Facing the soaring flames erupting from Yan, Xie Yue made a split-second decision.
Utilizing the recoil from their collision, he performed a mid-air flip and retreated, avoiding injury from the scorching heat.
Landing on the ground, Xie Yue swept his Moon Blades to either side. The thin, sharp scimitars carved two silver arcs through the air, their light shimmering and the blades completely unscathed.
Looking into the distance at Yan—who was kneeling on one knee, his soul power largely depleted—Xie Yue frowned and said coldly, "Your soul power is spent to this point... are you still not going to use it?"
At first listen, Xie Yue's words seemed like nonsense.
However, Yan understood perfectly. His soul power was mostly exhausted; in his current state, continuing a war of attrition against Xie Yue would lead to certain defeat. His only hope was to attempt one final, all-out strike to turn the tide.
Wrapped in rock-like armor and wreathed in fire under his Martial Soul Possession, Yan slammed his right fist heavily into the ground. Staring at the prepared Xie Yue, flames seemed to ignite within his eyes as he spoke one word at a time.
"First Soul Skill: Flame Savage Assault!"
Along with Yan's low roar, a yellow soul ring radiating intense energy fluctuations manifested. The flames burning across Yan's body suddenly became hyper-active, burning more fiercely until they mimicked the earlier soaring inferno.
A blistering heatwave spread through the air as his dark red glow intensified.
At this moment, his possessed Flame Lord Martial Soul grew several sizes larger, nearly becoming corporeal as the phantom solidified. Yan's figure and face, which were faintly visible moments ago, were now completely obscured.
The massive Flame Lord was entirely enveloped in fire, even warping the space around it, as if creating a world of flame—truly living up to the name "Flame Lord."
"Ha!"
Yan lunged toward Xie Yue, his speed increasing rapidly.
Suddenly, the Flame Lord's form below the waist vanished, replaced by a massive, outward-spreading cluster of fire trailing behind its torso.
Its upper body lifted several meters off the ground, charging forward parallel to the earth with such high-temperature speed that it left behind a blur of red afterimages.
The moment Yan's first soul skill appeared, its sheer pressure forced Xie Yue to take a step back.
Yan's first soul skill pursued pure destructive power; though it consumed a vast amount of soul power, its attack potency was terrifying. It was obtained from an extremely rare soul beast: the Blazing Fire Demon Bull.
Seeing that Yan had launched his final strike, Xie Yue knew the battle had reached its climax.
He no longer held back, pouring his soul power into his twin Moon Blades. He spun the blade in his right hand into a reverse grip, then joined the two blades at the hilts in front of his chest. Connected end-to-end, they formed a silver bladed wheel.
Under the influence of Xie Yue's soul power, the two became a single entity, levitated by his right hand. The bladed wheel suddenly burst with eye-searing light, far more intense than when he used Moon Slash.
It spun faster and faster, emitting an invisible, sharp aura so potent that even Xie Yue felt a slight discomfort. This was a special application of his first soul skill, Moon Slash, achieved through his control over the soul ring's energy and the essence of his Martial Soul.
He named it the Moon Wheel Flying Blade.
By temporarily merging the two blades into one, he boosted his attack power, though the increased strength meant his control over the trajectory was significantly diminished. However, it was enough to face Yan's first soul skill.
Seeing the Flame Lord charging like a mad fire demon, Xie Yue threw his right hand forward with everything he had. The silver-white wheel tore through the air like a streak of light, leaving a silver trail in its wake.
BOOM!
The two collided instantly.
A shockwave of energy far greater than any previous exchange exploded outward. Ripples of silver-white and dark red soul power expanded, making it hard to believe this was a battle between mere Soul Masters.
However, once the intense fluctuations subsided, the silver light was quickly swallowed by the dark red fire. The two Moon Blades were knocked flying, and the massive figure wreathed in flames continued its charge toward Xie Yue—though its speed was no longer too fast to track.
Xie Yue panted slightly, but a smile touched the corners of his mouth.
Without hesitation, he seized the single opening. He kicked off the ground, silver-white soul power erupting beneath him, and propelled himself several meters into the air, leaving a trail of silver soul-flame beneath his feet.
Before reaching the rank of Soul King, non-flying type Soul Masters generally lack the ability to fly. However, even a one-ring Soul Master can leap to a certain height by forcefully expelling a massive amount of soul power.
Xie Yue had spent a great deal of his remaining power to ascend, seemingly to avoid Yan's attack. But under Yan's direction, the Flame Lord's body tilted slightly, abandoning its horizontal charge to soar diagonally upward toward the air.
