Boom!
A blast of force erupted beneath Phainon's feet.
In an instant, all the Blue Silver Grass near him was shattered.
Tang San's pupils contracted at the sight, and he thought:
What incredible strength!
Tang San immediately changed his approach, twitching a finger.
Second Soul Skill, Parasite!
Blue Silver Grass sprouted anew around Phainon, this time not from the ground, but from the air.
Tiny Blue Silver Grass spores drifted through the air, landing on Phainon's limbs and growing wildly.
Phainon glanced down, yet still wore a faint smile.
He merely raised his right hand a little.
His First Soul Ring lit up with a chime.
The next second, a greatsword appeared in his hand.
This sword was called Dawnmaker, the exclusive weapon of Phainon's Martial Soul, Khaslana.
Phainon simply channeled his strength and gave it a light swing.
The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his arm was instantly severed, then swiftly burned to ash by a surge of flame.
Tang San frowned at the sight.
His opponent's Martial Soul actually countered his Blue Silver Grass.
At that thought, he immediately adjusted his tactics and put some distance between himself and Phainon.
Then, with a flicker of his body, he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
He intended to win with Hidden Weapons and cunning.
Phainon stood motionless.
As Tang San's afterimages shifted again and again, Phainon remained calm.
Seeing Phainon standing still, Tang San immediately circled behind him and twitched his sleeve.
The next second, several Sleeve Arrows shot out silently, straight toward the back of Phainon's neck.
Yet Phainon seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
He merely tilted his head slightly, and the Sleeve Arrows skimmed past his cheek.
Tang San was stunned by the sight and immediately made to flee.
But Phainon gave him no such chance. He turned and slashed with his sword.
Tang San hurriedly retreated, but his opponent still cut a slit in his coat.
That was close.
Tang San, who had been forced back several dozen meters, broke out in a cold sweat.
His opponent's reaction speed was absurdly fast.
His Hidden Weapon ambush had actually failed.
But before he could dwell on it, Phainon was already charging toward him with his sword in hand.
Tang San gritted his teeth and summoned Blue Silver Grass again, hoping to block his opponent's advance. At the same time, he used Purple Demon Eye to predict Phainon's movements and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to make his escape.
However,
Phainon merely channeled his Second Soul Ring with calm indifference.
Then he gripped his sword with both hands and raised it over his head.
The next second, a huge golden, half-moon-shaped shockwave swept across the entire Soul Fighting Arena.
Every strand of Blue Silver Grass turned to ash the instant it touched the blade's light.
Tang San was caught by the attack too and sent flying backward.
The spectators in the stands screamed.
"What kind of power is that?"
"A level-thirty fighter can unleash an attack like that?"
"If that hit a person..."
Tang San had nearly fallen off the platform. Once he regained his footing, he panted like an ox and stared at Phainon.
His heart was filled with shock.
He had realized that this man's strength was still growing.
How could this be? He grew stronger the longer they fought?
Tang San gritted his teeth and used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track again, then reached his left hand toward his waist.
Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night.
One of his trump cards was hidden inside.
Three Bone-Piercing Nails.
Tang San immediately activated Mysterious Jade Hand.
The three Bone-Piercing Needles shot out at incredibly tricky angles.
He was confident Phainon couldn't block them from that angle.
But in the blink of an eye, Phainon simply raised Dawnmaker in front of himself.
Clang, clang, clang.
Three sharp rings.
The blade had blocked all three Bone-Piercing Needles.
Tang San's expression changed completely.
His opponent was terrifying beyond belief.
He was confident that even Zhao Wuji wouldn't necessarily have been able to block all of his previous attack.
After all, he had used the same technique to drive a Dragon Whisker Needle into Zhao Wuji.
But Phainon had not only blocked it; he was still looking at him calmly.
"Is that all you've got?"
Tang San said nothing and prepared to draw more Hidden Weapons.
But that was when Phainon moved.
Golden light flashed across Dawnmaker again. The next moment, the blade's shockwave, as if capable of sweeping away a thousand armies, surged forth once more, even more powerful than before.
Tang San tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
The blade's force caught him and sent him flying off the platform.
He struggled to his feet.
Phainon stood on the platform, Dawnmaker's tip pointed straight at Tang San.
"You've lost."
The referee hurried over.
"The match is over! The winner is Phainon of Amphoreus Academy!"
As soon as the result was announced, the Soul Fighting Arena erupted again.
"He won? Just like that?"
"That Shrek genius didn't even get a chance to fight back?"
"That was terrifying. Did you see those two slashes? I don't think I could've blocked them either."
"And his Second Soul Ring is a thousand years old. How is that even possible?"
The spectators in the stands discussed it like mad.
But on Shrek's side, there was only dead silence.
Flender angrily slammed his fist down on the table.
"How could this happen?"
His money! He had just bet it all, and it was all gone.
Xiao Wu hurried over to comfort Flender. "Dean, Third Brother did his best. His opponent was just too strong."
Ma Hongjun shrank his neck and didn't dare speak.
Dai Mubai sighed. "Come on. Let's see how Little San is doing."
Below the Soul Fighting Arena, Tang San looked at Phainon and moved his lips.
"How did you do it?"
Phainon looked at him calmly. "Do what?"
Tang San pointed at his Soul Ring.
"Your Second Soul Ring is a thousand years old. How did you do it?"
Phainon thought for a moment, glanced at Ye Qiong in the audience, then turned back with a smile.
"Of course, our principal helped me get it."
Tang San froze.
The principal?
The principal of Amphoreus Academy?
I'll remember that.
And so, the spectacular Soul Fighting match came to an end.
In the stands, Wang Sheng leaped to his feet in excitement.
"He won! Phainon won!"
Jiang Zhu was beaming too.
"Yeah, Xiao Bai is so strong. He dominated from start to finish. Tang San never had a chance."
"That's the strength of our academy."
Huang Yuan and Jing Ling were grinning foolishly beside them.
Everyone stared at Phainon on the platform, their eyes filled with shock.
So this was Phainon's strength?
They had to become just as strong as him!
Ye Qiong leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly at the several people whose fighting spirit Phainon's strength had roused.
He had known all along that the battle would end this way.
After all, even a reincarnated Phainon was far beyond the reach of some little floor-tile protagonist.
Tribbie sat beside him, smiling warmly.
"Principal, you were right. Xiao Bai really does have incredible talent. He can indeed become the core of our academy."
Ye Qiong nodded.
"Mm, but his true potential hasn't been fully awakened yet."
A look of shock crossed Tribbie's lovely face.
"There's more? What is it?"
Ye Qiong smiled faintly.
"You'll find out later."
Phainon was still in his ordinary state.
If he ever unlocked Khaslana's transformation,
that would be truly terrifying beyond belief.