Heaven Frost Tests Its Edge, Calamity Annihilation Quartet (Battle Bliss!!!)

The corridor leading away from the administrative main building was deep and quiet, filled only with the echoes of their three sets of footsteps.

Wu Zhangkong walked at the front, dressed in white like snow. His steps seemed casual, yet the distance between each one was as precise as if measured with a ruler.

As they moved farther from the principal's office, the temperature in the air seemed to drop little by little.

It was the chill unconsciously radiating from Wu Zhangkong's body, as well as a silent form of pressure.

Finally, when they reached the stairway corner, the figure in white stopped.

Wu Zhangkong did not turn around. His voice remained as cold and crisp as ice striking stone:

"What you said in front of the principal just now might fool other people."

"But to me, it was nonsense."

He slowly turned around. A scrutinizing sharpness flashed in his ice-blue eyes as they pierced straight toward Tang Linyuan.

"What 'using a proud sword to temper a spear,' what 'ordinary teachers can't teach me'—those excuses are far too flimsy."

"Eastsea Academy may not be strong, but its higher division still has Soul Emperors and even Soul Saints overseeing it."

"You're merely a Soul Elder who just enrolled. No matter how talented you are, you have no right to be picky."

"Tell me honestly. Why did you choose me?"

The air seemed to freeze.

Tang Wulin felt a chill down the back of his neck and instinctively shrank behind his brother.

This new teacher's presence was even more suffocating than the towering waves by the sea.

Facing Wu Zhangkong's questioning, Tang Linyuan showed no trace of panic.

He patted Wulin's hand to reassure him, then stepped forward. He did not stop until he stood only three paces away from Wu Zhangkong.

"As expected, Teacher Wu doesn't like beating around the bush."

Tang Linyuan smiled faintly. The youthful disguise he had worn seemed to vanish in an instant, replaced by a calmness utterly at odds with his age.

He lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear it and spoke three words:

"Shrek."

Whoosh!

Wu Zhangkong's pupils abruptly constricted into needle points.

In that instant, the temperature in the corridor plummeted below freezing. Frost visibly spread across the window glass.

An incomparably sharp Sword Intent instantly locked onto Tang Linyuan.

It was an instinctive reaction to someone touching his bottom line.

"Who are you?" Wu Zhangkong's voice grew even colder.

He had left Shrek's Inner Court and come to this remote Eastsea City precisely to exile himself and reflect on his mistakes. This was the deepest pain in his heart.

"Don't be nervous, Teacher Wu."

Tang Linyuan remained composed as he slowly reached his right hand into his chest pocket amid the bone-piercing cold.

The movement was slow, slow enough for Wu Zhangkong to see that he had no intention of attacking.

Then, a crystalline white jade token shaped like a miniature spear lay quietly in Tang Linyuan's palm.

A gentle sheen flowed over the token's surface. Two vigorous characters were engraved on its front—

[Heaven Propping]

There was no fluctuation of Soul Power, yet the moment the token appeared, the violent icy aura around Wu Zhangkong seemed to encounter a king. It instantly stiffened and dispersed.

Wu Zhangkong's usually tranquil eyes widened enormously.

He stared fixedly at the token, his breathing even stopping for an instant.

As a former disciple of Shrek's Inner Court, how could he not recognize it?

It was the personal token of the Sea God Pavilion's Pavilion Master, Sky-Propping Douluo Yun Ming!

To see this token was the same as seeing the Pavilion Master in person!

"This is... the Pavilion Master's...?"

Wu Zhangkong's voice was somewhat dry. The hard lines of his face softened at once, carrying even a trace of incredulous reverence.

He abruptly looked up at Tang Linyuan as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

This boy not only possessed the monstrous talent of having three Soul Rings at nine years old, but also held the Pavilion Master's token...

Could he be the Pavilion Master's secretly accepted final disciple? Or perhaps the heir the Pavilion Master had chosen during one of his travels?

No wonder!

