Flame Lion King, Cold Note: Triple Frost Fall!

Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to Huo Yuhao's dejected figure.

He turned and walked toward the center of the Beast Fighting Zone, where the referee teacher approached with a roster, asking for the assessment criteria as per procedure.

"Student Xiao Yan, what age-level soul beast do you wish to challenge?" The referee's quill hovered over the paper, waiting to record the answer.

Xiao Yan did not answer directly, instead glancing at the rows of heavy metal gates deep within the Beast Fighting Zone.

"Teacher, can I choose a ten-thousand-year-level soul beast directly?"

The referee's hand trembled, nearly drawing a black line across the roster.

He widened his eyes, staring in astonishment at the youth in the moon-white robes, seriously doubting his own hearing.

A ten-thousand-year soul beast? That was an existence that even inner court seniors had to handle with extreme caution; a second-year outer court student was asking to solo one?

However, the referee had heard rumors about the monstrous talent of Class One's monitor.

He dared not reject the request outright, instead turning to cast a questioning look toward Du Weilun, the Dean of Teaching, who sat on the high platform.

Du Weilun watched Xiao Yan in the arena, his fingers tapping lightly against the railing.

He knew very well that with Xiao Yan's all-ten-thousand-year soul ring configuration, releasing a thousand-year soul beast would be a complete waste of time; it wouldn't measure the boy's true depth at all.

Only a ten-thousand-year-level fierce beast could barely serve as a touchstone.

However, for Shrek Academy's Beast Fighting Zone, ten-thousand-year soul beasts were precious combat resources raised at a massive cost; the death of even one would be a tremendous loss.

Du Weilun picked up a sound-amplifying Soul Tool, his voice echoing across the entire arena.

"Student Xiao Yan, I approve your choice to use a ten-thousand-year soul beast for your assessment." Du Weilun paused for a moment before adding a condition, "But you must remember: defeat it, but do not take its life."

Hearing the permission from the high platform, Xiao Yan nodded slightly toward Du Weilun to show he understood.

The referee took a deep breath, retreated to the safety zone at the edge of the arena, and raised his signal flag high.

Accompanied by a harsh screech of grinding metal, one of the heavy refined steel gates at the deepest part of the zone slowly rose.

The moment the gate opened, a rolling wave of heat surged forward, causing the air in that area to distort from the high temperature.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor as a behemoth over five meters long and nearly three meters tall stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

A ten-thousand-year Flame Lion King.

Its body was covered in crimson fur, and the mane unique to male lions around its neck was composed entirely of real, raging flames.

Every breath it exhaled left scorched marks upon the ground.

The fierce pressure of a ten-thousand-year soul beast was released without reservation, causing many of the lower-cultivation freshmen in the stands to feel a tightness in their chests, making it difficult to breathe.

Seeing a soul beast of this caliber appear, everyone's eyes were locked onto the slightly slender figure in the center of the arena, anticipating the legendary monitor's move.

The Flame Lion King's copper-bell-sized eyes quickly locked onto Xiao Yan.

In its eyes, this human who hadn't even released his martial soul was nothing more than a delicious snack delivered to its doorstep.

"ROAR—!"

A heaven-shaking lion's roar resounded throughout the arena.

The Flame Lion King kicked off the ground with its hind legs, its massive body transforming into a crimson meteor as it charged wildly toward Xiao Yan.

Fifty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters.

The distance closed rapidly, the incoming heat wave even ruffling Xiao Yan's long hair.

Xiao Yan remained standing in place, showing no intention of dodging.

He flicked his wrists, and purple-gold and moon-white light intertwined before him.

The ancient and vigorous Fuxi Zither appeared out of thin air, hovering steadily.

At the same time, the origin authority of the master of water, [Mystic Yellow Water Controller], was activated silently.

This law-based power attached itself directly to the Fuxi Zither.

The surface of the originally warm Star Thread strings instantly condensed a layer of crystalline frost, adding a chilling, bone-piercing murderous aura to the ancient zither.

By now, the Flame Lion King was less than ten meters from Xiao Yan.

With the explosive power of this ten-thousand-year fierce beast, a single pounce would allow those flaming, blood-filled jaws to swallow the youth whole.

But it was destined never to have that chance.

Xiao Yan's ten fingers rested upon the frost-covered strings.

With the Fuxi Zither as the center, a domain expanded.

The temperature of the entire battle arena plummeted in an instant, and a fine layer of white frost even condensed on the ground.

The Flame Lion King, charging in mid-stride, bore the brunt of it.

The flaming mane around its neck, which had been burning fiercely, withered visibly under the suppression of this sudden extreme-cold domain, the flames reduced to mere sparks.

Xiao Yan hooked his right index finger around the central main string and plucked upward.

A heavy, booming note rang out.

First pluck.

The sound of the Cold Note surged outward.

Wherever the sound waves passed, the moisture in the air was forcibly frozen, transforming into visible ice-blue ripples that slammed violently into the Flame Lion King's massive frame.

With a few muffled thuds, the remaining flames on the Lion King were extinguished entirely, and its crimson fur was rapidly coated in frost.

Its originally peerless, swift charge became incredibly sluggish under the assault of the bitter cold; its limb joints moved like rusted gears, emitting dull thuds as they struck the ground.

Xiao Yan shifted his fingering, his left hand sliding rapidly across the strings.

Second pluck.

The melody turned sharp and piercing.

Sound is, by nature, the best medium for transmitting vibrations.

Under the augmentation of the [Mystic Yellow Water Controller], this note no longer stopped at freezing the surface; instead, carrying bone-chilling cold, it traveled along the vibrations of the sound waves, piercing directly through the Lion King's hide, flesh, and bone to reach its internal organs.

The Flame Lion King did not even have time to let out a wail before it was frozen solid in place by this cold that radiated from within.

Its massive body remained in a forward-stepping posture, its muscles stiffened throughout.

Those beastly eyes, originally filled with cruelty and violence, lost all their ferocity under the scouring of this extreme chill, becoming clear as crystal and reflecting the most primal fear.

Xiao Yan pressed down on the strings with both hands, then suddenly released them.

Third pluck, the finale.

Cold Note: Triple Frost Fall.

This finishing move, specifically evolved to complement the authority over water, reached its final chapter.

The ice-blue sound waves materialized into countless fine ice crystals, completely engulfing the Flame Lion King.

The layer of ice spread rapidly up its limbs, and in the span of just two breaths, a ten-thousand-year Flame Lion King, once overflowing with ferocious flames, was completely sealed within a massive block of black ice, transformed into a lifelike ice sculpture where even the details of its fur were clearly visible.

The battle ended.

From the moment Xiao Yan raised his hand to play the zither until the Lion King turned into an ice sculpture, the entire process took only a few seconds.

Xiao Yan straightened his body, and with a shift of his thoughts, the Fuxi Zither turned into a stream of light and vanished into his body.

At the edge of the arena, the referee responsible for recording the match stood with his arms crossed, his teeth chattering with a rhythmic "clack-clack" sound.

Although he was not the target of Xiao Yan's attack, the mere residual chill that had spread to the edge of the arena was enough to leave him shivering, his nose running uncontrollably.

Xiao Yan turned to look at the referee, his voice steady and clear, echoing through the silent Beast Fighting Zone.

"Teacher, please announce the result."

The referee jolted, forcing himself to pull it together as he raised the signal flag with stiff, frozen fingers.

He looked up toward Du Weilun on the high platform, his voice trembling violently from the cold.

"Facing a ten-thousand-year soul beast, student Xiao Yan... has won without injury! Please, Director Du Weilun, provide the score!"