Facing Guang Biao, Xu Yue wasted no words.
He struck at full force from the very start.
Under the amplification of eightfold gravity and Spear Intent, Minu's blow was terrifyingly powerful, no weaker than a Soul King's ten-thousand-year Soul Skill.
Feeling the attack bearing down like a collapsing mountain, Guang Biao's original intention of talking things over instantly changed.
No matter what hidden circumstances lay behind this, he first had to withstand this blow before there could be any further discussion.
Without hesitation, six Soul Rings—two yellow and four purple—appeared and burst forth with multicolored light.
"Iron Armored Dragon Body!" "Iron Armored Dragon Fist!"
Although Guang Biao and Guang Long were both brothers with Iron Armored Dragon Martial Souls, their auras were clearly worlds apart.
Looking at Xu Yue's Vortex Vanquisher, Guang Biao's iron-gray dragon claw formed a twisted dragon head. It opened its gaping maw and bit toward him.
At the same time, a massive purple snake Soul Spirit at his side twisted its thick body and lashed at Xu Yue.
Boom!
Xu Yue's spear collided head-on with Guang Biao's fist, and a terrifying explosion rang out at the entrance of Eastsea Academy.
Violent Soul Power surged outward, forcing the nearby onlookers back several meters.
Yet—
Xu Yue, whose Soul Power was lower, did not budge in the slightest.
The Stone-Solid Tyrant Body gave him the stability of a mountain. Unless someone could tear up the ground beneath his feet along with him—
He and the earth were one.
In contrast, Guang Biao, a Soul Emperor, had visible cracks in the dragon scales on his arm. His right arm trembled constantly, and he staggered back seven or eight steps in succession.
The Soul Spirit at his side was also blasted several meters away by the tremendous force rebounding from Xu Yue's shield.
After just one clash, Guang Biao's expression changed drastically.
It was not merely because of the terrifying weight carried by the spear.
There was also an inexplicable sharpness assaulting his mind, stabbing his consciousness with pain and leaving him dazed.
"How is this possible..." Guang Biao shook his groggy head, his face full of disbelief.
But before he could recover, another spear shadow came hurtling toward him.
"Wait... Hiss..."
Yet Xu Yue had no intention of stopping. His incomparably fierce spear momentum descended strike after strike.
The clashes in the arena continued, but the spectators around the perimeter had already fallen utterly silent.
Everyone stared blankly at the battle before them, an indescribable sense of absurdity welling up from the depths of their hearts.
A battle between a Soul Elder and a Soul Emperor should have been one-sided no matter who thought about it.
And reality was indeed one-sided—but it was not the Soul Emperor crushing the Soul Elder. It was the Soul Elder suppressing the Soul Emperor instead.
Long Hengxu and Ye Yingluo stared blankly. "Is this really a student Eastsea Academy can cultivate?"
A look of understanding appeared in Gu Yue's black eyes.
"Xu Yue! You really are connected to the Heavenly Change from back then. I could never mistake this aura."
When the Heavenly Change occurred, it had happened to coincide with the time when she split off Na'er's personality.
At the time, she had not yet compressed her cultivation and had briefly retained god-level perception. She understood the terror of the Heavenly Change far better than the experts of Douluo Continent.
The Heavenly Change had not been some astronomical phenomenon caused by a planet passing through the orbital paths of Douluo Planet and the sun, blocking the sunlight.
Rather, a distortion of space-time beyond mortal imagination had formed above Douluo Continent, bending and warping the light.
In the end, it had created a phenomenon similar to a Solar Eclipse.
Even though that power had vanished in an instant—
It had still caused minor geological shifts and even gravitational anomalies along thousands of kilometers of Douluo Continent's coastline.
"But... why was it you? And why could you trigger the birth of that power?"
How could a child have stirred a force that even she found shocking?
Thinking of this, Gu Yue fell into deep thought, and the curiosity in her heart grew ever stronger.
Within Tang Wulin's Sea of Spirit.
Father and son were conversing.
"Old Tang, do you think my talent is really that poor? Maybe someone like Xu Yue is what a true genius looks like."
Tang Wulin watched the battle before him, feeling somewhat bitter.
Tang San's Divine Sense, under the alias Old Tang, did not answer immediately. He was frowning as well.
"Such talent? Could he be a Child of Destiny?"
Tang San was puzzled too.
"But that cannot be right. With Father's suppression, how could a Child of Destiny be born on Douluo Planet?"
"Even if one were born, he should still be under Father's control."
But he could not concern himself with that now.
He could feel Tang Wulin's fighting spirit being suppressed.
Awakening Blue Silver Grass had already given him a relatively low starting point.
But with the help of the Golden Dragon King bloodline, he had regained some confidence in forging.
Then, relying on Innate Divine Strength, he had grown even more confident after defeating Xie Xie and the others in battle.
Originally, following that path and unlocking the Golden Dragon King Seal step by step would have created a snowball effect.
However—
Xu Yue's appearance had shattered all of that.
A peer with slightly greater talent could, to a certain extent, inspire others to chase after and surpass them.
But if someone among their peers was too dazzling, it would severely undermine everyone else's confidence.
If their mindset was weaker, it was entirely possible for them to never recover.
It was much like his encounter with Shui Bing'er back then.
Though he had consumed numerous immortal herbs, he had still seemed utterly powerless when facing Shui Bing'er.
Ice Phoenix of Drifting Snow alone had shattered his mentality.
If not for Dugu Bo's guidance afterward, he might even have considered cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer ahead of time.
And that had only been Shui Bing'er.
If he had encountered Qian Renxue before forging the heart of a true powerhouse, he would likely have felt even more despair.
At this thought, Tang San's tone turned serious.
"This Xu Yue's talent is indeed very strong, but your talent is not poor either."
"Really?" Tang Wulin did not quite believe him.
"Of course." Tang San nodded. "Do you remember the dragon inside your body? It is dangerous, but it is also an opportunity."
"As long as you follow my instructions and unlock the first seal, the benefits you gain will far exceed your imagination."
"Although it will not erase the gap between you and Xu Yue in the short term, it will certainly narrow it by a great deal."
"But those Spirit Fruits you mentioned are just too expensive."
At the thought of spending more than a million Federal Coin to gather them all, Tang Wulin's scalp tingled.
Tang San felt a headache coming on as well.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Wu Zhangkong, and he smiled.
"You can ask your teacher for help. He comes from Shrek and is also a disciple of the Tang Sect. Gathering a few Spirit Fruits should not be a problem."
"The Tang Sect?" Tang Wulin froze. "The legendary Tang Sect? How do you know, Old Tang?!"
Tang San could not help but fall silent.
If he could not even recognize the aura of the Mysterious Heaven Skill or the man's habitual footwork, then he would hardly deserve to be called the Tang Sect's ancestor.
"I will tell you later. What do you think now?"
"As long as you unlock the first seal, and with that little girl Gu Yue, you may be able to defeat Xu Yue in the Class Promotion Tournament a few days from now."
"This..." Tang Wulin hesitated. "I will think about it!"
Hearing Tang Wulin's answer, Tang San's tone became stern.
"You had better make your choice soon!"
"It will be difficult for you to gather the Spirit Fruits needed to lift the seal on your own, and you do not have much time left."
"..." Tang Wulin remained silent.
At this point, Tang San's tone softened considerably.
"In truth, the outcome of a battle is not determined solely by talent and Martial Souls. There is another extremely important factor."
Before you continue