When Lin Yi stopped deliberately holding back, the six Soul Rings that symbolized his Soul Emperor realm rose one by one beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black! The final two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings were as deep as the night sky, and the moment they appeared, radiating a terrifying energy, the entire arena fell into dead silence.
Everyone from Shrek Academy froze, as though struck by a bolt of thunder.
"Six... six Soul Rings? A Soul Emperor?!"
"How is that possible?! Wasn't he level fifty-two before?!"
"Two... two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?!"
"How shameless! He hid his strength so well!" Ma Hongjun was the first to curse.
Dai Mubai stared fixedly at the six Soul Rings, especially the two black ones. Rage and humiliation caused his wounds to split open again, and blood seeped out.
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, disbelief filling her eyes. Oscar's face went deathly pale. A flicker of shock also passed through Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes.
Xiao Wu was so anxious that tears nearly spilled from her eyes. She clutched Tang San's sleeve tightly.
Zhao Wuji's face was black as the bottom of a pot. He finally understood why Lin Yi had been so utterly confident earlier! That bastard had been hiding his strength all along!
"Lin Yi! You... you're already a Soul Emperor?" Zhao Wuji's voice brimmed with barely contained fury and trembled slightly.
Chief Meng Shenji spoke at just the right moment. His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority. "Teacher Lin Yi was already a Soul Emperor. How can you call that hiding his strength? He was merely keeping a low profile. What, is Shrek Academy trying to go back on its word?"
Zhao Wuji and the others were left speechless. That was true: Lin Yi had never said he was only a Soul King. That had all been their own assumption.
The despair brought by the enormous gap in strength poured over them like icy water, extinguishing the flames of hope that had just been kindled by their trust in him.
Tang San's pupils constricted violently when he saw the six Soul Rings. It felt as if an invisible hand had clenched his heart. A Soul Emperor! And one with two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings! The gap was far greater than he had imagined!
But he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm raging inside him, and his gaze steadied once more. He told himself, It's fine. He's an auxiliary-type Soul Master! His means of attack must be limited! I still have a chance! With Hidden Weapons and the Clear Sky Hammer, I might still be able to fight him!
He would never let Xiao Wu leave him...
"Begin!" Meng Shenji announced, breaking the frozen atmosphere.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Tang San moved! He knew his Soul Power was far inferior, so he had to seize the initiative and give it everything he had!
"First Soul Skill, Entanglement!"
Countless thick strands of Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground like serpents, surging toward Lin Yi from every direction in an attempt to restrain him.
At the same time, Tang San swept his hands across his waist, and countless Hidden Weapons shot out like a swarm of bees, targeting Lin Yi's vital points! Sleeve Arrows, Bone-Piercing Needles, Willow Leaf Blades... Their angles were treacherous, and they flew at astonishing speed!
That wasn't all. His footwork shifted as he pushed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limits, making his figure flicker unpredictably and hard to follow.
Right from the start, Tang San displayed combat awareness and explosive power far beyond an ordinary Soul Elder!
Yet in the face of this fierce barrage, Lin Yi remained remarkably calm. He didn't even use a defensive Soul Skill. The Sixth Soul Ring beneath his feet simply flashed—Sixth Soul Skill, Ice Lotus Blessing! (Effect: Increases speed by 40% and Soul Power recovery by 50%.)
A cool sensation coursed through his body, and Lin Yi's speed surged in an instant! He seemed to transform into a ghostly blue streak, gliding through the gaps between the dense Blue Silver Grass and the storm of Hidden Weapons as if taking a leisurely stroll!
Tang San's exquisite Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was transparent before Lin Yi's powerful Spirit Detection! Every step he took, every angle and trajectory of his Hidden Weapons, even the subtle changes in Soul Power as it flowed through his meridians—all were clearly "seen" and anticipated by Lin Yi in advance!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Every Hidden Weapon missed, embedding itself deep in the ground or trees behind Lin Yi. The Blue Silver Grass couldn't even brush his clothes!
"How is this possible?!" Tang San was horrified. His Hidden Weapons and footwork had never been so easily seen through! His opponent was absurdly fast, and seemed able to predict the future!
Unwilling to believe it, he unleashed his Third Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint. A huge web of Blue Silver Grass, sticky and poisonous, dropped over Lin Yi's head! At the same time, the Eight Spider Lances sprang from Tang San's back, shimmering with purple-black light as they lunged at Lin Yi from another angle with fierce momentum! It was a coordinated attack combining an External Soul Bone with his Martial Soul!
