Gu La was about to respond when Bai Yuan suddenly spoke up: "There's no need to postpone."
Everyone turned to look at him. Bai Yuan raised his head, his eyes no longer clouded with chaos but filled with clear determination:
"I'll fight all seven of them alone, without using my devouring ability. If I lose, we'll leave immediately. If I win, give us the three days of observatory usage as originally planned."
Li Zhilong looked at the youth who had nearly caused a disaster moments ago in astonishment: "Are you sure? Without using that ability, how do you plan to fight seven soul masters of the same level?"
Bai Yuan smiled faintly and, for the first time, fully unleashed his martial soul. Four black soul rings rose from beneath his feet, drawing gasps of shock—his fourth ring was ten thousand years old. What kind of terrifying talent was this?
"My martial soul isn't just for devouring." Bai Yuan walked to the center of the arena. "Please instruct me."
Gu La didn't stop him. He also wanted to address the issue of Bai Yuan's increasingly uncontrollable appetite, preferably before he fused with a spirit soul.
Bai Yuan stood at the center of the observatory, four pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul rings slowly rotating around him, exuding an oppressive aura that left everyone breathless.
The seven Tian Ding Starry Sky Academy students had risen again, but their faces were still pale, their eyes filled with wariness.
"Without using your devouring ability?" Xing Yao—the blue-haired captain of the Starry Sky team—sneered, feigning disdain. "Do you really think you can defeat all seven of us with just your soul skills?"
Bai Yuan didn't respond. He simply raised his right hand and gestured for them to proceed.
Li Zhilong glanced at both sides and announced gravely: "The match resumes!"
"Formation change!" Xing Yao shouted. The seven quickly shifted into a new formation, intricate star-patterned runes glowing beneath their feet as their soul power connected, forming a unified whole.
This was Tian Ding Starry Sky Academy's signature combined technique—the Seven Stars Linked Pearl Formation, capable of channeling the soul power of all seven members into a single cohesive attack and defense system.
Gu La and the others retreated to the sidelines. Na'er muttered under her breath: "What's he showing off for? We could've easily taken them down together."
Wu Sido crossed her arms, her black hair swaying without wind, highlighting the cute white tiger ears atop her head. "Let him suffer a bit—it'll teach him not to be so arrogant."
Only Gu Yue remained silent, her violet eyes fixed on Bai Yuan's back. She could sense that Bai Yuan's origins were extraordinary, far beyond an ordinary martial soul, yet she couldn't discern the depths of the abyss within him.
On the field, Xing Yao launched the first attack: "First Soul Skill, Starlight Piercer!" Seven streaks of silver light shot toward Bai Yuan from different angles, sealing off all possible escape routes.
Finally, Bai Yuan moved—but this time, he didn't unleash his devouring ability. His first soul ring lit up: "Abyssal Formlessness!"
In an instant, his body transformed into a blurry black shadow. The Starlight Piercers passed through the shadow as if striking empty air.
"Where is he?" one of the Starry Sky female students cried out in alarm.
"Above!" Xing Yao snapped his head upward.
Bai Yuan had somehow leapt into the air, his second soul ring flashing: "Three-Headed Six-Armed Dharma Form!"
An overwhelming pressure descended abruptly, causing all seven members to sink slightly as the light of their star formation dimmed.
Two additional heads sprouted from Bai Yuan's shoulders, and two more powerful arms grew on either side of his body. His Abyssal Maw martial soul, previously dominated by mouth-like appendages, now took the form of a towering three-headed, six-armed giant.
The giant's body was covered in shallow scars resembling closed maws. Without the devouring force, the figure appeared less terrifying but no less formidable.
"Don't panic!" Xing Yao gritted his teeth, maintaining the formation. "Third Soul Skill, Starlight Shield!" A layer of silvery light enveloped them, barely mitigating some of the oppressive gravity.
Bai Yuan landed lightly, his massive frame seemingly weightless. A flicker of admiration crossed his eyes as he praised them, "Impressive coordination."
Before his words faded, he stepped forward, his movements unexpectedly swift for his enormous size. Three identical illusions of Bai Yuan suddenly appeared, charging the star formation from different directions.
The Tian Ding Academy students scrambled to respond, but they found it impossible to distinguish which illusion was real.
"Focus your attacks on one!" Xing Yao commanded. All seven directed their soul skills at the leftmost illusion, which shattered upon impact. But by then, the real Bai Yuan had already silently appeared at the heart of the formation.
"It's over," Bai Yuan murmured softly. His six arms suddenly converged.
A surge of pure darkness erupted from Bai Yuan, instantly engulfing the entire star formation. Within this darkness, the starlight was completely devoured. The seven students panicked as they lost all sight—even their soul perception was blocked.
"What… what is this?" one student trembled, asking aloud.
"Don't scatter!" Xing Yao's voice echoed in the darkness. "Form a defensive circle, back-to-back!"
But it was too late. Seven dull thuds rang out in quick succession. When the darkness dissipated, all seven Starry Sky students lay unconscious on the ground, while Bai Yuan stood tall, breathing steadily as if nothing had happened.
The entire arena fell silent. Even Gu Yue and the others hadn't expected Bai Yuan to so cleanly and decisively defeat seven soul masters of the same level without using his devouring ability.
Li Zhilong was the first to regain his composure. After checking the students' conditions and confirming they were merely knocked out and unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief and announced: "The match is over. Shrek Academy wins."
The other Tian Ding Starry Sky Academy spectators erupted into murmurs of disbelief. Xing Yao was widely regarded as the academy's top genius, and the Seven Stars Linked Pearl Formation had never been broken by soul masters of the same age group—yet today, it had been utterly dismantled.
Bai Yuan retracted his martial soul and walked toward his teammates. Na'er excitedly slapped him on the shoulder: "Not bad! You've been hiding your strength this whole time, haven't you?"
"Just a trick," Bai Yuan shook his head. "Their formation relied on starlight energy, which happened to be countered by my abilities."
Gu Yue suddenly spoke up: "It wasn't just that." Her violet eyes locked onto Bai Yuan. "At the very end, I sensed something else about your martial soul—is that correct?"
Bai Yuan met her gaze, equally curious about what she had perceived. In a low voice, he asked: "What did you see?"
"A shadow," Gu Yue's voice was soft, yet it made Bai Yuan's pupils contract slightly. "A pitch-black human shadow."
Their conversation was interrupted by Li Zhilong: "As per the agreement, the observatory is yours to use for the next three days. However…" He chuckled bitterly, glancing at the nearly depleted starlight essence in the dome, "it might take a night for it to naturally recover before being effective again."
Gu La nodded politely: "Thank you very much. We'll return tomorrow."
As they left the observatory, Bai Yuan lingered at the rear. He looked down at his palm, reflecting on Gu Yue's words.
Only he knew that when he activated his fourth soul skill, something within him had awakened—a craving that went beyond devouring energy, akin to the memories of some… living entity.
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