One Punch Shattered His Soul Skill Dream-Long Yue Really Was a Good Man

"You said you had innate full soul power, yet you're only rank thirty-four at seventeen?"

Like the finest hunter, Long Yue seized on the flaw in Feng Xiaotian's words.

"Did you steal your teacher's wife or something?"

"What did you say?" Feng Xiaotian flushed crimson.

Long Yue's words were far too insulting. He had insulted Feng Xiaotian, his teacher, and Huo Wu all at once.

Huo Wu... might have had objections herself.

"Brother Long, I respect you as a true man, someone who thinks on the same level as I do," Feng Xiaotian said angrily. "But how could you say something like that?"

"You're neglecting the roots to chase the branches!" Long Yue sneered. "Don't you have a teacher?"

"My teacher advised me against it too, but I proved myself to him." There was a reason Feng Xiaotian was called the Godwind Academy's genius. His Gale Demon Wolf Twelve Consecutive Slashes truly had their merits.

Both Feng Xiaotian's teacher and the Godwind Academy's dean had praised the Gale Demon Wolf Twelve Consecutive Slashes highly, encouraging him to continue researching his self-created soul skill as long as it did not interfere with his cultivation.

But when that condition reached Feng Xiaotian's ears, he took it to mean keeping pace with an ordinary soul master's cultivation-wasn't that precisely the point of innate full soul power?

On the Douluo Continent, a student who reached rank thirty at twelve possessed exceptional talent. In Spirit Hall, that was "Golden Generation" material.

But was reaching rank thirty-four at seventeen really bad?

It could only be called slightly better than an ordinary soul master.

"If you'd cultivated your soul power, with your innate full soul power talent, you should already be a Soul Ancestor by now, shouldn't you? You'd at least stand a fighting chance against me," Long Yue said.

Long Yue's tone made Feng Xiaotian deeply uncomfortable. "At rank thirty-four, I still stand a fighting chance against you."

He did not claim he could defeat Long Yue. Apparently, Feng Xiaotian still had some ordinary sense left.

"Ha-ha." Long Yue laughed flippantly, stepping forward to look down at Feng Xiaotian. "Oh? You mean by relying on that self-created soul skill you're so proud of?"

Geniuses like Feng Xiaotian had their pride. One might even call it a baffling confidence in their own strength.

"Why don't we test it? Right here." Long Yue pointed outside the castle. "I won't use any soul skills, but I'll crush you with my rank forty-five soul power."

"Fine. Uh-wait." Feng Xiaotian accepted the challenge without thinking, only to regret it the very next second.

He had finally managed to discover Long Yue's strength. How could he let himself be provoked into agreeing to a duel? Wouldn't that make his earlier alliance with Yu Tianheng and the others pointless?

Against a Soul Ancestor, their only chance of winning was to gang up on him.

"Are people from the Godwind Academy-and the Heaven Dou Empire as a whole-this untrustworthy?" A trace of contempt appeared in Long Yue's eyes. "What a dreadful national failing."

"You... I'll accept your challenge. Please take back what you just said!" Feng Xiaotian ground his teeth. Long Yue's tongue was simply too venomous. That accusation was far too big a hat for him to wear.

"I take it back, I take it back." Long Yue draped an arm around Feng Xiaotian's shoulders and amiably pulled him out of the castle. "Let's go."

"Ah..." Feng Xiaotian walked out with the bleak resolve of a man facing the howling wind and icy waters of the Yi River.

"Brother, do you think Feng Xiaotian can find out anything about Long Yue?" Huo Wu raised her glass for a leisurely sip. Like a dancing flame, she drew the eyes of quite a few young men.

"Feng Xiaotian proposed the plan, and he arranged the alliance with Yu Tianheng too. I trust him." Huo Wushuang was considerably plainer than his younger sister, but his gold-and-red uniform accentuated his imposing presence.

"The Thunder Academy and Skywater Academy people are here too."

