Reasoning

At the sound, everyone turned their heads and saw Xiling slowly emerge from behind the crowd. Gu Yue instinctively stepped half a pace forward, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stood quietly at Xiling's side.

Long Hengxu's expression changed sharply, and he hurriedly called out, "Xiling! Don't act rashly!"

Guang Biao's gaze instantly locked onto the approaching boy. He lowered his head to compare him with the photograph in his subordinate's hand, and towering rage immediately flared in his cold eyes.

It was him!

He was the one who had crippled his own younger brother's martial soul and cultivation, completely ruining Guang Long's life!

Guang Biao stared fixedly at Xiling, his voice low and hoarse with bone-chilling coldness. "Was it you who crippled my brother?"

Xiling nodded without denying it. "It was me."

Guang Biao glared at Xiling, his voice icy and piercing. "You ruined my brother's life. Today, either cripple your cultivation yourself to atone, or I'll cripple you personally!"

Long Hengxu's face changed drastically. He was about to step forward to stop them and mediate when Xiling raised his right hand to halt him. "He deserved it. Those who bully others will be bullied in turn."

"I don't think I did anything wrong. If you have the strength to cripple me today, then I'll have nothing to say."

Guang Biao was first stunned, then laughed in extreme fury. "What a 'those who bully others will be bullied in turn'! What a clear conscience!"

He suddenly took a step forward. A deep rumble sounded as six soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, purple—rose around him.

"Today, I'll let you know that in the world of Soul Masters, only strength and weakness matter. Right and wrong never do!"

A Soul Emperor! A six-ringed Soul Emperor! Everyone who saw this cried out in shock.

As Guang Biao released his Iron Armored Dragon martial soul, his body grew by a full half meter. Iron-gray scales spread downward from his forehead.

His powerful aura swept toward Xiling, stirring his full head of white hair.

Just then, invisible spatial ripples spread outward from him, soothing that tornado-like aura.

Behind Xiling, six Subspace Spears emerged from the void, while three purplish-gold soul rings rose beneath his feet.

Seeing such bizarre soul ring colors, both teachers and students were utterly shocked.

"What age are those soul rings?"

"Is that the point? Look carefully—he looks like he's only nine... yet he's already a three-ringed Soul Elder!"

Gu Yue also looked on curiously. This was the first time she had seen Xiling's soul ring configuration, and an unusual gleam flashed through her eyes.

She was not worried that Xiling would lose. How could a mere Soul Emperor possibly defeat Xiling, the reincarnation of a God King?

At the sight, Guang Biao's pupils shook. He sensed an intense threat from the white-haired boy before him, but there was no way back now.

Besides, with so many of his subordinates watching, he could not possibly retreat. He was only a three-ringed Soul Elder. Even if his soul rings were strange, Guang Biao refused to believe he could be stronger than a Soul Emperor!

"Roar!" Guang Biao threw back his head and roared. His first soul ring lit up, and gray light instantly burst from the scales covering his body. Iron Armored Dragon Body!

He stomped his right foot, the scales on his enormous fist rising as he charged straight at Xiling.

The hearts of all the teachers and students leaped into their throats. Long Hengxu's pupils contracted as he instinctively rushed forward to shield Xiling.

A full-force strike from a six-ringed Soul Emperor against a nine-year-old three-ringed Soul Elder was, in everyone's eyes, nothing less than a crushing slaughter!

Besides, nothing could happen to Xiling here. Otherwise, every last person at Eastsea Academy would suffer for it!

Just then, Xiling moved. "Only strength and weakness matter, not right and wrong..." His second soul ring lit up.

The instant Long Hengxu was about to arrive, a tranquil yet domineering force of space abruptly erupted, directly locking down the entire combat area.

The gale came to an abrupt halt, and the air froze solid.

Guang Biao's ferocious punch, carrying the power of a Soul Emperor, was forcibly locked in midair, unable to advance even an inch.

The vicious expression on his face froze stiffly. He felt as though the space around him had turned into endless shackles, every inch of muscle and every thread of circulating soul power tightly bound by an invisible force.

"How is this possible?!"

Guang Biao's heart shook violently, his eyes full of disbelief.

He was a dignified six-ringed Soul Emperor! Yet his full-force attack had been suspended in midair by a nine-year-old boy?

Xiling stood where he was, his white hair undisturbed. "But unfortunately... you are not the strong one..."

Before Guang Biao could recover from his shock, the six Subspace Spears floating behind Xiling suddenly tore through the air!

There was no earth-shattering display—only ultimate concentration and ultimate spatial piercing power!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Six faint piercing sounds rang out in rapid succession.

"I'm not the weak one either..."

There was no explosive roar, no violent collision of soul power, yet the light of Guang Biao's soul rings instantly dimmed.

The incomparably hard Iron Armored Dragon scales covering his body became like fragile glass, dense spatial cracks spreading across them as piece after piece fell away.

"Aaargh—!!"

The utterly restrained spatial piercing power, striking directly at the source, completely tore apart the pathways of soul power within his body and pierced through the dantian sea of qi on which his cultivation depended.

"Now, according to your logic, this is the judgment of a strong person upon a weak person like you."

"No—! How can this be possible?!" Guang Biao's entire body shook violently. A metallic sweetness surged up his throat, and his face filled with despair and disbelief.

He roared as he tried to mobilize his remaining soul power to struggle, but all the soul power within him had already been thoroughly shredded by the force of space and scattered into nothing.

The phantom of his martial soul twisted violently behind him, dimmed, and finally shattered completely with a crack, dispersing into nothingness.

The entire process had taken no more than an instant.

A dignified six-ringed Soul Emperor had been crippled in an instant.

Guang Biao's tall body crashed to the ground, and he fell heavily to his knees. His body trembled weakly as blood continuously spilled from his mouth.

The dragon scales across his body all receded, his enlarged physique returned to normal, and his powerful aura vanished without a trace.

Like his younger brother Guang Long, he had become completely crippled.

The entire scene fell deathly silent.

Whether it was the group Guang Biao had brought, the academy teachers and students watching from the sidelines, or Long Hengxu with his tense expression, everyone stood frozen in place, their minds blank.

A nine-year-old three-ringed Soul Elder instantly defeated a six-ringed Soul Emperor! Who would believe it if they heard it?

This was no longer challenging above one's level. This was a crushing attack from an entirely higher dimension!

The Subspace Spears returned behind Xiling. He glanced at Guang Biao lying on the ground. "Since my reasoning can't get through to you, I'll use your reasoning to talk to you."

Xiling personally acknowledged Guang Biao's life experience. Born into an ordinary family, he had relied on his own efforts to become the captain of a mecha squadron by the age of thirty-five. That was enough to show his talent and hard work.

But with a younger brother like Guang Long, Xiling did not know what to say. Or perhaps it was hard to say.

Putting away the Subspace Spears and leaving his combat stance, Xiling returned to his usual self.

Gu Yue came over to his side and gave him a thumbs-up with a smile. "Impressive!"

"But isn't Guang Biao, as a Soul Emperor, a little too weak?"

Xiling nodded. "He's much weaker than those genius Soul Emperors, but among ordinary people, he's outstanding."

Just as he and Gu Yue were preparing to return to the academy, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Not bad. You didn't disappoint me."

"But you crippled the captain of a mecha squadron. Are you going to use my name again to settle the Federation's investigation?"