Disbelief was written all over Lu Xuan's face as he watched Qi Ling block his attack with ease!
He was only a One-Ring Soul Master, and he hadn't even used his Martial Soul. How could he possibly block his attack?
"Impossible! It must be a coincidence! This has to be a coincidence!" Lu Xuan shouted. "How could you possibly block my attack!"
"Second Soul Skill: Shadow Hundred Claw Strike!"
Lu Xuan's second Soul Skill was an offensive skill that could unleash over a hundred attacks against an enemy in an instant-the kind of attack agility-attack Soul Masters excelled at.
But to Lu Xuan's dismay, amid the claw shadows filling the air, Qi Ling was like willow fluff drifting on the wind. With just a few slight shifts of his body, he dodged every one of his attacks!
His speed was clearly much greater than Qi Ling's, yet he simply couldn't land a hit!
It was as though every time he attacked Qi Ling, Qi Ling was already somewhere else. Lu Xuan found it utterly uncanny.
This was because Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils had strengthened Qi Ling's visual prowess, making Lu Xuan's attacks look as slow as a scene playing in slow motion.
Combined with his ability to foresee things, he was already moving before Lu Xuan even launched his attacks. Naturally, he could dodge them with movements slower than Lu Xuan's.
When Lu Xuan's assault ended, Qi Ling looked at him panting heavily and said with a smile, "Really, Teacher Lu? I haven't even started trying, and you're already down?"
"Let me tell you-this isn't how you use a Martial Soul! Martial Soul Possession: Divine Dragon Emperor!"
The divine dragon Martial Soul possessed Qi Ling once more, but this time, a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring had appeared over his Martial Soul.
Lu Xuan's expression turned ugly as he looked at Qi Ling's Martial Soul.
He knew Qi Ling's Martial Soul was powerful, but he was clearly only a One-Ring Soul Master. Why did he feel as though even his Soul Power was being utterly overwhelmed?
"You're only a One-Ring Soul Master! What good will Martial Soul Possession do you?" Lu Xuan said, forcing himself to remain composed.
"Even if I can't hit you, you can't hit me either! Can you keep up with an agility-attack Soul Master's speed?"
As Lu Xuan spoke, he began moving rapidly around Qi Ling, fully displaying his advantage in speed.
In his eyes, Qi Ling was far slower than he was. Even if Qi Ling could dodge his attacks, as long as he couldn't keep up with his speed, Lu Xuan was already in an invincible position.
Yet as Qi Ling watched Lu Xuan moving at high speed before him, he smiled and shook his head. "Teacher Lu, you can't lump everyone's physique together!"
"I really can't match your speed, but why do you think I can't defeat you just because I'm slower?"
"First Soul Skill: Nine Heavens Dragon Roar!"
Watching Qi Ling's stance, Tang San's expression suddenly changed. He hurriedly covered his ears. "Oh no, Brother Qi is going to use that move again!"
Beside him, Xiao Wu asked curiously, "That move? What is it? Xiao San, why are you covering your ears?"
"There's no time to explain! Xiao Wu, hurry and cover your ears too!" Tang San said.
Though Xiao Wu looked bewildered, she obediently covered her ears. Then they heard a resonant, majestic dragon's roar rise from Qi Ling's mouth.
The domineering dragon's roar echoed through every corner of heaven and earth. Every animal that heard it prostrated itself on the ground, trembling and not daring to raise its head for even a glance.
The people present fared little better than those animals. The dragon's roar left them all dizzy and dazed, unable to take care of themselves.
As for Lu Xuan, who stood before Qi Ling, he was stunned on the spot, unable to move. He could only watch Qi Ling walk slowly toward him, unable to react.
This was the effect of Qi Ling's first Soul Skill, Nine Heavens Dragon Roar: a forced stun that disregarded all conditions!
No matter how high the opponent's Soul Power, how many Soul Rings they had, or how powerful their mental strength was, they could not be immune to this stun! The only differences were its duration and effect.
No matter how fast someone moved, it was all futile once a control skill interrupted them, much less something like a forced stun.
As Qi Ling drew closer, Lu Xuan began to panic, but his body refused to obey his will. He couldn't move so much as a fraction of an inch.
Qi Ling said nothing more. He simply smiled and raised his fist, then punched toward Lu Xuan's face with a howl of wind.
Watching Qi Ling's fist, Lu Xuan closed his eyes in terror, waiting for the searing pain of his nose being broken. But after a long wait, he still felt no pain.
When he opened his eyes, Lu Xuan saw that Qi Ling's fist had stopped right in front of his nose.
"Haha, come on, Teacher. How could I hit you?" Qi Ling suddenly laughed. "You're a teacher, after all!"
"Let's call this round a draw!"
With that, Qi Ling turned and walked off the field without looking back at Lu Xuan again.
Lu Xuan recovered from the stun, but his legs gave way beneath him, and he sank to the ground. His Martial Soul Possession ended as well.
Seeing this, all the students immediately began cheering. "Boss Qi is mighty! Boss Qi is domineering!"
Anyone could see that Qi Ling had essentially won by an overwhelming margin. He had merely spared Lu Xuan some dignity rather than leaving him with no way to save face.
And so, all the students crowded around Qi Ling as though he were a hero and left the field with him in their midst.
"Not bad! That guy Qi Ling actually beat Lu Xuan!" Xiao Wu said admiringly. "And he made it look so easy! That really felt good!"
"Indeed. Both Brother Qi's strength and the way he handled things at the end were beyond reproach!" Tang San said admiringly.
"No wonder Teacher always tells me to learn from Brother Qi. In these respects, I really am inferior to him. You could even say there's a vast gap between us."
"Haha, then let's hurry back," Xiao Wu said happily. "He stole so much of the limelight today, we have to make him treat us to a proper meal!"
Life studying at the academy passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.
Wang Sheng, Boss Xiao, and the others had all gone to take the entrance exams for intermediate Soul Master Academies, while the other students had returned to their respective homes.
Only Tang San, Qi Ling, and Xiao Wu remained in the work-study students' dormitory.
"The academy's break starts tomorrow. Brother Qi, Xiao Wu, aren't you two going home?" Tang San asked as he packed his luggage.
Lying on her bed, Xiao Wu said with a somewhat forlorn expression, "I'm not going home. There wouldn't be anyone there even if I went back. Maybe I'll just stay at the academy."
Qi Ling also said, "I don't have anywhere to go either."
Unlike Qi Ling, Tang San at least had a place where he had grown up, somewhere he could call home. Qi Ling, however, had already been at the academy when he first arrived in this world.
As for everything in his previous life, looking back now, it seemed more like a dream buried deep in his memories.
"I see." Tang San nodded gently, then suddenly suggested to them, "Then, would you two like to come home with me?"