The referee instructor's voice rang throughout the arena, and the matchups for the next elimination round instantly spread through the crowd.
When "Lin Chen versus Mo Feng" was announced, the entire Soul Master Arena erupted. The spirited cheers cut off abruptly, replaced by an uproar!
"Mo Feng! It's actually Mo Feng, the level forty-one Agility Attack Soul Ancestor!"
"He's one of the strongest veteran students at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and took third place in last year's Elite Tournament! His speed is unmatched. Soul Masters of the same rank can't even brush the hem of his clothes!"
"Lin Chen might be able to defeat Soul Elders in an instant, but this opponent is a genuine Soul Ancestor, and the most troublesome Agility Attack type at that. He's in trouble this time!"
Discussion rose and fell across the stands. Every gaze focused on the arena entrance, brimming with tension and anticipation.
Agility Attack Soul Masters excelled in speed and explosive power. Their mobility far surpassed that of Control Soul Masters, making them the natural nemesis of control Martial Souls such as Blue Silver Grass. Moreover, Mo Feng was already a level forty-one Soul Ancestor. His reserves of soul power and the strength of his soul skills were far beyond those of the Blood Demon Soul Ancestor Lin Chen had faced before. From the outset, everyone had judged this battle would be a hard-fought one.
Su Qingyuan and Yue Huaxi stood beside the arena, worry deepening on their lovely faces as they clenched their hands tightly.
"An Agility Attack Soul Ancestor is incredibly fast. Your Blue Silver Grass will have trouble trapping him. Be careful," Su Qingyuan cautioned softly. Her Azure Lotus Martial Soul had already appeared, ready to assist at a critical moment.
Yue Huaxi nodded as well. Her Moonlight Spirit Grass Martial Soul radiated a soft silver glow as she prepared her soul skill in advance, laying the groundwork to support Lin Chen.
Lin Chen patted the backs of their hands. His gaze was steady, without a trace of fear. Instead, fierce fighting spirit blazed within it.
"Don't worry. His speed is just what I need to hone my control over my domain."
With that, Lin Chen stepped slowly into the arena. He stood tall, his aura calm, yet he carried an air of looking down upon all rivals.
Across from him, a black shadow suddenly flashed into view, moving so fast that it left trails of afterimages. In the blink of an eye, it stood opposite Lin Chen.
The newcomer was Mo Feng. Dressed in a fitted black outfit, he had a lean build and eyes as sharp as a hawk's. Four soul rings—two yellow, one purple, and one black—slowly rose around him. He unleashed the formidable aura of a level forty-one Agility Attack Soul Ancestor without restraint. His fierce soul power became gusting winds that swept across the arena, stinging the spectators' skin.
He swept an indifferent gaze over Lin Chen, his tone steeped in condescending disdain. "So you're the Soul Grandmaster who defeated a Spirit Hall Soul Ancestor in Heaven Dou City? Nothing but luck. When a Control Soul Master meets an Agility Attack Soul Master like me, all that awaits him is a crushing defeat. Today, I'll show you that the gulf between a Soul Ancestor and a Soul Grandmaster can never be crossed."
In his eyes, Lin Chen's previous victories had all come from exploiting the power of his domain. Against someone whose speed surpassed everyone else in the academy, domain suppression would be utterly useless.
Lin Chen remained calm and replied evenly, "Enough nonsense. Make your move."
"Arrogant!"
Mo Feng snorted coldly. As an established Soul Ancestor, being treated with such contempt by a Soul Grandmaster instantly set his anger ablaze.
Before his words had faded, he vanished!
The extreme speed of an Agility Attack Soul Master was on full display. All the spectators could see were black afterimages darting through the arena; no one could locate his real body. Sharp whistles of displaced air rang out without pause, while the pressure of his soul power surged from every direction, cutting off every angle through which Lin Chen could evade.
"Third soul skill—Shadow Kill Assault!"
An icy voice sounded from empty air. Mo Feng abruptly appeared behind Lin Chen, jet-black, razor-sharp soul power gathering in his right hand. It formed a blade that tore through the air as he thrust straight toward Lin Chen's heart from behind!
His speed was extreme, his force vicious. It was an outright killing move!
The spectators instantly held their breath. Su Qingyuan's and Yue Huaxi's hearts leaped into their throats. On the raised platform, the Dean of Academic Affairs leaned forward slightly, ready to intervene at any moment.
At that hair's-breadth moment, Lin Chen moved.
He did not turn to dodge. Two deep-green soul rings surged upward from beneath his feet, the supreme five-thousand-year soul rings blazing brilliantly. His Life Domain opened to its fullest in an instant, and a pale-green halo spread from him, enveloping the entire arena!
[Life Domain activated: enemy soul power suppressed by 45%, Martial Soul strength weakened by 40%, spatial perception enhanced by 80%!]
The instant the domain opened, the afterimages darting throughout the arena stalled. Mo Feng's speed abruptly dropped by thirty percent, and the circulation of soul power within him grew sluggish. His previously fierce assault slowed at once!
More terrifying still, the domain greatly enhanced Lin Chen's spatial perception. Every movement Mo Feng made and every fluctuation of his soul power appeared clearly in Lin Chen's mind. Nothing remained concealed!
"With that little speed, you dare call yourself an Agility Attack Soul Master?"
