Xiling VS Wu Zhangkong

At Wu Zhangkong's command to begin, Tang Wulin pulled out his Thousand-Forged Tungsten Steel Hammer and instantly clashed with Xie Xie.

Tang Wulin was immensely strong, but he lacked actual combat experience. Although his Blue Silver Grass covered a wide area, in battle, it either failed to bind the swiftly moving Xie Xie or was severed by his Light Dragon Dagger.

Xie Xie, meanwhile, did not dare to meet Tang Wulin head-on. Their fight turned into a war of attrition, and in the end, Tang Wulin naturally ran out of soul power, allowing Xie Xie to seize an opportunity and win.

Because of Wu Zhangkong, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King bloodline had not been activated, which left Xiling slightly disappointed.

Just then, Wu Zhangkong's voice rang beside his ear. "Xiling, your soul power rank is much higher than theirs, so I will be your opponent."

"I'll suppress my strength to your level and use only my first three soul skills."

Hearing that it was finally his turn, a hint of fighting spirit flashed through Xiling's eyes. Ever since awakening his martial soul, he had never fought with his full strength. Even he did not know exactly how strong he was.

He slowly stepped into the arena. His white hair stirred despite the absence of wind, while his azure eyes calmly regarded Wu Zhangkong across from him.

"Teacher Wu, you should use your full strength. I'm afraid I might hurt you."

The moment those words came out, the entire group of students erupted. They stared at the arena in shock.

No one had expected Wu Zhangkong to personally fight Xiling, much less that Xiling would be so arrogant as to tell Wu Zhangkong to go all out.

Although they did not know Wu Zhangkong's exact strength, as their homeroom teacher, he certainly could not be weak.

Wu Zhangkong watched Xiling for quite some time. There was not the slightest ripple on his cold face, and his aura remained as detached as ever.

"Fine." He also wanted to see where Xiling found the confidence to say such words.

The next second, six soul rings rose around him—two yellow, two purple, and two black.

The pressure brought by a six-ringed Soul Emperor and ten-thousand-year soul rings was not something these students, who had not even reached the rank of Grand Soul Master, could withstand. Startled, they retreated again and again, their faces deathly pale.

"A Soul Emperor!"

"Teacher Wu is actually a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse!"

Holding the Skyfrost Sword, Wu Zhangkong stood there quietly. The surrounding temperature seemed to drop by several degrees as biting cold spread freely through the air, and even a thin layer of frost formed over the ground.

Even after revealing the strength of a six-ringed Soul Emperor, his gaze at Xiling remained placid. There was no disdain in it, nor any superfluous emotion—only the composure belonging to the strong.

"Make your move."

As his cold voice fell, Wu Zhangkong gripped the Skyfrost Sword. The frost aura around him grew even denser, soul ring light circulating as he prepared to meet the attack.

Xiling's hands at his sides tightened slightly, fighting spirit rising in his azure eyes as invisible spatial power quietly spread around him.

There was no dazzling manifestation of a martial soul, yet three soul rings that would overturn everything they knew appeared.

"Th-those are what kind of soul rings?!"

A student pointed at the arena, crying out in a trembling voice, his eyes full of disbelief.

Three soul rings interwoven with violet and gold, brilliant with flowing light, floated quietly in the air. They were neither the standard yellow hundred-year rings, purple thousand-year rings, nor black ten-thousand-year rings.

Yet they exuded a pressure far beyond that of ten-thousand-year soul rings, defying everyone's understanding of soul rings!

Wu Zhangkong's hand holding the Skyfrost Sword paused slightly. For the first time, his eternally glacial face showed a clear change in expression.

He stared intently at the violet-gold soul rings surrounding Xiling, a rare trace of surprise entering his voice. "Special soul rings. A type I've never seen before."

He was widely knowledgeable, yet he could not identify the origin of these soul rings. He could only sense the power contained within them—profound, tyrannical, and carrying a spatial aura capable of tearing apart everything.

"Teacher Wu, be careful."

The instant his words fell, Xiling remained motionless, but the space before Wu Zhangkong suddenly twisted and collapsed without warning!

"Third Soul Skill, Spatial Strangulation!"

There was no warning and no fluctuation of soul power. Fierce, violent spatial currents instantly formed around Wu Zhangkong, their terrifying crushing and tearing force raging without restraint.

Against such a sudden, lethal soul skill, an ordinary person would likely be severely injured in an instant.

But Wu Zhangkong was no ordinary Soul Emperor. His combat experience far surpassed that of most.

At the critical moment, the Skyfrost Sword flared with icy radiance as extreme frost soul power poured forth wildly.

"Third Soul Skill, Skyfrost Slash!"

Sharp frost rays crisscrossed through the air, crashing violently against the frenzied spatial force.

The piercing sound of space tearing apart resounded throughout the arena. Frost and turbulent currents collided and annihilated each other madly, while the entire dueling platform cracked apart and shattered stones flew everywhere.

Even though Wu Zhangkong had blocked in haste, the terrifying spatial impact still sent him staggering back repeatedly, the ground beneath his feet freezing and caving in layer by layer.

The shock in his eyes deepened. Just a third soul skill possessed such terrifying power?

Before he could steady himself, the surrounding space shifted once more.

"Second Soul Skill, Spatial Imprisonment!"

A large-scale group imprisonment spread out in an instant, freezing all the space across the battlefield.

The air around Wu Zhangkong became incomparably viscous, and his body abruptly stiffened in place. Even the circulation of his soul power was greatly hindered.

Icy frost tried to spread and break free, but layer upon layer of spatial barriers locked it down tightly, leaving him unable to move even an inch for the moment.

Immediately afterward, the terrain across the battlefield quietly shifted.

"Second Soul Skill, Spatial Severing!"

The space within the area occupied by the two of them was instantly severed, isolating the entire dueling arena.

Everyone outside could see the battle within, but the battle inside could not affect them in the slightest.

Outside the arena, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and the others stood dumbfounded, their bodies turning cold.

They had never seen such bizarre, tyrannical soul skills. He could manipulate space at will—imprisonment, teleportation, strangulation—every ability transcended common sense.

Wu Zhangkong, imprisoned in place, wore an expression of utmost gravity. He finally understood that Xiling was no ordinary genius. Even monstrous genius was insufficient to describe him!

Was this level of control over spatial power truly something a Soul Elder should possess?

Taking advantage of the interval of imprisonment, Xiling's gaze turned cold as he raised a hand and swept it forward.

"Second Soul Skill, Spatial Severing." His second soul skill could do more than sever the battlefield—it was also an offensive method!

Before his words had even faded, countless invisible spatial blades instantly emerged from the spatial barriers isolating the battlefield. Dense as rain and carrying an edge that could tear apart everything, they shot toward the imprisoned Wu Zhangkong at breakneck speed!