"Parlor tricks." Lin Yi scoffed inwardly. With Spirit Detection, the web seemed pathetically slow to him.
He shifted his foot slightly, and his figure slid several feet sideways as if by teleportation, easily escaping the web's reach. As for the lunging Eight Spider Lances, he didn't use a single defensive Soul Skill. With the incredible speed granted by Ice Lotus Blessing and his precise predictions, he dodged them again and again by mere inches. Their sharp tips never touched him.
The longer Tang San fought, the more alarmed he became. It felt as though he were fighting an invisible ghost. Every attack struck empty air, and every calculation was effortlessly seen through. His Soul Power was draining rapidly, and his mind was beginning to tire from the intense concentration.
"I can't go on like this!" A ruthless look flashed through Tang San's eyes. He knew he had to use his trump card! Black light surged in his right hand, and a small, old-fashioned hammer, entirely black, silently appeared—his Clear Sky Hammer!
Though it had no Soul Rings attached, the Clear Sky Hammer's terrifying weight and domineering presence made the air around them grow heavy the instant it appeared!
"That's..." Meng Shenji's eyes narrowed.
Zhao Wuji held his breath as well.
Tang San poured most of his remaining Soul Power into the Clear Sky Hammer, making black light blaze from its head. With a roar, he spun and hurled the heavy hammer at Lin Yi, using the force of his rotation! This was the strongest attack he could manage right now! Before the hammer even arrived, its terrifying pressure was already suffocating!
At last, Lin Yi's eyes took on a serious look as he faced the hammer's immense force, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone. But he still chose not to meet it head-on.
Fourth Soul Skill, Breath of Ice Sealing! (Effect: Increases his defense; enemies that make contact will be frozen or slowed.)
An icy aura instantly spread around his body. At the same time, the First Soul Ring beneath his feet glimmered faintly. The energy of Healing Light flowed silently through his body, ready to repair any damage from the impact.
He didn't dodge. Just as the Clear Sky Hammer was about to strike, he tilted his body at an inconceivable angle and precisely slapped the hammer's side with his right hand, which was wrapped in dense frost and Soul Power!
Thud!
The heavy impact left Lin Yi's arm slightly numb, but the bitter cold of Breath of Ice Sealing instantly spread up the hammer. At the same time, he deftly redirected the force, guiding most of the impact into the ground.
Crack! The ground beneath his feet split apart inch by inch.
The Clear Sky Hammer was knocked off course by his palm. It whistled past his body and smashed into a large tree behind him, snapping it in half. Several people would have had to link arms to encircle its trunk.
Tang San's desperate attack had once again been defused by Lin Yi with a technique that seemed to use the force of four ounces to move a thousand pounds! And using both the Eight Spider Lances and the Clear Sky Hammer in quick succession had drained Tang San's Soul Power and mental strength. Now, his face was pale, his breathing ragged, and his eyes filled with unwillingness and a trace of helplessness.
"It's over."
Looking at Tang San, whose Soul Power and mental strength were nearly depleted, Lin Yi knew the time had come. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he silently activated the Second Soul Skill he had not used until now—Icе Spirit Impact!
An invisible, formless force of spirit, cold enough to pierce to the bone, shot across the distance between them like the sharpest ice pick, stabbing into Tang San's unguarded Sea of Consciousness!
"Ugh—!"
Tang San felt as though his mind had been pierced by Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice. Agony and extreme cold swept through his awareness, freezing every thought and reaction in an instant! He groaned, his body swaying violently. His gaze turned vacant and unfocused, and he froze completely.
The instant Tang San's mind was wounded and he lost the ability to resist, Lin Yi moved! His figure flashed forward like lightning. His right hand, carrying the extreme cold of Breath of Ice Sealing, gently pressed against Tang San's chest.
Crack, crack!
The bone-piercing cold erupted. From Lin Yi's palm, a crystalline layer of ice spread rapidly, freezing Tang San inside a block of transparent ice in the blink of an eye. Only his expression of shock, pain, and unwillingness remained, frozen on his face.
The battle was over.
From start to finish, Lin Yi hadn't used a single attack-type Soul Skill. Ice Spirit Impact was a spiritual attack, difficult for outsiders to detect. Relying only on speed, anticipation, defense, and control, he had utterly crushed Tang San, who had used every means at his disposal!
The entire arena fell silent.
The members of Shrek Academy stood as if under a binding spell, staring blankly at the frozen Tang San, unable to accept this cruel reality.
Lin Yi slowly withdrew his hand and looked at Tang San inside the ice sculpture. In an even voice, he announced, "You lost."
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