No wonder he looked down on the ordinary teachers of Eastsea Academy!

"Three years ago, at the seaside of Aolai City, Senior Yun Ming gave me some guidance."

Tang Linyuan put away the token and explained calmly, "He told me to find him at Shrek six years later. But I don't want to go there just like that."

"I need these few years to temper my spear until it becomes sharper."

"And in Eastsea City, the only person worthy of my attention, someone who also came from Shrek and understands what a 'monster' is, is you—'Sky Ice' Wu Zhangkong."

Tang Linyuan looked directly at Wu Zhangkong, no longer concealing the battle intent in his eyes.

"What I said in the office was half true and half false."

"I really do want to borrow your Sky Frost Sword. Ever since my Martial Soul awakened, I have had no rival among my peers. Even opponents at the Soul Ancestor level can't withstand more than a few strikes from my spear."

"I long for a battle. I long for an opponent who can make me go all out, even make me feel pressure."

"Teacher Wu, is that reason enough?"

Wu Zhangkong was silent for a long time.

Looking at the boy before him, he seemed to see his own younger self—equally proud and equally ignorant of the vastness of heaven and earth.

No, this child was even more arrogant than he had been, and had more confidence to back it up.

Someone valued by the Pavilion Master...

Wu Zhangkong took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.

Though shocked, he still maintained his aloof expression. Only his gaze carried an extra warmth called recognition.

"Since it is the Pavilion Master's intention, then it is different."

Wu Zhangkong adjusted his sleeve and returned to his calm demeanor. "You want to use me to temper your spear? You speak boldly."

"Still, I am curious as well."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze flashing like lightning. "What exactly is the caliber of someone who earned that man's favor?"

"Are you real gold, or merely gold-plated?"

"Come with me."

With that, Wu Zhangkong turned around. His robe fluttered as he strode downstairs.

"Where are we going?" Tang Wulin, who had not dared speak until now, asked quietly.

Without turning back, Wu Zhangkong's cool voice echoed through the stairwell:

"The Combat Drill Field."

"Since you want to spar, let me see just how hard your spear truly is."

Eastsea Academy, Small Combat Drill Field.

Afternoon sunlight poured through the high-strength glass dome, illuminating every detail of the silver arena paved with soul-guided alloy.

However, when the pitch-black Tyrant Profound Divine Spear slammed heavily into the ground, the warm sunlight seemed to lose all warmth in an instant.

Tang Linyuan stood on one side of the arena, holding his spear in one hand with its tip angled toward the ground.

At that moment, he closed his eyes.

Ever since being reborn on Douluo Continent, he had spent the past nine years hiding.

Hiding the killing aura of an ancient martial arts grandmaster from his previous life, hiding the strength within this body that was far too shocking for the world.

He was like a keeper who had locked a fierce tiger inside a cage, able only to feed it with utmost care every day.

But today, facing Wu Zhangkong—who also came from that monster academy and was equally proud—that cage was opened.

"Whew..."

A breath of turbid air left his mouth, turning into a white stream that lingered for a long time.

When Tang Linyuan opened his eyes again, the childishness of youth had vanished from those dark pupils. What replaced it was a martial arts grandmaster who had weathered the rise and fall of two lives and danced upon the edge of death!

"Teacher Wu, be careful."

The instant his voice fell, Tang Linyuan vanished into thin air.

It was not teleportation. It was simply the explosive force of his body shattering the air beneath his feet, leaving behind an afterimage.

Wu Zhangkong's pupils contracted slightly as the Sky Frost Sword in his hand rose on instinct.

Boom!

The Tyrant Profound Divine Spear did not trace any flashy path. Instead, like a black meteor, it came from ten meters away, yet its terrifying penetrating force already made the space between Wu Zhangkong's brows ache.

[Calamity Annihilation First Form: Mountain Collapse]

Core principle: Gather ten thousand tons of force at one point. Break the surface with a point. Nothing is indestructible.