Lin Chen spoke coldly and shifted slightly to the side, effortlessly avoiding Mo Feng's lethal ambush. His movements were unhurried and composed.
Mo Feng's expression changed drastically, and towering waves of shock surged through his heart!
The extreme speed that had made his name had been suppressed outright? This domain could actually restrict an Agility Attack Soul Master's speed!
"Impossible!" Mo Feng roared, unleashing his fourth soul skill at full power. "Fourth soul skill—Shadow Clone Kill!"
His jet-black soul power instantly split into three clones. Together with his real body, they attacked simultaneously from four directions. Four fierce blade energies bore down on Lin Chen, sealing every escape route. A Soul Ancestor's all-out strike held enough power to blast through a thick stone slab!
Facing this lethal trap, Lin Chen's eyes remained cold, without the slightest panic.
"Qingyuan, Azure Lotus Shield! Xi'er, Moonlight Tracelessness!"
Lin Chen barked his orders, and the two heroines outside the arena immediately acted in concert.
Su Qingyuan drove her first soul skill to its fullest. A pure-white Azure Lotus Shield rose into the air and enveloped Lin Chen. Gentle Life Soul Power flowed into the shield, doubling its defensive strength. Yue Huaxi unleashed her second soul skill, and silver mist instantly blanketed the arena, completely disrupting the vision and perception of Mo Feng and his clones.
With his sight obstructed, soul power suppressed, and speed restricted, the power of Mo Feng's killing soul skill was drastically reduced!
"Second soul skill—Life Suppression!"
Lin Chen gave a thunderous shout. His five-thousand-year soul ring blazed with its utmost brilliance, and vast Life Force became an invisible mountain that crashed down upon Mo Feng's four figures!
At the same time, countless strands of Life Blue Silver Grass burst wildly from the ground. This was no longer simple binding. Empowered by the domain, they wove into an impenetrable green net that swept toward Mo Feng and his clones!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three clones were instantly shattered by the power of Life Suppression and vanished without a trace. Mo Feng's real body was struck hard as well. He abruptly froze, his speed reduced to nothing.
Now!
"Life Entanglement, full restraint!"
The Blue Silver Grass net instantly tightened, binding Mo Feng's limbs and torso fast. Stems tougher than refined iron dug into his flesh, while immense Life Force completely sealed the meridians through which his soul power flowed, leaving him unable to summon even a trace of it.
In just a few breaths, the level forty-one Agility Attack Soul Ancestor who had been so imposing moments before was bound firmly in place, unable to move. His face filled with horror and disbelief, without a shred of arrogance remaining.
The entire arena fell deathly silent!
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Mo Feng, bound by Blue Silver Grass in the center of the arena. Their minds went blank.
He was a level forty-one Soul Ancestor! An Agility Attack specialist whose greatest strength was speed! Yet this level twenty-three Soul Grandmaster had still crushed him effortlessly and subdued him with a single move?
What heaven-defying combat strength was this?!
After the silence, deafening cheers erupted, nearly lifting the arena's roof. Everyone shouted Lin Chen's name, their gazes filled with the utmost awe and admiration.
On the raised platform, the Dean of Academic Affairs clapped and laughed heartily, praising him again and again. "A peerless genius, truly a peerless genius! To fight a Soul Ancestor as a Soul Grandmaster and win so easily—our academy has never seen anyone like him!"
The imperial relatives and nobles watched with burning eyes, resolving to win Lin Chen over at any cost.
In a corner of the arena, Tang San clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his expression terrifyingly dark. The brighter Lin Chen shone, the more fiercely jealousy and a sense of crisis grew in his heart. Before Lin Chen, the advantage of his Dual Martial Souls seemed to vanish entirely.
In the arena, Lin Chen walked slowly up to Mo Feng, his gaze indifferent. "You lost."
Mo Feng hung his head, no longer harboring any thought of resistance. He said dejectedly, "I lost. I accept it wholeheartedly."
The referee instructor snapped out of his daze as though waking from a dream and announced loudly, "Lin Chen wins this match and advances to the Elite Tournament final!"
As the announcement ended, Lin Chen withdrew his Blue Silver Grass. Mo Feng staggered out of the arena, but every gaze remained firmly fixed on Lin Chen.
At that moment, the soul power within Lin Chen churned violently. His intense battle with the Soul Ancestor had allowed him to fully assimilate the Life Soul Power accumulated within him. The ocean of soul power in his dantian surged and roared, repeatedly battering the barrier to the Soul Elder realm. Faint signs of an imminent breakthrough had appeared!
He could clearly sense that, as soon as he absorbed that five-thousand-year Life Spirit Deer Soul Ring, he would break through the barrier and enter the Soul Elder realm!
And in the Elite Tournament final, his opponent would be the strongest veteran student in the academy—a level forty-three Power Attack Soul Ancestor, and his strongest rival for the Life Spirit Deer Soul Ring!
The true ultimate showdown was about to begin!
Lin Chen lifted his gaze toward the final's preparation area. Green light flared in his eyes, and his fighting spirit soared skyward.
"I'll be waiting in the final."
"The Soul Elder realm is within reach!"
Meanwhile, in the shadows outside the arena, a dark figure quietly slipped away and hurried toward the Spirit Hall Heaven Dou Branch. A conspiracy targeting Lin Chen in the final was quietly taking shape in the dark.
Before you continue