Upon hearing Yan's response, Hu Liena seemed to believe him, but she followed up with a playful remark that nearly made Yan explode with rage, looking as if he might strike at any moment.
"Like you? What's so good about being like you? You still can't beat my brother."
"Hehe."
Xie Yue, standing to the side, shook his head and laughed softly as he watched Yan instantly fly into a temper because of a single sentence from Nana.
To the left of the arena was a high platform, currently crowded with people. Most were teachers from Spirit Hall Academy who had come to watch the battle.
At the very front of the platform stood a square-faced, middle-aged man dressed in the silver-white standard robes of Spirit Hall Academy. Seeing that Xie Yue had ultimately triumphed over Yan, he couldn't help but shout in approval, "As expected of my student!"
He glanced sideways at a sturdy man with short, fiery-red hair. This man was exceptionally tall, standing at least a head taller than the average person. Dressed in dark red noble attire, his facial features bore a striking resemblance to Yan.
With a hint of pride, the teacher said, "Lie, we've known each other since our days at Spirit Hall Academy. Though I never managed to beat you back then, my student has now defeated your son. I suppose you could say I've finally fulfilled my wish. Hahaha!"
"Hmph!"
Hearing the gloating laughter beside him, Lie frowned and let out a cold snort.
"Sun Mingyuan, don't celebrate too early. Today's battle showed that the gap between my son and Xie Yue is narrowing once again. It won't be long before the outcome is different."
Sun Mingyuan's laughter paused.
Hearing Lie's words, he had to admit it was the truth. Today, Xie Yue had only won by a razor-thin margin. Once Yan's strength increased further and his Martial Soul underwent deeper development, Xie Yue might not be able to win again.
However, having finally caught an opportunity to needle Lie, he wasn't about to back down easily. He retorted, "What, do you think only Yan will grow stronger while Xie Yue stands still?"
The two men snorted in unison and stared each other down, their eyes seemingly sparking with fire. The surrounding academy teachers merely chuckled at this "tip-of-the-needle against the edge-of-the-wheat" confrontation, having no intention of intervening.
They all knew that Sun Mingyuan and Lie shared an excellent relationship. They had been in the same class since their youth at the academy. It was just that Sun Mingyuan had always been suppressed by Lie in terms of power, and that gap had only widened over time.
Of course, this didn't mean Sun Mingyuan had poor talent. Currently, he was one of the Senior Instructors of the Power Attack System at Spirit Hall Academy.
His Martial Soul, the Circular Giant Blade, was quite formidable—possessing higher attack power and flexibility than average souls. His cultivation had reached Rank 73 Soul Saint. To achieve this in his forties proved his excellence.
However, compared to Lie, he still fell short.
Lie was not a teacher at the academy.
Instead, after graduating, he had directly joined the core department of Spirit Hall: The Judgment Hall. In his second year there, he was promoted to Soul King and began serving as the captain of a judgment squad.
It must be noted that, excluding the Elder Hall and the Douluo Consecration Hall, the Judgment Hall was the highest military authority within Spirit Hall—the core force of adjudication.
Even an ordinary member of the Judgment Hall was required to have a cultivation of at least a Soul Ancestor and possess outstanding combat prowess. Usually, a squad captain was a Soul Emperor of Rank 60 or above, and even Soul Saints were not uncommon in those positions.
To be granted captaincy at the level of a Soul King was rare; those who achieved it invariably possessed extremely powerful Martial Souls and combat strength far exceeding their rank.
During his time in the Judgment Hall, Lie led his team through numerous missions, many of which were high-difficulty and life-threatening. Tempered by life-and-death struggles, his soul power grew by leaps and bounds.
He reached the level of Soul Douluo in his thirties.
Now, just over forty years old, his soul power had reached Rank 84.
His Martial Soul was the Flame Demon King, a soul endowed with immense fire attributes. He had risen step by step from a Patrol-level Captain to Inspector-level, then Adjudicator-level, and was now one of the Seven Presiding Judges of the Judgment Hall.
One could say he had carved his path through slaughter. Both his cultivation and combat strength far surpassed Sun Mingyuan's, and he held a position of great power and status within Spirit Hall.
He was also Yan's father.
However, Yan's Martial Soul had not perfectly inherited his; instead, it had undergone a degree of mutation, evolving into the ancient Martial Soul: Flame Lord, which added the Earth attribute to its Fire foundation.
"Alright, Lie, Mingyuan, both of you say less. Those who don't know better would think you two were enemies."
At that moment, a calm, aged voice drifted from behind.
It belonged to an old man sitting in a wooden chair. His hair and beard were stark white, and the numerous wrinkles on his face betrayed the passage of time.
Dressed in a simple white robe, he emitted no ripple of soul power, looking like nothing more than an old farmer. Yet, everyone present looked at him with profound respect. Even Lie bowed his head slightly, like a student facing a master.
In fact, that was exactly the case.
This old man was Mu Chen, the Dean of Spirit Hall Academy.
Nearly ninety years old, most of the people here had once been his students. Even if they hadn't been in his direct classes, they had all received his guidance at some point and rightfully called him "Teacher."
Standing beside the old man was a somewhat short and stout teacher with a square head and large ears. He leaned in slightly and asked respectfully, "Dean, what is your assessment of this match between Yan and Xie Yue?"
Hearing this question from Li Tingzhu, a Senior Instructor of the Power Attack System, the others grew curious about the Dean's evaluation and gathered around.
Though the old man showed his age, his eyes were as clear as mirrors, without a hint of cloudiness. He nodded and smiled, "This battle can be called brilliant. To have such a fierce engagement at the level of a mere Soul Master—it is rare indeed!"
His gaze swept across the group and settled on a bald, burly man.
"Shi Tie, tell me, what deficiencies does Yan currently have?"
The old man's casual question made the large man nervous.
Shi Tie thought carefully before speaking cautiously, "Dean, I believe that in this battle, Yan's use of fire power was acceptable. Combined with his fire-attribute first soul skill, there is nothing to complain about regarding his offense."
"The only flaws lie in his flexibility and defense. His actual speed is decent, but his reaction speed during combat was slow, making it difficult for him to parry Xie Yue's onslaught. This can be improved through future training."
At this point, Shi Tie glanced at the old man, who had closed his eyes, and continued, "Perhaps he can try to specifically boost his defense through his second soul skill, maximizing the power of his Martial Soul's Earth attribute."
"By strengthening his defensive capabilities, he won't find his soul defenses so easily breached when facing high-offense Martial Souls like the Moon Blade in the future."