Battle Against Xie Yue

The next morning, the tournament continued. However, there was really nothing much to say about the quarterfinals. Just like yesterday, Mo Lin and the Golden Generation instantly defeated their opponents. The four matches began and ended almost simultaneously, and none of their opponents lasted even a single exchange.

Thus, for the spectators, the only highlights today were the semifinals: Mo Lin versus Xie Yue, and Hu Liena versus Yan.

Mo Lin and Xie Yue had rarely sparred, so neither knew much about the other's soul skills. However, Mo Lin could guess that the Moon Blades martial soul would display its greatest power at night. Therefore, in a match held around ten in the morning, he should not lose due to any unexpected circumstances.

Before the match, Yue Guan sought out Xie Yue.

"Xie Yue, how confident are you about your match against Mo Lin at noon?"

Xie Yue thought for a moment.

"Master, I think it's fifty-fifty."

Yue Guan shook his head.

"I do not wish to discourage you, but it seems you still know too little about Mo Lin's combat ability. Although you have the advantage in soul power, you should know that four years ago, when Mo Lin's actual combat ability was being tested, he utterly crushed Yan, who was a full title above him. The methods he used back then were somewhat different from what he has used these past two days, but there were similarities."

At the word "methods," Xie Yue's brow furrowed. He had not witnessed that incident personally; he had only later learned that Yan had been defeated by Mo Lin, and badly at that.

"Master, are you saying that what Mo Lin used these past two days wasn't even a soul skill?"

Yue Guan said, "At the time, Old Ghost and I both thought it was one of his soul skills. After all, he only used it after summoning his martial soul. But when he reported to His Holiness the Pope, he did say that it was not his first soul skill, but a special technique—or perhaps a skill. That is why I came to warn you this time. If you want to defeat him, do not even think about using the flat of your blades. The only way is to seize the initiative first. Whatever you do, do not fight a war of attrition with him."

At ten o'clock, Mo Lin and Xie Yue stood on the same arena, awaiting the referee's signal.

"Contestant Xie Yue, Level 40 assault-type Battle Soul Elder, weapon martial soul: Blood Gold Moon Blades. They evolved after consuming the Strange Velvet Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum, and will hereafter be referred to as Moon Blades."

Cheers erupted from the watching students. Among the Spirit Hall students, Xie Yue's popularity was likely second only to Hu Liena's.

"Contestant Mo Lin, Level 31 control-type Battle Soul Elder—Mo Lin had casually reported a type for official purposes—weapon (Qi) martial soul: Primordial Qi."

Yesterday, Mo Lin had cleared the field in twenty seconds during the first round, making a name for himself in a single battle. Along with his looks, which were slightly superior to Xie Yue's, and his status as the Pope's disciple, quite a few people cheered for him as well.

"The match begins!"

Just as Yue Guan had instructed, Xie Yue immediately chose to seize the initiative.

"Second soul skill, Blood Moon Flash!"

Xie Yue's two Moon Blades emitted a blood-red, dazzling light.

Mo Lin had never specifically trained any eye-related skills. The flash made him shut his eyes, but he could clearly sense the airflow around him. Two objects appeared out of nowhere at his sides without any warning. They had to be Xie Yue's two Moon Blades.

Having never personally tested the sharpness of the Moon Blades, Mo Lin did not intend to block them head-on with the Golden Light Incantation. Instead, he bent backward to evade the attack, then used the momentum to flip backward and open some distance.

Xie Yue's soul skill must first use the blinding light to affect his opponent, then teleport the two Moon Blades a certain distance to attack them.

When Mo Lin opened his eyes, Xie Yue had already charged in front of him and swung the Moon Blade in his right hand.

Mo Lin wrapped his right hand in golden light and pressed along the left side of the Moon Blade, pushing it away from its original trajectory while sliding toward Xie Yue's hand.

Sensing Mo Lin's intention, Xie Yue forcefully spun to the left and pulled back his right hand, then swung the Moon Blade in his left hand. This time, he lowered the attack slightly and targeted Mo Lin's waist and abdomen.

At that height, Mo Lin could not defend effectively and could only leap backward.

The Moon Blade grazed Mo Lin's clothes. He had nearly failed to dodge it.

However, Xie Yue's previous movement had been too large, leaving him wide open. Golden light instantly flared around Mo Lin's body, transforming into a fist-sized sphere that shot toward Xie Yue's abdomen.

But Xie Yue would not be defeated so easily. With reaction speed far beyond that of an ordinary person, he immediately swung the Moon Blade in his right hand and sliced the ball of condensed golden light apart.

Mo Lin's counterattack did not end there. Taking advantage of the opening, he stepped forward. His left foot and left hand respectively pinned Xie Yue's right foot and right hand, then he drove a straight right punch into Xie Yue's abdomen, sending him flying.

Xie Yue flipped once in midair, then forcefully plunged his Moon Blades into the ground to land steadily. The moment he looked up, several long whips formed from golden light were already lashing toward him.

"Third soul skill, Infinite Moon Blades!"

Xie Yue slashed forward. Several Moon Blades formed from soul power flew out, severing the long whips before disappearing as well. This soul skill was an area-of-effect attack. The number of blades produced at once and the power of each depended entirely on how much soul power the soul master used. They also possessed tracking ability, but each could only complete one attack. No matter what they struck, they would vanish immediately afterward.

Seeing that sheer numbers could not harm Xie Yue, Mo Lin condensed the golden light into an iron chain as thick as a bowl and swung it with all his strength.

"First soul skill, Half-Moon Slash!"

Xie Yue gripped both blades tightly. Just as the iron chain was about to strike him, he directly cut it apart.

His first soul skill could sever all defenses and attacks formed from soul power. However, it could only be used at close range and required charging. Moreover, if the opponent's soul power exceeded his by more than five levels, its power would weaken.

At first, Mo Lin had assumed that the quality of the golden light he condensed was insufficient, so he repeatedly gathered more and launched further attacks. Yet every time, the result was the same: Xie Yue cut them apart.

I didn't expect this. There may be a difference in our soul power levels, but his soul skill completely counters my Golden Light Incantation at this stage. If this continues, we can only wait until one of us exhausts our stamina and soul power. I need to change tactics.

Mo Lin withdrew the golden light and stopped attacking.

By now, Xie Yue was drenched in sweat. He had considered using his second soul skill to counterattack, but Mo Lin's attacks had left no openings. If he used it, he would inevitably have to trade injury for injury.

But Mo Lin had the Golden Light Incantation protecting him, while Xie Yue could only take the blows with his body. Trading injuries would only end with Xie Yue's defeat.

Xie Yue could only defend passively. He had used his first soul skill over a dozen times, using offense as defense to block Mo Lin's attacks. Although the first soul skill did not consume much soul power, using it so frequently was undoubtedly a considerable burden for a Soul Elder.

Sure enough, just as Master said, taking the initiative was my only chance. Yet now we've entered a war of attrition. Damn it—my level is clearly higher, so why, after fighting for so long, does he show no sign of fatigue at all?

"Xie Yue," Mo Lin called out. "We still have the finals tonight. I think we should finish this quickly."

Xie Yue immediately tensed and assumed a defensive stance. Mo Lin's words clearly meant that he was about to get serious.