Reigning Supreme!

"Boom!"

Xia Ming's fist slammed solidly into the center of the shield!

The scene of total devastation that many in the audience had anticipated did not occur; the surface of the shield merely lit up with a ripple of light, evenly dispersing the vast majority of the impact force.

Amidst the dull, thunderous roar, the shield—along with Luo Jiang behind it—only slid back half a step before coming to a steady halt.

A flash of surprise crossed Xia Ming's eyes, and then two purple soul rings on his body lit up once more.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

For the next dozen seconds, the competition stage played host to a scene of immense visual impact.

Xia Ming's storm-like assault hammered against that seemingly small round shield as if he were striking iron.

Every blow was heavy and powerful, erupting with deafening roars.

However, Luo Jiang remained unharmed.

The light flowing across the surface of the shield neutralized every single attack.

Indeed, even with two augmentation-type soul skills stacked, Xia Ming, whose power was restricted to the Soul Ancestor level, found it difficult to break through this shield.

Luo Jiang, hidden behind the shield, revealed a faint smile; the opponent truly could not break his defense, and as long as he held on for a little longer...

Just then, another heavy punch slammed into the shield, and Xia Ming used the recoil to leap back half a step, temporarily halting this frantic barrage.

He breathed slightly heavily, but his pupils remained locked onto the shield; far from being discouraged, he slowly grinned.

"Interesting."

Luo Jiang felt a shiver in his heart, his gaze behind the shield becoming even more focused.

He sensed that the opponent's momentum had not waned from the prolonged, unsuccessful assault; instead, it had become even more dangerous after that brief pause.

Xia Ming hunched slightly, his soul power no longer raging outward but slowly retracting inward.

He narrowed his eyes, making no further move.

Clearly, he was preparing something.

Luo Jiang's expression darkened, and his grip on the shield tightened involuntarily.

He clearly perceived the change in his opponent's state, and an instinctual urge welled up within him.

He should take the initiative and strike to interrupt the opponent before the buildup was complete!

But this impulse was quickly suppressed by his absolute confidence in his own defense.

This was the Soul Tool he took the most pride in; even a Soul Emperor could not easily shatter the defense of this shield.

His opponent was merely a Soul Grand Master, so how could he possibly possess the attack power of a Soul Emperor?

Time slowly ticked by, and the audience began to grow impatient due to this eerie stillness, while Luo Jiang's vigilance slackened slightly because the opponent remained motionless for so long.

Just then.

Xia Ming finally opened his eyes, and a majestic aura slowly radiated from his body.

He did not display the sharp, exposed edge he had shown before, but instead delivered a seemingly light, floating punch.

Most of the spectators outside the arena, including the vast majority of the Shrek team members, wore expressions of confusion and bewilderment.

Did this punch seem even less impressive than his previous attacks?

Could it be that Xia Ming's soul power was truly exhausted? Was this just a feint?

However, Luo Jiang, who was facing this punch head-on, felt the exact opposite!

In his field of vision, Xia Ming's figure seemed to tower infinitely at the moment of the punch, transforming into a giant that stood between heaven and earth!

A supreme arrogance and mental pressure that made his very soul tremble crashed down like a collapsing sky, firmly locking onto his entire being!

"Snap—"

A collision sound that was not particularly loud echoed out.

Xia Ming's fist was firmly imprinted in the center of the shield.

Just as Luo Jiang had firmly believed, the shield itself remained completely undamaged.

However, the shield could only block physical attacks.

A surge of mental power spread through the direction of the shield.

This punch could not be blocked!

Luo Jiang suddenly felt this realization in his heart, and his entire being felt as if it were being torn apart.

"Pfft—"

Luo Jiang's eyes instantly lost their luster, his face turned as pale as paper, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out without warning, staining the ground before him red.

Even though the shield in his hand was not broken, his entire spirit and energy seemed to have been drained in an instant.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed limply to the ground, having completely lost consciousness.

Mu En, who was watching the match, opened his eyes slightly, a flash of undisguised amazement passing through them.

Reign Over the World!

That punch just now was, without a doubt, his Self-Created Soul Skill.

It was clear that before this match, Xia Ming had only grasped a rough prototype of it.

Yet, the punch he unleashed today could already be considered fully formed.

Furthermore, it had begun to develop its own style, breaking free from the framework he had initially set.

Admittedly, Xia Ming had only managed to land this punch by relying on the momentum he had built up and his highly focused mental state.

But since he had successfully executed it, mastering it to the point of using it at will during combat was merely a matter of time—and that time would not be long.

"Shrek Academy, victory!"

After recovering from his shock, the referee finally announced the result of the match.

Supported by his teammates, Luo Jiang staggered off the competition stage.

Even though the battle was over, the look in his eyes as he stared at Xia Ming's back remained filled with a fear that had seeped into his very marrow.

Having been defeated by the move Reign Over the World, he would likely never dare to harbor the thought of being this person's enemy again for the rest of his life.

Xia Ming also voluntarily conceded and walked off the competition stage.

Zhang Lexuan, who had been prepared, brushed past him with a slight nod before stepping onto the stage.

As Xia Ming returned to the Shrek waiting area, he was greeted by the complex gazes of his teammates, who looked at him as if he were a monster.

A two-ring Soul Grand Master, having defeated a Soul Ancestor with overwhelming force, had then gone on to defeat a Soul King who was clearly no weakling, as well as a Level 5 Soul Tool master!

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed such a record.

Mu En patted Xia Ming on the shoulder and praised him repeatedly: "Good! Very good!"

Everyone else assumed he was praising the astonishing combat power Xia Ming had displayed.

Only Xia Ming and Mu En knew that he was praising him for learning the incredibly difficult Self-Created Soul Skill, Reign Over the World, in such a short amount of time.

Just as the master and disciple exchanged a tacit understanding, the battle on the stage was already nearing its end.

Zhang Lexuan was a Level 69 Soul Emperor, only a single step away from becoming a Soul Saint.

As for her opponents, the strongest among the remaining five from Mingdu Soul Master Academy were merely two Soul Kings.

A moment ago, a Soul Ancestor who had attempted to launch a surprise attack with a melee Soul Tool hadn't even managed to get within ten meters of Zhang Lexuan.

He was struck directly by a seemingly casual wave of Moonlight, flying off the stage without even a groan, eliminated in a clean and decisive manner.

Seeing this, Xia Ming shook his head; there was no longer any need to keep watching.

As expected, the remaining battle turned into a one-sided sweep.

Whether they were Soul Kings or Soul Ancestors, none could last more than three moves before Zhang Lexuan.

"Match over! Shrek Academy, victory!"

When the referee finally announced this in a loud voice, the entire audience finally snapped out of the shock brought by Xia Ming and the absolute strength displayed by Zhang Lexuan, erupting into thunderous applause and heated discussion.