Battle Against Yan

Xiao Chen didn't mind sparring with Yan. He wanted to experience the strength of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation firsthand.

Besides, letting Yan see his real power would make it easier to convince him later to attach a White Spirit Ring.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue felt the same. Back in the Star Dou Forest, they'd seen Xiao Chen act, but he'd mostly been fleeing. This time, they could finally get a proper look at his true capabilities.

"Brother Yan, I can spar with you, but there's one condition," Xiao Chen said.

"Speak freely!" Yan replied at once.

Hu Liena, seeing Xiao Chen agree, stopped trying to stop him. Inwardly, she was already mourning for Yan.

Xiao Chen continued, "When the fight starts, I need to open a three-hundred-meter gap between us."

Yan frowned. He'd already learned from Xie Yue that Xiao Chen was a long-range weapon spirit master, so he knew exactly how disadvantageous three hundred meters would be for him.

At the same time, he was secretly shocked that Xiao Chen's range was that far.

"Oh, right. No need to suppress your Spirit Power," Xiao Chen added.

"Are you sure?" Yan looked at him.

"Absolutely sure. Three hundred meters is enough to make up the difference in our Spirit Power levels," Xiao Chen said with full confidence.

Yan's spirit was the Flame Lord. His attack power was fierce, but speed was his weak point.

If he were facing Xie Yue, Xiao Chen wouldn't be so certain. But against Yan, he had absolute confidence in making him experience what it felt like to be kited.

Seeing Xiao Chen insist, Yan didn't argue further. He just wanted to verify whether Xie Yue's words were true. Win or lose, he bore no real hostility toward Xiao Chen.

Hu Liena treated Xiao Chen with warmth and closeness. Yan couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy, but he wouldn't let it turn into resentment.

On the contrary, if Xiao Chen really was as strong as Xie Yue claimed, Yan would only sincerely admire him, never hold a grudge or try to push him out.

Yan understood clearly: the moment Xiao Chen joined Spirit Hall and became the Pope's disciple, they were destined to be comrades.

Soon after, the four of them found Chrysanthemum Douluo and told him about the spar between Xiao Chen and Yan.

Because Xiao Chen carried too many secrets, the fight couldn't take place inside Spirit Hall. So Chrysanthemum Douluo led them straight out of Spirit City and into the nearest mountain range.

Ghost Douluo came along as well.

He'd just learned Xiao Chen's secret from Chrysanthemum Douluo and was curious, so he naturally wanted to see it for himself.

With two Titled Douluo present, there was no need to worry about anyone spying from the shadows.

The two sides quickly took their positions. Once ready, Chrysanthemum Douluo announced the start of the spar via mental transmission.

Xiao Chen's Spirit Power level was still Level 23, the same as a few days ago in the Star Dou Forest. But his overall strength had improved by far more than a trivial amount.

Yan's four spirit skills had a maximum attack range of forty meters. So as soon as the fight began, he charged straight at Xiao Chen. He knew that at long range, he'd just be a target.

Still, he didn't go all out.

Yan had never underestimated Xiao Chen. He was well aware that the other's arrows could injure a three-thousand-six-hundred-year Thunder Pattern Leopard, so they could certainly threaten him too.

Compared to Soul Beasts, the human body was far too fragile.

Xiao Chen watched every move Yan made with perfect clarity. Enhanced visual range was an absolute god-tier skill for an archer.

He didn't rush to attack. His maximum range might reach three hundred meters, but that required combining the effects of Brute Force, Speed Boost, and Piercing Wound, which consumed a fair amount of Spirit Power.

One hundred eighty meters was Xiao Chen's most comfortable attack range. At that distance, ordinary arrows fired from his spirit fusion could inflict effective damage.

Within that range, adding just one spirit skill to an arrow would dramatically boost its lethality.

Compared to the Thunder Pattern Leopard, Yan was far too slow. In Xiao Chen's eyes, he was nothing but a moving target.

Yan had already covered a hundred meters before Xiao Chen finally released his spirit.

The moment Yan stepped into the two-hundred-meter zone, Xiao Chen loosed his first arrow.

This arrow carried only the Brute Force effect. At this distance, Yan could have dodged, but he chose to punch it instead. He wanted to see the arrow's power for himself.

His fist, wreathed in crimson flames, shattered the arrow into pieces with a single blow.

The arrow posed no threat to Yan, but a flicker of surprise still crossed his mind.

He could clearly sense that the destructive force in that arrow was enough to rival a Great Spirit Master of Level 27 or 28.

So Yan began moving erratically left and right, closing in on Xiao Chen.

It was a good idea, but Xiao Chen had Dynamic Capture. Yan's zigzagging only made him look more like a target.

Yan soon entered the one-hundred-eighty-meter range, and Xiao Chen's arrows came thick and fast.

Every arrow he fired carried the spirit fusion effect. Adding just one spirit skill made each one a threat to a Level 30 Soul Venerable.

For an ordinary Level 20 Spirit Master, such a powerful skill would be a trump card. For Xiao Chen, it was just a basic attack.

"So strong... arrows of this power, fired one after another without pause—how can his Spirit Power sustain this?" Yan muttered under his breath, shaken.

He knew that if he really suppressed his Spirit Power to match Xiao Chen's level, he would have already lost.

At first, he used his own Spirit Power to blast the arrows apart. But after entering the one-hundred-eighty-meter range, he stopped doing that. Shattering the arrows cost him too much Spirit Power.

His advance slowed dramatically.

Xiao Chen, on the other hand, stood motionless, simply drawing his bow and shooting, drawing and shooting.

Xiao Chen's arrows would sometimes attach a 'Brute Force' and sometimes a 'Speed Boost', each arrow varying in speed and power, leaving Yan quite exasperated.

The four watching were all deeply shaken. Last time, although Xiao Chen could also shoot arrows to interfere with the Thunder Pattern Leopard, he had mainly been fleeing.

But now, Xiao Chen's arrows flew as if they cost nothing, a single man matching an entire squad of archers.

"Xiao Chen's strength has improved again, but this firing speed... it's just too ridiculous!" Xie Yue couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.

"Yan has already lost; with his speed, under such a dense barrage of arrows, he can't break through without using a Spirit Ability," Chrysanthemum Douluo said slowly. He estimated that even if Yan managed to reach Xiao Chen's side, his Spirit Power would be nearly depleted.

Ghost Douluo's eyes also flickered with brilliance. Having heard Chrysanthemum Douluo's account earlier, he already held high expectations for Xiao Chen.

Now witnessing it firsthand, the shock in his heart was beyond words.

Ghost Douluo felt that in this state, as long as Xiao Chen reached level seventy, with distance maintained, he could probably threaten even an ordinary Titled Douluo.