"Since this clash is inevitable, let's just end it quickly!"
Qing Ling no longer hesitated. Once she made up her mind, the instant the starting bell rang, her right hand flicked upward. Three feathers shot out from her wings, streaking straight toward Qian Jue's chest.
At the same time, she kicked off the ground with force. Using the recoil, her figure surged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, rushing toward Qian Jue.
But of course, Qian Jue didn't just stand there doing nothing. The moment the bell rang, he had already invoked the first spirit skill of his Sheep Spirit, swiftly condensing the Kindred Bow. By the time it formed, the three feather arrows were already upon him.
Yet, they posed no real threat. With a casual sweep of the bow, he deflected all three arrows aside. What truly surprised him was not the attack itself, but the speed at which Qing Ling had closed in—by the time her feathers were brushed away, she was already just a few meters before him.
Her astonishing speed, naturally, stemmed from her martial spirit. Not only was it an agility-type beast martial spirit to begin with, boosting her swiftness tremendously when possessed, she had also devised her own unique sprinting technique that greatly enhanced her bursts of speed.
During the charge, Qing Ling spread her arms wider and leaned her body forward at a sharp angle. This posture reduced air resistance significantly, allowing her to accelerate even faster—something similar to the sprinting style seen in Naruto. Normally, such a position would throw a person completely off balance, but Qing Ling's wings between her arms and ribs generated tremendous lift, which she used to stabilize her body as she rushed forward.
By the time she reached Qian Jue, her body was tilted at a mere thirty degrees from the ground. In that instant, she suddenly snapped both hands open—left first, right behind, left high, right low. Using the burst of lift, she spun upward right before Qian Jue, her right wing slashing down toward him like a gleaming blade.
But the deadly strike sliced nothing but air. Qian Jue had timed his retreat perfectly, taking two quick steps back as she rose. Otherwise, with her razor-sharp wings combined with that speed, she might very well have gutted him on the spot.
Qian Jue raised his bow and pulled back an invisible string. A milky-white light arrow shot upward toward Qing Ling, who was still airborne.
Seeing her first strike fail and recognizing the bow in his hands for what it was, Qing Ling felt her heart sink. If she stayed in the air, she would turn into nothing more than a living target.
Twisting her waist, she immediately activated her first spirit ring. As she spun around midair, both arms lashed out in rapid succession, unleashing a barrage of feathers like a rainstorm toward both Qian Jue and his incoming light arrow.
But Qian Jue didn't even consider dodging. Instead, he calmly lifted his bow once again, calculated her trajectory, and loosed a second arrow toward the space just beneath her.
Bang!
The first light arrow collided with one of her feathers midair, detonating in a flash of force that scattered the rest of the feather storm aside.
The second arrow, however, pierced cleanly through the gaps in her barrage, flying straight for Qing Ling as she began to descend. If she didn't react, it would strike her directly in the chest.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
A series of metallic chimes rang out as her feathers rained down around Qian Jue in a circle, not a single one managing to touch him.
Meanwhile, Qing Ling bent her body sharply in midair, spreading her wings again. She barely evaded the second arrow, then dove down once more toward Qian Jue's flank in a lightning-fast dive.
"This silly woman. If I could dodge once, of course I can dodge a second time."
Qian Jue sighed inwardly, shaking his head at her persistence. He tilted his body backward to evade the wing slash again, then with a swift counter, swung his bow in a backhanded motion—smacking her squarely on the rear and slamming her down onto the ground.
Fortunately, the arena floor was paved with solid stone. Otherwise, with all those sharp feathers scattered from her first spirit skill, she might have landed on them and truly suffered.
"Well then, miss. Do you admit defeat?"
Qian Jue leaned forward slightly, speaking almost lazily as he looked at her sprawled form.
But under the eerie flame-glow of the Kindred Mask in Qian Jue's eyes, Qing Ling shivered. Kicking off the ground, she quickly leapt back several steps before forcing herself to stand again.
His question echoed in her ears, distracting her from wondering why her backside didn't hurt at all. She instead turned to consider his offer seriously.
She had already used all her strength. Her second spirit skill, in fact, was a passive ability that greatly hardened her feathers—one she had relied on from start to finish. That was why she favored wing-based attacks; it was a fighting style she had developed around this skill, and it had indeed brought her many victories.
But today, against Qian Jue, she had not landed even a single blow. From beginning to end, Qian Jue had barely moved a step, evading and countering with ease. It was clear now—he had completely seen through her attacks and dismantled them one by one. The difference in strength between them was overwhelming.
"…Monster."
With a soft, resentful murmur, she finally raised her hand to signal the referee.
"I admit defeat."
"Very well! This match ends with Qing Ling conceding. The victor is our The Eternal Hunters, the Soul Grandmaster!"
The referee leapt onto the stage, loudly declaring the result. He then grabbed Qian Jue's hand and raised it high for all to see.
"What a splendid battle! Our The Eternal Hunters has shown extraordinary strength, securing a flawless first victory. Let us look forward to his next match! Meanwhile, Qing Ling's record now stands at sixteen wins and twelve losses. Both contestants, please proceed offstage for point registration."
"Next up, contestant number nineteen of Arena Sixteen!"
"Boss Dai, that big sis wasn't much compared to your opponent with the lances. I didn't even get serious." Qian Jue muttered as soon as he came down the stage and saw Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai rolled his eyes and smacked him lightly. "Says the freak. And you've got no sense of chivalry either. She's such a beautiful lady, and you went and smacked her butt into the ground."
Qian Jue was speechless. He had gone easy on her! If he hadn't, she would have been smacked down by his bow the very first time she rushed him.
"Come on, let's sign up for the two-versus-two matches." Dai Mubai didn't give him time to complain. Knowing Qian Jue hadn't used up much energy at all, he dragged him toward the registration desk without pause.
As the two stepped out of Arena Sixteen, they ran straight into Flender and Oscar, who were waiting.
"Impressive, Ah Jue. That was practically effortless."
Oscar stepped up and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. Watching from below earlier, he had nearly broken into a cold sweat during Qing Ling's two assaults. But Qian Jue had brushed them off so casually, it completely reshaped Oscar's view of his strength.
"What do you mean, praising only him? Didn't I perform well too?" Dai Mubai immediately hooked an arm around Oscar's neck, demanding justice.
"Of course, of course! Boss Dai, you were amazing as well!" Oscar said with a sycophantic grin. But the moment Dai Mubai let go, he added with a smirk:
"Burned to a crisp, amazingly!"
"Haha—" Qian Jue couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"You brat!" Dai Mubai laughed too, landing a light punch on Oscar's chest.
The three of them walked on together, the air filled with laughter and cheer.
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