Kong Ling's thinking was actually very simple: since her breakthrough to two rings hadn't shocked them, she would shock the two of them with her strength.
Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei were both geniuses, and both were very strong.
Before, Kong Ling might genuinely have been no match for them without revealing her trump cards. After all, her first Soul Skill hadn't offered much room for maneuver.
But things were indeed different now. With her second Soul Skill, she was as different from her former self as heaven was from earth.
With two Soul Skills combined, she could pull off far more combinations.
After she obtained her second Soul Ring, Kong Xuan had spent plenty of time practicing with her. By now, she had basically mastered her second Soul Skill.
Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei exchanged a glance. Neither had expected Kong Ling to make such a request.
Kong Xuan said, "Ling'er's second Soul Skill is very powerful. Even if you two team up, you might not be a match for her!"
Kong Xuan's words did make the two of them take this seriously.
At the same time, however, they also became intensely curious about Kong Ling's second Soul Skill.
"All right! Let's have a Soul Fighting match!"
Xu Wei clapped his hands and looked at Xu Tianyi, who also nodded in agreement.
"I'll be the referee. You can go all out."
As Kong Xuan spoke, he backed away into the distance.
When the four of them had practiced in the Soul Fighting Arena before, Kong Xuan had always served as the referee.
With his discerning eye, he could naturally judge precisely who would be in danger.
Moreover, the Atlas Spear's first Soul Skill allowed him to strike across space, blocking attacks at critical moments to keep anyone from getting hurt.
This had been proven through many Soul Fighting matches, and all three of them had complete confidence in Kong Xuan as their referee.
Soon, both sides had taken their stances.
Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei hadn't discussed tactics beforehand, but before the fight began, they communicated with their eyes.
Compared with Xu Tianyi's expressionless face, Xu Wei's expressions were clearly much richer.
Still, watching him waggle his eyebrows, Xu Tianyi really did manage to decipher his meaning-whether that interpretation was correct was another matter.
"Begin!"
At Kong Xuan's signal, both sides instantly activated Martial Soul Possession.
A small orange-red sun rose above Kong Ling's head. Even dozens of meters away, Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi could feel that its temperature was definitely much higher than when she had only one ring.
Looking at Kong Ling's Soul Rings, they saw two rise from beneath her feet, one yellow and one purple. Her second Soul Ring was indeed the purple of a thousand-year ring.
Xu Tianyi stared at that purple Soul Ring, his gaze growing much more resolute.
With his Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Martial Soul possessing him, purple-gold dragon scales covered his right arm.
Lightning wreathed Xu Wei's body, and he held a short blade in his right hand, his eyes calmly observing Kong Ling.
As the battle began, both wore utterly serious expressions. The thousand-year Soul Skill truly made them feel threatened.
The two exchanged another glance, then moved simultaneously, rushing toward Kong Ling.
Kong Ling stood where she was without making a move.
Watching the two race toward her, she thought, You're still underestimating me!
Kong Ling's second Soul Ring lit up immediately, the purple radiance of a thousand-year Soul Skill reflected in Xu Wei's and Xu Tianyi's eyes.
Both inwardly cried out in alarm. They were just about to activate their Soul Skills when they suddenly felt a wave of heat assail them from every direction.
Golden-red pillars of light rose before their eyes, and in the blink of an eye, both discovered that they were trapped inside a cage.
The entire cage seemed to be made of light and fire, like flowing lava, giving off heat that an ordinary person could hardly endure.
This was Kong Ling's second Soul Skill, Blazing Sun Cage!
Instant activation, area attack, and damage-it truly deserved to be one of the Soul Skills passed down by the imperial family that best suited the Sun Martial Soul.
Trapped inside the Blazing Sun Cage, Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei felt as though their skin had been baked dry in that instant, the moisture in their bodies rapidly evaporating.
Xu Wei's expression changed drastically. Attacks with this attribute countered his first Soul Skill most effectively. Lacking offensive power, he couldn't even force his way out and could only "sit and wait for death."
Xu Tianyi extended his right dragon claw and gingerly touched the Blazing Sun Cage. Even with his covering of dragon scales, he could still feel its searing heat.
But this test also told Xu Tianyi that his dragon scales could provide protection, giving him hope of escape.
Yet just as Xu Tianyi raised his hand to slice through the Blazing Sun Prison Cage with his sharp, pointed dragon claws, Kong Ling's second attack had already arrived!
Although the Blazing Sun Prison Cage was powerful, it could only last eight seconds.
Naturally, Kong Ling wouldn't waste this hard-won, ideal opportunity to attack. Her first Soul Ring flashed, and a beam of Sun Divine Light shot from the little sun above her head, aimed straight at Xu Tianyi.
Kong Xuan, serving as referee, acted at that moment. His understanding of Kong Ling's Soul Skills was no less than her own.
Knowing that Xu Tianyi absolutely couldn't block this next strike, he thrust his spear directly. Under the effect of his first Soul Skill, the Atlas Spear crossed space and dispersed the beam of Sun Divine Light with a thrust.
"All right, this Soul Fighting match is over!"
After Kong Ling voluntarily dispelled the Blazing Sun Prison Cage, Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei, their clothes already soaked with sweat, instantly felt a wash of coolness and began frantically gulping down air.
Xu Tianyi was a little better off after dismissing his Martial Soul. After all, beast Soul Masters received physical enhancements.
Xu Wei simply lay down on the Soul Fighting Arena's floor, looking half-dead.
Meanwhile, Kong Ling, the "culprit" behind all this, skipped over to them and asked with a smile, "What do you think of my Soul Skill?"
"Very strong!"
Xu Tianyi, who had always been a man of few words, gave a fair assessment outright, a trace of wariness still flickering in his eyes.
He felt that even if his attack had actually landed just now, he probably wouldn't have been able to tear apart the cage trapping him.
Xu Wei still showed no intention of getting up from the floor. He merely shifted into another lying position, glanced at Kong Ling, and wailed, "Sister Ling, you're way too ruthless!"
"I really nearly got roasted into a dried-up husk just now!"
Kong Ling huffed. "Now you know how powerful it is!"
Kong Xuan also walked over and looked at Xu Wei lying on the floor. "I told you before not to rely too much on your Lightning Flash. Now you know what it feels like to be countered."
"I know. I know all too well!"
Xu Wei sounded close to tears. "Sister Ling completely counters me now! Once that cage comes down over me, I can't use any of my tricks!"
Kong Ling said proudly, "Although my second Soul Skill, Blazing Sun Cage, can only last eight seconds, breaking it isn't something you can do easily. And eight seconds is already enough to do plenty!"
Just now, Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi had only been trapped for around four seconds at most. Had another four seconds passed, even if Kong Ling did nothing, the heat of the Blazing Sun Cage alone would have been enough to rob them of some of their fighting strength.
Hearing that it lasted eight seconds, Xu Wei shuddered all over and cried, "It really is a thousand-year Soul Skill! Sister Ling, don't use that Soul Skill on me again!"
"Of course. We're teammates! From now on, this Soul Skill will only trap our opponents!"
Kong Ling closed her little hand around empty air, looking as though victory was already in her grasp.
At those words, Xu Wei instantly revived at full health and sat up from the floor.
"With a group crowd-control Soul Skill like that, Sister Ling, won't our team just steamroll everyone when the time comes?"
Kong Ling said confidently, "Of course!"