Evil Fire Phoenix? Nothing but a Mutt Bird

Tang San stared fixedly at Gu Linyuan, his fingers digging so deeply into his palm that they pierced the flesh.

Gu Linyuan walked slowly, yet every step he took seemed to contain a strange rhythm, like heavy hammers striking Tang San's heart again and again.

This person feels incredibly strong. Even Mubai didn't give me such an oppressive feeling before.

Back at the Rose Hotel, he had clashed with Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai, a Soul Elder, had indeed been immensely powerful. Without using the Tang Sect's secret techniques, Tang San would have found it difficult to defeat him.

But Dai Mubai had merely overwhelmed him in cultivation. This Long Yuan was different!

As his Soul Power rose, he would surely surpass Dai Mubai's cultivation in the future.

That was why he did not take Dai Mubai too seriously.

But!

Long Yuan was different.

He knew that, at the Soul Grandmaster stage, he had already reached the limit.

Anyone at the same cultivation level could not possibly be his match. Even Xiao Wu was no exception.

Yet Long Yuan's cultivation was clearly somewhat lower than his. Why could he still bring Tang San such terrifying pressure? Could his talent truly surpass Tang San's by that much?

"Little San, don't overthink it."

"Hongjun's Martial Soul is a top-tier beast Martial Soul. It's a Phoenix! Unless Long Yuan's attributes counter his, there's no way Fatty can lose. What Martial Soul could possibly suppress a Phoenix?"

Dai Mubai tapped Tang San's shoulder and spoke dismissively.

Fatty might not have been very strong, but that was only because his cultivation was too low. At the same level, even Dai Mubai did not dare claim he could defeat him for certain.

Don't be fooled by how often they lost in the Soul Fighting Arena. That was because they had fought for days on end and were too exhausted, and they had not wanted to reveal too much of their true strength.

If they went all out,

"Perhaps I was thinking too much."

Tang San said nothing more, merely turning his gaze toward the Soul Fighting Platform.

At the very least, Fatty should be able to force Long Yuan to reveal his Martial Soul.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing both looked curiously at Tang San.

When they had first enrolled, they had joined forces against Zhao Wuji.

They knew just how monstrous this peer's talent was. It could be said that Tang San had played the most crucial role in forcing Zhao Wuji into such a sorry state back then.

Just who was Long Yuan, to make Tang San lose his composure?

On the Soul Fighting Platform.

Ma Hongjun had already stepped onto the platform first.

He wore a fitted red outfit. He was slightly plump, but his entire body radiated a scorching aura.

His hair was dark red, like ashes after a fire. Under the lights, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Long Yuan! Long Yuan! Long Yuan!"

The audience's cheers surged higher and higher.

Ma Hongjun curled his lip, planted his hands on his hips, and shouted at the stands in irritation.

"What are you yelling for? Just wait and see who the real genius is!"

He turned and looked toward the contestant passage opposite him.

A black figure was slowly approaching from there.

A black mysterious robe, a hood concealing his face—he was like a moving shadow.

There was no aura, no sense of pressure, not even the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power.

He simply walked forward, unhurried and unruffled.

Yet for some reason, Ma Hongjun's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

An instinctive sense of vigilance rose from the base of his spine.

This guy... something's wrong.

Ma Hongjun's smile faded, and his gaze became serious.

He was arrogant, but he was not an idiot.

Anyone who could achieve five consecutive victories at Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena, ending fights in less than ten seconds on average, was definitely no pushover.

Gu Linyuan stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform and stopped twenty paces away from Ma Hongjun.

He did not speak, nor did he even lift his head.

Beneath the hood, only his sharply defined chin and the faintly upturned curve of his lips could be seen.

"Hey!"

"You're Long Yuan?"

Gu Linyuan did not answer.

"I'm talking to you!"

Ma Hongjun was irritated. He was actually being ignored.

Damn it, this guy really knew how to act tough!

He'd better have the strength to back it up later!

Gu Linyuan still said nothing.

He merely slowly raised his right hand and made a gesture inviting him to proceed.

Ma Hongjun's face darkened.

He was angry.

"Fine, you've got guts!"

"When I knock you flat later, don't blame me for not warning you!"

