Battle Against the Imperial Fighting Team

Night had fallen when an unexpected guest arrived at Jiang Baiyu's courtyard.

A beautiful blonde woman sat beneath the moon, sipping tea.

"What brings you here?" Jiang Baiyu was pleasantly surprised to see her.

"I heard you declared you'd challenge the entire Imperial Fighting Team with Zhu Zhuqing. I came to see how you were doing."

"I didn't expect even the Crown Prince to take an interest." Jiang Baiyu sat down and poured himself some tea.

"Nearly every young Soul Master in Heaven Dou City is gathered here, and their parents all have ties to the Heaven Dou court. Besides, I always keep an eye on you." Qian Renxue smiled. "So? Are you confident?"

"Of course. Don't you know me by now?" Jiang Baiyu relaxed. If anyone knew him best, it was Qian Renxue. When they had performed Martial Soul Fusion, they had shared almost everything about themselves.

"Good. By the way, Heaven Dou isn't the only one watching this fight. My grandfather knows about it too." Qian Renxue stole a glance at Jiang Baiyu's face.

"What? Your grandfather is watching?" Jiang Baiyu stood up.

"Yes. Ever since he learned we could perform Martial Soul Fusion, he's been paying attention to you. This is a chance for him to assess you." Qian Renxue's cheeks reddened. "He also asked me to bring you to Spirit City."

"All right." Jiang Baiyu let out a breath. Tomorrow, winning wouldn't be enough. He would have to win beautifully.

"Where's Zhuqing?" Qian Renxue asked.

"She was still nervous about tomorrow's match. She sensed a chance to break through, so she borrowed the Blue Silver Emperor from me." Jiang Baiyu spoke calmly.

"All right." Qian Renxue rose. "I should go. Good luck!"

"Thanks," Jiang Baiyu said.

Then a soft warmth pressed against his chest. Qian Renxue had embraced him. "I believe in you."

And with that, the angel departed.

The night passed without incident.

By the next day, the arena was packed. Students crowded around to watch, along with quite a few teachers, while murmured conversations rose and fell on every side.

"Two people against the entire Imperial Fighting Team? Jiang Baiyu and Zhu Zhuqing have some nerve!"

"Almost everyone on the Imperial Fighting Team is a level-thirty Soul Elder. Even Ye Lingling and Osler are only one step away! Those two kids are nearly five years younger. Even if one of them is a Soul Elder, there's no way they can win."

"This'll be a rout. Winning with only two people is far too difficult."

"Yeah. That new prodigy's a little arrogant."

"Look! The Imperial Fighting Team's here!" someone shouted. The chatter stopped, and the crowd parted for the seven of them.

The seven members stepped onto the arena and waited in silence, their presence as steady as mountains.

"There they are!" Someone with sharp eyes had spotted Jiang Baiyu and Zhu Zhuqing in the distance.

The crowd made way and studied them. The two had only just joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and many students were seeing them for the first time.

"What a gorgeous pair of juniors," someone gushed.

Under the Shennong Cauldron's constant nurturing, Jiang Baiyu had grown gentle and handsome. As for Zhu Zhuqing, her beauty was fit for royalty.

They walked through the crowd and stepped onto the arena, facing the Imperial Fighting Team.

Qin Ming, who had been brought in as a temporary referee, spoke. "Both sides, get ready. The match begins now!" At his signal, all seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team activated Martial Soul Possession!

Shi Mo and his brother raised their hands together and tore off their shirts, baring powerful torsos. Their muscles were hard as granite, every sharp contour brimming with strength.

In the next instant, dense ocher Soul Power erupted from both of them!

Their shoulders rolled forward, and their backs bent slightly as all their Soul Power gathered there. Heavy, dark-yellow turtle shells spread across their backs and took shape!

The shells were broad and thick, marked with pale-yellow natural patterns. Ancient and hard, they carried the solid weight of mountains. As they formed, faint cracking sounds came from the brothers' bones, and their bodies began to change.

Matching shell-like armor covered their chests, bellies, and limbs. Their limbs shortened and thickened, making them as solid as boulders rooted in the earth. At the center of each breastplate, an ancient square symbol shone with the domineering power of absolute defense.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose and fell around each brother. They stood like twin guardians before the rest of the team.

The Black Tortoise was a top-tier beast Martial Soul, unmatched in defense and nigh impregnable!

At the same time, Yu Tianheng moved behind their protection!

A dazzling point of blue light flared between his brows. In an instant, it spread through his body, and thin blue-violet arcs sprang into being. They crackled as they raced around him. Small as they were, they radiated menace. Little else about him changed, save for a bright-blue lightning emblem on his forehead. His presence turned sharp and commanding.

