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"I admit—" Huang Yuan had just opened his mouth to concede—
A savage uppercut smashed into his chin. His lower teeth slammed into his upper jaw, and the tip of his tongue flashed with a streak of scarlet.
The piercing pain at his tongue shot into his brain, cutting his surrender short.
Seeing Huang Yuan knocked into midair, Ye Lan's eyes held not a shred of pity. His pale palm leveled at the lone wolf as he tumbled backward.
Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass burst from Ye Lan's palm, surging out to encircle Huang Yuan at frightening speed.
Catching the swarm of Blue Silver Grass in his peripheral vision, Huang Yuan instantly recalled Tailong's body bursting blood from every pore.
The face that had been flushed with the thrill of fighting blanched in an instant.
"No—don't!!" Huang Yuan thrashed his limbs and screamed.
Watching him flounder in midair, Ye Lan smiled. "Go tell that to the members of my Heaven Dou Second Team!"
"Blue Silver Entanglement!!"
In a heartbeat, the Blue Silver Grass wrapped Huang Yuan into a scarecrow of vines. With the slightest squeeze, blood sprayed out from the blue-silver prison.
Huang Yuan's shriek snapped off mid-note, drowned by a tide of pain as he fainted.
"Ye Lan!!! You did that on purpose!!" Yu Xiaogang roared.
Ye Lan braced his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. "Once you step on the stage, you'd better be ready to get hurt. How did you treat the Heaven Dou Second Team back then?"
"You—!!!" Yu Xiaogang was so choked by Ye Lan's words he couldn't get a single sentence out.
Seeing Ye Lan drenched in sweat and struggling for breath, Xiao Wu tugged urgently on Tang San's arm. "Third Brother, let me go next! This is my one chance to erase the heart-devil named Ye Lan!"
Tang San studied the dripping sweat and heaving chest, then thought for a moment. "Xiao Wu, no rush. Your soul power is only at Level Thirty-Five. Even if Ye Lan's soul power is nearly spent, the burst of strength he can muster isn't something you can withstand."
"Oh." Xiao Wu pouted, aggrieved.
Tang San turned to Ma Hongjun. "Ma Hongjun, you're up next! This is one of your few chances to defeat Ye Lan!"
"Me?! If Xiao Wu at Level Thirty-Five isn't going, I'm only Thirty-Four!" Ma Hongjun's voice wavered.
Truth be told, the Shrek student who feared Ye Lan the most wasn't Xiao Wu—it was Ma Hongjun.
In front of Ye Lan, Ma Hongjun's temper evaporated completely. He didn't want to face him at all.
"Xiao Wu's spirit is just a rabbit. Yours is a top-tier beast spirit—the Evil Fire Phoenix. Can strength be judged by soul power level alone?"
"In my eyes, you're far stronger than Xiao Wu." Tang San praised Ma Hongjun without the slightest blush.
Xiao Wu huffed. "Third Brother! Are you looking down on me for being weak?!"
Tang San squeezed her hand. "Of course not! You're better suited to flanking breakthroughs, not head-on clashes."
If Huang Yuan woke from his faint to hear that, he'd pass out again from rage.
Didn't you just say Xiao Wu was a power-attack type? How is she suddenly "suited to flanking breakthroughs"? Isn't that an agility-attack role?
Even with Tang San's flattery, Ma Hongjun hesitated. "Tang San, but… my Evil Fire Phoenix is countered by Ye Lan… My flames are useless against his Blue Silver Grass!"
"How could that be?! My Blue Silver Grass is afraid of your Evil Fire Phoenix. How could his Blue Silver Grass restrain your Phoenix?"
"It's true!! Back in Soto City, I ran into Ye Lan and clashed with him."
"At the time, his soul power was even lower than mine, but my Phoenix flames still couldn't harm his Blue Silver Grass in the slightest. And now his soul power is four levels higher than mine!" Ma Hongjun hurriedly recounted their previous conflict.
Hearing this intel, Tang San clenched his fists so hard his nails pierced his palms and blood seeped from the center.