The referee stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform and raised his right hand.

"Both sides, prepare."

Ma Hongjun took a deep breath as Soul Power began surging through his body.

A scorching aura erupted from within him, and the temperature in the air abruptly rose by more than ten degrees.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

With an explosive shout.

Ma Hongjun's body began to change.

His hair turned a pure dark red, like burning flames. His eyes became crimson-gold, dancing fire reflected in his pupils. Behind him, the phantom of a massive flaming Phoenix spread its wings, its blazing fire raging across the Soul Fighting Platform.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

A level twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster, with the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

Inside the VIP box, Flender nodded slightly.

He had watched Ma Hongjun's progress closely.

Though the boy was usually unreliable, his talent truly could not be questioned.

"Fatty's getting serious."

Oscar and Dai Mubai both curled their lips into faint smiles.

Though Fatty was unreliable in his conduct, once he got serious, no one could afford to underestimate him. If Ma Hongjun had truly been so worthless, Flender would never have taken him as a disciple.

"Zhu Qing, this person looks pretty handsome."

Gu Linyuan was completely hidden beneath the mysterious robe, which only gave him an added air of mystery.

"He really is special. He's different from all the other boys."

Zhu Zhuqing thought seriously for a moment before answering softly.

"Hehe. Don't tell me you've fallen for him? Want me to get his contact information for you later?" Ning Rongrong deliberately glanced at the sour-faced Dai Mubai beside her, stuck out her tongue, and spoke teasingly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I like someone so quickly? I don't even know what he looks like."

Noticing Dai Mubai's ugly expression, she did not deny it outright. Perhaps, deep down, she also wanted to irritate him.

Tang San's gaze, however, never left Gu Linyuan.

That black-robed figure remained completely motionless on the Soul Fighting Platform, even as Ma Hongjun underwent Martial Soul Possession and flames raged around him.

No Martial Soul Possession.

No Soul Rings released.

He had not even changed his stance.

He simply stood there like a silent reef, unmoved no matter how the wind and waves battered him.

What is he trying to do?

Does he still not intend to use his Martial Soul?

Tang San frowned slightly.

"Referee! Can we start now?"

On the Soul Fighting Platform, Ma Hongjun shouted impatiently.

The referee came back to his senses and sharply swung his hand down.

"Begin!"

The instant his words fell, Ma Hongjun moved.

His first Soul Ring lit up—a century Soul Ring, flashing with yellow light.

"Phoenix Fire Line!"

Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and spat out a searing beam of flame. Like a fiery serpent, it shot straight toward Gu Linyuan.

The flames were incredibly hot. Wherever they passed, even the air twisted and warped from the heat.

He held nothing back with this attack.

Because he knew that against someone who could finish an opponent within ten seconds, holding back was no different from courting death.

The flame beam arrived in an instant.

Gu Linyuan finally moved.

He shifted slightly to the side, and the flame beam grazed his black mysterious robe before striking the ground of the Soul Fighting Platform.

Boom!

The ground exploded into a charred crater.

Gu Linyuan was completely unharmed.

He had not even taken a single step back.

Ma Hongjun's pupils contracted.

His flame beam was incredibly fast. Among opponents of the same level, almost no one could evade it completely.

What speed!

"Your strength is mediocre."

"What Evil Fire Phoenix? You're nothing but a mutt bird, yet you dare call yourself the divine beast Phoenix."

Feeling the force of Ma Hongjun's Soul Skill attack, a trace of disappointment flashed through Gu Linyuan's eyes. He had thought Ma Hongjun might bring him at least a little surprise when he stepped up.

"Damn it!"

"How dare you insult me like that?"

Ma Hongjun exploded with rage. This was the first time anyone had dared mock his Martial Soul.

His second Soul Ring had already lit up.

"Second Soul Skill—Phoenix of Burning Fire!"

He brought his hands together as Phoenix flames covered his entire body.

In the Phoenix of Burning Fire state, the Soul Power throughout his body began to boil.

At that moment, more than a dozen Phoenix Fire Lines shot toward Gu Linyuan from all directions.

Ma Hongjun's eyes were bloodshot, filled with viciousness.

"Dodge. Go on, keep dodging!"