Feng Xiaotian was confident—if he could injure Li Chang'an's hand in this exchange, victory would be within reach.
But to his shock, Li Chang'an's hands felt light as mist and fluid as water. Though gripped firmly, they slipped free like eels. With just a soft twist of his wrist—effortless, almost lazy—Li Chang'an redirected Feng Xiaotian's force and sent him flying backward three meters!
'How is that possible?! He didn't even use strength!'
For a brief instant, Feng Xiaotian's mind blanked in disbelief. His opponent's fighting style was completely alien—calm, measured, and impossibly refined.
Li Chang'an simply smiled, one hand raised in a courteous "please" gesture, his composure like that of a master detached from worldly struggle.
And without pause, Li Chang'an stepped forward, striking again.
---
Feng Xiaotian's heart pounded.
He had never imagined that Li Chang'an's close-combat ability could reach such a terrifying level.
An ominous realization struck him: if Li Chang'an managed to close the distance completely, he'd have no chance left.
Sensing danger, Feng Xiaotian reacted instantly.
He leapt backward, his speed blurring into a streak of green light, widening the gap between them in a heartbeat.
Not only had he dodged Li Chang'an's strike—he'd escaped the range of the Taibai Sword entirely.
Fast!
Li Chang'an's gaze sharpened. From that single movement, he had already discerned much.
Feng Xiaotian's agility rivaled that of a dedicated speed-type Spirit Master.
Could it be that his title of "assault-type" was false?
No... of course not.
From his movements, Li Chang'an quickly understood: the Stormwind Twin-Headed Wolf martial soul granted dual attributes—strength and speed.
Feng Xiaotian was essentially a hybrid of assault and agility, able to strike hard and move faster than either type alone.
In other words, Li thought wryly, it's like Arthur with an infinite sprint buff.
---
Having retreated, Feng Xiaotian no longer hesitated.
The brief exchange had shown him enough—he couldn't overpower Li Chang'an in close combat.
If he wanted to win, he needed to rely on his full abilities.
The second and third soul rings on his body flared simultaneously.
With a resonant roar, a pair of massive emerald wings unfurled from his back.
Behind him, a spectral image of the Stormwind Twin-Headed Wolf materialized, shimmering with light.
Bathed in that radiant aura, Feng Xiaotian soared into the sky.
One powerful flap of his wings lifted him upward, the wind itself carrying him higher and higher—until he hovered nearly fifty meters above the ground.
Taking to the skies—his greatest advantage.
Though flight was normally impossible before the seventh ring, his martial soul's mutation gave him that gift even as a Spirit Ancestor.
---
But Li Chang'an didn't so much as flinch.
He simply watched, eyes steady, moving casually to the center of the arena.
'Flying, is it?' he mused.
---
High above, Feng Xiaotian spread his wings wide, his expression solemn.
"Li Changsheng, you're even stronger than I expected. But no matter how strong you are, I will defeat you today! For Godwind Academy, and for Huo Wu!"
He raised his claws, gathering wind until his whole body gleamed with azure light.
"Now—prepare yourself! My self-created soul skill: Stormwind Demon Wolf—Thirty-Six Consecutive Strikes!"
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
A self-created soul skill!
Even the referee looked stunned.
After all, to craft one's own technique was a feat reserved for true prodigies—those whose understanding of their martial soul and combat experience transcended the norm.
---
Li Chang'an, however, merely stopped walking and planted his feet firmly.
His reply was calm, consisting of just two words:
"Come on."
He had no fear of "self-created skills."
He might not have developed many of his own, but his arsenal of non-ring techniques was far from ordinary.
---
Behind Feng Xiaotian, the luminous wolf spirit merged seamlessly with his body—his second soul skill, Twin-Wolf Fusion.
It boosted his power, defense, and speed by fifty percent.
Stacked with his third soul skill, Stormwind Wings, his state reached its absolute peak—only then could he unleash his self-created strike.
From a certain perspective, that move wasn't inferior to a fourth soul skill—perhaps even superior, consuming less soul power for devastating output.
---
With a feral roar, Feng Xiaotian dove from the sky like a falling star.
His enormous wings folded into a streamlined form, silent as death.
All the rushing wind compressed around him, the air resistance vanishing entirely.
Silence meant speed—and only a wind-attribute soul master could find such a perfect descent angle through the air.
The blade-like edges of his wings shimmered with sharp green light.
The "Thirty-Six Consecutive Strikes" would rain down from those very wings.
---
But before he struck, Li Chang'an moved.
The Taibai Sword in his hand crackled with arcs of blue lightning, the electric energy rapidly intensifying until the blade itself was wrapped in raw thunder.
The conductive metal amplified it further, extending the sword's glow into a three-meter-long lightning blade.
He smiled. "Since you have a self-created soul skill… I suppose I'll show you one of mine as well."
"I call it—Flying Sword!"
As his words fell, Li Chang'an spun once on his heel, then hurled the Taibai Sword skyward.
The thunder-wrapped blade shot toward Feng Xiaotian like a streak of lightning, slicing the air with a shrill whistle that set the entire arena vibrating.
---
Boom!
Sword met storm.
The explosion echoed across the coliseum.
Feng Xiaotian was sent tumbling through the air, flipping end over end before steadying himself. His clothes were scorched, his hair bristling with static—but he was otherwise unhurt.
Still, his powerful self-created technique had been interrupted—his momentum shattered.
And that alone was enough to cost him dearly.
---
"What's wrong? Daydreaming? Your thirty-six strikes are over—my turn."
Li Chang'an's voice carried up to the sky, calm but cutting, each word soaked in confidence.
He retrieved the Taibai Sword with a flick of his hand.
Then, taking a single step forward, he swung.
The first slash tore upward, unleashing a sharp wave of sword energy that ripped through the air toward Feng Xiaotian.
Before the wind master could evade, Li Chang'an's second step fell—another slash, even stronger, burst forth.
Then came the third, and with it, a blade of energy nearly fifty meters long split the sky in two.
Three steps. Three strikes. Three chained slashes.
This was Li Chang'an's signature battle technique—
the ultimate sequence he'd once adapted from an ancient weapon manual he'd discovered in the Spirit Hall:
The Critical Triple Axe Strike—now reborn as The Critical Triple Sword Strike.
Three attacks as one breath.
Each strike heavier, faster, and sharper than the last.
Pure dominance condensed into motion.
---
"Is… is that your self-created soul skill?" Feng Xiaotian stammered, frantically flapping his wings, barely dodging the blazing sword aura.
Li Chang'an shook his head.
"No. It's something far beyond a mere self-created skill."
He wasn't lying.
How could a humble "self-created skill" compare to a technique derived from an ancient martial canon of the Spirit Hall?
To compare them would be like a mayfly trying to shake an oak.
---
"I—!" Feng Xiaotian's voice broke as another sword wave nearly grazed him.
"I surrender!"