After Yu Tianheng released a blast of "Dragon's Wrath" through the sole of the severed leg strapped to the outside of Yu Tianxin's left leg, the arcs of electricity from his Dragon Transformation began to thin. Another ring of blood burst from his right calf, dripping down his trouser leg.
His right leg was completely ruined.
But in the arena, the attacks would never stop.
Yu Tianxin took over. Feeling the fresh heat of his younger cousin's blood against his left leg, he abruptly lit up his first and second Soul Rings:
"Thunderfall" and "Thunder Roar" were unleashed in succession.
Boom! They struck Xu Zi two and a half meters away.
Even lightning immunity had its limits. After being struck and subjected to electrical treatment for so long, Xu Zi could feel the surface of his skin going numb.
But he did not get up. Instead, he used his prone position to roll and spin on the spot, then propelled the Purple Sun behind him and hurled it out.
It was just like shot put in the real world.
Whoom!
The Purple Sun hurtled toward them, punching through "Thunderous Might" and "Thunder Roar" before colliding with a Thunder Dragon Claw from Yu Tianheng.
Deep purple light and flame nearly swallowed the Blue Lightning Twin Stars.
Throwing his Sun Martial Soul like a discus or shot put-Xu Zi had certainly found inventive ways to use this Martial Soul.
Having landed a hit, Xu Zi was not about to stand there foolishly and wait for the light, flames, and lightning to disperse.
He sprang forward, holding his elbows level at either side of his waist, and blazed a trail of amethyst rainbow light beneath the night sky.
This was the move that had instantly defeated Jin Yu.
If the Blue Lightning Twin Stars took this charge, they would very likely be left half-paralyzed on the spot.
But when he rushed into that mass of lightning, light, and flame, he found no one inside.
"Damn, not having an agility-attack Soul Skill cost me." Xu Zi instinctively looked up.
He saw the Twin Stars use "Blue Lightning Flying Dragon Rush" simultaneously, actually rising briefly into the air.
And the moment Xu Zi looked up...
Yu Tianheng swung Yu Tianxin around and hurled him down with all his strength, throwing his older cousin like a human projectile at Xu Zi below.
At that moment, Yu Tianxin's only usable palm, his right, erupted with the blue light of raging lightning...
Boom!
Another blast of "Dragon's Wrath." Xu Zi only managed half a step back before he was struck in the chest again.
At the same time, the other Twin Star landed close behind. Empowered by "Thunder's Wrath," he swung his only good leg low, sweeping it across the backs of Xu Zi's knees.
Caught between attacks from the front and back, Xu Zi was finally knocked down by brute force, his back slamming into the plaza floor.
The next second, the Blue Lightning Twin Stars coordinated, one grabbing his legs and the other clamping his shoulders, preparing to lift Xu Zi off the ground together and throw him out of the plaza.
Falling out of the Soul Fighting Plaza meant defeat. Those were the rules of team Soul Fighting matches.
Knowing how to use the rules was also a form of strength.
The chain of reversals in the arena left the spectators' hearts pounding.
It felt like riding a roller coaster. As the two sides repeatedly switched between attack and defense, the spectators' emotions rose and fell along with them.
Fortunately, as Xu Zi fell backward, he instinctively grabbed Yu Tianxin's right arm, pulling him into a stoop.
Now, that instinctive movement became the key to his counterattack.
His purple-gold claws dug into the blue-purple scales on the arm. Xu Zi yanked Yu Tianxin close, ignoring Yu Tianheng's Thunder Dragon Claw striking toward his face.
The inverted triangle formed by Xu Zi's eyes and the space between his brows abruptly furrowed into a dragon's brow. At such close range, a blast of "Will of Destruction" struck Yu Tianxin squarely in the face.
At that instant, Yu Tianxin happened to be in the weakened period after using "Dragon's Wrath." Taking the full brunt of the mental attack head-on, his eyes rolled back on the spot, and he staggered backward.
At that very moment, Yu Tianheng's "Thunder Dragon Claw" struck Xu Zi's right temple, sending him spinning a full circle on the ground.
