Xiao Yan, the Victor

Buddha Fury Fire Lotus had first appeared on Doupo Continent. Its strength was unknown, and its form was uncanny.

But when that crimson lotus of flame gradually took shape in Xiao Yan's palm, its terrifying aura still made the hearts of everyone watching skip a beat.

This pure force of destruction was more unnerving than any powerful surge of Soul Power.

Across from the Fire Lotus, Xiao Yulü stared fixedly at the lotus.

At that moment, every hair on his body stood on end. A sense of crisis unlike any he had ever felt spread from his spine all the way to the crown of his head. He knew full well that he couldn't withstand this attack right now, but he still felt a rush of exhilaration.

"Bring it on!"

Xiao Yulü roared. The Soul Power he had suppressed for three whole years burst free without restraint, pouring into the blazing Giant Ruler in his hands!

Neither of them had Soul Rings or Soul Skills. There was no scheming or clash of wits, only the purest, clearest battle between Martial Souls!

"Martial Technique—Flame-Splitting! Devouring Wave Ruler!!!"

The ruler hummed, its flames flaring until they nearly swallowed him whole.

Come on, Xiao Yan! This ruler strike carries three full years of power. Can you withstand it?

Xiao Yan's face had turned deathly pale.

Even though he could control Little Fire Dragon's flames as he pleased, doing so took a tremendous amount of concentration.

Releasing the flames also consumed Soul Power.

The two demands compounded, and forming this Fire Lotus had nearly exhausted all his Soul Power. He didn't even have enough strength left to carefully control it and make it explode.

All he could do was gently push his arm forward, sending out the exquisitely beautiful Fire Lotus, like releasing a lantern into the sky with a wish.

One side surged forward with unstoppable momentum, scorching mountains and boiling seas.

The other was drained to the last drop, quiet as a lotus flower, making not a sound.

Who would win? It was so hard to tell.

The instant the Fire Lotus collided with the shadow of the ruler, a powerful explosion swept across the entire arena.

On the viewing stands, several clan elders' expressions changed drastically. They hurried into the air and used their Soul Power to activate the defensive formation around the arena. A translucent barrier appeared over the stage.

Outside the barrier, all was calm. Within it, the winds and clouds churned.

When everything settled and a breeze swept through once more, everyone drew in a sharp breath.

Right in the center of the arena, a massive crater nearly ten zhang across had been blasted into the ground!

The bottom of the crater was pitch-black, its edges smooth as a mirror, with wisps of smoke still rising from it.

At the edge of the crater, Xiao Yulü knelt on one knee, panting heavily.

His fine clothes were now in tatters, and a striking smear of red blood stained the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly wretched.

The Giant Ruler in his hands had snapped in two. It hit the ground with a thud, turned into flecks of light, and vanished into the air.

Good heavens, Young Master Xiao Yulü's Martial Soul... had shattered!

Everyone present drew a sharp breath. They knew this was merely the visible manifestation of Soul Power, not the destruction of his actual Martial Soul, and that it would recover after a period of rest. Even so, they couldn't help but marvel.

Since ancient times, the Xiao Clan's hereditary Martial Soul, the Heavy Profound Ruler, had been famed as a blunt greatsword, wielded with immense skill. Its whole appeal was that it was hard-wearing and durable.

Now, even this mutated Martial Soul derived from the Heavy Profound Ruler had been damaged. One couldn't help wondering what kind of monster Xiao Yan really was.

Thinking of Xiao Yan, many people turned to look. On the other side of the crater, his condition was no better.

His half-human, half-dragon Martial Soul Possession had already ended. Now he braced both hands on his knees, his body swaying, his face so pale that not a trace of color remained. Beside him, the golden Little Fire Dragon lay sprawled on the ground, arms and legs spread wide.

In the past, if Xiao Yan had looked this miserable, everyone would surely have mocked him.

Look how powerful Young Master Xiao Yulü is, and look how useless you are! Soul Masters from your year are already Soul Grandmasters, while you're still stuck at the Soul Scholar stage! What a good-for-nothing!

But now, no one could bring themselves to say such a thing.

The entire arena fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

The clan elders onstage turned to stare, dazed as they took in the aftermath, as if immortals had just fought there.

Good grief, this was the kind of destruction they'd expect from a full-blown fight with their Martial Soul Avatars unleashed. And that was with the formation restricting them, so they'd only caused this much damage.

Without the formation, wouldn't that collision between the Fire Lotus and the Giant Ruler have taken them out too?

Could two level-ten Soul Masters really have caused this much destruction?

After a long while, Xiao Yulü finally looked up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

What a crushing defeat...

He looked across at Xiao Yan. There wasn't a trace of dejection on his face; instead, he wore a bright, heartfelt smile.

"Ha, I lost."

He spoke calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but in the pin-drop silence, it carried clearly across the entire arena.

"I'm thoroughly convinced, Xiao Yan."

He brushed the dust from his clothes and looked at Xiao Yan, his eyes shining.

"I'll leave you the recommendation letter for Shrek Academy."

"But I'll get in fair and square on my own merits. When the time comes, we'll fight again!"

After saying this, he walked off the arena laughing, without so much as looking back. Xiao Yan watched him go, feeling that he looked less like a loser and more like a victorious general returning from battle.

What a gracious loser, you Haji Lu!

Only after he vanished into the crowd did the entire arena seem to come alive again. A tidal wave of discussion erupted.

"Good heavens! Good heavens! Did I see that right? Xiao Yan actually... won?!"

"Holy crap, what was that move Xiao Yan just used? I've never seen or even heard of it! Was it a Soul Skill, a Martial Technique he'd honed like Young Master Xiao Yulü's, or simply his own development of his Martial Soul?"

"That was terrifying. With power like that, it could rival even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill."

"Monsters! They're both monsters!"

The mockery and disdain from earlier had long since been replaced by shock and awe. No one looked at Xiao Yan with the slightest contempt anymore.

On the viewing platform, the clan elders looked at one another, their expressions complicated.

"This... Xiao Yan really won..."

"Bu Hao, you rigged the drawing for Yulü!"

"Do we really have to let that kid have it? We could just give him some scraps and fob him off..."

Only the clan elder who had taken Xiao Yan to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain a Soul Ring still wore a smile.

"Heh heh... hahahaha!"

"Haha! Hahahaha!"

"You blind old fools! I told you long ago that Xiao Yan was no ordinary talent!"

"If you won't say it, then I will!"

"This is an officially sanctioned family competition. The outcome is settled. How could anyone falsify the results?"

He sprang to his feet and poured his Soul Power into his voice, which rang out across the arena like a great bell.

"I hereby declare!"

"The winner of this match—"

"Xiao Yan!"