Huo Wu looked toward one side of the castle's entrance hall. The girls from Skywater Academy all wore matching blue uniforms, while Thunder Academy's blue uniforms were a darker shade.

Upon seeing Huo Wu, the captains of the two academies came over.

Skywater Academy's captain, Xue Wu, had short gray-blue hair, a tall figure, and a brisk, forthright manner. She asked directly, "What's Feng Xiaotian's plan? Who are we sending?"

"He went to ask Long Yue." Huo Wu gestured with her lips toward Feng Xiaotian, who had Long Yue's arm around him. "We'll know once he's finished. If you ask me, all the rank-forty Soul Ancestors from the five academies should fight together and gang up on Long Yue. Who cares whether they're the same age?"

Thunder Academy's Yu Tianxin was plain-looking, nowhere near as handsome as his younger cousin, Yu Tianheng.

His voice was cold and hard as iron.

"We've already gone too far by asking His Excellency Meng Shenji, chief of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Education Committee, for a seven-against-one match.

"We've even skirted the rules on the condition that we be the same age.

"If we send in Soul Ancestor seniors whose average age is twenty as well, will we have any face left before the Divine Realm Empire People?"

Naturally, the Four Elements Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy had more than just Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang. Some seniors had long since reached rank forty and become Soul Ancestors. Dealing with Long Yue would be no problem at all.

(That "no problem" was what the Heaven Dou Empire's people believed.)

The problem was that Long Yue had told Xue Ye they would be sparring with soul masters his own age.

That made things rather awkward.

Across all the Heaven Dou Empire's soul master academies, producing a Soul Ancestor Long Yue's age was impossible. Even producing a Soul Elder would have been quite a rarity.

That was why Huo Wushuang and Yu Tianxin, who were two or three years older than Long Yue, were going to fight, along with Feng Xiaotian, who was five years older.

A five-year age gap could, with a little stretching, still count as the same generation. They could just about explain it away.

But if they really sent in that group of twenty-year-old, rank-forty Soul Ancestor seniors, Xue Ye would be the first to refuse.

If those vermin pulled a stunt like that, where was he, the Heaven Dou Emperor, supposed to put his face?

"Oh, you're the only one who cares about rules!" Huo Wu snorted, plainly stung by Yu Tianxin's words. "If you care so much about rules, don't fight! How many years older than Long Yue are you?"

What Yu Tianxin despised most was this sort of spoiled, unreasonable girl. Even though Huo Wu was beautiful enough, he flatly refused to converse with her.

"Only women and petty men are hard to deal with."

"What did you say?!" Huo Wu flew into a rage, hopping about like a rat whose tail had been stepped on.

That had truly broken through her defenses, and the insult had truly hit its mark. Yu Tianxin turned his face away, unwilling to look at Huo Wu's ugly display. There was nothing worth saying to a woman like that.

"Stop arguing. Look!"

Huo Wushuang hurriedly restrained his younger sister. "Why are Feng Xiaotian and Long Yue going outside?"

"Quite a few people are watching us."

Long Yue and Feng Xiaotian's being together attracted plenty of attention. As the two left the castle's entrance hall, even more guests began whispering among themselves.

"That's Long Yue, isn't it? The Divine Realm Empire's greatest genius. The one beside him is Feng Xiaotian from the Godwind Academy."

"What are they doing? Can't wait for the exchange matches at Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Are they going to fight right here on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's grounds?"

"Fight! Fight!"

There were people looking for a spectacle everywhere. Even the Douluo Continent was no exception.

"What's going on?"

Sima Lanxiao had been chatting cheerfully with Ning Fengzhi about soul tool orders. Just as the fabulously wealthy Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect placed a large order, Long Yue stirred up trouble.

"It seems Long Yue is going to duel Feng Xiaotian," Joander reported. "The reason is still unclear, but with Long Yue's personality... he could do just about anything."

"That fellow really is Mad Dragon!"

Sima Lanxiao felt utterly exhausted. From the Defense Clan in Longxing City to agreeing to spar before Xue Ye, Mad Dragon had never once let them rest easy.

