A Sweeping Victory

"Begin!"

With the host's order, the battle instantly erupted.

Zhao Lie made the first move.

He slammed his feet violently into the ground, charging at Ning Chen like a cannonball. His right fist was clenched tight, and his first Spirit Ring lit up. Crimson Flame Tiger Fist!

Flames condensed into a huge illusory tiger head on his fist, snapping its jaws wide open and lunging straight for Ning Chen's chest with a scorching heat wave.

Meanwhile, Qian Yan shifted his stance and flanked from the side.

He raised his Crimson Flame Blade high as his first Spirit Ring lit up. Flame Slash!

A crescent-shaped blade of fire detached from the weapon, spinning rapidly along the ground to target Ning Chen's lower body.

One high, one low, straight and flanking, their coordination was tacit.

A gasp of surprise echoed from the spectator stands.

The Crimson Flame Team's opening offense was fiercely intense, evidently hoping to wipe out Ning Chen in one wave and directly reduce the Star Sea Team's numbers.

Yet Ning Chen's expression remained entirely unchanged.

He took a light step with his Voidstep, his figure drifting half a step to the left like willow catkins in the wind.

Zhao Lie's Crimson Flame Tiger Fist grazed his right shoulder, the scorching fist wind burning a small patch of his collar, but it failed to touch even his skin.

As for the Flame Slash skimming across the ground, Ning Chen did not even look down.

He merely raised his left foot casually, infused with Soul Power, and tapped his toe lightly, landing precisely on the back of the blade's energy edge.

That flame blade's trajectory was altered by his single stomp, shooting diagonally toward the edge of the Spirit Arena Stage, where it crashed against the energy barrier with a muffled thud before dispersing into sparks.

He had stamped out a soul skill with a single kick.

The mocking laughter in the stands cut off abruptly.

Zhao Lie's pupils constricted slightly, but his offense did not stop.

He quickly twisted his waist and spun upon landing, his second Spirit Ring flashing. Flame Combo!

His fists turned into streaks of fiery afterimages, pouring down on Ning Chen like a violent storm. Every punch carried a scorching heat wave, slightly distorting the air from the high temperature.

Qian Yan also coordinated by striking once more, his third Spirit Ring lighting up. Whirlwind Blade Dance!

He spun his entire body, transforming his Crimson Flame Blade into a fiery vortex that closed in from the other side, sealing off Ning Chen's retreat.

The two were clearly not cooperating for the first time, executing this combo as smoothly as flowing water. Faced with this level of pincer attack, ordinary Soul Ancestors would inevitably panic to some degree.

But Ning Chen was no ordinary Soul Ancestor.

Silver light flashed on his right-wrist Starlight Bracer. Stellar Shield!

A translucent, hexagonal starlight shield condensed into shape in front of him, precisely blocking Zhao Lie's storm-like barrage of punches.

Flames and starlight violently collided, emitting a dense flurry of thuds. Zhao Lie's strikes felt as though they were hitting an iron wall, sending a numbing shock up the web between his thumb and forefinger.

Simultaneously, Ning Chen chanted inwardly: Stellar Force Surge.

Faint silver starlight seeped through the star patterns on the bracer, flowing across his arm like a miniature galaxy.

The stellar energy surged through the bracer into his entire body, instantly elevating his strength, speed, and reaction time to a new tier.

He moved.

Executing the Voidstep, Ning Chen's figure wove between Zhao Lie and Qian Yan, moving so fast that the two could barely capture his trajectory.

Zhao Lie only saw a blur before Ning Chen appeared right in front of him, right fist clenched, silver light gathering on the Starlight Bracer as he threw a punch.

He used no soul skills whatsoever, relying purely on raw physical strength amplified by the Stellar Force Surge.

Zhao Lie had no time to dodge and could only cross his arms in defense.

Bang!

A muffled, heavy boom rang out.

Zhao Lie felt a terrifying force transmit from Ning Chen's fist.

His body slid backward uncontrollably for seven or eight meters, his boots plowing two charred trenches into the granite floor until he barely stopped at the very edge of the Spirit Arena Stage.

His arms trembled slightly, the webs of his hands split open, and blood dripped down between his fingers.

This guy... such immense strength... Zhao Lie gritted his teeth, shaking his numbed arms, his eyes filled with shock.

Right at that moment, an explosive shout came from behind Ning Chen.

"Got him!"

Qian Yan had bypassed Ning Chen at some point, taking advantage of the opening while Ning Chen engaged Zhao Lie to slip toward Ye Lingling's side like a ghost.

He raised his Crimson Flame Blade high, flames blazing fiercely along the blade!

"It's over!" A ruthless glint flashed in Qian Yan's eyes as his long blade descended toward Ye Lingling's head with the force of a landslide.

Ye Lingling's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

As merely a thirty-fifth-rank auxiliary-system Soul Elder, she had zero means of resistance against a full-powered strike from a forty-fourth-rank power-attack-system Soul Ancestor.

Before the blade even arrived, its scorching wind hit her face, blowing her long hair into disarray.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the stands.

Just when everyone thought that this young auxiliary soul master was about to bleed on the spot, a translucent, hexagonal starlight shield materialized out of thin air in front of Ye Lingling.

Clang!

The long blade fiercely struck the starlight shield, producing a piercing, metallic screech.

Sparks flew and starlight rippled, but the shield remained utterly unshaken, firmly standing guard before Ye Lingling.

Qian Yan stared in disbelief, his eyes widening at the scene before him.

"What?!"

He had clearly bypassed that Cao Benqi; he had clearly seized the optimal timing for a sneak attack—how on earth had this shield appeared?!

The answer was simple.

The moment Ning Chen knocked back Zhao Lie, he had already anticipated Qian Yan's movement.

He did not turn around, nor did he hesitate; with just a thought, the Stellar Shield established an invisible connection between himself and Ye Lingling.

Whenever he wished, the shield could materialize at any position around Ye Lingling.

This was his mastery over the Starlight Bracer.

Man and armor as one, wherever his intent went, the shield followed.

"You—"

Before Qian Yan could finish, Ning Chen moved.

Voidstep!

His figure left an afterimage in place, appearing right in front of Qian Yan the next instant.

Qian Yan did not even have time to retract his Crimson Flame Blade before he saw a fist covered in silver starlight rapidly expanding in his field of view.

Ning Chen's right fist was clenched, the star patterns on the Starlight Bracer shining to their absolute limit, driving the amplification of the Stellar Force Surge to its peak.

This punch possessed no fancy techniques—it was simply the most direct, straightforward blow.

Yet the power behind it was enough to make any power-attack-system Soul Master of the same rank pale.

Boom!

The fist slammed solidly into Qian Yan's chest.

Qian Yan felt as though his chest had taken a direct hit from a charging rhinoceros. His ribs emitted a groan of unbearable strain, and his entire body flew backward like a stone launched from a catapult.

He traced a parabolic arc through the air, cleared the boundary of the Spirit Arena Stage, and smashed into the railing in front of the spectator stands with a loud crash before sliding limply to the ground.

The Crimson Flame Blade slipped from his grip, clattering into the distance before dissolving into soul power light and fading back into Qian Yan's body.

A single punch had blasted a power-attack-system Soul Ancestor directly flying.

Silence blanketed the arena.

The host's mouth hung wide open, unable to speak for a long time.

Everyone in the stands froze, including those who had been mocking the Star Sea Team just moments prior. At that moment, each of them stared with wide eyes, their facial expressions exceptionally vivid.