In the center of the Soul Fighting Arena, two figures repeatedly crossed paths at high speed, a purple-gold dragon silhouette and blue-white lightning tracing dazzling trails through the air.
Whoosh!
Xu Tianyi's dragon claw tore through the air, but caught only the lingering arcs of electricity Xu Wei had left behind.
Xu Wei's figure re-formed several meters away. He was panting slightly, but his gaze remained calm.
"Is running away all you can do?"
Xu Tianyi spoke coldly. Purple-gold dragon scales flickered faintly on his skin. The numbness in his left arm had already faded, but the prolonged chase had also left his breathing slightly hurried.
Xu Wei did not answer, merely keeping his eyes fixed on Xu Tianyi as lightning flowed around him.
He had already seen through Xu Tianyi's goal: to force him to keep using his Soul Skill and exhaust his Soul Power. The moment his Soul Power ran dry would presumably also be when Xu Tianyi launched his final attack.
Xu Wei sneered inwardly. Xu Tianyi had worked his abacus well, but there was one thing he had miscalculated!
His first Soul Skill, Lightning Flash, did not increase his attack power, and when he was not being hit, it did not consume Soul Power to grant immunity to physical attacks.
So if he was simply using it to boost his speed, its Soul Power consumption was actually quite low.
However, faced with Xu Tianyi's terrifying physical superiority, he did not dare attack rashly either.
The Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon's defense and strength far surpassed others at the same rank. If Xu Tianyi landed a direct hit, he would undoubtedly lose.
"Xu Tianyi is clearly slower than Xu Wei, but Xu Wei's attacks can't break through his defenses at all."
Watching the situation in the Soul Fighting Arena, Kong Ling analyzed it quietly.
"At this rate, this fight will turn into a battle of attrition. I really never expected Xu Wei to hold his own against Xu Tianyi like this!"
As she looked at Xu Wei's somewhat thin, small figure below, surprise also flashed in Kong Ling's eyes. She had to admit that she had underestimated this roommate of her brother's.
In the Soul Fighting Arena, Xu Tianyi's expression had darkened slightly.
Just as Xu Wei had guessed, his plan was to rely on his powerful physique to suppress his opponent and force him to exhaust his Soul Power, but he truly had not expected Xu Wei to last this long.
Xu Tianyi was vexed, but in the current situation, there seemed to be no other option.
He charged forward again, his dragon claw reaching straight for Xu Wei's throat.
At this point, it could only come down to who gave out first!
Xu Wei's gaze sharpened, and lightning flashed again.
Yet just as he was about to turn into lightning...
Clang...!
A streak of silver light descended from above like a meteor and drove heavily into the ground between them. The terrifying shock wave instantly forced Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei several steps back.
Looking at the familiar spear in the arena, both of them turned toward the spectator stands above the Soul Fighting Arena.
Kong Xuan slowly lowered his throwing arm. The Atlas Spear was already embedded in the arena, its shaft trembling, its lingering might yet to dissipate.
"Enough!"
He spoke mildly, his voice quiet but carrying unquestionable authority.
Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi exchanged a glance, one looking unwilling to accept it, the other wearing a complicated expression.
Xu Wei leaped down and landed lightly, his gaze sweeping over the two of them. "Let's call this match a draw."
Xu Tianyi frowned and was just about to object, but Kong Xuan continued, "Xu Wei can't break through your defenses, and you can't keep up with his speed. There's no point in fighting any longer."
Xu Tianyi opened his mouth, but said nothing more and accepted the outcome.
"My Soul Power is lower than yours, and you still couldn't beat me. Do you still dare look down on me now?"
Xu Wei's voice carried unconcealable smugness, and his gaze toward Xu Tianyi was full of provocation.
The dragon scales on Xu Tianyi's right arm slowly receded, and his pupils, still tinged with purple, looked straight at Xu Wei.
Contrary to Xu Wei's expectations, he neither flew into a rage nor sneered. Instead, he fell silent for a moment, then made a gesture that stunned him.
He lowered his head slightly, his voice low but clear. "I was wrong!"
