Nana's Defeat, Kong Jing's Talk, the Free Angel Wants Xu Qing

Third Soul Skill, Ghost Possession.

Nana's martial soul was a ghost by nature; the moment she unleashed this soul skill, her body suddenly turned transparent.

Physical attack immunity, lasting for one second.

It was this very second that saved her.

Yes, Xu Qing had not used his full strength in that strike, only a fraction of his power, which gave Nana the time to react.

This allowed her to activate her intangibility.

Her body was sent flying by the shockwave, her back slamming into the protective barrier. The pale golden light screen shook violently, ripples stacking one upon another, taking quite a while to settle down.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Nana slumped to the ground from the protective barrier.

"What the hell... you guy, are you playing that old, cliché 'playing the pig to eat the tiger' routine?"

She spat out a mouthful of blood.

At this moment, Nana felt dizzy and disoriented, as if her body had been tossed into a washing machine like a sock.

Xu Qing did not speak; he simply stomped his foot where he stood.

The arena floor beneath him cracked inch by inch, the air let out a short, mournful wail, and his figure vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already right beside Nana.

Another punch!

"Clang—!!!"

The metallic ringing of a collision exploded outward.

Nana had drawn her twin blades at some point, one red and one blue, crossing them in front of her to barely block the strike.

Fist and blade collided, sending sparks flying.

The webbing between her thumb and forefinger split instantly, blood trickling down the hilts, her arms went numb, and her bones groaned in protest.

She couldn't block it.

Gritting her teeth, she snapped open a pair of silver metal wings behind her back—a fourth-class flight Soul Tool.

"Whoosh—"

With a flap of her wings, she flew backward, skimming the ground to create distance. Simultaneously, her first soul ring lit up, activating Ghost Speed.

Her figure left a black trail in the air, moving as fast as a darting shadow.

As long as she could keep her distance and wear him down with speed and Soul Tools, she might still have a chance!

"Boom—"

Xu Qing soared into the sky, the sonic boom arriving late but inevitable; all of this happened in the blink of an eye!

He arrived in front of Nana, stared at her stunned, pretty face, and reached out with five fingers, grabbing her!

Then, he swung his arm through the air and tossed her downward with a light flick.

"Boom!!!"

The delicate body, wrapped in blue soul power, bounced off the ground and fell back down, finally losing consciousness.

Nana hadn't even had the chance to use all her methods before being knocked out by Xu Qing's fast, accurate, and ruthless strike.

The two short blades fell from the air, clattering twice as they landed beside her.

The entire arena fell silent.

"...That was too fast."

"Who is this guy? I've never seen him before."

"Nana is a huge upset—no! Are you kidding me?! My Gold Soul Coins!!"

For a moment, the stands were in an uproar.

Meanwhile.

On the main podium, Jing Hongchen was conversing with an elderly man.

"Xu Qing's physique is naturally different from ordinary people, so his strength is naturally a few notches higher than those of the same level. Furthermore, his soul power fluctuation is already..."

When did he reach level forty-eight!? Wasn't he only level forty-four the last time we met!!?

Are you cultivating by flying? You aren't Xiao Meng; you're an ultimate attribute soul master.

Jing Hongchen nearly lost his composure.

Fortunately, there was no one else here besides the two of them; the royal family was on the other podium. Here, there was only Mingde Hall.

The old man stroked his beard, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Not bad, not bad." Kong Deming's voice was unhurried. "Sun Moon needs young people with such exceptional talent."

"He's in the fifth grade, right? To reach this level at fourteen or fifteen years old, he can be called a leader among his peers."

"He should have a spot on the selection team. I wonder how his talent as a Soul Engineer is..."

He looked at Meng Hongchen, who was waiting for Xu Qing below the stage, then shifted his gaze to Jing Hongchen and teased:

"Xiao Meng is also in Grade Five, Class One, right? Hongchen, you aren't being honest."

"Master Kong, how can you say that? Oh my, the situation is like this..."

The two men harbored their own agendas, their words laden with hidden meanings.

