Victory Decided

Those who had bet on Liu Tianhua spat on the ground in succession.

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

"You bastard, pay me back my thirty gold soul coins!"

"Are you going to hit him or what? Just standing there leaving yourself wide open?"

Liu Tianhua's face darkened, but he remained silent.

Meanwhile, the other spectators began cheering for the fighters on the stage.

Could a soul master on the power-attack path really break through a defense as sturdy as a turtle shell? This match still had its highlights.

"Then let's wait and see!"

He decided to stop holding back.

"Third soul skill, Golden Stamen Piercing Ray Strike!"

A petal crystal condensed at the stamen of the Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum.

Since he couldn't move, he might as well take his time to charge up.

"Oh? Is this a thousand-year soul ring? Are these tiny little thorns supposed to be funny?"

Before he could finish, Yue Ling had already lost his patience.

"Go!"

The small thorns flew toward him, pierced through his defense, and drove directly into his body. Of course, Yue Ling held back; it was impossible to truly put him in mortal danger, but he was certainly going to suffer.

"Explode!"

"Oh no!"

Liu Tianhua's pupils dilated, a faint sense of dread rising in his heart.

The small thorns that had flown onto his body transformed into a burst of energy and detonated instantly, shattering his turtle shell from the inside out.

"Argh!"

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

"Don't be in such a rush, there's more!"

He tried to stand, but the exploding petals of the Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum carried the tearing properties unique to the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, carving bloody gashes across his body.

"If I had detonated these inside your body, you would already be dead. Are you going to concede yet?"

"No!!!"

Liu Tianhua's eyes were filled with unwillingness. He knew that once he fell, he would definitely be expelled from the school according to the gambling agreement.

He didn't even dare to imagine the expressions on his parents' faces if he were to return only a few days after they had pulled strings to get him into Shrek. If only he had kept a lower profile back then.

A wave of regret suddenly surged in Liu Tianhua's heart.

"First soul skill, Rock Climbing Shield! Second soul skill, Firm as a Rock!"

He gritted his teeth, preparing to give it one last shot.

The yellow defensive aura around him protected his body once more as he slowly advanced toward Yue Ling.

"Second soul skill, Falling Blossom Storm!"

"Clang! Clatter!"

"Cling-clang, clatter-clatter!"

Liu Tianhua gritted his teeth hard, pushing forward against the onslaught.

Damn it, I can barely block this. They're just petals, how can the attack power be so high!

Such a spectacular soul fight drew constant cheers from the crowd. Gongyang Mo looked at the shrinking defensive barrier and finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah!" Liu Tianhua lunged forward with a punch fueled by rage.

His speed was very slow. Yue Ling performed a backflip, quickly putting distance between them while using a continuous stream of petals to wear down his soul power.

"Don't run! Fight me!"

Cold sweat beaded on Liu Tianhua's forehead. He knew he couldn't drag this out any longer.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Besides, we've played long enough. Let this next strike shatter that shield you're so proud of!"

His shield was already riddled with holes from the petals, yet it was still stubbornly holding on. He had assumed Yue Ling was running out of steam, but the boy still looked at ease, clearly having lost his composure.

"Yue Ling! I was wrong, I concede...!"

Yue Ling's gaze sharpened, and he let out a low shout.

"Second soul skill, Falling Blossom Drill!"

The surrounding fine, razor-sharp chrysanthemum petals flew out, continuously entangling Liu Tianhua and grinding away at his defense.

Immediately following, the sky full of petals suddenly converged, layering and stacking into a high-speed rotating floral drill. With a sharp, piercing whistle, it slammed fiercely into the already dilapidated soul skill shield.

The homeroom teacher in the stands suddenly widened his eyes, his face full of astonishment.

He had never seen anyone use a soul skill in such a way.

"Could it be a self-created soul skill?"

The teacher stared intently for a moment, then suddenly realized, his eyes filled with deep admiration. "So that's it! He forcibly changed the release form of the soul skill... This child is a genius, through and through!"

Before the plea for mercy could even finish, the high-speed rotating floral drill locked onto a single point and made contact.

The seemingly thick and sturdy soul power shield, which had been like a turtle shell, shattered instantly with a loud boom.

"Ah--!!!"

A shrill scream echoed through the Soul Fighting District.

Liu Tianhua was like a cannonball fired from a cannon, slamming heavily into the wall at the edge of the arena. His body twitched twice, his vision went black, and he passed out cold.

The soul fighting stands instantly erupted, with cheers and shouts rising one after another.

"Good! Beautifully done!"

"That handsome guy is something else! Don't leave after the match, big sister will treat you to something delicious!"

"Easy money! The hundred gold soul coins I bet just doubled, pure profit!"

The expressions of the people in the stands were polarized. The students who had bet on Yue Ling were all beaming with pride, while those who had bet on Liu Tianhua were all miserable and filled with regret.

To outsiders, that last strike had broken the shield with ease, as if Liu Tianhua's defense was no different from paper.

But only those in the know understood the trick.

Yue Ling had used countless fine petals to continuously consume and pin down the defense, then gathered all the blade force into a single point to unleash an ultimate piercing burst. At the same time, he kept residual blades circling his body to seal off all the opponent's escape routes.

From the moment the battle began, Liu Tianhua never had a chance of winning.

The homeroom teacher was the first to applaud, his gaze toward Yue Ling full of approval.

"Very good! Your timing in releasing your soul skill and your control of the force were both top-notch. I look forward to seeing an even more brilliant performance from you in the freshman assessment!"

"Thank you, teacher." Yue Ling nodded slightly.

The teacher raised his hand to signal the staff to carry the unconscious Liu Tianhua away, then summoned the students who had been running the betting pool on the field, giving them a few brief instructions.

Afterward, he had to go to the academic office to report the situation, so he let the whole class leave first and return to the classroom to wait.

The crowd immediately swarmed forward to surround Yue Ling, their previous attitude of secret alienation and distance completely gone.

Only a fool would intentionally offend a genius who possessed such terrifying combat power while still a freshman. To everyone, befriending and winning him over was the wisest choice.

Gongyang Mo squeezed forward, about to offer his congratulations, but was stopped by Yue Ling with a gentle wave of his hand.

Just then, a fiery red figure suddenly appeared, standing firmly in front of the group and blocking everyone's path.

A boy in the crowd, emboldened by the number of people around him, volunteered to step forward, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance: "You dare block our way? Get lost..."

His voice stopped abruptly.

Ma Xiaotao looked up, her eyes filled with a bone-chilling hostility, as if they were about to spew fire.

Without a word, Yue Ling understood the warning in her eyes—say one more word, and suffer the consequences.

This feeling was very strange.

The boy was so scared that his whole body stiffened. He retreated two steps, didn't dare to say another word, turned around, and fled in a panic.

Ma Xiaotao couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the others; her gaze had been fixed firmly on Yue Ling from start to finish.

The watching students instantly recognized her, and the crowd panicked and retreated.

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

"No wonder the aura is so scary, that's Dean Yan's personal disciple!"

Listening to the whispers rising all around, Yue Ling walked forward slowly.

"Ma Xiaotao, why are you here?"

Ma Xiaotao curled her lips, her tone full of impatience. "What else? The teacher insists that I come to the outer courtyard for classes every day. I really don't understand what he's thinking. How can these basic things in the outer courtyard compare to the benefits of closed-door cultivation?"

Seeing this, the crowd very tactfully dispersed.

No one dared to whisper in front of Ma Xiaotao, let alone discuss this notorious Flame Maniac.