The Battle Ends

"Tch, can I really trade a finishing move with Teacher Wu now, only to have my timer start blinking afterward?

"Teacher Wu's sixth soul skill, Frost Condensation, isn't a domain-type skill, but if he combines it with his second soul skill, Frost Mist, creating a small domain here is hardly a problem.

"I can't handle fighting in low temperatures for long yet, nor can I shift into the high-heat Burnmite Form. While I could keep wearing him down with long-range attacks, he likely won't give me another chance to fire the Speperion Ray.

"Unless I can land another control effect, but ice-attribute attacks might not do much against Teacher Wu... wait?"

Just as Wu Zhangkong was critically analyzing Lan Kai's combat style, Lan Kai was also contemplating how to defeat him.

Lan Kai was reasonably satisfied with the battle leading up to the red light, but his current state was far from optimistic. He had to adjust his tactics if he hoped to overcome Wu Zhangkong.

However, there were things he hadn't considered—for instance, recklessly firing beams at Wu Zhangkong, banking on the fact that Wu Zhangkong wouldn't stand by and watch the arena be destroyed by his energy blasts.

Furthermore, the energy within him couldn't support many more beam attacks.

Although Ultra Warrior users are often teased for "not playing until the red light flashes," Lan Kai was still a novice. His original physique was merely that of a child in the fantasy-sewer world of Douluo; expecting him to fight from day to night and fire beams like they were free, even while flashing red, was asking far too much of him.

"If I want to defeat Teacher Wu, I'm afraid I'll have to engage in close-quarters combat...

"Perhaps my only advantage is that Teacher Wu knows nothing about the upper limits of my physical strength and speed. If I suddenly launch a melee assault and manage to gain the upper hand, given Teacher Wu's combat awareness, he won't insist on melee; he'll continue to favor long-range combat.

"If that happens, I should have another opportunity to fire the Speperion Ray and settle the score with a maximum-power blast.

"It's decided!"

Having quickly finalized his tactics, the purple sections on Lan Kai's body suddenly lit up. His speed surged instantly, and he rushed before Wu Zhangkong in the blink of an eye, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him.

Following that, the red stripes on Lan Kai's body flared to life. He slammed a fist into Wu Zhangkong's chest, driving him downward with immense force until he collided with the floor of the Sparring Arena.

Tang Wulin was stunned on the spot. He knew Lan Kai's physical durability was high—he could even block his own Golden Dragon Claw while transformed.

But the speed Lan Kai erupted with was far faster than even Xie Xie, an agility-type soul master, and even Wu Zhangkong hadn't reacted in time. To Tang Wulin, this was simply unbelievable.

"His changes in speed and power... are they related to the patterns on his body? Purple for speed, red for power...

"Wouldn't it have been better to just use the red power from the start?"

Gu Yue pondered for a moment, unable to stop herself from asking internally.

In her view, when Lan Kai utilized the red power, his strength should be ten times more terrifying than the Golden Dragon King. With physical power of that caliber, what need was there for combat techniques?

If Lan Kai could hear her, he could only offer the classic "shrugging bear" gesture.

After all, his power wasn't actually that overwhelming. Even with the amplification of Tiga Power Type, he couldn't unleash a conceptual-god-level attack like a "serious punch."

Moreover, he couldn't maintain this power-amplified state for long, and in terms of combat efficiency, it wasn't necessarily superior to his beams.

As for Wu Zhangkong, although he had been caught off guard by Lan Kai's sudden attack—even suffering damage to his Sky Ice Battle Armor, which pained him deeply—he realized something while parrying Lan Kai's relentless follow-up strikes.

Lan Kai's close-quarters combat ability was indeed impressive, his practical techniques were solid, and he utilized the red power-boost and blue speed-boost perfectly.

But why had he only now thought to engage in melee? Was this part of his standard tactical layout, or did he have another scheme?

What was Lan Kai's true trump card: his melee combat skills, or his endless array of beams?

Regardless, Wu Zhangkong could no longer limit the battle to close quarters.

With each of Lan Kai's attacks, more damage appeared on his Sky Ice Battle Armor.

Though most of the damage was easily repaired, Wu Zhangkong did not want this armor—which bore the name of his beloved and held special significance—to sustain further damage.

Besides, if his armor were destroyed, there would be no meaning in winning.

Thus, Wu Zhangkong used the force of one of Lan Kai's punches to accelerate backward, simultaneously activating his second soul skill, Frost Mist, and his sixth soul skill, Frost Condensation, to create a low-temperature domain around Lan Kai.

However, just as Wu Zhangkong successfully put distance between them, he felt the same abnormal coldness surrounding him.

This cold was enough to form a thin layer of ice on his own armor, hindering his movements.

"Now, Speperion Ray!"

Seeing that the Tiga Freeze he fired—using the Frost Mist created by Wu Zhangkong as cover—had successfully hampered his opponent's movement, Lan Kai didn't hesitate. He struck the pose again and fired the Speperion Ray directly at Wu Zhangkong.

Yet this time, the moment Wu Zhangkong sensed the low temperature, he had already activated his third, fourth, and fifth soul skills. The Nine-Layer Sky Frost Slash collided with the Speperion Ray in succession, and combined with his own Sky Frost Slash empowered by his sixth soul skill, he finally managed to block Lan Kai's attack.

However, after this collision, neither side had enough remaining power to continue the fight. Lan Kai deactivated his transformation, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed before being caught by Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi on either side. Wu Zhangkong also retracted his Martial Soul, his battle armor merging back into his body, and he stumbled, nearly falling.

"Brother Lan Kai, you're something else! I never expected you to fight Teacher Wu to a draw while he was using his battle armor! That was amazing!"

Zhang Yangzi whispered his praise in Lan Kai's ear. Having been thrashed by Wu Zhangkong earlier that day, it would be a lie to say he held no resentment.

Wang Jinxi said nothing, simply giving a silent thumbs-up.

"Tomorrow, we begin with physical fitness testing, then continue with the lesson. Class dismissed."

After announcing the curriculum for the following day, Wu Zhangkong dismissed the class and vanished from the Sparring Arena in a flash to repair his battle armor.

His secondary profession was mecha repair, so fixing battle armor was right up his alley.