Luck Is Part of Strength

At the critical moment, Yu Tianheng's Soul Ring lit up. Blue-purple lightning coursed over his body and spread across the ground.

As Shi Mo's foot struck Yu Tianheng in the waist, lightning struck him too, instantly enveloping his entire body.

Lightning flashed, and crackling filled the air. The ground was blanketed in lightning, with blue-purple bolts filling a five-meter radius centered on Yu Tianheng.

The lightning continued to spread outward, but under Yu Tianheng's control, most of it stayed concentrated in that area.

Shi Mo and Shi Mo were forced to endure the terrifying power of the lightning, unable to move for a moment. Shi Mo's pants were blasted to shreds when he kicked Yu Tianheng, and his leg was shocked until the skin split open, giving off a charred smell. That leg had borne the most violent lightning.

"Ha ha ha! Your boss is still your boss!"

Yu Tianheng burst out laughing. After adjusting his stance, he launched a fierce attack on the two brothers.

As he attacked, the lightning was drawn to his right arm, forming a Thunder Dragon Claw that appeared before Shi Mo in the blink of an eye.

Relying on instinct, Shi Mo pulled his head and limbs inside his tortoise shell. The Thunder Dragon Claw seized the shell and clamped down hard, its surface erupting with blinding light.

Then Yu Tianheng controlled the Thunder Dragon Claw, gripping the shell and smashing it toward Shi Mo.

In that brief moment, Shi Mo endured the pain and unleashed his second Soul Skill. His tortoise shell actually detached from his body, forming a one-meter-tall Tortoise Shell Shield that blocked the way.

Once the Tortoise Shell Shield appeared, Shi Mo himself looked even leaner and shorter. To the audience, it seemed as though the shield had been transformed from his backbone.

Shi Mo, curled inside his tortoise shell like a ball of lightning, crashed heavily into Shi Mo's Tortoise Shell Shield.

"Boom!"

The tortoise shell slammed into the Tortoise Shell Shield, sending out a violent shock wave that churned the lightning.

The Tortoise Shell Shield kept the lightning at bay, diverting it into the ground. Shi Mo's body swayed, but the terrifying impact hadn't hurt him.

Yu Tianheng followed close behind and kicked the shell as it rebounded. Shi Mo, still curled inside, hadn't even figured out what was happening before he was kicked off the fighting platform.

Ling Yun waved and shouted, "Nice shot!"

Once Shi Mo had tucked himself completely inside his tortoise shell, his elimination was a foregone conclusion.

Yu Tianheng's thinking was clear: if he couldn't break through the defense quickly, then he wouldn't bother trying. After all, in a Great Soul Arena match, he didn't have to render his opponent unable to fight to win. He just had to knock him off the platform.

Below the platform, Shi Mo's head and limbs emerged from his shell again. He looked up at Yu Tianheng and said, "Boss, that was dirty!"

"You're the stupid one!"

Yu Tianheng shot back while attacking Shi Mo. Shi Mo had no retort, but silently made a note of it. When he got the chance, he would have to trick Yu Tianheng too.

"Shi Mo, you're the only one left. Why not just surrender?"

"That's no fun! Boss, you used your second Soul Skill, Thunderbolt, and your first Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, twice."

"Your consumption is far greater than mine!"

"Our Soul Power differs by only one level. It's still anyone's game."

Shi Mo held his Tortoise Shell Shield and defended without leaving a gap. Yu Tianheng had no choice but to attack head-on and create an opening.

For a while, they were locked in a stalemate.

Yu Tianheng circled Shi Mo at high speed, launching attacks at him from every direction.

The audience below was captivated by the thrilling match. While the two were locked in a stalemate, they turned their attention elsewhere.

Those who had bet on the Black Tortoise Team to win were on tenterhooks, frantically cheering Shi Mo on.

Some of the others urged Ling Yun to help Yu Tianheng defeat Shi Mo.

Ling Yun made no move, and the crowd grew impatient. Plenty of hotheads began swearing, and some even shouted for their money back.

Ling Yun ignored them completely, quietly watching Shi Mo and Yu Tianheng fight.

