Myriad Phenomena's Arena Debut with Five Spirit Rings
The lights over the Dueling Platform blazed.
Yuan Yu stood beneath them, dressed in white, his Sun Wheel Blade drawn.
He was too young.
So young that his presence on a Soul King-level Dueling Platform broke every convention.
But with five God-given Spirit Rings shining behind him, no one could see him as a child anymore.
Ironback Bear released his Martial Soul.
A massive bear's shadow rose behind him. His shoulders and back swelled with muscle, and he grew visibly taller.
Five Spirit Rings appeared.
Two yellow, two purple, one black.
The standard configuration for a Soul King.
Cheers rose from the stands.
Ironback Bear had fought many matches at the Soto Great Soul Arena.
His win rate was solid.
His fighting style was simple, too.
Tough.
He could take a hit.
And he could hit back harder.
Plenty of Soul Kings had suffered at his hands.
The announcer raised his voice.
"Begin!"
Ironback Bear charged at once.
Every step shook the Dueling Platform.
No tricks.
Just a head-on rush.
Yuan Yu did not retreat.
A Rock Pattern lit up.
He held his Sun Wheel Blade across his body.
Bang!
Ironback Bear brought a fist crashing down.
The stone beneath Yuan Yu's feet cracked, and he slid backward several feet.
But he stayed upright.
Surprise flashed in Ironback Bear's eyes.
"You've got some skill."
Yuan Yu shook out his hand.
"And you're pretty heavy."
Ironback Bear snorted and swung his other fist.
Yuan Yu did not block this one.
A Water Pattern flashed. He slipped aside and drew his blade down along his opponent's arm.
Ironback Bear's punch missed and slammed into the platform.
Stone chips flew.
Yuan Yu used the momentum to turn.
"Water Breathing: Third Form."
"Flowing Dance."
Watery blue blade-light circled Ironback Bear three times.
None of the strikes carried much force.
But each struck a joint or a point he needed to exert his strength.
Ironback Bear faltered. With a furious roar, he lit up his third Spirit Ring.
The bear's shadow thickened.
His defenses grew stronger still.
The blade-light left only shallow marks.
In the stands, Ma Hongjun stared wide-eyed.
"That guy's hide is thick."
Dai Mubai said, "Ironback Bear has a defense-oriented, power-attack Martial Soul."
Ning Rongrong watched the platform.
"Can Yuan Yu get through his defenses?"
Tang San said, "He can."
Xiao Wu asked, "How do you know?"
Tang San watched Yuan Yu's footwork.
"He's not in a hurry."
On the Dueling Platform, Ironback Bear had noticed it too.
The boy before him was far too steady.
Forced back, he did not panic.
Unable to break through, he did not rush.
Ironback Bear suddenly felt he could not let the fight drag on.
His fifth Spirit Ring lit up.
As the black ring shone, the bear's shadow swept down over him.
His arms took on a dark, ironlike sheen, and his strength surged far beyond what it had been.
"Ironback Mountain-Crusher!"
Both fists came crashing down.
A solid hit from that attack would have made even an ordinary Soul King cough blood.
Yuan Yu looked up.
Violet-white lightning flared beneath his feet.
"Thunder Breathing: First Form."
"Thunderclap and Flash."
Lightning flashed.
He vanished from the path of the descending fists.
Ironback Bear's attack struck the ground, shaking the entire Dueling Platform.
Yuan Yu had already appeared behind him.
He slid his Sun Wheel Blade half an inch into its sheath, then drew it in an instant.
No lightning this time.
This time, it was flame.
"Flame Breathing: First Form."
"Unquenchable Fire."
Red-gold blade-light swept across Ironback Bear's back.
Ironback Bear's defenses were formidable, but the slash did not merely strike the surface.
A thread of fire followed the blade into a gap in the flow of his Soul Power, sending a burning numbness through his back.
He grunted and spun around.
Yuan Yu had already withdrawn.
The cheers from the stands grew louder.
A fiercer look entered Ironback Bear's eyes.
"You're quick on your feet, kid."
Yuan Yu said, "And you're hard to put down."
"Then stop dodging!"
Ironback Bear charged again.
