"Liu Yuan! I'll see how long you can keep running!"
Ma Xiaotao's furious roar echoed across the arena. The golden crystal sword in her hand trailed a heart-stopping cold gleam as she charged straight toward the corner where Liu Yuan stood, like an out-of-control cruise missile, utterly heedless of the consequences.
At this moment, she was completely blinded by rage.
Having been toyed with twice in a row, the suffocating frustration of possessing overwhelming power yet being unable to unleash it caused this pride of Shrek Academy to completely lose her usual calm and judgment.
In her eyes, Liu Yuan would definitely repeat his old tricks.
He would surely use that infuriating Extreme Speed again to pull away, then dash to another corner and perform that damned dance!
"This time, no matter what, I'm catching you!"
Ma Xiaotao hardened her resolve. Instead of retaining any spirit power for defense, she poured everything into her legs and back, trading it all for an even more terrifying burst of speed.
Defense? She didn't need it!
He only knew how to run anyway!
However—
The moment Ma Xiaotao crossed the center line of the arena,
Liu Yuan, who was dancing amid dragon-shaped currents of air, suddenly let a cold glint flash deep in his eyes.
"The fish has taken the bait."
He didn't immediately interrupt Dragon Dance. Instead, he waited until the instant Ma Xiaotao closed to within fifty meters before his dancing hands suddenly pressed downward.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Surf!"
Rumble—!!!
Out of thin air, it was as if a dam had burst open.
A towering wave surged violently from beneath Liu Yuan's feet without warning, carrying immense force as it slammed head-on into the rapidly approaching Ma Xiaotao.
This move wasn't known for lethality, but it excelled in wide range and overwhelming impact!
Sizzle, sizzle—
The flames covering the arena that Ma Xiaotao had used to sense Liu Yuan's position were instantly extinguished beneath the wash of the massive wave, erupting into clouds of white mist and losing all effectiveness.
"Trivial tricks!"
Facing the oncoming giant wave, Ma Xiaotao gave a disdainful snort and casually swung the golden crystal sword, splitting the wave cleanly in two.
"You think such a soft attack can stop me? You're too—"
Before she could finish, those two words she both hated and recognized all too well reached her ears once more.
"Extreme Speed!"
Whoosh—!
That white figure vanished again.
"This routine again?!"
A mocking, icy smile curled at the corner of Ma Xiaotao's mouth.
Just as expected!
He used Surf to block her vision, then took the chance to escape with Extreme Speed, right?
"Do you think the same trick will still work on me?!"
Ma Xiaotao didn't adopt any defensive posture at all. She didn't even slow her forward charge in the slightest.
Her gaze locked onto another corner of the arena, convinced that Liu Yuan was about to reappear there. She prepared to greet him head-on with a decisive blow!
But—
In the next second,
A hair-raising sense of crisis exploded from behind her without warning!
It wasn't an escape!
It wasn't a reposition!
That white lightning hadn't appeared in a distant corner at all, but… right behind her!
"What?!"
Ma Xiaotao's pupils shrank violently. She tried to turn and defend, but her previous full-speed sprint had left her with too much inertia to stop or pivot instantly.
"This time, it's for real."
Liu Yuan's cold voice rang in her ear like the whisper of a death god.
This was psychological warfare.
When you think I'm on the second level, I'm already on the fifth!
The previous two uses of Extreme Speed were nothing but setup—meant to create a fixed pattern, to make her drop her guard completely!
Boom—!!!
He gave Ma Xiaotao no chance to regret it.
Liu Yuan's right fist, which had been gathering momentum for a long time, carried terrifying, unrivaled power as it smashed heavily into Ma Xiaotao's defenseless back!
What was packed into this single punch?
Two layers of attack increase from two stacks of Dragon Dance!
The doubled physical attack power from the Huge Power ability!
And the massive kinetic energy from the Extreme Speed sprint!
The force of this blow had long surpassed the limits of an ordinary Spirit King, rivaling even a full-power strike from a Power Attack System Soul Emperor!
Pfft—!
