Your Fists Are Too Slow

Facing the attacks of Huang Heyun and Dugu Shangshan at such close range, Xiao Jinchen merely smiled faintly. Then, with a slight misstep, his body instinctively slid backward more than a dozen paces.

In an instant, several phantom images identical to him appeared where he had stood, dissolving Huang Heyun and Dugu Shangshan's offensive completely.

He had already cultivated his Three Thousand Lightning Movement to the beginner stage of the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body. Its complex circulation paths had long since been etched into his bones. Now, with merely a slight turn of his body at will, he could evade attacks as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water.

"Your fists are too slow." Even as he dodged, Xiao Jinchen did not forget to comment on their attacks.

"Aren't you a Soul Douluo? Why are you dodging? Don't tell me all you can do is dodge?" After several attacks were effortlessly avoided by Xiao Jinchen, Huang Heyun could not help roaring in anger.

This was what frustrated him the most. Although their strength was somewhat lower than Xiao Jinchen's, their opponent simply refused to attack them. He kept using that bizarre movement technique to toy with them. No matter how they attacked, they could not even touch the corner of Xiao Jinchen's clothes. In Huang Heyun's eyes, not even the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track could compare to the movement technique Xiao Jinchen was currently using.

Xu Jiu Jiu, standing at the rear of the Star Luo National Team, could not help smiling at the sight. In her eyes, Xiao Jinchen had been far too careless to dare challenge their entire team alone. This was her opportunity.

Xu Jiu Jiu lightly pointed toward Xiao Jinchen's position, and a ball of golden light shot violently from her hand. It was definitely not a soul skill. With a single flash, the golden light arrived above Xiao Jinchen's head.

A bizarre scene unfolded. A layer of golden light descended from the sky, instantly enveloping Xiao Jinchen within it before rapidly dropping down and trapping him inside.

At the top of the golden barrier was a pearl with flowing radiance and no fewer than one hundred and eight facets. The pearl was the size of a fist, shining brilliantly as it spun at high speed.

An absolute-defense Soul Tool, a seventh-grade item. It was similar to an Invincible Barrier, but it was a special Soul Tool used in reverse. Once activated, the person sealed within its absolute-defense barrier would have to face the defense of an eighth-rank Soul Douluo-level defensive battle Soul Master for a quarter of an hour.

"Success!" Excitement flashed through Xu Jiu Jiu's eyes at the sight, and the corners of her lips rose uncontrollably. Zhengtian Academy had more than just Xiao Jinchen, after all. If they dealt with the others first and then came back to fight Xiao Jinchen, there was still the slightest bit of hope.

Yet Xiao Jinchen, trapped within the barrier, was not panicked at all. Instead, a teasing smile even curled across his lips.

"Something's wrong!" Seeing Xiao Jinchen's relaxed expression within the barrier, then looking at the unconcerned appearance of Zhengtian Academy's other members, Xu Jiu Jiu felt a sense of foreboding quietly creep into her heart.

"Oh dear, Soul Tools are nice and all, but what's the point if they can't trap me?" The voice rang directly beside Xu Jiu Jiu's ear.

Xu Jiu Jiu felt a chill run down her spine. When she looked closely, the barrier of the absolute-defense Soul Tool had long since become empty. Xiao Jinchen's figure had turned into a blue afterimage and vanished without a trace.

"Your Highness!" The expressions of everyone from Star Luo National Academy changed, because Xiao Jinchen had somehow slipped behind Xu Jiu Jiu without anyone noticing.

Huang Heyun and Dugu Shangshan, who had just been toyed with by Xiao Jinchen at the front, were equally startled. They had no idea when Xiao Jinchen had escaped from the absolute-defense Soul Tool. With their eyesight, they naturally could not tell that Xiao Jinchen had never been trapped from beginning to end, which was why they were so shocked.

"What?!" Xu Jiu Jiu turned around and looked at the tall figure behind her.

A delicate, seven-colored Fire Lotus floated above Xiao Jinchen's palm. The exquisite seven-colored lotus spun rapidly, radiating a terrifying temperature that made even the surrounding air ripple in waves.

"Bye-bye." Xiao Jinchen flashed Xu Jiu Jiu a brilliant smile, then slammed the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus in his hand straight into the ground. His body once more turned into a streak of blue lightning and vanished into thin air.

"This is bad!" Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu's heart tightened at once. Xu Jiawei had sent him here as a referee not because he cared about the lives of the other students, but simply because he was worried Xu Jiu Jiu might be harmed.

Huang Jinxu immediately moved, flashing directly in front of Xu Jiu Jiu. Grabbing her by the shoulder, he took her off the competition platform. Just as Huang Jinxu brought Xu Jiu Jiu away, Xiao Jinchen's Buddha Fury Fire Lotus exploded.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out. Terrifying Soul Power fluctuations swept wildly outward from where the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus had landed. An enormous seven-colored lotus phantom soared into the air, while a violent heat wave instantly devoured the entire arena and kicked up dust across the sky.

As the dust slowly dispersed, the once-level competition platform had become a complete mess. A charred crater had appeared in the middle of the arena, occupying fully half the platform. Deep within the crater, seven-colored flames still flickered and burned, radiating a heart-palpitating heat.

Other than Xiao Jinchen, every competitor on the platform had been blasted away. They crashed heavily below the platform and fell unconscious, including Zhengtian Academy's own teammates.

"Uh... it seems I still didn't control the power of the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus properly." Xiao Jinchen muttered. The Buddha Fury Fire Lotus he had just used only had two colors. If he had directly formed a four-colored Destruction Fire Lotus here, the entire Star Luo Empire might have been blown away.

Standing below the platform and looking at the horrifying crater above, Xu Jiu Jiu's throat moved as she involuntarily swallowed.

Xu Jiu Jiu was somewhat dazed. She wanted to say that she had not yet used her strongest skill. But she knew very well that it no longer meant anything. This time, she had completely seen the gap between a Soul King and a Soul Douluo. It was not something a few Soul Tools could make up for, nor was it something any tactic could reverse.

"Xiao Jinchen, I concede this defeat wholeheartedly." After leaving those words behind, Xu Jiu Jiu strode away from Star Luo Plaza.

From beginning to end, the match had not lasted very long. And just as before, Xiao Jinchen had not released a single Spirit Ring. The only time he had released his Spirit Rings was during the first match against Changning Academy. In the matches afterward, he had never released them again.

A section of the spectator stands.

The area was filled with people from Shrek. After their defeat, Shrek had not immediately returned to the academy. Instead, they had stayed behind to watch the matches.

"Damn it, Xiao Jinchen, you bastard! This is all your fault!" Xu Sanshi gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the tall figure below. "If he hadn't killed Sister Xiaotao, we wouldn't have failed to even reach the top four."

"Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory was ruined in our hands. We have become Shrek's sinners." Beibei clenched his five fingers tightly, his fist turning white from the force.

"You beast! Xiao Jinchen, you beast! Why did you kill Sister Xiaotao?! Shrek couldn't make it into the top four because of you! Damn it! I can't accept this!" Xu Sanshi roared, his eyes bloodshot and his breathing ragged.

Jiang Nannan, Huo Yuhao, Beibei, He Caitou, and the others all lowered their heads. For a time, the atmosphere was exceedingly heavy.