The instructor in charge of the training frowned and spoke in a low voice. "Quiet! Lin Fan was personally recommended by the Saint Child and approved by the dean to join the team. His strength is nowhere near as simple as it looks. From now on, he's a member of the team. Anyone who dares to gossip about him in private again will be punished according to academy rules!"
Only after the instructor spoke did the crowd quiet down, but their eyes remained fixed on Lin Fan, still full of resentment.
One of the male students, tall and built like a giant bear, stepped forward and looked at Lin Fan provocatively.
"Instructor Qin Wei, our Soul Master team has always let strength do the talking. If he doesn't have the goods, then even the Saint Child's recommendation doesn't make him worthy of staying on the team."
"How about this? He and I can spar. If he can withstand three of my moves, I'll acknowledge that he belongs here. What do you say?"
The moment he said this, the entire area fell silent. Everyone looked at Lin Fan, waiting to see how he would react. Quite a few were eager to watch him make a fool of himself.
"Sure." Lin Fan smiled faintly.
Lin Fan was quite confident he could withstand three moves, even if his opponent was a Soul Elder, or even a Battle Soul Ancestor.
As for defeating him, that would be a little difficult. After all, Lin Fan still hadn't fully controlled even the forty-nine Star Seeds he had connected.
"Looks like you've got some guts." The burly student laughed heartily.
Qin Wei frowned at this, but said nothing. He simply gestured for everyone to clear the training ground.
Truthfully, he also wanted to know just how strong Lin Fan was.
Otherwise, why would Dean Wu Xuan have approved him to join the team competing in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament?
After all, Martial Soul Academy had won the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament four times in a row!
"Li Xiong. Martial Soul: Exploding Bear. Level 43 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor!"
As Li Xiong spoke, four Soul Rings rose around him: yellow, yellow, purple, purple. A perfectly standard Soul Ring Configuration.
At the same time, Li Xiong's body underwent a tremendous transformation. His already tall, burly frame grew even more imposing as the muscles in his limbs bulged, making him look like a real giant bear.
"Lin Fan. Martial Soul: Lightning Element. Level 27 Power Attack System Tool Soul Master."
As Lin Fan spoke, two purple Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
"Purple—purple!" Li Xiong froze, looking as though he'd seen a ghost.
Outside the ring, Qin Wei and the other geniuses of Martial Soul Academy wore the same expression as they stared at Lin Fan.
"How is that possible? How could his First Soul Ring be a thousand years old?"
"No wonder, no wonder Lin Fan could join Martial Soul Academy's tournament team at Soul Power Level 27. His Second Soul Ring is already on the level of five or six thousand years!" exclaimed a student with extensive theoretical knowledge.
"First Soul Skill—Golden Thunder Transformation!"
"Second Soul Skill—Mysterious Thunder Transformation!"
Before Li Xiong could recover, Lin Fan's two Soul Rings lit up one after the other.
The Soul Rings' enhancement greatly boosted Lin Fan's physical abilities and Soul Power alike.
His Second Soul Ring now granted him a 57% increase to all attributes!
With two enhancement-type Soul Skills, Lin Fan's Soul Power Level had already reached that of a Soul Elder!
"First Soul Skill—Giant Bear's Wrath!"
Seeing this, Li Xiong didn't panic. His First Soul Skill also granted an increase to his attributes.
At that moment, faint blood-colored energy radiated from Li Xiong's body, and his Second Soul Ring lit up.
"Second Soul Skill—Exploding Fist!"
A faint red glow coated the giant bear's palm, and Li Xiong's speed abruptly increased.
Lin Fan smiled slightly. The seven Lightning Element Star Seeds in his palm instantly connected.
"Thunder Seal—Raging Strike!"
He raised one hand toward the sky as lightning surged through it.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and rolling thunder boomed overhead.
Lin Fan lightly swept his finger through the air. Black-gold lightning dropped straight down, striking the ground directly in Li Xiong's path.
Li Xiong hurriedly dodged. The lightning struck the ground behind him, leaving a fist-sized crater. He felt a jolt of alarm.
This was a training ground specially built by Martial Soul Academy. Though it wasn't one of the dedicated training sites, even some Soul Elders would struggle to damage the ground. He hadn't expected Lin Fan to pierce it so easily!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several more bolts of lightning crashed down. Li Xiong danced beneath them like an agile fat man.
At the same time, he was closing in on Lin Fan.
Lin Fan noticed, but didn't care.
"Third Soul Skill—Exploding Skyfall!"
Suddenly, Li Xiong's Third Soul Ring flashed. He leaped high into the air, then plummeted toward Lin Fan at incredible speed.
Lin Fan felt an invisible pressure bearing down on his body. Frowning, he ran toward the distance.
The pressure was probably caused by Li Xiong's Third Soul Skill, but it was nothing much against Lin Fan's powerful physique.
Li Xiong was incredibly fast. Seeing Lin Fan try to run, a smile appeared on his face.
It was hard to escape his pressure field. Even some Battle Soul Ancestors couldn't get out unless they had support from an auxiliary-type Soul Master.
But in the next moment, Li Xiong was stunned.
Lin Fan was moving fast, completely unaffected by the pressure field!
Li Xiong's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Lin Fan to be so difficult to deal with.
Boom!
Li Xiong slammed into the ground, sending dust billowing in every direction.
Lin Fan hadn't yet escaped the pressure field, but he was already near its edge. Even so, the shards of rock that burst outward scraped across his body, drawing thin trails of blood.
"Thunder Seal—Wild Whip!" Before the dust had even cleared, Lin Fan instantly unleashed his Lightning Element magic.
More than ten thick bolts of lightning surged out. At Lin Fan's command, they lunged toward the center of the dust cloud like snapping jaws.
Li Xiong hadn't even reacted when he saw the lightning, thick as a person's head, bearing down on him. It struck him head-on.
In an instant, his chest was charred black, blood trickled from the wound, and arcs of electricity danced over his body.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Savage Bear Fury!"
Li Xiong's Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and a faint red aura enveloped his entire body.
This Fourth Soul Skill increased his attack, defense, and speed by 100%!
"Second Soul Skill—Exploding Fist!"
His Second Soul Ring lit up, and a faint glow coated his bear paw.
As the earth trembled, Li Xiong vanished from where he stood.
Lin Fan heard the commotion. Only a brief moment had passed, and the dust hadn't even cleared.
He ran out of the dust cloud. As soon as he emerged, the sound of rushing wind rang out.
Li Xiong's giant-bear-like form was already right in front of him.
Seeing this, Lin Fan knew he couldn't dodge. He still wasn't familiar with his Thunder Wings, so he could only take the attack head-on.
But he also knew Li Xiong's Fourth Soul Skill had to be an enhancement-type skill. Otherwise, his body wouldn't have changed again.
Boom!
When Li Xiong's giant palm collided with Lin Fan's, the impact unleashed terrifying force.
A surge of tremendous power struck him. Lin Fan felt a sharp pain in his arm and was sent flying several meters.
With the boost from his Fourth Soul Skill, Li Xiong's physical strength now surpassed Lin Fan's by a bit.
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