Riptide!

On the Spirit Arena, Ouyang Ling and Yu Tianheng stood at opposite ends.

The Spirit Duel District, which had been filled with chatter, instantly fell completely silent. At that moment, everyone from Class One focused their eyes on the two people on the stage, unwilling to miss a single exciting moment. There were even some troublemakers placing private bets.

They called it: a small wager for amusement.

However, such matters had little to do with Ouyang Ling and Yu Tianheng anymore. Their gazes clashed continuously in midair like sparks of lightning, their fighting spirits blazing as though they could contain no one but the opponent before them.

"Spirit duel, begin."

Qin Ming announced it and immediately stepped back from the arena.

Almost at the same time, "Crackle—"

A dazzling mass of blue light abruptly lit up between Yu Tianheng's brows in the form of a lightning emblem. As the blue light instantly spread, descending from his forehead throughout his body, streaks of blue-purple electricity erupted like little snakes, winding around him.

On the other side, Ouyang Ling, who had remained in his martial soul possession state and recovered to peak condition before the match began, did not make a move first. Instead, he waited for Yu Tianheng to complete his possession. Only after Yu Tianheng was ready did Ouyang Ling slowly step forward.

The two stared sharply at each other as dense soul power rose continuously. The two different shades of blue stood distinctly apart, like thunder and water.

As Ouyang Ling took his steps forward one after another,

"Buzz—"

"Buzz—"

Two Soul Rings rose in succession. This was the first time he had displayed them before outsiders since obtaining his second Soul Ring.

In his words, Yu Tianheng now possessed the strength to make him take the fight seriously.

Below the stage, everyone was stunned. A brilliant purple Soul Ring had actually appeared in the position of his second Soul Ring!

In an instant, cries of shock rang throughout Class One.

"Holy shit! A Thousand-Year second Soul Ring!"

Yu Feng, who had been considering whether to pretend to be sick like Oslo, widened his eyes and kicked Oslo in the waist.

"Leopard, look!"

"Stop kicking me! I see it!"

Oslo had already ripped the towel off his forehead. "No wonder he's so strong! His fists are as hard as iron! Damn it! Anyone who can absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be strong!"

"No wonder when the boss said he'd go easy on him after seeing him recover, he refused."

Yu Feng leaned close to Oslo's ear. To avoid Qin Ming hearing him, he deliberately lowered his voice. "I thought he got cocky after beating the two of us up. I was hoping the boss would teach him a lesson so he wouldn't get too full of himself. But then..."

Instead, the two of them had become clowns.

"You think someone would get cocky just because they beat the two of you?"

"Uh—"

The sudden voice from behind made Oslo and Yu Feng stiffen all over. They turned around awkwardly and anxiously, only to see Qin Ming looking down at them, especially Oslo.

Qin Ming said, "Not pretending to have a fever anymore?"

At that, Oslo shook his head desperately!

Just as the two were feeling uneasy, Qin Ming stopped paying attention to them. There would be plenty of time to deal with them later.

The person he cared about most right now was Ouyang Ling.

Qin Ming raised his eyes toward the Spirit Arena, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Since graduating from Shrek Academy, traveling the continent, and joining Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, this was truly the first time he had seen such an outstanding young man. A Thousand-Year second Soul Ring!

He was a genuine monster!

With that thought, Qin Ming composed himself.

He looked at Dugu Yan, who was staring intently at the Spirit Arena, and asked,

"Yanzi, are you worried about Tianheng?"

"I'm not worried."

Confidence gleamed in Dugu Yan's green eyes.

"I believe in Tianheng. But..."

Her gaze suddenly shifted to Ye Lingling beside her, and her smile carried a hint of teasing. "Lingling, it seems you care a lot about that classmate Ouyang."

Ye Lingling, wearing her usual cold expression, said, "No."

"Don't deny it."

As Yu Feng, Oslo, and even the Shi Family brothers cast curious looks their way, Dugu Yan's eyes gleamed with gossip. "I saw you looking at him the whole time."

"I was looking at your Yu Tianheng."

"Liar."

Ye Lingling counterattacked → Dugu Yan blocked it

Dugu Yan wore an expression that said she did not believe her and persistently pressed on. "If you like him, I can help you pursue him. Don't forget, I have a boyfriend."

