The Outcome Was Decided

The people who had bet on Liu Tianhua spat on the ground.

"Damn it, I bet on you because you looked so confident. I didn't think you'd turn into a turtle! Ptooey!"

"You'd better pay me back my thirty Gold Soul Coins!"

"Why don't you hit him? You're just standing there, leaving yourself wide open!"

Liu Tianhua's face darkened, but he said nothing.

Meanwhile, the spectators cheered on the fighters.

Could a Spirit Master who followed the Power Attack Type path really break through this turtle-like defense? The match was still worth watching.

"Then let's wait and see!"

He decided to stop holding back.

"Third Soul Skill, Golden Stamen Piercing Ray Strike!"

A petal crystal gathered at the center of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

He can't move anyway. I might as well take a little longer to build up power.

"Oh? So this is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? Is that tiny little thorn supposed to be a joke?"

Before he could finish speaking, Yue Ling had already begun to lose patience.

"Go!"

The tiny thorn shot toward him, pierced through his defenses, and drove straight into his body. Of course, Yue Ling had held back; he wasn't about to put him in mortal danger. But the man was certainly going to suffer.

"Explode!"

"Oh no!"

Liu Tianhua's pupils widened, and a faint sense of dread crept into his heart.

The tiny thorn that had flown to his skin transformed into a burst of energy and exploded in an instant, blasting his turtle shell to pieces from the inside out.

"Ugh!"

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as he was sent flying.

"Don't rush. There's more!"

He tried to get back up, but the fragments of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum petals carried the tearing property unique to the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, carving gashes across his body.

"If I'd detonated that inside you, you'd already be dead. Are you still not going to surrender?"

"No!!!"

Liu Tianhua's eyes brimmed with unwillingness. He knew that if he went down, he would be expelled from the academy under the terms of their bet.

He didn't dare imagine the look on his parents' faces if, after going to all the trouble of pulling strings to get him into Shrek, he returned home after only a few days. If only he'd kept a lower profile back then.

A pang of regret suddenly rose in Liu Tianhua's heart.

"First Soul Skill, Rock Climbing Shield! Second Soul Skill, Firm as a Rock!"

He gritted his teeth, preparing to go all in.

A yellow shield of defense once again covered his body, and he advanced toward Yue Ling at a slow pace.

"Second Soul Skill, Falling Blossom Storm!"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

"Cling, cling, cling! Clang, clang, clang, clang!"

Liu Tianhua gritted his teeth and charged forward against the onslaught.

Damn it, I can barely hold out! They're only petals—how can they hit so hard?!

The spectacular Soul Fighting match drew one cheer after another from the crowd. Gongyang Mo watched Liu Tianhua's defense steadily shrink and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah!" Liu Tianhua lunged with a furious punch.

His speed was slow. Yue Ling flipped away, quickly putting distance between them while using an endless stream of petals to wear down his Soul Power.

"Stop running! Fight me!"

Sweat beaded on Liu Tianhua's forehead. He knew he couldn't keep dragging this out.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Besides, we've played around long enough. Let's have the next strike break the shield you're so proud of!"

By now, his shield had been scraped full of holes by the petals, but it was still stubbornly holding up. He'd thought Yue Ling was nearly spent too, but Yue Ling still seemed completely at ease. Liu Tianhua was clearly panicking.

"Yue Ling! I was wrong. I surrender...!"

Yue Ling's gaze sharpened, and he called out:

"Second Soul Skill, Falling Blossom Drill!"

Countless tiny chrysanthemum blades flew out, swarming around Liu Tianhua and steadily wearing down his defenses.

Right after them, the petals filling the sky abruptly drew together, layering into a rapidly spinning Flower Blade drill. With a sharp whistling sound, it slammed into the Soul Skill shield, already battered beyond recognition.

The homeroom teacher in the stands suddenly widened his eyes in astonishment.

He had never seen anyone use a Soul Skill like that.

"Could it be a Self-Created Soul Skill?"

