Twin Stars, a Duel in the Eye of the Storm

Twin Stars, a Duel in the Eye of the Storm

As Ji Juechen stepped down from the arena, it was as if someone had pressed the mute button on the entire world.

The crowd instinctively parted to make way for him, not out of respect, but from the most primal fear of the unknown. He was like a walking paradox, a living "loophole in the rules," making Shrek Academy's proud Soul Master system seem utterly fragile.

"Monster... he's a monster..."

"That wasn't a sword, that was a 'concept'..."

"Who would dare fight him after this? Might as well surrender right away..."

Whispers surged like a tide, but Ji Juechen turned a deaf ear. He walked into the shadows at the edge of the arena, closed his eyes, and began wiping his sword. It was as though that earth-shattering strike from moments ago had nothing to do with him.

Yet the atmosphere on the arena grew even stranger because of his "exit."

The next contestant, a frail one-ring Soul Master, went weak in the knees the moment he stepped onto the arena and actually dropped to his knees before the referee's stand.

"I... I surrender!"

The referee froze, and the entire venue erupted in uproar.

Surrendering before the fight had even begun? At Shrek Academy's grand tournament, this was an unprecedented disgrace!

Yet no one laughed at him. Everyone understood that after witnessing Ji Juechen's sword strike, any obsession with "power" seemed laughable. Fear had already begun spreading among the new students like a plague.

"Enough!"

A furious roar cracked through the air like thunder on level ground, making the entire central arena hum.

Xuan Zi's figure had appeared in midair at some unknown moment. He swept his gaze across the venue, and the authority in his eyes instantly silenced every voice.

"Shrek's students are the elite among Soul Masters! Not a pack of cowards frightened out of their wits!" His voice burned with fury. "If one defeat is enough to make you doubt your own path, then you do not deserve to remain here!"

He paused, his gaze flashing like lightning as it swept across the crowd before finally settling on two figures.

"However, I have also seen hope."

"I have seen two 'variables' who dare to break their shackles and explore the origin of the world!"

Xuan Zi pointed toward Ji Juechen in the corner of the arena.

"He wields 'logic' as his sword, severing the foundation of 'existence'!"

Then his hand shifted toward Huo Yuhao in the front row of the stands.

"He uses 'spirit' as his net, weaving a domain of 'rules'!"

"You!" Xuan Zi's voice suddenly rose, echoing through the heavens. "Are you willing to stand upon this arena before the eyes of all and let Shrek, let every Soul Master, witness a duel... of a new era?!"

The entire venue boiled over!

Everyone understood what Xuan Zi meant.

Logic Sword Dao VS Spiritual Net!

The one who severed logic VS the one who created rules!

This was no longer a competition. It was a war of ideals, one that would determine the future path of Soul Masters... a divine revelation!

Under countless burning gazes, Huo Yuhao slowly rose to his feet.

He softly said to Wang Dong beside him, "Wang Dong, this is my battle."

Wang Dong looked into his resolute eyes. She did not insist any further, merely nodding heavily before taking a step back and leaving the entire stage to him alone.

Huo Yuhao looked again toward the corner of the arena, at that proud and solitary figure still wiping his sword. Ji Juechen sensed his gaze and raised his head. Their eyes met in midair. There were no sparks, no words, yet it was as though they had exchanged a conversation spanning time and space.

Hunter and prey, chess player and chess player.

Today, it was time to decide who was superior.

"I am willing." Huo Yuhao's voice was clear and resolute.

"Good!" Xuan Zi laughed heartily, flashing back to the main seat. "Clear the arena! There will be no rules and no time limit for this duel. It will continue until one side completely loses the ability to fight or voluntarily surrenders!"

When Huo Yuhao stepped onto the arena alone, the entire world fell silent.

Ji Juechen, standing opposite him, finally put away his sword and slowly rose. For the first time, a flicker of flame ignited in his eyes, which had been as still as an ancient well.

It was recognition of one of his kind, respect for an opponent.

"You came." Ji Juechen spoke. His voice remained cool, but it carried a little less indifference.

"I came," Huo Yuhao replied.

"Can your 'net' find my 'nodes'?" Ji Juechen gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Can your 'sword' sever my 'rules'?" Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Net silently spread out, covering the entire arena.

The duel had already begun the moment their words clashed!

"Rise!"

Ji Juechen moved. He did not use any soul skill, only the simplest straight thrust. Yet at that moment, his sword seemed to merge with the entire space. Countless "false nodes" emerged within Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Net, every one of them appearing fatal, yet every one of them false.

However, Ji Juechen's brows furrowed slightly this time.

He discovered that Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Net had changed. It was no longer the clear data structure from before, but had become an impenetrably dense "fog." Within it, Huo Yuhao's every movement and every Soul Power Fluctuation spawned thousands upon thousands of "false nodes." Truth and falsehood became impossible to distinguish, illusion and reality coexisted, completely blocking the sight of his Logic Deconstruction.

"Your 'net' has evolved." For the first time, a trace of gravity entered Ji Juechen's voice.

"Your sword has too," Huo Yuhao replied.

Huo Yuhao no longer defended passively. Since he could not "predict," then he would actively "create"!

"First rule: Absolute Smoothness!"

