The reason Xu Tianyi dared to take on five opponents alone was his first Soul Skill, "Dragon Brilliant Flash."
With speed and strength far beyond those of Soul Masters below rank twenty, he believed that even against multiple opponents, he could end the battle like a gale sweeping away rotten wood.
Now the battle had indeed ended like a gale sweeping away rotten wood, but Xu Tianyi himself was the one who had been swept away.
The moment the spear tip stopped before his throat, Xu Tianyi's pupils contracted slightly.
He stared at that pinpoint of cold light, his breath catching. His dragon-transformed right arm remained poised to attack, yet it could not advance another fraction.
I lost!
I lost utterly and completely!
Cheers and chatter rose from outside the Soul Fighting Arena, yet those sounds seemed incredibly distant to Xu Tianyi.
All he could hear was his own heavy breathing and the pounding of blood against his eardrums.
He refused to accept it!
The pride of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon boiled in his blood, and the muscles beneath his dragon scales remained taut with fighting spirit.
He did not even have the courage to say something like "Let's fight again" to Kong Xuan.
Because Kong Xuan had defeated him without even using a Soul Skill. Precisely because he understood his own strength, he knew all the better how terrifying Kong Xuan was.
Now he also understood why their homeroom teacher had singled Kong Xuan out earlier. This was the strongest of the twenty-five students in their class.
Xu Tianyi stared fixedly at Kong Xuan, his throat working as though he wanted to say something.
In the end, however, he merely withdrew his dragon-transformed right arm slowly.
"Excellent spearmanship!"
His voice was low, every word seeming to squeeze out through clenched teeth.
Kong Xuan's expression remained calm as he slowly withdrew the Atlas Spear. Beneath the sunlight, its crystalline shaft looked even more translucent and lustrous, its sharpness held in check.
He glanced at Xu Tianyi and said evenly, "You let me win."
Those casually spoken words made Xu Tianyi's chest tighten.
Of course he knew Kong Xuan had not meant to mock him, but it was precisely that calmness that made it even harder to accept.
Was I not even qualified to make him take me seriously?
Naturally, Kong Xuan had no idea what Xu Tianyi was thinking at that moment. Otherwise, he would certainly have been unable to resist a laugh. "You're overthinking it."
Of course, Kong Xuan had not refrained from using his Soul Skills because he looked down on his opponent.
Rather, after learning what his opponent's Soul Skill was, he had already formed a plan for their ensuing exchange.
Xu Tianyi had received instruction from renowned teachers since childhood, but Kong Xuan had spent two years practicing the spear under the Sea God Pavilion Master from ten thousand years in the future.
If he could not even defeat the one-ring Xu Tianyi with his spearmanship, that would truly have been embarrassing!
The clamor outside the arena gradually faded. Xu Tianyi took a deep breath and suppressed his surging emotions.
The dragon scales on his right arm slowly receded, but the sluggishness that followed the battle would not go away.
Their homeroom teacher, Ren Jun, who had been serving as referee in midair, landed in the Soul Fighting Arena and announced loudly, "The winner of this Soul Fighting match is Kong Xuan's side!"
Ren Jun's eyes shone as he looked at Kong Xuan. Although he had yet to see what Kong Xuan's two Soul Skills actually were, his spearmanship had already amazed Ren Jun, an outstanding graduate of Shrek Academy.
Naturally, Ren Jun could tell that Kong Xuan, who had easily defeated Xu Tianyi, had not even used his full strength in spearmanship. Otherwise, Xu Tianyi probably would not have been able to withstand a single move.
Judging purely by technique, as far as Ren Jun knew, no one below three rings surpassed Kong Xuan.
In Kong Xuan's spearmanship, he had already seen the beginnings of spear intent!
To possess such comprehension at eight years old-he could only be called a born prodigy.
Xu Tianyi lowered his proud head, but before long, he raised it again. His gaze brimmed with fighting spirit as he looked at Kong Xuan. "Next time, I'll win!"