Why is Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass so strong—
—while mine is still afraid of fire?!!
Though furious and resentful inside, Tang San kept his face calm. "Relax. Ye Lan's soul power can't sustain the Blue Silver for long. Even if he can summon it for a bit more, don't trade blows with him. Just keep running and drain his soul power."
"Alright, I get it!" Ma Hongjun nodded, forcing down his fear. After all, Ye Lan did look extremely worn out.
Ma Hongjun made a quiet decision: the instant Ye Lan showed any sign of bursting with power, he'd surrender on the spot.
Having settled on a plan, he leapt onto the stage.
With a resounding duang, the fat all over his body rippled, absurdly comical.
Seeing him take the stage, the referee quickly announced, "Ye Lan's third challenger: Ma Hongjun! Martial soul, Evil Fire Phoenix! Level Thirty-Four, power-attack type, Soul Elder!"
"Let's look forward to the Phoenix's performance—can he defeat the 'Azure Emperor' Ye Lan?"
"Hissss!"
"Hissss!"
Ye Lan smiled when he saw Ma Hongjun step up. "Two years no see, and now you have the guts to challenge me?"
"If you were at your peak, I wouldn't dare. But your soul power is nearly exhausted. We're both Soul Elders—there's no reason I can't beat you!" Ma Hongjun pressed down his unease, throwing out fierce words to pump himself up.
"You've seen me at my peak?" Ye Lan's gaze was contemptuous.
Sensing that scorn, Ma Hongjun bellowed, "Phoenix Possession!!"
His red mohawk grew longer and a deeper crimson. Long purple-red plumes sprouted from his forearms, and his ten fingers sharpened into crimson talons. His bulky frame tightened into something sturdier.
Ye Lan couldn't help it—he nearly lost it.
Honestly, right now the "phoenix" looked exactly like a fat chicken.
Hearing the laugh, Ma Hongjun immediately understood the joke and exploded. "No laughing! I'm a phoenix, not a fat chicken!!"
"I never called you a fat chicken." Ye Lan spread his hands innocently.
Ma Hongjun's first soul ring flared. From his… beak, a purple-red blaze began to gather.
"Phoenix Flame!!"
A purple-red stream of fire roared from Ma Hongjun's "chicken mouth," the air around it warping under the heat.
Facing the beam, Ye Lan felt no pressure.
He could use Blue Silver Grass to ignore the flames—but to maintain the act of being drained of soul power, he stamped hard and sprang back a dozen meters, hopping beyond the flame's range.
Seeing Ye Lan dodge instead of summoning Blue Silver Grass, Ma Hongjun's heart leapt.
If Ye Lan chose to evade instead of using Blue Silver, his soul power must really be low!!
Casting aside his scruples, Ma Hongjun kept spewing a long purple-red flame, legs pumping as he sprinted after Ye Lan.
With the flames about to catch up, Ye Lan didn't hesitate—he bolted straight back.
For a while, Ma Hongjun chased relentlessly. The fire from his mouth tracked Ye Lan's weaving figure left and right, trying to lock the beam onto him.
But every time the Phoenix Fire Line was about to scorch him—
Ye Lan would notch up his speed just enough to slip past by a hair.
Always just a hair's breadth. It frayed Ma Hongjun's temper to the breaking point.
Why is it always just a little short?!
When he finally forced Ye Lan into a corner, Ye Lan suddenly boosted his speed by thirty percent and twisted his body, sprinting straight toward Ma Hongjun.
Caught a beat slow, Ma Hongjun couldn't stop his forward rush in time.
Ten meters vanished in an instant. Ye Lan closed the gap.
Borrowing that speed, he twisted waist and shoulders and snapped a fist at Ma Hongjun's plump cheek. A golden meteor flashed across the Phoenix's eyes.
Ma Hongjun's pupils shrank. His face blanched as the memory of his teeth being blasted out by Ye Lan surged into his mind.
He had gotten too cocky—Ye Lan's explosive speed wasn't slower than an agility-attack type at all!
