"Start!" The electronic voice rang out again.
At that moment, the girl across from him moved. Under her feet, three soul rings glowed—yellow, bright, and purple. A pair of blue butterfly wings instantly spread, the colors at the tips shifting from deep blue to azure to light blue. The entire wing surface looked like a blue sky adorned with a string of brilliant rings, forming a V-shape that seemed to bring light to the world. Its shape and color were flawless, breathtakingly beautiful.
Lin Xiuran's eyes narrowed. He realized who the girl was. Tang San's daughter—or rather, Tang Wulin's elder sister—Tang Wutong!
Of course, at this moment, it might just be Wang Dong'er.
But Lin Xiuran didn't have time to ponder whether it was Wang Dong'er or Tang Wutong—the girl's attack came without warning.
Her wings flapped, shimmering with light, and slashed through the air, cutting a sharp trail in the sky before aiming straight at Lin Xiuran.
Lin Xiuran's mental power was strong, and his reactions quick. Using the wind element, he accelerated himself and dodged backward.
The girl's first attack missed, but she didn't pause. Her soul power infused her wings, which shone with golden light. The V-shaped pattern gleamed brilliantly as she charged at Lin Xiuran at high speed again.
In an instant, she closed in. At this velocity, even with his wind element at maximum output, Lin Xiuran could not escape her pursuit.
Just as she was about to strike, Lin Xiuran spun around, red light flickering in his eyes, and raised his hands to counterattack.
But the girl seemed to anticipate this. Her butterfly wings flapped, releasing a disturbance wind infused with soul power that instantly extinguished the flames he had just summoned. His fire element couldn't condense.
The girl smiled, a hint of pride in it. To Lin Xiuran, however, it was terrifying.
These were virtual characters—programmed to attack—but how could they display such a human-like smile? And Lin Xiuran felt as if there was something hidden in her gaze.
But he had no time to think further. A green soul ring appeared under his feet, and the wind element quickly gathered in front of him.
His eyes sharpened. He waved his hands lightly, and the gathered wind element spun rapidly, forming a tornado.
The tornado was enormous—at least two meters high—and even Lin Xiuran felt unstable standing against it.
The girl, however, remained calm, hovering midair. Her third purple soul ring slowly rose. Her wings glowed golden, her soul power concentrating into golden spheres that orbited her wings.
Then, she flapped her wings sharply, merging the two offensive light blades into a cross-shaped strike aimed at the tornado.
The tornado was instantly sliced apart. The elements destabilized and dispersed.
The next moment, the girl was already in front of Lin Xiuran. Her delicate white hand struck, and he barely had time to react before being hit.
Smack!
Lin Xiuran was stunned. The attack carried no soul power but was humiliating nonetheless. That seemingly gentle, beautiful girl had slapped him.
Yet Lin Xiuran remained rational. He didn't get angry—the girl's behavior was too strange. Programmatically, she should have used full power to defeat him.
If she had struck with real force, he would have had no chance. But instead, she lightly slapped him, with no soul power added. No red mark was left—it was as if she were merely patting his face.
Clearing his mind of distractions, Lin Xiuran focused. The girl was likely a virtual character with a minor programming error.
He couldn't afford to slack off. She had given him an opportunity—he would not miss it.
He extended both hands, summoning two elements. Once sufficiently concentrated, he gradually fused them.
With his palms joined, a powerful elemental aura condensed.
The next moment, Lin Xiuran stomped the ground and launched himself. In midair, he released a spinning ball of wind and fire elements.
The elemental gyroscope rotated rapidly and flew toward the girl, accelerating continuously.
The girl didn't dodge. She stood midair, not activating any soul skills.
Just as the gyroscope was about to collide with her, a stronger aura emanated from her. Lin Xiuran could feel the weight but couldn't see what she did. The scattered wind and fire elements after the gyroscope's impact also obscured his vision.
When the aftereffects cleared, he saw her clearly. She had not been harmed, standing high above like a true goddess. In her delicate hands, she held a massive war hammer.
The hammer was entirely black, the handle half a foot long, the head cylindrical—like a miniature blacksmith's hammer. A faint pattern spiraled around the black surface, emanating a unique glow.
Lin Xiuran's expression darkened. He said in a low voice: "Clear Sky Hammer!"
Without a doubt, the girl's second soul ring belonged to the legendary No1 weapon spirit of the continent—the Clear Sky Hammer.
"No wonder she has such power."
Lin Xiuran had forgotten about this entirely. He hadn't expected his wind-fire gyroscope to be so easily countered.
The girl gave him no chance. She surged at him, the hammer swinging wildly, effortlessly crushing toward him.
Lin Xiuran avoided a head-on clash, retreating. Yet no matter how fast he moved with wind element, he couldn't escape the hammer's crushing force.
Her soul power was overwhelming. After a few exchanges, the massive hammer came crashing toward him.
Lin Xiuran instinctively thought, "Wang Dong'er… you hate me that much?"
The words caused the girl's pupils to shrink suddenly. She stared at Lin Xiuran in disbelief, yet deep inside was an indescribable excitement.
(Chapter End)