Others Cared Whether You Were Strong; Only Na'er Cared Whether You Were Hurting

The Three Committee Members saw His Highness the Crown Prince arrive in person and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He was here! Finally!

This fight could not continue!

However...

Their gazes shifted, and all hope vanished!

Too late.

Both sides' Soul Skills had already erupted!

That brat Chen Fan was in deep trouble!

Just as Xue Qinghe's shout of "Stop!" still echoed through the air.

Crack—!

A crisp, teeth-grating sound of shattering rang across the arena.

Everyone watched in shock.

The violent Lightning Dragon Claw unleashed by Yu Tianheng shattered inch by inch like papier-mâché the instant it came into contact with the Candle Flame Claw!

Then, the crimson dragon claw surged forward unstoppably and struck Yu Tianheng in the chest.

A sweep of icy and crimson light followed.

The lightning was instantly swallowed whole!

The expression on Yu Tianheng's face froze at that moment.

His body flew backward silently like a kite with its string cut, crossing the edge of the arena before crashing heavily onto the ground more than ten meters away.

Bang.

A dull thud rang out.

The Dragon Scales on Yu Tianheng's body faded away inch by inch. The clothes over his chest turned to ash, revealing charred skin covered by a strange layer of white frost.

One strike.

Victory or defeat had been decided.

The entire venue fell silent.

Above and below the arena, the deathly silence was torn apart by sharp gasps.

A pin could have been heard dropping.

Everyone's eyes snapped away from Yu Tianheng, who lay unable to rise with frost and black scorch marks across his chest, and locked onto the indifferent young man.

"Th... that's it?"

Someone in the crowd muttered first, breaking the frozen atmosphere.

That one sentence was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, instantly setting off the entire crowd!

"One move! He only used one move! Captain Yu Tianheng is a Level Thirty-Four Soul Ancestor!"

"How old is he? He looks like he's only around Level Twenty! How is that possible?!"

Exclamations and discussions surged like a tide.

"What Soul Skill was that purple Soul Ring? Its power is terrifying! That isn't the power a Thousand Year Soul Skill should have!"

"Wait... if he really wants to pursue Senior Dugu Yan..."

One student who loved stirring up trouble lowered his voice, though it was still loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"With that claw just now, Captain Yu Tianheng probably wouldn't be able to stop him at all!"

Those words, which struck at both body and soul, drifted clearly to the edge of the arena.

Yu Tianheng, whose face was already pale from his severe injuries, struggled to prop himself halfway up. Upon hearing that, he failed to catch his breath, and his face instantly turned liver color before darkening like the bottom of a pot.

Pfft—

He spat out another mouthful of fresh blood.

He clenched his fists tightly. His knuckles let out sharp cracking sounds from the excessive force, while fury and humiliation more violent than lightning burned in his eyes.

Outside the crowd.

Seeing that Chen Fan was unharmed, Xue Qinghe quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart, which had been hanging high in her chest, finally settled.

Then, an uncontrollable look of excitement and admiration appeared on her delicate face.

She had never seen Chen Fan truly fight before.

Only after seeing him today did she realize that he was actually this strong.

With Soul Power in the twenties, he had defeated a Level Thirty-Four Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Ancestor in a single move.

Such a record was enough to shake the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy!

For some reason, a strange ripple suddenly rose in her heart.

Chen Fan had already suited her tastes—steady, responsible, and so devoted in love.

And now, with such terrifying strength and talent...

Even if his Second Soul Ring was only a ten-year one, the potential he had displayed meant that his future achievements would absolutely be limitless.

A man like this...

A thought rose uncontrollably from the depths of her heart.

She, the future heir of Spirit Hall's Qian Family and the future Angel God, needed a powerful and worthy partner like him, did she not?

But the instant that thought arose, she forcibly extinguished it.

No!

Absolutely not!

Na'er is such a wonderful girl. How could I have such thoughts about her Chen Fan?!

Qian Renxue took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in her heart.

Better to follow the original plan.

She would go find that "Mr. Fan." His willful and unreasonable wife simply did not deserve a hero like him.

On the arena.

The deafening discussions, like poisonous needles, pierced Yu Tianheng's ears and made him lose all reason.

"I wasn't ready just now!"

Yu Tianheng roared as he struggled to his feet.

"Again!"

Chen Fan frowned slightly. Watching the other man's refusal to let things go, he sighed inwardly.

Fine.

He would beat him into submission in one go and save himself trouble later.

He nodded and stood silently where he was, not even taking up a defensive stance.

Roar—!

Yu Tianheng threw back his head and howled. This time, he pushed his Soul Power to the limit!

His Level Thirty-Four Soul Power erupted without reservation. The enormous Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantom behind him became more solid than ever, and its tyrannical dragon might spread madly in every direction!

However.

In the face of that all-out pressure, Chen Fan merely lifted his eyelids.

The ordinary white Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

"The third form of the Second Soul Skill..."

His voice was calm.

"Nether."

The instant his words fell, the towering Candle Dragon Phantom behind him suddenly opened its eyes.

There were no flames, no claws.

Only an intangible sword shadow that seemed capable of tearing apart the soul flashed past!

Yu Tianheng, who had been about to attack, suddenly froze.

The light in his eyes seemed to be instantly erased by an invisible hand, becoming hollow and vacant.

As though all the bones had been pulled from his body, he fell straight backward.

Bang!

Another dull thud rang out.

Yu Tianheng fell again and completely lost consciousness.

Yet something strange happened.

Even after losing consciousness, his body still stubbornly refused to lie completely flat. His right hand remained tightly clenched, held in the posture of someone about to throw a punch.

That was the final obsession and dignity of the Captain of the Imperial Fighting Team, fighting to protect Dugu Yan.

The power of Candle Dragon Shadow had, this time, thoroughly ignited the entire venue.

If the first time had been shock, this time was terror!

"Heavens! What kind of Soul Skill was that?!"

"There was no Spirit Power Fluctuation—it attacked the soul directly?!"

"That white ten-year Soul Ring... how could it contain such a terrifying Soul Skill?! This makes no sense!"

The students in the Outer Area descended into complete chaos, their cries of amazement nearly blowing the roof off the training grounds.

The three Chief Instructors exchanged glances and saw the solemnity and horror in each other's eyes.

"Such talent... such a Soul Skill..." Chief Instructor Meng Shenji muttered. "It is simply something rarely seen in a hundred years! No, it has never been seen before!"

"With such combat power at Level Twenty, his future is limitless!" Chief Instructor Bai Baoshan said with certainty.

Xue Qinghe was equally stunned once more.

She looked at the unruffled young man on the stage, and the admiration in her heart deepened further.

The entire venue seemed to be going mad over Chen Fan's strength.

Only one person was an exception.

Gu Yuena.