But Xu Zi's Martial Soul was not only the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon. The Purple Sun that the Blue Lightning Twin Stars had deflected earlier happened to fall back to the ground now, returning to the Soul Master's control.
Blazing light and flame washed over Yu Tianheng. The Purple Sun struck him at once, knocking him backward to the ground and sending him tumbling head over heels several times.
Xu Zi tightened his grip on Yu Tianxin's right arm and hauled himself to his feet.
Pivoting half a turn on the spot, he used the unconscious Yu Tianxin as a weapon, swinging him in a broad circle before hurling him out with all his strength, returning Yu Tianheng's "human projectile" attack.
With a thud and crack, the cousins collided. Their scaled skin gave a muffled impact, and blood sprayed everywhere.
Xu Zi rubbed his right eye and shook his head, easing the dizziness at his right temple.
Now, lightning no longer flickered in the direction where the Blue Lightning Twin Stars had fallen.
Only now did Xu Zi have the leisure to stand still and look down at his chest.
There, after taking two blasts of "Dragon's Wrath," several amethyst dragon scales had begun to show signs of cracking.
"Striking the same spot-the principle of dripping water wearing through stone?"
Xu Zi smiled. "Interesting."
"A Dragon Transformation technique... Dragon's Wrath?"
Although his cultivation was only rank 37, the physical toughness he gained after Martial Soul Possession was enough to rival a rank 50 Defense System Soul Ancestor.
Yet now, four blasts of "Dragon's Wrath" in succession had actually broken through his defenses.
He could not help clicking his tongue in admiration. "What a fine secret technique. Tsk, I'm a little tempted."
The secret technique "Dragon Transformation" brought together the accumulated work and painstaking efforts of dozens of generations of the Blue Lightning Yu family.
Not only could it systematically transform the entire body into a dragon's, it even included "Dragon's Wrath," a move comparable to the "Great Sumeru Hammer."
How could a dragon Soul Master see it and not be tempted?
"Hrr..." His bright purple slit pupils lifted as Xu Zi thought to himself, Looks like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has given me another reason to wipe it out...
Xu Zi swept his gaze over the broken scales scattered across the ground, some blue and some purple.
It would be no exaggeration to say that a battle between dragons had just taken place here.
Five or six meters ahead to his right, the "Hengxin Combination" had already separated, the two lying collapsed in a heap, one atop the other.
Yu Tianheng's and Yu Tianxin's half-body Dragon Transformations had both been forcibly beaten out of them.
With their stamina and Soul Power exhausted, they could not even stand.
Both were now pale as paper, their breathing short.
Without Dragon Transformation suppressing their wounds, hideous gashes split open across their bodies, staining their academy team uniforms crimson.
Yu Tianxin in particular was bleeding from five orifices, looking utterly wretched.
The Blue Lightning Twin Stars' time in the arena had come to an end.
Yet neither looked dejected. Instead, their expressions revealed a sense of exhilaration... release.
Having fought to this point and knocked their powerful enemy down several times-
They had thoroughly preserved the prestige of the Blue Lightning Twin Stars and the reputations of Heaven Dou and the Thunder Team.
"Win our dignity back." That was the sole conviction behind their stubborn resistance despite their injuries. After all, they were dragon Soul Masters...
The pitch-black arena lit up again.
A squad of temple knights held up large torches, lining the plaza's perimeter and illuminating the entire Soul Fighting Plaza.
The judges rose as one, for today's round of ranking matches had reached its end.
The head referee stepped onto the Soul Fighting Plaza.
He raised Xu Zi's right hand high and announced loudly, "Spirit Hall Academy Second Team versus the teams of Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Thunder Academy."
"The final match of the second round-the Spirit Hall Academy Second Team wins!"
"Woohoo!" Seven cheers rang out from below the plaza, mixed with whistles.
After two days of being tempered by lightning, ice, and snow, the formerly lifeless team of young masters had finally had some enthusiasm hammered into them.