From the pavilion, Flender and the others watched Oscar and Ma Hongjun with satisfied expressions. Though Shrek Academy only accepted geniuses, in all these years, Oscar was the one who had pleased them the most.
And because people grow through those around them, Oscar had even influenced Ma Hongjun. Though one was only eight and the other six, both gave off a maturity that made the teachers feel as though they were watching children in their early teens.
When both boys had released their martial souls, Zhao Wuji's deep voice rang out again:
"Battle… begin!"
The moment the words fell, Ma Hongjun acted even faster than Oscar. Soul power surged across his body, flames erupted, and the explosive force directly propelled him forward by five meters.
The two had started only ten meters apart—now only five remained.
In the very next instant, Ma Hongjun's first yellow soul ring lit up. His mouth opened wide, and a blazing serpent of fire, ten meters long, shot forward—his first soul skill, Phoenix Fire Line.
But Oscar knew Ma Hongjun too well. This explosive dash using fire's propulsion—he himself had taught Hongjun this trick.
Seeing the sudden advance, Oscar realized retreating was too late. Instead, he chose to dash sideways, the only way to avoid a direct hit from the Phoenix Fire Line.
Even at rank twenty-two, Oscar couldn't withstand fire head-on. Soul power differences were one thing, but his body wasn't resistant to flame—especially the corruptive Evil Fire Ma Hongjun wielded, which clung to anything it touched and was notoriously difficult to extinguish.
The fire serpent struck Oscar's original position, but by then he had already shifted two meters sideways. Still, Hongjun didn't relent. The flaming line tracked Oscar's movement.
Fortunately, Oscar had gained those two meters of breathing room. With a sudden push of his legs, he retreated three more meters, narrowly avoiding the sweep of the fire line.
Ma Hongjun's attack was explosively powerful, but its range was still limited—only ten meters at most.
This time, however, Hongjun wasn't the panicked boy he had once been. Seeing Oscar dodge, he immediately cut off his first soul skill, his body bursting once more with flame as he lunged forward for a follow-up strike.
But just as he charged, Oscar's right-hand soul tool flashed with light. A staff as long as his brows appeared in his grip, and he swung it directly toward Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun smirked. His right hand was already glowing with concentrated soul power, Evil Fire wrapping around his palm and condensing into claws. With a swipe, he slashed at the incoming staff.
"Flame Claw!"
His shout rang with confidence.
This was the technique Flender had taught him over the past month, built upon the guidance Oscar had once given him—compressing Evil Fire into his hands to form claw-shaped strikes, focusing all power into a single explosive point.
A self-created soul skill.
Claw met the staff. With a crack, the iron rod was crushed instantly, Ma Hongjun's claw still carrying forward toward Oscar's face.
Oscar's brows lifted slightly in surprise. The staff wasn't his martial soul, true, but it was still solid iron. For a fourteen-rank Ma Hongjun to shatter it with raw force was a feat deserving of the title "genius."
And this was a brand-new technique—he hadn't known it when Oscar left. Yet in such a short time, Hongjun had developed it to this level. Impressive.
But just as Hongjun's face filled with smug triumph, he froze.
Oscar had tossed away the broken staff. His left hand flared with azure light. In an instant, a one-point-two-meter-long jade sword of crystalline blue appeared, cleaving down upon Hongjun's Flame Claw.
Startled but unwilling to yield, Hongjun pushed harder, his claw burning even brighter as it slashed forward.
Clang!
The jade sword struck the Flame Claw, the sound ringing sharp and clear. The Sky-Blue Glazed Jade Sword was already equal to the martial souls of weapon-type battle spirit masters at Oscar's level, and with its natural cutting properties, the strike nearly severed Hongjun's hand.
The Evil Fire and soul power of the Flame Claw dissipated at an alarming speed. Only the brute force behind Hongjun's strike prevented his hand from being sliced off.
"Ah!" Hongjun cried out in pain, staggering back. "Oscar, what… what kind of soul skill is that? You blocked my Flame Claw!"
Panting, he stared at the azure sword in Oscar's hand with a mixture of awe and confusion. At his level, using Flame Claw once was already his limit. Now that it had been broken, he had no strength left to continue and immediately admitted defeat.
Oscar smiled lightly. "Not bad. That move has potential. But compared to me, it still falls a little short."
Hongjun gave him a speechless look, but inside, respect surged. Oscar's words might sound arrogant, but they rang true—Oscar had shattered his strongest technique with a single strike.
From the pavilion, Flender's face shone with delight, while Shao Xin and Li Yusong looked on in disbelief.
After all, Zhao Wuji had only told them to watch a spar—he hadn't mentioned anything about Oscar's external soul bone.
Now that they'd seen its power firsthand, how could they not be astonished?
Luchibin, the most scholarly among them, couldn't help but exclaim, "What fortune! That external soul bone's strength has already reached the level of a weapon-type battle spirit master in the same rank!"
His words made Li Yusong and Shao Xin gape in shock, while Flender nodded appreciatively at his insight.
Meanwhile, Oscar sheathed the jade sword, his expression calm as he addressed the exhausted boy slumped on the ground.
"Hongjun, your progress this month is impressive. But you can't slack off—you'll need to keep working hard."
Zhao Wuji chuckled, no longer paying attention to the two children—the match was already decided.
Hongjun nodded seriously. I will, Oscar. I'll work hard. Then, hesitantly, he asked, But… can you at least tell me what that sword was? I didn't even see you use a soul skill!