"The range of Tianheng's Thunderclap extends over twenty meters now. He's really worked hard." Meng Shenji nodded approvingly, clearly impressed by the power of Yu Tianheng's attack.
"Single-Handed Eighteen Strikes—Crash!"
Nan Feihuang's halberd slammed into the ground, causing a tremor that rippled outward from his position. The power of the thunder was mostly dispersed, with the remaining traces blocked by the sturdy ground tiles.
"What immense strength! Is this kid really just a Battle Master?" Bai Baoshan asked in disbelief. Although he was a defense-type spirit master, he doubted that even at rank forty he possessed such raw power.
Nan Feihuang leaped out of the crater he had just created, launching himself high into the air. With the force of a descending meteor, he executed another attack from the Eighteen Strikes of the Halberd, a fierce downward slam aimed directly at Yu Tianheng.
After witnessing Nan Feihuang's power firsthand, Yu Tianheng knew better than to attempt to block this head-on. He might survive the blow, but he'd certainly be severely injured.
Having just broken through to rank thirty-one, Yu Tianheng had only begun to experience the benefits of dragonification, the key feature of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage that set them apart from other beast martial spirits. Dragonification greatly enhanced their physical constitution, giving them a significant edge over ordinary spirit masters.
Unfortunately for Yu Tianheng, his control over his dragonified state was still rudimentary at best. He had only just broken through to Spirit Elder and hadn't yet fully mastered it. Without full control, the only notable advantage of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was its powerful lightning-based attacks, with little to distinguish it from other top-tier beast spirits.
Yu Tianheng quickly retreated, his footwork less elegant than Nan Feihuang's Beidou Immortal Step or Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but grand in its sweeping motion. Each of his strides covered the distance of three to five of an ordinary person's steps.
His technique was certainly befitting a member of the renowned Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, likely a soul skill passed down through generations.
Nan Feihuang wasn't surprised. A clan as prestigious as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, whose successive patriarchs were nearly always Title Douluo, surely wouldn't lack self-created soul skills.
However, he didn't regard Yu Tianheng's technique as a true threat. Yu Tianheng wouldn't be able to shake him off so easily.
With his feet moving swiftly in the Beidou Immortal Step, Nan Feihuang's ghostly figure appeared directly behind Yu Tianheng.
"What?!" Yu Tianheng was stunned. His family's revered footwork had been surpassed by Nan Feihuang's incredible speed.
Nan Feihuang smiled slightly, his halberd thrusting toward Yu Tianheng's shoulder from behind—a deadly precise strike from the Eighteen Strikes of the Halberd, known as "Pierce."
Reacting instinctively, Yu Tianheng stimulated his body with electric energy, increasing his reflexes. Slamming his left foot into the ground, he launched himself backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.
"You're too naive!" Nan Feihuang wouldn't let his opponent escape so easily. Without even moving his halberd, he surged forward, grabbing the weapon's tip and whipping it sideways with a powerful strike.
This was the "Whip" from the Eighteen Strikes of the Halberd, using the shaft to batter the enemy.
Caught in mid-air, Yu Tianheng had no time to respond. The halberd's shaft struck him squarely in the abdomen, forcing a spray of saliva from his mouth.
His body flew back, helpless. Nan Feihuang quickly retrieved his martial spirit and then immediately re-summoned it. In that split second, his hands shifted from gripping the halberd's tip to holding the base of the shaft.
Using the Beidou Immortal Step, Nan Feihuang followed Yu Tianheng's trajectory, his halberd spinning and thrusting out—a perfect execution of "Stab" from the Eighteen Strikes.
The Wushuang Fangtian Halberd was double-bladed, making it deadly whether thrust from the left or the right. Even if the enemy dodged, as Nan Feihuang pulled the weapon back, they would still face the threat of the other blade.
"What perfect footwork and halberd technique," Xue Qinghe remarked, watching intently. "Every move flows seamlessly into the next, like an unrelenting tide. And his mastery over his martial spirit is astounding. The time it takes for him to retrieve and re-summon his halberd is no more than 0.3 seconds."
She could tell that Yu Tianheng had no chance of dodging this final thrust.
Nan Feihuang wasn't just powerful in terms of soul power. His combat skills were just as formidable. Although his halberd techniques were simple, he executed them with flawless precision.
"Mother must have taught him this," Xue Qinghe thought. "As expected from one of the three female Title Douluo in the continent, Lan Xue's tutelage is exceptional."
