Sparring Exchange

"Fighting relies on Soul Power, not muscles." Ye Feng spread his hands.

Shui Yue'er tilted her head in thought, then nodded. "That makes sense."

She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "Senior, I heard your fourth Soul Ring is black too? Is that true?"

Before Ye Feng could answer, Shui Bing'er had already yanked her sister back. "Stand properly. Don't act like you've never seen the world."

Shui Yue'er stuck out her tongue and obediently returned to her place.

Xue Wu stood to the side, smiling with pursed lips. She gave Ye Feng a slight nod. "Senior Ye Feng, I've heard so much about you."

Her voice was gentle and pleasing to the ear.

Ye Feng nodded as well. "You're too polite. We'll be fighting together from now on, so let's look out for each other."

In truth, based on when he had entered the academy, these girls should have called him junior.

But among Soul Masters, the capable came first. Those weaker in strength had to address those stronger than them as seniors.

That much could be seen from how Tang San addressed Dai Mubai.

Meanwhile, Yu Hairou was far more direct. She looked Ye Feng over from head to toe before asking, "Senior Ye Feng, is your fourth Soul Ring really ten thousand years old?"

"Yes."

"Is your Martial Soul a phoenix?"

"Something like that."

"Can you show us?"

Ye Feng paused for a moment, then smiled. "You want to see it?"

"I do."

Yu Hairou nodded repeatedly, her tone earnest.

Shui Bing'er was about to speak when Ye Feng raised a hand to stop her. "It's fine. There's no harm in letting them see."

He held out his hand, and a cluster of crimson-gold flames ignited in his palm.

In that instant, the temperature across the entire training ground abruptly rose by more than ten degrees.

Xue Wu instinctively stepped half a pace back. Shui Yue'er's eyes went wide, while Shen Qingluan also lifted her head, her gaze falling on the flame as she stared blankly at it for several seconds.

Yu Hairou stood where she was, feeling the wave of heat wash over her as her pupils slightly widened.

The crimson-gold flame danced in Ye Feng's palm. Though it was only the size of a fist, it resembled a miniature sun, illuminating the entire training ground as brightly as day. Waves of heat rippled outward, and even the air began to distort.

"Th-this temperature..."

Yu Hairou opened her mouth, but halfway through her words, her throat suddenly felt dry. She instinctively swallowed.

Logically speaking, their ice attributes should have restrained fire attributes.

Yet before Ye Feng's flames, they instinctively felt fear!

Standing three steps away, Shui Yue'er's forehead was already beaded with fine sweat. She wiped it away, but her eyes remained fixed on the flame without blinking. "Senior, what level is this flame of yours? It feels even stronger than my sister's ice."

Ye Feng raised an eyebrow, then clenched his palm. The flame went out, and the training ground's temperature instantly dropped back down.

"Ultimate Fire."

"Ultimate Fire?!"

Shui Yue'er froze, then shook her head. "Never heard of it."

Xue Wu stood at the side, surprise appearing on her gentle face as well.

She raised a hand to smooth the hair that the heat wave had blown loose and said softly, "No wonder Senior said that Senior Ye Feng alone could rival an entire team."

"Rival an entire team?"

Ye Feng rubbed his chin, sweeping his gaze over the four girls' faces. Then he suddenly grinned, revealing a rather teasing expression.

"Since you put it that way, I have an idea."

Shui Bing'er raised an eyebrow, vaguely sensing that this guy was about to stir up trouble again.

Ye Feng spread his hands, his tone casual. "How about this? The three of you come at me together, and I'll take on all three of you by myself."

"What?!"

Shui Yue'er was the first to react. With her hands on her hips, she looked thoroughly unconvinced. "Senior, are you saying the three of us can't even beat one you?"

"I never said you couldn't beat me."

Ye Feng spread his hands, looking innocent. "I said the three of you can come at me together, and I'll use one hand."

"One hand?!"

Yu Hairou furrowed her brow and stepped forward on her long legs, her eyes carrying a hint of fighting spirit. "Senior, aren't you being a little too arrogant?"

"Whether I'm arrogant or not, won't we find out if we try?"

Ye Feng stepped back, opening up a distance of three paces. He casually raised his right hand and made an inviting gesture.

"Perfect. Let me see how your training has been going lately."

Shui Yue'er turned to Xue Wu and Yu Hairou. The three exchanged looks.

The next second, three blue-white figures moved at once.

Shui Yue'er attacked first. Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings lit up beneath her feet, and her first Soul Ring shone brightly.

"First Soul Skill—Ice Edge Slash!"

With a sweep of both hands, three ice-blue crescent blades shot through the air, sealing off Ye Feng in a triangular formation.

At the same time, the Soul Rings beneath Xue Wu's feet flashed. She formed a hand seal with one hand, and a pale-blue glow spread throughout the training ground.

"Second Soul Skill—Mist Envelopment!"

The temperature in the training ground suddenly plummeted. Thick white frost mist rose from the ground and instantly swallowed Ye Feng's figure.

Yu Hairou, meanwhile, did not rush to attack. She crouched low and prowled along the edge of the frost mist like a cheetah, ice-blue light gathering in her palms as she waited for the best opportunity.

"Nice coordination."

Ye Feng's voice came from within the frost mist, carrying a trace of approval. "But this fog is useless against me."

Before his words had faded, a cluster of crimson-gold fire lit up within the mist.

"Sizzle!"

The instant the frost mist touched the flame, it was like some living thing that had been burned. It abruptly retreated in every direction, revealing a vacuum-like clearing.

The three ice blades cut through the mist and flew straight at Ye Feng's face.

Ye Feng raised his hand and lightly flicked his index finger.

A thread of crimson-gold fire shot out, accurately striking all three ice blades.

"Puff, puff, puff."

Three soft sounds rang out as the ice blades vaporized completely, not even leaving behind a drop of water.

Just then, Yu Hairou had somehow already circled around to Ye Feng's rear flank. Two icy daggers condensed in her hands as she viciously stabbed toward him.

The angle was tricky, and her speed was incredibly fast!

The crimson-gold flames around Ye Feng suddenly surged, yet rather than spreading outward, they clung tightly to his skin and formed a thin film of light.

Yu Hairou's twin daggers stabbed forward, but when they came within three inches of Ye Feng's back, it was as though they had plunged into a mass of glue. Their speed abruptly slowed.

"Hm?"

She froze. Before she could react, the layer of crimson-gold flames violently rebounded.

"Bang!"

Yu Hairou was sent flying. She flipped twice in midair, then staggered several steps after landing before barely managing to steady herself.

"What just happened?!"

She looked down at her reddened hands, then back up at Ye Feng, her face full of confusion.

Ye Feng turned around and grinned. "Karma Fire Body Protection—automatic counterattack. If you want to get close to me, you'll have to get past this layer of fire first."

Shui Yue'er stood in the distance with her hands on her hips, looking displeased. "Senior, isn't that cheating? With fire covering your body, anyone who touches you gets burned. How are we supposed to fight?"

"Enemies on the battlefield won't talk to you about fairness."

Ye Feng spread his hands. "Besides, I already said it: the three of you against me, and I'll use one hand. I haven't even used that hand yet."

"You..."

Before Shui Yue'er could finish speaking, she saw Ye Feng's figure suddenly blur where he stood.

Then he vanished.

"Where did he go?!"

Shui Yue'er's pupils contracted as she instinctively looked around.