Yan's Challenge? One Palm Strike from the Great Sun Golden Flame Forces the Flame Lord to His Knees!

When Di Yao returned to Spirit City, the news had already spread like wildfire.

Innate Level Twenty Soul Power.

A First Soul Ring nearing a thousand years.

A Second Soul Ring of eighteen hundred years.

A six-year-old Soul Grandmaster.

Personally escorted by Pope Palace.

Any one of those pieces of news alone was enough to shake the younger generation.

Put together, they sounded like some monster tale.

At Spirit City's training grounds, quite a few young soul masters had gathered.

They claimed not to believe it, but their eyes kept drifting toward Pope Palace.

"Is it real?"

"A First Soul Ring over nine hundred years? A Second Soul Ring straight into the thousand-year range?"

"They're exaggerating, right? Can a person even withstand that?"

"The news came directly from Elder Chrysanthemum and Elder Ghost. How could it be false?"

"That's still way too absurd."

At the front of the crowd, a red-haired youth wore an extremely grim expression.

He was tall and powerfully built, his eyes arrogant, with a faint fiery aura rippling around him.

Yan.

One of the Golden Generation.

The wielder of the Flame Lord Spirit.

He had always been exceedingly proud.

Especially when it came to fire-type spirits, he had never believed anyone his age could surpass him.

But now, everyone was talking about Di Yao's flames.

Great Sun Golden Flame.

It countered poison, burned souls, and suppressed Beast Spirits.

Some even said in private that Di Yao's fire was more like the true king of flames than Yan's Flame Lord.

Every time Yan heard that, his temper flared higher.

What irritated him even more was Hu Liena.

Ever since returning from hunting soul rings, Hu Liena had clearly changed.

She no longer casually mocked that new junior disciple.

Yan had even heard her take the initiative to ask Di Yao about cultivation details several times.

It felt as though a blazing fire had lodged itself in Yan's chest.

Xie Yue stood nearby with his arms folded, his expression calm.

"You want to challenge him?"

Yan snorted coldly.

"What, I can't?"

Xie Yue replied evenly, "He just came back. After absorbing soul rings beyond his limit, his body might not have fully recovered."

Yan frowned.

"You think I'd be taking advantage of him?"

Xie Yue shook his head.

"I'm afraid you'll lose badly."

Yan's face darkened.

"Xie Yue!"

Xie Yue looked at him.

"He absorbed two soul rings beyond his limit, and even made Teacher personally order his cultivation."

"Do you really think he only got this far through luck?"

Yan gritted his teeth.

"I don't believe it."

"Strong soul rings are one thing. Actual combat is another."

"He's just a little brat who awakened his spirit not long ago. No matter how gifted he is, he can't have fought many real battles."

Xie Yue did not try to persuade him further.

With Yan's temperament, there was no stopping him.

Besides, he also wanted to see just how strong Di Yao truly was.

Just then, footsteps sounded from the entrance to the training grounds.

Di Yao had arrived.

Hu Liena followed behind him.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei did not appear.

Clearly, today was just an affair for the younger generation.

The moment Di Yao entered the training grounds, the surrounding voices quieted.

Every gaze fell upon him.

Six years old.

Still small in stature.

His face even retained a somewhat sickly pallor.

Yet no one dared truly treat him as an ordinary child.

Those two soul rings beyond the limit had been earned through real bloodshed.

Yan strode directly forward.

"You're Di Yao?"

Di Yao stopped walking.

"What is it?"

Yan stared at him.

"I heard your fire is strong."

Di Yao said, "And?"

Yan's eye twitched.

That tone was infuriating.

"I want to challenge you."

The area instantly erupted.

"Yan is making his move!"

"The Flame Lord against the Great Sun Golden Flame?"

"This is getting interesting."

Hu Liena frowned.

"Yan, stop fooling around."

Yan looked at her.

"I'm not fooling around."

"Nana, I just want to see how capable this junior disciple everyone's praising to the skies really is."

Hu Liena's expression darkened.

"Don't call me Nana."

Yan's expression stiffened.

Di Yao glanced at the two of them.

He had no interest in it.

"Fine."

Yan froze for a moment.

"You agreed?"

Di Yao walked toward the arena.

"Don't waste my time after it's over."

Yan's anger surged at once.

"Fine!"

"You're arrogant enough!"

Xie Yue stood at the edge of the arena, his gaze narrowing slightly.