"Come on, Tianheng! You have to win, or I'm done for!" Osler was in a panic, watching his entire fortune slip away as Yu Tianheng struggled to keep up. His livelihood depended on the battle's outcome, and a loss would mean complete ruin.
"Damn it! Second soul skill—Thunderclap Barrage!"
Yu Tianheng roared, abandoning any thoughts of defending himself. He twisted in midair, turning to face Nan Feihuang head-on, his body brimming with violent lightning energy. In an instant, countless bolts of lightning exploded from his body, firing in every direction.
This was Yu Tianheng's true full-power attack, unmatched in raw destructive force. The sudden burst forced Nan Feihuang's halberd away, and the majority of the lightning bolts shot directly toward him.
"Single-Handed Eighteen Strikes—Deflect!"
Nan Feihuang was unfazed. Using the halberd's blade, he spun it around his body, deflecting the lightning bolts and redirecting their energy away from the arena.
The redirected bolts exploded just outside the boundary, sending the spectators into a panic.
Yu Tianheng was stunned. His full-strength attack had been nullified so easily.
Despite not having technically lost yet, Yu Tianheng knew the outcome of the match was already decided. He had used both his first and second soul skills, while Nan Feihuang hadn't used a single one.
The disparity in soul power consumption was immense.
Yu Tianheng's reserves were rapidly depleting, while Nan Feihuang still had more than enough to continue.
"The honor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan cannot fall on my watch!" Yu Tianheng's third soul ring lit up. "Third soul skill—Wrath of Thunder!"
He charged once more, unleashing his third soul skill, an augmentation that sent him into a berserk state. His lightning power doubled, and his soul power increased by fifty percent. This technique wouldn't stop until his soul power was completely exhausted.
Nan Feihuang activated his own second soul ring, the thousand-year one. "Second soul skill—Eight Gates Golden Lock!"
As instructed by his mother, Nan Feihuang only opened four of the gates. In the sky, the words "Xiu, Sheng, Du, Shang" appeared, drastically reducing Yu Tianheng's speed.
Though his lightning power had surged, his slowed movements left him unable to keep up with Nan Feihuang's Beidou Immortal Step. Nan Feihuang demonstrated the truth of the phrase "speed is unbeatable."
No matter how powerful the attack, if it couldn't hit its target, it was meaningless.
In his current berserk state, Yu Tianheng's soul power consumption was terrifyingly fast. He could already tell that he was going to lose, but he refused to give up. Even in defeat, he had to go down fighting with honor.
As the heir of his clan, he could lose a battle, but he couldn't forfeit without giving it his all.
Nan Feihuang met his charge head-on.
Dragon claws clashed with the halberd as the two assault-type spirit masters engaged in a relentless exchange at the center of the arena.
With every clash, the sound of their weapons meeting echoed like thunder.
"This family really is insane," Nan Feihuang thought as he matched blows with Yu Tianheng. "Even when they're losing, they fight harder and harder. It's impressive."
"But this ends now."
Nan Feihuang's first soul ring began to glow, prompting Yu Tianheng to instinctively retreat, setting up a lightning shield to defend himself.
"First soul skill—Half-Moon Slash!"
Nan Feihuang's halberd swept in a wide arc, releasing a golden crescent-shaped blade of energy. It tore through the air at incredible speed, heading straight for Yu Tianheng.
With a flash, the lightning shield shattered upon impact.
Yu Tianheng could only watch helplessly as the crescent blade rushed toward his throat.
Meng Shenji's eyes widened in horror. "That child's attack is too reckless! He'll kill Yu Tianheng!"
If Yu Tianheng died here, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would undoubtedly declare war on the Gu Lei Kingdom. Thunder Douluo against Frost Douluo—this was no trivial matter.
Meng Shenji was about to step in, but just before the Half-Moon Slash struck Yu Tianheng, the energy dissipated.
Meng Shenji's worry was for nothing. Nan Feihuang wouldn't make such a dangerous move without being in full control of his abilities. If he couldn't perfectly manage the strength of his soul skills, he wouldn't dare attempt such a risky maneuver.
Yu Tianheng touched his throat, feeling the slight burn left by the dissipated energy. Realizing that Nan Feihuang had deliberately held back, he wasn't foolish enough to be ungrateful for the mercy shown.
"Nan Feihuang, thank you for your restraint. Today, I, Yu Tianheng, admit defeat."
Even though Yu Tianheng had lost, he did so with grace and dignity. To fight to the very end and still acknowledge the outcome was not a loss of face but a sign of his maturity.
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