The homeroom teacher studied it closely for a moment, then suddenly understood. His eyes filled with admiration. "I see! He's forcibly changed the way the Soul Skill is released... This boy is an out-and-out genius!"

Before Liu Tianhua could finish begging for mercy, the rapidly spinning Flower Blade drill precisely targeted a single point and made the lightest touch.

The Soul Power shield, seemingly thick and sturdy as a tortoise shell, exploded in an instant.

"Aaaah!!!"

A shrill scream rang through the Soul Fighting District.

Liu Tianhua flew like a cannonball, crashed hard into the wall at the edge of the arena, and convulsed twice. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

The Soul Fighting stands erupted, cheers and shouts rising one after another.

"Great! Beautifully done!"

"Not bad, handsome! Don't leave after the match—your big sister will treat you to something delicious!"

"Easy money! I bet a hundred Gold Soul Coins, and now it's doubled. What a haul!"

The spectators' expressions split into two camps. The students who had bet on Yue Ling beamed with delight, all smug smiles, while those who had bet on Liu Tianhua wore long faces, hearts full of regret.

To outsiders, that last strike had broken the shield with ease, making Liu Tianhua's defenses look utterly worthless, as if they were made of paper.

But only the experienced understood what was really going on.

Yue Ling had continuously worn down and pinned down the defenses with countless tiny petals, then concentrated the force of every blade on one point to unleash an explosive, penetrating strike. At the same time, he'd kept the remaining blades circling around him, sealing off every gap through which his opponent might maneuver.

From the moment the battle began, Liu Tianhua hadn't stood a chance.

The homeroom teacher was the first to applaud. His gaze toward Yue Ling was full of praise.

"Excellent! Your timing in releasing your Soul Skills and your control over their force are both top-notch. I look forward to seeing an even more impressive performance from you in the freshman assessment!"

"Thank you, teacher." Yue Ling gave a slight nod.

The homeroom teacher gestured for the staff to carry the unconscious Liu Tianhua away. Then he called over the students who had been running the betting pool in the arena and gave them a few brief instructions.

Afterward, he had to go report the situation to the academic affairs office, so he told the class to leave first and wait in their classroom.

The students immediately crowded around Yue Ling. Their earlier aloofness and wariness had vanished without a trace.

Only a fool would deliberately offend a genius with such terrifying strength at the freshman stage. For everyone else, befriending and winning him over was the wisest choice.

Gongyang Mo squeezed his way forward, about to congratulate him, but Yue Ling gently raised a hand to stop him.

Just then, a fiery-red figure suddenly appeared and planted herself in front of the crowd, blocking everyone's way.

A boy in the crowd, emboldened by their numbers, volunteered to step forward. His voice carried a hint of arrogance. "You dare block our way? Get out of the way—"

His words cut off abruptly.

Ma Xiaotao looked up. Her eyes were wrapped in an icy, murderous fury, as if they were about to spit fire.

Without a word, Yue Ling understood the warning in her eyes: Say one more thing, and you'll bear the consequences.

It was a strange feeling.

The boy stiffened in fright, backed away a couple of steps without saying another word, then turned and fled in embarrassment.

Ma Xiaotao couldn't be bothered with anyone else. Her gaze stayed fixed on Yue Ling the entire time.

The students watching recognized her at once, and the crowd hurriedly scattered backward in a panic.

"It's Ma Xiaotao, the Flame Maniac! Run, run! We can't afford to provoke her!"

"No wonder her presence is so terrifying. She's Dean Yan's personal disciple!"

Hearing the chatter rise and fall all around him, Yue Ling walked up to her.

"Ma Xiaotao, what brings you here?"

Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips, her tone full of impatience. "What do you think? My teacher insists I come take classes at the Shrek Outer Court every day. I really don't understand what he's thinking. How could all this basic stuff at the Outer Court be more useful than cultivating in seclusion?"

Seeing this, the crowd tactfully dispersed.

No one dared whisper in front of Ma Xiaotao, let alone casually gossip about the renowned Flame Maniac.