"Little Junior Brother! I'm back!"
Her clear voice, edged with a hint of willfulness, cut through the silence of the Martial Arts Arena.
A figure came charging in at full tilt.
Hu Liena wore red, her ponytail tied high. As she ran, its end whipped back and forth through the air.
She rushed up to Ling Xiao and looked him over from head to toe.
Her voice was tinged with disbelief.
"No way, Little Junior Brother! You really made it to level nineteen?!"
"I heard Master say so yesterday, but I didn't believe her!"
A year ago, she had been a level twenty-five Soul Grandmaster.
Ling Xiao had just absorbed his First Soul Ring and possessed only level thirteen Soul Power.
She had thought that, with her own talent,
even if her junior brother had Innate Full Soul Power, she could still stay comfortably ahead of him for years.
But who could have guessed that, over the past year, Ling Xiao's cultivation speed would be like a rocket taking off?
Level fourteen, level fifteen, level eighteen...
He had smashed through every obstacle along the way.
In just one short year, he had surged to level nineteen.
He was only one step away from becoming a level twenty Soul Grandmaster.
That speed had left Hu Liena utterly overwhelmed by the pressure.
She had originally thought that, as his senior sister, she ought to act the part, and she had always been fairly diligent about cultivation.
But watching Ling Xiao's Soul Power Level catch up day by day, she had started to get restless.
For the past year, she had been forced to spend her days meditating in the cultivation chamber.
Only then had she barely managed to climb from level twenty-five to level twenty-nine.
Even so, watching Ling Xiao's progress left her on edge every single day.
She was terrified that she might wake up one morning to find her junior brother had overtaken her.
If that really happened, she'd never be able to show her face again.
"I've only been cultivating as usual."
Ling Xiao rested his long spear against a nearby weapon rack and replied calmly.
"Senior Sister is exceptionally talented. You climbed from level twenty-five to level twenty-nine in a year. How many people in all of Spirit Hall could do that?"
Rising four levels in a year was already extremely fast for a Soul Grandmaster.
What was more, the higher one advanced, the more Soul Power was needed to break through.
Progress like hers was proof of how hard Hu Liena had worked.
"And that's all because you pushed me to it!"
Hu Liena snorted and put her hands on her hips.
"You little monster. You cultivate as easily as you drink water."
"If I don't give it everything I've got, next year you'll be calling me Little Junior Sister!"
Ling Xi couldn't help smiling, though she didn't dare laugh out loud.
Over the past year, Hu Liena had visited Qinghui Hall more often than the Pope's Main Hall.
She came almost every two or three days.
Officially, it was to "check on her junior brother's cultivation progress." In truth, she just wanted to see what level Ling Xiao had reached, afraid he might overtake her.
Whenever she saw that Ling Xiao's Soul Power had increased, she would hurry straight back to the cultivation chamber and seclude herself.
Bibi Dong had watched it all and was glad to see it.
A few days ago, Bibi Dong had deliberately summoned them both to the main hall.
With a smile, she'd teased that having the two of them spur each other on had saved their master a lot of worry.
She had even set a rule that they had to spar at least once a week to hone their combat skills.
Occasionally, she would even come herself to referee.
"Come to think of it, Master told me yesterday to practice real combat with you more often."
Hu Liena's eyes lit up. She rolled her wrists as Soul Power stirred faintly around her.
"Since I'm here today, how about we spar?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Ling Xi standing beside Ling Xiao and raised an eyebrow.
"Same as always. You two can come at me together."
"I want to see whether you've made any progress."
Ling Xi immediately looked to Ling Xiao.
When he gave a small nod, she stepped forward and bowed to Hu Liena.
"Saintess, please give me your guidance."
Over the past year, the three of them had made sparring a regular routine.
At first, Hu Liena had relied on her overwhelming Soul Power Level advantage to handle Ling Xiao and Ling Xi with ease.
Back then, Ling Xiao had only just started training with the spear and lacked combat experience.
Ling Xi had just absorbed her Soul Ring, and her control over her Soul Skill was still clumsy.
Even working together, they couldn't beat Hu Liena. She'd toyed with them until they were completely disoriented.
As time went by, the situation gradually changed.
Ling Xiao's spearwork grew more and more polished. His control-type Soul Skill and long spear worked together seamlessly, leaving no openings whether he attacked from afar or defended up close.
Ling Xi had also worked out the fighting style that suited her best and trained in a quick, tricky whip technique.
One focused on offense, while the other supported and controlled.
Their teamwork grew stronger and stronger.
Together, they were far more than the sum of their individual strengths.
From being defeated in short order at first, they had progressed to trading blows with Hu Liena on even terms.
Now, Hu Liena was finding it harder and harder to handle them together.
"Ready?"
Hu Liena flashed to the other end of the Martial Arts Arena.
She planted her hands on her hips and jerked her chin toward them.
"Don't say your senior sister is picking on you. I'll let you make the first move!"
"Then we'll take you up on that, Senior Sister."
Ling Xiao nodded slightly.
The instant the words left his mouth, he was already moving.
His feet skimmed the ground, and the long spear in his hands surged forward like a dragon breaking through the waves.
A cold glint flashed from the spearhead as he thrust straight at Hu Liena's centerline.
At the same time, Ling Xi moved.
She twisted her wrist and flicked a Silver Whip from her sleeve.
Its tip darted from the side like a venomous snake striking, curling toward Hu Liena.
A flash of pink Soul Power crossed her eyes as her First Soul Skill: Mind Control quietly took effect.
"Good!"
Hu Liena's eyes lit up, but she didn't panic.
Her First Soul Ring flared, bathing her in a pale yellow glow as the Demon Fox Martial Soul possessed her.
A pair of fluffy fox ears appeared atop her head.
A bushy fox tail swished behind her.
Her Second Soul Skill: Charm crashed into Ling Xi's mental assault.
The two mental forces collided in midair.
Ling Xi grunted, her attack faltering slightly.
Her Soul Power was only level fifteen, and she was still far behind Hu Liena's level twenty-nine.
In a direct clash, she was at a disadvantage.
Just then, Ling Xiao's spear had already reached her.
The spearhead aimed straight for Hu Liena's shoulder, and the fierce gust from it sent her hair fluttering.
Hu Liena didn't panic. Her steps shifted, and she slipped sideways like Gui Mei, evading the thrust.
Her Second Soul Ring lit up, and searing Fox Fire burst from her palm toward Ling Xiao.
"Little Junior Brother, watch out!"
Hu Liena called out, but her Fox Fire showed no mercy, cutting off Ling Xiao's escape routes.
Ling Xiao twisted his wrist, spinning the long spear before him in a dense blur of spearheads.
The shaft swept sideways, deflecting all the Fox Fire rushing toward him.
His First Soul Ring suddenly flared.
"First Soul Skill: Scarlet Dream Entanglement!"
An invisible wave of mental energy surged toward Hu Liena once more.
Hu Liena's vision blurred, and her mind was pulled by a strange force.
Against her will, she felt a sudden fondness for him, and the Fox Fire from her Second Soul Skill, which she had been releasing, was forced to fizzle out!
Now!
Ling Xi seized the opening and lashed out with her Silver Whip, wrapping it around Hu Liena's wrist like a spirit snake.
At that same moment, Ling Xiao's spear stopped beside Hu Liena's neck.
The cold spearhead rested against her skin, its sharp glint mere inches away.
The victor was decided!
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