Chapter 236: The Legend! One Against Fourteen! [Part 2]
Sun Chuantao's yellow-yellow-purple-purple soul rings slowly appeared, radiating an intense aura that rivaled Dai Yao's. He activated his third soul skill, "Double Crescent Blades!" The massive circular blade split in two, transforming into a pair of crescent moon-shaped scimitars that glinted with an icy gleam as Sun Chuantao charged at Dai Yao, a cold smirk on his face. The sharp energy emanating from him was so intense that even Dai Mubai felt a pang of shock.
As he watched, Dai Mubai grew puzzled. Dai Yao was still not using his spirit!
"What is Dai Yao doing…?" he muttered in frustration. He wasn't alone; the spectators were equally baffled as to why Dai Yao hadn't activated his spirit yet.
"Is Dai Yao being too arrogant?" Hu Liena said with a frown.
Xie Yue pondered for a moment before responding, "Let's wait and see…"
From the stands, Ferdinand's wrinkled face frowned. "It's been six years. I hardly recognize this Dai Yao. If he doesn't release his spirit soon, he'll certainly lose!" Salas, however, simply smiled.
"What's got you so calm?" Ferdinand asked, giving Salas a curious side-eye.
Salas scoffed, "Oh, I'll tell you, fatso." He let out a sigh before continuing, "I kept close tabs on Dai Yao over these six years in the Heaven Dou City Colosseum. Three years ago, when he was only a Spirit Elder, he fought without releasing his spirit or using any skills, relying solely on his physical prowess. He even went on to earn the esteemed Gold Fighter Badge!"
Ferdinand's beady eyes widened in surprise, his mouth falling open slightly. "Are you saying that Dai Yao defeated countless Spirit Elders without ever using his spirit?"
Salas nodded, and Ferdinand laughed in amazement. "I knew he was exceptional, but I didn't realize just how monstrous he'd become!"
Focusing his attention back on the match, Ferdinand's curiosity piqued as he wondered how Dai Yao would handle Sun Chuantao, especially without using his spirit.
As Sun Chuantao rushed forward, wielding his crescent blades with cold precision, Dai Yao's face grew more serious. Sun Chuantao was almost unknown in the original story, overshadowed by Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, but he was not weak. At the rank of 48, Sun Chuantao was powerful enough to be feared. However, Dai Yao knew he couldn't afford to waste his energy on him. The true challenges lay in the three Spirit Kings of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.
Dai Yao's palms began to glow softly as he activated his self-created spirit skill, "Cloud-Woven Hands." With no time to waste, he stepped forward to meet Sun Chuantao.
Watching Dai Yao run straight toward him, Sun Chuantao's eyes narrowed. "Arrogant! You'll regret underestimating me!" With an explosive surge of soul power, he slashed forward, swinging his blades like twin moons, aiming to cleave Dai Yao in two.
A clash rang out, startling the crowd. The crescent blades stopped mid-air, seemingly blocked by an invisible force. Shocked, Sun Chuantao glanced up the length of his blades, his pupils shrinking in disbelief—Dai Yao had caught his blades with his bare hands!
"How is this possible?!" Sun Chuantao thought, horrified. Even Evil Moon had praised his weapons, saying they were nearly as strong as the finest spirits like the Clear Sky Hammer or Seven Kill Sword.
The shock wasn't limited to him. Spirit Hall's members stood up, their faces reflecting disbelief.
"This guy blocked Sun Chuantao's blades with his bare hands!" Yan exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Hu Liena's gaze fixated on Dai Yao's hands, where clouds of energy softly emanated. "This must be his self-created spirit skill, 'Cloud-Woven Hands.' I heard Elder Chrysanthemum mention he developed it after consuming the Celestial Chrysanthemum herb, known for its unbreakable golden properties."
Dai Yao's use of yet another self-created skill left Spirit Hall's Golden Generation in silent awe. Most Spirit Masters would consider having even one self-created skill as a mark of genius. But here was Dai Yao with three—Cloud-Woven Hands, Eight Extremes Blast, and Burst Step.
"Quite an interesting young man," Bibi Dong mused, resting her chin thoughtfully as she watched Dai Yao intently.
On the stage, Sun Chuantao was struggling, his grip loosening as Dai Yao's hands held his blades with unyielding strength. Seizing the opportunity, Dai Yao used Burst Step to retreat, causing Sun Chuantao to stumble forward as his blades crashed into the ground, carving shallow grooves in the stone flooring.
The sight of these grooves, cut into Spirit Hall's reinforced flooring, impressed the audience, underscoring the immense strength of Sun Chuantao's blades. Yet Dai Yao had taken the blows head-on without using his spirit.
Sun Chuantao felt humiliated. Enraged, he resumed his assault, his blades slicing through the air in a furious flurry of white arcs. But to the crowd's astonishment, Dai Yao continued to dodge, his movements graceful yet precise, evading each of Sun Chuantao's strikes by a hair's breadth.
"Why doesn't he strike back?" Dai Mubai muttered, puzzled.
Tang San, equally intrigued, studied Dai Yao's movements, trying to decipher his strategy. "With Dai Yao's strength, he could easily overpower Sun Chuantao, yet he's dodging instead. It's almost as if… he's testing him."
Yu Xiaogang looked shocked. Dai Yao's actions were completely unexpected, throwing his plans off. When he heard Tang San's question, a thought flashed through his mind:
"Could it be that he's conserving his soul power?"
