Little Xuan Yu, Here I Come

"Don't move, young man," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile.

Bing Tianliang truly did not move a muscle. The long white blade rested beside his neck, its edge less than a finger's width from his skin. He could feel the faint chill radiating from it, raising a fine layer of goosebumps.

What shocked him even more was that the soul power inside him had vanished.

It had not been suppressed or sealed. It had simply vanished, completely and utterly.

He could not sense even a trace of it.

His connection to his Lightning God Demon Puppet Martial Soul had been severed. The four purple soul rings beneath his feet slowly dissipated, and his two-meter-tall combat form shrank back into a boy a little over one hundred and seventy centimeters tall.

He stood there, his chest heaving, his face pale and his lips pressed tightly together.

Bing Tianliang had never experienced anything like this. Ever since he had awakened his Martial Soul at six, soul power had flowed through his meridians.

In battle, soul power was what he relied on. Even when he did nothing at all, he knew it rested quietly within him.

But now, that sensation he had known for six years had disappeared. His body felt hollow.

"What... did you do?"

Ye Zhiqiu tilted his head to glance at him and smiled. Did I scare the kid?

"Relax. It'll come back in a little while. I only briefly cut off your connection to the energy inside you."

It would come back in a little while?

Bing Tianliang fell silent for two and a half seconds and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, suddenly, a chill crept up the back of his neck.

On a real battlefield, never mind a full second—even half a second without soul power would have been enough for his opponent to kill him ten times over.

Then Ye Zhiqiu turned his head to glance at Liu Feng in the distance.

Liu Feng was still tucked into the shadows of the trees, the White Dragon Spear in hand, waiting for Ye Zhiqiu's next instruction.

Ye Zhiqiu gave him a meaningful look.

Liu Feng froze for a moment, then understood.

He was supposed to finish them off.

Under the Selection Tournament's rules, whoever made the kill received the points. If Ye Zhiqiu killed Bing Tianliang and the others himself, their team's points would go to Ye Zhiqiu.

But Ye Zhiqiu had been summoned here, so those points obviously could not count as his. As for whether they would be credited to Lan Xuanyu, none of them knew.

That meant Liu Feng had to claim the kills for Lan Xuanyu's team to receive the points carried by Bing Tianliang and the others.

Ye Zhiqiu had worked this out before stepping through the portal.

Meanwhile, the three remaining members of Sky-Rending Academy reacted as well.

Yu Tian stood off to one side with his four-meter-long Mo Dao held across his body. His gaze swept twice between Ye Zhiqiu and Bing Tianliang. Then he gritted his teeth, turned, and ran.

Lin Donghui was even quicker. The golden-red orb above his head had already withdrawn into his body, and he darted away through the shadows of the trees.

The last two-ring Soul Master was no fool either. He sprinted away behind them.

The three scattered in different directions.

As long as one of them escaped, he could preserve his points and keep their team from being wiped out.

They had no choice! Who could have expected the boy who suddenly appeared to be so terrifying?

But Ye Zhiqiu had anticipated this long ago.

Before charging onto the battlefield, he had already spread Gravity Wave across the entire area, leaving Gravity Anchors on the people around Bing Tianliang.

Three anchors, one on the right shoulder of Yu Tian, Lin Donghui, and the two-ring Soul Master respectively.

Ye Zhiqiu raised his left hand slightly, and a silver-gray orb flashed.

His second soul ring flared, activating Gravity Anchor.

Yu Tian, who was farthest ahead, suddenly felt something yank hard on his right shoulder. It was as though an invisible rope had hauled him backward, instantly reversing his forward momentum.

His body traced an arc through the air as he flew backward toward Ye Zhiqiu.

The same happened to Lin Donghui. He had barely run a dozen meters when his right shoulder tightened and he was forcibly dragged back. His feet carved two deep furrows through the ground, spraying dirt.

The two-ring Soul Master fared worst. He had only taken a few strides before being hauled back, tumbling once through the air and rolling twice after hitting the ground.

Not one of the three escaped.

Ye Zhiqiu maintained the Gravity Anchors with his left hand while keeping the Absolute Blade at Bing Tianliang's neck with his right. He turned toward Liu Feng in the distance and said, "Madman, claim the kills. Hurry."

Only then did Liu Feng charge out of the trees' shadows.

He had been practically bursting with frustration. Ever since Ye Zhiqiu appeared, he had stayed hidden nearby and watched, itching for action.

With the White Dragon Spear in hand, Liu Feng became a silver-white blur, moving as swiftly as an arrow flying just above the ground.

He charged at the two-ring Soul Master first.

The Soul Master had just scrambled up and had yet to steady himself when the White Dragon Spear's tip reached his chest.

