At Spirit Hall Academy's midterm tournament, the crowd buzzed with excitement as the host shouted from the stage.
"Next, I hereby declare that the final of this year's Midterm Assessment for this grade, Lu Yuan versus Xie Yue, officially begins!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, cheers rose from the stands.
"Big Brother, Little Yuan, do your best, both of you!"
Hu Liena cheered for both of them, while Yan, another member of the Golden Generation, also rooted for Xie Yue from the stands.
"Xie Yue, you have to beat Lu Yuan!"
Although he had lost to Xie Yue again in the semifinals, Yan still prayed that Xie Yue would defeat Lu Yuan and at least win back a little face for him.
"Yan!"
Hu Liena looked at Yan with a hint of anger.
"Lu Yuan is our companion too." Hu Liena pouted as she spoke, watching Yan scratch the back of his head in a fluster.
"Nana, I..."
On the arena platform, Lu Yuan and Xie Yue faced each other, both taking up fighting stances.
"Lu Yuan, do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?"
"Then let's fight!"
Lu Yuan made no attempt to hide his eagerness to face Xie Yue either. After all, Xie Yue was the strongest opponent he had encountered since becoming a Soul Master.
Neither the six-year-olds Tang San and Xiao Wu, nor the fourteen-year-old Hu Liena, nor Yan, who was fifteen like Xie Yue, could match him.
This white-haired young man had kept pace in cultivation with Yan, a genius his own age, while also finding time to develop a Self-Created Soul Skill and practice a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Hu Liena. He could truly be called a genius among geniuses.
Xie Yue's overflowing talent surpassed that of most of the Shrek Seven Devils. If he had consumed an immortal herb too, he might have had a chance to glimpse the path to godhood.
"Xie Yue. Martial Soul: Moon Blade. Level thirty-two Power Attack System Soul Elder."
"Lu Yuan. Martial Soul: Meowmeow. Level thirty Control System Soul Grandmaster."
Green light flashed beside Lu Yuan again, and Meowmeow appeared in its evolved Meowth form.
The first soul rings beneath their feet lit up simultaneously. Naturally, Lu Yuan immediately applied a Photosynthesis Mark to his Meowmeow to continuously replenish its soul power.
As coincidence would have it, Xie Yue's first Soul Skill was also a self-enhancement skill, boosting his attack power and speed.
Xie Yue's gaze sharpened, and he shouted!
"Second Soul Skill, Thrust!"
Xie Yue instantly vanished from where he stood. Sensing danger, Lu Yuan immediately activated the stamina system, consuming stamina to move away with Meowmeow.
Bang!
Xie Yue suddenly appeared behind Lu Yuan's original position and slashed at the spot he had just occupied.
"That was close."
Lu Yuan took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.
This Thrust already bore traces of the Soul Skill Instant Teleportation, with a slash powered by rapid movement added on top. Anyone without sufficient agility could easily be defeated by Xie Yue in a single strike right at the start.
"Just as I thought, Lu Yuan. You're not that easy to deal with."
Xie Yue kept his eyes fixed on Lu Yuan, who did not let his guard down either.
Over the next few exchanges, the two watched each other closely. Whenever Xie Yue used Thrust, Lu Yuan used the stamina system to dash in a random direction.
Xie Yue could not predict where those random dashes would take Lu Yuan, leaving him unable to land a hit.
The battle remained deadlocked, and the spectators below watched with rapt attention, sweat pouring down their foreheads.
They feared that even the slightest lapse would make them miss the instant when the balance tipped and victory was decided.
"Thrust!"
Xie Yue suddenly shouted, startling Lu Yuan into immediately consuming stamina and dashing away without choosing his path.
This time, however, Xie Yue did not move with his shout and dash toward Lu Yuan with a slash as he had before.
Instead, he paused, the corner of his mouth lifting as he watched Lu Yuan emerge from his dash.
"Lu Yuan, you fell for it."
Seizing the instant when Lu Yuan was briefly unable to move after his dash, Xie Yue swung the Moon Blades in both arms and began spinning at high speed as he charged toward him.
Lu Yuan's pupils trembled!
This is... Xie Yue's Self-Created Soul Skill, Full Moon!
Xie Yue was a gifted Soul Master. Like Feng Xiaotian, who had researched the Gale Demon Wolf Consecutive Slashes, he had begun developing his own Self-Created Soul Skill at a young age.
This was Full Moon.
More importantly, Xie Yue had not squandered his cultivation talent on his Self-Created Soul Skill. Despite being three years younger than Feng Xiaotian, his soul power level was nearly ten levels higher.
The Self-Created Soul Skill Gale Demon Wolf Consecutive Slashes was stronger than Full Moon. If Feng Xiaotian continued developing it, it might well evolve into a world-renowned Self-Created Soul Skill like the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, one of the Clear Sky Sect's three supreme arts.
But judging by Feng Xiaotian's and Xie Yue's current circumstances, the trade-off was hardly worthwhile.
And although Full Moon was somewhat inferior, that depended on what it was being compared with. In the original timeline, Xie Yue had used this very move to defeat a level sixty-eight high-ranking Soul Emperor approaching Soul Saint, despite having only just become a Soul King himself.
Did my arrival make Xie Yue finish this Self-Created Soul Skill ahead of time, or was it really just such a coincidence that I became the first to taste it?
Lu Yuan shook his head. There was no time now to ask Xie Yue when he had completed the initial form of his Self-Created Soul Skill, Full Moon.
Xie Yue spun his Moon Blades like an enormous lunar disc, red-and-white blades of soul power whirling around him as he hurtled toward Lu Yuan like a gigantic, razor-sharp top.
The attack covered such a wide area that even if Lu Yuan immediately consumed stamina to dash away, the edge of Full Moon would still breach his defenses.
This move could defeat an enemy an entire major rank above him. Its power already rivaled that of an ordinary Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Lu Yuan had no desire to test its power with his own flesh.
Lu Yuan released his Grappling Hook, caught hold of the air, and pulled himself into the sky. In the end, Xie Yue's Full Moon struck nothing.
"Thank goodness Little Yuan is all right."
Hu Liena wiped the sweat from her brow, immensely relieved. She dared not imagine how horrifying it would have been if her brother's Full Moon had struck Lu Yuan head-on, sending flesh and blood flying.
Nana, whose side are you on, anyway? Lu Yuan's opponent is your own brother! Damn it, why didn't Xie Yue's move defeat Lu Yuan outright? This is so frustrating. That brat is always so good at dodging and hiding.
Yan grumbled inwardly, sulking on his own. Afraid of angering Hu Liena, he did not dare say any of it to her face.
In the viewing stands, besides the entire faculty and student body of Spirit Hall Academy, there was also a purple-curtained enclosure. Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, and Qian Renxue sat within it, watching this final sparring match between Lu Yuan and Xie Yue.
The specially made curtains prevented those outside from discerning the identities of the people within, while the three inside could clearly see Lu Yuan and Xie Yue engaged in their Soul Master duel on the platform.
"So this is the little rascal who stole my granddaughter's heart."
A trace of displeasure slipped across Qian Daoliu's face. Beside him, Qian Renxue clung to his arm and leaned against her grandfather as she said with a smile:
"Well, Grandfather? Lu Yuan is quite strong, isn't he? If he comes with Xiao Xue to the Heaven Dou Empire, he'll surely become a powerful right-hand man for Xiao Xue, and even for Spirit Hall in the future."
Listening to Qian Renxue praise Lu Yuan, Qian Daoliu nodded, but inwardly he sighed.
"What a pity..."