His second soul ring flared with yellow light, and a gush of purple-red fire burst from his body.
Faced with this crude version of the "Repelling Fire Ring," Ye Lan had to draw back his fist, retreating a few meters to wait for the flames close to Ma Hongjun's body to fade.
Seeing the punch pulled, Ma Hongjun exhaled in relief.
Once "Bathing Phoenix" was activated, his Phoenix flames surged by fifty percent.
Even so, he wasn't confident he could land a beam on Ye Lan.
So he triggered his third, purple soul ring without hesitation.
"Phoenix Wings, Soar!! (Feng Yi Tianxiang)"
A great pair of purple-red wings of fire unfurled from his back. With a single beat of those "wings of flame,"
Ma Hongjun climbed several meters into the air. While "Phoenix Wings, Soar" was active, he could fly for a time—and when combined with his second skill, his Phoenix flames spiked by a hundred percent, and his attack range doubled!!
"Oh? The fat chicken finally learned to fly? That's rare—didn't know fat chickens could fly." Ye Lan's tongue was razor-sharp.
Fueled by the taunt, rage flooded Ma Hongjun's mind.
"Ahhh!! Ye Lan—I'll burn you to ash!!"
He opened his jaws wide and rained Phoenix fire downward, blast after scorching blast.
Facing a surging increase in both range and power, Ye Lan fought the urge to summon Blue Silver Grass.
His dim golden soul power flickered; he flashed left, and the Phoenix beam swept past his shoulder.
A thick bolt of fire brushed by him.
Enraged, Ma Hongjun now ignored soul power consumption and the risk of being ambushed.
At ten meters up, Ye Lan had no way to strike back—so all that was left was roasting him!
If Tang San didn't have the Eight Spider Lances, Ma Hongjun believed that with his third ring's flight and his restraint over Blue Silver Grass, he could have beaten Tang San.
And so he chased on, wings beating, diving after Ye Lan while his mouth hurled blast after blast of blistering flame.
Wherever the Phoenix beam struck the white marble, the tiles blackened.
Ye Lan sprinted across the heating arena floor and, for the first time, felt his soles sting.
The spectators stared in disbelief at the "Azure Emperor" sprinting like a hunted wolf. They could hardly accept that he was being chased by the "Evil Fire Phoenix."
"Has the Azure Emperor reached his limit?"
"Maybe. He already beat two opponents—his soul power must be heavily drained. Just being able to hold the field against the Evil Fire Phoenix is impressive!"
"Ye Lan, keep going!!"
Xiao Wu frowned. "Third Brother, is it possible Ma Hongjun really beats Ye Lan?"
"Hard to say. But it's a fact that Ye Lan's soul power is nearly gone. He still hasn't used Blue Silver Grass and can only be chased around." Tang San analyzed coolly.
"Third Brother, listen—if Ma Hongjun can't finish him, I'm going next, hehe!" Xiao Wu was giddy. No one was more eager than she was to crush the heart-devil named Ye Lan.
Though Tang San wanted to trample Ye Lan himself, who could refuse his beloved Xiao Wu?
"Fine. I promise." he said.
"You're the best!" Xiao Wu hugged his face and planted a kiss.
Tang San flushed and clasped her small hand tightly.
After tens of seconds of pursuit, sweat beaded Ma Hongjun's cheeks, and his nostrils flared with heavy breaths.
Even against a supposedly drained Ye Lan, he was shocked to find he still hadn't finished it.
Ye Lan was like an undying cockroach. Each time the flames were just about to catch him,
He'd juke aside and then sprint beneath Ma Hongjun into the blind spot under his belly.
Losing sight of him, Ma Hongjun had to fly forward some distance, then wheel around and chase again.
Round and round, a dozen cycles—exhausting beyond any of Yu Xiaogang's weight-training runs.
Dozens of seconds later, his soul power could no longer sustain the third skill. The flaming wings dimmed.
Before they vanished entirely, he descended to the arena.
He had just opened his mouth to surrender when a thunderclap split the Great Spirit Arena.