The truly terrifying transformation took place in his right arm!

Bang—

With a string of sharp pops, his right sleeve burst apart as the muscles beneath it swelled, scattering scraps through the air.

His entire right arm grew over half a foot longer. Its muscles bulged beneath fine, cold blue-violet dragon scales, and his fingers became savage claws with thick, jutting knuckles. Dragon might rolled off him as the arcs around his body streamed toward that arm and coiled around it.

Most startling of all, his three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—circled the transformed arm alone rather than his body!

Yu Tianheng was also a Soul Elder above level thirty, an all-out attacker ready to strike. The terrifying pressure of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon swept across the arena!

"That's Dragon Transformation!" A student below recognized the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's closely guarded secret.

At its peak, the technique could turn its user into a dragon with an unrivaled physique!

Yu Tianheng raised his dragon arm slightly. Thunder boomed, filling the air with the violent tang of lightning.

Behind him and to one side, a ghostly green glow rose.

Dugu Yan swayed. Her once-delicate bearing changed completely as a dangerous aura spread from her.

Her body grew extraordinarily supple. As she shifted, her legs fused into a long, powerful Jade Phosphorous Serpent tail that held her steady. A diamond-shaped emerald scale formed between her brows. All warmth vanished from her green eyes, leaving only cold animal instinct, as though a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on its prey. Thin wisps of green poisonous mist seeped from her body and spread silently, tainting the air with a deadly scent.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring revolved around her. Her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul had fully possessed her.

In an inconspicuous corner, Osler's presence sank into darkness.

His handsome, soft-featured face turned deathly pale. His hair became pure black, and his eyes narrowed into cold black Vertical Pupils. A tail swayed behind him. He hid his presence in the shadows, keeping his killing intent in check as he waited to strike. He seemed to have changed the least, yet he was the most dangerous, like a panther lying in wait.

Only two yellow Soul Rings shone behind him, but no one underestimated him. An assassin needed just one opening and one strike to break the enemy's formation.

Yu Feng had already taken to the air. Wind roared around him as two tawny wings spread from his back.

The wings were firm and rigid, their feathers sharp, without a trace of softness. They were made to cut through the air at speed. With his Wind Chime Bird Martial Soul fully possessing him, he hovered high above the arena, holding the skies. He could dive to pin down an opponent or harass them from afar at any moment. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring revolved around him as well.

At the rear of the team stood Ye Lingling, quiet in black gauze. Soft white light enveloped her as the Nine-Hearted Begonia bloomed before her.

She was only level twenty-nine, with two yellow Soul Rings floating beside her. She looked unassuming and had no offensive power, but everyone knew she was the team's most important trump card—the source of its extraordinary endurance.

Every member of the Imperial Fighting Team had now activated Martial Soul Possession. Their combined pressure filled the arena.

Offense, defense, support, control, ranged suppression, close combat, ambush, and healing—the team had every role covered.

Every student watching fell silent, stunned.

"They're only Soul Elders, but that kind of teamwork doesn't develop overnight!"

"Ye Lingling's still one level short of becoming a Soul Elder, but with her there, they're almost unbeatable in a war of attrition!"

"How are two people supposed to break through that formation?"

In the arena, Jiang Baiyu stood before the fully armed team and its overwhelming presence. His expression remained calm.

Against two Soul Masters with peerless defenses, he was indeed at a disadvantage. But he had promised a win!

Jiang Baiyu lifted his gaze and slowly raised a hand.

Hum—

A soft, pale-green glow rose from his palm, ancient and gentle, brimming with endless life. The venerable Shennong Cauldron, heavy with the power to nurture all things, appeared above his head!

His level-thirty-one Soul Power rippled outward, spreading the vitality of plants in every direction.

Beside him, the faint shadows of Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Spirit Cat wrapped around her as she waited for the right moment to strike.

"What is that aura? It feels so soothing," someone below said when Jiang Baiyu revealed his Martial Soul.

Another spectator caught something else. "Doesn't that feel like a support-type Martial Soul?"

The crowd wasn't alone. The Imperial Fighting Team paused when they sensed Jiang Baiyu's Martial Soul.

"That life force feels even stronger than Ye Lingling's Nine-Hearted Begonia," Yu Feng said from above.

"Are we still fighting?" Yu Tianheng asked as he felt the vitality radiating from Jiang Baiyu. Everything about it suggested a support-type Martial Soul. Surely they weren't expected to lose to that level-twenty-two agility-type kitten?

"Come on, senior," Jiang Baiyu said. The Shennong Cauldron floated before him, and a purple Soul Ring flashed behind him.

"Hundred Herbs Domain."

