"Martial Soul: Elemental Master, twenty-eight."
"Begin."
Gu Yue didn't spare him another glance, as though the person before her was beneath her notice. She calmly withdrew her gaze from Lu Li and spoke in an even tone.
"Hmph."
"First Soul Skill, Dark Sky Curtain!"
Zhang Yangzi snorted. He beat his wings hard and shot into the air, rising ten meters above the ground. His First Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
In that instant, dense dark energy poured down like a tide. In the blink of an eye, a ten-meter radius around them was shrouded in pitch-black shadow mist, and the light was completely swallowed up.
Only Zhang Yangzi remained, flying through the air like a ghost, his wings occasionally beating with a rustle.
This was his First Soul Skill, Dark Sky Curtain.
It was an area-of-effect Soul Skill suited to Control System combat. Everything within its range was shrouded in dark mist, and as long as his energy lasted, the mist would remain.
Of course, that was assuming his opponent didn't have a light-attribute Soul Skill or stronger control over the elements...
"Elemental Tide."
Gu Yue spoke calmly.
The moment her voice fell, a glimmer of gold appeared in her left hand and suddenly shone in the air. Zhang Yangzi, flying overhead, appeared in her sight at once.
"Light Element illumination?"
Zhang Yangzi's expression tightened. As expected of an Elemental Master Martial Soul. So light elements were within her control as well.
"Light Radiance Art."
Gu Yue gave him no time to react. The light in her hand expanded in an instant, and golden radiance burst forth, tearing a huge opening through the shadowy black mist before her.
Wherever the light reached, the dark energy retreated like melting snow, vanishing without a trace.
The golden light pinned Zhang Yangzi in place, leaving him nowhere to hide. His heart tightened. He beat his wings fiercely, preparing to dive in for a surprise attack, and the yellow light of his Second Soul Ring had already begun to shine!
"Second Soul Skill, Eagle Strikes the Sky..."
Eagle Strikes the Sky was his Second Soul Skill, a speed-based attack that activated instantly. Once he unleashed it and reached his opponent, he could turn the tables and snatch victory from defeat!
But at that very moment, a streak of green light flashed across Gu Yue's fingertips. A wind element descended silently.
"Wind Binding."
In an instant, countless transparent strands of wind appeared around Zhang Yangzi, as if summoned by Gu Yue, and wrapped around his wings and limbs.
Though the strands were soft, their resilient force bound Zhang Yangzi tightly. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
His upward momentum came to an abrupt halt. His body sank, and the wind strands drew him slowly toward the ground. The Dark Phantom Eagle's shrill cry rang out in midair, tinged with helpless frustration.
"Wind element control!"
"You can control two elements at once?!"
Zhang Yangzi gritted his teeth, staring at her in disbelief.
Even if her Martial Soul was an Elemental Master, shouldn't she only be able to wield one element at a time? How had she used light one moment and wind the next?
"Who told you that you couldn't?"
Gu Yue replied coldly. The instant Zhang Yangzi hit the ground, she casually raised a hand and quickly formed a wind blade. The green blade gleamed with a cold, sharp edge.
As Zhang Yangzi stared in alarm, she flicked her wrist. The wind blade shot out like lightning, grazing his eagle wing before stopping a finger's breadth from his neck.
"Gulp..."
Zhang Yangzi swallowed instinctively. Just then, Wu Changkong's voice rang out at lightning speed:
"Gu Yue wins!"
Gu Yue gave a slight nod and slowly drew in the elemental power around her. The golden and green lights vanished at once.
She didn't even look at Zhang Yangzi as she walked back toward the crowd, as though she hadn't taken part in a battle at all and had merely brushed away a fly.
She wiped her hands clean and left, hiding her achievements from view!
"..."
"Instantly gathering power without any casting delay. No wonder she's the Silver Dragon King, an elemental powerhouse with every element maxed out—the strongest mage."
Lu Li watched the scene in silence, inwardly marveling.
The opponents he feared most were top-tier ranged fighters.
No matter how strong he was, facing a ranged fighter would still be troublesome if they attacked quickly enough—especially if they could inflict control effects...
