Three Rings vs. Six Rings

"A fight?"

Hearing Ma Xiaotao's words, Ling Feng raised an eyebrow.

"The evil fire in your body shows no signs of acting up. Even if you continued cultivating for a while longer, there wouldn't be any problem."

"What, you saw that I only have two rings, so you think you can keep me firmly under your thumb?"

At that, Ma Xiaotao shook her head.

"I know your strength is definitely not as simple as it appears."

"Especially after last night, I know very well that the intensity of your soul power is far from ordinary."

"It isn't because the soul power of an ultimate martial soul is too strong, but because... your strength far surpasses that of a two-ring Soul Master!"

"On top of that, your martial soul is Ultimate Ice, and two months ago, you defeated Xu Sanshi in a single move."

"I don't think you have no chance of winning."

Ma Xiaotao was, after all, an inner court powerhouse and a genius carefully nurtured by Shrek Academy.

After just one night of cultivation, she had already noticed what was different about Ling Feng.

And for someone as proud as her to say such things, it was clear that she genuinely regarded Ling Feng highly.

"Fine, I accept. But it'll have to be tomorrow. No problem with that, right?"

Ling Feng readily agreed.

He had been worrying about where to find a test subject.

Wasn't Ma Xiaotao delivering herself right to his door?

Yet, to Ling Feng's surprise, Ma Xiaotao agreed without a moment's hesitation. The delight on her face left him completely baffled.

Is this woman really trying to get revenge on me? Or does she have some other motive...

Before Ling Feng could think of an answer, Ma Xiaotao decisively turned and left.

"Don't forget! Tomorrow morning at eight, I'll be waiting for you in the training room."

"If you forget, don't blame me for sneaking over to find you again tomorrow night!"

Seeing black lines already forming on Ling Feng's forehead, Ma Xiaotao immediately fled.

"This woman..."

"Forget about her for now."

Ling Feng went outside to check around. Only after confirming that Ma Xiaotao had truly left did he return to the room.

However, with Ma Xiaotao's earlier intrusion as a warning, Ling Feng went instead to the cultivation room attached to Ling Luocheng's dormitory.

Not only would he be free from disturbances there, but it could also isolate his aura from the outside world to a certain extent. Absorbing a soul ring there was the best choice.

After locking the door, Ling Feng sat down cross-legged, took out the God-Bestowed Soul Ring from the system space, and began absorbing it...

At eight the next morning, Ling Feng arrived at the training room as promised.

The training room was located in the inner court. It was a rather spacious hall, with a circular platform one hundred meters in diameter at its center. The entire training ground was constructed from special materials, enough to withstand attacks below the Soul Sage level.

Since it was only an ordinary training room, there was a spectator stand on just one side of the platform for observation, with only three sparse rows of seats.

Ma Xiaotao had been waiting there early.

The moment she saw Ling Feng, Ma Xiaotao's pale pink eyes lit up, and she immediately stepped forward.

"You really didn't lie to me."

"I'm not someone who goes back on his word."

Ling Feng still did not show Ma Xiaotao any friendliness, but she was not angered. After all, their previous encounters had indeed left Ling Feng with a poor impression of her.

"Then let's cut the nonsense and get started!"

The two took their positions on opposite sides and released their martial souls.

On Ma Xiaotao's side, six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—rose from beneath her feet. As flames surged around her body, an overwhelming pressure followed.

The temperature in the entire training room abruptly soared. Waves of scorching heat struck Ling Feng's face one after another, and the air warped from the heat. An ordinary three-ring Soul Master might not even have been able to stand before Ma Xiaotao!

"So this is Ma Xiaotao's true strength? She really has something."

Ling Feng sighed in admiration, yet there was not a trace of fear in him. Three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—slowly rose beneath his feet!

Yet the appearance of those three soul rings rapidly cooled the training room, which had been like a steamer.

The chill was so intense that even Ma Xiaotao, with her martial soul released, felt cold!

"He reached three rings so quickly?"

"And why do I vaguely feel that the power of his three soul rings can even rival my sixth soul skill?!"

"Is this Ultimate Ice?"

Feeling the surging aura around Ling Feng, Ma Xiaotao's expression gradually turned serious.

Ma Xiaotao's understanding of Ling Feng was still stuck on his battle with Xu Sanshi two months ago.

The information they had on each other was completely uneven.

Although Ma Xiaotao possessed the strength of a six-ring Soul Master, all three of Ling Feng's soul rings were ten-thousand-year soul rings!

Taken as a whole, the ages of their soul rings were nearly equal.

In fact, because of Ling Feng's Ultimate Ice, Ma Xiaotao would even be at a slight disadvantage in terms of raw power!

If Ling Feng reached four rings, and his fourth ring was still a ten-thousand-year soul ring, then Ma Xiaotao would be no match for him at all!

"Fight!"

The aura of Ultimate Ice rushed toward her. Ma Xiaotao's eyes were filled with blazing excitement as she looked at Ling Feng.

With one step forward, Ma Xiaotao shot toward Ling Feng like a cannonball.

Faced with Ma Xiaotao's fierce assault, Ling Feng neither dodged nor retreated. His first soul ring lit up.

"First Soul Skill, Ice Empress's Claw!"

His hands were covered in diamond-like ice crystals, and Ling Feng charged at Ma Xiaotao as well!

Two months ago, when Ling Feng had first faced Ma Xiaotao, he had used this very move.

At the time, his soul-ring endurance limit had only been five thousand years, and the power of his soul skill had likewise been limited to five thousand years.

Against Ma Xiaotao, who had not even summoned her martial soul, Ling Feng's Ice Empress's Claw had only barely managed to inflict a few light wounds.

Now that Ling Feng used this move again, Ma Xiaotao, a Soul Emperor, did not even dare to meet it head-on despite having summoned her martial soul!

As she flew into the air to evade Ling Feng's attack, Ma Xiaotao's second, third, and fourth soul rings lit up simultaneously.

At that moment, her entire body burned with incomparably scorching flames, as though a true fire phoenix were descending from the heavens.

Yet what Ling Feng had not expected was that Ma Xiaotao would abandon her aerial advantage, even giving up her ranged advantage as she charged at him once more.

Ling Feng did not let his guard down. Ice Emperor Bodyguard activated, forming a layer of solid ice armor over his body for protection, while Ice Empress's Claw struck at Ma Xiaotao again.

As flames and extreme ice collided, vast clouds of white steam billowed from where they met.

Ma Xiaotao herself was not skilled at close-quarters combat, and with Ling Feng protected by Ice Emperor Bodyguard, she had barely inflicted any damage on him.

But Ling Feng was different.

His martial soul held an enormous advantage in close combat, and this blow landed squarely on Ma Xiaotao, sending her rapidly flying backward!

If it had been an ordinary six-ring Soul Master, merely taking this move would probably have made them cough up blood on the spot!

As Ma Xiaotao rapidly retreated, the crystalline ice armor on Ling Feng's body slowly vanished as well.

Though he had no idea what Ma Xiaotao was planning, Ling Feng had already confirmed one thing.

Ma Xiaotao was acting as his sparring partner!

"Then I'll keep fighting until you admit defeat!"

With that, Ling Feng spread open his right hand, and an ice baton slowly condensed within it.