"Haha, you can only act tough now," Yu Tianheng said as he activated his Martial Soul. Three Spirit Rings—two yellow and one purple—appeared beneath his feet.
The onlookers erupted in astonishment.
"A fourteen-year-old Soul Grandmaster!" Everyone was amazed.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but worry for Li Xun.
When Yu Tianheng was at the 29th level, she still had some confidence in Li Xun.
After all, Li Xun's Thousand-Year Spirit Ring was right there. Although it wasn't an active skill, the Amplification it provided to the Soul Master was undoubtedly immense.
But now that Yu Tianheng had broken through to the Soul Grandmaster level, the situation was completely different. He also had a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, and his skills outnumbered Li Xun's.
Qin Ming was truly feeling the pressure now.
He had never agreed with Li Xun challenging Yu Tianheng in the first place. What Meng Shenji had thought of, he had naturally considered as well.
Losing either of these two talents would be heartbreaking. If they could join forces in the Soul Master Competition, he couldn't even imagine what achievements the team could accomplish.
"Yu Tianheng has broken through to the Soul Grandmaster level?"
"Ah! Li Xun's talent isn't bad either. I heard he's already broken through to the 20th level. It's a pity that time waits for no one!"
"What a shame."
Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin gathered together to discuss.
The members of the Heavenly Dou Team were also wide-eyed in shock.
As teammates, they were well aware of Yu Tianheng's talent, but they hadn't expected him to reach the Soul Grandmaster level so quickly.
This was no ordinary genius!
Li Xun ignored the commotion around him. He slightly raised his right hand, and the Thousand-Hand Buddha instantly appeared. Beneath his feet, one yellow and one purple Spirit Ring slowly pulsated.
"What! This kid's second Spirit Ring is actually a Thousand-Year one!"
When Li Xun's Spirit Rings appeared, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines. This was beyond their comprehension and utterly baffling.
While a fourteen-year-old Soul Grandmaster like Yu Tianheng was shocking, such geniuses were still somewhat within the realm of possibility.
But a Thousand-Year second Spirit Ring was entirely different. In their understanding, this was the first time such a thing had ever appeared.
This meant that Li Xun's current physique was comparable to that of a Soul Grandmaster, and it also indicated that the Spirit Rings he would acquire in the future would far surpass the upper limits of his peers.
"Did Qin Ming take Li Xun to hunt a Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
Meng Shenji's hand, which had been stroking his beard, paused, accidentally pulling out a few strands.
"Qin Ming is too reckless. Such a significant matter should have been discussed with us. If something had gone wrong, how would we have explained it to Ning Fengzhi?"
After a brief moment of shock, Bai Baoshan frowned.
"Indeed, it's also because Li Xun is so talented. If it were an ordinary student, they might have exploded during the absorption process," Zhi Lin said, glancing at Qin Ming and nodding.
"There's no need to be too harsh. The result is already set. What I'm most worried about now is these two children. If either of them can't accept defeat..."
Meng Shenji's aged face was full of concern.
"It's fine. At worst, we'll swallow our pride and go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to bring Li Xun back to the academy."
"That's the right approach. With Li Xun's talent, surpassing Yu Tianheng is only a matter of time."
The students near the three deans listened to their conversation, all turning their astonished gazes toward Li Xun.
From the deans' words, it seemed that Li Xun's talent was even greater than that of Yu Tianheng, the fourteen-year-old Soul Grandmaster.
Moreover, even if Li Xun lost the match, they would still go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to bring him back.
"Li Xun, you insulted my uncle. You'll regret those words."
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw," Yu Tianheng roared in anger, his first Spirit Ring glowing beneath his feet as he gathered lightning in his claw-like hands.
"First Soul Skill, Tree World Genesis. Second Soul Skill, Amplification."
Li Xun interlocked his fingers into the Snake Seal, a crisp sound echoing as his first and second Spirit Rings lit up beneath him.
As the skills were unleashed, the Thousand-Hand Buddha instantly hurled dozens of Energy Fruits into the air.
Upon reaching the sky, the fruits rapidly exploded, scattering countless seeds like a torrential rain onto the ground. The moment the seeds touched the earth, they sprouted and grew at an astonishing speed.
All of this happened in just a second.
As Li Xun finished speaking, nearly a hundred one-meter-tall saplings appeared in the arena, quickly softening and transforming into dense vines, blocking Yu Tianheng's path.
Yu Tianheng had just lifted his foot when the sudden appearance of the vines startled him. He reacted swiftly, sweeping his Thunder Dragon Claw left and right.
Why was this first Soul Skill different from before?
Yu Tianheng's expression turned grave.
He had seen Li Xun's first Soul Skill before. From his perspective at the time, the half-meter-tall saplings were merely a tool to restrict movement during combat.
He had even felt disdain for it, never considering Li Xun a worthy opponent. If Li Xun weren't a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Yu Tianheng would have already taught him a lesson for getting close to Dugu Yan.
Crack—
Yu Tianheng swept his claw, severing one of the vines formed from a sapling.
He felt a slight numbness in his hand from the impact.
Yu Tianheng glanced around and noticed that the saplings alternated between soft and hard. When soft, they lay close to the ground; when upright, they reached his chest.
Moreover, their toughness was increasing by the day. Even with his Thunder Dragon Claw, it took considerable effort to cut through a single vine.
And this was after he had advanced to the level of a Soul Grandmaster.
"Hmph, just a few plants trying to stop me?" Yu Tianheng sneered, suppressing his discomfort as the lightning in his palms intensified.
"Not enough? I'll give you more," Li Xun said, his Snake Seal tightening as he channeled his Spiritual Energy.
Nourished by the Spiritual Energy, the previously dormant seeds on the ground sprouted rapidly, replenishing the vines Yu Tianheng had just destroyed.
But that wasn't all.
Sharp thorns began to sprout densely from the previously bare branches.
As the thorns appeared, the saplings twisted like vines, extending toward Yu Tianheng to entangle him.
"Huh? Second Soul Skill, Thunderbolt."
Seeing the thorny plants closing in, Yu Tianheng quickly activated his area-of-effect skill.
Crackle—
Electric arcs surged around Yu Tianheng, accompanied by loud crackling sounds. The thorns shattered upon contact with the lightning.
"Hmph! Is that all?" Yu Tianheng snorted, taking advantage of the brief interval after releasing his second Soul Skill to charge toward Li Xun.
"You're still eight meters away from me."
Li Xun smirked, directing the seeds to gather beneath Yu Tianheng's feet.
The seeds sprouted rapidly as soon as they reached the ground, but before the saplings could grow, they were shattered by the lightning radiating from Yu Tianheng.
But Li Xun didn't care.
Simply accelerating the growth of the trees consumed little Spiritual Energy. Only creating seeds from nothing required significant effort.
And his first Soul Skill was precisely about creating seeds.
This was also the method he devised to compensate for the lack of Spiritual Energy.
Crackle—
As the last flash of lightning flickered, Yu Tianheng hastily retreated a few steps.
He hadn't made any progress since the beginning. Every time he tried to take a step, saplings would sprout from the ground. To avoid losing his balance, he had no choice but to stay in place, continuously releasing lightning to protect himself.
"I need to charge forward in one go," Yu Tianheng said with a serious expression. At this level, it couldn't even be considere
d a confrontation.
"You're still twelve meters away from me."
Li Xun spoke calmly. He hadn't moved an inch since the start, but as Yu Tianheng retreated, the distance between them had grown significantly.
(End of Chapter)