One was the highest authority of the Royal Offering Hall, the other the Hall Master of the Empire's Mingde Hall.

One stood for the royal family, the other for the empire.

Xu Qing's true identity as the young master of the Body Sect, along with the potions that had emerged from the academy in recent years.

The royal family represented by Master Kong and the imperial high-ups on Hongchen's side were well aware of these things.

Yet, both sides maintained a tacit understanding, neither willing to lay their cards on the table.

For one, keeping secrets was better for everyone—it kept things harmonious.

Secondly, there was the deterrent power of the Body Sect's sect master, the Limit Douluo Du Busi.

Power is truth; whoever has the biggest fist has the right to speak.

Years ago, under some suggestions and foresight from Xu Qing, Du Busi obtained a few opportunities, stabilized his Soul Core, and steadily broke through to level ninety-nine.

The moment he broke through, he went to Shrek City to camp out and wait for Xuan Zi.

After all, Du Busi was wary of the divine means left behind within Shrek, so he decided to settle the score with the old man who had always been at odds with him.

That battle nearly beat the life out of Xuan Zi.

In the end, Mu En had to step in to act as a peacemaker, eventually compensating the Body Sect with a fifty-thousand-year soul bone before Du Busi was willing to leave.

In the stands, Ye Guyi shifted to the side, making room for Xu Qing.

"Well? You've figured it out, haven't you?"

Xu Qing handed over an iced drink; Xiao Meng had just prepared it for him below, though it was a pity that before they could enjoy it together, it was already her turn to compete.

Ye Guyi took it, her cherry-pink lips pursing around the straw as she subconsciously bit down on it a few times, then her gaze fell upon Xu Qing.

"There is no evil aura on her... she has never harmed an innocent life..."

"Plus, her martial soul is a ghost..." She frowned.

"I understand. She must have been controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult previously. After that branch was destroyed, without a new source of evil to replenish it, the aura on her naturally dissipated."

"So that was all it was..."

It sounded like a bit of a pity.

"...What are you feeling sorry about?"

Xu Qing added a few more ice cubes to his own drink, watching Xiao Meng compete against a sixth-year senior below.

There was no suspense; it could even be called a total rout.

With just a light wave of her hand, a sky full of ice mist covered the arena. Despite the fact that the unlucky senior had already put on a mask specifically designed to counter Meng Hongchen.

However, the exposed skin became his undoing.

In an instant, he was poisoned into unconsciousness, collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and convulsing all over.

Xu Qing's gaze shifted to the other side, where Arena One was located; it was Xiao Hongchen's match.

It was also a one-sided slaughter. The opponent was operating several Soul Tool turrets, but in front of the Three-Legged Golden Toad, he was like a defenseless lady.

In the blink of an eye, the stronger metal attribute seized control of the tools.

Controlling your own Soul Tools to beat you, and using them better than you did—it was the ultimate humiliation.

"Hmm, are you feeling sorry that there aren't any evil soul masters left to kill to rapidly increase your Soul Power?"

"Alright... actually, it's because this agent of justice can no longer find a place to punish evil and promote good."

Ye Guyi's cheeks puffed out slightly.

"I came to the Sun Moon Empire specifically to strike at the Holy Spirit Cult, because I arrested an evil soul master in Heaven Soul and interrogated him, learning that a branch existed here."

"The results proved I was right, but there are still other Holy Spirit Cult branches that haven't been uprooted."

Ye Guyi hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously:

"Xu Qing, are you willing to go with me to other places to eliminate the evil soul masters?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was off.

She felt like something was strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it; the angel's little head couldn't fathom it.

Xu Qing let out a long sigh, looking at Ye Guyi strangely, his gaze as if he were examining some rare animal.

"Slurp—"

Ye Guyi took a sip of her iced drink, looking at Xu Qing expectantly.

"I refuse."

"...Alright then."

"Let's not even talk about your own strength or whether you possess the capability to strike at the Holy Spirit Cult; let's just talk about you right now."