Hearing the challenge from behind the shield formation, Xiao Xuan, standing in the middle of the arena, couldn't help laughing.
He had just been wondering how the two would attack, but he hadn't expected them to try this.
In that case...
Xiao Xuan wasted no words.
He swung his wrist forward, drawing a seemingly unremarkable crescent through the air with his spear. Carrying water force, it swept steadily sideways toward the brothers' enormous shields!
"This move?!"
Behind their heavy shields, the Shi Brothers both stared in surprise as they watched Xiao Xuan's movements.
They had expected that, if their opponent wanted to break through a joint heavy defense of their caliber, he would at least need to use some powerful, heavy thrust, or rely on his movement technique to strike the same point repeatedly at high speed.
Yet this sweep before them, though it contained water force, looked utterly powerless!
A test?
A smile appeared at the corner of Shi Mo's mouth.
But then.
The next second.
Rip-!!
The Shi Brothers' heavy shields, which were said to be impossible for anyone of the same rank to break through, didn't last even a second against Xiao Xuan's basic attack.
They shattered in an instant!
Bang-!
The crescent-shaped water force struck the Shi Brothers with two muffled thuds, and their protective Soul Power collapsed instantly!
Pfft-!
Shi Mo and Shi Mo spat out mouthfuls of blood at the same time, then flew backward.
Bang!
Bang!
Two deafening crashes rang out across the arena as their bodies hit the ground.
The brothers slid more than two zhang across the smooth floor tiles. Clutching their chests, their faces deathly pale, they couldn't get back up for a long while!
One move!
A single, seemingly casual, ordinary sweep had taken care of opponents renowned for their defense.
The entire arena fell silent for a second.
What was going on?!
What had just happened?!
Wasn't the Black Tortoise a top-tier defense-type Martial Soul? How had they failed to withstand even a single exchange?!
Clatter!
In the VIP seats, Yu Tianheng shuddered violently and sprang to his feet from the sofa, disbelief written all over him!
No one knew better than the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team how powerful the Black Tortoise Martial Soul's defense was!
It was no exaggeration to say it was difficult for anyone of the same rank to break through, much less when the brothers defended together. Had he faced them himself, he would have had no chance of breaking through.
But that Xiao Xuan...
Had used only one move?
He hadn't even activated a Soul Ring?!
Damn it, what exactly was his Martial Soul?
Was a mutated Lone Bamboo Martial Soul really that strong?
While Yu Tianheng sat there, utterly despondent, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were more excited than each other.
Dugu Yan clapped vigorously, her deep emerald phoenix eyes sparkling with wonder. When she heard the announcer declare that Xiao Xuan had achieved twenty consecutive victories, she leaped to her feet in excitement.
"I knew it! Even the Shi Brothers couldn't stop little brother Xiao Xuan!"
Beside her, Ye Lingling covered her mouth and laughed. "If Teacher Qin Ming had seen this match himself, he'd probably be begging junior Xiao Xuan to join the official team!"
The spectators erupted as well.
"He... he won! With just one move!"
"I made a fortune! I bet everything I had on Xiao Xuan!"
"Damn it! What bullshit strongest defense? They couldn't even block one spear strike? Couldn't they at least have blocked one move?! I bet on Xiao Xuan winning after five moves!"
Before long, news that Xiao Xuan had defeated the Shi Brothers in one move and secured twenty consecutive victories had spread throughout Heaven Dou City's noble circles.
The Heaven Dou Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, the study.
Sandalwood incense curled through the air, and candlelight glowed softly.
"Xue Qinghe," dressed in a plain gold robe, sat upright behind a red sandalwood desk, his long, fair fingers gently turning through the lines of a confidential report.
The young man had a gentle, refined face, and his brows and eyes held the modesty and composure characteristic of imperial nobility. Only in the depths of his deep golden-brown eyes did a nearly imperceptible hint of authority and sharpness occasionally flash.
