An Overwhelming Display

"Hmph." Jialong snorted coldly, shifted his gaze, and looked at the others.

Gu Yue, a cold and aloof, beautiful girl, did not seem threatening at all.

Xie Xie wore an eager expression, the typical reckless hothead.

Tang Wulin was tall and handsome, but his Soul Power fluctuations were pitifully weak.

That was it?

A cold smile tugged at Jialong's lips.

That ice-faced Wu Zhangkong had only taught this sort of trash after three months?

"Students from both sides, prepare." Long Hengxu raised his hand. "The rules are as follows: the match ends when one side has completely lost its fighting ability or surrendered. Deliberate killing is forbidden, and prohibited Soul Tools may not be used. Understood?"

"Understood." Both sides answered at once.

Long Hengxu's hand came down sharply—

"Match begin!"

The moment his words fell, Zhong Shenxiu moved.

There was no shout, no warning, not even the slightest windup—without any sign, he shifted from complete stillness into extreme motion, like a golden bolt of lightning tearing through the air.

Martial Soul Possession was completed in that instant.

A deep dragon's roar sounded from within him. It was not an angry bellow, but more like the instinctive tremor of some ancient creature awakening.

Pale golden dragon scales surged from his neck and the ends of his limbs like a tide, instantly covering the vital parts of his body and gleaming with a cold, metallic luster beneath the sunlight. His figure grew slightly taller, two short, hard brilliant gold dragon horns emerging from either side of his forehead, while his ten fingers extended into pale golden dragon claws.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet and slowly rotated.

At the same time, his right hand closed around empty air.

The Sky Light Dragon Spear.

The light over the training ground seemed to dim for an instant—all radiance frantically gathered toward his palm, compressing and solidifying into a dragon-shaped spear over ten feet long.

The spear was blazing white throughout, pale golden patterns flowing across its surface. Its tip resembled a dragon's fang, flashing with deadly cold light beneath the sun.

From his activation to Martial Soul Possession, from the appearance of his Soul Rings to the formation of the Dragon Spear—

The entire process took less than a second.

The four members of Class Four had not even recovered from the words "match begin" when that golden figure had already crossed half the arena and appeared before them.

Jialong stood at the very front.

He was broad and powerfully built. His Martial Soul was the Iron-Armored Rhino, and his body was covered in thick brown hide. He was one of the rare defensive battle Soul Masters among one-ring Soul Masters. Though his Soul Ring was only ten years old, combined with his Martial Soul's defensive power, almost no one among his peers could break through his defense.

The contempt from before the match still lingered on his face.

Then he saw that streak of golden light rush before him.

Those pale golden vertical pupils were right in front of him.

Calm.

Focused.

Without any emotion.

Just as he had sensed before—pure disregard.

Before Jialong's brain could issue a single command, the Dragon Spear had arrived.

There was no flashy technique.

No unnecessary skill.

Just a thrust.

A straight thrust.

The spear tip tore through the air with a sharp whistle. It was so fast that Jialong's pupils did not even have time to contract, so fast that his proud defensive instincts had no time to activate at all—

The spear tip stopped in front of his chest.

More precisely, it stopped half an inch from his chest.

But that terrifying impact had already been transmitted through the air into his body.

Bang!

Jialong's massive body flew backward as though he had been struck head-on by a charging rhinoceros. His feet left the ground, and he was sent flying over thirty feet before crashing heavily onto the metal floor. He bounced half a foot into the air before rolling to the ground.

He did not even have time to scream before he passed out.

Before the first move had even fully settled, Zhong Shenxiu had already turned toward his second target.

Lin Zunyuan.

Tall and skinny, his Martial Soul was the Wind Shadow Cat, making him a speed-type battle Soul Master. He had the fastest reactions among the four—when he saw that golden streak charge at Jialong, he had instinctively leaped backward while summoning his Martial Soul.

Two cat ears emerged from atop his head, and a long, slender tail trailed behind him.

His body drew an afterimage through the air as he rapidly retreated.

Yet in his pupils, that golden streak was rapidly growing larger.