A pale-green domain spread across the entire arena in an instant, cool and pure, carrying the scent of ancient medicines. Phantoms of countless unnamed spirit herbs, medicinal plants, flowers, and leaves drifted through it, swaying without wind. A faint herbal fragrance filled the air.

At the same time, a five-colored fire lotus flew from the Shennong Cauldron. It scattered into countless glowing motes that floated throughout the domain, flickering softly. Their heat was not fierce, but they held a sacred power that cleansed corruption and restrained dark forces.

The moment the domain formed, invisible pressure fell upon the entire Imperial Fighting Team. All seven felt their Soul Power turn sluggish, suppressed by nearly thirty percent!

Ye Lingling's Soul Power was suppressed by almost half. Her Nine-Hearted Begonia shrank slightly, its light dimming.

"That's Martial Soul suppression!" Ye Lingling stared at Jiang Baiyu, her eyes wide. "His Martial Soul can suppress the Nine-Hearted Begonia!"

As soon as the domain appeared, the students below erupted in astonishment!

"What Soul Skill is that? It looks incredible!"

"What kind of tool Martial Soul does Jiang Baiyu have? Why does Ye Lingling's Nine-Hearted Begonia look dimmer?"

"And look—the whole Imperial Fighting Team's presence has weakened!"

"That's a domain!" exclaimed the three academy board members watching secretly nearby.

"And it seems that's only the boy's first Soul Ring," Meng Shenji said. "What a remarkable young man!"

"Keep watching," Zhi Lin cut in. "Let's see how these children handle this."

The situation in the arena had reversed in an instant. Jiang Baiyu stood at the center of his domain, the Shennong Cauldron shielding him while Five-Colored Medicine Flame swirled around him. His gaze was calm, and he looked like a god of fire descended to earth.

High above, Yu Feng dodged the firelight filling the air. His tawny wings whipped up a fierce gust as he dived, hoping to break through the flames with speed and attack Jiang Baiyu directly. But just as he aimed for the heart of the domain, the floating flames flared like a field of stars!

Sss—!

A faint sizzling sounded.

The moment his Wind Chime Bird feathers touched the Medicine Flame, pale scorch marks appeared. Burning pain shot through his wings and across his body.

Startled, Yu Feng faltered and hurriedly pulled back. That fire is so hot!

The Medicine Flame did not burn flesh directly, but its heat was still difficult to withstand.

At the same moment, Osler crept through the shadows. His Vertical Pupils fixed on Jiang Baiyu's unguarded rear as he prepared to strike.

Zhu Zhuqing flashed in like a dark streak and intercepted him first. Her shadowy Soul Power held the panther Martial Soul user in check. Their two blurring figures tangled at the edge of the domain. Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power was lower, but with support from Jiang Baiyu's Medicine Flame, she matched him blow for blow.

Osler tried several times to break away, but Zhu Zhuqing kept him pinned down. He could not get a step closer to Jiang Baiyu.

Meanwhile, Dugu Yan flicked her serpent tail, cold light flashing in her eyes.

As the team's control-type Soul Master, she acted the instant she realized the domain was suppressing them. She opened her mouth and unleashed a sweeping cloud of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. The highly corrosive mist rolled toward the herbs, ready to eat through them and destroy the domain!

But the moment it touched the domain's boundary, something unbelievable happened.

The deadly mist melted away like snow beneath the warm sun, thinning as it was purified.

The Hundred Herbs Domain radiated rich life force and carried a natural power to ward off and neutralize poison. Against Shennong's true legacy, no poison in the world was worth fearing. None could work here.

Within a few breaths, the vast cloud of poison vanished without a trace.

Dugu Yan's pupils contracted. "My poison... it was neutralized just like that?!"

Her poison was useless! Both agility-type Soul Masters were tied down! Everyone's Soul Power was suppressed!

The Imperial Fighting Team had fallen into a stalemate with no way forward.

The spectators stared in shock and began talking over one another.

"Out of my way!" Yu Tianheng roared. He surged past the Shi Brothers and charged straight at Jiang Baiyu. The purple thousand-year Soul Ring behind him flashed. "Thunder Fury!"

Thunder Fury drove a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master into a berserk state for a time, doubling his lightning power and increasing his Soul Power by fifty percent.

He thrust his transformed right arm, covered in blue-violet scales, high into the air. The three Soul Rings circling it blazed at full strength.

Blue-violet arcs swarmed toward him. Thunder exploded, and lightning seared the eyes!

"Thunderclap Dragon Claw!"

With the full attacking power of a level-thirty-one Soul Elder behind it, a violent bolt of lightning tore through the air toward Jiang Baiyu!

The blow was heavy enough to crush any Soul Master at the same level!

Every spectator held their breath. Jiang Baiyu would have to retreat, block, or dodge!

