Combat Test, Level-Locking Scourge?

This stone is incredibly hard, capable of withstanding the full-force strike of an average level 40 Spirit Ancestor without sustaining the slightest damage.

Su Ming abruptly opened his eyes, a flash of black light flickering within them.

"Third Spirit Ability, Evil Phoenix God-Slaying Slash."

As Su Ming shouted, the deep purple, five-thousand-year spirit ring beneath his feet suddenly blazed with brilliance.

His internal spirit power erupted in an instant, yet Su Ming's body did not sway in the slightest.

His right arm trembled slightly in the void, his wrist completing a high-speed twist at an angle so minute it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

BOOM!

The energy within his body achieved high compression and high-speed rotation in a split second.

A two-meter-long blade of death light instantly tore through the air.

Unlike the straight, slicing beam from before, this black light blade was now spinning at a terrifying speed.

From a distance, it didn't look like a slash at all; it looked more like a saw blade of death, raging in a frenzy!

In the blink of an eye, the high-speed rotating light blade slammed fiercely into the giant Defensive Black Stone.

"Screech, screech, screech, screech!"

A sound of high-friction grinding and shredding that made one's scalp tingle erupted into the air.

Before the high-speed rotating Evil Phoenix God-Slaying Slash, the Defensive Black Stone—capable of blocking a full-force strike from a Spirit Ancestor—was as fragile as paper.

The moment the rotating light blade touched the stone, an incredibly brutal armor-piercing effect erupted.

The black light blade transformed into a destructive saw, instantly piercing through the front of the black stone and slicing it cleanly in two!

Su Ming retracted his right hand and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Looking at the test stone torn in half on the ground, a smile appeared on his face.

After more than two months of relentless attempts and fine-tuning, the armor-piercing capability and physical tearing destructiveness of his third spirit ability had achieved a qualitative leap, improving several times over compared to before.

Su Ming walked out of the Mimicry Cultivation Room and, after a quick wash, headed straight for the Spirit City Great Soul Arena.

He needed to test the practical combat effectiveness of his third spirit ability.

He took out his badge and registered.

Soon, the matchmaking results for the singles match were out.

Su Ming arrived at the 14th Sub-Arena. His opponent this time was famous throughout the Spirit Venerable division.

But it was an infamous reputation!

His opponent was named Qian Shan, thirty years old, with spirit power reaching the peak of level 40.

This guy was a typical "level-capper" parasite; in order to greedily harvest winning streak bonuses at the Great Soul Arena, he intentionally stayed at level 40 and refused to hunt for his fourth spirit ring.

Relying on his absolute level advantage and a total spirit power pool far exceeding that of a level 30-something Spirit Venerable, he had dominated Spirit Venerable-level duels for years, exhausting countless opponents to death.

Not only that, but Qian Shan also held a trump card: he possessed a thousand-year defensive spirit bone.

When he saw the slender, youthful-looking Su Ming walk onto the stage, Qian Shan laughed out loud.

"Are there no other Spirit Venerables in the arena? To send a little kid—isn't this just handing me free money? Hahaha."

The audience in the stands also erupted in a chorus of boos.

"How is it a kid? Did the arena make a mistake?"

"No mistake. I know this kid. A level 39 Spirit Venerable. He's only fought one match, but his combat power is very high; he easily insta-killed Tie Lei."

"Insta-killing Tie Lei doesn't matter. This guy is Qian Shan, the notorious parasite of the Spirit Venerable division!"

"Sigh, I don't want Qian Shan to win; the winnings aren't even enough to cover the handling fees."

In everyone's eyes, this brat named Su Ming was doomed to lose today!

Facing a Spirit Master at the peak of level 40, he had absolutely no possibility of winning.

Meanwhile, in a corridor on the other side of the Great Soul Arena.

Yan, Hu Liena, and Xie Yue, who had just finished their respective singles matches, were walking side by side.

Yan was currently pestering Hu Liena, complaining incessantly: "Nana, the time for the Great Soul Arena's duo match assessment is so tight, and that brat named Su Ming hasn't shown his face for over two months."

"In my opinion, someone like that has no sense of collective responsibility. Why are you still waiting for him?"

"Just team up with me. With our synergy, we would have already secured a ten-match winning streak."

Hu Liena's expression was cold; she didn't bother responding to him.

Just as Yan was about to continue his tirade, Hu Liena's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, her gaze landing on the combat projection screen of the 14th Sub-Arena not far away.

"Look, isn't he there now?" Hu Liena interrupted Yan's words indifferently.

Yan and Xie Yue followed her gaze and, sure enough, saw Su Ming, dressed in black, already standing in the center of the arena.

Xie Yue frowned slightly. He frequented the Great Soul Arena and recognized the other person on the stage at a glance.

His expression was grave. "Su Ming is in big trouble this time. His opponent is the Iron-Armored Black Tortoise Soul Master Qian Shan. Knowing his own talent is limited, this guy deliberately keeps his soul power capped at the peak of level forty just to farm the winning streak bonuses."

"Furthermore, this guy has fused with a Thousand-Year Solid Rock Left Arm Bone. In terms of pure defense, even an ordinary four-ring Soul Ancestor would find it hard to deal with him."

Hearing Xie Yue's words, Yan, who had been looking grim, revealed a sneer.

He crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled gloatingly: "Peak level forty defense? And he's packing a thousand-year soul bone? This brat has walked right into the line of fire today."

"Nana, just watch. He's guaranteed to lose this match! Levels raised in a greenhouse are simply no match for a seasoned veteran."

Hearing Yan's mockery, a flash of anger crossed the corners of Hu Liena's eyes.

She curled her lips slightly, looking at Yan with a cold expression. "Yan, since you're so certain, do you dare to make a bet with me?"

Yan was slightly stunned and asked, "A bet? What are we betting on?"

Hu Liena pointed at Su Ming, her expression cold yet tinged with a hint of playfulness. "Let's bet on the outcome of Su Ming's match. If Su Ming wins, you will keep your mouth shut in the academy from now on and never mention the word 'team-up' in front of me again."

Yan didn't rush, instead asking with an expectant look: "And what if Su Ming loses?"

Hu Liena sneered and replied with extreme crispness: "If he loses, I'll give you one hundred gold soul coins. But you, likewise, will keep your mouth shut and never mention the subject of teaming up to me again."

Hearing this inescapable, double-edged wager, the smile on Yan's face instantly froze. He looked as stifled as if he had been forced to swallow a dead fly.

Regardless of whether he won or lost, he would never be able to bring up teaming up again; it was a total trap.

He felt deeply disgruntled. Where exactly was he inferior to Su Ming?

Standing to the side, Xie Yue watched Yan's deflated appearance, his mouth twitching as he struggled to keep from laughing out loud on the spot.

Meanwhile, on the stage of the 14th Sub-Arena, the battle had already begun.

The referee's raised hands slammed downward: "The match begins!"