Faced with Kong Ling's question, Kong Xuan glanced at the others without offering an opinion.
Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi exchanged a glance and said nothing either.
In the end, everyone's eyes settled on Kong Ling, as though saying, "You decide."
Meeting their gazes, Kong Ling blinked, then finally looked at Kong Xuan. "Brother, you're so strong. You don't mind the three of us taking you on, do you?"
Xu Wei's and Xu Tianyi's eyes both lit up at her words. Against Kong Xuan, they knew neither of them was a match.
But if all three of them joined forces, might they be able to defeat him?
Soon after that thought appeared in their minds, both of them rejected it.
Whether it was the results Kong Xuan had revealed during the physical assessment or his earlier crushing victory against Xu Tianyi, both demonstrated how terrifying his strength was.
So Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi changed their goal from defeating Kong Xuan to holding out a little longer. If they could see Kong Xuan's Soul Skills, that would be even better.
Meeting his sister's expectant gaze, Kong Xuan smiled and said, "I don't mind, but don't go crying when you lose!"
His words were clearly directed at Kong Ling, but that gentle remark revealed his absolute confidence in his own strength.
"Hmph!" Kong Ling snorted. "I'm not a little kid anymore!"
The childhood Kong Ling spoke of had been only half a year ago. Back then, she had finally mustered the courage to challenge her brother. Naturally, she had lost, and she had even cried over it.
This fight was another serious challenge Kong Ling had issued to her brother after half a year, unlike their usual sparring.
And this time, Kong Ling had invited two teammates as well.
Kong Xuan walked to the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena and watched Kong Ling and the other two huddle together on the opposite side, seemingly discussing a strategy.
He did not hurry them, confidently waiting for them to finish their discussion and attack.
Kong Ling's delicate little face was full of seriousness as she explained her abilities to her two teammates. After all, they were about to "gang up" on her brother. How could they coordinate without knowing one another's abilities?
"My Martial Soul is the sun!"
Kong Ling's very first words made Xu Wei's and Xu Tianyi's pupils contract.
The blazing sun shone above everyone's heads every day. Born a commoner, Xu Wei was deeply shocked at the thought that even the sun could become a Martial Soul.
Xu Tianyi, who came from the imperial family, naturally knew that the Sun Martial Soul was the hereditary Martial Soul of the Sun Moon Imperial Family. The Sun Moon princess, Xu Tianzhen, possessed the Sun Martial Soul.
Like the Hongchen siblings, he had learned Kong Xuan's and Kong Ling's identities from his elders at home and knew that they were descendants of Kong Deming, the master of the Worship Hall.
He simply had not expected Kong Ling to have inherited the Sun Martial Soul!
Seeing the shock in their eyes, Kong Ling felt a flicker of pride. Youngsters their age inevitably had such feelings.
"My first Soul Skill is Sun Divine Light, a single-target offensive Soul Skill with both fire- and light-attribute attacks. A direct hit also briefly stuns the target."
After hearing about Kong Ling's first Soul Skill, Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi both marveled at its power. Not only did it attack with two attributes, it also had a degree of control.
Amid his shock, Xu Wei chimed in, "Sister Ling, tell us what Brother Xuan's Soul Skills are, too. That way, we can be prepared, right?"
Xu Tianyi also looked interested. As the only person in their class besides Kong Ling who had fought Kong Xuan, he was extremely curious about Kong Xuan's Soul Skills.
Even if Xu Wei had not asked, Kong Ling had been about to tell them.
She took a deep breath and said solemnly, "My brother's first Soul Skill is a space-attribute single-target offensive Soul Skill. If it hits us, one thrust will take us out instantly!"
Kong Xuan's already formidable strength, coupled with unpredictable spatial abilities.
Just thinking about it made Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi shudder.
"My brother's second Soul Skill is an area attack that combines control and offense. Movement speed is reduced by fifty percent within its range!"
Both of their hearts tightened again at her words. Speed could be considered an advantage for both of them, but from the sound of it, even that advantage would be diminished against Kong Xuan!
Watching their changing expressions, Kong Ling lowered her voice further. "You've never seen my brother's true strength. It isn't remotely comparable to that of Soul Masters at the same level. Honestly, if we can just force my brother to use his Soul Skills, we'll have done pretty well."
Hearing such words from the sister who understood Kong Xuan best left Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi stunned, while making them even more curious about his true strength.
"Against someone truly powerful, any strategy is useless. None of us is a Control System Soul Master, either, so we only have one plan: attack together with everything we've got!"
Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi nodded solemnly. Then the three spread out and looked toward their opponent, Kong Xuan, across from them.
Seeing the three in formation, Kong Xuan called out, "Ready to begin?"
"Let's begin!"
Kong Ling's shout marked the official start of their battle!
All three instantly released their Martial Souls, and three figures burst into motion at once!
Xu Wei's figure flashed, turning into lightning as he activated his first Soul Skill, Lightning Flash!
He was the fastest, but he clearly slowed down to coordinate with his teammates. Even so, he circled behind Kong Xuan in an instant.
Xu Tianyi followed close behind, purple-gold dragon scales covering his right arm. His physical capabilities soared with the enhancement of his Martial Soul, and after two charging steps forward, he activated his first Soul Skill, Dragon Brilliant Flash.
Although his charge was not as swift as Xu Wei's, it carried greater force. His dragon claw tore through the air, heading straight for Kong Xuan's throat.
Kong Ling was the slowest, but the little sun above her head blazed brighter at that moment. Sun Divine Light abruptly bloomed, sending a searing beam shooting toward Kong Xuan like a sharp sword.
Knowing that this little attack of hers could not threaten her brother, Kong Ling held nothing back when activating her Soul Skill.
An attack from three sides!
Although this was their first time working together, their earlier discussion allowed them to coordinate reasonably well.
Had it been an ordinary Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, even with the advantage in cultivation, winning against such a three-sided assault would probably not have been easy.
But Kong Xuan was clearly no ordinary Soul Master. Even in such a perilous situation, his expression remained calm, their attacks reflected in his golden pupils.
Impressive speed!
He praised them inwardly, the Atlas Spear already in his hand.
He stamped his foot hard, and his spear instantly shot out like a dragon. A streak of silver light swept forth, meeting Xu Tianyi's dragon claw head-on.
Clang!
The purple-gold dragon claw collided with the Atlas Spear, sending sparks flying!
Xu Tianyi grunted and was knocked back several steps.
The terror he had once felt surged into his heart again, but his gaze sharpened and he clenched his teeth. This was precisely the nightmare he needed to face head-on.
At the same moment, Xu Wei had already canceled Lightning Flash. Crouching low, he drove his lightning-covered right fist toward Kong Xuan's ribs!
An attack that even Xu Tianyi had seen as full of openings not long ago naturally amounted to little before Kong Xuan now.
If Xu Wei did not need to cancel Lightning Flash when attacking, he might have posed some threat.
The Atlas Spear suddenly swung back, its butt precisely blocking Xu Wei's blow in the nick of time.
Lightning burst apart. Having missed his strike, Xu Wei turned into lightning again.
Kong Xuan raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to call Xu Wei truly "cautious to a fault" or say that he had keen combat instincts.
Either way, his cautious actions had foiled Kong Xuan's plan to follow through with an attack.
Just then, Kong Ling's Sun Divine Light finally arrived.
And Kong Xuan seemingly had no room left to dodge!