Xu Wei's smile froze on his face, and his eyes widened slightly.
"I did underestimate you before!"
Xu Tianyi raised his head, his gaze more earnest than ever. "Your first Soul Skill... is very powerful!"
Xu Wei stood rooted to the spot, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
He had wanted to say something mocking, but the words caught in his throat when he saw Xu Tianyi's candid eyes.
"You..." In the end, Xu Wei could only say stiffly, "As long as you know."
Xu Tianyi's reaction also took Kong Xuan and Kong Ling by surprise.
They had not expected this proud member of the imperial family to have such a side to him.
Kong Ling, who had still harbored some prejudice against him, now felt as though she were getting to know Xu Tianyi anew.
Kong Xuan had long since realized that the pride in Xu Tianyi's bones came not from arrogance, but from a pure pursuit of strength.
Someone like that would never let so-called face blind him.
Perhaps he would become a good friend in the future.
But he came from the imperial family. Would this draw Kong Xuan into its struggles?
Just as Kong Xuan was considering these questions, Xu Wei sidled up and whispered, "This guy... really was unexpected."
Kong Xuan glanced at him and smiled. "So you two have started appreciating each other."
"What?!" Xu Wei immediately retorted, glancing at Xu Tianyi. "I just think he's not as awful as he seemed before."
Kong Ling also entered the Soul Fighting Arena at this point and looked curiously at Xu Wei. "What exactly is your Martial Soul?"
As future classmates and companions, their Martial Souls and Martial Souls were not really secrets, so asking this was not considered offensive.
Xu Tianyi, standing to the side, also looked over when he heard the question, clearly very interested in the answer.
Xu Wei did not conceal anything and said directly, "My Martial Soul is lightning, an elemental Martial Soul."
Having received Kong Deming's careful instruction, Kong Ling naturally possessed considerable knowledge of Martial Souls. She asked again, "Even among elemental Martial Souls, the lightning element is rare. But with a lightning element Martial Soul, you actually didn't take the power attack route?"
At this, Xu Wei's face twisted into a mask of pain, and he said aggrievedly, "I really did want to take the power attack route at first. The Soul Beast I hunted for my first Soul Ring was a Thunderous Battle Rhinoceros, too. Who could have known that the Soul Skill I ended up getting wouldn't have any attack power at all? According to the records, the Thunderous Battle Rhinoceros has never had this Soul Skill I obtained."
After hearing Xu Wei's explanation, the others looked at him much more strangely. Such an experience truly was unusual.
The Thunderous Battle Rhinoceros sounded like a rhinoceros-shaped lightning-attribute Soul Beast. Even obtaining a defensive Soul Skill would have been more normal than obtaining an agility attack system Soul Skill. After all, the Thunderous Battle Rhinoceros was not good at speed at all.
Yet his teacher Yun Ming's voice rang out in Kong Xuan's mind. "The Thunderous Battle Rhinoceros was nearly extinct ten thousand years later. It possesses a godly skill that turns it into lightning, but only a tiny number of these Soul Beasts can obtain it through a beneficial mutation. This roommate of yours seems quite lucky!"
His teacher Yun Ming was practically a living encyclopedia. He seemed to know everything, regardless of the field.
After Yun Ming's explanation, Kong Xuan felt that perhaps the people of this era had yet to discover this godly skill of the Thunderous Battle Rhinoceros.
He patted Xu Wei's shoulder and, looking at his somewhat downcast expression, said, "Although you didn't obtain a power attack system Soul Skill, this Soul Skill of yours certainly qualifies as a godly skill."
Xu Tianyi, who had been silent at the side, also spoke up then. "That's right. If your first Soul Skill had been a power attack system one, I definitely could have beaten you just now!"
Xu Wei could not help rolling his eyes at that, though he had to admit it was indeed true.
Thinking about it that way, his mood instantly improved considerably.
Kong Ling pointed at the timing Soul Tool not far away and said, "We finally managed to get permission to use the Soul Fighting Arena, so we can't waste time. What do we do next?"
Watching Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi fight just now had left her itching for a go, too!