Xiao Hongchen's Big Hand

"Let's go with this one."

Having finished contemplating how to secure victory, Xiao Hongchen finally moved, launching himself toward Ma Rulong like a cannonball fired from its chamber.

He was met by a pair of massive fists; the four-meter-tall Demon Whisker Monkey stood before him, its dark red fur standing completely on end like steel needles, exuding an intimidating aura.

Many of the onlookers broke into a cold sweat for him; in front of the Demon Whisker Monkey, Xiao Hongchen looked like nothing more than a child.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Hongchen's left arm had expanded more than tenfold, and his originally fair skin had turned a golden hue, with liquid gold visibly flowing across its surface.

This was an advanced technique of his fifth soul skill, Attachment of Gold. He had transformed his entire left hand into liquid metal, though the liquid formed by his arm alone was insufficient to manifest such a gargantuan limb.

The answer lay in the vast quantity of metal he had stored in his waist belt, which he used to fill the core of the "arm," while the surface consisted of the liquid formed by his own arm, infused with a potent heavy metal toxin.

With that, Xiao Hongchen swung his left arm—which was even larger than the Demon Whisker Monkey's—and collided with the beast's twin fists.

The Demon Whisker Monkey was sent flying backward, its fists covered in dense, tiny holes.

These were caused by Xiao Hongchen instantly hardening the liquid into spikes upon contact, allowing the potent toxin to seep into the Demon Whisker Monkey's body. Its dark red fur dimmed at a visible rate, and its combat effectiveness plummeted sharply.

Xiao Hongchen, however, remained unscathed; the force of the Demon Whisker Monkey's fists had been reduced by ninety percent thanks to Attachment of Gold, and the impact transmitted through the internal metal to his actual body was negligible.

At the same time, Ma Rulong raised his greatsword above his head and slammed it heavily into the ground.

The ground instantly cracked, and a wave of magma-like fire tore through the stone slabs, rushing toward him.

Damn, the name of this Soul Tool must be Sacrilegious Holy Sword.

Despite this thought, Xiao Hongchen's movements were not a second slow. He flicked his right hand upward, and a wall made of metal rose from the ground, featuring a lifelike metal dog head on its inner side.

The earth-splitting flames were blocked by the golden wall and diverted to both sides, the intense heat melting the outer layer of the wall into droplets that dripped away.

Fire truly overcomes metal, Ma Rulong thought with a secret sense of triumph. If this is the case, I can win.

He seized the opportunity to circle to Xiao Hongchen's right, leaped into the air to clear the divided flow of fire, rotated his body to build momentum, and delivered a fierce Lion Slash toward Xiao Hongchen.

"Finally, you've taken the bait."

Xiao Hongchen raised his left arm, and the entire limb split down the middle, creating a gap just large enough for the greatsword to strike into.

Ma Rulong's greatsword was completely caught by Xiao Hongchen!

Not only that, but Xiao Hongchen's left arm clamped down on the blade, and no matter how much Soul Power Ma Rulong injected to release flames, he could not soften the metal to break free.

In truth, the melting of the golden wall's exterior by Ma Rulong's flames had been intentional.

Knowing that fire countered metal, he had stockpiled rare metals with extremely high melting points beforehand, deliberately choosing common rare metals for the outer shell to trick Ma Rulong into a miscalculation.

Naturally, the metal he had carefully packed inside his left arm was something Ma Rulong could not melt.

At this moment, the liquid metal of Xiao Hongchen's left hand also coiled around Ma Rulong.

Ma Rulong became a sitting duck in the sky, his greatsword jammed in the metal arm and his own arms bound tight by the liquid metal. As the toxin continued to erode his strength, his face turned pale, and the suffocating sensation of being constricted by a python grew ever stronger.

Xiao Hongchen's right arm, equipped with a bracer, pointed at Ma Rulong. A golden light flickered faintly, and a Soul Power energy blast was primed and ready.

The outcome was decided.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Jing Hongchen was the first to applaud.

He truly had not expected Xiao Hongchen to defeat Ma Rulong with just a single sixth-level Soul Tool. He had originally intended for Ma Rulong to humble his grandson, fearing that Xiao Hongchen's rapid recent progress would make him arrogant.

