Self-Created Soul Skill, Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd.
The Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd carried boundless power. Its blazing lightning streaked like a shooting star as it crashed down.
Boom!
The two clashed again. Their violent powers burst in every direction, leaving both of them more badly injured. They coughed up blood and staggered backward.
Long Aotian forced himself to endure his injuries and entered the Unity of Heaven and Man state once more. Silver-white light radiated from his entire body, growing ever more intense until it condensed into incandescent flames.
"Let's end our battle with this final strike!" Long Aotian roared, his whole body seeming to transform into a silver-white giant.
"Good!"
Bei Bei had the same intention. He pointed the Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd in his hand at his opponent, while an incredibly fearsome dragon might emanated from him.
Countless golden bolts of lightning erupted around him. Rings of light encircled his body, and the power of Ultimate Light, mingled with the purifying force of Judgment, poured ceaselessly into the Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd.
"Ha!" Long Aotian bellowed and unleashed his fourth Soul Skill, Mad God Slash, in the Unity of Heaven and Man state. A gigantic dark-gold battle-axe descended toward Bei Bei.
At that moment, Bei Bei's golden pupils suddenly lit up. His aura turned terrifyingly powerful, growing stronger and stronger until it made everyone tremble!
He hurled the Tyrant Sovereign Thunder Halberd in his hand. Golden lightning rampaged wildly, and everywhere he looked, the very air seemed to twist.
The golden lightning roared and spiraled. In the end, it faintly gathered into the massive phantom of a Radiant Dragon King, which pounced toward Long Aotian.
Long Aotian showed no fear. The incandescent light of the giant axe formed by his arms blazed brightly as he tried to cleave the phantom dragon in two with a single blow.
The instant the two collided, Long Aotian felt his entire body go numb. The golden lightning striking him had bypassed his body, tempered through countless trials, and dealt him a tremendous blow.
On top of that, the extreme light attribute relentlessly purified and eroded his Soul Power. Part of the giant axe he had transformed into was already dissolving under its purifying force.
But Long Aotian didn't give a single inch. His Martial Soul Second Awakening activated, and a silver figure appeared behind him.
His power reached its peak. Without holding anything back, he drove the Soul Power within him to unleash a strike beyond his limits.
Long Aotian's all-out attack shattered the Radiant Dragon King's phantom. But amid the vast expanse of golden lightning, a three-meter-long halberd had already pierced straight through his chest.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting resounded, sending out ripples of energy like a raging storm.
Violent lightning surged forth, turning the entire sky gold!
As the golden light faded, Long Aotian lay on the ground with a wound in his chest, blood pouring from it. The rise and fall of his chest showed that he was still alive.
Not far away, Bei Bei also panted a few times. He had used up most of his Soul Power, but under the effects of Life Gold, it was quickly recovering.
Bei Bei slowly walked over to Long Aotian. The platinum-colored scale on his forehead parted slightly, revealing a vertical, emerald-green pupil.
A beam of light shot from his Eye of Life and fell upon Long Aotian. Pure life energy continually healed the wound on his chest.
Before long, Long Aotian had almost fully recovered. The wound on his chest had vanished, as if he had never been injured.
Seeing this, Bei Bei wearily lay down nearby as well.
"I lost," Long Aotian said, without much emotion.
"Among people my age, you're the strongest opponent I've ever faced—the only one who's managed to fight me to this extent." Bei Bei gave a soft laugh.
Long Aotian was indeed very powerful. It was just a shame that his Martial Soul was only his skin. If it had been his entire body, perhaps he could have displayed even greater strength.
Though their battle had been fierce, it still hadn't forced Bei Bei to use his full strength.
And as Bei Bei grew stronger, his power would only become more terrifying, until he left Long Aotian far behind.
"I'm still not strong enough. Once I get back, I'll work twice as hard at cultivating." Long Aotian's gaze was resolute. His earlier defeat had not discouraged him.
"I'll be waiting anytime," Bei Bei replied with a calm smile, taking it in stride.
He had absolute confidence in himself. In this era, his strength would always surpass that of every other genius.
He would use his own power to suppress this entire age. No one could surpass him, and no one could stand in his way.
He stretched out a hand and reached toward the sky, as if he meant to grasp the whole world in his palm.
Neither Bei Bei nor Long Aotian hurried to recover. They simply lay there in silence, each lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, Bei Bei felt that most of his Soul Power had recovered on its own, and slowly got to his feet.
"Brother Long, I'm off! Until we meet again!" Bei Bei said with a smile.
"Mm." Long Aotian nodded, saying nothing more.
Though he knew only Bei Bei's name, he was certain that someone like him would never settle for an ordinary life. Within a few years, Bei Bei was bound to make a name for himself!
After Bei Bei had gone some distance, Du Busi's figure slowly appeared. He said to Long Aotian, "Losing doesn't feel good, does it?"
Du Busi had watched the entire battle.
Seeing Bei Bei's strength, he couldn't help but marvel at how every age brought forth its own crop of outstanding talents.
Not only was Bei Bei's Martial Soul powerful, but his control over his own strength was also near perfect.
His battle sense, as well as his control over his mental power and Soul Power, were all flawless.
Within a few decades, he would surely become the next Dragon God, Mu En, able to safeguard the peace of the entire continent through his own strength alone.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I never imagined there could be such a powerful opponent in the world! It seems I haven't worked hard enough in my cultivation." Long Aotian slowly got to his feet. He wasn't the least bit dejected; if anything, his Battle Intent had grown stronger.
"Haha! Exactly." Hearing Long Aotian's words, Du Busi laughed. "Cultivation in the Body Sect means constantly surpassing your limits. Sometimes, failure isn't a bad thing. It helps you see the road ahead and gives your cultivation direction and motivation."
Long Aotian gazed in the direction Bei Bei had left and murmured, "The next time we meet, I'll give you a surprise!"
After traveling for a while, Bei Bei finally caught sight of Shrek City in the distance.
Nearly two months had passed since Bei Bei had set out, and there was still a month to go before the Freshman Tournament for his year.
He had gained a great deal on this trip and could hardly wait to return to the academy.
Back at the academy, Bei Bei first went to greet a teacher from the Martial Soul Department.
After finding Mu En, Bei Bei briefly recounted what had happened during his time away.
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to run into that fellow Du Busi," Elder Mu said with a laugh. "That fellow has a strange temperament. He always does whatever he wants and acts with reckless abandon. I'm surprised he didn't give you a hard time."