One thrust pierced straight through.

The Soul Master looked down at the spear tip in his chest, and his body began dissolving into motes of light.

Liu Feng did not stop. He pulled out his spear, turned, and charged at Lin Donghui, the closest target.

Lin Donghui had just regained his balance after the Gravity Anchor's pull. He formed a golden-red fireball between his hands.

The fireball shot straight at Liu Feng's face.

Liu Feng sidestepped and swept the White Dragon Spear across. Its tip traced an arc along the fireball's edge, diverting most of it. What remained flashed past his side, scorching the hem of his clothes.

But he did not slow down. In two strides, he reached Lin Donghui and thrust his spear diagonally upward.

Lin Donghui hastily retreated, continuously forming fireballs and hurling them at Liu Feng one after another.

Liu Feng dodged left and right, weaving between the fireballs. With a series of thrusts and sweeps, the White Dragon Spear knocked them aside one by one.

They fought for roughly ten seconds without Ye Zhiqiu intervening. At last, Liu Feng found an opening.

As Lin Donghui formed his fourth fireball, his left hand shifted half an inch out of position, leaving a tiny opening before his chest.

Liu Feng drove the White Dragon Spear through that opening. Its tip sank into Lin Donghui's chest, and another flash of white light rose.

Lin Donghui was eliminated.

The last one was Yu Tian.

The instant he was dragged back, he made his decision. If I can't escape, then I won't run. I'll at least kill one of them!

He turned around, held the Mo Dao across his body, and planted his feet firmly on the ground, waiting for Liu Feng to charge.

Liu Feng did not hesitate either. He leveled the White Dragon Spear and rushed forward.

The two then clashed head-on.

Yu Tian's Mo Dao struck with immense force. Every downward slash carried an unstoppable pressure, and the gusts stirred by its blade scattered leaves wherever they passed.

Liu Feng's White Dragon Spear excelled in speed and penetration. Its tip moved nimbly while its shaft remained steady. Every collision with the Mo Dao sent a numbing shock through the web of his hand, but he gritted his teeth and held on.

Just then, a strand of blue silver grass instantly wrapped around Liu Feng's waist, boosting him by fifty percent across the board!

Lan Xuanyu's enhancement!

They exchanged nearly ten more rounds, and Liu Feng grew more excited with every clash.

He gradually grasped Yu Tian's rhythm. Though the Mo Dao struck fiercely, each slash was followed by a brief pause as he reined in its force. That instant was Yu Tian's opening.

Before the next slash fell, Liu Feng slipped in sideways. The White Dragon Spear passed beneath the Mo Dao's shaft, its tip driving straight toward Yu Tian's chest.

It was already too late for Yu Tian to withdraw his weapon and defend. The spear tip sank into his chest, and a flash of white light rose.

Yu Tian was eliminated.

With that, everyone from Sky-Rending Academy except Bing Tianliang had been knocked out.

Liu Feng stood where he was, his chest heaving violently. He propped the White Dragon Spear against the ground as large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

But he was absolutely delighted.

"Got... got them all."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded, then looked at Bing Tianliang. Tilting his blade slightly, he smiled and said:

"Your turn now."

Bing Tianliang looked calmly at Ye Zhiqiu and asked, "What's your name?"

"Ye Zhiqiu."

"Ye Zhiqiu..." Bing Tianliang murmured. Then he looked toward Lan Xuanyu, who was leaning against a tree root in the distance. After a moment's silence, he asked, "What's your relationship with her?"

"We're friends," Ye Zhiqiu said.

Bing Tianliang's expression grew somewhat complicated, but in the end, he merely nodded.

"All right. I'll remember that. Still, I imagine we'll meet again in the Rematch."

Ye Zhiqiu moved the blade away from Bing Tianliang's neck, then turned to Liu Feng. "Madman, the last one."

Liu Feng walked over, aimed the White Dragon Spear at Bing Tianliang's chest, and drew a deep breath.

"Sorry about this."

He thrust the spear in.

Bing Tianliang's body dissolved into motes of light, and one final mass of astonishingly dense red light surged into Liu Feng.

The sheer volume of that red light far exceeded Liu Feng's expectations. He froze in place, his face flushing scarlet. Too many points were pouring into him—so many that he could barely endure them.

Ye Zhiqiu glanced at him and said, "Take some time to absorb it. Don't rush."

Liu Feng nodded, closed his eyes, and stood where he was, slowly guiding that mass of points into his soul power core.

Ye Zhiqiu did not disturb him. Instead, he turned and walked toward Lan Xuanyu.

"Haha, little Xuan Yu, here I come."