Instantly Defeating Yu Feng

A pair of medium-sized, yellow-brown wings unfurled from Yu Feng's back. Their feathers looked anything but soft; instead, they seemed sturdy and firm.

Looking down at Xing Tian from above, Yu Feng said smugly, "I'm Yu Feng, a Wind Bell Bird Martial Soul, a level 22 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master!"

Xing Tian felt no disgust as he met Yu Feng's gaze.

Just thinking about the change in Yu Feng's expression later made him unable to suppress his excitement. It was one of his hobbies in his previous life, too.

A vicious aura of darkness spread in an instant, surging a hundred meters in every direction. The surroundings dimmed, and the students watching nearby couldn't help shivering. Fear rose in their hearts of its own accord.

Yu Feng's wingbeats slowed, as did their frequency. Even his altitude began to drop, and cold sweat beaded across his forehead.

Then a black hole wreathed in dark-purple mist appeared behind Xing Tian. Two enormous, pitch-black sickles reached out from within.

No—not sickles. They were the sickle-shaped forelegs of a mantis. The one stepping out of the black hole was Xing Tian's Martial Soul.

Apart from Ye Lingling, this was the first time anyone in the class—including the teacher—had seen Xing Tian's Martial Soul.

"Xing Tian, Dark Evil Spirit Mantis Martial Soul, level 21 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Please give me your guidance!"

Though the teacher was only a Soul Ancestor, he was quite knowledgeable.

"Truly worthy of a top-tier Martial Soul. It already has this much power with only two Soul Rings."

"Moreover, Yu Feng's Martial Soul is a flying-type bird, which counters insect-type Martial Souls. Even high-ranked insect-type Martial Souls would be affected, yet Xing Tian is completely unaffected. Instead, Yu Feng is the one in poor condition."

"But he hasn't used Martial Soul Possession. It looks a bit like Martial Soul Mimicry. It seems his First Soul Ring came from a Mantis Soul Beast and is highly compatible with him. Its power must far exceed that of an ordinary First Soul Skill."

Then the teacher shouted, "Begin the practical match!"

Xing Tian casually crooked a finger, indicating that Yu Feng should attack first.

Yu Feng had been competing with Osler for years, so he was naturally fiercely competitive. He quickly forced down his fear, and his First Soul Ring lit up.

With a sharp rush of wind, Yu Feng swooped toward Xing Tian. He joined his arms with his wings, whose leading edges had sharpened like blades. It was his First Soul Skill, Wing Blade.

As Yu Feng dived toward him, Xing Tian neither dodged nor retreated. He simply raised his left arm as if to block, while the Dark Evil Spirit Mantis behind him likewise lifted its left foreleg.

Yu Feng's Wing Blade struck Xing Tian with a clang of metal scraping against metal, making the surrounding students instinctively cover their ears.

The two didn't stay in contact for long. Yu Feng quickly pulled away, his expression changing drastically.

He hadn't put all his strength into that strike, but he'd still used half of it. Soul Masters of the same level would have had to take it seriously, yet Xing Tian had stopped it as casually as if swatting away a fly.

More terrifying still, Yu Feng's right arm was trembling, and his palm had begun to swell and redden.

He immediately understood: he absolutely couldn't fight at close range. He was no match.

Yu Feng quickly changed tactics and climbed higher. His Second Soul Ring lit up, and he swung both arms, firing two cone-shaped streams of air.

This was his Second Soul Skill, Flying Blade Rock-Breaking Strike. It could be used in combination with his First Soul Skill, and its power increased while Wing Blade was active.

Facing Yu Feng's second wave of attacks, Xing Tian neither defended nor counterattacked. Instead, he recalled his Martial Soul and used the Nine Deaths Footwork, paired with the Nine Deaths Reincarnation Evil Art, darting and weaving to evade.

