Phantom Demon Fox and Ice Jade Scorpion, the Future Is Yours, but the Present Is Mine

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

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

"Let him fight." Yun Ming smiled. "Shrek Academy is revered as the Continent's First 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 looks refined and elegant, yet he acts without restraint. Not bad. His personality is like mine."

Yali burst into laughter and lightly punched Yun Ming. Having supported each other through countless years, she naturally understood the meaning behind her husband's words.

Back then, he had stormed Mingdu alone with a single spear, snatched her away in front of everyone, and promised to face every one of his love rivals. That battle had shaken heaven and earth, nearly tearing space apart. In the end, he had won the beauty's heart.

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

Yun Ming waved toward the distance, dismissing 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 move, but he gave up the opportunity to severely injure the Holy Angel.

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

"The Young Genius List only goes as high as Soul King. With you and me here, there absolutely won't be an accident. We can watch without worry."

"That makes sense."

Yali finally relaxed. Even if Qingtian Douluo Yun Ming were not here, she, a rank-98 Super Douluo, would still have enough time to save both sides.

Could a rank-98 Title 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 looked like an insurmountable mountain. Four luxurious purple Soul Rings rose around him, golden radiance appearing over his body. As his five fingers curled slightly, a gilded bronze sphere engraved with ancient runes materialized out of thin air.

Qiankun Ball, a top-tier Defense Type Tool Martial Soul. Li Qiankun was also known as Number One Defense on the Young Genius List!

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

The silver-haired girl stood in the front row of the audience, her eyebrows and eyes curved into crescents. Excited flush colored her stunningly beautiful face as she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted her encouragement.

Inside information always spread fastest. After the Ben Ti Battle Angel battle ended, more and more spectators gathered. One spread it to ten, ten spread it to a hundred, and the atmosphere at the scene was completely ignited.

All the students of Class One, Second Year had arrived. Swan Mo Jue, Lan Dian Yu Yuanheng, Ning Xian, Chu Yan... united as one, they had all come to support their class monitor, Li Qiankun.

In another corner, Ye Xinglan tightly pursed his red lips. His slightly curved chest rose and fell violently as he stared unblinkingly at the arena, monstrous flames burning in his eyes.

Two places away from Ye Xinglan, the little fatty Xu Lizhi stared at Zhao Xuanzhen and Li Qiankun, the two Battle Soul Masters, with a face full of envy. If he had combat ability, perhaps everything would have been different.

"Buzz—"

The First and Second Soul Rings flashed in succession as Soul Power surged from within his body. The Qiankun Ball formed a pale golden barrier, and the first soul skill, Qiankun Shield, firmly protected Li Qiankun's towering body within. Then, a black-and-white fist slammed heavily against the barrier. Brilliant sparks burst where they collided, breathtaking as a tree of fire and silver blossoms in an instant.

The Taiji Yang Hand was incomparably fierce, its force continuously invading through the barrier. Li Qiankun let out a muffled groan and retreated half a step. He lowered himself into a horse stance, subtly adjusting the Soul Power output of the Qiankun Shield. His entire body shrank behind the defense, seemingly with no intention of counterattacking.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of violent explosions rang across the arena. With every punch Zhao Xuanzhen threw, rings of black-and-white light spread outward.

Li Qiankun braced the Qiankun Shield with both hands. The muscles in his arms, thighs, and face were tensed as hard as stone, veins bulging at his temples, his pupils contracted to pinpoints.

He looked utterly passive, yet he remained half-crouched in place without moving, continuously maintaining both Soul Skills. Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze darkened. Li Qiankun truly deserved to rank above Yu Yuanheng. Every attack that landed on the Qiankun Shield brought a rebounding force!

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

Its effect was similar to Yin Yang Reversal. The difference was that Yin Yang Reversal reflected ranged attacks, returning one's own methods upon them, while Qiankun Shock retaliated against close-range attacks. It was practically a divine skill for Defense Type Soul Masters!

Li Qiankun gritted his teeth, his nerves taut as steel bars.

Qiankun Shock could indeed inflict retaliatory damage, but its prerequisite was that Li Qiankun had to endure Zhao Xuanzhen's attacks first. Taijiquan carried both fierce and soft Qi energy, the blend of hardness and softness battering him until he nearly vomited blood. Any lapse would lead to instant defeat!

"Bu Po Li Qiankun truly lived up to his name..."

Zhao Xuanzhen suddenly sighed. Every one of the Top Three of the Young Genius List was a one 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 List were Zhao Xuanzhen's targets for this hunt. He could not use True Self Golden Awakening right now.

The next second, Li Qiankun heard the explosive crackling of bones. He watched helplessly as Zhao Xuanzhen rotated his wrist, every bone in his body crackling from his wrist to the soles of his feet, as though countless gears were turning and tightly locking every gap together!