"Yu Tianheng was the one who pursued you."

Ye Lingling mercilessly dismissed Dugu Yan's so-called ability to help with romance, but under her relentless pestering, she still explained why she had occasionally looked toward Ouyang Ling. "I just think he looks familiar."

"Oh—" Those few words instantly aroused the curiosity of Dugu Yan and everyone around her!

But no matter what was happening beneath the stage, it had nothing to do with the battle above.

And on the Spirit Arena at that moment,

"A Thousand-Year second Soul Ring..."

Yu Tianheng recovered from his shock with a look of emotion, making no effort to hide the desire in his eyes.

"I really don't know how you obtained it. But no wonder you said before the match that I didn't need to go easy on you."

"I have confidence in myself."

Ouyang Ling did not attack while Yu Tianheng was stunned. Instead, he patiently waited for him to compose himself.

"You do indeed have the right to be confident."

After calming down, Yu Tianheng took up his stance. "Sorry for making you wait. Let's begin for real!"

"Roar—"

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon roared toward the heavens. Yu Tianheng's entire body was shrouded in lightning as he charged straight at Ouyang Ling with unstoppable momentum!

Holding nothing back, he activated his first Soul Ring.

Thunderclap Dragon Claw!

Dazzling blue light flashed as blue lightning condensed into a thick dragon claw, slamming toward Ouyang Ling's chest.

Ouyang Ling stomped his right foot. "Crash—" Layers of Jade Waves instantly spread out from beneath him.

"Hm?"

Feeling the Jade Waves spread to his ankles, Yu Tianheng immediately changed his strategy, sending streams of lightning into the water.

"Don't you know water conducts electricity!?"

"Then do you know ice doesn't!"

In the span of a breath, an icy blue color spread outward from behind the Jade Waves, and currents of icy blue air instantly swept across the entire arena.

Almost as soon as he heard Ouyang Ling's words, Yu Tianheng felt his movements being restrained. Everything below his ankles had been frozen within the icy terrain.

As for the lightning that should have been traveling through the Jade Waves, it had been firmly trapped within the crystal lattice at the instant of freezing, unable to move.

"Crack—"

The powerful strength granted by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul allowed Yu Tianheng to quickly break free from the ice, but he was still half a beat slower than Ouyang Ling.

Thus, just as he broke free, Ouyang Ling directly used a chunk of solid ice formed from the rising Jade Waves as a weapon and hurled it fiercely at him, its sharp tip aimed straight ahead!

"Fall—"

Yu Tianheng looked up to see the shadow of the ice descending over him.

"Break for me!!!"

With a roar, Yu Tianheng swung his right arm fiercely. The Thunderclap Dragon Claw swept through the air, producing a terrifying crackle as thunder exploded. Countless shards of ice scattered in every direction, falling like a sudden shower of dazzling snowflakes.

At that moment, Ouyang Ling had already rushed before him, throwing a punch wrapped in a freezing current!

"Boom—"

Distracted by the massive block of ice, Yu Tianheng made a mistake and failed to dodge in time. He was sent flying head-on and got a taste of what Oslo had experienced, frozen directly inside the ice.

But as his second Soul Ring lit up, Yu Tianheng roared, "Thunderous Might!"

Even while frozen, the countless serpentine bolts of electricity coiling around his body transformed into countless lightning arrows that flashed outward in all directions, blasting the ice into powder. Then he swiftly crossed his arms. "Boom—"

Ouyang Ling's dragon tail crashed down heavily. However, just as Yu Tianheng blocked that attack, Ouyang Ling's arms had already been covered in ice, transforming into a pair of convincing dragon claws.

"Rip—"

The entwining lightning was violently torn apart. Sharp ice tips truly ripped open Yu Tianheng's unguarded chest, leaving five bloody claw marks that were quickly frozen over by the cold.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Yu Tianheng fiercely swung the Thunderclap Dragon Claw. The lightning released by Thunderous Might wrapped around it at that moment, like countless lightning snakes coiling around a dragon's head, as though ten thousand serpents followed the dragon!

"Good!"

Seeing this, Ouyang Ling no longer held back his second soul skill.

"Buzz—"

The instant purple light flashed, the water flowing around him seemed to come completely alive, and his overall state rapidly surged.

—Riptide!