Star-Moon Duet

The moment the shield shattered, silver-white light erupted.

The power of frost spread outward with Yun Jingheng at the center, coating Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claws in a thin layer of ice and noticeably slowing his movements.

A mental shock pierced the Dark Eagle Dragon's defenses; it felt as if a needle had been driven into Wang Jinxi's brain, causing his offensive to falter for a split second.

With 0.5 seconds of invincibility, Yun Jingheng stood his ground as Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claws raked across him, yet nothing happened.

Wang Jinxi's pupils contracted.

His attack was ineffective?!

The boy stood there, but his body was unnaturally hardened.

"Invincibility...?" Wu Zhangkong's eyes shifted slightly from outside the arena.

Yun Jingheng looked down at his own hands.

The shield was broken, the invincibility had triggered, and the layer of silver-white light on his body was dissipating.

He raised his head and looked at the Moonlight Mark on Wang Jinxi's chest—it was still there, faint but distinct.

The first mark had been left by the Crescent Slash, the second by the New Moon Assault; both remained.

The corners of his mouth curled upward.

Seeing that smile, Wang Jinxi's heart skipped a beat.

He instinctively wanted to retreat, but the frost still clinging to his body made his movements a beat too slow.

Yun Jingheng's third soul ring lit up.

New Moon Assault—not a charge forward, but backward.

He dashed backward, his body turning transparent once more, and the Dark Eagle Dragon took damage again.

Create distance, redeploy, and wait for the 0.5 seconds of invincibility to end before seeking a new opportunity.

Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claws gave chase, but Yun Jingheng had already retreated out of his attack range.

Ye Xinglan moved.

She had been knocked back earlier, her palms numb, but she had been watching and waiting the entire time.

Waiting for Yun Jingheng's shield to break, for his invincibility to trigger, for him to create distance, and for Wang Jinxi's attention to be entirely focused on Yun Jingheng.

Now was the chance.

She charged forward, not toward Wang Jinxi, but toward Yun Jingheng.

As Yun Jingheng landed, Ye Xinglan arrived right by his side.

The two swapped positions—Yun Jingheng was now in the back, and Ye Xinglan was in the front.

It was exactly the same as when the match began.

Yet, it was not entirely the same.

The frost on Wang Jinxi's body had not yet dissipated, and his speed was hampered.

More importantly, there were two Moonlight Marks on his face, clear as day, like two bullseyes.

Yun Jingheng stood behind Ye Xinglan, raising his Moonlight Sword.

His first soul ring lit up—Crescent Slash; a lunar blade flew out, heading straight for Wang Jinxi's face.

Wang Jinxi tilted his head to dodge, the lunar blade grazing past his cheek.

Another mark, a third one, was branded onto his face.

Ye Xinglan moved.

She did not charge forward; she ran to the side.

Yun Jingheng's second soul ring lit up, Moonlight Protection—a pulling force pushed her from the side, making her run even faster.

She circled around Wang Jinxi, one lap, two laps, three laps.

Wang Jinxi turned to pursue her, but his speed was suppressed, and he could not catch up.

The three Moonlight Marks on his face shimmered with silver-white light under the sun, like three lanterns.

Yun Jingheng's third soul ring lit up.

New Moon Assault—he charged toward Wang Jinxi, his body turning transparent.

This time, he did not just graze past him; he went straight for his face.

Wang Jinxi raised his Bone Dragon Claws to block, but Yun Jingheng changed direction mid-charge, sliding past the claws as his Moonlight Sword slashed across the three marks on his face.

The three marks detonated simultaneously, and Wang Jinxi's vision was filled with nothing but silver-white light.

"Ye Xinglan!"

Ye Xinglan stopped.

She stood to the side of Wang Jinxi, the golden radiance on her Star God Sword shining to its absolute limit—Sword God Star, First Soul Skill, Pierce, Penetrate, concentrating all power into a single point.

