The instant the shield shattered, silver-white light burst forth.
Frost spread outward from Yun Jingheng. A thin layer of ice formed over Wang Jinxi's bone dragon claws, visibly slowing his movements.
The mental shock pierced through the Dark Eagle Dragon's defenses. It felt as though needles had stabbed into Wang Jinxi's brain, and his attack stalled for half a beat.
For 0.5 seconds of invincibility, Yun Jingheng stood there as Wang Jinxi's bone dragon claws slashed through him, yet nothing happened.
Wang Jinxi's pupils constricted.
His attack was ineffective?!
The boy stood there, but his body was abnormally tough.
"Invincibility...?" Wu Zhangkong's expression shifted slightly outside the arena.
Yun Jingheng lowered his head and glanced at his hand.
The shield had shattered, triggering invincibility. The layer of silver-white light around him was fading away.
He raised his head and looked at the Moonlight Marks on Wang Jinxi's chest—they were still there, faint but distinct.
The first mark had been left by Crescent Slash, and the second by New Moon Assault. Both remained.
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
Wang Jinxi saw that smile, and his heart skipped a beat.
Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, but the frost on his body had yet to fade, slowing him by half a beat.
Yun Jingheng's third Soul Ring lit up.
New Moon Assault—not forward, but backward.
He dashed backward, his body turning transparent once more as the Dark Eagle Dragon took damage again.
He widened the distance, repositioned himself, and waited for those 0.5 seconds of invincibility to end before searching for another opportunity.
Wang Jinxi's bone dragon claws chased after him, but Yun Jingheng had already withdrawn beyond his attack range.
Ye Xinglan moved.
She had been knocked back earlier, leaving her palm numb, but she had been watching and waiting the entire time.
Waiting for Yun Jingheng's shield to shatter, for his invincibility to trigger, for him to create distance, and for Wang Jinxi's attention to be completely fixed on him.
Now was the chance.
She charged forward, not toward Wang Jinxi, but toward Yun Jingheng.
When Yun Jingheng landed, Ye Xinglan had run right up beside him.
Their positions switched—Yun Jingheng was in the back, while Ye Xinglan stood in front.
Exactly as they had been at the start of the match.
Yet not quite the same.
The frost on Wang Jinxi's body had yet to dissipate, and he was slower.
More importantly, two Moonlight Marks were clearly visible on his face, like two targets.
Yun Jingheng stood behind Ye Xinglan and raised his Moonlight Sword.
His first Soul Ring lit up—Crescent Slash. A Moon Blade shot out, flying straight for Wang Jinxi's face.
Wang Jinxi tilted his head aside, and the Moon Blade grazed his cheek as it flew past.
Another mark—the third—appeared on his face.
Ye Xinglan moved.
Rather than charging forward, she ran to the side.
Yun Jingheng's second Soul Ring lit up. Moonlight Protection—an attractive force pushed her from the side, making her run even faster.
She circled around Wang Jinxi. Once, twice, three times.
Wang Jinxi turned to chase her, but his speed had been suppressed, and he could not catch up.
The three Moonlight Marks on his face glimmered with silver-white light beneath the sun, like three lamps.
Yun Jingheng's third Soul Ring lit up.
New Moon Assault—he charged at Wang Jinxi, his body turning transparent.
This time, he did not skim past him. He went straight for his face.
Wang Jinxi raised his bone dragon claws to block, but Yun Jingheng changed direction the instant he charged, grazing past the claws as his Moonlight Sword swept over the three marks on Wang Jinxi's face.
All three marks exploded at once, filling Wang Jinxi's vision with silver-white light.
"Ye Xinglan!"
Ye Xinglan stopped.
She stood at Wang Jinxi's side. The golden radiance on her Stargod Sword shone to its utmost brilliance—Sword God Star, first Soul Skill: Pierce, Penetrate, concentrating all power at a single point.
Yun Jingheng's Moonlight Protection changed from attraction to repulsion, pushing her from the side.
The two forces stacked together, sending her forward so quickly that she vanished from sight.
The golden sword tip stabbed into Wang Jinxi's ribs—the thinnest part of his bone armor, where Yun Jingheng's first sword had cut across, where the first Moonlight Mark had left its trace.
The penetrative force of Sword God Star, the repulsive force of Moonlight Protection, and Ye Xinglan's own speed—three forces converged upon the same point.
The bone armor shattered.
The Dark Eagle Dragon's bone armor broke into countless pieces like glass, glittering beneath the sunlight.
The two separated from their fusion state, staggering backward before dropping to one knee and gasping heavily.
Wang Jinxi's face was as pale as paper. His Soul Power had been exhausted.
Zhang Yangzi knelt beside him, his Soul Power equally depleted.
Ye Xinglan sheathed her sword and turned to walk back to Yun Jingheng.
Yun Jingheng sheathed his sword as well.
The two stood side by side in the arena, one silver-white and the other golden, like moonlight and starlight falling upon the sea at once.
The referee raised a flag. "Shrek Academy wins! Haidong Academy's ranking remains unchanged!"
The entire venue fell silent for three seconds.
Then applause surged like a tsunami, wave after wave, shaking the entire arena.
Some people stood to applaud, some whistled, and some screamed.
Wang Jinxi knelt on the ground, gasping heavily as he looked up at the two figures from behind.
Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan had already turned toward the contestants' tunnel.
Ye Xinglan walked ahead, her steps quick.
Yun Jingheng followed behind at an unhurried pace, even turning back to smile at them.
There were two or three steps between them.
Wang Jinxi lowered his head and looked at the wound beneath his ribs, still coated in frost.
"We lost," he said.
Zhang Yangzi knelt beside him, panting as well. "Yeah."