Ma Xiaotao felt as if her back had been struck by a rampaging ancient dragon.
Her protective spirit power shattered instantly!
Her spine let out an overwhelmed groan!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out, drawing a tragic yet beautiful arc through the air.
Her entire body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, tracing a long parabola before crashing violently onto the ground at the edge of the arena.
Bang!
The hard granite floor instantly collapsed into a massive crater, dust billowing everywhere.
The entire venue fell into deathly silence.
Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief.
Ma Xiaotao, who had been relentlessly hunting Liu Yuan just a moment ago… had been sent flying in an instant?
"Cough, cough… You…"
Inside the crater, Ma Xiaotao struggled to prop herself up. Blood dripped continuously from the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with shock and resentment.
She tried to stand, but the searing pain in her back made her vision go dark.
However—
Liu Yuan didn't give her the slightest chance to recover.
"It's not over yet."
He didn't pursue. Instead, he calmly pulled a silver-gray metal sphere from his storage spirit tool.
"Go."
With a flick of his wrist, the metal sphere shot out like a beam of light, precisely stopping above Ma Xiaotao's head.
Crack!
The sphere burst apart—not in an explosion, but by unfolding into a massive metal net crackling with blue electric arcs as it descended!
Level Six Binding Soul Tool—Lightning Dragon-Imprisoning Net!
Woven from special memory metal, this net was not only incredibly tough but also carried a powerful paralyzing current, designed specifically to restrain physically powerful Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts.
Sizzle, sizzle!
Ma Xiaotao, who had just begun to rise, was instantly bound tightly by the net.
"Ah—!"
The current surged through her body. The intense paralysis forced a scream from her lips, and the trace of spirit power she had just gathered instantly dispersed.
"Bastard! Let me go!"
She struggled like a trapped wild beast, tearing frantically at the metal net wrapped around her.
With her top-tier flames and Soul Sage-level strength, this Level Six soul tool couldn't restrain her for long.
As long as she had a little time—even just a few seconds—she could melt the metal with her Ultimate Fire or rip it apart with brute force!
"Liu Yuan!"
Ma Xiaotao's eyes turned bloodshot. Though she couldn't wield her golden crystal sword, flames erupted wildly from her body. The metal net rapidly heated, glowing red as it softened under the terrifying temperature.
Just a little longer…
However—
When she raised her head and looked toward Liu Yuan in the distance,
A piercing sense of despair surged from the depths of her heart.
Because she saw—
Liu Yuan wasn't even looking at her anymore.
He stood calmly at the center of the arena, eyes gently closed, his hands dancing once again.
Purple-black dragon-shaped currents spiraled upward around him.
Dragon Dance, third stage!
"No… Don't!"
Ma Xiaotao's pupils dilated as if her heart had stopped beating.
She struggled desperately, ignoring the barbs tearing into her flesh and the agonizing pain of the current scorching her body. She only wanted to be faster—just a little faster—to break free!
She had to stop him!
If she let him keep stacking—
"Break for me!!!"
With a heart-rending roar, Ma Xiaotao forced every last bit of her potential to explode.
Snap—!
The incredibly tough Lightning Dragon-Imprisoning Net finally snapped under her frantic tearing and searing flames!
Pant… pant…
Ma Xiaotao staggered to her feet, hair disheveled, blood covering her body, her condition utterly miserable.
But she didn't care.
Her gaze locked onto Liu Yuan as she prepared to charge forward and interrupt him.
But—
It was already too late.
The instant she broke free,
Liu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
The purple-black currents around him had reached peak density, as if an Ancient Magic Dragon had condensed behind him, roaring toward the heavens.
That was—
Six stacks of Dragon Dance!
Attack power increased by six levels!
Speed increased by six levels!
Liu Yuan looked at the battered Ma Xiaotao, a faint smile lifting the corner of his lips. There was no mockery in it—only absolute confidence, the certainty of total control.
"Congratulations. You finally got out."
He gently flexed his wrists, crisp cracking sounds echoing clearly through the silent arena.
"Next…"
"Let's begin the second round."