Who Would Devour Whom Whole?

What had he done?

It was simple. It was merely the result of coordinating his Spiritual Power, Soul Power, and Bloodline Power.

Ever since obtaining his First Soul Ring, he had used the stimulation of Explode Ring energy to draw out his Bloodline Power and naturally bring it under his control.

However, at the time, he had been focused on researching the nature of Soul Rings and had not explored the applications of Bloodline Power too deeply.

Moreover, because of the pressure from Buddha Tang, he had devoted at least half his energy during that period to figuring out how to make Electrolux and his own Grandfather stronger.

It was only recently, through studying Snow Empress's unique energy-body structure and reading the "Body Cultivator" materials his old man had given him, that he turned his attention back to Bloodline Power.

And at that moment, he discovered the unique nature of Bloodline Power.

First, Bloodline Power was a force inherent to the human body. It could empower the body itself, allowing it to unleash greater strength.

Yet Bloodline Power had a drawback: it was difficult to affect the outside world. Or rather, in a normal natural environment, it dissipated very quickly, like water and soil becoming incompatible once removed from their original surroundings. It simply could not last long.

His initial attempt had been to use Bloodline Power to construct himself, creating a special energy body similar to Snow Empress's in order to achieve "Blood Rebirth" and raise the strength of a "Body Cultivator" by several levels.

However, while he had yet to figure out "Blood Rebirth," he unexpectedly discovered that once Soul Power fused with Bloodline Power, the latter gained the ability to affect the outside world.

And when Spiritual Power was added as well, Bloodline Power could be controlled as easily as an arm or finger, freely shaped into any form!

Furthermore, under the enhancement of Spiritual Power, Bloodline Power in that state could release a special Vitality Pressure.

Similar to Mu En's King's Descent, it was a mixture of physical and spiritual attack. Vitality Pressure targeted a Soul Master's body and mind; those with weak wills or frail bodies would have the instinctive fear of living beings stirred within them!

Against opponents of the same level, it could perhaps only serve as support. But against those weaker than himself, it was quite useful.

As for the Vitality Phantom that had appeared behind him earlier, it was a "Dharma Image" he had attempted to construct by imitating a Martial Soul Avatar and Snow Empress's energy-body structure...

For now, it only had the appearance.

But it was very, very, very cool.

Before Kong Ming'an, the referee checked the Tianxiang Team members one by one. Only after confirming that they were merely unconscious and in no mortal danger did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He raised his eyes toward Kong Ming'an with some caution, then turned and loudly announced,

"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's representative team, victory!"

Kong Ming'an revealed a genial smile, gave a slight nod, and turned to leave.

Fighting purely with Bloodline Power and bodily strength—never mind whether it looked like a Body Martial Soul—he did not believe the Body Sect would fail to take notice of Bloodline Power's applications alone.

He had already cast the bait. Now, it was simply a matter of when the Body Sect would bite.

As he left the competition stage, the belated cheers behind him erupted.

In high spirits, he lifted his head and looked toward the stands, his gaze meeting a pair of eyes filled with surprise and complicated emotions at just the right moment.

It was Zhang Lexuan.

Their eyes met. The smile on Kong Ming'an's face deepened slightly as he gave her a small nod.

After giving the Sun Moon Team members a few brief instructions, Kong Ming'an did not linger and turned to leave through the competitors' passage.

However, just as he rounded the corner into a quiet corridor, his footsteps paused slightly.

Turning around, he saw a cool, aloof figure leaning against the wall, seemingly having waited for quite some time.

Upon seeing Kong Ming'an, she straightened slightly. Her tall, upright figure could not conceal her distinctive gentle temperament, and her eyes regarded him with a trace of complexity.

"Sister Lexuan." Kong Ming'an used the familiar form of address naturally, though his gaze swept around her before his brows rose slightly.

"Sister Lexuan, I remember telling you that I suggested bringing a few more people, didn't I?"

"This is my personal matter. It has nothing to do with anyone else." Zhang Lexuan's gaze was calm, and though her tone was even, it carried unmistakable resolve.

"A personal matter?" Kong Ming'an gently shook his head, his voice carrying a touch of helplessness.

"Sister Lexuan, this may be a 'personal matter' to you, but in other people's eyes, you represent Shrek, and I represent the Sun Moon Empire. Any contact between us will never simply be seen as a 'personal matter.'"

"I do not care, since no one in the Sun Moon Empire dares gossip about me. But what about you, Sister Lexuan? If my information is correct, there have been quite a few negative rumors about you within Shrek lately, haven't there?"

Zhang Lexuan unconsciously pressed her lips together slightly, but did not refute him. After all... Kong Ming'an was telling the truth.

After she disregarded the joint warnings of those elders some time ago and directly arrested and investigated quite a few scoundrels, her reputation within Shrek had gradually begun to worsen, and many ugly rumors had surfaced.

For example, oppressing students, bullying the weak with her strength, using her status to exclude dissidents...

All manner of accusations had been pinned on her.

She knew that those elders were dissatisfied with her and had bribed numerous tabloids to spread rumors about her.

Of course, she did not care. They were merely rumors, after all. It was not as though there had never been such things before. Mere gossip could not affect her.

She looked at Kong Ming'an, her tone carrying a trace of conviction. "My conscience is clear."

Kong Ming'an sighed. It had to be said that in some respects, this sister of his was truly rather naive... Perhaps it was because she was only seventeen or eighteen now, still young.

He gave a slight nod and said nothing further, but his gaze passed over Zhang Lexuan's shoulder toward the shadows farther down the corridor, and his voice rose slightly.

"You two in the back, are you planning to eavesdrop until the very end?"

Zhang Lexuan froze and turned around, only to see two graceful figures slowly emerge from the shadows with slightly awkward expressions. They were Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming.

"Lexuan, we..." Han Ruoruo wore an expression of apology and concern.

Wu Ming, on the other hand, stepped forward directly. Her fiery red hair seemed to shine even more brightly because of her emotions. She hooked her arm through Zhang Lexuan's and spoke bluntly.

"Sister Lexuan, we came to keep you company. If anything happens, we'll bear it together!"

Zhang Lexuan pressed her lips together slightly, a complicated look flashing through her eyes.

She had not wanted others dragged into this matter. After all, it involved the Sun Moon Empire. If something went wrong, she did not care whether she lived or died, but if others were implicated...

She tried to speak, but seeing the expressions of her two best friends, who clearly had no intention of leaving, her words ultimately turned into a soft sigh. She nodded. "Thank you."

Kong Ming'an watched it all unfold, and his tone became more helpless.

"I still suggest finding a few more people. For example, bring your team leader along. Otherwise, I am afraid you will not be able to explain yourselves later..."

"What, are you afraid us sisters will devour you whole together?"

Wu Ming chuckled, raising her brows at Kong Ming'an with an arrogant, fearless air.

Kong Ming'an shook his head. "If that's the case, then follow me." As he spoke, he turned and pushed open the door to a nearby meeting room used by competitors to analyze tactics.

Devour me whole? Who devours whom is still uncertain.