"Roar!"
Facing Su Ming, Qian Shan wore a mocking expression, but his actions showed no contempt at all.
He let out a roar and instantly completed his Martial Soul Possession.
His Martial Soul was the Iron-Armored Black Tortoise, a primarily defensive Martial Soul!
As his Soul Power erupted, a massive black-green tortoiseshell rose from his back, turning him into a veritable, indestructible mountain of flesh.
One white, one yellow, and one purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.
Just as Xie Yue had said, this guy's talent really was nothing special. Even his First Soul Ring was only white.
No wonder he had chosen to become a level-capping menace.
After his Martial Soul Possession, Qian Shan made no move to attack.
He stood where he was and drove his peak level-forty Soul Power to its limit.
The third purple Soul Ring on his body blazed brightly, while a dusky yellow glow of Soul Power shone along his entire left arm.
"Third Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Immovable Wall!"
"Thousand-Year Solid Rock Left Arm Bone, activate!"
An oval tortoiseshell three meters long and two meters high instantly enveloped him!
At the same time, the full effect of the Thousand-Year Solid Rock Left Arm Bone he had fused with erupted, its dusky yellow Soul Bone energy surging into the tortoiseshell.
At that moment, the energy of the Soul Skill and Soul Bone combined perfectly, triggering a special stacking effect—Solid Rock Indestructible Shield!
Under the effect's enhancement, the already formidable defense of Qian Shan's third Soul Skill doubled instantly. It could also forcibly negate 30% of any energy impact from a Soul Master of the same rank.
Once his defenses were up, Qian Shan hid inside the massive, heavy shield. Looking at Su Ming, who hadn't moved an inch, he taunted him loudly and arrogantly:
"Kid! I've been making a living in the Great Soul Arena for years, and this is the move I rely on for absolute defense!"
"Today, I'll just stand right here and let you hit me all you want!"
"If you can break this shield, I'll get on my knees and call you Grandpa right here and now. I'll surrender on the spot!"
Faced with Qian Shan's blatant provocation, the corner of Su Ming's mouth curled into a smile.
He'd just been looking for an opponent to test his third Soul Skill on, and here one was, bringing him a tortoiseshell on a platter.
Absolute defense versus absolute offense.
Su Ming slowly settled into his fighting stance.
Boom!
As the Black Phoenix Martial Soul's shadow flashed behind him, the pitch-black Soul Power of ultimate evil swept across half the arena.
Two yellow Soul Rings and one deep purple Soul Ring rose unhurriedly from beneath Su Ming's feet.
The powerful aura of his five-thousand-year third Soul Ring made Qian Shan's eyelid twitch.
"Not bad, kid. Your third Soul Ring is that powerful!"
But remembering that his Solid Rock Indestructible Shield's defense had doubled, Qian Shan gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm.
Su Ming moved.
He didn't waste words. He went straight to his third Soul Skill.
Since his opponent had raised that tortoiseshell and invited him to attack, wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of it?
Su Ming swung his right arm forward. As it moved, his right wrist twisted with the tiniest flick.
The muscle-memory technique activated perfectly, and the Extreme Evil Soul Power in his body instantly compressed and spun at high speed around his fingertips.
The deep purple third Soul Ring on his body flared brightly.
"Third Soul Skill, Evil Phoenix God-Slaying Slash!"
Whoosh!
A circular blade of light two meters long shot from his hand.
The instant it burst forward, the blade spun wildly through the air at a terrifying speed of several thousand rotations per second.
It let out an ear-piercing shriek, tearing through the surrounding air and turning into a deathly saw blade that radiated an aura of utter silence!
The blade of light moved at incredible speed. Before anyone could react, it slammed into Qian Shan's massive tortoiseshell shield.
"Chichichichichi!"
The violent explosion everyone had expected never came. What rang out instead was a grating scrape that made their teeth ache.
It was a clash between shield and blade!
Everyone thought Su Ming's attack would dissipate. No one expected that Qian Shan's shield would be the first to give way!
The Solid Rock Indestructible Shield he had been so proud of was like a fragile piece of tofu before Su Ming's saw blade.
The armor-piercing effect of its extreme rotation sliced through the surface of the massive shield in an instant, then shattered it and punched straight through.
Crack!
The standoff had lasted less than half a second.
Under countless horrified stares, Qian Shan's tortoiseshell shield—said to be unbreakable even by a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor—was torn apart by the blade of light!
The instant it shattered, it burst into a sky full of glittering energy!
Then it disappeared!
"What?!" Boundless terror surged across Qian Shan's face.
"How is this possible?"
But it was happening right before their eyes!
After shredding the massive shield, the spinning blade of light continued forward without slowing. Trailing the force of its strike, it slammed into Qian Shan's chest.
Pfft!
The high-speed energy tore through the clothes and skin on Qian Shan's chest, sending a spray of blood flying.
He didn't even have time to scream before the terrifying, earth-shattering force hurled him away like a cannonball.
With a tremendous crash, Qian Shan's body smashed into the defensive barrier at the edge of the arena, dozens of meters away!
When he slid to the ground, his chest was a mangled mess of blood and flesh, and his eyes had rolled back in his head. He had passed out cold.
One move. Shield shattered. Instant kill!
The entire arena fell deathly silent!
The referee looked at the unconscious Qian Shan on the ground, then at Su Ming, who stood there without even breathing hard. He was frozen stiff as a statue.
A full five seconds passed before the referee swallowed and raised his right hand, shouting, "I declare Su Ming the winner of this match!"
The spectators in the stands of the 14th Sub-Arena, who had been shouting moments before, seemed to have their throats collectively squeezed shut. Not a sound came from them.
"W-We won... I lost?"
"An instant kill in one move? Is that guy even human?"
"Can someone tell me why? Isn't Qian Shan a level-capping menace? How could a menace lose?"
"Of course a menace can lose. His opponent was a blade—and one that spins as it cuts."
For a moment, everyone stared at Su Ming in utter shock.
They knew that unless something unexpected happened, they'd bet on Su Ming without hesitation in the matches to come, just as they had once bet on Qian Shan.
Qian Shan was gone, and Su Ming had arrived.
One menace was gone, and another had taken his place.
At the end of the corridor, Yan had witnessed the whole thing. His dead-fish eyes were stretched wide.
He stood there, completely stunned.
A peak level-forty defense combined with a thousand-year Soul Bone hadn't even lasted one move against this twelve-year-old kid?
And what was that move the kid had just used?
When had it mutated into a spinning attack?
Hu Liena looked at Yan's comical expression and smiled faintly. She'd known Su Ming wouldn't let her down.
She turned and strode outside, leaving Yan with a cold look over her shoulder. "Yan, remember our bet. Starting tomorrow, keep your mouth shut."
Xie Yue glanced at Yan's ashen face and could only shake his head helplessly.
Su Ming was too monstrous. He simply wasn't in the same league as them.