After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Yu Tianheng stopped moving and gasped for breath. His high-intensity attacks had consumed too much Soul Power.

Shi Mo's chest was also heaving violently. Defending hadn't been easy for him either, and he kept his eyes fixed on Yu Tianheng.

"Boss, you're about to run out of steam, aren't you?"

"Beating you won't be a problem."

Yu Tianheng refused to back down verbally. The next moment, he unleashed his second Soul Skill. Thunderbolt turned half the platform into a sea of lightning. The lightning gathered as his first Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, drew it in.

Yu Tianheng chose to stake everything on one attack. A gigantic Thunder Dragon Claw appeared and swooped down from the sky toward Shi Mo.

"Is this really necessary?"

Shi Mo's expression grew more solemn than ever. He frantically squeezed out every last bit of Soul Power as the shield in his hands spun rapidly. Under his control, the spinning shield shot into the sky with a cutting force and crashed into the Thunder Dragon Claw.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Explosions rang out one after another. The shield spun more and more slowly until, at last, the Thunder Dragon Claw forced it to a stop.

The Thunder Dragon Claw had grown fainter, but its power was still terrifying. In the space of a moment, it was already right in front of Shi Mo.

Shi Mo sprinted forward, palm extended toward the Tortoise Shell Shield. It flew back to him and transformed into a streak of light, blocking the path between him and the claw.

Then he turned, grabbed the shield, and chose to meet the attack head-on.

The Thunder Dragon Claw seized him and the Tortoise Shell Shield, swallowing Shi Mo in a flash of lightning.

A dozen or so breaths later, the lightning faded.

The tortoise shell on Shi Mo's hand had vanished, and his hair stood on end in a frizzy mess. Wounds left by the lightning covered his body, an alarming sight.

But his fighting spirit remained undiminished.

He tried to move his feet, but his Soul Power was already depleted. His ability to stand upright was a testament to his iron will.

Yu Tianheng was standing too. Once he had caught his breath, he moved toward Shi Mo one slow step at a time. He wasn't much better off; nearly all the Soul Power in his body was gone.

With every step, it felt as though his foot were coming down on empty air. If he let his guard down, he would surely collapse onto the platform.

"I won!"

"If Shi Mo hadn't been eliminated, I really wouldn't have beaten you. But there's no 'if.' I'm the one who won in the end!"

Shi Mo tugged at the corner of his mouth and smiled as he replied, "Luck is part of strength. You won."

Seeing this, Ling Yun's purple Soul Ring flashed, and a beam of white Martial Soul Light shone on Shi Mo. The wounds on his body visibly healed, and in just a few breaths, he was completely restored. His Soul Power recovered by thirty percent as well.

Then Ling Yun turned the mirror toward Yu Tianheng. White light fell over him, restoring most of his Soul Power.

Below the platform, the audience was misled by the scene and assumed that Ling Yun was an Auxiliary System Soul Master.

No wonder Ling Yun hadn't moved when they'd urged him to attack.

In the private room, a complicated look surfaced deep in Ye Lingling's eyes.

Ling Yun's Soul Skill was no weaker than Nine Heart Begonia. They filled the same role!

Ling Yun treated people one at a time, while her Nine Heart Begonia healed everyone in an area. Her advantage was in team battles.

But in a small team like this, her advantage wasn't very pronounced.

Dugu Yan noticed the change in her expression and took her hand. "What's wrong? Afraid Xiao Yun will take your place?"

"No!"

"You can fool everyone else, but not me. Don't overthink it. Clever people like you are always getting caught in mental knots."

"So what if Xiao Yun's Soul Skill can heal too? Having one more person means one more safeguard! It lets everyone fight more freely."

"When he's injured, or when he's out of Soul Power, does he not still need you?"

"Besides, you're an Auxiliary System Soul Master with an area-wide healing skill. You can turn the tide in an instant. His efficiency clearly can't compare."

"And he's a Power Attack System Soul Master. If he joins a team, he'll be the main attacker. How would he have time to support anyone? In the end, they'll still have to rely on you..."

"Thank you! You're right!"

Ye Lingling returned to how she'd been at the start. At the same time, she asked herself, Am I really clever?