Shadow Moon vs. Yu Tianheng

"I'll go first." Tian Yu Tianheng stopped the rest of the team and said to Shadow Moon, "Get on the stage!"

"You all... ah, fine."

Qin Ming understood too—geniuses against geniuses, neither willing to concede. Letting them spar now wouldn't hurt.

"This is your first time here. I'll take you."

With that, Qin Ming led Minami Kotaro and Shadow Moon to the arena.

On the stage, Yu Tianheng and Shadow Moon stood facing each other from a distance.

"Both sides ready. Begin!"

Qin Ming stood between them, then raised his hand to signal the start.

"Yu Tianheng, captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team. Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Soul Elder. A pleasure!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Yu Tianheng activated his Martial Soul Avatar. Lightning coiled around him as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon manifested on his body.

His entire form transformed into a majestic, azure-scaled dragon-man.

On the other side stood Shadow Moon.

The leather jacket on Shadow Moon's frame fluttered slightly in the breeze.

A mechanical belt materialized at his waist out of thin air.

Shadow Moon moved. He twisted his hips, rotating his upper body to the left.

His gaze seemed fixed on the ground to his left—or perhaps on something else entirely.

His hands clenched, left arm shielding his chest, right arm aligned with the center of his left. Both hands swayed with his body, pointing leftward.

His eyes grew resolute. His fists tightened with a faint crackling sound.

Suddenly, Shadow Moon's left hand turned into a palm and slashed sharply downward to his right. As it struck, his right hand rested on his right hip, also forming a palm, poised to strike!

The hand at his right hip shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, slicing diagonally upward to the left. His right palm aimed at the upper-left sky, while his left hand clenched into a fist and settled at his left hip.

Then, Shadow Moon shifted slightly to the right. The hand that had been pointing left now aimed straight at the right sky.

The fist at his left side opened. His little finger formed a thirty-degree angle with his palm, and as each finger from pinky to index unfurled, the angle widened.

Finally, his left hand rested on the mechanical belt at his waist.

"Hen Shin!"

Shadow Moon's low voice rang out. His left hand brushed lightly across the belt, which suddenly emitted an emerald-green glow like a gemstone.

Both hands snapped upward to his upper left, converging into a single line.

The green light swelled, eventually engulfing Shadow Moon entirely.

From Qin Ming's perspective, Shadow Moon's entire body radiated brilliance within the green glow, bit by bit being encased by a mechanical armor unlike anything in this world.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Shadow Moon's mechanized footsteps struck the ground, each one echoing sharply.

"Akizuki Nobuhiko of Shocker Sun and Moon. Martial Soul: Shadow Moon. Soul power, as you can see—Soul Ancestor!"

"Soul Ancestor!"

Everyone present was stunned. They'd heard rumors of his immense strength and unique martial soul, but never expected him to be a Soul Ancestor.

Remember—Shadow Moon and Minami Kotaro were only eleven years old!

An eleven-year-old Soul Ancestor. For context, in the original story, Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue of the Martial Soul Hall were nearly twenty and only Soul Kings!

Yu Tianheng knew he couldn't win this fight. But losing couldn't mean losing face for Heaven Dou.

Yu Tianheng raised his right hand, lightning coiling around it. He lunged forward in a single stride.

First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claw!

Third Soul Skill: Dragon's Wrath!

Yu Tianheng's entire body was wreathed in lightning, like a miniature thunder god. Those with lower soul power on the sidelines couldn't even track his figure—only a streak of blue light.

Second Soul Skill: Thunderbolt!

Yu Tianheng's only offensive soul skill, and currently his strongest attack.

As the skill's name suggested, the entire area around Shadow Moon was bombarded by bolts of blue lightning. The ground first blackened with scorch marks, then gradually pitted into small craters.

But those tiny lightning strikes landing on Shadow Moon were like Enel hitting Luffy—practically insulated, useless.

Yu Tianheng's Thunderbolt had no effect on Shadow Moon. The smooth, mirror-like metal of his body remained pristine, untouched, still gleaming.

"What?!"

Seeing his opponent completely unharmed—and worse, the reflection on his armor still flawless—Yu Tianheng couldn't help but be shocked.

But he quickly steadied his mindset and rallied. The moment his pace slowed, he picked it up again.

"Not bad. He's got his head straight. Even if Yu Tianheng loses the fight, he hasn't lost his spirit."

Qin Ming nodded to himself from below. Geniuses all had pride, but when that pride met a setback, it could easily shatter. Most geniuses fell right there—greenhouse flowers, no matter how tall, were just illusions. Only those who weathered real storms could claim true growth.

On the arena, Yu Tianheng charged straight at Shadow Moon.

In no time, Yu Tianheng was right in front of Shadow Moon.

Yu Tianheng's right hand, crackling with lightning, slowly reached toward Shadow Moon. Just as he was about to make contact—

Shadow Moon moved. His hand clamped down firmly on Yu Tianheng's attacking right wrist.

"Enough of this nonsense!"

A green light flared in Shadow Moon's eyes.

"Rider Puck!"

A green glow also appeared on Shadow Moon's right hand, and his fist slammed heavily into Yu Tianheng's body.

Yu Tianheng felt as if a wild bull had rammed into him, and his consciousness instantly plunged into unconsciousness.

At the same time, Shadow Moon's martial soul returned to his body.