This strike used no Soul Skill, yet Tang Linyuan compressed all of his essence, energy, and spirit, the murderous aura of the Tyrant Spear, and the power of his body forged through countless trials into the needle-sized point of the spear tip.

Clang—!!!

The Sky Frost Sword collided with the tip of the Tyrant Profound Divine Spear.

Wu Zhangkong had originally intended to use thirty levels of Soul Power to deflect a thousand pounds with four ounces of force, but his expression abruptly changed.

He felt as though the tip of his sword had struck not a spear, but a collapsing mountain!

That incomparably pure physical impact surged crazily through the sword blade, numbing his palm. His thirty-level Soul Power defense was pierced through as easily as paper.

"Forty levels!"

Wu Zhangkong shouted lowly. The Soul Power within him instantly unsealed to the Soul Ancestor realm, blue light blazing from the sword. Only then did he barely stop himself from being pushed back.

But Tang Linyuan's assault had only just begun.

Borrowing the recoil from that collision, Tang Linyuan did not retreat. Instead, he twisted his waist with the momentum. His spine cracked sharply, the muscles in both arms bulging as the two-meter heavy spear became seemingly weightless in his hands and carved a bleak black crescent through the air.

[Calamity Annihilation Second Form: Sea Severing]

Core principle: Turn from point to surface. Sweep through thousands of troops and swallow mountains and rivers.

The spear shaft howled through the air as it swept toward Wu Zhangkong's waist like the tail of an enraged black dragon.

This strike covered an enormous range, sealing off every possible path of evasion to either side. He could only meet it head-on!

"What a domineering combination!"

A brilliant light flashed through Wu Zhangkong's eyes. He spun the Sky Frost Sword, forming an icy flower. "Heaven Frost: Wall!"

Crack! Crack! Crack! Three solid walls of ice erupted from the ground out of nowhere.

Yet before the spear shaft carrying several tons of force, the ice walls condensed from forty-level Soul Power were like brittle glass.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three ice walls exploded in response, scattering ice shards throughout the air.

The spear's momentum did not diminish as it pressed straight toward Wu Zhangkong himself.

"Fifty levels!"

Wu Zhangkong had no choice but to unseal more of his power. Soul Power at the Soul King level erupted, and the Sky Frost Sword transformed into a blue curtain of light that forcibly blocked the sweeping strike.

Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere. Fine cracks appeared in the alloy ground beneath Wu Zhangkong's feet as the force of the sweep shoved him half a meter backward.

It was not over yet!

The battle intent in Tang Linyuan's eyes burned to its peak. The instant his sweep was blocked, his wrist flicked at a bizarre angle. The spear shaft trembled violently, emitting a high-frequency hum that made one's teeth ache.

The heavy, blunt sensation vanished in an instant, replaced by a sharpness that seemed capable of cutting through space.

Like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, the spear tip stabbed out hundreds of afterimages in an incredibly confined space. Every afterimage carried a black fissure that tore through the air.

[Calamity Annihilation Third Form: Void Splitting]

Core principle: Oscillate at extreme speed, tear through defenses, and penetrate every opening.

This form specialized in breaking protective energy barriers!

"Hiss—"

Wu Zhangkong felt the air around him turn into blades. The Heaven Frost protective Soul Power he had always been proud of was riddled with holes by those thrusts. That sharp force even sliced through his sleeve, leaving a bloody wound on his jade-like arm.

"Fifty-five levels!"

Wu Zhangkong was finally moved.

A three-ring Soul Elder had actually forced him to use power close to the Soul Emperor level just to defend himself?

The Sky Frost Sword shone brilliantly. Sword Intent surged as it transformed into countless sword shadows, clashing madly with the sky-filling spear shadows.

The clear rings of clang, clang, clang merged into one, like an impassioned metal symphony.

"The final form..."

At the center of the storm, Tang Linyuan suddenly withdrew his spear.

