This sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise.
Although they all had their own guesses about what would happen next in the Soul Fighting Arena, none of them had expected this.
No one thought Xu Tianyang's Soul Tool had suddenly malfunctioned, because they had all heard the two words Kong Xuan had spoken earlier clearly.
"Flight forbidden!"
The meaning of those words was not hard to understand. Xu Tianyang had suddenly lost his ability to fly, and it clearly had something to do with Kong Xuan.
Just as before, neither of the two Soul Rings on Kong Xuan had lit up. This strange and powerful ability was still not his Soul Skill.
Xu Tianyang was plummeting from midair. He had deliberately climbed higher to escape Kong Xuan's attack range, but now that had become a deadly threat.
In his haste, Xu Tianyang tried to activate his backup Flying Soul Tool, only to discover that the completely undamaged spare equipment could not be used either.
As he watched the ground rush toward him, the fear of death welled up in his heart for the first time.
But he did not give up resisting. He gripped the shield he had used to defend against Kong Xuan's attacks once more, and a layer of Soul Tool Armor rapidly covered his chest, back, waist, abdomen, legs, and arms.
Since there was no way to regain flight, he could only withstand the impact of his fall head-on.
Bang!!!
With his arms out front and Soul Power condensing over them, his shield struck the floor of the Soul Fighting Arena with a dull crash.
Despite the protection of his shield and Soul Power, Xu Tianyang still felt as though both his arms had broken at the moment of impact. Heart-piercing agony twisted his face.
He then rolled with his momentum at the angle he had already adjusted himself to, shedding the force of the impact.
Amid a series of clanks and crashes, Xu Tianyang rolled dozens of meters across the floor of the Soul Fighting Arena before finally coming to a stop.
His body felt as though it had fallen apart, and pain seemed to be everywhere. Xu Tianyang gritted his teeth, forcing back any groans of agony.
He lay on the ground, seemingly motionless, but Kong Xuan's keen eyesight caught that he was still conscious.
Since that was the case, Xu Tianyang, who had yet to concede aloud, was still his opponent!
However, with Xu Tianyang in his current state, Kong Xuan no longer needed to use any Soul Skills.
Circulating the Soul Power within his body, Xu Tianyang disengaged the Soul Tool Armor covering him.
Xu Tianyang let out a long breath, feeling his body become much lighter in an instant.
But halfway through his next breath, he suddenly stopped.
The sudden chill against his neck made his entire body stiffen. Turning his head mechanically, he looked up into a pair of oppressive golden eyes.
Kong Xuan's expression was indifferent, the Atlas Spear in his hand resting naturally against Xu Tianyang's throat.
Now their positions had reversed. It was his turn to look down on Xu Tianyang from above.
"You lost!"
Those simple words weighed a thousand tons.
Xu Tianyang's eyes were bloodshot, and his nails dug into the flesh of his tightly clenched fists.
He opened his mouth, desperately wanting to throw out a few threats to salvage his pride.
But when he saw the dangerous gleam in Kong Xuan's eyes, he lacked the courage to voice what was on his mind.
Because he felt his threats would not intimidate Kong Xuan, and the other boy might very well dare to thrust his spear!
This was a duel without a referee, but by this point, everyone knew it was over!
After a brief silence, the Soul Fighting Arena erupted in cheers and applause like collapsing mountains and roaring seas.
This was their gift of thanks to Kong Xuan. They had witnessed a miracle they had thought impossible.
In the Sun Moon Empire, Soul Engineers held the dominant position.
In past Soul Fighting matches, Soul Engineers had relied on Soul Tools to defeat one opponent after another.
But today, Kong Xuan had used no Soul Tools. Relying entirely on his own strength, he had defeated a Soul Ancestor with the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster!
The shock of seeing someone fight above his level through personal ability alone was beyond anything previous Soul Fighting matches could compare to.
Ultimately, this was a world where the strong reigned supreme.
And even in the Sun Moon Empire, powerful people who did not rely on external aids could more readily become the "idols" in people's hearts!
Under everyone's gaze, Kong Xuan paid no attention to Xu Tianyang, who lay on the ground like a dead dog.
He turned and walked in another direction. At the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena, Xu Tianyi sat with his back against the wall.
Taking Kong Xuan's outstretched hand, Xu Tianyi struggled to his feet. After a moment of silence, he said quietly, "Thank you!"
Kong Xuan glanced at him. "Your life is your own. Someone won't be there to save you every time."
He did not comfort Xu Tianyi. Instead, his words were rather harsh, also in the hope that Xu Tianyi would learn his lesson.
This time, however, Xu Tianyi did not argue.
He nodded firmly and raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
The two walked out of the Soul Fighting Arena side by side, neither noticing the venomous resentment filling Xu Tianyang's eyes as he lay sprawled on the ground behind them.
They climbed the steps, and the moment they emerged, a circle of little heads crowded around them. Everywhere they looked, they saw their classmates.
Xu Tianyi saw no contempt or mockery over his defeat on their faces. Instead, what he saw was more concern and worry over his injuries.
Of course, their classmates' gazes only swept briefly over Xu Tianyi. They spent far more time lingering on Kong Xuan's face.
"Class monitor, you're amazing! Even a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor couldn't beat you."
"Class monitor, how do you cultivate?"
"Class monitor, you were so cool just now!"
"Class monitor..."
Voices rose all around him, and for a moment, the chirping praise nearly drowned Kong Xuan.
Defeating a Soul Ancestor above his level had not only demonstrated Kong Xuan's individual ability, but also avenged Xu Tianyi. Their classmates all felt that they shared in the glory.
Their approval of a class monitor who dared to fight for his classmates soared yet again.
Outside the crowd, Kong Ling and Xu Wei did not approach. They were hardly short of time to spend with him.
Still, as Xu Wei watched Kong Xuan in the middle of the crowd, excitement shone in his eyes too. He could not help saying, "Sister Ling, how exactly does Brother Xuan cultivate? I've never heard of even a Two-Ring Soul Master being this strong."
Kong Ling lifted her little head proudly. "Don't you know what a genius is? My brother is a genius among geniuses. Ever since he awakened his Martial Soul, his cultivation has covered a thousand miles a day, advancing at incredible speed. Other people couldn't learn to do that even if they wanted to."
Xu Wei was not discouraged by her words. Instead, brimming with fighting spirit, he said, "Then so be it. Staying by Brother Xuan's side has already made my strength improve much faster than before."
"Everyone, stop crowding around. Xu Tianyi is seriously injured. I'll take him for treatment first."
Their homeroom teacher, Ren Jun, spoke up then, and everyone quieted down.
Seeing Xu Tianyi's miserable state, they all obediently stopped talking.
Their classmates cleared a path. Ren Jun came up to Xu Tianyi and scooped him into his arms.
Although Xu Tianyi was taller and bigger than others his age, he was still only a child before Ren Jun, who stood over two meters tall.
Held in his homeroom teacher's arms in a "princess carry," Xu Tianyi instantly flushed red.
Feeling Xu Tianyi struggle in his arms, Ren Jun snorted. "Don't move!"
"Everyone else, go back to cultivating. Kong Xuan, come with me!"
With that, Ren Jun strode toward the exit of the Soul Fighting Arena.
Kong Xuan did not know why, but he hurried after him nonetheless.