Yun Jingheng's Moonlight Protection shifted from attraction to repulsion, pushing her from the side.

With the two forces combined, her speed became invisible to the naked eye.

The golden sword tip struck beneath Wang Jinxi's ribs—the thinnest part of his bone armor, the spot where Yun Jingheng's first strike had grazed, and where the first Moonlight Mark had left its trace.

The piercing power of Sword God Star, the repulsive force of Moonlight Protection, and Ye Xinglan's own speed—three forces converged upon a single point.

The bone armor shattered.

The Dark Eagle Dragon's bone armor splintered like glass into countless shards, glinting under the sunlight.

Wang Jinxi and his partner were forced out of their fusion state, stumbling backward to drop onto one knee, gasping for air.

His face was as pale as paper; his soul power was completely exhausted.

Zhang Yangzi knelt beside him, his soul power equally drained.

Ye Xinglan sheathed her sword and turned to walk back to Yun Jingheng's side.

Yun Jingheng sheathed his sword as well.

The two stood side by side on the arena, one silver-white and one golden, like moonlight and starlight descending upon the sea simultaneously.

The referee raised his flag, "Shrek Academy wins! Eastsea Academy's ranking remains unchanged!"

The entire arena fell silent for three seconds.

Then, applause surged like a tsunami, wave after wave, shaking the very foundations of the stadium.

People stood up to clap, others whistled, and some screamed.

Wang Jinxi knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, looking up at those two retreating figures.

Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan had already turned and were walking toward the contestant tunnel.

Ye Xinglan walked in front, her pace brisk.

Yun Jingheng followed behind at a steady, measured pace, even turning his head to offer them a smile.

There was a distance of two or three steps between them.

Wang Jinxi lowered his head, looking at the wound beneath his ribs, which was still covered in a layer of frost.

"We lost," he said.

Zhang Yangzi knelt beside him, also catching his breath, "Yeah."

"But their coordination..." Wang Jinxi didn't finish his sentence.

Zhang Yangzi finished it for him, "Too strong."

The two remained silent for a while.

Wang Jinxi stood up and reached out to pull Zhang Yangzi to his feet.

Supporting each other, they walked off the arena.

The applause in the stands had yet to cease; they had been defeated, but with honor.

In the Eastsea Academy resting area, Tang Wulin stood by the railing, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He watched the two figures standing side by side on the field, his mind replaying that scene over and over—Yun Jingheng's three-soul-skill chain, Ye Xinglan's final strike; their coordination was like two hands belonging to the same person.

Xie Xie stood beside him, his mouth still hanging open, "What incredible synergy..."

Tang Wulin was silent for a moment, "Can we reach that level?"

Xie Xie turned to look at him, "Not necessarily right now, but definitely in the future."

Tang Wulin smiled.

Behind them, Wu Zhangkong opened his mouth, but chose to say nothing.

Xu Xiaoyan leaned against the railing, her face flushed and her eyes bright.

"So amazing..." she whispered.

Watching those two backs disappear into the tunnel entrance, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.

It wasn't infatuation, but something else—as if something had gently vibrated in her chest, very softly, like a plucked harp string.

She looked down at her hand; there was a thin layer of starlight on her palm, so faint it was almost invisible.

She hadn't summoned her Star Wheel Ice Staff, yet it was glowing on its own.

She froze for a moment, instinctively clenching her fist, and the starlight dissipated.

She looked up toward the tunnel entrance, but the silver-white figure was already gone.

She stood where she was, her heart beating a few paces faster, though she didn't know why.

Xie Xie called out to her from the side, "Xiaoyan, let's go."

She responded and followed the team as they headed back.

After a few steps, she turned back to look one last time.

The entrance to the passage in the distance was empty; there was nothing there.

She withdrew her gaze and tucked her hands into her pockets.

There was still a trace of residual warmth in her palm, very light and faint, like moonlight resting on the back of a hand.