And Gu Yue was clearly one of them.
He wouldn't be surprised if she became the strongest Control System Soul Master in the future. It was only because he was older than her that she wouldn't be a rival who could pester him for a lifetime.
Oh, right. She'd be his junior sister in the future...
So she'd probably still pester him.
"Brother Lu Li, do you know anything about her Martial Soul? I've never heard of one called Elemental Master."
Wu Changkong had picked the contestants for the next battle. He looked over at Lu Li and asked in puzzlement. He had never heard of such a rare Martial Soul.
"I don't know much about it."
"But judging by how proficiently she controls the elements, she can use at least several different ones. She can cast at least Ultimate Light and Ultimate Wind instantly."
"She can probably control every element. Her Martial Soul's potential may even surpass mine."
Lu Li smiled as he spoke, his tone unhurried.
"Surpass yours?"
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
Wu Changkong frowned.
If that was true, then this girl named Gu Yue was sure to become a top-tier Limit Douluo, and one of the strongest at that!
"Not at all."
Lu Li smiled and shook his head. Wu Changkong didn't know, but he did. Who knew what ranked above his Golden Holy Dragon King Martial Soul? But Gu Yue was the Silver Dragon King, one half of the Dragon God...
That woman was near the top of the evolutionary chain!
"..."
"Holy crap..."
Meanwhile, after Gu Yue's match ended, every student in Class One drew a sharp breath, their faces filled with shock.
They'd expected her to be strong, but this was absurd. They were both Soul Grandmasters, yet Gu Yue had completely shut Zhang Yangzi down. Her display of power left them wanting to fall to their knees!
"Gu Yue..."
"She's way too strong."
Tang Wulin watched for a moment and frowned. She could control multiple elements and activate her skills so quickly. It was outrageous.
Was this what Big Brother Lu Li meant when he said she had no technique and relied purely on stats?
"I think so too."
"I don't feel like I'd have any chance of beating her."
Xie Xie nodded in agreement, then glanced at Tang Wulin with an exasperated look.
"You're pretty overpowered yourself."
"I feel like I'd have a hard time beating you too."
"Huh? No, no."
Tang Wulin hurriedly waved his hands, wearing an innocent smile. He didn't know anything about fighting...
He just knew a little about "reasoning."
"..."
"No wonder he's a genius with Innate Full Soul Power."
"So that's the difference between Innate Soul Power levels nine and ten?"
Shock was written all over Zhang Yangzi's face as he returned to Wang Jinxi and Wei Xiaofeng, muttering under his breath.
"Yangzi, are you okay?"
Wang Jinxi asked with concern.
"Your opponent seemed really strong."
Wei Xiaofeng stepped forward and patted Zhang Yangzi on the shoulder. His expression was just as serious as he spoke.
Of course, for someone who feared neither heaven nor earth, it was only a trace of concern.
"Jin Xi, I'm fine."
"Xiao Feng's right. Unless we use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the three of us probably don't stand a chance."
"I mean if all three of us fight together."
Zhang Yangzi looked from one to the other and spoke slowly.
"Is she really that strong?"
"I didn't notice..."
Wei Xiaofeng blinked in surprise. Beside him, Wang Jinxi nodded thoughtfully. So Gu Yue was that formidable?
"What could you possibly notice?"
Zhang Yangzi gave him a speechless look. He didn't think of himself as particularly clever, but compared to Wei Xiaofeng, he felt like a genius.
"Anyway, thank goodness we're classmates. Otherwise, who knows how many times we'd have to compete over the next few years."
"I just wonder which of us will make the team for the Class Promotion Tournament against the other grades."
Zhang Yangzi muttered.
"Isn't it obvious? At least two of us will make it. Gu Yue's the strongest among the others, sure, but who else is even talented?"
"Zhao Wuji at level eighteen, or Xie Xie? Their highest Innate Soul Power is only six or seven. There's nothing to worry about."
Wei Xiaofeng laughed, looking as though nothing could faze him.
"Could it be Tang Wulin?"
"Pfft, don't make me laugh..."
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