"But their coordination..." Wang Jinxi did not finish.
Zhang Yangzi finished for him. "It was too strong."
The two fell silent for a while.
Wang Jinxi stood and reached out to pull Zhang Yangzi up as well.
Supporting each other, they walked off the arena.
The applause from the stands had yet to stop. Though defeated, they had lost with honor.
In Eastsea Academy's resting area, Tang Wulin stood by the railing with his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
He watched the two figures standing side by side in the arena, replaying the scene from earlier over and over in his mind—Yun Jingheng's chained three Soul Skills, Ye Xinglan's final sword strike, their coordination like the two hands of a single person.
Xie Xie stood beside him, his mouth still hanging open. "Such incredible coordination..."
Tang Wulin was silent for a moment. "Can we reach that level?"
Xie Xie turned to him. "Maybe not now, but definitely in the future."
Tang Wulin smiled.
Behind them, Wu Zhangkong opened his mouth, then chose to say nothing.
Xu Xiaoyan leaned against the railing, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining.
"So amazing..." she murmured.
As she watched those two figures disappear into the tunnel, a strange feeling suddenly rose in her heart.
It was not infatuation, but something else, as if something in her chest had lightly trembled—softly, like a plucked string.
She lowered her head and looked at her hand. A thin layer of starlight rested in her palm, so faint it was nearly invisible.
The Star Wheel Ice Staff had not been summoned, yet it was glowing on its own.
She froze for a moment, then instinctively clenched her fist. The starlight scattered.
She raised her head to look toward the tunnel entrance, but the silver-white figure was already gone.
She stood where she was, her heart beating several beats faster for reasons she did not understand.
Xie Xie called to her from beside her. "Xiao Yan, let's go."
She answered and followed the team back.
After taking a few steps, she looked back again.
The distant tunnel entrance was empty. There was nothing there.
She withdrew her gaze and slipped her hand into her pocket.
A trace of warmth remained in her palm, soft and faint, like moonlight falling over the back of her hand.
Gu Yue walked at the very back, her gaze lingering briefly on Xu Xiaoyan.
She saw Xu Xiaoyan lower her head to look at her hand, saw her clench and loosen her fist, and saw her glance back toward the tunnel entrance.
Gu Yue said nothing. She withdrew her gaze and continued walking.
Ya Li sat in the VIP seats, watching the two figures disappear into the tunnel with a smile at the corner of her lips.
She took out her communicator and dialed a number.
It was answered after a single ring.
"You saw it?" Yun Ming's voice came from the other end, carrying a hint of amusement.
Ya Li leaned back in her chair. "My son is amazing~!"
"Of course he is."
Ya Li laughed aloud.
She could imagine Yun Ming's expression when he said that—subtle, but with the corner of his mouth surely curved upward.
Ya Li tried hard to suppress her own smile. "Jingheng competed in a two-person match today, and he won. Their opponents had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
There was a pause on Yun Ming's end. "He won?"
"Of course he won. That coordination between him and Ye Xinglan, that Star Gallop Under Moon, completely tore through their opponents."
Yun Ming was silent for a while. "How is his body holding up?"
Ya Li thought about it. "He was a little out of breath after the match, but much better than this morning. He was even smiling as he walked back."
"That is good, that is good."
Ya Li smiled. "All right, I won't talk to you anymore. I'm going to check on my son~"
She ended the call, stood up, and headed toward the contestants' tunnel.
In the resting area, Yun Jingheng sat in a chair in the corner, looking down at his hands.
Ye Xinglan stood beside him and handed him a bottle of water. "Tired?"
Yun Jingheng accepted the water. "I'm okay."
Ye Xinglan sat down beside him. "Your third Soul Skill, that charge—what is its cooldown?"
Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Eight seconds."
Ye Xinglan frowned. "Eight seconds?! Then just now—you—"
"It reset."
Yun Jingheng said, "Passing through a marked target resets the cooldown immediately."
Ye Xinglan froze for a moment, then smiled. "Then can't you charge infinitely?"
Yun Jingheng smiled. "In theory, yes."
Ye Xinglan looked at him and suddenly felt that this person could be really irritating sometimes.
With a Soul Skill like that, he had stood there doing nothing for so long, just watching her charge ahead alone. She shot him a glare.
"Next time, you charge in front."
Yun Jingheng had no idea why she was glaring at him, but he nodded. "Okay."
Shen Yi walked over, watching the two with smiling eyes.
"You did well."
She paused. "Especially that final strike. Your coordination was excellent."
Ye Xinglan stood up. "Teacher Shen, when is the next match?"
Shen Yi glanced at the schedule. "Tomorrow afternoon. The opponent has not been decided yet."
Ye Xinglan nodded, then turned to Yun Jingheng. "Come on, let's eat."
Yun Jingheng stood up.
The two headed out. As they passed through the contestants' tunnel, Yun Jingheng suddenly stopped.
He turned to look, but there was nothing there.
Ye Xinglan called from ahead, "Yun Jingheng, come on."
Yun Jingheng withdrew his gaze and followed her.
Xu Xiaoyan walked at the back of the group, one hand still clenched in her pocket.
The lingering warmth in her palm had already faded, yet she still felt as if it remained.
She glanced back at the entrance to the passage. That silver-white figure had long since left, but she still looked.
Xie Xie called from ahead, "Xu Xiaoyan, are you coming or not?"
She answered and jogged after them.
When she reached Xie Xie's side, he glanced at her. "Why is your face still so red?"
Xu Xiaoyan touched her face. "It's hot."
Xie Xie did not ask again.
Xu Xiaoyan pulled her hand from her pocket. There was nothing left in her palm.
But she still felt as though something had been left behind.
Very light, very faint.
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