This time, he gathered all his Soul Power into his arms. He clearly meant to settle the fight with one move.
Yuan Yu watched him.
A Rock Pattern lit up.
He did not use lightning again.
Nor did he use wind.
He gripped his blade with both hands, its edge pointing upward.
Dark-gold patterns of light rose from beneath his feet and wound around the Sun Wheel Blade.
As Ironback Bear reached him, Yuan Yu brought the blade down.
"Stone Breathing: Second Form."
"Heaven-Surface Shatter."
The strike did not cut flesh.
The back of the blade slammed into Ironback Bear's crossed arms.
Boom!
The bear's shadow shuddered from the blow.
Ironback Bear staggered back several steps. His knees buckled, and he nearly fell to them.
Yuan Yu did not follow up.
His Sun Wheel Blade stopped an inch from Ironback Bear's forehead.
The arena fell silent for a heartbeat.
Only then did the announcer react.
"Myriad Phenomena wins!"
Cheers erupted through the arena.
Ironback Bear breathed hard, staring at the blade before him.
He knew that if Yuan Yu had used the edge on that final strike, he would be bleeding now.
He withdrew his Martial Soul.
"I lost."
Yuan Yu sheathed his blade.
"Good match."
Ironback Bear gave him a look.
"I've never met a kid like you."
Yuan Yu smiled. "You might not see many Soul Kings like me again, either."
Ironback Bear froze for a moment, then laughed.
"Cocky, aren't you?"
"Just telling the truth."
Yuan Yu turned and left the platform.
In the stands, Xiao Wu was the first to rush over.
"You won so fast!"
Ma Hongjun looked thrilled.
"You can fight like that in the Soul King Division?"
Dai Mubai said, "He's no ordinary Soul King."
Ning Rongrong looked at Yuan Yu, and another piece of her pride crumbled.
Fifty-five levels at twelve years old.
And he could beat a veteran Soul King.
She suddenly understood why Flender said Shrek only took monsters.
Many of the geniuses she had met before had been built up by praise.
The one before her had proved himself in a fight.
Flender came over, looking thoroughly pleased.
"Not bad."
Yuan Yu asked, "Where's the prize money?"
Flender's smile faltered.
"The academy will hold on to it for now."
Yuan Yu looked at him.
"Dean, you know I'm from Spirit Hall, right?"
"I do."
"And you know I'm not short of money, right?"
"I do."
"Then why are you keeping it?"
Flender pushed up his glasses.
"That's called teaching you to be frugal."
Yuan Yu fell silent for a moment.
"I suddenly understand why Teacher Zhao got beaten up."
Beside him, Zhao Wuji's face darkened.
"Yuan Yu."
Yuan Yu immediately changed the subject.
"Dean, how will the Team Battle work?"
Flender's expression grew serious.
"The Spirit Arena wants to arrange a special Team Battle for you."
Tang San frowned.
"Special?"
Flender nodded.
"Under the normal rules, adding Yuan Yu to the team would push your matchmaking level too high. But the Spirit Arena wants a spectacle. They're willing to put you up against a higher-level team in an exhibition challenge."
Xiao Wu asked, "How strong are they?"
"Four Soul Elders, three Soul Grandmasters, and a captain who's a level forty-one Soul Ancestor," Flender said.
Everyone's expression changed.
"Dean," Ma Hongjun said, "are you trying to make money or get us killed?"
Flender did not smile.
"You can refuse."
Everyone looked at Yuan Yu.
He did not agree right away.
He looked at Tang San, then at Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Do you want to fight?"
Xiao Wu answered first. "Yes."
Tang San thought for a moment.
"If the rules allow us to surrender, we can try."
"Let's fight," Zhu Zhuqing said.
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth.
"I can do it too."
Yuan Yu nodded.
"Then we fight."
A flicker passed through Flender's eyes.
"And what will you be responsible for?"
Yuan Yu rested the Sun Wheel Blade on his shoulder.
"Making sure they don't lose too badly."
Ma Hongjun was about to laugh.
Then Yuan Yu added,
"I mean the other team."
Everyone froze.
A heartbeat later, Xiao Wu burst out laughing.
And just like that, the Shrek Eight Monsters' first Team Battle was set.