After Lan Kai hit him with a brutal combo, Tang Wulin suffered considerable pain, even with golden dragon scales covering his right arm.
In particular, Lan Kai's attacks all targeted his joints. Even when Wu Zhangkong had whipped them like tops, he'd never done that.
But Tang Wulin was tough as old boots, and the Golden Dragon King's seal had trained his endurance to be far greater. Pain of this degree wasn't enough to make him stop attacking.
At the same time, Xie Xie had doubled back under Gu Yue's murderous glare and launched a surprise attack from behind Lan Kai. He was already building up his second Soul Skill, ready to turn into a little spinning top and whirl into action at any moment.
As for Gu Yue... she was gathering her strength for her ultimate move, Elemental Storm.
Gu Yue had not the slightest concern or remorse about the possibility that her attack might sweep her teammates up in it.
First of all, she was absolutely certain that even if Xie Xie activated his second Soul Skill and turned into a little spinning top, Lan Kai would just keep batting him around.
As for Tang Wulin, he was tough as old boots and had good combat instincts. Taking a little damage and getting out of the attack's range wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, Gu Yue's attitude toward Tang Wulin had changed since the beginning. She no longer felt the slightest unnecessary affection for him. In fact, after learning that the Golden Dragon King's power was sealed inside him, she was even more excited.
If she hadn't been worried that the seal inside Tang Wulin—possibly containing the Sea God's power—might draw Tang San and the measures he had left behind, as well as that Sharp-Horned Alien whose allegiance was unclear, she would have devoured Tang Wulin long ago, seized the Golden Dragon King's power, and become the new Dragon God.
She wouldn't hesitate or feel guilty about letting her attack catch Tang Wulin in the crossfire. She wouldn't even hesitate to hit both Tang Wulin and Lan Kai at once.
As it happened, though, the ultimate move Gu Yue was loudly preparing was a Wind-Fire Twin Tornado, combining wind and fire attributes to use the wind to amplify fire's destructive power.
Having grasped the Heart of Elements, Gu Yue could make the Wind-Fire Twin Tornado continuously absorb the two elements from the air after she unleashed it, replenishing its power and making it grow more destructive by the moment.
To make sure her attack would be highly effective against Lan Kai, Gu Yue had deliberately made a grand show of gathering power, leaving Wu Zhangkong frowning.
But Wu Zhangkong soon understood what Gu Yue was thinking. It was an out-and-out open scheme: she was deliberately letting Lan Kai see her charging an attack, hoping to throw off his mindset while he fought Tang Wulin and Xie Xie.
A normal Soul Master caught between two decent opponents, while also noticing another opponent over there making a nuclear bomb by hand, would be in a panic. His thoughts would keep bouncing between "Run for your life," "Beat the two people beside me," and "Go blow up the one making a nuclear bomb."
A Soul Master who couldn't make up his mind would probably be unable to choose at all.
However, Lan Kai wasn't normal. Besides, even Tang Wulin and Xie Xie together couldn't give him much trouble if he didn't transform.
Facing Xie Xie, who had already started spinning like a little top, and Tang Wulin, who was charging at him again with Golden Dragon Claw, Lan Kai calmly raised his left hand and blocked Tang Wulin's wrist. To Tang Wulin's shock, he stopped the attack with ease.
Then Lan Kai spun around and landed a precise roundhouse kick on Xie Xie's wrist. The pain made Xie Xie release his grip, and the Light Dragon Dagger fell away. Lan Kai spun around once more and struck with another roundhouse kick, knocking the Shadow Dragon Dagger from Xie Xie's hand as well.
Next, unaware that the repeated blows Lan Kai had dealt to his joints were keeping his right arm from exerting its full strength, Tang Wulin charged at Lan Kai again. He also activated Blue Silver Bind, trying to add some control.
Lan Kai turned slightly aside and blocked Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw once more. Then, with Tang Wulin's center wide open, he drove an elbow straight into his chest, sending him flying backward.
At the same time, Gu Yue realized her open scheme seemed to be useless. Lan Kai was in a completely different league from Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, so she immediately shoved the Wind-Fire Twin Tornadoes in front of her forward, sending them surging toward Lan Kai on their own.
Gu Yue figured that with the Wind-Fire Twin Tornadoes as powerful as they were now, even if Lan Kai tried to fire a beam, he might not be able to break through them as they continued to swell.
But Lan Kai didn't choose to use a beam. He ran straight toward the Wind-Fire Twin Tornadoes, raising his right fist as though he meant to smash through them with a single punch.
In the next moment, scorching flames flared around his right fist, and the fire element in the air switched sides almost instantly, surging toward it.
"What is that?!" Wu Zhangkong and Zhang Yangzi, watching from outside the arena, Xie Xie, standing off to the side with a hand wrapped around his wrist and a pained grimace on his face, and Tang Wulin, kneeling on the ground with a hand pressed to his chest as he struggled to catch his breath, all stared wide-eyed at Lan Kai's newly revealed ability.
He had mastered not just the light attribute, but the fire attribute too?
And unlike the fleeting ice-attribute attack he'd shown in his fight with Wu Zhangkong, the flames were on a level far beyond Gu Yue's control over the fire element.
Would he master even more attributes in the future?
"Strium Heavy Punch!"
Faced with the Wind-Fire Twin Tornadoes, which were no longer growing, Lan Kai threw a punch. With an explosion, the two tornadoes vanished in an instant.
But Lan Kai didn't stop. He wrapped his fist in flames again and continued charging at Gu Yue.
A faint purple glow appeared around Lan Kai, and his speed suddenly surged.
Gu Yue's face full of panic, she hurriedly used spatial power to teleport a short distance away, but she still couldn't stop Lan Kai from speeding up and reaching her.
Then his heavy, fire-wreathed fist slammed into Gu Yue's face. With the most textbook Friendship Face-Breaking Fist, it sent her spinning through the air. She bounced off the ground several times before her back hit the edge of the Sparring Arena, leaving her with the classic defeated expression: mouth agape, eyes squeezed shut.
However, although Lan Kai's punch looked terrifying, the instant it landed cleanly on Gu Yue, he had already withdrawn all the fiery power.
At Gu Yue's current level, taking a Strium Heavy Punch head-on would probably turn her into the Flaming Captain, then leave her as a Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
"Alright, Teacher Wu, can we end this practical combat test now?"
Glancing back at Tang Wulin, who still hadn't gotten up, Lan Kai called to Wu Zhangkong.
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