Arena
Tang San was alone, surrounded on three sides by three members of the Blazing Battle Team.
Huo Wushuang, Huo Yu, and Huo Yun were all using their thousand-year spirit skills to encircle and attack Tang San.
"Looks like it's your captain who's in trouble now," Huo Lie said after another missed kick, stopping his attack. He turned to Chen Xuan with a hint of surprise in his eyes and added, "You're not as ordinary as the rumors suggest. You have some skill, but unfortunately, this match is about to end."
Next, he intended to get serious by using his third and fourth spirit skills, increasing his speed and strength to a level where no one could evade his attacks.
As for the rumors Huo Lie mentioned, they were the ones spread by Yu Xiaogang not long ago.
"Yes, it should end," Chen Xuan replied, holding two stones in his hand.
He was about to get serious as well, ready to display his true speed. It would be a test of whether the agility of the Fire Leopard or his own instant movement technique was faster.
The tournament rules prohibited using weapons other than martial souls, but they didn't say anything about improvising with available materials.
Not having kunai or weapons didn't mean he couldn't use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Foolish. Can't you tell I've been holding back this whole time? Do you really think you can compete with me?" Huo Yan sneered, feeling that Chen Xuan was far too arrogant.
The teacher leading Shrek Academy had already said that Chen Xuan's martial soul mutated a year ago, which led to his transition to a battle soul master. His only attack method was a single move.
Huo Lie admired Chen Xuan's determination. Taking such a big step would have been daunting for anyone; even the slightest mistake could ruin a soul master's entire career.
Chen Xuan wasn't aware of these opinions, but he could vaguely sense that others had a strange perception of him, leading him to make some guesses.
This kind of thing couldn't be hidden. He would just need to ask someone afterward to find out the truth.
Huo Lie got serious, planting his hands on the ground and bending his body down. A shadow of a Fire Leopard appeared above his head, resembling a leopard about to pounce on its prey.
**Swish!**
He moved, merging his martial soul into his body, igniting flames on his skin, and in a flash, turning into a black shadow.
"You're fast, but I've already seen through your moves," Chen Xuan said, retreating as the tomoe in his eyes spun, allowing him to catch every move Huo Lie made.
Earlier, he hadn't used his instant movement technique. The reason he had been able to dodge Huo Lie's attacks was that he had activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, which allowed him to predict the opponent's moves in advance.
The ability of the one-tomoe Sharingan is insight, and in Chen Xuan's eyes, Huo Lie's movements appeared to be slowed down by half, making them easy to read.
Huo Lie grew frustrated. He moved like a leopard, extremely fast, yet every time he pounced, Chen Xuan managed to dodge, barely touching the edges of his clothes.
His confidence wavered. Missing before could be attributed to holding back, but now that he was serious, Chen Xuan's speed had also increased, and he hadn't even used his martial soul.
"You forced me into this!" Huo Lie roared, his second spirit ring glowing as he released his spirit power and unleashed a powerful palm strike.
"Second Spirit Skill: Seven Star Flowing Fire!"
In an instant, he conjured seven fireballs, which he flung out, covering a wide area.
He was no longer trying to compete in speed, opting instead to rely on sheer power.
The seven fireballs, radiating intense heat, attacked from seven different directions. Chen Xuan was slightly surprised at Huo Lie's battle experience, realizing that he had successfully blocked all possible escape routes.
"I underestimated you earlier, but this still isn't enough," Chen Xuan said as he retreated, quickly throwing a stone into the air.
"Stubborn," Huo Lie scoffed, clenching his fist, which caused the fireballs to speed up.
With all escape routes sealed, Chen Xuan had no choice but to retreat, but Huo Lie didn't believe he could dodge this time.
However, just as the seven fireballs were about to hit him, only half a meter away, Chen Xuan suddenly vanished, leaving behind nothing but a flash of light.
With a bang, the flames soared into the sky, leaving a small crater on the ground.
"Impossible!" Huo Lie's eyes widened in disbelief. This speed was beyond comprehension—how could he possibly catch him?
"Where is he?"
He quickly scanned his surroundings but couldn't find any trace of Chen Xuan.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Huo Lie's hair fluttered as if blown by a gentle breeze.
Realizing something, Huo Lie instantly activated his third spirit skill, desperately retreating from his original position.
At that moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread, unable to stay calm as he pushed his speed to the limit.
With a thunderous roar, an explosion occurred at his previous location, sending dust and debris flying, and scattering stones in all directions.
Huo Lie panted heavily, clutching his chest, his face showing lingering fear.
Just moments ago, the attack had come within half a meter of hitting him. If he hadn't moved quickly, he would have been lying in bed for days after taking a hit from such a powerful spirit skill.
As the dust settled, a three-meter-long crater appeared in the arena, with shattered granite scattered around.
Chen Xuan emerged from the shallow pit, dusting himself off. "Do you still think you can take me down?" he asked.
Huo Lie took a deep breath, his face gradually calming. He didn't respond but instead activated his fourth spirit ring, preparing to use his most powerful spirit skill.
**Swish!**
The next moment, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the moisture in the air began to evaporate as Huo Lie seemed to be preparing a deadly attack.
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Fire Leopard Possession!" Flames engulfed Huo Lie, his hands and feet igniting with searing heat, causing the stones on the ground to melt.
In this state, all his spirit skills' power increased by thirty percent!
"Did you think you were the only one gathering power?" Chen Xuan said as he completed his last hand sign.
The humidity in the air suddenly increased, reaching a staggering one hundred percent.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The next moment, the water molecules in the air condensed into a massive volume of liquid, forming a dragon-shaped figure weighing over ten thousand pounds.
Huo Lie launched more than a dozen fireballs, each a meter in diameter, filling the arena with light.
However, the water dragon merely swung its body, unleashing a torrent of water that extinguished the oncoming fireballs.
"Go!" Chen Xuan commanded, and the water dragon let out a deafening roar, sweeping down from above, its jaws wide open, aiming to crush Huo Lie on the ground.
Fire restrains plants, but it is also countered by water and ice. When a fire-attribute soul master faces a water-attribute soul master, they are utterly powerless.
"How... how is this possible? You're not a water-element soul master! How can you use such a spirit skill?" Huo Lie's eyes widened as he stared at the ten-meter-long water dragon rushing toward him.
He tried to dodge, but it was futile. The ten-meter-long water dragon seemed to have a mind of its own, tracking his position, and a massive flood descended upon him.
**Boom!**
Half the arena was flooded by the water dragon bullet, and the powerful current swept Huo Lie along with the scattered stones out of the arena.
"What's going on? Where did this water come from?" Even the two auxiliary soul masters of the Blazing Battle Team were nearly swept off the platform by the surge.
Fortunately, Huo Wu intervened at the last moment, releasing her third spirit skill, Repelling Fire Ring, to deflect the water. Otherwise, the two would have been eliminated.
READ 30 CHAPTERS AHEAD OF EVERYONE FOR ONLY $7!
LINK: patr eon.com/SenatusPopulus
ALSO CHECK MY OTHER PROJECTS!