But from navigating the Thunder Domain and using clones to lure the enemy, to the final maneuver of locking the sword with his metal arm, every step had been perfectly linked, effortlessly dismantling Ma Rulong's offensive.

Jing Hongchen was thoroughly impressed by Xiao Hongchen.

After a moment of silence, the surroundings erupted into thunderous applause.

Even the students who despised Xiao Hongchen the most had to let go of their grievances after witnessing this scene; Xiao Hongchen had defeated the top student of the graduating class, Ma Rulong, proving he was the strongest student at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.

Xiao Hongchen retracted his right arm, the light on his bracer slowly fading. His left arm shed its golden hue, returning to its original size as the liquid metal flowed back into his storage belt like a receding tide.

Ma Rulong landed back on the ground, sheathed his sword, and stood in place, staring blankly at Xiao Hongchen.

"I concede, Brother Ma."

Xiao Hongchen faced Ma Rulong and cupped his hands in a salute.

This simple gesture instantly smoothed over the lingering resentment in Ma Rulong's heart.

He had misunderstood Xiao Hongchen all along. His previous impression was that of an arrogant genius, but after today's battle, he realized how terrifying rumors could be.

Looking at Xiao Hongchen's face—still carrying a hint of pride but now appearing clear and open—Ma Rulong's tense shoulders finally slumped.

He let out a long sigh and shook his head with a helpless, wry smile.

"What 'concede'? A loss is a loss. Xiao Hongchen, I thought you were just squandering your talent and family background, but after that fight, I know talent alone could never have defeated me."

Ma Rulong stepped forward and gave Xiao Hongchen a heavy pat on the shoulder.

He remarked with genuine emotion, "You are truly worthy of being the next captain. In the future, when you lead the team to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, if you dare to tarnish our academy's reputation, I'll be the first to never forgive you."

Xiao Hongchen lifted his chin, his signature confident smile reappearing on his face.

"Don't worry, Brother Ma. My goal isn't just to protect our reputation, but to tear down Shrek's sign entirely. This time, I will let them know that the winds of the era have shifted."

The two shook hands in reconciliation. After Xiao Hongchen neutralized the poison in Ma Rulong and his Demon Whisker Monkey, he walked toward Meng Hongchen, who was waving both hands at him.

In a corner of the Soul Fighting Arena.

Ju Zi stood quietly in the shadows. Her originally languid eyes were now flickering with an incredibly complex light, her gaze locked firmly onto that young man.

The report she had given the Crown Prince last time had not been ideal; Xu Tianran still did not care much for Xiao Hongchen. The reason was simple: the current Emperor's illness was worsening, and he would live for at most another ten years. Within a few years, the struggle between the princes would reach its peak. Although Xiao Hongchen's talent was strong, by the time he matured, the grass on the Emperor's grave would already be several meters high.

Ju Zi's slender fingers subconsciously rubbed against the cold metal railing of the balcony, Xu Tianran's perpetually inscrutable face surfacing in her mind.

In the Crown Prince's chess game, only pawns that could be used immediately were worth placing heavy bets on. As for the current Xiao Hongchen, in Xu Tianran's eyes, he was nothing more than an unpolished gemstone of uncertain quality, far less important than his grandfather, Jing Hongchen.

But she knew very well that Xu Tianran had miscalculated one thing. Xiao Hongchen's growth curve was not a steadily rising straight line, but an exponential explosion, like the instant a Soul Tool shell detonated.

Why would it take ten years? If this young man were given just another year and a half, once he returned with the glory of being the champion of the Continental Elite Competition, the combat power he represented and the prestige of the Hongchen Family would be enough to become the final heavy chip that crushed the hopes of the other princes in their bid for the throne.

Ju Zi took a deep breath, pulled out her communication Soul Tool once more, and cast another glance at Xiao Hongchen, who was laughing and joking with Meng Hongchen. She thought to herself:

Xiao Hongchen, I hope that when you truly step into the vortex of power, you can still wear such a pure smile.