The afternoon sunlight spilled warmly over the Training Camp's Martial Arts Arena. All the trainees stopped what they were doing in unison, craning their necks to gaze curiously toward the very center of the arena.
Standing there were the two stars of today's duel-Yang Chang'an and Shi Hao.
These two were widely recognized as the Training Camp's strongest fighters. Their strength left the other trainees far behind, and they were always the center of attention.
Especially lately, whenever Yang Chang'an fought Shi Hao, anyone with eyes could see that he was constantly on the back foot, pinned down under Shi Hao's attacks.
Even so, Yang Chang'an was still far stronger than every other trainee in the camp. He was unquestionably one of its most formidable fighters.
At that moment, Yang Chang'an stared sharply at Shi Hao opposite him. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes, only fiercely burning battle intent. In the next instant, a dense black light flashed over his body, and the pitch-black Soul Breaking Spear, radiating a razor-sharp edge, appeared in his hand.
With the manifestation of his martial soul, Yang Chang'an's presence erupted in full. An aura that seemed ready to battle heaven and earth and pierce through anything surged outward in every direction, weighing heavily on the watching trainees.
Just the night before, Yang Chang'an had spent the entire night cultivating alone and consolidating his gains, deepening his understanding of his Soul Breaking Spear considerably.
Previously, his spear techniques had always felt somewhat sluggish and awkward, and he had been unable to bring many moves to their fullest potential. But after a night of refinement, his understanding had advanced another step, making every move clearer and more fluid.
Standing opposite him, Shi Hao could clearly sense this aura. It resembled what he had felt in their previous clashes, but it was more forceful and sharper now. His relaxed expression immediately grew a little solemn, and he no longer dared to be careless.
Then a dazzling blaze erupted from Shi Hao's body as well. Lie Yan Mad Lion Possession!
An utterly savage aura of flame instantly filled the arena. Scorching heat washed over the spectators, baking the surrounding air as it crashed into the aura of Yang Chang'an's Soul Breaking Spear. For a moment, even the currents above the Martial Arts Arena seemed to churn chaotically.
Seeing Shi Hao's martial soul possession, Yang Chang'an's gaze sharpened abruptly. Without the slightest hesitation, he stamped hard against the ground with the Soul Breaking Spear in hand and shot straight toward Shi Hao like an arrow loosed from its bow.
The Soul Breaking Spear's defining traits were high offense and weak defense, an extreme imbalance between attack and protection. In that case, he would simply abandon defense, devote everything to the strongest attacks, and crush his opponent with the most overwhelming spear techniques!
Shi Hao's eyes narrowed when he saw Yang Chang'an choose such a direct, forceful approach. The Soul Breaking Spear in Yang Chang'an's hand was now far sharper than it had been in their previous fights. Even from several meters away, he could feel needlelike stings across his skin, as though the spear tip were about to slice it open.
Shi Hao dared not be careless. He immediately roared, soul power surging wildly throughout his body. Raging flames erupted and engulfed him, their scorching heat making even the surrounding air warp slightly.
In the next instant, Shi Hao swung his right arm fiercely. His claw whistled through the air, sweeping toward the charging Yang Chang'an with the force to tear everything apart.
Clang!
The tip of the Soul Breaking Spear slammed into the enormous flaming claw with a deafening metallic crash. The piercing sound made the watching trainees cover their ears.
The force of the collision exploded outward. Yang Chang'an was driven back three steps before barely steadying himself. Shi Hao, however, staggered back five steps and nearly fell flat on his backside.
After regaining his footing, Shi Hao looked down at his right hand in disbelief. A vivid red gash stood out clearly across his palm, blood slowly seeping from it.
Before this, Yang Chang'an had not even been able to break through his defenses without using the Soul Breaking Spear Technique. Yet now, in their very first exchange, he had suffered such a heavy setback that Yang Chang'an's spear had cut his hand!
Everyone watching instinctively cried out at the sight, their faces filled with shock.
None of them had imagined that, right at the start of the fight, Yang Chang'an-who had always been on the losing end-would seize the upper hand and drive back Shi Hao, the one who had always suppressed him!
In the crowd, Jin Li'er's eyes went round, blazing with excitement as she stared fixedly at Yang Chang'an in the arena. She could not help murmuring, "Yes, just like that! Now that's an opponent who can fight me! The Yang Chang'an who kept getting beaten back wasn't worthy of being my opponent at all!"
Standing beside Jin Li'er, Le Zhengxuan instinctively turned to glance at Qingyu nearby. Qingyu's brows were tightly knitted, his expression somewhat grave. Clearly, he had never expected Yang Chang'an to improve so astonishingly after just one night apart. It was as though he had become a different person.
Yang Chang'an had no time to pay attention to the spectators' shock or chatter. He knew only to press his advantage. His feet moved again, carrying him straight back into close range, his Soul Breaking Spear pointed directly at Shi Hao. His black clothes snapped in the rushing air as an overbearing aura of invincibility soared skyward.
