Yang Teng's figure flickered in and out of sight. The air around him seemed faintly distorted, and a glimmer of understanding flashed through his cool blue eyes, followed by an even deeper gravity.
"Spatial attribute..."
She murmured softly, her voice carrying undisguised surprise.
Martial Souls with spatial attributes were exceedingly rare, and their inscrutable nature was enough to give any opponent a headache.
Yet even so, Yang Teng had somehow broken free so quickly after being instantly caught by the "Ice Seal" Soul Skill. It was truly unbelievable.
Relying on his spatial flicker, Yang Teng closed in again, reaching what looked like a suitable distance to attack. Shui Bing'er's gaze sharpened, and the second Yellow Soul Ring around her suddenly lit up.
"Repulsion Light!"
A gentle yet immensely powerful halo spread outward in a circle.
Yang Teng, who had been about to strike, was caught off guard. The repelling force slammed into him, sending him flying backward against his will.
"Repulsion Light" wasn't an offensive Soul Skill, but a pure area-effect repulsion skill with a knockback effect. It activated extremely quickly and was almost impossible to dodge.
Taking advantage of the brief breathing room it created, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu simultaneously exerted themselves. Their Soul Power surged, and at last they broke free of the intangible yet exceptionally tenacious spatial restraint.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing the lingering fear in the other's eyes. That feeling of being completely immobilized, with their Soul Power circulation brought to a standstill, had been utterly terrifying.
"Without a trace, impossible to guard against..."
Xue Wu wiped at the nonexistent cold sweat on her brow and spoke in a low voice, her tone heavy.
As a Level 42 Power Attack System Soul Ancestor, she considered her speed, reflexes, and Soul Skill combinations to be no weak points. But faced with Yang Teng's elusive spatial abilities...
She felt that all her predictions and attacks had been utterly laughable.
Shui Bing'er's feelings were even more complicated. Her most prized "Ice Seal" Soul Skill was nearly unbeatable as an opening control skill among her peers, but against Yang Teng...
At the edge of the arena, the woman surnamed Yuan, who had been at the school gate earlier, was now dumbstruck. She couldn't help shaking her head and muttering,
"My Skywater Academy Golden Partners, the captain and vice-captain working together, and they still... still can't handle one little Soul Elder! What kind of monster is this Yang Teng?"
She felt her understanding of the world being constantly overturned.
The dean, Shui Yunxia, once again turned her gaze toward the unruffled young man in the arena. The shock in her heart was even greater than the woman surnamed Yuan's.
A purple-purple-black Soul Ring Configuration, a strange and powerful spatial Martial Soul, and the ability to fight two Soul Ancestors with the strength of a Soul Elder—Yang Teng's origins and potential were surely far beyond anything she had imagined.
Without thinking, she focused her attention, wanting to probe deeper into Yang Teng's body. A powerful yet delicate mental force quietly spread toward him.
However, before her mental force could truly reach Yang Teng, it seemed to strike an invisible yet incomparably resilient barrier and was gently but firmly bounced back.
Shui Yunxia's heart jolted. Following the direction from which the mental force had been repelled, she saw a pair of calm, unruffled silver eyes.
The one who had interrupted her probing was Gu Yuena.
"Gu Yuena..."
Shui Yunxia froze again. During that brief contact between their mental forces, she had sensed a vast, ancient aura beneath Gu Yuena's seemingly tranquil mental surface.
The quality and quantity of her mental force seemed to surpass even that of Shui Yunxia, a Soul Saint!
How was that possible? An eighteen-year-old Soul King with such terrifying mental strength?
Gu Yuena didn't look toward the arena. Her lips moved slightly, and her cool, sincere voice reached Shui Yunxia's ears with perfect clarity.
"Dean, you'd better not probe her. Otherwise, your mental force may suffer a backlash and be severely damaged."
Shui Yunxia's heart shook. She looked deeply at Gu Yuena.
