Dark Hunt

"Senior Xu Sanshi." Xia Linyuan's cool voice rang clearly through every corner of the Soul Fighting Zone. "If you can't withstand this move, you might..."

"DIE!" The instant the words left his mouth, an agony as if immense force had pierced through him and torn half his body apart erupted from Xu Sanshi's shoulder blades. His youthful eyes instinctively contracted.

A gray chain as thick as an adult's arm had pierced through his shoulder blades from behind and pinned him to the ground.

Then came a second chain! A third! A fourth!

The four chains pierced through Xu Sanshi's shoulder blades and kneecaps one after another. They moved so quickly that the spectators' vision blurred—and Xu Sanshi was suddenly pinned up like a human stake.

Strangely, though, the skin over Xu Sanshi's shoulder blades, where the chains had pierced through, showed no injuries at all. Even his clothes were untouched.

Yet the agony of being impaled, as if half his body were being torn apart, felt undeniably real.

A shadow as dark as night gathered before Xia Linyuan, forming a spear that looked like an enormous dart. Black streams of light swirled around it.

He seized the spear and took aim, ready to throw it at Xu Sanshi, who was pinned like a human stake.

A Hunter hidden in the darkness followed the instincts of the hunt, locking onto its prey's weak points before striking the killing blow at the perfect moment!

And what if there was no perfect moment?

The answer: if there was no opening, create one.

Dark Hunt!

A chill ran down Xu Sanshi's spine, snapping his drifting thoughts back into focus. He looked up to see an incredibly sharp spear pointed straight at him. At the same time, he felt as though something had locked onto him. Waves of cold crept up from his tailbone, making his scalp go numb.

An emotion called fear spread uncontrollably from deep within him.

"Stop!"

Just as Xia Linyuan was about to throw the spear that could take Xu Sanshi's life, a deep voice rang out of nowhere from all directions.

At the sound of it, Xia Linyuan's movements didn't falter, but he adjusted the angle of his throw.

The spear shot out, wreathed in thick black streams of light. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, it surged forward with unstoppable force.

It became a dazzling streak of black light. The powerful currents of air it whipped up even warped part of the space around the arena.

The thick black light warped along with the space, transforming into a massive, illusory black wolf.

In the blink of an eye, the wolf crossed dozens of meters and arrived just short of Xu Sanshi. It opened its bloody maw and brought one claw down hard at him.

Yan Shaozhe had just stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena when he saw Xia Linyuan's attack go beyond his control. He couldn't help exclaiming, "Oh no!"

The next second, he flashed out of sight. When he appeared again, he was already beside Xu Sanshi.

A brilliant golden light shot skyward, forming a barrier that looked illusory yet was incredibly solid, blocking the black wolf's attack.

Xia Linyuan hadn't put much force into that strike. At full strength, it could have killed Xu Sanshi; even at its weakest, it would have left him bedridden for ten days or half a month. But against someone like Yan Shaozhe, one of the top experts on Douluo Continent, it was nothing.

After blocking the spear, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help a flicker of surprise from crossing his eyes.

An ordinary Soul Ancestor would probably have been killed or crippled by that move. Xia Linyuan truly lived up to his title of Young War God.

By now, the students and teachers who had come to watch were all dumbfounded.

The match had ended far sooner than anyone expected. Many hadn't even seen the fight unfold.

What had they just witnessed?

One move!

He'd used just one hundred-year Spirit Skill!

A new student with three rings, a Soul Elder, had defeated Xu Sanshi—a famous fourth-year genius from Shrek Academy's Outer Court Martial Soul Department—in a single move!

And it had taken Shrek Academy's two hundred and sixty-first dean, Yan Shaozhe, stepping in to block the strike for Xu Sanshi and bring the Spirit Fighting match to an end!

The chains pinning Xu Sanshi were withdrawn. Even with his formidable ability to take a beating, he still trembled violently without stopping.

His legs gave way, and he sprawled on the ground without a shred of dignity. The unrelenting pain made his towering frame shake like a sieve.

It hurt!

It hurt so much!

It felt as though he'd been pierced by a blade and was being torn apart alive!

Yan Shaozhe gave Xia Linyuan a long look, his thoughts unreadable. "Xia Linyuan wins!"

Xia Linyuan walked over to Xu Sanshi and patted his trembling shoulder. "Senior Xu Sanshi, don't forget our bet."

Then, without even waiting for Xu Sanshi to answer, he left the Soul Fighting Arena without the slightest hesitation.

Everyone in the stands was stunned.

Beibei's throat worked as he swallowed with difficulty, his mouth bitter. "This junior is no ordinary strong."

After seeing Xia Linyuan defeat Xu Sanshi—the possessor of the Black Tortoise, the strongest defensive Martial Soul—in a single move, Tang Ya was at a loss for words.

It wasn't just them. Huo Yuhao, Tang Wulin, and Wang Dong were all silent, too.

They couldn't think of any words that could describe just how strong Xia Linyuan was.

Huo Yuhao, especially.

He'd just been wondering whether his Spiritual Detection could pass through the Soul Tool barrier. After all, this whole thing had started because of him.

But before he could share his Spiritual Detection with Xia Linyuan, the fight was already over—and it had been a complete rout. In the end, it seemed his help would have been unnecessary.

In a corner where no one was paying attention, Qian Duoduo kept his expression neutral, but inside, he was ecstatic.

He'd really found a treasure this time!

Xia Linyuan not only had his own unique insights into Soul Tools, but was also incredibly powerful. The Soul Guidance Department had struck it rich!

He was desperate to show off his precious disciple in front of Yan Shaozhe, but after dealing with him for so many years, how could he not know what that old fox was like?

Just imagining Yan Shaozhe's expression when he found out Xia Linyuan was his disciple nearly made Qian Duoduo burst out laughing. Luckily, he managed to hold it in.

Before Xia Linyuan transferred to the Soul Guidance Department, there was no telling whether he could even be convinced to join. Yan Shaozhe would surely take advantage of the boy's youth and naivety, tempting him with all sorts of grand promises to make him give up his studies in the Soul Guidance Department.

Even Qian Duoduo would have been tempted by those offers. What chance did a child like Xia Linyuan stand? After weighing the pros and cons, Xia Linyuan might actually abandon the Soul Guidance Department.

No!

He had to protect his precious disciple!

At that thought, the smugness in Qian Duoduo's eyes gradually faded.