In the distance, Yun Ze and Gu Yuena stood facing each other a hundred meters apart.
Gu Yuena was the first to release her martial spirit. A resounding dragon's roar echoed as a nine-colored giant dragon surged out from behind her.
Strictly speaking, "nine-colored dragon" wasn't entirely accurate—the dragon's body was primarily silver, while the other eight colors only occupied small portions.They intertwined like silk threads woven into the silver scales, dazzling yet not gaudy, a natural and harmonious match.
The giant dragon beat its wings, circling in the air before halting behind Gu Yuena. In its vertical pupils flowed a nine-colored brilliance.Majestic, solemn, divine, exuding the crushing pressure of the dragon race. Its cold eyes carried a gaze that seemed to look down on all beings, making even the air feel heavy and viscous under its stare.
Gu Yuena's martial spirit was morphing toward the Dragon God's image, though at this point, it was still half-finished.
The nine-colored dragon appeared graceful and beautiful—unlike the typical bulky, muscular dragons. Yet it wasn't frail either; its sharp edge was hidden beneath its elegance, not overtly displayed.
From beneath Gu Yuena's feet rose her soul rings: four purple and one black, five rings circling rhythmically around her.
After releasing her martial spirit, her appearance showed no outward change. No scales, no enlargement of body—she looked the same as before.This was due to her fine control over her bloodline, ensuring her body didn't shift with her martial spirit's release.
On the surface she appeared unchanged, but in truth her physical state was now many times stronger than before.
A piercing phoenix cry rang out. From behind Yun Ze, a phoenix shot forth, flames blazing as though to burn mountains and boil seas, warping the air violently wherever it passed.
The nearby temperature soared, heatwaves visibly rippling out in layers.
Beneath Yun Ze's feet rose three purple soul rings, fewer than Gu Yuena's, and his soul power fluctuations were visibly weaker than hers.
He released eight pieces of battle armor: paired armguards, greaves, and a chest and abdomen piece.
The moment the battle armor appeared, his strength surged, his aura more than doubling, shrinking the gap with Gu Yuena.
"I'm going to attack now~" Gu Yuena said with a mischievous smile, stomping the ground as she shot forward.
In the past, she would have summoned her Elemental Staff and used elemental attacks. But this time, she wanted to test her close-combat power.
With the Golden Dragon King's robust physique, her melee ability was formidable—enough for her to feel confident she could defeat any opponent of her level.Of course, "any opponent of her level" did not include Yun Ze. He was from another world, hardly comparable to local soul masters.
Yun Ze also charged forward. His steps were light and precise, his legwork showing remarkable control. Though both were running, his movements were clearly more refined.
He used no martial technique, only running—yet he had optimized even this simplest of actions.
With battle armor augmenting him, his speed was in no way inferior to Gu Yuena's.
The two drew near and clashed with their fists, energy rippling outward like waves on water, the shockwaves intense.
The impact sent both reeling back. Phoenix wings unfurled behind Yun Ze, carrying him backward through the air without touching the ground.
Behind Gu Yuena, nine-colored dragon wings spread open, beating lightly to stabilize her after she was forced back dozens of meters.
These dragon wings were a new ability granted by her evolved bloodline, providing flight and a boost to speed.
That last exchange had Gu Yuena holding a slight edge in raw power. Yet she felt no joy. With a gap of twenty-one levels in soul power and the advantage of a quasi-Dragon God bloodline, merely edging out Yun Ze was hardly something to celebrate.
"Again!" Gu Yuena said stubbornly, wings flapping as she shot toward him once more.
Yun Ze met her head-on. The two fought in midair, clashing with pure strength and technique. Each impact rippled energy outward.
Gu Yuena's attacks were fast, but Yun Ze's reactions were faster. He could match her every move and counter in turn.
In sheer power, Gu Yuena was superior—soul power difference alone guaranteed that. For now, bloodline advantage and battle armor couldn't close that gap.Only because her bloodline had ascended to quasi-Dragon God did Yun Ze not completely overturn the disparity.
Had she not evolved, Yun Ze with eight pieces of battle armor and his own bloodline superiority would not only close the gap but surpass her outright.
While weaker in power, in combat experience and technique Yun Ze utterly dominated her.
This wasn't merely "more skilled"—it was crushing. Yun Ze's fighting style was flawless, without a single exploitable opening.
It was as if he had foresight, anticipating Gu Yuena's every move and responding with the optimal counter.
He exploited every flaw in her attacks, using minimal effort to achieve maximum effect.
"Why do I feel like the young miss has no power to resist against the young master?" Bear Lord blurted out, dumbfounded.
Di Tian, Bi Ji, Zi Ji, and the Ten-Thousand Beast King were equally stunned. This wasn't the outcome they expected.
Gu Yuena should have been stronger—but Yun Ze was the one pressing the advantage, suppressing her throughout.
His attacks flowed seamlessly, like a storm of wind and rain, leaving her overwhelmed. Once she fell into disadvantage, she couldn't climb back.
Against Yun Ze, Gu Yuena seemed like a brute relying only on raw strength, with no technique at all.
In reality, it wasn't that she lacked technique—it was that Yun Ze's mastery smothered her completely, making her skills look clumsy in comparison.
"The young master's battle experience is terrifying," Di Tian said gravely. Yun Ze's moves were seamless, flawless.
Unless one could suppress him with absolute overwhelming power, beating him in technique was impossible.
"I should never have gone into close combat…" Gu Yuena regretted deeply. She had been blindly confident.
She thought her strengthened Golden Dragon King body could withstand Yun Ze in melee. But after truly clashing, she realized… she was wrong.
Unless she had the power to cripple him in a single blow, close combat against him offered no chance of victory.
Now she was reaping the consequences of her arrogance. She wanted to disengage and switch to long-range, but Yun Ze gave her no opportunity.
His attacks were inescapable, leaving her no breathing room. Forget disengaging—she didn't even have time to summon her elemental abilities.
"I'll give you one chance," Yun Ze said. His fist, originally aimed at her abdomen, shifted to grab her hand instead, swinging her outward.
Gu Yuena was flung back dozens of meters. She quickly adjusted, stumbling as she barely managed to stabilize herself without crashing into the ground.
Her face flushed red, breath ragged. Though she hadn't suffered any heavy blows, her entire body ached painfully.
(End of Chapter)