Supernova

"Xu Tianzhen, forty-one, Power Attack System Soul Ancestor. My Martial Soul is the Sun. Please instruct me."

In fact, she'd wanted to challenge Xiao Hongchen more than half a month ago.

But at the time, she'd been stuck at the peak of level thirty-nine. Not wanting to lose too badly, she'd gritted her teeth and trained for more than ten days. Only after successfully breaking through to Soul Ancestor had she finally come pounding on his door.

"Xiao Hongchen, level fifty-four. My Martial Soul is the Three-Legged Golden Toad. Please instruct me."

"That's not fair, not fair! You're more than ten levels above me."

"Then what would the princess like?"

Xiao Hongchen was helpless. It wasn't as if he'd asked for this fight.

"You're not allowed to use your Fifth Soul Skill or your Soul Tools. That's only fair."

Xu Tianzhen was a conservative. She couldn't make Soul Tools and only knew how to use them, but she usually fought with her Martial Soul anyway.

"As you wish. One thing first, Princess: you should have a trigger-type Defensive Soul Tool on you, right? Otherwise, I might not be able to give it my all."

"Don't worry. Give it everything you've got."

"Then let's begin."

The moment Xu Tianzhen entered combat, her expression changed.

She brought her hands together in front of her chest, then turned them upward, fingers interlocked and palms raised toward the sky. The gesture made her modest chest seem much fuller.

A dazzling red light burst from her body. A ball of orange-red radiance blossomed in the palms of her upraised hands.

Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings—the optimal configuration—rose from beneath her feet. Her third Soul Ring lit up at once, and an orange-red beam shot toward Xiao Hongchen. The air along its path seemed to burn, leaving a visible trail of distortion.

Xiao Hongchen's first and third Soul Skills lit up. A vast mass of metal instantly covered his right arm, layering over itself until it formed a huge, heavy metal claw.

"Here comes a little squeeze."

He even had time to tease her.

The metal claw extending from his right hand caught the orange-red beam.

Unsure of Xu Tianzhen's strength, Xiao Hongchen had decided to catch the attack barehanded and gauge her power. But he'd misjudged the beam's temperature.

The outer layer of metal melted into molten gold in an instant. The metal packed inside had a high enough melting point, but the heat still passed through it and reached Xiao Hongchen's hand.

Hot, hot, hot! The corner of Xiao Hongchen's eye twitched violently.

Almost reflexively, he dispelled the metal covering and flung away the entire claw, which had nearly been heated red-hot.

I really let my guard down. A small blister had appeared on his right palm.

As expected of the Sun Martial Soul. The Sun's power was pure and mighty, the cream of the crop among fire-type Martial Souls. Though it wasn't an Ultimate Martial Soul, it came close, and it could draw on the power of the Sun to strengthen itself.

Xu Tianzhen had deliberately challenged him at noon, when the Sun was at its strongest, letting her ride its momentum and unleash a hundred and twenty percent of her strength. He'd underestimated her.

"Hahaha, Xiao Hongchen, you've committed the sin of arrogance!"

Seeing Xiao Hongchen's sorry state, Xu Tianzhen laughed without a trace of ladylike decorum. Her amethyst eyes brimmed with delight.

"It's just that your Sun Fire counters my metal." Xiao Hongchen shook his hand, his voice steady. "Looks like I'll have to stand up to fight you."

"Aren't you standing already?"

Xiao Hongchen couldn't be bothered to answer. He pressed his hands together, and a supersonic Gold Piercing shot straight at Xu Tianzhen's face. Its shrill whistle tore through the air as the current split around the metal arrowhead.

Feeling the pressure of the attack, Xu Tianzhen's gaze sharpened. It was far stronger than her third Soul Skill—not something to take lightly.

Her First Soul Ring lit up. An orange-red ring of light abruptly spread beneath her feet, while an orange-red glow angled down from above toward the ground.

In the next instant, her figure vanished into thin air. When she reappeared, she was standing where the light had landed. Gold Piercing howled past the spot where she'd been, missing her by a hair.

Xu Tianzhen's First Soul Skill was called Sun Reflection. It released a gentle phantom of the Sun that could confuse an enemy's senses and create illusory doubles. It could also mildly burn anyone who touched it, making it a basic skill for controlling the battlefield and disrupting opponents.

Xu Tianzhen's lips curled up again as she prepared to tease him.

Then her smile froze.

The metal arrowhead hadn't disappeared.

The moment Gold Piercing swept past her, it silently broke apart into nearly a hundred tiny droplets of molten metal. They hovered soundlessly around her, each gleaming faintly gold like a raindrop that hadn't yet fallen.

"Supernova."

Xiao Hongchen's calm voice came from across the field.

In the next instant, the droplets all swelled at once.

Bang, bang, bang!

A chain of explosions boomed across the Training Ground. Using Sacrifice of Gold, Xiao Hongchen had pushed the energy contained within the droplets to its limit. The instant it could no longer be suppressed, the droplets became countless metal spikes that burst in every direction, completely engulfing Xu Tianzhen. Even Xiao Hongchen wouldn't have wanted to take that hit.

At the center of the explosion, smoke billowed.

No, not smoke.

Xiao Hongchen's eyes shifted. That "smoke" was metal vaporized by the heat.

He frowned and silently took note of the lesson: Gold Piercing prioritized speed. He hadn't specifically chosen a metal with a high melting point, and the droplets were tiny. Xu Tianzhen's Sun Fire had vaporized them all.

He'd have to use a different material next time.

As the haze dispersed, Xu Tianzhen stood in place, lightly patting her chest, a trace of lingering fear in her eyes.

She hadn't panicked when the explosion hit. First, she'd used her Second Soul Skill, Sunlight Barrier, to form a dense golden shield around herself, briefly resisting the first wave of metal spikes.

Then she'd immediately followed with her Fourth Soul Skill, Scorching Sun Heart. This wide-area Domain Skill summoned a Scorching Sun Domain centered on her, causing the temperature to soar while suppressing her enemies' Soul Power circulation and weakening their Soul Skills.

The metal spikes temporarily held back by the barrier softened one by one in the sudden heat, then vanished, turning to vapor that drifted through the air.

Xu Tianzhen lifted her head and looked at Xiao Hongchen, her gaze more serious now.

"You held back."

It wasn't a question.

"Obviously. This isn't a fight to the death. You're a Soul Ancestor. If I'd really detonated them with all my strength, your Second Soul Skill couldn't have held out until you used your Fourth, even with the advantage of your attribute."

Xu Tianzhen fell silent for a moment. Then she raised the corners of her mouth, her bold spirit returning.

"Then next time, give it everything you've got. I'll take it!"

"Princess, you'd better stop wasting your life-saving Soul Tool. You're no match for me."

"Again."

Before Xu Tianzhen had even finished speaking, her third Soul Ring lit up. A beam of Sun God Light, carrying a wave of scorching heat, shot straight toward Xiao Hongchen.

"Don't think the same move will work twice."

Xiao Hongchen didn't dodge. He clenched his hand in midair, and metal quickly took shape in his palm, forming a container of just the right size. He aimed it steadily at the Sun God Light.

"Contain!"

The beam shot into the container and was caught whole. It never touched his body, so it couldn't burn him.

Then he brought his hands together again. Metal flowed in from all around and gathered between his palms as he began charging Gold Piercing.

"Stop, stop!" She raised a hand. "I surrender, all right?"

Xiao Hongchen stopped charging and glanced at her.

Xu Tianzhen had activated five Soul Skills in succession. With her level-forty-one Soul Power, she was already starting to struggle. Her breathing was a little heavier than usual, and damp wisps of hair clung to her forehead.