Just This? Nothing Special!

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Residence.

Zhao Tian had no idea that his match had drawn the attention of so many people.

At that moment, he sat cross-legged on his bed, circulating the Radiant Divine Canon to restore the Soul Power he had expended in battle.

Although he had won against Huo Wushuang, the fight had also shown him his own shortcomings.

Speed.

His speed was not slow among his peers, but compared to an opponent like Huo Wushuang, who excelled at speed, there was still quite a gap.

If his spiritual power had not been strong enough to predict Huo Wushuang's attack trajectory, the outcome of that match would truly have been hard to determine.

"Speed... that's my weakness."

Zhao Tian opened his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.

Although the Radiant Divine Canon contained methods for tempering the body, its improvements to speed were relatively limited.

To truly solve his speed problem, he might need to start with a Soul Ring.

Either a Soul Skill that could enhance speed, or a soul bone that could do the same.

A Soul Ring would be easy enough. Once he reached level thirty, he could specifically hunt a speed-type soul beast.

As for a soul bone...

That would depend on luck.

"Zhao Tian, are you still cultivating?"

Ning Rongrong's voice came from outside the door.

Zhao Tian ended his cultivation and opened the door.

Ning Rongrong stood outside holding a bowl of hot soup, her little face full of concern.

"Father had the kitchen stew this for you. He said it's good for replenishing your body."

"Thank you."

Zhao Tian took the bowl and had a sip. The warm soup flowed into his stomach, making his entire body feel pleasantly warm.

"Zhao Tian, who's your opponent tomorrow?"

Ning Rongrong asked curiously.

"I don't know yet. We'll find out when the matchups are posted."

Zhao Tian set down the bowl and looked toward the night sky.

The stars glittered brilliantly overhead.

Tomorrow would bring another tough battle.

Early the next morning, the matchups were posted on the notice board at the center of the residence.

Zhao Tian and Ning Rongrong arrived at the notice board early, squeezing through the crowd to look for their opponents.

"Quarterfinals, Zhao Tian versus... Tuoba Xin of the Holy Dragon Sect!"

Ning Rongrong read out his opponent's name, a grave expression appearing on her little face.

Tuoba Xin was the Holy Dragon Sect's genius youth. Twelve years old, a level-twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster, with the White Armored Earth Dragon as his martial soul.

It was an earth dragon-type martial soul with extremely strong defense. While its offensive power was not as terrifying as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's, it possessed tough hide and thick flesh, making it exceedingly difficult to deal with.

"Zhao Tian, this Tuoba Xin has very strong defenses. Are you confident?"

Ning Rongrong asked worriedly.

Zhao Tian looked at Tuoba Xin's name on the notice board, his expression calm.

"We'll know after we fight."

He said no more and turned to head back.

Ning Rongrong hurried after him and grabbed his sleeve.

"Don't worry. With Rongrong here, you'll definitely win!"

Zhao Tian paused and glanced back at her, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

"I know."

Meanwhile, the others before the notice board were also checking their opponents.

Yu Tianheng's opponent was a level-twenty-five Soul Grandmaster from some mid-sized sect. His chances of winning were excellent.

Shui Bing'er's opponent was similarly weak, and her advancement was almost beyond doubt.

Feng Xiaotian's opponent was a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster. Though his level was not low, against level-thirty-one Soul Elder Feng Xiaotian, his chances were slim.

When Tuoba Xin saw that his opponent was Zhao Tian, the corner of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Radiant Phoenix... interesting."

That morning, the quarterfinal matches officially began.

In the first match, Yu Tianheng faced an independent cultivator.

The result was without suspense. Yu Tianheng still defeated his opponent in a single move and advanced easily to the semifinals.

In the second match, Shui Bing'er faced a Soul Grandmaster from a small family.

Shui Bing'er did not even use her second Soul Skill. With only her first Soul Skill, Instant Freeze, she froze her opponent in place and won with ease.

In the third match, Feng Xiaotian faced a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster.

This match had slightly more to watch. His opponent was fairly strong, with the Iron-Backed Gray Wolf as his martial soul, balanced in both offense and defense.

But Feng Xiaotian was simply too terrifyingly strong.

A level-thirty-one Soul Elder with three Soul Rings, one of which was even a Thousand-Year Soul Ring—the gap in level was not something that could be bridged by willpower and experience alone.

Feng Xiaotian used only two moves to knock his opponent off the arena.

The Gale Twin-Headed Demon Wolf's speed and attack power were displayed to the fullest in that battle.

With three matches over, the top three had already emerged.

The fourth match was Zhao Tian versus Tuoba Xin.

When the host announced their names, the cheers throughout the venue reached a new peak.

Radiant Phoenix versus White Armored Earth Dragon.

An ultra-top-tier beast martial soul against a top-tier defensive beast martial soul.

A level-twenty-two Soul Grandmaster against a level-twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster.

No matter how one looked at it, this was a match in the spotlight.

On the arena, Zhao Tian and Tuoba Xin stood facing each other.

Tuoba Xin was broad and burly, his skin an unhealthy pale white—the hallmark of possessing the White Armored Earth Dragon martial soul.

His eyes were vertical slits that glimmered with cold light as he stared fixedly at Zhao Tian.

"Zhao Tian, I watched your match with Huo Wushuang."

Tuoba Xin spoke in a low, powerful voice.

"Your attack power is indeed strong, but can your attacks break through my defenses?"

Zhao Tian looked at the heavy white scales covering him, his expression calm.

"We'll find out if we try."

"Good."

Tuoba Xin grinned, exposing two rows of sharp teeth.

"Then come on!"

"The match begins!"

The referee gave the command.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Tuoba Xin was the first to release his martial soul—the White Armored Earth Dragon possessed him!

White scales covered his entire body, every scale gleaming with a metallic luster and appearing impregnable.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, radiating a heavy aura.

"First Soul Skill: Earth Dragon Wall!"

Tuoba Xin's first Soul Ring lit up, and a translucent white barrier appeared around his body like an additional shield.

This was the White Armored Earth Dragon's signature defensive Soul Skill, capable of greatly increasing defense.

Tuoba Xin's defenses had already been extremely strong. With the boost of Earth Dragon Wall, he was like an iron wall.

"Come on, hit me!"

Tuoba Xin spread his arms and looked at Zhao Tian provocatively.

Without wasting words, Zhao Tian directly released his martial soul.

Radiant Phoenix Possession!

A golden phantom of a phoenix appeared behind him, and two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

His first Soul Ring lit up.

"Phoenix Holy Light Blast!"

A dazzling pillar of light surged from Zhao Tian's palm and blasted toward Tuoba Xin.

Boom!

The beam struck the Earth Dragon Wall with a deafening explosion.

White and golden light intertwined, scattering in all directions.

The audience held their breath, staring fixedly at the arena.

The light faded.

Tuoba Xin still stood where he was. Several cracks had appeared in the Earth Dragon Wall, but it had not shattered.

His body had not suffered any injury either.

"Is that all?"

"Nothing special, really."

Tuoba Xin lowered his head to look at the cracks in the Earth Dragon Wall, a trace of disdain curling his lips.