Time Erosion

On the Training Ground.

A golden blade of Soul Power tore through the air, carrying the pressure of a Soul Emperor.

Chen Fan stood where he was, his expression calm.

He did not even summon his Martial Soul.

He merely raised his right hand.

Flowing water appeared out of nowhere, gathering before him into a transparent curtain of water.

Sizzle!

The golden Soul Power blade struck the water curtain, yet failed to split it in two.

Something bizarre happened.

The seemingly soft water curtain actually ignited with a layer of dark-blue flames.

Within those dark-blue Candle Dragon flames, the golden Soul Power blade was eroded inch by inch until it finally vanished into nothingness.

Across from him.

"Xue Qinghe's" pupils contracted slightly.

Over the past two years, her strength had improved as well, yet she increasingly felt that the young man before her had become unfathomable.

Dealing with him was no longer as easy as it had been two years ago.

This mere level thirty-nine Soul Elder exerted even more pressure on her than some Soul King-level opponents.

She refused to believe it.

With a thought, several more attacks of Soul Power shot from her hands.

This time, the Soul Power she unleashed carried a trace of scorching heat.

Chen Fan still neither dodged nor evaded.

The water curtain burning with dark-blue Candle Dragon flames before him suddenly changed in aura.

The dancing flames froze in an instant.

The entire water curtain transformed into a crystal-clear wall of ice.

Several Soul Power attacks crashed against the ice wall with a string of dull thuds. In the end, every one of them was blocked, frozen onto the surface of the ice wall and unable to move.

Qian Renxue, disguised as "Xue Qinghe," furrowed her brows tightly.

Making flowing water burn.

Making flames undergo Ice Seal.

This control over the three utterly different powers of water, fire, and ice had already exceeded the scope of Soul Skills.

It was more like... a domain.

An innate instinct.

Whenever her Soul Power attacks landed around Chen Fan, they were either ignited and scorched by those dark-blue flames or frozen and slowed by that bone-chilling cold.

They could not get close to him at all.

"Your progress has exceeded my expectations."

There was a trace of gravity in Qian Renxue's voice.

Chen Fan dispersed the ice wall before him and smiled. "Your Highness flatters me. It is only because Your Highness has guided me so well."

Qian Renxue did not respond.

The Soul Power within her began to circulate faster.

She could not continue probing him like this.

Revealing the true form of her Angel Martial Soul was absolutely not an option.

Then there was only one way left.

She would use her absolute advantage in level, her purest and most immense Soul Power, to crush him completely!

Boom!

An aura far more powerful than before erupted from "Xue Qinghe."

The immense Soul Power belonging to a Soul Emperor burst forth without restraint.

Brilliant golden light Soared Upwards, transforming into a thick pillar of light above the Training Ground. Carrying an aura that could crush everything, it came crashing down upon Chen Fan's head.

Before the pillar of light even arrived, its heavy pressure had already cracked the ground inch by inch.

The entire Training Ground hummed and trembled.

Qian Renxue had gotten serious with this attack.

Yet in the face of this Thunderous Might attack.

Not the slightest hint of panic appeared on Chen Fan's face.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the golden pillar of light descending from above.

Then he extended one finger.

He pointed it remotely at the sky.

That golden pillar of light, capable of crushing mountains, came crashing down.

Yet before Chen Fan's seemingly slender finger, everything changed.

There was no collision.

There was no violent surge of Soul Power.

That dazzling golden pillar of light simply vanished out of thin air, abruptly, when it was still three feet away from Chen Fan's fingertip.

Yes, it vanished.

It had not dispersed or been annihilated. It had been completely erased from this world.

As though it had never existed.

The violent pressure of Soul Power vanished like smoke, the cracked ground returned to calm, and even the dust stirred in the air settled in an instant.

On the Training Ground, only the young man remained, one finger raised and his expression tranquil.

And opposite him stood "Xue Qinghe," her body stiff and her face filled with shock.

Qian Renxue's pupils shrank to their limit.

Her mind went blank.

What had happened?

She had gathered all her Soul Power into an all-out attack without holding anything back, and it had simply disappeared?

She had not even seen how it vanished.

Her vision had blurred for only a moment, and that immense Soul Power she had taken such pride in had disappeared without a trace.

This had exceeded everything she understood about Soul Master combat.

"You..."

Qian Renxue looked lost. "What did you do?"

Chen Fan withdrew his finger and lightly shook his wrist, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.

"Nothing much. Just a little trick."

He said casually, "Perhaps my use of the Power of Cold and Heat happened to counter Your Highness's Soul Power attribute. There is no need to look too deeply into it."

Qian Renxue Stared at him without speaking.

Countered?

Could such a phenomenon be explained by a counter?

This was clearly a higher-level law of power, something she could not understand at all!

Naturally, Chen Fan would not explain.

This was his most closely guarded trump card.

It was a Self-Created Soul Skill he had comprehended over the past two years through constant study of the Candle Dragon Martial Soul and deep research into the origins of the Power of Cold and Heat.

Time Erosion.

Its effect was overwhelmingly domineering.

Within an extremely small range, it could briefly "delete" a segment of time.

During that deleted period of time, anything without self-awareness, such as incoming Soul Power attacks or fired arrows, would vanish along with it.

If he wanted to delete a living being with self-awareness, however, the difficulty would increase countless times over.

With this trump card, relying on the Candle Dragon's supreme rank far beyond the ordinary Martial Souls of Douluo Continent, Chen Fan was confident that even when facing a true Titled Douluo, he could calmly erase the opponent's fatal attack at a critical moment.

Of course, the cost was equally terrifying.

With his current Soul Power nearing level forty, the amount of Soul Power in his body could only support two uses at most.

The total duration was also brief, less than two seconds.

More precisely, one point nine seven seconds.

He had silently calculated that only every twenty levels of Soul Power he gained would increase that duration by another second.

This was his most precious means of preserving his life.

He had told only Na'er about it.

The sparring match ended.

A graceful figure hurried over from the edge of the field.

Na'er held a pure white handkerchief in her hand. When she reached Chen Fan, she stood on tiptoe and gently wiped away the faint beads of sweat seeping from his brow.

Her eyes were full of concern.

"Did using that move just now consume too much energy?"

Her voice was Very light, carrying a trace of barely perceptible worry. "Your face is a little pale."

Warmth filled Chen Fan's heart. He took her slightly cool hand and smiled as he shook his head.

"It is fine. I am only a little tired. I will be better after resting for a while."

As their fingertips touched, a soft warmth passed between them.

They smiled at each other, their gazes meeting in an understanding that required no words.

Not far away, Qian Renxue silently watched this scene.

She watched Na'er's natural intimacy, and the undisguised tenderness in Chen Fan's eyes.