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**
A faint smile played on the corners of Ling Xiao's lips as he spoke up, "Yan, what are you doing here?"
"Hmph! Ling Xiao, stop feigning ignorance."
With a cold snort, Yan said proudly, "You've finally returned."
"Ling Xiao, since you advanced to a three-ring Soul Elder and obtained your soul ring last year, you were sent to the Soul Hunting Forest by the Dean for tempering. We haven't had the chance to cross paths since then."
A sharp glint erupted in Yan's eyes, radiating an intense battle intent.
His entire presence surged with momentum; seen from afar, he resembled a volcano of molten lava poised to erupt.
"In our previous bouts, my cultivation was always an entire realm higher than yours."
"My victories were unfair. But now, our cultivation levels are close—let us truly determine who is superior! I know you have also been waiting for this battle for a long time."
The smile on Ling Xiao's face gradually faded, his gaze becoming increasingly sharp.
Looking at Yan, he said, "You're right, Yan. I have always wanted to defeat you."
"Ever since I advanced to the three-ring level, I've looked forward to this fight. I originally intended to seek you out tomorrow, but I didn't expect you to beat me to it and challenge me here."
"What, are you so impatient to lose to me?" Ling Xiao added at the end, a trace of playfulness flickering in his eyes.
"Ling Xiao, you're so confident you can beat me? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?" Yan said coldly. However, as he recalled the many sparring sessions and battles with Ling Xiao over the past few years, he had to admit something.
Though Ling Xiao had never managed to win due to Yan's advantage in cultivation, Ling Xiao's strength had been improving at a frightening speed, putting Yan under immense pressure.
"In the past, within the academy, only Xie Yue was someone I viewed as a rival. But after you arrived at Spirit Hall Academy, I realized you are even more suited to be my opponent than he is."
"It was only because your cultivation was a realm lower than mine that I could never fight with my full power. Today, I want to see whether your Profound Sky Axe is more formidable, or if my Flame Lord is the superior one."
"Come!"
As he finished speaking, a powerful surge of Soul Power rose from Yan's body.
Dark red Soul Power radiance erupted, dispelling the surrounding darkness.
Instantly, the Flame Lord Martial Soul possessed him, enveloping Yan's body within it. Dark red flames, resembling flowing magma, cascaded over the Flame Lord Martial Soul.
It radiated an intense heat, sending out waves of hot air that felt as if the surrounding atmosphere was about to be ignited. This was the special flame controlled by the Flame Lord Martial Soul: the Fire Mountain Rock Flame.
Although the true power of this top-tier flame could only be fully manifested after the Flame Lord reached the seven-ring Soul Saint rank, even now, it far surpassed the flames controlled by most fire-attribute Martial Souls.
Currently, Yan's cultivation had reached Rank 36, and his strength was far beyond what it had been during the two-ring stage.
Under the Martial Soul Possession of the Flame Lord, he appeared like a giant composed of dark red rock, standing over two meters tall. Surrounded by raging flames and looking less like a human and more like a hellish Flame Demon.
"Good!"
Seeing Yan in his possessed state, a brilliant light flared in Ling Xiao's eyes, his battle intent skyrocketing.
A flash of black-red Soul Power passed as a bronze greataxe, nearly as tall as Ling Xiao himself, was released.
This was Ling Xiao's Martial Soul, the Profound Sky Axe.
The silver-white edge of the axe radiated a piercing sharpness. The overall weapon looked as if it were cast from ancient bronze, primitive and majestic.
Around the greataxe, black-red currents of Soul Power coiled and flowed, adding a faint aura of malevolence that made it clear to anyone that this was a weapon of slaughter.
Circulating his Soul Power, a similarly powerful fluctuation—not at all inferior to Yan's—radiated from Ling Xiao.
However, the auras the two emitted were vastly different. One was scorching as fire and heavy as the earth, like a wall of magma pressing forward, unstoppable.
Ling Xiao's aura, on the other hand, was peerlessly domineering, filled with an immense sense of strength yet saturated with a razor-sharp edge.
With a sudden twist of his right hand on the axe's handle, the glint of the blade flashed and vanished. Ling Xiao stomped heavily on the ground, charging toward Yan. In just a few breaths, he reached the stage where Yan stood.
With a flash of black-red light, Ling Xiao leaped upward and landed nimbly. Though his landing was as light as a dragonfly touching water, it was merely the calm before the storm.
With a thunderous "Bang!", Ling Xiao unleashed Explosive Steps and lunged at Yan in an instant. The bluestone of the arena exploded violently, sending stone fragments flying.
Yan let out a great shout as his arms shook.
The Soul Power within his body circulated rapidly, driving his Martial Soul. The fire on his body surged to a new height, the flames surrounding him turning into a raging tide that shot into the sky.
His possessed form was completely encased in roaring fire; at this moment, having fully unleashed his Martial Soul's flame power, Yan truly lived up to the name Flame Lord.
A massive amount of Soul Power was poured into his Martial Soul, and the Profound Sky Axe suddenly erupted with light, its sharpness increasing by another thirty percent.
Without any testing or gradual build-up, Ling Xiao reached Yan and swung the axe with the full power of his arms. As he swung, a yellow soul ring was released from Ling Xiao's body, radiating a strong surge of energy.
It was Ling Xiao's second soul skill: "Dragon Elephant Colossal Strength."
Under the amplification of the second soul skill, Ling Xiao's strength increased dramatically. The Soul Power radiance on the Profound Sky Axe surged, carrying a staggering amount of force.
Its momentum grew heavier, and its prowess more formidable.
Yan thrust out both fists simultaneously.
His entire flame power gathered on his fists, forming a massive ball of fire that met the Profound Sky Axe with startling power.
"BOOM!"
The collision of the two aggressive attacks immediately produced a thunderous roar.
The fierce tide of fire erupted from the Flame Lord was split in two by the Profound Sky Axe, dispersing to either side of the blade. Following the descending flash of the axe, the Profound Sky Axe slammed into Yan's fists.
Yan suddenly felt a staggering physical force.
Despite having fully driven his Martial Soul without yet using a soul skill, he was still forced back several steps by Ling Xiao, who was using a strength-amplifying skill. Looking down, he saw a massive axe mark on each of his Martial Soul's fists.
With a single strike, the opponent had nearly breached his Martial Soul's defense. Yan was secretly shocked; he hadn't expected that under the boost of his second soul skill, Ling Xiao's casual strike could erupt with such terrifying offensive power.
Ling Xiao's strength-amplifying skill was inherently powerful—not only was the soul ring's age extremely close to a thousand years, but it also came from a top-tier strength-type Soul Beast, the Dragon-Horned Elephant, which possessed a trace of True Dragon blood.
In terms of racial strength, this Soul Beast was by no means inferior to a Diamond Mammoth of the same cultivation level. However, Yan hadn't expected it to possess such might now that Ling Xiao had reached the three-ring level.
Although his strike had found success, not much joy appeared on Ling Xiao's face. He knew Yan wouldn't be defeated so easily. After all, they were both at the three-ring realm and possessed extremely powerful Martial Souls.
More importantly, having sparred with Yan many times over the years, he knew the other was not a "fake" genius like Tang San who only knew how to use soul rings and skills blindly.
Yan's control over his Martial Soul was absolutely not inferior to his own.
**
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Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday