Phantom Fox and Ice Jade Scorpion: The Future Is Yours, but the Present Belongs to Me

"Brother Ming, are you going to let that child keep challenging them?"

High above Spirit Ice Plaza, Holy Spirit Douluo Yali looked down at the two youths confronting each other on the Ice Arena, concern rippling through her emerald eyes.

"Let him fight." Yun Ming smiled. "Shrek Academy is revered as the continent's number one academy. Students come here with the mindset of pilgrims, strictly obeying every rule and regulation, each one as meek as a quail. It's been years since we've had a student with this much personality.

He's elegant-looking, yet acts without restraint. Not bad. His personality is like mine."

Ya Li burst into laughter and lightly punched Yun Ming. Having supported each other through so many years, she naturally understood what her husband meant.

Back then, he had charged into Mingdu alone with a single spear, snatched her away in full view of everyone, and promised to face every one of his love rivals. That battle had shaken the heavens and earth, nearly shattering space itself. In the end, he had won the beauty's hand.

"The academy has been peaceful for too long. It's good to stir up some waves now and then. Once the Outer Court Students feel the gap between themselves, they'll be more motivated. It's just that there's no referee below, so their safety can't be guaranteed," Ya Li reminded him.

Yun Ming waved toward the distance, dispersing the academy enforcers who had rushed over. "Zhao Xuanzhen knows his limits. When the Holy Angel fell earlier, he could have followed up with another attack, but he gave up the chance to severely wound the Holy Angel in one blow.

The Holy Angel understood that his opponent had shown mercy, so he admitted defeat while he still had a trace of strength left to resist.

The Young Genius Ranking only goes as high as Soul King. With you and me here, there's no way an accident will happen. We can watch at ease."

"You're right."

Ya Li finally relaxed. Even if Sky Pillar Douluo Yun Ming were not here, she, a Level 98 Super Douluo, would still be able to save them both in time.

Could a Level 98 Titled Douluo really fail to stop a Soul King?

Who would be that embarrassing?

On the Ice Arena, Li Qiankun's muscles swelled all over his body. Standing there, he resembled an insurmountable mountain. Four luxurious purple soul rings rose around him, golden radiance surfacing around his body. As his five fingers curled loosely, a gilded bronze sphere engraved with ancient, unadorned runes materialized out of thin air.

Qiankun Ball, a top-tier defensive tool martial soul. Li Qiankun was also known as the Number One Defense on the Young Genius Ranking!

"Zhao Xuanzhen! Li Qiankun is a Tool Soul Master—attack his original body!"

The silver-haired girl stood in the front row of the audience. Her brows and eyes curved with excitement, a flushed glow coloring her stunningly beautiful face. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted encouragement at the top of her lungs.

Rumors always spread the fastest. After the battle between the Original Body and the Angel ended, more and more spectators gathered. One spread it to ten, ten to a hundred, and the atmosphere at the scene was completely ignited.

All the students of Class One, Year Two, had arrived: Swan Mo Jue, Lan Dian Yu Yuanheng, Ning Xian, Chu Yan... They stood united, all there to support their class leader, Li Qiankun.

In another corner, Ye Xinglan pressed her red lips tightly together. Her modestly curved chest rose and fell violently as she stared without blinking at the arena, raging flames burning in her eyes.

Two places away from Ye Xinglan, Little Fatty Xu Lizhi gazed at Zhao Xuanzhen and Li Qiankun, the two battle soul masters, with a face full of envy. If he had combat power, perhaps everything would be different.

"Buzz—"

The first and second soul rings lit up in succession. Soul power surged from within his body, and the Qiankun Ball formed a pale golden barrier. The First Soul Skill, Qiankun Shield, firmly protected Li Qiankun's towering body within. Then a black-and-white fist crashed heavily against the barrier. Brilliant sparks burst where they met, breathtaking as a tree of fire and silver blossoms in that instant.

Tai Chi Yang Hand was incomparably fierce. Its force continuously invaded through the barrier. Li Qiankun gave a muffled grunt and retreated half a step, lowering into a horse stance as he subtly adjusted the Qiankun Shield's soul power output. His entire body huddled within the shield, seeming to have no intention of counterattacking.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of violent explosions resounded across the arena. With every punch Zhao Xuanzhen threw, circles of black-and-white radiance spread outward.

