Tang An: I Am Invincible Below the Soul Emperor

Time Zero is a soul skill condensed by Tang San after reinforcing the laws of time with Sea God divine power.

An invisible ripple of time spread out from him as the center, causing the flow of time within a radius of ten zhang to change abruptly.

Xuan Zi's movements slowed instantly, as if every action were being dragged down by invisible mire, while Tang An's figure moved with ghostly speed.

Under the enhancement of Time Zero, he unleashed a continuous barrage of hammer strikes around Xuan Zi, each one landing precisely on a weak point in his defense.

Immediately following, his third soul skill—Space Flash—was activated.

Tang An's figure vanished from where he stood, reappearing the next instant directly behind Xuan Zi, the Crimson Annihilation Hammer sweeping in with an aura of destruction.

Xuan Zi possessed immense combat experience; the moment he sensed the spatial fluctuation behind him, he turned to block, but Tang An's figure flickered and vanished again, reappearing on his left.

The blade of Space Slash sliced through the air without a sound, striking Xuan Zi's defensive barrier and leaving behind streaks of cracks.

The elders present watched in astonishment.

Qian Duoduo's jaw dropped, and he muttered, "Time and space... this is a soul skill attached to his first soul ring? This is goddamn heaven-defying!"

Xuan Zi's cultivation level climbed steadily under Tang An's relentless attacks—level 63, level 65. When his cultivation reached level 65, Tang An's offensive was finally suppressed slightly.

Having consecutively unleashed two major space-time soul skills along with six-element switching, the soul power consumption was terrifying. Tang An's breathing grew heavy, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

"That's enough." Tang An calculated in his mind, took a deep breath, and poured all his remaining soul power into the Crimson Annihilation Hammer.

On the dark red hammer, black mist of destruction surged forth, and the Origin Destruction Fire ignited from the heart of the hammer. It was the destruction fire inherent to the Crimson Annihilation Hammer, a flame superior to the Ultimate Fire, its temperature so high that even the void was faintly distorted.

Deep purple Dark Demon Evil Thunder coiled around the outer layer of the flames, the lightning and the destruction fire intertwining into a purplish-red light of destruction.

"Xuan Zi, take my final strike!"

The Crimson Annihilation Hammer crashed down with the power to destroy everything. Xuan Zi's pupils constricted as his cultivation instantly climbed to level 69, his soul power defense operating at full capacity.

BOOM!

A purplish-red pillar of destruction shot into the sky, and the bluestone floor of the entire training arena was shattered into spiderweb-like cracks.

The shockwave snapped the surrounding trees in half, and several elders had to raise their hands to set up defensive barriers to avoid being caught in the aftermath.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Xuan Zi stood in place, his arms trembling slightly, his robes scorched black in large patches.

He looked down at his tattered sleeves, then at Tang An, who was standing opposite him with disordered breathing, leaning on his hammer and panting. His eyes were filled with shock.

"This strike," Xuan Zi said slowly, his voice trembling slightly, "if I hadn't temporarily raised my defense to level 69, I fear I wouldn't have been able to take it."

Xian Lin'er gasped, "It took a level 69 defense to barely block it? The Vice Pavilion Master's full-power strike is approaching the level of a Soul Saint!"

Just then, Yan Shaozhe suddenly reacted, blurting out, "That flame just now, it's Ultimate Fire! That is the aura of Ultimate Fire!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of all the elders present changed in unison.

Ultimate attributes were almost legendary in the world of soul masters; one could count the number of soul masters on the entire continent who possessed them on one hand.

Yet, the nine-year-old boy before them not only possessed Twin Martial Souls and a million-year soul ring, but also controlled an ultimate power that even Titled Douluo dreamed of.

Xuan Zi was silent for a moment before adding, "It's not just Ultimate Fire."

"The quality of the Vice Pavilion Master's soul power is more than five times that of an ordinary ultimate-attribute soul master. The aura of this flame is likely even more terrifying than Ultimate Fire."

The hall was in an uproar.

Ultimate-attribute soul masters were one in ten thousand, and soul power quality five times that of an ultimate attribute was already beyond the cognitive scope of the conventional soul master cultivation system.