From Gu Yuena's eyes and tone, she could tell that the warning was genuine. This silver-haired woman was just as terrifyingly mysterious.
Shui Yunxia slowly nodded, silently committing the warning and the shock to memory.
"Just who are these two young people...?"
The fight on the arena continued.
After breaking free, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu quickly adjusted their tactics.
Xue Wu used her Soul Ancestor-level Soul Power advantage and the characteristics of her Soul Skills to maintain a dense, varied offensive, while using the ice and snow to steadily drain Yang Teng's Soul Power.
Shui Bing'er circled the perimeter. She no longer used "Ice Seal," instead relying on more flexible small-area freezes, ice walls for defense, and "Repulsion Light" to support and protect her partner.
Against their steadier, more troublesome teamwork, Yang Teng's elusive spatial flickers remained difficult for them to catch.
Xue Wu's attacks covered a wide area, while Shui Bing'er's supporting control always appeared at the most critical moment. After all, they had been partners for years and worked together seamlessly.
Yang Teng's figure flickered in and out across the arena. At times, he narrowly avoided a barrage of ice spikes; at others, "Repulsion Light" forced him to change direction. He seemed to be gradually running out of steam.
If this weren't a spar, but a fight to the death...
Yang Teng knew very well that the instant he'd first used "Space-Time Lock" to restrain the two of them, he could have grievously wounded or even killed them.
So far, he hadn't used his black, ten-thousand-year third Soul Skill even once.
Time slipped by amid the fierce offense and defense. The time it took to burn a stick of incense seemed to pass quickly.
Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were breathing slightly harder. Using their Soul Skills at such a high frequency—especially Xue Wu's continuous area attacks and Shui Bing'er's intense concentration and precise releases—had consumed a considerable amount of their Soul Power.
Yang Teng, by contrast, wasn't quite as relaxed as he'd been at the start, but that trademark, slightly roguish smile remained on his face. He showed little sign of fatigue.
After attacking for so long without success while exhausting herself, Xue Wu couldn't help feeling a flicker of impatience.
She glanced at Yang Teng, whose breathing remained steady, then at Shui Bing'er, whose expression was grave. A look of resolve flashed through her eyes.
"Bing'er!"
Xue Wu lowered her voice, urgent yet firm.
"Use that move! We can't drag this out any longer!"
Shui Bing'er knew exactly what Xue Wu meant: their trump card, their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
A hint of hesitation crossed her cool face, and her brows drew together.
"Xue Wu, this is only a spar."
In her view, using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill against a Soul Elder—and during what was essentially an entrance-test spar, no less—would be shameless.
But Xue Wu shook her head. Her gaze swept over the dumbstruck, murmuring teachers and students of Skywater Academy gathered at the edge of the arena, then settled on the dean, Shui Yunxia, whose expression was inscrutable. Her voice carried frustration and resolve.
"Bing'er, this isn't just a spar anymore. It concerns our reputations, the reputation of the Golden Partners, and, more importantly... the standing of Skywater Academy among the Four Elements Academies!"
Xue Wu's words struck Shui Bing'er like a heavy hammer.
That was right. This was no longer a simple personal contest.
They represented the strongest fighting force among Skywater Academy's younger generation.
If they couldn't put on a convincing enough display—or even lost—the damage to the academy's reputation would be real.
Thinking of the dean's expectations and the academy's reputation, Shui Bing'er's hesitation gradually gave way to resolve.
She drew a deep breath, as if she'd made up her mind. She spoke solemnly to Xue Wu, and perhaps to herself as well:
"All right."
She raised her eyes toward Yang Teng. He seemed to sense what was coming; his smile faded a little, and a touch of interest entered his gaze.
"Yang Teng, be careful. From here on, we won't hold back."
She turned to Xue Wu. Their gazes met, and their Soul Power began to resonate and merge at a peculiar frequency.
"Then... let's use Ice Phoenix!"
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