Bang!!
Ye Lan triggered Sound-Shift (Xiangyi), his body a streak of gold that flashed to a halt right in front of Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun's jaw dropped. Terror swallowed him whole.
Riding that speed, Ye Lan needed only a single punch to blast Ma Hongjun dozens of meters away.
Urgh!!
Bile and blood sprayed from Ma Hongjun's mouth. His plump body sunk into the marble wall—and he blacked out cold.
After that one punch, Ye Lan seemed to hit his limit. He sprawled on the charred arena, chest heaving.
This time, he hadn't used Blue Silver Grass to pinch Ma Hongjun unconscious.
Because you can't catch the big fish without letting the small one go. He had no deep grudge with Ma Hongjun. He needed to spare him—to bait a bigger catch.
The referee was thrilled. "Congratulations to the Azure Emperor, Ye Lan! With unbelievable speed, another one-hit kill—he instantly eliminates the 'Evil Fire Phoenix' Ma Hongjun!!!"
"Azure Emperor!!"
"Azure Emperor!!"
"Azure Emperor!!"
"Third Brother, I'm going!!" Xiao Wu was excited.
"Good!! Stomp Ye Lan under your feet for me!!" Tang San said.
"I will!!" Xiao Wu nodded, then went hopping up the stage like she was there to perform a show.
Sensing Xiao Wu's entrance, Ye Lan sat up, his breathing shallow.
Just as the referee was about to call the start, Xiao Wu spoke:
"Ye Lan, dare to fight me to the end??"
"What's that supposed to mean? Aren't we already on the stage?" Ye Lan asked.
"Heh. Don't think I don't know the noble tricks of your Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Earlier, Ning Rongrong surrendered outright to Dai Mubai."
"You're not planning to copy Ning Rongrong and throw in the towel without fighting, are you?" Xiao Wu goaded.
"What's it to you how I do it?" Ye Lan put on a stubborn face.
"Tch. What's wrong—don't you dare one-on-one me?!" She kept pressing.
"You? A little rabbit? Why would I be scared?" Ye Lan laughed.
Xiao Wu's heart leapt—time for the dagger. "In that case, for this next bout, unless one of us is blasted off the stage, surrender is forbidden. No one is allowed to interfere!!"
Ye Lan feigned hesitation. "Let me think about it."
"Think about what?! Are you a man or not!!" Xiao Wu snapped.
"Fine. But let me be clear—I'm not interested in you. No need to prove anything." Ye Lan waved dismissively.
"Please. I've got my Third Brother."
"Referee, for the next fight, no surrender allowed. Be our witness!" Xiao Wu turned and called out.
"Lord Azure Emperor, your opinion?" The referee ignored Xiao Wu's demand and asked Ye Lan instead.
"Do it. In a moment, neither side is allowed to surrender." A tiny curve tugged at Ye Lan's lips.
Hooked.
The referee nodded and announced loudly, "Heaven Dou Empire Ranking Tournament, Round Six: Xiao Wu—martial soul, Soft Bone Rabbit—Level Thirty-Five, power-attack type Soul Elder, versus the Azure Emperor, Ye Lan!!"
"By mutual agreement, an additional rule is added: unless one party is blasted off the arena, surrender is not permitted!!"
Hearing Xiao Wu's taunt and the referee's ruling,
Tang San silently gave her a thumbs-up in his heart. Why hadn't he thought of that?
Now Xiao Wu could really ravage Ye Lan!!
Tang San shouted, "Xiao Wu, go!! Avenge me!!!"
Xiao Wu glanced back with an adorable smile, landing squarely on Tang San's moe spot. His Xiao Wu was too cute, too beautiful!
"Xiao Wu vs. Ye Lan—begin!!" The referee finished and hurried off the stage, leaving it to the two of them.
At the word "begin," Ye Lan rose silently.
The panting steadied at once. Golden pupils went still as a lake as he fixed them on Xiao Wu.
Faced with that sudden calm, an unease flickered in Xiao Wu's heart.
But she forced it down.
