Hu Fangyuan moved on the arena.
Two deep-yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, their halos steady, without the slightest flicker.
Water Refining Azure Furnace.
Fire-Refined Scarlet Force.
Both Soul Skills activated at once.
Hu Fangyuan raised both hands.
Three perfectly round balls of water instantly floated up on either side of his body, then burst apart with a boom.
"Whoosh-"
Water surged, forming a curved curtain twenty feet wide that slammed down over Jialong, who was charging at the very front.
The water curtain was not heavy, but it was dense enough. Mixed with bubbles and fine dust swept up from the ground, it splashed all over Jialong's face.
Jialong was charging hard when his vision instantly turned a muddy gray-white. He grunted and instinctively jerked his head aside, trying to shake the water off his face, but his feet never stopped. He kept charging forward by feel.
But Hu Fangyuan gave him no time to react.
The five fingers of his right hand abruptly clenched.
Inside the water curtain, three thumb-thick undercurrents accelerated simultaneously from different angles. The outer layer was all turbulent currents, bubbles, and muddy mist, noisy and murky enough to conceal every movement; the three streams within, however, were as dense as steel cables and blindingly fast, heading straight for the joints of his knee, ankle, and elbow.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
The three dull impacts almost overlapped.
The three undercurrents burst against his joints simultaneously. They did not carry enormous force, but their angles were viciously precise.
Jialong's left leg buckled, instantly checking his charge. His right foot instinctively tried to brace and steady him, but Hu Fangyuan had already quietly spread a thin film of water over the ground. His foot slipped, and his entire body went straight from "charging forward" to "pitching forward."
His massive body toppled forward with terrifying momentum. At that moment, the water curtain gathered around him, the entire mass enveloping his head and pouring into his mouth and nose.
Jialong gave a muffled roar, grabbing and tearing wildly with both hands, but water had neither fixed shape nor substance. He could neither catch it nor tear it apart.
Hu Fangyuan retreated half a step and gently pressed his left hand downward.
The water film beneath Jialong's feet abruptly gathered into a low, slanting wave and shoved his supporting leg hard from the side.
He had already been on the verge of losing his balance. With that shove, his entire body went flying sideways. His shoulder smashed through a row of stone railings at the arena's edge, and he rolled into the broken bricks outside.
The water curtain slowly dispersed.
Jialong lay among the broken bricks, coughing up water, blood from his neck trickling down with the mud. He braced his arms to climb up, but his knees buckled twice, sending him crashing heavily back down.
Only a few seconds had passed from start to finish.
Jialong, the first to charge, had been slapped straight out.
But the battle never stopped.
The instant Jialong hit the ground, Lin Zunyuan moved in the rear.
He pointed his Staff forward, and pale-red amplification light fell upon Jialong again-his first Soul Skill, Strength Amplification, could continuously bolster his teammates' offense and defense.
Mosi and Wang Haoxuan immediately sprang into action.
Mosi leveled his short sword and activated his first Soul Skill, Gale Slash. His body skimmed diagonally just above the ground, his short sword trailing an arc of azure light as it sliced straight toward Hu Fangyuan's left ribs. He was as fast as a gust of wind, seeking to use the opening while Jialong was down to close in and disrupt Hu Fangyuan's rhythm.
Wang Haoxuan ducked low and slipped into the shadows to the side. Activating his first Soul Skill, Shadow Strike, he followed the shadows around toward Hu Fangyuan's right rear, his twin short blades gleaming black as he silently approached the center of his back.
One on the left and one on the right, one in front and one behind, the two sought to buy Jialong time to get up.
Unfortunately... Hu Fangyuan would never give either of them a chance to get close.
Almost the very instant the two moved.
Hu Fangyuan traced a circle with his left hand.
The water swirling around him instantly spread out, forming a waist-high ring that rapidly expanded along the ground.
Wherever the water ring passed, it immediately coated the ground with a film of water, both slippery and sticky.
Mosi charged fastest. The moment he stepped on the water film, his foot slipped. He hurriedly twisted at the waist to steady himself, but Gale Slash immediately slowed by half a beat.
That half beat was enough.
Hu Fangyuan pointed with his right hand.
Three water blades rose out of nowhere from the water ring, slashing horizontally at Mosi's upper, middle, and lower body.
The water blades were as thin as cicada wings, so fast they left three white streaks.