"Conserving soul power?" the Shrek Seven Devils asked in unison.
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Yes, look at Dai Yao's movements. His self-created technique uses minimal soul power, while Sun Chuantao is constantly using his third soul skill. The rate of soul power consumption between the two is completely different. If Sun Chuantao doesn't catch on soon, he'll exhaust his soul power and lose."
Tang San focused on Dai Yao's swift, almost effortless movements, pondering, "Is Dai Yao trying to conserve enough soul power to defeat several people?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded thoughtfully. "Most likely. By entering first, he's trying to give the Oakland team a significant advantage."
The Shrek team's morale became tense as Yu Xiaogang's words sank in. Dai Yao's entry had disrupted their plan, and now it seemed as if Shrek's chances of winning were close to impossible.
"Chuantao…is going to lose," Xie Yue said, his gaze fixed on Sun Chuantao with a touch of disappointment.
Yan looked astonished. "What? But Chuantao is obviously pressuring Dai Yao! He's even had a few chances to injure him."
Hu Liena's captivating eyes gleamed with a sharper understanding. "You fool! Those near misses were all intentional. Dai Yao has been baiting him to keep using his third soul skill repeatedly. Look—Chuantao's breathing is already strained."
"Dai Yao's purpose is clear," she added, her tone laced with intensity. "He wants to conserve every bit of his soul power."
Yan, though hot-tempered, was no fool. Now, with Hu Liena's explanation, he realized Dai Yao's strategy and his expression grew cold. "I want to see how many of us he thinks he can defeat!"
Both teams had figured out Dai Yao's intention. But neither realized the true extent of his goal, which was far more ambitious than merely defeating a few opponents: it was to defeat all fourteen by himself, a feat beyond the wildest expectations.
The relentless barrage of slashing and crashing sounds filled the arena as Sun Chuantao's attacks grew fiercer. The energy he unleashed with each strike stunned the spectators. But with every passing second, Sun Chuantao's breathing grew more labored, his forehead beading with sweat. As another attack narrowly missed Dai Yao, Sun Chuantao finally sensed something was wrong. He came to a halt, breathing heavily, feeling the depletion of his soul power, and finally catching on to Dai Yao's ruse.
"Were you just pretending to be nearly hit?" Sun Chuantao's voice trembled with anger and disbelief.
Dai Yao, his expression calm, merely smiled. "Correct."
With his soul power nearly depleted, Sun Chuantao's eyes darted around, looking for a way to salvage the situation. Known as the strongest fighter below the Golden Generation, his reputation now hung in the balance. He couldn't accept this humiliation.
"You're strong, Dai Yao. But if you want to beat me, show me something real!" he spat, summoning the last reserves of his power as his fourth soul ring glowed fiercely.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Ring Blade Rain!"
In an instant, countless circular blades materialized in mid-air, each one packed with the power of a high-level attack. The barrage of blades rained down on Dai Yao like a storm.
Dai Mubai watched, stunned by the skill's intensity. "This attack is even more powerful than my White Tiger Meteor Shower!"
Xie Yue observed, his gaze sharpening, "Chuantao's giving it everything he's got."
Yet Dai Yao merely smirked. As the blades poured down, he activated his Cloud-Woven Hands to deflect the attack, weaving between the strikes with surprising agility. He then summoned his full speed, transforming into a blur as he closed in on Sun Chuantao.
Sun Chuantao barely had time to process what was happening before a chilling sensation swept over him. Turning, he came face-to-face with Dai Yao's serene expression, his fist coiled back, ready to unleash his self-created technique.
"Eight Extremes Blast!"
A thunderous explosion echoed as Dai Yao's fist connected with Sun Chuantao's back, sending him flying off the stage. He tumbled to a halt on the arena floor, defeated.
This blow had not been at full power, as Dai Yao wanted to conserve as much soul power as possible. But even so, Sun Chuantao was unable to withstand it and had to accept defeat.
The simplicity of Dai Yao's strategy masked its difficulty. The precision required to gauge Sun Chuantao's exhaustion, exploit it, and land a finishing blow demonstrated a level of skill few could match.
Casting a glance at Sun Chuantao struggling to rise outside the ring, Dai Yao turned away indifferently. "Next."
He returned to his starting position, looking toward Shrek's corner. "Next opponent."
With only his physical skills, Dai Yao had just defeated one of Spirit Hall's top competitors. But as the battle went on, his true ambition became clear. With each opponent he defeated, his challenge grew ever more daunting. No longer conserving energy against weaker foes, he swiftly dispatched them using Eight Extremes Blast. Even flying-type opponents stood no chance as he employed his soul bone to ground them.
Dai Yao had eliminated Tai Long, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and six members from Spirit Hall.
With a simple "Next," he continued to dominate, his voice echoing like a drumbeat across the silent crowd.
Having just thrown Li Kai, the Spirit Master with the Black-Horned Wild Boar spirit, off the stage, Dai Yao had defeated eight competitors in total.
This was no mere "one against seven." His "one against eight" was against Spirit Hall and Shrek Academy—two of the continent's elite teams. And he had done it without even summoning his spirit!
The Golden Generation's faces were tense, anger boiling beneath the surface. The members of Spirit Hall were seething. To be defeated without forcing Dai Yao to use his spirit was a disgrace beyond words.
"Yan, it's your turn now. You must defeat him," Xie Yue said, his voice laced with fury.
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