Hu Liena walked over to stand beside him.

Xie Yue asked quietly, "Has he recovered from his injuries?"

Hu Liena watched Di Yao.

"I don't know."

"But since he agreed, Yan will most likely get nothing out of this."

Xie Yue was somewhat surprised.

"You think that highly of him?"

Hu Liena fell silent for a moment.

"I saw with my own eyes how he obtained his soul rings."

"He wouldn't do something he wasn't confident about."

On the arena.

Yan unleashed his spirit.

The phantom of the Flame Lord emerged behind him.

Blazing fire erupted outward.

Two Soul Rings rose into view.

His Soul Power was steadier than Di Yao's, and his body was stronger as well.

Under normal circumstances, Yan truly held the advantage.

He looked at Di Yao and said coldly, "Release your spirit."

Di Yao did not waste words.

A Dark Gold Sun emerged.

The Dharma Image of Demon Emperor Di Jun flashed behind him before vanishing.

Two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

The first ring was deep yellow with a hint of purple.

The second ring was pure purple.

The entire venue fell silent.

Seeing it in person was completely different from merely hearing about it.

A thousand-year Second Soul Ring rising beneath the feet of a six-year-old child carried an overwhelming impact.

Yan's expression changed slightly as well.

But he quickly gritted his teeth and suppressed his shock.

"Good soul rings don't mean you can win."

Di Yao said, "Begin."

The referee had barely lowered his hand.

The flames around Yan abruptly surged.

"First Soul Skill, Hellfire!"

Crimson flames swept toward Di Yao along the ground.

Yan did not underestimate him.

From the very start, he intended to use a wide range of flames to suppress Di Yao and force him into his own rhythm.

Di Yao raised a hand.

His First Soul Ring lit up.

"Great Sun Golden Flame."

Dark gold flames descended from his palm.

They were not as extravagant as Yan's flames.

Yet they were terrifyingly condensed.

The two flames collided.

Yan's crimson fire had originally been imposing, but upon meeting the Great Sun Golden Flame, it seemed to lower its head.

It was not lacking in quantity.

Its very level had been suppressed.

The Great Sun Golden Flame pressed forward, forcefully driving Hellfire back.

The faces of the watching students all changed.

"Yan's fire is being suppressed?"

"How is that possible?"

Yan's expression turned ugly as well.

He let out an angry roar, and the Flame Lord phantom behind him became even more solid.

"Second Soul Skill, Flame Armor!"

Flames covered his entire body.

Yan no longer tried to trade long-range attacks with Di Yao and charged straight at him.

He knew Di Yao was young, so his physical strength had to be inferior to his own.

As long as he got close, he could overpower Di Yao.

Hu Liena frowned.

"Yan wants to close in."

Xie Yue said, "That's the right choice."

"No matter how strong Di Yao is, his body hasn't fully developed yet."

Hu Liena said nothing.

She knew Yan's judgment was correct.

But she knew even better that Di Yao would not let his opponent seize an opening so easily.

On the arena, Yan moved with incredible speed.

Flame Armor carried scorching waves of heat as his fist blasted toward Di Yao.

Di Yao did not retreat immediately.

He watched Yan's approach, his gaze calm.

The Flame Lord martial soul was powerful.

But Yan was too impatient.

The more impatient he was, the more obvious his flaws became.

Just as Yan entered within three steps, Di Yao's Second Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet.

"Ten Thousand Demon Edict."

An invisible pressure descended.

The Flame Lord phantom behind Yan suddenly froze.

It was brief.

Only a single breath.

But in that breath, the circulation of Yan's Soul Power faltered.

His fist slowed.

A momentary gap appeared in his Flame Armor as well.

Di Yao had been waiting for this exact moment.

He raised his hand.

Great Sun Golden Flame gathered in his palm.

It did not strike Yan's face.

It did not burn through his body.

Instead, it pressed precisely against the weakest point in Yan's Soul Power at his chest.

"Bang!"

Dark Gold Flame erupted.

A huge portion of Yan's Flame Armor was instantly burned away.

It was as if he had suffered a crushing blow. He staggered, then slammed one knee heavily into the ground.

The entire audience fell silent.

Yan had knelt.

Even if it was only on one knee.

Even if he was not seriously injured.

His defeat was already unmistakable.

From the beginning of the battle until now, Di Yao had used only two Soul Skills.

Great Sun Golden Flame suppressed fire.

Ten Thousand Demon Edict controlled the martial soul.

