Qi Ji vs. Wu Changkong

"Th-This... why are Teacher Wu and my husband about to fight?"

Xu Xiaoyan looked from one to the other, utterly unable to make sense of the situation. Her small hands nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, her face filled with confusion and panic.

How had they been chatting perfectly well just moments ago, only for it to suddenly turn into a tense confrontation?

"Shall we? To the training grounds?"

Qi Ji raised his chin, his tone as calm as if he were inviting the other man for tea.

"Alright."

Wu Changkong nodded, sheathed his sword, and turned toward the door first, his steps utterly without hesitation.

To be honest, the moment he saw Qi Ji, the long-dormant fighting spirit deep within him had been ignited.

Once, he too had been a proud genius, one of the brightest rising stars in Shrek's inner court and a prospective Sea God Pavilion elder.

But what happened afterward had worn away all his edges, turning him into the cold and taciturn man he was now.

Yet now, the undisputed number one genius of the Federation stood before him. Even though the other man was far younger and lower-ranked than he was, Wu Changkong still wanted to fight him.

It was hard to say whether his earlier words had been deliberate or merely something he had spoken on instinct.

Perhaps even he himself could no longer tell.

Soon, everyone moved to Eastsea Academy's open-air training grounds.

The arena was a standard Soul Master dueling ground, surrounded by protective soul-tool barriers capable of withstanding full-force clashes from Soul Emperors.

Qi Ji and Wu Changkong stood on opposite sides of the arena, facing each other from dozens of meters apart.

"You just wanted to fight me, didn't you?"

Standing at one side of the arena with his hands in his pockets, Qi Ji tilted his head at Wu Changkong.

Thinking back on it now, although Wu Changkong did have an odd personality and a habit of saying things that offended people, he probably would not deliberately provoke a fight.

The only explanation was that this guy wanted to fight, so he had intentionally found an excuse.

"Mm."

Wu Changkong nodded frankly. He neither denied it nor offered any unnecessary explanation.

"Then... if you want to fight, let's fight."

Qi Ji smiled, and a hint of seriousness flashed through his golden dragon eyes.

Since you wanted to challenge me, then I would accept your challenge. Besides, he also wanted to see what Heavenly Ice Wu Changkong was made of.

"First Soul Skill—Dragon God's Power. Third Soul Skill—Dragon God Transformation."

With a thought from Qi Ji, two Soul Rings lit up at once, and two enhancement-type Soul Skills were simultaneously applied to his body.

Dragon God's Power—an uncomplicated, brutal three-hundred-percent increase to all attributes.

Dragon God Transformation—he entered the Supreme Dragon state, becoming immune to all control and negative statuses. All attributes increased by another hundred percent, while his attacks inflicted enemies with dragonflame. The dragonflame continuously burned away the opponent's Soul Power, stamina, and Mental Power while feeding Qi Ji in return.

The instant the two enhancements stacked, Qi Ji's aura surged explosively. The Seven-Colored Dragon phantom behind him grew more solid, and the golden radiance in his dragon eyes nearly became tangible.

He raised a hand, and the One-Character Battle Armor forged through Spirit Forging emerged across his body. Its precise structure covered his limbs and torso. Though it was merely the lowest-grade One-Character Battle Armor, it exuded an oppressive presence on Qi Ji that was no weaker than high-grade Battle Armor.

Seeing Qi Ji's display, Wu Changkong did not dare underestimate him in the slightest.

He raised a hand and clenched it. The Two-Character Battle Armor, Heavenly Ice, instantly covered his entire body. The icy blue armor complemented the glow of the Heavenly Frost Sword, causing his aura to rise sharply as well.

"Second Soul Skill—Frost Mist. First Soul Skill—Frost Mark."

As Wu Changkong's voice fell, the entire arena was instantly engulfed in thick icy fog.

White frigid air billowed and rose, obscuring the view until Qi Ji could barely make out what lay ahead.

Suddenly, a sword aura cleaved out from deep within the icy mist, carrying bone-piercing cold as it slashed straight at Qi Ji.

Qi Ji stood where he was, too lazy even to block.

The Frost Mark landed on him like raindrops falling on stone, unable even to leave a mark.

"First Soul Skill—Frost Mark."