Ben Ti Secret Technique, Battle Bone!

His muscles tightened in sequence, his bones adjusted themselves. This top-secret technique of the Body Sect's blood and flesh lineage pushed his physical strength to another level, forming a perfect combat state!

"Not good!"

Li Qiankun roared as his Third Soul Skill, Qiankun Power, erupted. A pale golden glow twice as thick covered the Qiankun Shield, and a layer of energy barrier thrust outward!

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

At the critical moment, Li Qiankun only had time to press the Qiankun Ball against his abdomen and endure Zhao Xuanzhen's Shocking Palm!

"Boom—"

It felt as though a Fixed Soul Tool Cannonball had struck him in the chest. From sternum to ribs, his bones released a mournful groan under unbearable strain. If Li Qiankun had not been a Soul Master known for his defense, that blow alone would have put him peacefully to sleep on the spot!

Even so, his burly body was still sent flying by the immense force of the Shocking Palm. At that exact moment, Li Qiankun lit up his Fourth Soul Ring!

Golden light poured through his meridians like molten lava. Muscles knotted and bulged across Li Qiankun's body, while his skin took on a cold metallic sheen. The instant his feet touched down, he stomped a half-foot-deep pit into the Ice Arena!

Like Yin Yang Reversal, Qiankun Shock had a limit to what it could endure. Li Qiankun possessed immense combat experience and knew that Zhao Xuanzhen in his Battle Bone state had already surpassed the limits of his defense. Defensive counterattacks were no longer effective. He had to switch from defense to offense!

The Qiankun Ball's fourth soul skill, Ding Qiankun!

All his remaining Soul Power 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 released a powerful suction force that dragged Zhao Xuanzhen's body toward it.

Zhao Xuanzhen clenched one fist. His First Soul Ring flashed as black-and-white Qi energy twisted and intertwined. Yin and Yang Dual Qi condensed into a single point, the force stirring resonance as it violently tore open a rift within the Qiankun Ball's suction vortex!

Collapse Force · Block and Parry Hammer!

The Qiankun vortex was shredded into fragments by the Collapse Force. The bronze sphere flew backward with a mournful wail, and Li Qiankun spat out blood as his towering body suddenly collapsed.

"Class monitor!"

The students of Class One, Second Year cried out and rushed forward. Half of them hurriedly helped Li Qiankun up, while the other half formed a human wall in front of Zhao Xuanzhen, their crimson eyes seeming to say: If you want to touch him, step over our corpses first!

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

Li Qiankun spoke to calm his classmates. Rising to his feet, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said in a deep voice:

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

Zhao Xuanzhen steadied his breathing to recover his Soul Power, then nodded. "I'll be waiting anytime."

After clasping his fists in salute, Li Qiankun led Class One, Second Year away in broad strides. Above the arena, Saint Spirit Douluo Yali's eyes shone with wonder.

"Among the Young Genius List's evaluation criteria, a Soul Master's combat strength carries the greatest weight. After defeating Li Qiankun in a one-on-one, Zhao Xuanzhen will undoubtedly be third when the list updates next time..."

At this point, Yali paused, somewhat puzzled. "Brother Ming, I feel Xuanzhen could have fought more cleanly. The Qiankun Ball excels at close-range defense. If he controlled lightning elements and bombarded it repeatedly, the Qiankun Ball's defense would no longer be impregnable."

"You're right, but you don't understand what he's thinking." Yun Ming rubbed Yali's satin-like emerald-green hair and explained, "Lightning defeated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, aerial combat suppressed the Holy Angel, and Ancient Martial Combat Skills directly confronted the Qiankun Ball's defense.

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

"Zhao Xuanzhen has that much edge to him..." Yali said in surprise.

"And that kid fought very intelligently. He basically only used his first soul skill. That secret technique for controlling his own bones offers far less improvement to a Ben Ti Soul Master than Second Awakening, and it consumes much less as well. After two battles, he hasn't lost much Soul Power and remains at peak condition.

"I think he's preparing for the final two opponents. After all, they are not Soul Masters on the same level as Li Qiankun."

At the Ice Arena, the observing Shrek students were no longer filled with righteous indignation. Yue Zhengyu and Li Qiankun had suffered consecutive defeats, along with Lan Dian Yu Yuanheng's crushing loss. Their gazes toward Zhao Xuanzhen gradually gained respect.

On Douluo Continent, the strong were revered.

Encouraging voices for Zhao Xuanzhen occasionally rang out around the plaza. Na'er glanced at the youth on the stage, whose expression had not changed. Through the tears in his clothes left by the Ben Ti Secret Technique, Wing Transformation, his strong side waist was faintly visible. The young girl softly grumbled:

"Idiot Zhao Xuanzhen, deliberately showing off your waist to flirt with little girls."