Gu Yue walked at the very back, her gaze lingering on Xu Xiaoyan for a moment.

She saw Xu Xiaoyan's action of looking down at her hand, saw her clench and then unclench her fist, and saw her glance back at the passage entrance.

Gu Yue said nothing, withdrew her gaze, and continued walking.

Ya Li sat in the VIP box, watching those two figures disappear into the passage, the corners of her mouth curving upward.

She took out her communicator and dialed a number.

It was answered after a single ring.

"Did you see it?" Yun Ming's voice came from the other side, carrying a hint of a smile.

Ya Li leaned back against the chair. "My son is truly amazing~!"

"That goes without saying."

Ya Li laughed out loud.

She could imagine the expression on Yun Ming's face as he said those words—very calm, but the corners of his mouth would certainly be curved.

Ya Li tried hard to suppress her smile. "Jingheng fought a duo match today and won. The opponents had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

There was a pause on Yun Ming's end. "He won?"

"Of course he won. His coordination with Ye Xinglan, that move called Star Gallop Under Moon, tore right through the opposition."

Yun Ming was silent for a moment. "How is his body?"

Ya Li thought for a moment. "He was a bit winded after the fight, but much better than this morning. He was even smiling while walking back."

"That's good, that's good."

Ya Li smiled. "Alright, I won't keep you. I'm going to go see my son~"

She hung up the phone, stood up, and walked toward the contestant passage.

In the lounge area, Yun Jingheng sat on a chair in the corner, looking down at his own hands.

Ye Xinglan stood beside him and handed him a bottle of water. "Are you tired?"

Yun Jingheng took the water. "It's alright."

Ye Xinglan sat down next to him. "Your third soul skill, that charge—what's the cooldown?"

Yun Jingheng thought about it. "Eight seconds."

Ye Xinglan frowned. "Eight seconds?! Then just now—"

"It resets."

Yun Jingheng said, "Passing through a target with a mark resets the cooldown instantly."

Ye Xinglan was stunned for a moment, then she smiled. "Doesn't that mean you can charge infinitely?"

Yun Jingheng smiled. "Theoretically, yes."

Ye Xinglan looked at him, suddenly feeling that this person could be truly infuriating at times.

With a soul skill like that, he had stood there for half the match doing nothing, just watching her charge ahead alone. She glared at him.

"Next time, you charge in front."

Yun Jingheng was baffled by the glare, but he nodded. "Okay."

Shen Yi walked over, her eyes filled with smiles as she looked at the two of them.

"Well fought."

She paused. "Especially that final sword strike; the coordination was excellent."

Ye Xinglan stood up. "Teacher Shen, when is the next match?"

Shen Yi glanced at the schedule. "Tomorrow afternoon. The opponents haven't been decided yet."

Ye Xinglan nodded and turned to look at Yun Jingheng. "Let's go, time to eat."

Yun Jingheng stood up.

The two walked out, and as they passed through the contestant passage, Yun Jingheng suddenly stopped.

He turned his head to look, but there was nothing there.

Ye Xinglan called out from ahead, "Yun Jingheng, let's go."

Yun Jingheng withdrew his gaze and followed after her.

Xu Xiaoyan walked at the very back of the group, her hand still clenched inside her pocket.

The lingering warmth in her palm had already dissipated, yet she still felt as though it remained.

She glanced back at the entrance of the passageway; that silver-white figure had long since departed, but she looked nonetheless.

Xie Xie shouted from up ahead, "Xu Xiaoyan, are you coming or not?"

She gave a quick response and jogged to catch up.

When she reached his side, Xie Xie took a look at her. "Why is your face still red?"

Xu Xiaoyan touched her own cheek. "It's hot."

Xie Xie didn't ask any further.

Xu Xiaoyan pulled her hand out of her pocket, but there was nothing left in her palm.

Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had been left behind.

Very light, very faint.