He truly admired the state preceptor for being able to tolerate a disciple like that.

"Mad Dragon?" Ning Fengzhi's expression turned peculiar. Honestly, he thought all the Divine Realm Empire People were rather unhinged.

Earlier, Ning Fengzhi had brought Ning Rongrong out to socialize. Once he finished introducing her, the entire Divine Realm Empire diplomatic mission greeted Ning Rongrong with warmth and respect. "We've long admired you."

It felt like ordinary soul masters meeting Spirit Hall's supreme pontiff...

But my daughter is only seven. What exactly have you long admired?

Ning Fengzhi had desperately wanted to voice his disbelief, and only managed to hold it back after considerable effort.

It would have been one thing to direct such pleasantries at him, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's master.

But saying them to his little daughter, Ning Rongrong-didn't these people from the Divine Realm Empire think there was something wrong with that?

"Whatever he's planning, stop him." Sima Lanxiao genuinely feared another Defense Clan incident.

Joander looked helpless. "It's already too late."

"Oh yeah! Brothers! All eyes on me! Look at me, look at me! I've got an announcement!"

Long Yue suddenly let out a bizarre yell, making Feng Xiaotian jolt beside him.

What was he trying to do?

Feng Xiaotian had a bad feeling.

"I'm Long Yue, a genius of the Divine Realm Empire."

Long Yue cupped his hands toward every direction, looking like a street performer about to break a boulder on his chest.

"Today, I met Feng Xiaotian from the Godwind Academy. This brother and I hit it off, but we had a clash of views when it came to self-created soul skills and cultivating soul power."

"Why is he saying all this?" Sima Lanxiao asked. "Is he planning a doctrinal debate?"

Unfortunately, no one could answer Sima Lanxiao's question. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Long Yue.

A man from the Divine Realm Empire, its greatest genius, a twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor-Long Yue drew attention wherever he went.

The Four Elements Academy's people had already gone outside and formed a circle, though whether they intended to stop the fight or fan the flames was unclear.

"Interesting." Light flickered in Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes as she stared straight at Long Yue.

Ning Fengzhi smiled, his gaze casually sweeping toward a corner. An unremarkable old man stood there with his aura concealed. It was Sword Douluo Chen Xin, observing Long Yue.

"A compassionate heart, thunderous methods," Sword Douluo Chen Xin transmitted to Ning Fengzhi. "He has the makings of an outstanding man."

Sword Douluo had heard every word of Long Yue and Feng Xiaotian's conversation. This Titled Douluo had immediately understood that Feng Xiaotian had strayed down the wrong path.

But what did that have to do with him? What did it have to do with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Sword Douluo Chen Xin had therefore paid it little mind.

He had not expected Long Yue to take the initiative and try to resolve the problem for Feng Xiaotian, who had become trapped in his obsession.

"Feng Xiaotian thinks his self-created soul skill is powerful. I think he's gone astray.

"Soul masters should prioritize cultivating soul power! Where is Feng Xiaotian's teacher? Is this how you ruin your disciple?!"

Feng Xiaotian tugged at Long Yue. "Long Yue! Stop talking!"

Feng Xiaotian felt deeply humiliated.

Now the entire elite soul master circle of the Heaven Dou Empire was watching this farce. If Long Yue kept talking, who knew what else he would say about him?

"I won't use my martial soul or any soul skills."

Long Yue ignored him. "Soul power alone is enough for me to defeat Feng Xiaotian's self-created soul skill. Feng Xiaotian of the Godwind Academy, your cultivation path is wrong!"

"Shut up!"

Feng Xiaotian flushed crimson with anger. He and Long Yue could discuss this privately, but it could not be aired before everyone.

Especially since Long Yue was denying the validity of Feng Xiaotian's cultivation path... to put it gravely, he was destroying his conviction and his future.

Long Yue knew his words were damning.

Their destructive force was equivalent to telling Tang San to his face that his Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were all worthless trash, not worth a single hair on a soul tool.

