A Swift Victory

Xiao Chen's new code name was Absolute String, and his registered Soul Power Level was forty-one;

Hu Liena's new code name was Fox Fairy, and she was also a level-forty-one Soul Ancestor.

As soon as the host announced the start of the Soul Fighting match, both sides immediately went into action.

Although Xiao Chen and Hu Liena had lower Soul Power Levels than their opponents, the other team didn't underestimate them at all.

Demon Butterfly opened by unleashing her First Spirit Skill: Butterfly Shadow Clone.

She split into three figures, surrounding Xiao Chen and Hu Liena.

Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Chen raised his hand and shot an arrow at the Demon Butterfly on the far left. The arrow, enhanced with Speed Boost, reached her in an instant.

Demon Butterfly had never expected Xiao Chen to identify her true body right away, nor had she expected his arrow to be so fast.

With no way to dodge, she could only circulate her Soul Power to block it.

Xiao Chen fired two more arrows at her in quick succession, then shifted position and shot an arrow at Thunder Bear, enhanced with Piercing Wound and Speed Boost.

That was because Hu Liena had already used her First Spirit Skill, Charm, on Thunder Bear.

Charm only required eye contact to activate. Thunder Bear's Soul Power Level was four levels higher than Hu Liena's, but his mental strength was comparatively weak.

Thunder Bear lost focus in an instant. Before he could even use a Spirit Skill, Xiao Chen's arrow pierced his chest.

On the other side, Demon Butterfly had just blocked the three arrows Xiao Chen had fired when she noticed pink mist rising around her.

"Oh no!"

Demon Butterfly's expression changed dramatically. She could feel her Soul Power moving sluggishly, phantom sounds ringing in her ears, and her mind being assailed by powerful mental energy. At any moment, she might lose focus completely.

This was Hu Liena's Second Spirit Skill: Fox Charm.

Without the slightest hesitation, Demon Butterfly immediately used her Third Spirit Skill: Dark Wing Butterfly Powder.

She spun lightly, the shadowy butterfly wings on her back slowly opening and closing as they beat softly.

Fine black powder, as delicate as dust, sifted down from her wings and spread into wisps of dark mist, blanketing the Fighting Soul Arena.

The black powder could corrode Soul Power. She hoped to break Hu Liena's Second Spirit Skill with a wide-area attack, while also counting on Thunder Bear to help her out.

Unfortunately, Thunder Bear was already lying on the ground.

Xiao Chen had landed that arrow with perfect precision, tearing through an important Soul Power pathway and leaving Thunder Bear's Soul Power sluggish.

He wasn't in any danger of dying, but he certainly wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

Demon Butterfly wasn't weak, but unfortunately for her, she had faced Hu Liena. One-on-one, she had no chance of breaking free from Hu Liena's Mental Interference, let alone with Xiao Chen the archer watching her like a hawk.

Demon Butterfly's black powder had spread barely two or three meters when Xiao Chen's arrow pierced through it and reached her.

She hadn't completely lost focus yet, but under Hu Liena's Mental Interference, she couldn't dodge Xiao Chen's arrow.

And so, the match ended almost as soon as it began.

Xiao Chen and Hu Liena had defeated Thunder Shadow Duo in no more than seven or eight seconds.

The Fighting Soul Arena fell utterly silent.

The entire audience froze in place. The clamor, shouts, and cheers abruptly stopped, every gaze fixed on the arena, disbelief written across every face.

The silence lasted only an instant. The next second, the entire Soul Fighting Arena erupted!

A wave of commotion swept through the stands. Gasps and exclamations mingled with excited discussion and the sounds of people drawing sharp breaths.

No one had expected the veteran Thunder Shadow Duo, known for their ferocious and unpredictable fighting style, to lose so cleanly and so quickly.

"Thunder Shadow Duo was taken out that fast? Am I seeing things?" one spectator exclaimed.

"That archer's timing was incredible! One arrow sealed his channels and took Thunder Bear out of the fight. What a shot!"

"Fox Fairy's mental control is powerful too. She not only made Thunder Bear lose focus, but also suppressed Demon Butterfly completely. That gave Absolute String the perfect chance to finish her off!"

"I thought this would be a brutal fight, but it turned into a one-sided beatdown! Poor Thunder Bear didn't even get to use a single Spirit Skill before he hit the floor!"

"The two of them worked together so smoothly—control and kill, all in one seamless sequence! If this had been a real battle, Thunder Bear and Demon Butterfly would already be corpses!"

"Did you notice? Absolute String's Spirit Rings never lit up while he was drawing and shooting. Could it be that he didn't use any Spirit Skills just now?"

"Impossible! I once heard that a tiny number of top Soul Masters, or Soul Masters with special Spirit Skills, really can use their skills without revealing their Spirit Rings! Looks like Absolute String is one of them."

"..."

The spectators' exclamations continued without pause, all of them calling out for Absolute String and Fox Fairy.

Xiao Chen and Hu Liena didn't linger on the Fighting Soul Arena. They headed straight back to the lounge.

As soon as they entered, Yan exclaimed, "That was amazing! You won so cleanly and decisively! Even if Xie Yue and Nana teamed up, they couldn't have taken those two down in such a short time!"

Xie Yue nodded in agreement. He knew full well that unless he and Hu Liena started with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they could never have defeated Thunder Bear and Demon Butterfly so quickly.

"Alas, I'd been hoping to test the power of my Fourth Spirit Skill, but little junior brother was so strong that he never gave me a chance to use it." Hu Liena furrowed her brow and let out a deliberately rueful sigh, her tone playful and a little smug.

"Not at all. It was your masterful mental control that kept our opponents in check and gave me the perfect chance to make a move," Xiao Chen replied, his tone humble and sincere.

Yan watched the two of them praise each other and sighed helplessly.

He turned to Xie Yue. "Brother Xie Yue, I don't think even the two of us could necessarily beat Nana and Xiao Chen if we joined forces!"

Xie Yue nodded slightly and said calmly, "In this Soul Fighting Arena, we still have a chance to compete with them. But if we were outside and they had room to keep their distance, we wouldn't stand a chance."

He knew that Hu Liena's mental control also worked at range. He was confident he could resist it, but he also knew he would be affected to some extent.

And Xiao Chen's arrows were far too accurate.

Even as an Agility Attack System Soul Master, he couldn't imagine how he would handle Xiao Chen's relentless arrows while under mental interference.

"I can't even imagine how strong Xiao Chen would be if he were our age and at our level!" Yan exclaimed.

Just after he said that, he felt a surge of Soul Power.

"Impressive. He's reached level twenty-four!" Chrysanthemum Douluo praised.

"No way!" Yan stared at Xiao Chen as if he'd seen a ghost.

He remembered Xie Yue saying that Xiao Chen had only just obtained the Second Spirit Ring for both of his Martial Souls a few days earlier.

Breaking through to level twenty-three after fusing the Spirit Rings had already been astonishing, but who could have imagined that in just a few short days, Xiao Chen would break through another level?

Yan felt a complicated mix of emotions. Xiao Chen's ridiculous cultivation speed had really hit him hard.