The moment Tianyu was injured, Xu Jiujiu at the edge of the field immediately stepped forward, her fists clenched. "Enough! Let's end this match!"
But before she could finish her sentence, Tianyu had already raised his hand, signaling her to stop. His red eyes sparkled with unwavering determination.
"I'm fine," he said shortly, his tone calm and unquestionable.
Xu Jiujiu felt irritated. She clenched her teeth. In her heart, she thought, I'm going to teach this child a lesson once we're back in the room. He dared to disobey me, a princess of the empire. Xu Jiujiu began thinking about what kind of punishment she would give Tianyu.
Huo Yunxi bit her lip until it turned pale. Her hand instinctively pressed against her chest, her heart pounding as she saw the blood flowing from Tianyu's wound."He's... injured...?"
Tianyu clenched his fist, feeling the throbbing pain in his abdomen. The wound wasn't deep, but it was enough to remind him: one small mistake, and the consequences could be fatal.
But then, something miraculous happened.
His torn skin began to move on its own, muscle fibers reconnecting as if pulled by an invisible hand. Within seconds, the wound closed completely—leaving only traces of blood on his smooth skin and the tear in his clothes.
As if nothing had ever happened.
If not for the red stains on the ground and the rip in his clothing, no one would have believed he had just taken a deadly blow.
Yu Shang frowned."Instant regeneration? Is this an effect of his Martial Soul...?" His mind raced to find an explanation, but there was no record of such an ability in any known clan.
Then Yu Shang stopped thinking about it. There were countless types of Martial Souls, and there were always mutated ones. Besides, he'd heard rumors that Tianyu was a commoner. Yu Shang concluded that Tianyu's Martial Soul might be a result of a mutation from his parents' Martial Souls.
Tianyu wiped the remaining blood from his abdomen, then looked at Yu Shang with a faint smile on his face."Let's continue this match."
Yu Shang didn't respond with words, but with action. He resumed his fighting stance.
Tianyu also adjusted his posture again, the faint smile on his face replaced by seriousness.
A gentle breeze blew across the field, but the tension in the air was enough to make everyone present hold their breath.
Tianyu lowered his body slightly, his right hand raised in front of his chest, his left pulled back, knees bent in a stable stance. His golden aura began to ripple again, like waves growing stronger with each crash, surrounding his body in a radiant dragon-like glow.
Across from him, Yu Shang lowered his center of gravity. The Shadowfang Serpent coiled around him, moving faster and more aggressively, as if responding to its master's rising emotions. His eyes narrowed, sharp like blades ready to strike.
This time, the first to attack was Tianyu.
Tianyu stepped forward.
He didn't run or leap—just one step, but the ground beneath his foot lightly cracked. The golden aura around him rumbled, pressing down on the atmosphere until the air around them seemed to tremble. In an instant, that step turned into a rapid dash, like a golden meteor piercing through the wind.
The Shadowfang Serpent surrounding Yu Shang had merged with his body, covering him in black scales and transforming his eyes into vertical pupils like a snake's.
Yu Shang moved his hand swiftly, his first yellow spirit ring shining brighter, and instantly, shadows emerged from the ground, forming several illusory serpents that lunged at Tianyu from all directions.
Tianyu didn't dodge.
With rapid hand movements, he deflected the attacks with his palms, using his golden aura to dispel the shadow serpents. But among those illusions, one real attack was hidden—Yu Shang himself had slipped among them, his black claw aiming straight at Tianyu's throat!
At the same time, that black claw was coated in a green mist. Yu Shang had activated his second soul skill again. This time, he channeled more spirit power into it than before.
Sssst!
A sharp hissing sound rang out as the claw nearly grazed Tianyu's skin. But with extraordinary reflexes, Tianyu tilted his body, narrowly dodging the lethal strike. He countered with a spinning kick, his right leg sweeping out like the tail of a dragon lashing forward.
Bam!
Yu Shang managed to block it with his scaled arm, but the force of the kick sent him sliding backward several steps. He growled, his vertical pupils narrowing in irritation.
"You're truly incredible," he hissed, his voice more like a serpent's whisper.
Tianyu didn't respond to the comment. He used the momentum to launch another assault—punches, kicks, palm strikes—all executed with deadly precision. Every movement flowed like a dance, yet carried enough force to shatter stone.
Yu Shang was forced onto the defensive, relying on his speed and agility to evade. But as time passed, it became clear that the pressure from Tianyu was pushing him to his limits.
"He's too strong... How can a six-year-old possess this kind of power?" Yu Shang thought, his teeth gritting. He refused to lose to Tianyu—losing to a six-year-old would be too humiliating. He wouldn't have the face to show himself in the future if anyone found out.
Yu Shang let out a low hiss, his breath ragged. His body began to feel heavy—not from serious injuries, but from the relentless pressure Tianyu was applying. It felt like standing in the eye of a never-ending storm.
But he wasn't the type to give up easily.
Yu Shang leapt backward, creating distance between himself and Tianyu. His breathing was labored, his eyes still locked cautiously onto the boy. But before he could come up with a new strategy—
Tianyu spoke, his voice calm, yet carrying a power that could not be denied:
"I'll end this."
Suddenly, a deep purple light burst from the ground beneath Tianyu's feet, forming a clearly purple spirit ring—the mark of a thousand-year-old spirit ring. The ring rose slowly, encircling Tianyu's body with a rhythm that shook the hearts of everyone watching.
Silence.
Even the sound of the wind seemed to vanish.
Yu Shang's eyes widened.
"N-No way... That's... a thousand-year spirit ring!?" he thought, as if refusing to believe the truth laid bare before him.
"But... isn't he just a level twenty Spirit Master? How is it even possible for him to obtain a spirit ring like that...!?"
His experience and instincts as a fighter screamed in protest as he realized one thing: he was facing something that shouldn't exist at this level.
Then, Tianyu opened his right palm.
From the center of his hand, a golden energy orb appeared, spinning slowly like a beating heart. The aura it emitted was pure and dense—not just spirit power, but the essence of true dragon blood.
The orb began to solidify.
A faint hum filled the air as the energy ball slowly transformed, condensing into a golden blade of light, lengthening like a sword yet lacking a hilt—more like a pure blade forged from light and will.
The blade looked light, almost weightless... yet everyone watching knew one thing:
It wasn't made to wound. It was made to kill.
Yu Shang's pupils contracted sharply. His entire body tensed, and for the first time since the battle began, he felt something real—fear.
"If that blade hits me... I'll die."
Every instinct in his body screamed in unison—Dodge it! Now!
Tianyu raised the golden blade to head height, twisted his body slightly, then... slashed.
SHHHRRRAAKK!
A wave of golden energy surged forward, slicing straight through the air like a scythe of light. The air around it split cleanly, forming a path that cleaved through the field—even the ground it passed over was scorched, as if branded by heavenly fire.