"A level-thirty Soul Elder wielding mutated Lone Bamboo swept through the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena without revealing a single Soul Ring..."
Xue Qinghe closed the file, an intrigued smile curling at his lips:
"He even sliced through the Shi brothers' two Black Tortoise Shields, said to have no flaws against anyone of the same rank, as though his spear were cutting tofu."
"It's been a long time since I last saw such an interesting young freak."
After pondering for a moment, Xue Qinghe ordered someone to send out an invitation.
The following afternoon.
A carriage of understated luxury came to a smooth stop before the side gate of a secluded waterside residence in Heaven Dou City.
The carriage curtain lifted, and Xiao Xuan stepped down.
Led respectfully by an attendant, Xiao Xuan passed through covered corridors and waterside pavilions before walking straight into an elegantly furnished audience hall.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had long been waiting in the seat of honor.
When Xiao Xuan entered the hall, Xue Qinghe put on none of the airs of a crown prince. Instead, he greeted him with a gentle smile as refreshing as a spring breeze:
"You're Xiao Xuan, the one who won twenty consecutive matches, aren't you? Now that I've met you, you truly are extraordinary."
Xiao Xuan cupped his hands and replied, neither servile nor overbearing:
"Greetings, Your Highness. I'm just a commoner who had a bit of good luck."
"Luck? You broke through the Black Tortoise's absolute defense with one spear strike. That's more than just a bit of luck!"
Xue Qinghe had previously sent people to recruit the two Shi brothers, but they had thought that by following Yu Tianheng, they had latched onto the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's thigh, and had scoffed at the recruitment offer.
Seeing the brothers suffer a setback now put Xue Qinghe in an excellent mood.
Then Xue Qinghe smiled freely and raised a hand, inviting Xiao Xuan to take a guest seat.
After a maid served warm tea, Xue Qinghe dispensed with too much roundabout probing. His clear eyes met Xiao Xuan's, and his tone was sincere and direct:
"I, Qinghe, have always admired people of genuine ability throughout the world. The imperial court is embroiled in turmoil, and this is precisely when we thirst for talent.
"If you are willing to enter the service of my Eastern Palace, it can do everything in its power to provide you with all the resources you need from now on."
Faced with such an enormous olive branch offered by the empire's esteemed crown prince, an ordinary commoner Soul Master would probably already have bowed in submission, overcome with excitement.
Xiao Xuan, however, remained calm, showing little reaction.
"I am deeply honored by Your Highness's thirst for talent. However, I am devoted to cultivation and breaking through my limits, and have never had great ambitions for officialdom or political scheming."
"However..."
"If Your Highness is truly willing to lend Xiao Xuan a hand, there are indeed two pressing matters with which I currently need your help."
Seeing that Xiao Xuan was not the least bit ill at ease and had instead calmly stated his conditions on the spot, Xue Qinghe's eyes flashed with a nearly imperceptible glimmer.
"Oh? Speak freely. Within Heaven Dou's borders, there aren't too many things that can stump me."
Xiao Xuan nodded, then said:
"I need to gather information on wild Lone Bamboo that is over two thousand years old but under four thousand."
"Not just in the Soul Hunting provinces throughout the Heaven Dou Empire-even leads from the Star Luo Empire's borders or deep within remote ancient mountain ranges will do. I need at least two pieces of information."
Hearing this request, Xue Qinghe's hand paused slightly around his teacup, and his brows rose a little.
Lone Bamboo over two thousand years old?
As a well-informed imperial crown prince, Xue Qinghe had read the Spirit Hall's records extensively and knew that Lone Bamboo belonged to one of the most ordinary, even rather weak, branches of plant-type Soul Beasts.
Even plant-type Soul Masters generally preferred to seek vines with powerful entangling abilities or venomous plants with potent toxins for their Second and Third Soul Rings.
What on earth did he want with this obscure, aged hard bamboo?