"My cultivation path is wrong? What gives you the right to say that?!"

A piercing howl burst from Feng Xiaotian's mouth. Azure light surged from his body, and amid the crack of stretching bones, an azure wolf's head grew from his left shoulder.

The Gale Twin-Headed Wolf, with two yellow rings and one purple.

"Because I'm strong, and the strong are usually the ones who hold the truth." Long Yue did not release his Mountain Dragon King martial soul. He simply spread his arms as though embracing heaven and earth. "Come on!"

Ning Fengzhi had not stopped Feng Xiaotian from releasing his martial soul, proving that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect welcomed this sparring match. Thus, no one present intended to intervene and stop this entertaining spectacle.

"This is too insulting! Release your martial soul!"

The azure wolf head's gaze turned chilling, a trace of killing intent completely undisguised. "I told you to release your martial soul!"

"I told you to attack, so attack."

Long Yue laughed, baring sharp white teeth like a ferocious beast. A hint of dark red also appeared in his eyes.

"Trash. No wonder Huo Wu won't give you a second glance."

Quite a few people turned toward Huo Wu among the Four Elements Academy's group, their appraising expressions somewhere between mockery and derision.

Lies did not wound. The truth was the sharpest blade.

"You're courting death!" Feng Xiaotian's defenses shattered completely. He accelerated instantly and charged at Long Yue, trailing a long streak of azure light.

You can insult me, but don't insult Huo Wu!

Wind Blade Array!

His first soul ring activated, sharp wolf fangs sprang from his palms, and ten curved wind blades sealed off every escape route around Long Yue with piercing whistles.

Would Long Yue retreat? He had never even considered it.

"Feng Xiaotian's martial soul is the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf, a mutated martial soul of the gale demon wolf. Isn't young Brother Long Yue being a little overconfident, neither releasing his martial soul nor dodging?"

Ning Fengzhi sought Sima Lanxiao's opinion.

Sima Lanxiao stared blankly, truly suffering a headache over Long Yue. Hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, he finally regained a little expression, albeit a stiff one.

"There's no need. Long Yue, he..."

Boom-

The Wind Blade Array collapsed the moment it touched Long Yue's body, like sharp blades striking stone without leaving the slightest mark.

Feng Xiaotian's gaze froze. So did the gazes of every soul master present, including Ning Fengzhi and even Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

The only exceptions were the Divine Realm Empire People.

"That's impossible!" Huo Wu shrieked.

Huo Wushuang and Yu Tianxin said nothing, but their hands trembled slightly. They exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

Even if they had one more soul ring than Feng Xiaotian, neither would dare take his furious strike head-on without releasing their martial soul.

"A top-tier Defense System martial soul?" Feng Xiaotian voiced what many were thinking.

"Feng Xiaotian, where's your self-created soul skill?"

Seeing Feng Xiaotian brake halfway through his charge and stop in place, not even daring to attack, Long Yue could not help asking, "If you were a Soul Ancestor, I wouldn't dare go without releasing my martial soul, you know."

He was still mocking him!

His second and third soul rings shone: Twin Wolf Possession! Gale Twin Wings!

A pair of azure wings unfurled from Feng Xiaotian's back. He soared into the air and stared down at Long Yue.

"Then let me show you my self-created soul skill, Gale Demon Wolf Twelve Consecutive Slashes."

"There's no need to name it. It isn't worth preserving in history anyway." Long Yue beckoned. "Come!"

The twin-headed wolf silhouette behind Feng Xiaotian merged with his body.

With a long howl, Feng Xiaotian descended like a meteor chasing the moon. All the surrounding azure light drew inward, and the sharp edges of his wings gleamed coldly beneath the moonlight.

Long Yue still held his arms open.

Feng Xiaotian spun once in midair, his wings striking downward in succession. His self-created soul skill used speed and gravity to continually increase his attack power, each slash stronger than the last.

Clang, clang, clang- The edges of his wings scraped across Long Yue's left arm, unleashing a string of metallic clashes.

