the nearby Tuoba Yan.

When the golden light enveloped Xie Yue, red Soul Power surged explosively from his body.

Under the influence of his own Soul Power, the Suspended Flight had little effect on Xie Yue this time. It merely lifted him off the ground, leaving his feet suspended as though he were strolling through the air.

Xie Yue truly deserved to be called a genius. In such a brief exchange, he had already figured out a way to counter the Chicken Charm's Suspended Flight.

A faint, smug curve appeared on Hu Liena's lips. She seemed to have already seen her brother knocking Tuoba Yan to the ground and subduing him.

Xie Yue's Moon Blades drew ever closer to Tuoba Yan.

Tuoba Yan did not dodge. The hand he raised suddenly blazed with golden light, and countless golden mental-force chains wove themselves into a spherical cage in midair. Crossing space, they trapped Xie Yue within a Mental Force Cage.

Xie Yue was unable to move again.

Hu Liena's expression changed dramatically as she blurted out, "Impossible! How can a thousand-year soul ring have two soul skills?"

Absurd!

Utterly absurd!

Only a hundred-thousand-year soul ring could possess two or more soul skills.

No matter its exact age, a thousand-year soul ring could only possess one soul skill.

At that moment, Tuoba Yan's second soul ring was still pulsing with purple light.

This indicated that the soul skill Tuoba Yan was using was still the ability of his second soul ring.

That clearly defied common sense. It was completely unreasonable.

Xie Yue answered solemnly, "It's a Self-Created Soul Skill!"

Self-Created Soul Skills were exceedingly rare. Those without exceptional talent found them difficult to comprehend.

Every Self-Created Soul Skill embodied the wisdom a Soul Master had accumulated over a lifetime, and it could often turn the tide when used.

There were two types of Self-Created Soul Skills.

One type could be passed down through a family, such as the Tuoba Clan's Dragon Step, the Chen family's Slaying Seal, and the Clear Sky Sect's Haotian Nine Slashes and Great Sumeru Hammer.

The other type could not be inherited. Based on the characteristics of their own soul skills, Soul Masters developed new combat techniques through long-term study and refinement, building upon their original soul skills. These were also called Self-Created Soul Skills.

For example, after Dai Mubai fired his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, he could reverse and gather it, creating an unexpected secondary attack.

"Big breasts, no brains!"

Tuoba Yan cast a sidelong glance at Hu Liena, who was watching nearby, and said disdainfully, "Your brain is just for decoration. You're not even as good as your brother!"

After obtaining his second soul ring, Tuoba Yan had spent several days on the journey back. During that time, he pondered the Chicken Charm as he traveled.

He discovered that the Chicken Charm could make other objects float. Furthermore, if he applied its levitation ability to mental force, he could condense a Mental Force Cage through Soul Power.

A purple thousand-year soul ring could not possess two different soul skills. His second soul skill still fell within the scope of levitation.

By fusing Soul Power and mental force, then developing the Chicken Charm's Suspended Flight, he had created this Mental Force Cage, which could make objects within a certain area float and produce a restraining effect.

Xie Yue swung the Moon Blades in his hands, cutting at the cage restraining him.

Tuoba Yan narrowed his eyes. He saw the flaw in his newly created soul skill. Imprisoning someone in the cage still left them ample room to move, instead giving them the chance to hack at it.

The sharp blades cut into the cage, throwing off dazzling sparks.

Everywhere the Moon Blades passed, conspicuous slash marks appeared on the cage.

As he stared at Tuoba Yan, who was right in front of him, Xie Yue's third soul ring beneath his feet lit up with purple light.

The two blood-red Moon Blades in his hands crossed into an X shape. As his third soul ring rose and pulsed, the Moon Blades shone with a soul-shaking crimson light.

"Third Soul Skill: Moonlight Shatter!"

A crimson beam burst from the point where the Moon Blades crossed.

The beam had a piercing effect. The moment it touched the Mental Force Cage, the cage collapsed.

Then, as the beam struck the cage, it unleashed an energy shockwave.

In an instant, the Mental Force Cage, which had been torn open, cracked apart inch by inch and completely disintegrated.

The beam continued onward without losing momentum, striking the unsuspecting Tuoba Yan at point-blank range. It blasted him into the dormitory wall.

With a boom, Tuoba Yan was buried beneath shattered bricks and rubble.

"Hmph!"

Xie Yue landed lightly on the ground and mocked the ruins, "You're nothing special after all!"

Though he spoke casually, a storm had already risen in Xie Yue's heart.

Since awakening his martial soul, Xie Yue had never encountered such a troublesome opponent.

From the battle just now, it was obvious that Tuoba Yan had only recently acquired his second soul ring, and his Mental Force Cage was still in its infancy.

If Tuoba Yan were given time, his control abilities would become even stronger.

Moreover, Tuoba Yan was unfamiliar with Xie Yue's soul skills. If they fought again, Xie Yue had a powerful feeling that defeating Tuoba Yan would become even harder.

Moonlight Shatter: Xie Yue's third soul skill. It condensed Soul Power within the Moon Blades and released a crimson piercing beam. It dealt 200% damage to a single target and reduced its defense by 20%. The more Soul Power used, the longer it lasted.

When the beam struck, it also produced an energy shockwave, dealing 50% splash damage to enemies within two meters.

Just as Xie Yue was feeling pleased with himself, another sudden change occurred.

Hu Liena cried out urgently, "Brother, watch out!"