"You really want to?" Xiao Hongchen rolled his eyes.
Jiang Shengyu rubbed his nose. "Guess not. We know each other too well. We see each other all the time—would be kind of awkward to throw out some trash talk and then end up eating hotpot together later."
Xiao Hongchen didn't waste time with banter. He immediately released his Martial Soul. A golden halo shimmered around him as the Three-Legged Golden Toad manifested, four soul rings—two yellow and two purple—rhythmically pulsing.
Even at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, such optimal soul ring configurations were rare.
Jiang Shengyu's eyes sharpened. He spread his arms wide and released his own Martial Soul. A crescent moon shimmered behind him like rippling water. Two soul rings emerged—one purple, one black.
This was a rare moment. Jiang Shengyu seldom displayed his full strength in public. Most at the Academy only knew he had exceptional talent—born with full soul power and a thousand-year soul ring right out the gate.
But now, as his second soul ring revealed itself as a ten-thousand-year ring, gasps filled the stands.
To most students, achieving a best-fit soul ring at the third level was already impressive. Seeing someone with a ten-thousand-year second soul ring truly underscored what a real genius looked like.
"Your soul rings…" Xiao Hongchen frowned.
"Surprised?" Jiang Shengyu grinned. "But hey, you're a Soul Ancestor. More rings, more skills, more power—nothing to feel pressured about."
"Hmph! So what if it's ten-thousand-year?" Xiao Hongchen snorted, then deliberately deactivated his two purple rings. "I said I'd only use my first two skills. I'm keeping my word."
His second ring glowed—Molten Gold Surge activated. His soul power began to boil within him, boosting all his physical attributes.
Jiang Shengyu's first soul ring lit up in response. A void-black flame rose in his palm, its intense heat warping the very air around it. Then his left hand lit up as well—this time with a glassy jade-colored flame that glowed like a crystal lotus.
This was Jiang Shengyu's second soul skill—Netherlotus Demonflame. Between him and his sister, they had effectively "specced" into two distinct cheat paths—borrow and steal.
Xiao Hongchen launched his first skill—Metal Manipulation—scattering metallic particles in the air and condensing them into sharp spikes that shot toward Jiang Shengyu.
But in the face of dual alien fires, no amount of metal mattered.
The blazing dragons of flame devoured everything in their path. The extreme heat reduced the metal spikes to vapor in seconds.
Watching this unfold, Huo Yuhao finally understood why Xiao Hongchen had never won in all their previous matches. His abilities were hard-countered—rendered completely useless by Jiang Shengyu's fire.
The metallic assaults couldn't break through the sea of flames. Xiao Hongchen abandoned ranged attacks and reabsorbed the remaining metal particles into his fists, forming twin gauntlets as he charged forward.
He layered his body with a protective barrier of soul power to withstand the flames' intense heat.
Jiang Shengyu controlled the flames in both hands, using the alien fire's strength to offset their soul power gap.
But over time, even with the barrier and gauntlets, the heat seeped through. Sweat beaded down Xiao Hongchen's face.
At this rate, without using his third and fourth skills, there was no way Xiao Hongchen could break through Jiang Shengyu's twin-flame defense system.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Hongchen channeled all his soul power into his right fist, unleashing a dazzling golden glow as he lunged forward.
The sheer pressure from that strike immediately made Jiang Shengyu tense.
He quickly widened the distance between them and shouted, "Xiao Hongchen, you serious right now?!"
Xiao Hongchen didn't stop. Fist raised, he roared, "Don't run! Run straight into my punch!"
"You think I'm an idiot?!" Jiang Shengyu turned tail and bolted with zero hesitation.
The two chased each other around the arena. Below, Huo Yuhao was dumbfounded. Dream Hongchen sighed, "They're playing again…"
Playing?
Huo Yuhao was baffled. Xiao Hongchen clearly looked like he was going all out. How was this play?
Jiang Shengyu, while being pursued, clapped his flaming palms together. A visible shockwave burst outward, even shaking the students in the audience.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on his hands.
He was near the edge of the arena. One more step, and he'd fall and lose. Behind him, Xiao Hongchen's punch was closing in.
Then suddenly, Jiang Shengyu turned and shouted:
"Go! Buddha's Fury Lotus!"
From his palms burst a fire lotus composed of black and white alien flames, radiating overwhelming destruction. Xiao Hongchen's eyes shrank. He immediately pulled back, widening the gap between him and the incoming lotus.
The lotus ascended, growing larger and hotter with each second.
By the time it reached its peak height, it had ballooned to the size of five or six people standing arm-in-arm. The twin-colored flames burned violently, warping the space around them.
"What the hell is that?!" Xiao Hongchen looked up, horrified.
Jiang Shengyu looked up too and said, "Just something I whipped up on the fly."
It really was a whim. Since he had both Netherlotus and Voidflame, he thought: Why not try fusing them into a scuffed version of Buddha's Fury Lotus?
Somehow, it worked. And fortunately, the soul skill's flames were more stable than true alien fire—otherwise, he'd have blown himself up.
Staring at the lotus, Xiao Hongchen swallowed hard. Even separated by dozens of meters, the pressure from the fire still hit like a wall.
The lotus expanded further. Just a sliver of its destructive energy leaked down—and that was enough to turn Xiao Hongchen pale.
"Can you shut it down?" he shouted up to Jiang Shengyu.
Jiang Shengyu shrugged. "Who can take back a thunderbolt once it's been thrown? You think this is a tea party?"
"So it's gonna hit you too?!" Xiao Hongchen shouted in disbelief.
"Nope," Jiang Shengyu smiled. "Equal treatment for all."
"…And you're just calmly standing there?!" Xiao Hongchen screamed.
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