"Tap, tap, tap."

The noisy Spirit Ice Plaza suddenly filled with the crisp sound of high heels striking the ground. A pale long leg, its curves exquisitely outlined, stepped onto the arena. Her alluring figure swayed with every step like a flowering branch in the breeze.

The woman had an incomparably seductive face, faint red at the corners of her eyes, full crimson lips, and a lingering charm in the upward curve of her mouth.

The moment Na'er saw the woman's pretty face and voluptuous figure, her expression changed drastically. She could not help secretly comparing herself, then stomped her foot in frustration. This time, her age had held her back. Her figure had been utterly defeated!

"Damn it! Three years east of the river, three years west of the river—never bully a young girl for being poor!"

The silver-haired girl screamed unwillingly in her heart!

"Number Two on the Young Genius List, vice class monitor of Class One, Third Year, Meihu Nangong Yao."

The woman's voice was soft and lingering, like a little hand gently stroking the listener's brain. The Shrek students who knew her quickly shook their heads, trying to drive that voice out of their minds.

Li Qiankun was the Number One Defense Type Soul Master on the Young Genius List, while Nangong Yao was the number one Mental strength-type Soul Master. Her Charm Technique cultivation with the Phantom Demon Fox Martial Soul had reached an extremely profound realm!

The demon fox phantom swayed like flames. Purple, purple, purple, purple, purple—five Thousand-Year Soul Rings burst forth wildly, while pale pink halos spreading from the tips of her fox tails scorched ripples through the air.

A strange peach-colored light appeared in Nangong Yao's eyes. Pink mist silently spread outward, carrying a sweet, cloying bloody fragrance. Wherever it passed, the wind seemed to have its bones removed, congealing into thick, sticky currents.

Combination Soul Skill, Phantom Mist!

Thirty percent of perception stripped away, thirty percent Soul Power suppression, thirty percent slower movements!

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

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

Mental Soul Skills directly affected the Sea of Consciousness. Everything Zhao Xuanzhen saw distorted. The woman's pale lotus arms curled around him, her lips and tongue smiling seductively, her breath fragrant as orchids. She twisted her waist alluringly as whispers flooded in from every direction, the Phantom Demon Fox branding scorching marks across his retina.

Nangong Yao curled her lips, her smile seductive and confident. But it quickly froze. She saw a pair of eyes, blazing brilliant gold and terrifying to behold.

Pressure poured down like the Milky Way. Through the Charm of the Demon Fox, Nangong Yao felt an iron-like will turn back upon her with even more overwhelming pressure.

The entire world seemed to spin in chaos. She could no longer distinguish heaven from earth. Her ears rang, her vision filled with blood, and the Phantom Mist dispersed like a receding tide. Confusion and pain flooded 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 wind blowing loose strands of hair across her forehead.

"You were pretending! You never fell under my charm!" Nangong Yao said bitterly. "I clearly still had my Battle Armor..."

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

The brilliant gold slowly faded as Zhao Xuanzhen answered frankly.

Spirit Collapse Erosion, a mental combat skill created by Illusion Brain Douluo Han Tianyi. It stimulated the brain's activity, allowing the user's Mental strength to surge for a short time and collapse the target's Sea of Consciousness!

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

The One-Word Battle Armor with the highest compatibility could provide a twenty-level Soul Power increase. Zhao Xuanzhen would never sit 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 method against a One-Word Battle Armor Master was to attack with the force of thunder, leaving them no time to equip their One-Word Battle Armor.

"Little brother, I'll remember you!"

Nangong Yao's eyes blazed as she twisted her sexy waist and walked down from the Ice Arena, making Na'er flare up with anger.

Zhao Xuanzhen ignored Nangong Yao. His pitch-black pupils 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—the cold determination that could not be suppressed.

"Tang Dong, are you planning 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, her silver teeth grinding with a creak.

"Junior Zhao, you recognized me. That proves you've at least learned about me."

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

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

"I like your courage. As your third-grade senior, to be fair, I won't use Battle Armor." Tang Dong slowly climbed onto the arena, his tone frivolous.

"What lofty words. You broke through that Martial Soul to the Fifth Ring Soul King at eighteen. You spent all your energy cultivating Soul Power, didn't you? How many pieces of Battle Armor have you made? Do you even have half as much as Nangong Yao?"

"Damn."

Tang Dong shrugged gloomily. "I wanted to show off a little, but you exposed me.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you. I only have one piece of chest armor, yet Nangong Yao, with eight pieces of Battle Armor, is still no match for me."

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

"Junior Brother, 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 List, Extreme Ice Tang Dong—his Martial Soul was the Ice Jade Scorpion!