Then the final palm strike directly pierced through Yan's protective Soul Power.

Clean.

Direct.

Without a single word of nonsense.

Yan lowered his head, his face flushed red.

He wanted to stand.

But a wisp of Great Sun Golden Flame still lingered in his chest, throwing his Soul Power into disorder again and again.

Di Yao withdrew his hand.

The Great Sun Golden Flame dissipated with it.

Only then did Yan catch his breath.

He stared fixedly at Di Yao.

"You..."

Di Yao looked at him, his tone calm.

"Your fire is too scattered."

Yan's expression darkened further.

Di Yao continued, "You only know how to burn, not how to suppress."

"Flames without will are nothing more than firewood."

Those words were harsher than the palm strike from before.

Yan clenched his fists, his teeth grinding audibly.

But he did not argue.

Because he had lost that battle too clearly.

His flames truly had been suppressed.

His martial soul truly had been stalled.

The look in Xie Yue's eyes as he watched Di Yao completely changed.

He had only been wary before.

Now, he took Di Yao seriously.

Di Yao did not merely possess talent.

His combat judgment was terrifying as well.

He began by using Great Sun Golden Flame to suppress Yan's fire, forcing Yan to grow anxious.

Once Yan became anxious, he would choose to close in.

The instant he did, Di Yao used Ten Thousand Demon Edict to interrupt the Flame Lord.

Then the final palm ended it.

Every step seemed to have been calculated in advance.

Hu Liena watched Di Yao on the arena, her feelings complicated.

She suddenly recalled what Di Yao had said on the road to hunt soul beasts.

"Your Golden Generation aims to defeat those your own age."

"My goal is to leave those my own age so far behind they cannot even see me."

At the time, she had found it grating.

But now, she suddenly felt that perhaps those words had not been arrogant.

Yan rose to his feet, his expression grim.

"Again!"

Di Yao shook his head.

"No more."

Yan snapped, "Why?"

Di Yao walked down from the arena.

"Your mind is in chaos right now."

"Fighting again would only waste time."

Yan was so furious he nearly chased after him.

Xie Yue raised a hand to stop him.

"Enough."

Yan gritted his teeth.

"Xie Yue!"

Xie Yue looked at him.

"You lost."

Those simple three words left Yan completely silent.

Just then, an imposing aura came from outside the training ground.

Everyone immediately turned and bowed.

"Your Holiness the Pope!"

Bibi Dong slowly entered the training ground.

She glanced at Yan, then looked toward Di Yao.

"Not bad."

Yan lowered his head, his face turning even redder.

Bibi Dong did not scold him.

She merely said lightly, "Losing is not frightening."

"What is frightening is not understanding why you lost."

Yan's body trembled.

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong's gaze fell upon Di Yao.

"Di Yao."

Di Yao raised his head.

"Here."

Bibi Dong announced, "From today onward, you will officially be included in the Pope Palace's direct disciple ranks."

"Your treatment will be granted according to the core standards of the Golden Generation."

The training ground erupted once more.

The direct disciple ranks!

Core treatment!

This meant Di Yao was no longer merely a divine-grade martial soul genius under observation.

He had officially entered Spirit Hall's most central training list.

Bibi Dong continued, "At the same time, you are qualified to compete for a core position in the Golden Generation."

The instant those words fell, the atmosphere became subtle.

A core position in the Golden Generation was not merely about resources.

It also represented a voice in the future young generation of Spirit Hall.

Yan's expression was complicated.

Hu Liena's eyes flickered.

Xie Yue narrowed his eyes slightly.

Di Yao showed no excitement.

He merely asked, "Will a core position provide more resources?"

A trace of amusement flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.

"Yes."

Di Yao nodded.

"Then I'll compete for it."

Three simple words.

No impassioned declaration.

No lofty boast.

Yet every young soul master present felt their hearts tighten.

Because they could all hear it.

Di Yao did not want to give it a try.

He had already regarded that position as his prey.

Before Bibi Dong turned to leave, she said lightly, "Tomorrow, come to the Library Pavilion of Pope Palace."

"The access you requested will be granted to you."

Dark Gold Firelight flashed in Di Yao's eyes.

The Library Pavilion.

He had already obtained his Soul Ring.

His martial soul system had begun to take shape.

Next came theory, resources, and power.

He raised his head and looked toward Pope Palace.

The true value of Spirit City was finally about to open itself to him.