She didn't believe that a Ye Lan with no soul power left could beat her. If she didn't take his bones apart today, she wasn't surnamed Xiao!
"Soft Bone Rabbit—Possession!!"
Pink light wrapped her body. Fuzzy rabbit ears sprouted atop her head, and her legs grew long and lithe.
Though she called herself power-attack, strictly speaking—by spirit traits and ring configuration—
Xiao Wu was an agility-attack type.
But whether she was this type or that, to Ye Lan, she was absolutely the weaker one.
Unaware of that, Xiao Wu flashed with rosy soul light and darted straight at Ye Lan.
Her whip-leg snapped up toward his chin—a pink crescent blade of force struck where his face should be—
Ye Lan merely lifted his right hand into the path of that rabbit leg, saving his face from the dirty foot.
Bang!!
His hand didn't budge. Xiao Wu's leg halted dead.
At this moment, Ye Lan's soul power reinforcement across his body had reached one hundred and thirty percent.
In raw physical metrics alone, he completely crushed the "power-attack" Xiao Wu.
Strength, speed, defense, vitality—Xiao Wu lagged behind on every front!!
Her crimson eyes rippled. She gasped, terrified:
"Impossible!! There's no way I'm this weak!!"
She tried to yank her leg back, but Ye Lan's five fingers pinched her ankle like an iron clamp.
"Ever consider another possibility—that I'm just too strong?" Ye Lan asked mildly.
"Impossible!! Your soul power was at its limit!!" Xiao Wu blurted, flustered.
Ye Lan smiled. "It was—pretending is exhausting, you know."
"What?! You tricked me!!" Xiao Wu's shame turned to fury.
After savoring her outrage, Ye Lan lifted her thigh.
For a moment, Xiao Wu dangled from his grip.
His waist snapped with power, and he smashed her toward the marble floor on the far side—no mercy for a "fragile beauty."
Thud!!
The marble shattered into a round crater. Cracks spiderwebbed out, blasting chips in every direction.
"Xiao Wu!!!" Tang San cried, panic-stricken.
Hearing his anxious shout, Ye Lan felt a sliver of delight.
He grabbed the little rabbit again and slammed her toward the other side.
Thud!!
Xiao Wu coughed a mouthful of blood. "Third… Brother…!" she groaned.
"Xiao Wu!!" Tang San could only watch her suffer, his heart bleeding.
Ye Lan sneered, "Tang San, what are you fussing about? She can still scream, can't she? If she can scream, she's fine."
The color drained from Tang San's face.
Those were the words he'd thrown at Tailong when Tang San fought Ye Lan.
His mouth opened, rage boiling up. "Ye Lan!! I'll kill you!!"
"Heh."
Ye Lan hefted Xiao Wu again and hammered her into the stage.
Thud!!
She spat another great mouthful of blood, moaning in pain.
Enduring the agony in his chest, Tang San shouted urgently,
"Xiao Wu—run!! Get off the stage!!"
He hadn't expected that Ye Lan had been acting weak all along—and he hadn't noticed!
He'd actually watched Xiao Wu step onto the stage, and after her own provocation, surrender wasn't even allowed!!
In this instant of crisis, he seized on the only thing left—if Xiao Wu could get off the stage, she'd lose by default.
As Ye Lan flung Xiao Wu into the air and swung a golden crescent "soccer kick" toward her waist—
Her third soul ring flashed with violet light. She triggered Teleport, vanishing at the last instant to dodge the kick and blinking ten meters away.
The moment she reappeared and decided to sprint for the edge—
A devil's whisper brushed her ear: "Did I say you could run?"
Xiao Wu might have Teleport—
—but Ye Lan had two such skills: Instant Step (Shunshen) and Sound-Shift (Xiangyi).
Without his permission, there was no way she'd escape the stage.
He caught the tip of her scorpion-tail braid and yanked her backward, swinging her to the center.
From the middle of the arena, her Teleport simply couldn't reach the boundary.
Clutching her hair, tears pearled in Xiao Wu's eyes.
(End of Chapter)