Zhao Kuo's taunts earned no response from Han Xing.
He simply dodged and weaved as Zhao Kuo chased him, leading his opponent around in circles.
"Pointless, pointless! Those marks you leave behind seem to have some kind of attacking effect, don't they?"
"But they can't hurt me at all. They're only making my Rock Barrier harder and harder."
Zhao Kuo laughed loudly and continued pursuing Han Xing.
At a glance, it seemed he had completely suppressed his opponent.
But after the two of them had circled the entire battlefield, Zhao Kuo immediately realized something was wrong.
The Rock Barrier, which had been growing harder because of the rising temperature, now had cracks in it.
"What's going on?"
Zhao Kuo was utterly baffled and hurriedly stopped his charge.
"Don't you know? When scorched by flames, earth and stone can grow harder."
"But once the temperature reaches a certain point, they crack as they dry out."
Han Xing chuckled and explained.
"How is that possible? You're only level thirty-three. How could your flames get hotter than mine—"
Zhao Kuo was shocked and tried to say something, but Han Xing gave him no chance.
Several sharp Flame Feathers shot out and lodged in the cracks of the Rock Barrier.
Han Xing dived in at high speed, his sharp Wing Blades slicing through the cracks in the barrier.
The once-sturdy barrier shattered instantly, sending Zhao Kuo, who had been protected inside it, flying as well.
"Han Xing wins this match."
The referee caught Zhao Kuo as he fell and immediately announced the result.
"I never knew there was a way to break through Zhao Kuo's defenses like that. I've learned something today," a student in the stands cried out.
"What's so surprising? You should know what your own Martial Soul can do," another student said.
"Fire can scorch earth until it cracks, while water can seep into it and soften it. That's all covered in the Martial Soul Elemental Counter Theory, right?"
"There's a book like that? How come I've never heard of it?" The first student scratched his head.
"Teachers don't teach the Martial Soul Elemental Counter Theory in class. Students have to study it on their own," someone explained.
"It's a theoretical book about how different elements generate or counter one another. The subject is too complicated to be taught as a separate course."
"For example, light and darkness don't simply counter each other one way; they counter each other mutually. And water and fire aren't a simple case of water countering fire, either."
As the other students continued chiming in, Han Xing soon left the Soul Fighting Arena.
He didn't return to his dormitory, but headed for the Pope Palace first.
However, when Han Xing entered the Pope Palace, he ran into someone he hadn't expected.
"You're back. How did the test at the Soul Fighting Arena go?"
After seeing Han Xing, Bibi Dong asked casually, "How strong is your third Soul Skill?"
"Not bad. It lets me fly and attack. Its attack power isn't as good as my second Soul Skill, but it's within what I can accept," Han Xing said with a nod.
"A flying Soul Skill that also gives you an attack effect is already good enough. And here you are, nitpicking," Bibi Dong said, exasperated.
"Teacher, who is this?" The woman beside Bibi Dong spoke up with a hint of allure in her voice.
"Nana, this is your junior brother, Han Xing," Bibi Dong explained.
Then she introduced Hu Liena to Han Xing. "This is Hu Liena, my first disciple."
"Junior brother?" Hu Liena looked surprised.
She knew her teacher's temperament. Bibi Dong loathed men, to say the least.
It was truly unexpected that she had taken this little boy before them as a disciple.
"Hello, Senior Sister."
Under Hu Liena's scrutiny, Han Xing offered her a lukewarm greeting.
Hu Liena smiled and nodded. "Hello, Junior Brother."
"You just got back from the Soul Fighting Arena? I wouldn't have guessed. You look quite gentle, but I didn't expect you to be so fond of fighting."
"Fond of fighting?" Bibi Dong chuckled.
"Han Xing, tell Nana how long you've been in Spirit City and how many Soul Fighting matches you've had."
Han Xing replied helplessly, "It's been a month, and I've had two matches in total."
"Uh..." Hu Liena's mouth twitched.
Good grief. He'd fought only once every half month—just barely enough to meet the academy's requirements.
Bibi Dong suddenly turned serious. "All right, let's get down to business."
"You absorbed a Soul Ring that exceeded the usual age limit. Did you feel anything wrong during the process?"
"No. I just felt a little more strain on my body," Han Xing said, shaking his head.
"If I had to name anything specific, perhaps there was a little more stinging pain than when absorbing a Soul Ring of the optimal age."
"Stinging pain?" Bibi Dong murmured thoughtfully.
"So it really can be offset by physical strength."
"If that's the case, we can try having some low-level Soul Masters train their bodies more in the future, so they can absorb Soul Rings that exceed the limit."
Watching Bibi Dong suddenly lapse into talking to herself, Han Xing and Hu Liena exchanged a glance.
Hu Liena gestured to Han Xing, then headed outside.
Though puzzled, Han Xing glanced at Bibi Dong and immediately followed Hu Liena.
"Teacher seems to have gotten lost in thought. Generally speaking, when something makes her lose herself like this, it tends to keep her occupied for a long time."
Only after the two of them had left the main hall of the Pope Palace did Hu Liena explain.
"In that situation, we can leave on our own."
"I see." Han Xing nodded. "Then thank you for the heads-up, Senior Sister. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how long I'd have to wait."
"No problem. You're my junior brother, after all. It's only right that I give you a few pointers," Hu Liena said, shaking her head.
"Junior Brother, you look young. How old are you this year? You've already absorbed your third Soul Ring—does that mean you've broken through level thirty?"
"I'm a little over eleven. I'm level thirty-three now," Han Xing replied confidently.
"Level thirty-three? That's a little faster than me. I didn't reach level thirty-three until I was almost twelve," Hu Liena praised him.
Hu Liena meant it. As Bibi Dong's disciple herself, she also wanted to see how she measured up against him.
But the two of them were six years apart. They couldn't exactly compare their strength, so the only thing left to compare was their talent.
Being chosen as Bibi Dong's disciple meant they were bound to have Innate Full Soul Power. There was nothing to compare there.
So their only real point of comparison was their current level.
It wasn't as if Han Xing, like their teacher, had an extra Martial Soul, too. Right?
Was that even realistic? Of course not. Twin Martial Souls weren't exactly common.
"You're too kind, Senior Sister. Everyone has different experiences," Han Xing said, shaking his head.
"Those experiences can make a person's growth fluctuate. I've just been lucky."
At that, Hu Liena chuckled but said nothing.
"Speaking of which, Senior Sister, what level are you now?" Han Xing asked, taking the initiative.
"I'm level forty-five now."
As Hu Liena spoke of her Soul Power, a confident look appeared on her face.