Li Qiankun braced both hands against the Qiankun Shield. The muscles in his arms, thighs, and face were so taut they seemed as hard as sculpture. Veins bulged at his temples, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

He looked utterly passive, yet he remained half-crouched in place without moving, maintaining both soul skills the entire time. Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze darkened. Li Qiankun's rank above Yu Yuanheng truly was no accident. Every attack that landed on the Qiankun Shield brought a rebounding force with it!

The Qiankun Ball's Second Soul Skill, Qiankun Tremor!

Its effect resembled Yin Yang Reversal. The difference was that Yin Yang Reversal reflected ranged attacks, returning one's own methods upon them, while Qiankun Tremor retaliated against close combat attacks. It was practically a divine skill for defensive soul masters!

Li Qiankun gritted his teeth, his nerves stretched taut like steel bars.

Qiankun Tremor could indeed inflict retaliatory damage, but the prerequisite was that Li Qiankun had to first endure Zhao Xuanzhen's attacks. Tai Chi Fist carried both fierce and yielding forces. The combination of hard and soft nearly made him vomit blood. Any lapse in concentration would result in instant defeat!

"An unbreakable Li Qiankun truly lives up to his name..."

Zhao Xuanzhen suddenly sighed. Every one of the top three on the Young Genius Ranking was a once-in-a-million monster. Li Qiankun's defense was the strongest he had encountered among his peers!

"Golden Awakening can only be used once a day. I can't waste it on you, so..."

Compared to Li Qiankun, who ranked third, the top two of the Young Genius Ranking were Zhao Xuanzhen's targets for this hunt. He could not use True Self Golden Awakening now.

The next second, Li Qiankun heard a series of cracking explosions from bones. He watched helplessly as Zhao Xuanzhen rotated his wrist. Every bone in his body, from his wrists to the soles of his feet, crackled in succession, as if countless gears were turning and locking every gap tightly into place!

Body Secret Technique, War Bone!

His muscles tightened layer by layer, and his bones adjusted themselves. This top secret technique of the Body Sect's flesh-and-blood lineage raised his physical strength another level, forming a perfect Combat Form!

"Not good!"

Li Qiankun roared. The Third Soul Skill, Qiankun Power, erupted. Pale golden radiance twice as dense covered the Qiankun Shield, and another layer of energy barrier pushed outward!

Amid a crisp cracking sound, a palm smashed through the energy barrier and reached through a fissure in the Qiankun Shield, striking straight at Li Qiankun's chest!

At the moment of crisis, Li Qiankun only had time to press the Qiankun Ball against his abdomen and take Zhao Xuanzhen's Shocking Palm head-on!

"Boom—"

It was as though a Fixed Soul Cannonball had struck his chest. His sternum and ribs let out a groan unable to bear the strain. If Li Qiankun had not been a soul master known for his defense power, that strike alone would have put him to sleep peacefully on the spot!

Even so, his muscular body was sent flying by the immense force of the Shocking Palm. At that moment, Li Qiankun lit up his fourth soul ring!

Golden light flowed through his meridians like lava. The muscles throughout Li Qiankun's body knotted and bulged, while a cold metallic sheen plated his skin. The instant his feet landed, he stomped a half-foot-deep pit into the Ice Arena!

Like Yin Yang Reversal, Qiankun Tremor had a limit to what it could endure. Li Qiankun's combat experience was incredibly abundant. He knew that Zhao Xuanzhen in the War Bone state had already surpassed the limit of his defense. Defending and counterattacking was no longer effective. He had to turn defense into offense!

The Qiankun Ball's Fourth Soul Skill, Stabilize Qiankun!

All the remaining soul power in his body poured into the Qiankun Ball. The gilded bronze sphere transformed into a falling meteor, a pitch-black vortex trailing behind it. As if heaven and earth had been overturned, it unleashed a powerful suction force that dragged Zhao Xuanzhen's body toward it.

Zhao Xuanzhen clenched one hand into a fist. His first soul ring flashed as black-and-white qi twisted and intertwined. Yin and Yang Qi condensed into a single point, its force triggering resonance and violently tearing open a rift within the Qiankun Ball's suction vortex!

Collapse Fist: Ban Lan Chui!

The Qiankun vortex was twisted into shattered fragments by the collapsing force. The bronze sphere wailed as it flew backward, while Li Qiankun spat blood and his body, which had stood tall and upright, suddenly crumpled.

"Class Leader!"

Class One, Year Two, cried out and rushed forward as one. Half of them hurriedly helped Li Qiankun up, while the other half formed a human wall before Zhao Xuanzhen. Their bloodshot eyes seemed to say: If you want to touch him, step over our corpses first!