How was that possible?!

Lin Zunyuan's mind went blank.

His speed was the fastest in Class Four. Even against a two-ring Agility Attack System Soul Master, he was confident he could hold out for several exchanges. But this person before him—

He had clearly just sent Jialong flying!

How could he turn toward him so quickly?!

Zhong Shenxiu's body barely paused in midair.

The instant he sent Jialong flying, his legs had already exerted force. The metal floor sank into two shallow pits beneath his feet, and he shot after Lin Zunyuan like an arrow leaving its bow.

The Sky Light Dragon Spear thrust out again.

Still a thrust.

Still a straight line.

Lin Zunyuan desperately twisted his body in midair, trying to evade the strike.

The Wind Shadow Cat's agility was pushed to its limit in that instant, his body nearly folding into an impossible arc—

The spear tip swept past beneath his ribs.

Joy surged through Lin Zunyuan's heart—

He had dodged it!

The next instant, a terrifying force struck beneath his ribs.

Not the spear tip.

The spear shaft.

The moment Zhong Shenxiu's thrust missed, his wrist flicked. The ten-foot Dragon Spear seemed to come alive as its shaft swept sideways and struck precisely beneath Lin Zunyuan's ribs.

Bang!

Lin Zunyuan's body flew sideways like a ball that had been struck away. He was sent flying over thirty feet, slammed into the Soul Tool barrier at the edge of the arena, then bounced back onto the ground.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, curled into a ball, and could no longer get up.

From the start of the match until now—

Only three seconds had passed.

Of Class Four's four members, two were already down.

Mosi and Xiezhou finally reacted.

Mosi's Martial Soul was the Iron-Back Turtle, a defensive type like Jialong's. But he was smarter than Jialong—at the first sight of that golden streak, he had not chosen to take it head-on. Instead, he dropped directly to the ground and tucked his entire body into his turtle shell.

Earth-yellow light flowed across his body as the turtle shell's defense rose to its peak.

Xiezhou's Martial Soul was the Green Edge Sword, making him an attack-type battle Soul Master. His reaction was half a beat slower than Mosi's, but the instant Mosi dropped down, he had already drawn the long sword from his back. Soul Power poured into it, and the blade glowed with faint green light.

His gaze locked firmly onto that golden figure.

Zhong Shenxiu landed.

He did not attack immediately. Instead, he stood there and watched the reactions of the two before him.

Those pale golden vertical pupils remained calm.

There was not the slightest ripple in them.

It was as though defeating two people just now had been nothing more than casually brushing dust from his clothes.

Xiezhou's hand was trembling.

He did not want to admit it, but the tip of his sword truly was shaking slightly.

That golden figure placed too much pressure on him—so much that he could barely breathe. That pressure did not come from suppression by Soul Power Level, but from something more primal, more instinctive.

It was the difference between predator and prey.

"Mosi!"

Xiezhou shouted hoarsely, "Attack together! Don't give him a chance to pick us off one by one!"

Mosi did not answer from within his turtle shell, but his body shifted slightly as he adjusted his direction.

Xiezhou took a deep breath, pushed off the ground, and charged forward with his sword.

His swordsmanship was the strongest in Class Four. His Thirteen Forms of the Green Edge Sword had even earned praise from Kong Hanwen for his talent in the sword. Now, striking with full force, his sword light flowed like a ribbon, drawing a green streak through the air as it stabbed straight toward Zhong Shenxiu's throat.

At the same time, Mosi on the ground moved.

His limbs extended from his turtle shell, and his entire body became like a massive stone ball, rolling close to the ground as he charged straight at Zhong Shenxiu's lower body. The Iron-Back Turtle Martial Soul's traits made this roll immensely powerful. If it struck solidly, even a large tree would be snapped in half.

An attack from above and below.

Their coordination was flawless.

A fierce glint flashed through Xiezhou's eyes.

No matter how strong you are, you are still only a nine-year-old child. Attacked from above and below at once, let's see how you—

Then he saw Zhong Shenxiu move.

Still without a single unnecessary motion.