Long Yue held his left arm in front of him while gathering power in his right hand. "There are only twelve slashes in total, right? It's a far cry from the Clear Sky Hammer's Chaotic Cloak Eighty-One Hammer Technique."

Feng Xiaotian's self-created soul skill had only twelve strikes in total.

In the future, after Feng Xiaotian neglected his cultivation and became obsessed with researching his self-created soul skill, he might develop it to thirty-six slashes,

but right now,

he only had twelve.

"Soul power is the foundation!" Long Yue simply stepped forward and drove out his right fist. "Remember my words!"

Boom-

Feng Xiaotian felt as though Long Yue had become a towering mountain, bearing straight down on his wings with the force of mountains collapsing and the earth splitting.

His wings-their flesh exploded!

His martial soul-forcibly dispelled!

Feng Xiaotian spat blood as he flew backward and crashed into the crowd, his face as pale as gold paper, his breath a thread.

"Go."

Ning Fengzhi raised his hand, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated out.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda instantly expanded in the air and hovered there. A faint halo shot from between Ning Fengzhi's brows, pouring straight into the pagoda.

Seven Treasures True Body.

Sword Douluo appeared beside Ning Fengzhi, a razor-sharp aura radiating from him as he subtly shielded Ning Fengzhi.

Sima Lanxiao tactfully moved away from Ning Fengzhi while rummaging through his Storage Soul Tool for medicine to treat Feng Xiaotian afterward.

"Sigh-can't Mad Dragon cause a little less trouble?"

Sima Lanxiao now felt like Long Yue's long-suffering parent, stuck footing the bill. Long Yue was a troubled teenager who had injured a classmate, leaving his parent to come pay the medical expenses.

A magnificent halo surged from the pagoda's sixth level and shone upon Feng Xiaotian.

Feng Xiaotian's complexion immediately improved considerably, and his damaged meridians recovered at tremendous speed.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was hosting this ball. They could hardly let Feng Xiaotian die on the castle grounds.

Gulp...

Xue Wu began to think of backing out. "Are we still going to spar?"

The students from the Four Elements Academy fell silent as cicadas in winter. Long Yue had beaten Feng Xiaotian into this state without even releasing his martial soul. If he released it during their spar...

"Of course!" Two voices rang out. To everyone's surprise, they belonged to Huo Wu and Yu Tianheng from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The handsome Yu Tianheng led the students who had come from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Only Prince Xue Beng seemed out of place. His Highness the Fourth Prince was still too young. Though he studied and cultivated at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he understood nothing.

Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin exchanged a glance and nodded in greeting.

Huo Wu spoke first. "If we don't fight, won't that mean we're afraid of him? How will we ever show our faces again?"

Yu Tianheng waited until Huo Wu finished before adding:

"This spar isn't something we can stop just because we want to. Who knows how many people are watching the Divine Realm Empire People, especially Long Yue, their so-called greatest genius."

"Spirit Hall, the imperial family, the Elephant Armor Sect, and even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hosting this ball. How could they be satisfied without seeing Long Yue's martial soul?

"We can't give up on the spar. Even if we did, someone would force us to go up and fight."

"The academies behind you can't protect you. These powers are far too strong," Yu Tianxin added, leaving it at that.

Yu Tianxin had actually wanted to say more: besides the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Spirit Hall, and the Elephant Armor Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would also be watching this spar.

He and Yu Tianheng had both come out in full force on their clan's instructions as well.

Joander of the Divine Realm Empire had guessed one thing wrong.

He had thought Feng Xiaotian was the driving force behind this cooperation between the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Four Elements Academy, and that the Elephant Armor Sect had lent its support only to include the Elephant Armor Academy.

In truth,

this had the tacit approval of every power on the Douluo Continent.

Though the Heaven Dou Empire, Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Elephant Armor Sect each harbored their own ulterior motives, this time they had all tacitly joined the same battle line.

Their purpose

was to probe the strength of the strongest member of the Divine Realm Empire's younger generation.