But Jiang Baiyu did not move. The Shennong Cauldron floating beside him turned, sending layers of blue-green medicinal light cascading down as it placed itself firmly in front of him.

The lightning-wreathed dragon claw slammed into the cauldron!

Clang—

A deep metallic peal rang across the arena.

A vast, crushing recoil surged through Yu Tianheng's dragon claw and into his arm, as though it could suppress any technique.

His transformed arm went numb and stiff. His Soul Power surged backward!

More than half the crackling lightning was blasted away. His arm trembled, and for a moment he could not gather his strength again!

Yu Tianheng's face changed. He stumbled back two steps, eyes wide. "How is that possible?!"

A support-type Soul Master's Martial Soul had taken his full-powered lightning attack head-on and left his arm numb!

The battlefield froze.

The Hundred Herbs Domain suppressed everyone, and Dugu Yan's poison was completely useless.

The Medicine Flame had driven Yu Feng back, while Zhu Zhuqing kept Osler occupied.

Yu Tianheng's frontal assault had been stopped and repelled.

As for the Shi Brothers, they were defense-type Soul Masters without powerful offensive Soul Skills.

At the rear, the level-twenty-nine Ye Lingling clenched her hands. Her Nine-Hearted Begonia glimmered weakly, but she had no opening to heal anyone.

Silence filled the arena.

Phantom herbs drifted through the air amid flickering Five-Colored Medicine Flame.

Jiang Baiyu stood at the center of his domain, the Shennong Cauldron above his head. His calm gaze swept over the grim-faced Imperial Fighting Team.

The outcome was already decided.

The scales had tipped the moment the Hundred Herbs Domain appeared.

"Well? Do you want to keep going?" Jiang Baiyu asked.

"Lingling!" Yu Tianheng called.

A snow-white petal drifted down. His slightly dislocated arm healed, and he clenched his fists. "Give it everything you've got!"

The Shi Brothers drew their heads and legs out from their Black Tortoise shells and let out low roars. Their second Soul Rings flashed, and a faint ring of light appeared around the edges of their shells.

"Shield Transformation." The brothers growled in unison. The shells on their chests and backs split away and flew into their hands, becoming huge turtle-shell shields a meter across. Without their shells, the brothers were much shorter than they had been before activating their Martial Souls, and their once-burly bodies had grown thin and weak. It was as though the shells had been formed from their bones and blood—a startling transformation.

In fighting strength, the Shi Brothers were not far behind Yu Tianheng. As Black Tortoise Soul Masters, they too possessed top-tier Martial Souls. The quiet brothers were far stronger than most people imagined.

Ordinarily, a fight gave them no reason to reveal that strength. But Jiang Baiyu had forced them to go all out. Their first and second Soul Rings shone together.

Their eyes locked on Jiang Baiyu. After exchanging a glance, the brothers shouted and hurled the four great shields in their hands. The shells spun through the air with a terrifying rush. Most strangely, a strand of yellow Soul Power connected each shield to the brothers' hands. The shields' sharp edges sliced through the air as they hurtled forward with a piercing shriek.

At the same time, Dugu Yan's Soul Ring flashed. "Jade Phosphorous Red Poison!" Red poisonous mist settled over Yu Tianheng. He roared, and his Soul Power grew even stronger than before.

Jade Phosphorous Red Poison stimulated the meridians to draw out greater Soul Power.

"Thunderclap!" Yu Tianheng charged straight at Jiang Baiyu, four massive tortoise-shell shields escorting him.

The force of his lightning and the sharp edges of the shields pinned Jiang Baiyu in place.

Jiang Baiyu sighed.

Another purple Soul Ring lit up behind him. "Spirit Deer Nine Seals."

Before everyone's disbelieving eyes, the Medicine Flames scattered across the sky became nimble fawns. They pranced atop the illusory medicinal herbs while a giant, nine-colored deer appeared before Jiang Baiyu. It stepped forward slowly, a multicolored lotus blooming beneath each hoof.

"How beautiful!" someone below the stage exclaimed at the sight of the giant deer.

As everyone stood entranced by the Nine-Colored Spirit Deer, it gave a long, ringing cry and charged at Yu Tianheng and the others. At the same time, the fawns rushed at everyone around them.

Boom!

Yu Tianheng was hurled backward. The tortoise-shell shields turned into streaks of light and flew back to the Shi Brothers, who spat blood and collapsed. Dugu Yan and Yu Feng were blasted off the stage by the swarming fawns while protecting Ye Lingling. Nearby, Zhu Zhuqing seized her chance and took Osler off the stage with her.

Only Ye Lingling and Jiang Baiyu, who had not moved from his spot, remained standing on the stage.

"Still want to fight?" Jiang Baiyu asked calmly.