All the afterimages vanished instantly, while the spear intent filling the sky flowed back like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

He gripped the spear with both hands and leaped high, his body stretching into a full-moon bow in midair.

The surrounding light seemed to be absorbed by his spear, and the drill field abruptly darkened.

An indescribable heaviness blanketed the entire arena, as if an invisible star hung above Wu Zhangkong's head, on the verge of falling.

This was a gravity field! It was the law projection inherent to the Tyrant Profound Divine Spear!

Wu Zhangkong felt his body sink. His feet were driven deep into the alloy ground, while the surrounding space seemed to solidify, locking him firmly in place.

There was no escape. He could only take it head-on!

In midair, Tang Linyuan's eyes widened furiously. The mutated black dragon Soul Spirit behind him flickered in and out of sight, releasing an earth-shaking dragon roar.

He gripped the end of the spear with both hands, his body following the weapon as he brought it down viciously toward Wu Zhangkong below with an aura that could destroy heaven and extinguish earth!

[Calamity Annihilation Fourth Form: Falling Star]

Core principle: Draw with gravity, like a falling star—absolute destruction.

"This strike... is dangerous!"

Alarm bells rang wildly in Wu Zhangkong's heart.

At that moment, he forgot this was a spar. He forgot that his opponent was only a nine-year-old child.

Instinct told him that if he did not go all out, he would definitely be injured—and not lightly!

Boom!

All six rings activated! Peak Soul Emperor!

He even stopped holding back his trump-card Sword Intent.

"Heaven Frost Dragon!"

With a long howl, Wu Zhangkong transformed the Sky Frost Sword in his hand into an enormous frost dragon, which roared as it charged toward the descending black "Falling Star."

Rumble—!!!

The black spear radiance and the blue ice dragon collided violently in midair.

The terrifying shockwave instantly swept across the entire training ground.

Tang Wulin, who had already retreated to the edge, sighed and said, "This is bad!"

Golden light burst from his body. He crossed his arms before him, yet the aftershock still sent him flying backward, slamming him hard into the wall.

At the center of the field, dust billowed as shattered ice and alloy fragments flew everywhere.

A long while passed.

The dust gradually dispersed.

A massive crater over twenty meters in diameter had appeared in the training ground, its bottom covered in scorched cracks.

At the edge of the crater.

Tang Linyuan knelt on one knee, both hands braced against the Tyrant Profound Divine Spear. His chest heaved violently, and sweat dripped down his cheeks.

His Soul Power was nearly depleted. The four consecutive forms of the Calamity Extinction Spear Technique had almost drained all his strength, energy, and spirit.

Yet he did not fall.

He raised his head. His ink-black eyes were still frighteningly bright as he looked at the figure standing on the other side of the crater.

There, Wu Zhangkong still stood in white robes, pristine as snow. Only his meticulously arranged long hair had become slightly disheveled, and the sleeve on his right arm had vanished, revealing a faint red mark on his exposed forearm.

The Sky Frost Sword in his hand still hummed faintly. Six rings of light that had yet to fade circled beneath his feet.

Fully activated.

To receive that strike, Heaven Ice Douluo Wu Zhangkong had released all suppression on his Soul Power.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

A moment later, the Sky Frost Sword in Wu Zhangkong's hand dissolved into specks of light.

He looked at the youth who remained proudly standing despite having exhausted his strength. On that eternally frosty face, an extraordinarily rare expression of heartfelt appreciation slowly appeared.

"Three rings forced out all of my Soul Power."

Wu Zhangkong's voice was somewhat hoarse, but every word rang firm and clear.

"Tang Linyuan, you are qualified to be the Pavilion Master's student. In fact, I do not think anyone could be more qualified than you."

Tang Linyuan grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. Though weak, his wild arrogance remained undiminished.

"Teacher Wu flatters me. That fight was truly satisfying."

"But next time..."

Supporting himself on the spear shaft, the youth slowly straightened up, his spine as straight as a spear.

"Next time, I'll force out your Battle Armor."