Huo Yuhao's second soul ring lit up, but this time, he did not create an Ice Wall or an Ice Ring. The entire arena floor was instantly covered in a layer of solid ice as thin as cicada wings. Under the rendering of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Net, this layer of ice gained an unbelievable rule—"Absolute Smoothness."

Ji Juechen's charging step suddenly slipped. Because of this tiny variable, his incomparably precise sword momentum instantly deviated!

"Second rule: Light Distortion!"

Huo Yuhao combined his Spiritual Power with the properties of Extreme Ice, forcibly refracting the light across the arena. In Ji Juechen's vision, the entire space of the arena began to warp. Huo Yuhao's figure split into more than a dozen copies, every one of them so real that his "eyes" experienced a "data error" for the first time!

Clang!

Ji Juechen's sword thrust struck empty air. The sword tip tapped against the slick ice, throwing up a string of sparks. For the first time in battle, he felt powerless. His "logic" had been forcibly interrupted by Huo Yuhao's unreasonable "rules."

"Interesting." Ji Juechen steadied himself, the flame in his eyes burning even brighter. "Since logic cannot deconstruct it, then I'll use power to break all your rules!"

"First soul skill, Sword Intent Manifestation!"

"Second soul skill, Sword Light Rain!"

Ji Juechen had finally used his soul skills! Two yellow soul rings shone as brilliant sword light erupted from his Iron Sword. No longer merely "points," it transformed into an overwhelming "surface"! He abandoned meticulous deconstruction and chose the purest, most violent suppression through power!

Countless streaks of sword light tore through the air, carrying the momentum to sever everything as they blasted toward that distorted space!

"Excellent!" An unprecedented light erupted in Huo Yuhao's eyes!

"Spiritual Net, merge with Extreme Ice!"

The coverage of the Spiritual Net abruptly contracted, merging with Huo Yuhao's Extreme Ice!

Centered on the arena, a pale-blue hemispherical curtain of light thirty meters in diameter instantly spread out!

Inside the light curtain, the temperature of the air plummeted. Light refracted into countless bizarre shapes, while the ground became as smooth as a mirror. This had become Huo Yuhao's home ground!

A prototype domain where he could alter the "rules" at will... the Spiritual Ice Domain!

The countless sword lights released by Ji Juechen abruptly slowed the instant they touched the domain's light barrier. Their trajectories warped, their power was greatly weakened, and in the end, they vanished without a trace like mud cows sinking into the sea.

"This... this is a domain?!" Yan Shaozhe shot to his feet from the main seat, his face filled with disbelief.

"No, not yet." Xuan Zi stared fixedly at the arena, his eyes shining. "This is the 'seed' of a domain! The prototype of a Divine Domain! He actually... he actually touched that door at the age of two rings!"

Within the domain, Ji Juechen's figure seemed somewhat unsteady. Every step he took required him to resist the invisible suppression of the "rules."

"Your 'rules' are strong." He panted, yet a smile appeared on his face. "But as long as your domain has not fully formed, it... has 'nodes'!"

He suddenly raised his head, lifting the Iron Sword in his hand once more. This time, what gathered at its tip was no longer merely sword intent, but all of his Soul Power, Spiritual Power, and understanding of the "Dao"!

What he intended to unleash was a sword strike beyond logic, beyond power!

At the other end of the domain, Huo Yuhao's face had also turned pale as paper. Maintaining the prototype domain consumed hundreds or even thousands of times more than a soul skill. He too was burning everything he had, preparing to meet this final collision.

"Final sword!" Ji Juechen's voice was hoarse, yet filled with determination.

"Divine Domain!" The light of life burned in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

Ji Juechen moved. He was not fast; instead, he was very slow, every step seeming to land upon a node in time. The Iron Sword in his hand gave off no earth-shattering radiance, yet it became incomparably "pure," as though only this sword remained in the world.

Driven to its limit by Huo Yuhao, the Spiritual Ice Domain began to contract and solidify madly! Every particle in the air was forcibly "locked" by Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Power, attempting to completely "freeze" Ji Juechen and his sword within the rules!

This was the ultimate collision between "deconstruction" and "reconstruction"!

Just as Ji Juechen's sword tip was about to touch the solidified spatial barrier—

Pfft—!

Huo Yuhao could no longer hold on. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the Spiritual Ice Domain behind him shattered like broken glass, instantly dispersing. His body went limp, and he fell straight backward.

On the other side, Ji Juechen's sword also stopped in midair. His face was likewise pale as gold paper, his body trembling violently, while the arm holding his sword could no longer advance even the slightest bit.

Crack.

The Iron Sword slipped from his powerless hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Ji Juechen's body swayed. In the end, he too dropped to one knee, using his Sword Scabbard to support himself as he gasped for breath.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

There was no victor.

Both had exhausted their strength at the same time.

Xuan Zi's figure silently appeared in the center of the arena. Looking at the fallen Huo Yuhao and the kneeling Ji Juechen, his face showed no disappointment. Instead, it held an unprecedented satisfaction.

He announced in a ringing voice that spread throughout the entire academy:

"This battle ends in a draw, as both sides have exhausted their strength!"

"But in my eyes, you are both victors!"

"Because you have shown Shrek, and the entire Soul Master world, two possibilities for the future!"

From that moment onward, the names Ji Juechen and Huo Yuhao became tightly bound together.

They were the twin prodigies of their generation, fated rivals, and the only confidants capable of understanding each other's "Dao."