This time, Yang Chang'an's spear technique had changed completely.
Gone was his previous flexible, ever-changing approach. Instead, every move was incomparably fierce, every strike a head-on clash without a trace of flourish. He was using offense as defense, breaking brute strength with a keen edge.
Straight thrusts, chopping blows, rising flicks, sweeping strikes... move followed move without pause, spear shadows filling the air. Every strike carried power far beyond his level as it hammered toward Shi Hao.
Shi Hao's temper flared under the onslaught as well. He roared again and again, his face filled with ferocity.
He drove his Lie Yan Mad Lion martial soul madly, sending a skyful of flaming claw shadows crashing toward Yang Chang'an. Flames and spear shadows collided relentlessly, explosions ringing out one after another.
For a time, the two fought fiercely at the center of the Martial Arts Arena, neither able to break away from the other. They moved so fast that only afterimages remained, leaving the watching trainees crying out nonstop, their mouths never closing.
"Heavens! Yang Chang'an's improving way too fast!"
"Is the Sixth Enshrined really that good at teaching? We haven't seen Yang Chang'an for just one night, and he's already reached this level?"
Standing in the crowd, Jin Li'er watched Yang Chang'an sweep all before him in the arena. She, too, could not help widening her eyes and exclaiming in wonder, her face full of disbelief.
Hearing this, Qingyu rolled his eyes speechlessly, unwilling to waste his breath explaining things to that silly girl.
They were all from the Worship Hall. How could they not know one another? Even if he did not know every detail of Qianjun Douluo's teaching abilities, he had at least heard something about them.
At most, Qianjun Douluo had opened the right path of cultivation for Yang Chang'an and pointed him in the proper direction. The real reason Yang Chang'an could make such terrifying progress lay within himself.
The foundation Yang Chang'an had laid was simply too good, solid to a frightening degree. Combined with his Soul Breaking Spear's innate rank-nine quality and its inherently overwhelming offensive power, his current performance was hardly surprising.
Standing on the other side, Niu Wenchuan was so excited that his face flushed crimson. His hands clenched into tight fists, and his body trembled slightly.
Shi Hao was a rank-fifteen Soul Master with a top-tier martial soul of his own. His family's martial tradition was also exceptional, making him an incredibly powerful fighter.
Yet against such an opponent, Yang Chang'an did not fall behind in the slightest and even seemed to hold a faint advantage. This exceeded everyone's expectations and left Niu Wenchuan, who had always believed in Yang Chang'an, beside himself with excitement.
In the Martial Arts Arena, the battle grew increasingly tense, and both fighters were consuming more and more soul power.
Yang Chang'an's storm of attacks pressed Shi Hao so hard that he could barely breathe, and even the flames around him had dimmed somewhat. Unable to keep his composure any longer, his eyes turned ruthless, and his soul ring blazed with light!
"First Soul Skill-Unmatched by Thousands!"
As he unleashed his soul skill, Shi Hao's aura instantly surged. With a furious roar, he hurled a punch charged with savage power straight at Yang Chang'an. This blow concentrated every ounce of his strength!
"First Soul Skill-Pierce!"
Yang Chang'an gave a low shout, driving the Soul Breaking Spear fiercely toward Shi Hao's claw radiance with penetrating force that could pierce anything.
This time, both unleashed their full power without holding anything back!
Boom!
The spear tip crashed into the flaming fist radiance, and a deafening blast erupted.
Then Shi Hao felt a terrifying, utterly merciless penetrating force punch straight through his layer upon layer of flame defenses and rush along his claw radiance toward his face!
Shi Hao's expression changed drastically. He frantically circulated all his soul power and crossed his arms tightly in front of his face.
In the next instant, an enormous force slammed into his arms, lifting him off his feet and hurling him far away in an arc through the air.
While airborne, Shi Hao gritted his teeth and circulated his soul power to steady himself. He twisted sharply in midair and landed heavily on both feet at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, barely managing to stop.
But the moment he steadied himself, a coppery sweetness rose in his throat. He could not suppress a muffled grunt, and a bright red trickle of blood slowly ran from the corner of his mouth. He looked thoroughly battered.
More shocking still were the two horrifying wounds on the arms he had crossed to block, each deep enough to expose bone. Blood flowed constantly from them, staining his sleeves red. Clearly, he was badly injured.
Yang Chang'an, by contrast, still stood firmly where he was, holding the Soul Breaking Spear in silence, his figure straight as a pine.
The Soul Breaking Spear in his hand hummed softly without pause. The collision had split the web between his thumb and forefinger, and blood trickled slowly down the shaft. His face was also slightly pale from the heavy expenditure of soul power, but his eyes shone with startling brilliance, as though they burned with a battle intent that would never die.