"Don't be impulsive. I'm fine..."

Li Qiankun reassured his classmates, rose to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a low voice:

"Unfathomable power... Mo Jue, Yu Yuanheng, and I did not lose unfairly. Class One, Year Two, will devote ourselves to cultivation. Once we have improved, we will challenge you again."

Zhao Xuanzhen focused his mind and calmed his breath as he recovered soul power. He nodded. "I'll be waiting anytime."

After cupping his fist in salute, Li Qiankun led Class One, Year Two, away in great strides. High in the sky, Holy Spirit Douluo Yali's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Among the Young Genius Ranking's evaluation criteria, a soul master's combat strength carries the greatest weight. By defeating Li Qiankun in a one-on-one fight, Zhao Xuanzhen will undoubtedly be third when the rankings are updated next time..."

At that point, Ya Li paused, somewhat puzzled. "Brother Ming, I feel that Xuanzhen could have fought more cleanly. The Qiankun Ball excels at close-range defense. If he had repeatedly bombarded it with lightning-element attacks, its defense would no longer have been impregnable."

"The reasoning is right, but you don't understand what he's thinking." Yun Ming stroked Ya Li's satin-like emerald hair and explained, "Lightning defeated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, aerial combat suppressed the Holy Angel, and ancient martial combat techniques directly challenged the Qiankun Ball's defense.

Every time, he broke through the opponent's strongest field head-on. He wants absolute suppression."

"Zhao Xuanzhen is that sharp-edged..." Ya Li said in surprise.

"And that boy fought very intelligently. He basically only used his First Soul Skill. That secret technique for controlling his own bones gives a Body Soul Master far less of a boost than Second Awakening does, and its consumption is correspondingly much lower. After two battles, he hasn't lost much soul power and remains at his peak.

I think he is preparing for the final two opponents. After all, they are not soul masters on the same level as Li Qiankun."

On the Ice Arena, the watching Shrek Students were no longer so indignant. Yue Zhengyu and Li Qiankun had suffered consecutive defeats, coupled with Lan Dian Yu Yuanheng's crushing defeat. The way they looked at Zhao Xuanzhen gradually gained a measure of respect.

On Douluo Continent, the strong were revered.

Encouraging voices for Zhao Xuanzhen occasionally rose from all around. Na'er glanced at the youth onstage, whose expression had not changed. Through the tear in his clothes left behind by the Body Secret Technique, Wing Transformation, his firm side waist was faintly visible. The girl muttered softly:

"Idiot Zhao Xuanzhen, deliberately showing off his waist to seduce little girls."

"Tap, tap, tap."

The noisy Spirit Ice Plaza suddenly filled with the crisp sound of high heels striking the ground. A fair, long leg drawn into a graceful curve stepped onto the arena, its owner's alluring figure swaying like a flower branch with every step.

The woman had an exceedingly seductive face, faint red at the corners of her eyes, full crimson lips, and an upturned curve at her mouth that held endless charm.

At the sight of the woman's pretty face and voluptuous figure, Na'er's expression changed instantly. She could not help secretly comparing herself, then stomped her feet in frustration. This time, her age had dragged her down—her figure had been utterly defeated!

"Damn it! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don't look down on a young girl!"

The silver-haired Girl cried out unwillingly in her heart!

"Second on the Young Genius Ranking, vice class leader of Class One, Year Three, Phantom Fox Nangong Yao."

The woman's voice was soft and lingering, like a small hand gently caressing the listener's brain. The Shrek Students familiar with her hurriedly shook their heads, driving that voice out of their minds.

Li Qiankun was the Number One defensive soul master on the Young Genius Ranking, while Nangong Yao was the Number One spiritual-type soul master. Her Phantom Fox martial soul's charm techniques had been cultivated to an extremely profound level!

The phantom of a fox swayed like flame. Purple, purple, purple, purple, purple—five Thousand-Year Soul Rings burst forth wildly, while pale pink radiance at the tips of its fox tails burned ripples into the air.

A bewitching peach-colored gleam surfaced in Nangong Yao's eyes. Pink mist silently spread out, carrying a sweet, cloying fishy fragrance. Wherever it passed, the wind seemed to have its bones removed, stagnating into viscous currents.

Combined Soul Skill, Phantom Mist!

Thirty percent of perception stripped away, thirty percent soul power suppression, thirty percent slowed movement!

"Little brother, a Soul King isn't someone you can challenge. The game ends here."