Mosi's pupils abruptly contracted. He hurriedly chopped and blocked with his short sword.
Clang, clang, clang!
Three sharp clashes rang out in succession.
The water blades struck his sword. Their force was not great, but they carried a sticky resilience. Mosi felt his arm sink, and his short sword nearly flew from his hand. His charge was stopped completely, and he staggered back two steps.
He had only just steadied himself.
Dozens of Fire Needles abruptly descended from overhead.
It was Fire-Refined Scarlet Force.
The Fire Needles were as fine as ox hairs, densely packed as they blanketed the space above Mosi's head.
Mosi hurriedly swung his sword to block.
Ting, ting, ting, ting, ting!
A flurry of tiny collisions rang out together. Sparks flew everywhere.
Though the Fire Needles were small, their force was heavy. With every one he blocked, his arm grew heavier. After only a few, his arm was already aching.
On the other side, Wang Haoxuan's Shadow Strike had arrived as well.
He had just crept within thirty feet behind Hu Fangyuan and raised his twin short blades.
Hu Fangyuan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
He flung his right hand backward.
A wall of fire spread along the ground with a roar, stretching across his rear.
The flames instantly leaped higher than a person, their heat astonishing.
Wang Haoxuan's charge faltered, and he forcibly stopped in his tracks. Another half step forward, and he would plunge headfirst into the wall of fire.
He hurriedly dodged sideways.
But the wall of fire seemed to have eyes, shifting sideways along with him.
Not only that, tongues of flame kept curling from its edges, licking toward wherever he moved.
Wang Haoxuan dodged again and again, the stealthy rhythm of Shadow Strike utterly disrupted.
In front, the water ring was still expanding.
In the rear, Lin Zunyuan frowned.
He was only a support-type Soul Master, without any offensive Soul Skills, and could only help his teammates through amplification. But now Mosi was pinned down by Fire Needles, Wang Haoxuan was blocked by the wall of fire and unable to close in, and Jialong was still crawling on the ground.
If this went on, they would be defeated one by one.
Lin Zunyuan swept his Staff, and two rays of amplification light fell upon Mosi and Wang Haoxuan respectively.
"Charge through! Get close to him!" Lin Zunyuan's face was pale, but he still shouted sternly.
Bolstered by the amplification, Mosi rallied. He flicked his short sword upward, sweeping aside the Fire Needles overhead, then drove off his feet and forcibly charged across the water film.
Wang Haoxuan also gritted his teeth. Shielding his face with his twin short blades, he forced his way along the edge of the flames, trying to circle around the side.
Both exerted themselves at once, closing in again from left and right.
Jialong finally climbed out of the broken bricks as well. With the amplification on him, he shook his head, let out a wolfish howl, and charged again.
The three-sided encirclement took shape once more.
Hu Fangyuan stood where he was, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Want to get close?
He clapped his hands together.
"Water Tornado!"
The water ring abruptly contracted.
All the water on the ground instantly gathered back, spinning madly around Hu Fangyuan!
The water spun faster and faster, rising higher and higher. In the blink of an eye, it formed a Water Tornado taller than a person. The muddy water swept up gravel and debris, howling as it forcibly kept the three charging men outside.
Jialong was at the very front and crashed headfirst into the Water Tornado.
"Bang!"
The water slammed into his chest, its tremendous rotational force twisting painfully against him. He growled and crossed his arms to brace himself, but his feet still slid backward involuntarily. His soles scraped two long trails through the water film.
Mosi and Wang Haoxuan approached from left and right. They had barely reached the Water Tornado's edge when its spinning currents battered them, forcing their heads aside repeatedly. The rhythms of Gale Slash and Shadow Strike were instantly churned to pieces.
Before any of the three could respond.
"Disperse."
Hu Fangyuan spoke lightly.
The Water Tornado exploded outward!
Countless streams became countless water arrows, bursting in every direction.
The impact struck all three squarely in the face.
All three shut their eyes, turned their heads, and raised their arms to shield their faces. Their bodies involuntarily staggered backward again and again.
They had only just opened their eyes.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Three water whips condensed out of thin air, cutting through the air with piercing whistles as they lashed toward Jialong, Mosi, and Wang Haoxuan respectively, striking high, middle, and low.
The water whips were heavy and resilient, so fast they left three white trails.
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