King of All Birds, Supreme Among Divine Beasts!

Standing at the center of the pressure, Chen Jin's robes did not so much as flutter.

The Nine-Heaven Divine Phoenix was the king of all birds, supreme among divine beasts.

Before the Nine-Heaven Divine Phoenix, the pressure of a lesser dragon was nothing more than a breeze brushing against his face.

"You'll pay for those words!"

Huo Wushuang stamped down hard, sending a dense web of cracks through the ground.

He shot straight toward Chen Jin like a cannonball from its barrel, tearing through the air.

Mid-charge, the first soul ring beneath Huo Wushuang's feet suddenly lit up, blazing brilliantly.

"Lie Yan Dragon Claw!"

Powerful soul power gathered in his right hand, forming a gigantic flaming dragon claw several meters across.

Made of pure, explosive flame, the dragon claw swept toward Chen Jin's head, blotting out the sky with a howl that tore through the air.

The extreme heat sent ripples through the space around it.

Loose stones on the ground crumbled to dust in the heat.

The watching Blazing Fire Academy students cried out in astonishment.

"Look! Senior Wushuang's third soul ring lit up!"

"He's using his third soul skill right off the bat! That's a thousand-year soul ring's skill!"

A sharp-eyed student pointed into the arena and shouted.

The purple soul ring beneath Huo Wushuang's feet shone brilliantly, doubling the size of the Lie Yan Dragon Claw.

Fiery power surged violently through the air.

"Senior Wushuang is serious. He isn't holding back."

"Using his third soul skill right from the start-how can that man in white possibly block it?"

Another student shook his head and sighed.

"Chen Jin's words just now must have angered Senior Wushuang."

"He's in trouble now. Taking that attack head-on will leave him badly injured, if it doesn't kill him."

Sighs and murmurs rose one after another through the crowd.

Huo Wu stood at the edge of the arena with her hands folded together, her beautiful eyes full of worry.

She had never imagined Huo Wushuang would use his strongest thousand-year soul skill.

The crimson claw closed in on Chen Jin.

Yet.

Standing at the center of the storm, Chen Jin remained calm.

Not even his gaze wavered.

When the Lie Yan Dragon Claw was only a few feet from Chen Jin.

The dazzling Phoenix Flame on Chen Jin's body erupted with a roar.

Gold-Red light soared into the sky, painting it in the colors of sunset.

An enormous, noble Phoenix Martial Soul took shape behind Chen Jin.

The Nine-Heaven Divine Phoenix spread its wings.

Its piercing Phoenix Cry rang through the clouds.

Terrifying pressure swept outward like a tsunami.

Huo Wushuang, the first to bear its brunt, turned pale.

Before the pressure of this divine beast, the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul behind Huo Wushuang trembled violently, showing faint signs of collapse.

This was absolute suppression from the very pinnacle of bloodlines.

"Th-this... what martial soul is this?!"

Towering waves surged through Huo Wushuang's heart. The contempt in his eyes vanished, leaving only horror.

Gold-Red flames blazed in Chen Jin's eyes.

He slowly raised his right hand.

Facing the oncoming Lie Yan Dragon Claw, he murmured:

"Heaven-Burning Lie Yan."

His words fell.

Boom!

The training ground split open.

Gold-Red flames erupted from countless cracks like a volcanic eruption.

The flames covered the entire training ground.

The instant Huo Wushuang's gigantic Lie Yan Dragon Claw touched the Gold-Red flames, it was like ice and snow meeting a branding iron.

It rapidly collapsed and vanished without a trace.

His soul skill had been forcibly broken.

Huo Wushuang suffered a backlash. A mouthful of blood surged into his throat, but he forced it back down.

Under the pressure of the Phoenix True Fire, the soul power within him fell into utter chaos, crashing about wildly.

In the arena.

Pillars of flame shot into the sky.

Gold-Red flames wreathed every inch of space, waves of heat rolling outward and turning the arena into a world like purgatory.

Everyone present was stunned.

"What a terrifying soul skill!"

"Th-this is really the power a level-thirty Soul Elder can unleash?!"

Their cries were drowned out by the roaring flames.

Huo Wushuang struggled to hold on at the center of the blaze.

That fire-attribute power crushed Huo Wushuang's flames like a force smashing rotten wood.

In the extreme heat, Huo Wushuang could not even muster his next soul skill.

The red-haired young man stared at the man in white standing unharmed amid the flames.

An overwhelming sense of helplessness rose within him.

With a single thought from his opponent, he would be reduced to ashes.

Standing in the sea of fire, Huo Wushuang could hold on no longer.

His legs gave way, and he collapsed unconscious.

Chen Jin waved his sleeve.

The Gold-Red flames filling the air contracted and flowed back into his body.

The entire arena returned to its former state.

The temperature rapidly dropped, leaving only the scorched ground as proof of everything that had just happened.

The entire arena was silent.

Every Blazing Fire Academy student stood rooted to the spot, their minds blank.

They could not believe it.

A level-forty-three Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor had been defeated in a single move by a level-thirty Soul Elder, in the very field he prided himself on.

Huo Wu stood frozen, her beautiful eyes wide.

Then she turned her gaze toward the center of the arena.

Chen Jin stood there quietly.

His white robes outshone snow, untouched by a speck of dust.

His expression was as serene as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, as though he had done something utterly insignificant.

The lingering sunset spilled over his handsome face.

Huo Wu's heart began to pound.

This was a true powerhouse.

Chen Jin stood at the center of the scorched arena.

The Gold-Red flames had dispersed, but a scorching, burnt smell still hung in the air.

The wind stirred the snowy-white hem of Chen Jin's robes.

His white clothes were as clean as new, untouched by the slightest dust.

Chen Jin began walking toward Huo Wushuang at an unhurried pace.

Every step was steady.

At that moment, Huo Wushuang lay on the charred ground.

His chest rose and fell as he gulped the searing air.

With his soul skill forcibly broken, the soul power inside him rampaged like wild horses freed of their reins, making his meridians ache.

Huo Wushuang struggled to brace both hands against the ground.

His arms trembled, his bones creaking under the strain.

Gritting his teeth, Huo Wushuang relied on his formidable willpower to rise shakily to his feet.

Though unsteady, he straightened his back.

Chen Jin stopped three paces in front of Huo Wushuang.

"Do I qualify?"

The words echoed across the silent training ground, reaching the ears of everyone present.

Huo Wushuang raised his head, his gaze shifting.

There was shock, defeat, and relief at having survived a catastrophe.

That Heaven-Burning Lie Yan had been terrifyingly powerful.

As a fire-attribute Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor, Huo Wushuang understood better than anyone the destructive power contained in those Gold-Red flames.

Had Chen Jin not withdrawn the flames' heat of his own accord at the final moment, he would never have gotten away with merely suffering a soul power backlash.

He would probably have turned to ash the moment he touched the flames.

His opponent had shown mercy.

He had displayed perfect control.

Huo Wushuang smiled bitterly.

The talent and strength he had once taken such pride in had been shattered.

He straightened his damaged red robe and brushed off the dust.

Then.

Huo Wushuang bowed deeply to Chen Jin.

"I was arrogant just now and gave offense. Please forgive me."

"..."

Huo Wushuang remained bowed, his tone sincere.

In the world of soul masters, the strong deserved respect.

All the more so for a powerhouse who possessed a top-tier martial soul and had shown mercy.