Yan Shaozhe suddenly remembered something and quietly tugged at the sleeve of Cai Mei'er beside him, lowering his voice.

"Mei'er, go talk to the Vice Pavilion Master. Ma Xiaotao's evil fire backlash—the power of that Ultimate Fire is something even the inner court elders are helpless against, but the Vice Pavilion Master might have a way to suppress the evil fire within Xiaotao."

Cai Mei'er's expression turned stern as she whispered, "Ma Xiaotao's situation is indeed critical. If the Vice Pavilion Master truly has a way, no matter the cost, I agree. I will go ask him tomorrow."

Yan Shaozhe nodded, his gaze toward Tang An filled with new expectations.

Mu En coughed lightly, suppressing the discussion in the hall. His gaze toward Tang An was full of gratification and wonder: "Let's end it here for today. I believe everyone is clear on the Vice Pavilion Master's strength, so there is no need to say more. Dismissed."

The elders filed out one by one, with Xuan Zi following behind Tang An with his head lowered, step by step.

Mu En called out to Tang An, his tone gentle: "Little An, stay a moment. That Reign Over the World technique..."

"Mu En."

Tang An waved his hand without looking back, quickening his pace. "It's too late today. You should combine it with the characteristics of my soul skills and help me optimize it first. Once it's optimized, I'll come back to learn it. I'm heading back now."

Mu En stood frozen in place, watching the white-clad figure disappear at the end of the corridor, only reacting after a long while.

"This little brat, having a Limit Douluo optimize his techniques for him, and he just pats his butt and goes back to sleep."

Mu En shook his head, though a helpless smile couldn't help but rise to the corners of his mouth.

Tang An walked quickly out of Sea God Island, thinking that sleeping while holding the soft little girl and the little rabbit was far more comfortable than bitterly studying soul skills. Besides, it wasn't going anywhere.

When Tang An pushed open the dormitory door, Huo Yutong was already curled up in his bed, wrapped in a quilt, breathing evenly as if she were asleep.

But Tang An's spiritual perception was far too keen; he could tell at a glance that her eyelashes were still trembling slightly.

Feigning sleep.

Tang An had been busy all night at the Sea God Pavilion, showing off his soul rings, subduing Xuan Zi, and testing his combat power. He just wanted to sleep now.

He lay on the bed with light steps, habitually reaching out to scoop the slightly stiff little body into his arms.

Huo Yutong stiffened in his arms for a moment before quietly relaxing, pretending to turn over as she snuggled into his embrace. Tang An's lips curled slightly as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Morning light filtered through the curtains and spilled into the dormitory.

Huo Yutong woke up in a daze, only to find herself held fast in a pair of long, powerful arms, her back pressed tightly against a warm chest.

Her face flushed bright red, and she held her breath, not daring to move.

Stiffening her body, she asked with a trembling voice in her mind, "Big Sister Silver Fox... Brother Tang An, he..."

In the Sea of Consciousness, the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox lazily rolled over, her curves undulating beneath thin gauze. Her fox-like eyes swept outward through Huo Yutong's perception, and a meaningful smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Oh, that." She paused, her tone flippant, "It's the virgin technique your Brother Tang An practices; his yang energy is simply too vigorous."

Huo Yutong blinked. "Vir... virgin technique? When will it get better?"

"It will be fine once your Brother Tang An circulates his energy on his own."

The silver fox let out a lazy yawn and added, "Though, if someone were to help him channel his soul power, it would likely be much faster."

Huo Yutong felt that Big Sister Silver Fox was implying something, and her face grew even redder as she huddled in Tang An's arms, not daring to budge.

She wanted to shift away, but the arm around her was held too tightly. The moment she moved, the person behind her woke up.

Tang An opened his eyes, retracted his arm without a sound, and sat up.

His gaze swept over a certain spot beneath his robes, and he sighed inwardly. The Power of Life and Death was great in every way, except for this annoying habit every morning.

He didn't know when this Life-Death Cycle would truly reach equilibrium. Taking a deep breath, he circulated his soul power through a small cycle within his body, and the surging heat slowly subsided.

"If you're awake, go wash up. We need to report to class later."