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As soon as his martial spirit possessed his body, two purple spirit rings lit up around Meteor."First spirit skill: Lesser Combustion. Second spirit skill: Heavenly Fire."
The moment he spoke, flames burst out wildly from his body. From the back, elbows, and legs of his silver-white mech suit, jets of fire shot out with explosive force. The heat was so intense it distorted the air around him.
His second spirit skill, Heavenly Fire, was one he'd obtained just a week ago with Liuying, under Luan Yu's protection, in the Jingyang Mountains.As for why they didn't go to the Demonic Forest like originally planned—well, Luan Yu said her fortune clashed with that place, so she took them somewhere farther instead.
Meteor and Liuying had ended up with the same second skill. Both were enhancement-type spirit skills. Heavenly Fire raised the temperature of their flames and improved their control over fire elements, letting them manipulate fire more skillfully and creatively.
They had each absorbed a spirit beast around 3,000 years old, but thanks to the Life-Link Ritual, the effect stacked. Their second spirit rings ended up being about 4,000 years old.
Meteor figured that by the time they were ready for their third spirit rings, they could probably handle spirit beasts around 8,000 years. After sharing, that'd push the ring's age up to 10,000.
Of course, if they wanted to risk it, they could try absorbing a 10,000-year beast directly—but the older the beast, the more dangerous. Those rings held fragments of the beast's soul, and one wrong move could get you killed. So playing it safe—absorbing lower-level beasts and fusing the rings—was a better bet. Fused spirit rings didn't carry soul fragments.
Even so, the 4,000-year second rings had bumped both of them up to level 23 in one go. But Meteor knew this fast-paced leveling wouldn't last. Once they hit level 30, progress would probably slow down hard.Their martial spirits were "extreme type," after all—fast growth early on was thanks to double-speed training and absorbing higher-level rings.
But from level 30 onwards, if they didn't work hard, even Xu Tianzhen might catch up. As for Ye Guyi, it was only thanks to being attacked by evil soul masters that her progress stayed strong—just relying on regular cultivation would make things way slower.
"Hmph ."
Gu Yue snorted, thrusting her Silver Dragon Spear forward. A dragon's roar echoed across the arena. A water dragon—around ten meters long—let out a thunderous roar as it charged at Meteor, claws bared and jaws open.
To be honest, with just her own level-19 spirit power, Gu Yue shouldn't even be able to use this move. But she cheated a little—out of sheer frustration, she tapped into a tiny sliver of her original power. That's how she unleashed Water Dragon Roar—a spirit skill of her own creation.
Her actual first spirit skill was basic water-element control.
Under the mech, Meteor twitched his lips. Yeah, she was seriously pissed now. He pressed down lightly with his right foot—flames erupted beneath him, launching him forward with a bang. The stage beneath him cracked, stone shards flying everywhere as he turned into a streak of fire, charging straight at the water dragon.
As he advanced, flames completely wrapped around him, transforming his entire body into a giant fireball. Everywhere he passed, the arena floor was scorched black.
BOOM!
The water dragon collided with the fireball. A deafening blast erupted as a wave of energy shot out. Where fire and water clashed, steam hissed and sparks flew. Their figures were hard to see through the glow and chaos.
Gu Yue gritted her teeth. She hadn't expected Meteor to tank her Water Dragon Roar head-on. She spun her Silver Dragon Spear. The water around her, responding to her call, surged toward her, rapidly rebuilding the water dragon. This time, it was even bigger—its scales glittered like cold steel in the light.
Meteor wasn't backing down either. His spirit power surged wildly, red flames morphing into gold. The heat climbed even higher.
"Gu Yue, just give up already. You've hit your limit."
His voice came from the mist, slightly distorted by the mech's modulation.
Gu Yue Na didn't reply. Her eyes flickered with determination. She shouted, "Water Dragon, devour!"
The re-formed water dragon opened its massive mouth and lunged for Meteor's fireball form, trying to swallow him whole.
But right before it could bite down, Meteor shot out from within the fireball, leaping into the air. The water dragon missed, biting into the stage instead—another explosion of debris.
In midair, Meteor flipped and adjusted his posture. Then, like a literal meteor, he dived straight at Gu Yue. A blazing tail of fire trailed behind him, making him look like a flaming spear crashing down from the sky.
Gu Yue's eyes narrowed. Meteor had grown way too fast—his combat sense was on a totally different level compared to a year ago. But she wasn't weak either. She shifted her stance and dodged Meteor's dive with a few swift steps.
His attack missed, slamming into the stage with a loud crash and leaving a deep crater.
Before he could react, Gu Yue was already behind him. Her Silver Dragon Spear gleamed, the tip glowing with a white light so sharp it practically screamed danger.
Clearly, she'd never gone all-out in past fights with Meteor. Even when she lost to Liuying, she had been holding back.
But not this time. Not against this sneaky bastard. This time, Gu Yue was using her full power.
BOOM!
Right before the spear could hit, a blast of fire ignited from Meteor's back, exploding outward. It forced Gu Yue back and helped him dodge the strike.
"Trying to sneak attack me? Not so easy!" Meteor chuckled and swung his mech arm. A flaming blade slashed toward her.
Gu Yue dodged, but the heat from the blade still scorched her hair—her silver strands now slightly singed.
She stared at her burned hair, breathing heavy, chest rising and falling. A flash of red crossed her violet eyes as she glared daggers at Meteor.
Under the mech, a drop of cold sweat slid down Meteor's forehead. Yeah, even he knew how much girls cared about their hair.
"Oh crap…"
"Uh, Gu Yue… I didn't do it on purpose. You believe me, right?"
"I believe your ass. Go to hell."
With a fierce shout, Gu Yue's spear came at him like a storm, stabbing at him non-stop.
"Wait, wait! I give up! Don't hit me! I was wrong, Gu Yue!"
Down in the stands, Liuying shook her head helplessly. "It was supposed to be a friendly match… how'd it turn into a one-sided beatdown?"
"Yeah! Rip off his mech! Punch him in the face! Go, Gu Yue!"Xu Tianzhen was loving the drama, shouting from the stands and fanning the flames.
Ye Guyi glanced at her with sympathy. Meteor's at two rings now—back when he only had one, beating up Xu Tianzhen was like bullying a little sister. Now it'd be even easier. And she still had the guts to egg him on? Once he calmed Gu Yue down, she was definitely getting whooped next.
"....."