Battle

"Boom—!"

Lu Yan's soul power erupted as the Dream Butterfly possessed him.

Gorgeous Butterfly Wings spread behind him, carrying a dreamlike halo.

His aura surged forth, even slightly stirring the dust on the ground.

Two yellow and one purple—three soul rings appeared in sequence, circling his body.

"This is absolutely not the Soul Power Fluctuation of someone who has just entered the Soul Elder realm."

Snake Lance Douluo stood at the edge of the field, having long since quietly set up a soul power barrier to prevent the aura within the Guest Courtyard from leaking out.

Yet a trace of surprise still flashed through his eyes.

The aura Lu Yan was giving off was dense and solid, at least Level Thirty-Three, perhaps... even higher.

What age of soul rings had he absorbed?

Qian Renxue hovered in midair, a trace of scrutiny and Fighting Spirit originally lingering in her Golden Eyes.

Previously, she had regarded this as nothing more than a trial to test his progress.

The vast gap in their levels and the absolute advantage of the Angel Martial Soul had kept her from truly viewing Lu Yan as an equal Opponent.

Yet now, sensing the immense Fighting Spirit emanating from him without the slightest concealment—even carrying a provocative edge—

the battle lust that had lain dormant in her heart for so long was quietly ignited.

"Come."

Qian Renxue's voice was cool, carrying a hint of Looking Down:

"Let me see just how strong you have become after reaching the Soul Elder realm."

At her words, Lu Yan's Butterfly Wings suddenly flapped.

His body became a streak of blue light as he took the initiative and rapidly closed in on Qian Renxue in the air.

At the same time, the First Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

Mental Severance!

Countless Silver Light Spots spread from the Butterfly Wings, like an inverted galaxy sweeping toward Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue had already seen through this move.

Yet she had no intention of dodging as her First Soul Ring lit up as well.

Angel Assault!

It could condense Angel Sacred Soul Power into one's fist. When attacking, it would also form a shield of protection, capable of both offense and defense.

Its power could dispel soul power.

Among all martial souls in the world, Angels stood above all others. Why would she need to retreat?

Like a meteor falling into the mortal world, Qian Renxue was wrapped in golden light.

Without dodging or evading, she charged directly into the encirclement formed by Mental Severance.

The next instant.

Those Silver Points capable of severing the connection between mind and body—

before Angel Soul Power, they melted and scattered like ice and snow beneath the sun.

They could not enter within three feet of Qian Renxue.

With the extreme speed granted by Angel Wings, Qian Renxue rapidly closed the distance between them.

The Angel Power gathering in her palm not only did not weaken, but grew increasingly brilliant, clearly about to strike Lu Yan.

Yet seeing this, the corner of Lu Yan's mouth curved into an imperceptible smile.

Qian Renxue had ultimately underestimated him somewhat.

First Soul Skill, shift!

With a slight movement of Lu Yan's mind, his Spiritual Power rippled invisibly.

The scattered Silver Points around them—

as though controlled by an invisible hand, no longer drifted aimlessly. Instead, they rapidly gathered and solidified.

They transformed into several slender streaks of silver light.

As if alive, they accelerated toward Qian Renxue from tricky angles.

The form and application of a soul skill could be changed through constant refinement and insight.

To overcome the slow activation of "Mental Severance,"

he had poured in an unknown amount of private effort before gaining preliminary control over its changing form.

"Mm?"

Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened, a hint of surprise flashing through her eyes.

She had watched Lu Yan fight many times, yet had never seen such a change in his First Soul Skill.

But so what?

Before absolute speed, all techniques were futile.

The golden light on Qian Renxue's wings grew brighter as her speed increased again.

She intended to rely on her extreme speed to evade these condensed light spots while maintaining the force of her punch as it continued straight toward Lu Yan.

However, at that moment—

a deep Purple Intent suddenly erupted from Lu Yan's eyes.

Purple Demon Eyes, Soul Impact!

An invisible and intangible spiritual spike, condensed to the utmost limit—

ignored physical distance and soul power defenses, instantly crashing into Qian Renxue's Sea of Consciousness.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue gave a Cold Laugh inwardly.

She had seen this move as well. It was indeed remarkably effective against Opponents whose Spiritual Power was far inferior to his.

But she was a dignified Soul King.

No matter how strong Lu Yan's Spiritual Power was, at most it could rival a Soul Ancestor's. It could Absolutely Not threaten her...

"Ugh—!"

Before the thought could finish, an intense pain and shock originating Deep within the soul suddenly struck her.

It made her let out a muffled groan as her forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, her body freezing in midair for an instant.

Though it was only an instant, for experts, it was already more than long enough.

In that fleeting moment.

Not only had Lu Yan advanced to within five meters of her, but those condensed streaks of silver light had also reached her.

By the time Qian Renxue forcibly steadied herself through the stabbing pain in her mind,

several silver glimmers had already pierced through the thin outer layer of Angel Soul Power and silently entered her body.

"Get lost."

Qian Renxue was both shocked and enraged as the soul power around her body erupted.

It blocked and scattered all the remaining Silver Points, while she used the force to retreat rapidly and quickly open the distance.

"Whew..."

Qian Renxue panted lightly.

Several bloodshot veins had appeared in those golden eyes as she stared fixedly at Lu Yan in disbelief.

His Spiritual Power... was actually strong enough to shake my soul for a moment?!

That was absolutely Soul King-level spiritual power.

How was that possible?

Lu Yan was merely a Soul Elder.

Not only that, she could feel an extremely faint sense of sluggishness spreading through her body.

It was as though her control over her body had weakened slightly.

Though the effect was negligible, she... had indeed been hit.

In the first exchange, she, the Young Master of Spirit Hall and a Soul King-level Strong Expert—

had actually suffered a hidden loss at the hands of a Soul Elder and fallen into a disadvantage.

Lu Yan stood motionless in the air, calmly meeting her gaze.

The greatest reason he dared face Qian Renxue head-on was his terrifying Spiritual Power, far surpassing those of the same level and even capable of rivaling a Soul King.

In this battle, the confrontation on the spiritual level would be the key to determining victory or defeat.

"Very good..."

Qian Renxue slowly exhaled. The disdain in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by Ice-Cold seriousness and burning Fighting Spirit:

"From now on, you will not have another chance."

Vast golden soul power rose and surged around her like flames, and the angelic radiance became even more dazzling than before.

The humiliation of having fallen into a disadvantage earlier made her completely cast aside all thoughts of underestimating him.

She no longer regarded Lu Yan as someone to be tested.

Instead, she saw him as an Opponent who had to be taken seriously, one worthy of her full strength in battle.

"The Young Master... is serious now."

Snake Lance Douluo's Pupils narrowed slightly, his face filled with astonishment.

He had never expected this Youth to truly force the Young Master to reveal such a stance with only the strength of a Soul Elder.

Qian Renxue's Angel Wings suddenly flapped, and her body became a bolt of golden lightning as she launched another assault at Lu Yan, her speed far greater than before!

The Second Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up in response—Angel's Might.

This was a powerful enhancement-type soul skill.

The Angel Wings behind her became longer and more solid, their wingspan increasing slightly.

The flowing golden light caused her speed and agility to soar in an instant.

The distance between them had not been great to begin with.

Under this terrifying second acceleration, Qian Renxue's figure seemed to teleport, instantly breaking through the barrier of space.

Carrying a suffocating aura, she appeared before Lu Yan.