Scales Against Crystal
Yao Xuan's right arm underwent a final, definitive transformation. The first layer of his Qi and Blood Meridians blazed like internal circuitry, channeling the deep, primordial power of the Ancestral Dragon directly into his limb. His arm swelled with contained might, the scales thickening and becoming more pronounced, each one etched with a faint, nine-colored shimmer. His hand completed its metamorphosis into a true dragon's claw—a weapon of myth, sharp enough to part the wind, solid enough to shatter mountains.
He held nothing back. The data from the [Eye of Observation] was clear: this foe surpassed the Human-Faced Demon Spider in raw durability and crushing power. Respect demanded full strength.
Across from him, the Millennium Crystal Bear responded to Gu Yue's swamp with a display of its own earth-affinity. A pulse of dull yellow energy shot from its paws, and the clinging mire flash-crystallized into a solid, slick pane. The bear regained its footing, its gem-like eyes locking onto Yao Xuan with predatory focus. It charged, the ground trembling with each step, a living avalanche.
"Perfect," Yao Xuan murmured, a fierce grin touching his lips. His soul power roared in response. The Ancestral Dragon spirit behind him echoed his readiness, and his first soul ring ignited.
"First Soul Skill: Ancestral Dragon Sky-Rending Claw!"
He didn't wait. He met the charge head-on, a golden projectile against a brown crystalline juggernaut. To the observers, it seemed suicidal.
The collision was cataclysmic.
BOOM!
A shockwave of visible force rippled outwards, stripping leaves from trees in a sudden, violent rain. At the epicenter, claw met crystal-clawed paw.
Yao Xuan felt it immediately—a bizarre, invasive cold seeping through the point of contact. It was the Crystal Bear's infamous ability, a power that sought to transmute living tissue into brittle mineral. It crawled up his arm like frost, promising petrification.
But within Yao Xuan, the Ancestral Dragon's blood stirred. This was not an attack it recognized. It was a foreign, artificial corruption. The nine-colored energy within his marrow flared in automatic, disdainful rejection. The creeping crystallization met a wall of pure, primordial vitality and shattered on an atomic level, dissipating like mist before a sunrise. His scales glowed briefly, absorbing and nullifying the effect.
The physical force, however, was immense. Yao Xuan's feet skidded back, carving trenches in the forest floor. Yet he held. His dragon-claw, empowered by the soul skill and his bloodline transformation, had bitten deep. Where they connected, the bear's own crystalline armor—hard as fine-grained steel—spidered with fractures.
The bear's charge was not just stopped; it was reversed. The colossal creature, weighing several tons and propelled by its own mighty muscles, was lifted and thrown backward as if struck by a runaway siege engine. It crashed through a thicket of trees, each snap and crunch a testament to the unbelievable force, before landing in a heap with a ground-shaking thud.
In the observation room, the silence was absolute, broken only by the soft hum of equipment.
"...He didn't just block it," a technician finally whispered, voice hushed. "He counter-powered it. The force calculations... they're off the charts."
Wu Changkong said nothing, but his eyes were blazing with a fierce, proud light. This was his student. This was the future.
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi, pale but alert, exchanged a look of utter, resigned awe. Any lingering competitive thoughts dissolved. They weren't in the same universe.
Xie Xie just stared, his usual cocky grin replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated worship. "Big Brother Xuan..." he breathed.
On the battlefield, the Crystal Bear shook its massive head, stunned but not critically wounded. Its thick hide and layer of subcutaneous fat had absorbed the impact. Its pride, however, was bleeding. The wound on its foreleg, where Yao Xuan's claw had pierced the crystal and hide, seeped crimson, matting the coarse fur.
A thrill, hot and fierce, raced through Yao Xuan's veins. The Ancestral Dragon's nature was not just protective; it was dominant, confrontational. A worthy challenge stirred its power, honed his instincts. The vibration in his bones from the clash was not pain; it was a song of awakening strength.
"Again!" he declared, the word a promise.
He activated the Ancestral Dragon Shattering Void Step, becoming a streak of golden light. He didn't aim for the front this time. He flickered, appearing behind the dazed bear, targeting the vulnerable spot where the thick neck met the skull.
Gu Yue saw his intent. Her silver eyes narrowed in concentration. She had learned. Earth was too easily countered. This time, she drew upon the moisture in the air and the damp soil. With a graceful, sweeping motion of her hands, she didn't try to trap—she altered the footing.
Elemental Control: Glacial Panes.
A sheen of impossibly smooth, clear ice spread across the ground beneath the bear's feet just as it tried to rise. The sudden lack of friction was devastating. The massive creature's legs splayed, its balance utterly lost. It wasn't hurt, but it was exposed, floundering for a crucial second.
That second was all Yao Xuan needed.
He was already in the air, having used the spatial step to gain height. He descended like a falling star, his entire body a focused weapon, the Sky-Rending Claw aimed precisely at the base of the bear's skull.
The bear, in its panic, tried to twist, to bring its crystallized arms up in a desperate guard. But the ice betrayed it. Its movement was sluggish, uncoordinated.
"Ancestral Dragon Sky-Rending Claw!"
The golden claw descended, a bolt of draconic judgment. It was a blow meant not just to wound, but to end. The air itself seemed to tear around it. Gu Yue held her breath, her analytical mind silent, only Na'er's hope and her own fierce, protective will rising to the fore. She had set the stage. Now, he would deliver the finale. Their synergy was perfect, a deadly dance of space, element, and raw, overwhelming force.