Xu Tianyi's reaction somewhat exceeded Kong Xuan's expectations. He had not expected this member of the imperial family to have such backbone, possessing both the courage to admit defeat and the determination to forge ahead.
But in response to Xu Tianyi's "fierce declaration," Kong Xuan merely smiled faintly. "All right. I'll be waiting for that day!"
Having lost the contest for class monitor, Xu Tianyi turned and left.
He clenched his fists, purple-gold Soul Power swirling in his palms.
If I can't accept it, then I'll get stronger!
Strong enough that the Atlas Spear can never press against my throat again.
Xu Tianyi's departure, however, did not signify the end of this contest.
There were six of them in total, all competitors. Only one had been eliminated so far.
In contrast to the lively spectator stands outside the Soul Fighting Arena, the air on the other side of the arena seemed to have frozen.
The moment Kong Xuan's spear tip stopped before Xu Tianyi's throat, Bi Jin, Ye Lingtong, Han Lingxi, and Wang Xiao had all widened their eyes, disbelief written across their faces.
Xu Tianyi had lost?
Xu Tianyi, who had nearly finished Ye Lingtong in a single move, had actually fallen to Kong Xuan so easily?!
In this battle, Kong Xuan and the four of them had faced Xu Tianyi together, but judging by the result, Kong Xuan alone had eliminated him.
And next, Kong Xuan would be their opponent.
They had eliminated the powerful Xu Tianyi, only to find that an even more powerful opponent awaited them!
Bi Jin's fists clenched involuntarily, his knuckles turning white.
Against Xu Tianyi, he had believed that under his command, they could achieve victory even though it was their first time working together.
But if their next opponent was Kong Xuan, he no longer had that confidence.
Bi Jin was not the only one thinking this at that moment. The other three felt the same.
Just then, their homeroom teacher's voice rang out again.
"How would you like to proceed with the next match?"
As he asked this question, Ren Jun kept his gaze on Kong Xuan. He was actually asking for Kong Xuan's opinion.
Neither Kong Xuan's four upcoming opponents nor the spectators around the Soul Fighting Arena raised any objections. Kong Xuan's performance just now had already won their acknowledgment of his strength.
Kong Xuan swept his gaze over the four opposite him, his expression not wavering in the slightest.
To Bi Jin and the other three, however, Kong Xuan's gaze seemed terrifyingly calm, as though he were looking at... prey!
A chill instantly shot up their spines, and they could not help shouting inwardly, Don't panic!
Even so, cold sweat had already seeped into their palms.
Kong Xuan withdrew his gaze and looked at Ren Jun again before answering, "Let them all come at me together."
Xu Tianyi had said the same thing not long ago. Having defeated him, Kong Xuan naturally had even more right, as well as the strength, to choose to fight four opponents alone!
This time, Ren Jun did not ask him to confirm his choice as he had with Xu Tianyi. A rare trace of a smile merely appeared on his face, his eyes full of anticipation.
"All right!"
Ren Jun activated his Flying Soul Tool again and rose from the floor of the Soul Fighting Arena.
Before moving, however, he transmitted his voice to Kong Xuan. "Let them see your true strength."
Bi Jin clenched his fists. Looking at the others beside him, whose expressions were dazed, he shouted, "None of us is his match one-on-one, but if all four of us attack together, we might still have a chance of winning!"
Although the others knew their chances of winning were slim, Bi Jin's words did kindle the flames of battle in their hearts.
As geniuses praised by others, they would not concede defeat so easily.
Watching the fighting spirit rise in the four opposite him, Kong Xuan spun the Atlas Spear in his hand, its tip tracing a bright silver arc through the air.
Kong Xuan took a deep breath and brought the butt of the Atlas Spear down heavily against the arena floor. Light instantly flared beneath his feet.
Sooner or later, others would learn of his Soul Ring configuration. Since his homeroom teacher had now personally given the order, he would no longer conceal it.
Two brilliant rings of light rose from beneath Kong Xuan's feet, their radiance so dazzling that everyone involuntarily narrowed their eyes.
And both of those lights were actually a noble purple!