At that moment, the soul power light on Xie Yue began to dim. He was, after all, only at the first stage of cultivation—a Soul Master—and did not have enough soul power to squander. This method of bursting soul power was not sustainable.
Seeing Xie Yue trapped in mid-air with nowhere to dodge, two soft chimes suddenly echoed across the arena. Two streaks of silver light flew in from the distance, arriving beneath Xie Yue's feet even faster than Yan.
They were Xie Yue's Moon Blades.
Controlled by his Moon Slash skill, the silver scimitars acted as if they were sentient.
He lightly stepped on one, using the leverage to jump higher and change direction in mid-air. The blades flew back and forth in succession; every time Xie Yue began to fall, one would appear just in time to catch him.
The two Moon Blades had essentially built a staircase of light for him.
This scene demonstrated Xie Yue's supreme mastery over his Martial Soul and first soul skill.
Yan's transformed attack, having lost its initial momentum, could no longer give chase and eventually fell back to the ground in frustration.
"Whew!"
The fierce flames flickered and began to fade.
Yan finally came to a halt, panting heavily.
He propped himself up with his hands to keep from collapsing. His soul power was completely drained, and the aggressive, fire-like aura had vanished. He sighed inwardly; he had lost again. Among his peers, no one was his match except for Xie Yue, who defeated him time and time again.
Suddenly, a hand appeared before his eyes. Yan looked up to see Xie Yue.
"Yan, you've grown stronger. This time, even I have exhausted my soul power."
Yan took the hand and stood up, though he still let out a snort.
"Next time, I'll definitely win."
What a competitive guy, Xie Yue thought to himself.
The battle between the two had surprised many.
Aside from the students watching by the arena, several teachers showed looks of genuine appreciation. Of course, the happiest person was Hu Liena, who had been watching from the sidelines.
Seeing her brother so formidable and victorious, she was thrilled.
"Brother, you were amazing!"
As soon as the match ended, Hu Liena rushed onto the arena and stood beside them, her voice filled with excitement.
At this point, Hu Liena had only just obtained her first soul skill and had almost no combat experience. She lacked the overwhelming confidence and battle prowess of the future "Golden Generation" leader.
This brilliant battle had made her want to cheer, especially with her brother as one of the stars.
Hearing Hu Liena's praise, Xie Yue's usually cold face seemed to melt like snow, and he smiled. Looking at her dotingly, he said, "Nana's innate soul power is even higher than mine. In the future, you will surely be even stronger than your brother."
"Really?"
Hu Liena asked, her large eyes filled with uncertainty.
Through her conversations over the last few days, she knew that Xie Yue and Yan had only just broken through to Rank 18. While that was higher than her Rank 11, the difference in actual combat power felt like a vast chasm.
She hadn't forgotten the time she used her first soul skill on Ling Xiao.
Although Ling Xiao had been affected immediately—blanking out and leaving a huge opening—she felt that even if she reached Rank 18, there would still be a massive gap between her and people like Xie Yue or Yan.
Naturally, Ling Xiao's "clumsy" performance that day had left a lasting impression of him being a bit of a ditz in her mind.
Seeing his sister's doubtful expression, Xie Yue nodded to reassure her.
"Of course. Otherwise, why would the Pope take you as a disciple? It's just that combat power is related to the characteristics of the Martial Soul. The teachers will explain the details once you officially start classes."
"If you don't believe me, ask Yan," Xie Yue added, shifting the topic to his friend.
Yan stood there looking bewildered.
Xie Yue, you're something else—comforting your sister and then passing the buck to me.
But seeing Hu Liena turn her curious eyes toward him, he had to speak up.
"Xie Yue isn't lying to you. As someone with Innate Full Soul Power, you are destined to be powerful in the future."
"Powerful like me," Yan added after a pause, showing his innate arrogance. Although his innate soul power was Rank 9 like Xie Yue's, he didn't believe he was inferior to someone with Innate Full Soul Power.
If Hu Liena weren't Xie Yue's sister and the Pope's disciple—and a girl whose Martial Soul wasn't a combat-oriented Power-Attack type—he would have tried to take her down a notch long ago. However, thinking of this, Yan had another thought.
Isn't there another guy who also has Innate Full Soul Power? I heard his Martial Soul is a Power-Attack type. When he gets here, I'll have to show him that I'm not a bit worse than those with full innate power.
Ling Xiao certainly had no idea he had already been marked by a Yan he had never even met.