"Flying-type Soul Masters really are troublesome. At this height, with his speed, and in broad daylight, Night Fierce Light might not hit. With my current cultivation, flying with my Martial Soul's wings wouldn't be difficult, but I'd better keep that hidden for now."

"What kind of bizarre footwork is that?" Yu Feng grew increasingly frantic in the air.

His attacks kept missing Xing Tian, wasting his Soul Power, while he couldn't win in close combat. And maintaining flight also consumed Soul Power.

At this rate, he was bound to lose.

Just as Yu Feng began to tire and faltered for a moment, Xing Tian seized his chance. He summoned his Martial Soul again and leapt into the air, his right hand turning into a pitch-black blade.

Xing Tian swept his hand, sending out a crescent of black light. It was his First Soul Skill, Night Fierce Light.

Yu Feng's pupils contracted. He couldn't dodge in time, and the black light struck his wing.

Yu Feng cried out in pain. The wing wasn't some kind of energy construct; it was formed by Martial Soul Possession and connected to his flesh and bones. That was why it hurt so terribly.

The strike had broken his wing, and the dark element continued to erode it, like ants gnawing at him. The pain was worse than death.

"I give up!" Yu Feng hurriedly descended and collapsed to the ground, recalling his Martial Soul to prevent the dark element from eroding him any further.

The students watching gasped in amazement. Xing Tian had used just one proper attack to instantly defeat Yu Feng. Forget the Tianzhu Level students—even a Tiandou Level student might not have managed that.

As the saying went, outsiders watched the spectacle while experts saw the finer points. The teacher in charge saw things much more clearly.

When Yu Feng climbed higher, the teacher had already understood that Xing Tian was much more fearsome in close combat. If Yu Feng hadn't done that, the fight would have ended even sooner.

And the Nine Deaths Footwork Xing Tian had just used was bizarre and unpredictable. It kept even an Agility Attack System Soul Master like Yu Feng from landing a hit, leaving him open.

As for Xing Tian's First Soul Skill at the end, it seemed he hadn't used all his strength. But the dark erosion was genuinely terrifying. If Yu Feng hadn't canceled Martial Soul Possession in time, it might have eaten into his flesh.

In the teacher's view, Xing Tian's true combat strength was at the Tiandou Level.

Just then, Osler helped Yu Feng to his feet with a smirk. "Oh, Yu Feng! Where'd your wings go? How'd you turn into a flightless chicken?"

Yu Feng glared at him with venomous hatred, but Osler just carried on as if nothing had happened. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just concerned about you. Can't you tell? I never thought Xiao Tian would hit so hard, either. And you—you were losing, so why didn't you give up sooner?"

Yu Feng didn't want to deal with Osler at all. He shook off his arm and headed off the stage.

Osler wasn't about to pass up the chance to kick him while he was down. Pretending to brush the dust off Yu Feng, he said, "Oh, you're hurt so badly. How can you walk by yourself? Don't be shy. We're all brothers—I'll help you. Hey! Look at all that dust on you. Let me brush it off."

"No need."

"Don't be so polite. Let me brush you off."

"Get away—ah!" Osler slapped Yu Feng's back with no sense of restraint, drawing a hearty howl from him.

The teacher in charge called out, "Osler! Where do you think you're going? It's your turn!"

"Huh? Oh!" Osler looked back at Yu Feng with reluctance, then trudged back to the stage.

Ye Lingling summoned her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul to treat Yu Feng. This was also part of the practical training for Support Type Soul Masters like her.

After the one-on-one matches ended, the teacher in charge organized another round of two-on-two practical training.

The first goal was to build teamwork among the students. The second was to assess Support Type Soul Masters: their ability to provide support, their timing, and whether they would hold back the Battle Soul Masters. The third was to see whether Battle Soul Masters had the ability and awareness to protect their support teammates.

Xing Tian decisively teamed up with Ye Lingling and swept all before them. No one else could even get near Ye Lingling, let alone force him to use his Second Soul Skill.