"I lost."
Seeing that his foot was almost beyond the boundary of the Martial Arts Arena, Shi Hao let out a deep sigh. His eyes filled with dejection as he spoke in a hoarse voice.
In that fierce battle, he had already given everything he had, driving his Martial Soul to its limit, yet Yang Chang'an had still kept him firmly suppressed.
Yang Chang'an was still immersed in the exhilarating battle, his blood still boiling. Hearing Shi Hao's words, he slowly eased off, letting the Soul Power swirling around him subside, and gently shook his head.
"You didn't lose, and I didn't win!"
It had looked as though he held an overwhelming advantage and had driven Shi Hao into a corner, but only Yang Chang'an knew that his Soul Power was nearly depleted. He had no strength left to press the attack.
Hearing this, Shi Hao gave a bitter smile, a jumble of emotions churning within him.
His Soul Power was a full two levels higher than Yang Chang'an's, and he was the successor his grandfather had painstakingly trained. As the heir to a Peak Douluo, he had always thought highly of himself and had virtually no rivals at his own level.
Now, even with his advantage in Soul Power Level, he had only barely managed a draw against Yang Chang'an. To him, that was no different from losing outright-in fact, it was even more humiliating.
With things as they were, Yang Chang'an and Shi Hao could only set aside their emotions for the moment. They each sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and circulated their Soul Power, making the most of the time to recover.
Only after quite a while did the two slowly open their eyes, having regained a little strength.
Jin Li'er, who had long been itching to join in, immediately rushed up to Yang Chang'an in excitement. Her eyes sparkled with fighting spirit as she called out breezily, "Come on, come on! Let's have a fight too!"
Watching that battle had set her blood boiling, and now she could no longer hold herself back.
Before Yang Chang'an could speak, Le Zhengxuan, who had just withdrawn her Martial Soul, frowned helplessly and intervened:
"He just finished a fight and used up so much Soul Power. His body hasn't even recovered yet. If you want to fight, it'll have to be another day."
Everyone else only saw that Yang Chang'an seemed to be in much better shape than Shi Hao. His expression was relatively composed, and he was not panting in exhaustion the way Shi Hao was. But Le Zhengxuan knew that the blood and energy inside him were surging violently, and his Soul Power was almost exhausted. Forget fighting-even circulating a little more Soul Power would put a considerable strain on him. This was no time for another battle.
Jin Li'er froze for a moment and instinctively looked at Yang Chang'an's face. Only then did she notice its barely perceptible pallor and his still-unsteady breathing. Immediately embarrassed, she scratched her head and gave a couple of awkward chuckles:
"Oh, so that's how it is. Forget it, then. Tomorrow it is! Once you've recovered tomorrow, we'll have a proper fight!"
Yang Chang'an gently exhaled a stale breath and nodded, answering evenly, "All right. Tomorrow, then."
Jin Li'er's Soul Power Level was at the peak of fifteen, a notch above Shi Hao's. Her Martial Soul was also the Golden Crocodile, which had virtually no weaknesses. With formidable defense and astonishing attack power, her strength surpassed Shi Hao's by more than one tier.
In his current state, with his oil spent and his lamp burning dry, never mind winning-he probably could not even last a few exchanges. Naturally, he would not rashly accept a fight.
Standing nearby, Qingyu also nodded silently. He, too, wanted very much to spar with Yang Chang'an, but Yang Chang'an was in such poor condition that a match would be unfair. He could only suppress his own fighting spirit.
At the back of the crowd, Niu Wenchuan's face was full of excitement. Although he did not know what Yang Chang'an had experienced last night, or why his strength had suddenly soared so much that he seemed like a different person, he knew one thing: Yang Chang'an was on their side. The stronger Yang Chang'an became, the greater the benefits for the families behind them, and the more secure their future standing in Spirit Hall would be.
Meanwhile, atop the distant Angel God Mountain, which towered into the clouds, several of Spirit Hall's Enshrined Douluos stood looking down, taking in everything in the Martial Arts Arena with perfect clarity.
Qianjun Douluo's face glowed with excitement. He slapped the shoulder of a burly man with a fleshy face beside him, each blow landing with a resounding thump, and laughed heartily:
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, what do you think? My disciple's pretty good, isn't he? He's gained this much strength in such a short time. His future is boundless! Hahaha!"
The man he was slapping was none other than Spirit Hall's Fourth Enshrined-Mighty Lion Douluo.
Mighty Lion Douluo stared speechlessly at the smug Qianjun Douluo. Unable to bear his boasting any longer, he abruptly stepped backward. Qianjun Douluo, who had been enthusiastically slapping away, suddenly struck empty air. Losing his balance, he nearly stumbled and fell on the spot, looking utterly comical.
"What are you so happy about?" Mighty Lion Douluo rolled his eyes and mercilessly undercut him:
"Did you actually train him yourself? You merely picked up someone ready-made, yet you have the nerve to claim credit here?"
To Qianjun Douluo, those words were pure jealousy-a classic case of impotent rage. He was not angry at all. Instead, he waved a hand and laughed without a care.
"It's all the same, all the same! As the saying goes, the master leads you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual! I pointed out the path ahead for him. Isn't that enough? Surely I deserve some of the credit!"
Seeing Sixth's shameless display, the other Enshrined beside him could not help laughing.
Light Feather Douluo, who had been the first to discover Yang Chang'an and could be considered the discerning judge who recognized his talent, leaned over with a smile and teased:
"Sixth, haven't you forgotten something important? If I hadn't taken a liking to that boy first, would you have anything to be so smug about today?"
Hearing this, Qianjun Douluo immediately grinned even wider and hurriedly nodded in agreement. "How could I forget? How could I forget! I must remember Fifth Brother's great kindness. Without my Fifth Brother, how could I have won so much!"
As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward Mighty Lion Douluo's tightly clenched left hand. He immediately reached over and pried it open, then snatched the Soul Tool ring inside with a beaming smile. After lightly sweeping it with his spiritual power, he could no longer conceal his delight.
For someone of his standing, these things hardly counted as valuable treasures. The crucial point was that he had won them from the notoriously stingy and competitive Mighty Lion Douluo. That alone was enough to keep him happy all night.
"Quick, say thank you!"
"Thank you, Fifth Brother!"
"Hahaha!"
Atop Angel God Mountain, the laughter of the Enshrined Douluos rose one after another, filling the air with merriment.
After they had joked and horsed around for a while, the Third Offering, Azure Luan Douluo, who had been standing silently nearby, finally spoke slowly, his tone growing more serious:
"Sixth, Yang Chang'an truly has both talent and a good disposition. Put more care into him from now on, and Xue'er will have another capable helper at her side in the future."
The smile on Qianjun Douluo's face slowly faded. He nodded solemnly, his gaze turning earnest.
"Don't worry, Third Brother."
"I've judged this boy correctly. He's sharp, understands the times, and knows what he should and shouldn't do. When faced with the right choice, he never hesitates. He's someone who can accomplish great things."
Azure Luan Douluo nodded gently. Having lived so many years and seen countless geniuses, he could naturally recognize that much. At the same time, he firmly believed that no one in this world would dare challenge Spirit Hall's authority, and Yang Chang'an would certainly be no exception.
Still, out of caution, he gave one more reminder in a low voice. "Whatever the case, there's no harm in being careful."
"Don't worry, Third Brother," Qianjun Douluo answered gravely, turning his gaze once more toward the Martial Arts Arena below and that straight-backed figure.
"This boy will surely become Spirit Hall's sharpest sword!"