Wu Changkong's voice rang out again. This time, the Frost Mark was no longer a single strike—ten Frost Marks slashed in simultaneously from all directions, converging in orderly fashion upon a single point in midair and targeting the exact same spot on Qi Ji with astonishing precision.

This technique of concentrating attacks at one point to break through a defense truly demonstrated Wu Changkong's solid combat foundation.

Qi Ji raised his hand and spread his fingers, steadily catching the ten merged Frost Marks in his palm. Then he gave them a light squeeze—they shattered.

This was the effect of his second Soul Skill, Undying Claw. It could receive every attack in the world, and after receiving an attack, it granted his claws true damage with absolute penetration.

"Third Soul Skill—Heavenly Frost Slash."

An icy blue sword radiance several times larger than before cleaved out of the dense fog, carrying biting cold and immense Soul Power as it struck directly down at Qi Ji's head.

Qi Ji merely reached out again, gripping the edge of the sword radiance with five fingers and crushing it with a forceful squeeze—it shattered once more.

"Is that all?"

Qi Ji raised a brow, a trace of disappointment in his voice.

If Wu Changkong was only capable of this much, then he would end the battle with his only offensive Soul Skill.

"Fourth Soul Skill—Frost Ice Whisper."

Wu Changkong's voice remained cold, but this time Qi Ji sensed the change around him. The icy fog had grown even thicker, nearly reaching the point where he could not see his own hand before his face.

The chill condensed into something tangible in the air, and even every breath carried white frost.

This time, Qi Ji could not even see Wu Changkong's vague silhouette.

"Fifth Soul Skill—Frost Wheel Ice Whisper."

Four ice wheels flew in at once from the east, south, west, and north, precisely locking around Qi Ji's limbs and torso. The icy blue rings tightened, attempting to bind him firmly in place.

But Qi Ji merely gave a slight shake, and the four ice wheels instantly shattered under Dragon God Transformation's control-immunity effect. He ignored control entirely; such enemy-trapping abilities were meaningless against him.

"Wu Changkong, you're getting a little boring."

Qi Ji could not help saying, impatience tinging his voice.

"Sixth Soul Skill—Condensing Frost—Frost Mark—Heavenly Frost Slash!"

Wu Changkong's voice came from deep within the icy fog, carrying an unprecedented gravity and focus.

Suddenly, the icy mist across the arena was drained away in an instant. All the white frigid air converged in one direction, gathering upon the Heavenly Frost Sword that Wu Changkong held aloft.

Standing at one side of the arena, he gripped the sword with both hands as the Soul Power within him poured wildly into its blade. Layer upon layer of ice crystals formed over the Heavenly Frost Sword, then became wrapped in one Frost Mark after another, finally condensing into a massive icy blue sword radiance.

That was all his strength—the amplification of his sixth Soul Skill, Condensing Frost; the stacked enhancement of his first Soul Skill, Frost Mark; and the ultimate form of his third Soul Skill, Heavenly Frost Slash.

Three skills fused into one, with all his strength poured into it.

"Excellent!"

Qi Ji's eyes lit up for an instant.

This boring fight had finally given him a small surprise at the end.

He met Wu Changkong's all-out Heavenly Frost Slash head-on, extending both hands and gripping the edges on either side of the massive sword radiance.

Cold spread across his palms, and ice crystals tried to freeze his fingers. But seven-colored dragon power covered his entire body, and the ice crystals were vaporized by scorching dragon might the instant they formed.

"Pathetically weak."

Qi Ji murmured, then exerted force with both arms and violently pulled them apart—the Heavenly Frost Slash containing all of Wu Changkong's Soul Power was torn in half by brute force.

"Fourth Soul Skill—Dragon God Spear. This strike shall pierce the stars!"

Qi Ji poured all his remaining Soul Power into his right hand, condensing a seven-colored spear in his palm.

Seven-colored light flowed across the spear shaft, while the spear tip carried the absolute penetration effect granted by Undying Claw.

He took a small step back, gathered his strength, and then hurled the Dragon God Spear with all his might.

The seven-colored spear tore through the air with unstoppable sharpness, piercing through Wu Changkong's chest in the blink of an eye.

The Two-Character Battle Armor, Heavenly Ice, shattered beneath the spear tip. Blue blood mist blossomed in midair, and Wu Changkong flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the edge of the arena.