The fox tails exploded into countless afterimages, their fur steaming with peach-colored haze. Nangong Yao's alluring body danced, and as her fingertips swept past her neck, the Fifth Soul Skill, Fox Charm, activated.

A spiritual soul skill acted directly upon the Sea of Consciousness. Everything Zhao Xuanzhen saw twisted. The woman's fair lotus-root arms coiled around him, her lips and tongue smiling seductively, her breath fragrant as orchids. She swayed her waist alluringly as whispers surged in from all directions. The Phantom Fox branded scorching marks across his retinas.

Nangong Yao curled her lips, her smile seductive and confident, but it soon froze. She saw a pair of eyes, blazing a brilliant gold that inspired fear at a glance.

Pressure poured down like a celestial river. Through Fox Charm, Nangong Yao felt an iron-like will imposing itself back upon her with even stronger force.

The entire world seemed to spin chaotically. She could no longer distinguish sky from ground. Her ears rang, her vision flooded red, and Phantom Mist dissipated like a receding tide. Chaos and agony filled her mind.

Only when tearing pain erupted across her delicate face did Nangong Yao suddenly regain her senses. Her vision was filled by a fist, its fist wind lifting the loose strands before her forehead.

"You were pretending. You never fell under my charm!" Nangong Yao said bitterly. "I clearly still have my battle armor..."

"That's why I had to subdue you in one strike."

The brilliant gold slowly faded as Zhao Xuanzhen replied frankly.

Mental Erosion, a spiritual combat technique created by Illusion Brain Douluo Han Tianyi. It stimulated brain activity, causing the user's spiritual power to surge for a short period and collapsing the target's Sea of Consciousness!

In another time and space, Mo Jue and Li Qiankun forged complete sets of One-Word Battle Armor during their second year of Year Three. Nangong Yao was in her first year of Year Three, so Zhao Xuanzhen guessed that her One-Word Battle Armor was already more than halfway complete.

A One-Word Battle Armor with the highest compatibility could provide a twenty-level soul power boost. Zhao Xuanzhen would never stand by and watch Nangong Yao release her battle armor, even if it was incomplete.

One-Word Battle Armor not made from Spirit Forged Metal had a fatal weakness: soul masters had to wear it. The best way to deal with a One-Word Battle Armor Master was to attack with thunderous force, leaving them no time to equip their One-Word Battle Armor.

"Little brother, I'll remember you!"

Nangong Yao gazed intently at him, twisting her sexy waist as she walked down from the Ice Arena. The sight made anger flare within Na'er.

Zhao Xuanzhen ignored Nangong Yao. His pitch black eyes turned toward a youth standing a hundred meters away with his arms folded. Their gazes met across the distance, and the youth read the emotion conveyed through them—a cold, fierce determination that could not be suppressed.

"Tang Dong, are you going to keep watching?"

"I thought Nangong Yao could win. Who would have thought she couldn't even release her One-Word Battle Armor?" Tang Dong grinned.

In the distance, Nangong Yao's pretty face instantly darkened, and her silver teeth ground together with a creak.

"Junior Zhao, you recognized me. That proves you've at least looked into me."

Tang Dong spread his hands helplessly. "Next month, I'll turn eighteen and automatically leave the Young Genius Ranking. Wouldn't it be easy for you to reach the top then? Why not wait?"

"First place is won through strength." Zhao Xuanzhen spoke indifferently. "Part of the reason I entered Shrek Academy was to fight you before you turned eighteen."

"I like your courage. As your senior in Year Three, I won't use battle armor, for the sake of fairness." Tang Dong slowly stepped onto the arena, his tone frivolous.

"What a grand excuse. You broke through that martial soul to Five-Ring Soul King at eighteen, so all your energy went into cultivating soul power, didn't it? How many pieces of battle armor have you made? Do you even have half as many as Nangong Yao?"

"Damn it."

Tang Dong shrugged gloomily. "I wanted to put on an act, but you saw right through me.

No harm in telling you. I only have one chestplate, yet Nangong Yao, who has eight pieces of battle armor, is still no match for me."

Martial Soul Possession. Tang Dong's arms were covered in diamond ice crystals, while a jade-green tail hook rose high behind him. Its tip was a gleaming silver-white hook, and boundless cold erupted!

"Junior, the future is yours, but the present belongs to me."

Purple, purple, purple, black, black!

Five soul rings rose with overwhelming force. Number One on the Young Genius Ranking, Extreme Ice Tang Dong—martial soul, Ice Jade Scorpion!