On the Star Luo Continent, in Star Luo City's Grand Coliseum, the individual group matches of the All-Continental Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament were in full swing. Every participating contestant was fiercely competing for each victory.
The group stage had reached its fifth day. With each contestant averaging two matches per day, the competition grew increasingly intense. As the tournament passed its midpoint, securing points became every contestant's top priority. No one held back anymore, making the battles even more spectacular.
Among them, Jing Shaoyu and his six companions all held perfect records of nine wins and zero losses, each ranking in the top two of their respective groups. They were among the few who remained undefeated.
The first match of the day featured Jing Shaoyu against his familiar opponent—Sima Xian.
The two now stood on the arena platform, sizing each other up. Sima Xian's gaze at Jing Shaoyu was filled with gravity. After these days of competition, he knew full well that this handsome young man before him was an exceptionally powerful adversary, much like his archrival Long Yue.
Jing Shaoyu studied Sima Xian in return. This unlucky fellow currently held a record of eight wins and one loss—his sole defeat being a crushing loss to Long Yue on the first day. Yet whenever Jing Shaoyu heard his name, he couldn't help but imagine a massive, muscular bald man rather than this stocky figure before him.
Truth be told, he was quite curious to see what this so-called "Light Power Pellet" actually looked like.
"Begin!" The referee's command rang out.
Without hesitation, Sima Xian lunged forward like a cannonball, his Martial Soul activating instantly. A pair of enormous bull horns and thick draconic scales covered his entire body as a yellow halo expanded outward from him.
Jing Shaoyu immediately felt an oppressive weight descend upon him.
Gravity Control!
He instantly recognized the opponent's Soul Skill—a classic earth-element technique that manipulated gravitational force to restrain enemies.
Watching Sima Xian charge toward him like a runaway locomotive, Jing Shaoyu calmly raised his hand. His Origin Elf Soul manifested as the Staff of Stars materialized in his grip. With a casual flick of the staff, countless plants sprouted along Sima Xian's path, growing at an accelerated rate as if time itself had been hastened.
Sima Xian plowed headlong into the sudden thicket. The vegetation seemed possessed of consciousness and soul—vines coiled around his legs, his tail, his arms, even creeping up toward his waist.
The plants' potency became immediately apparent. Sima Xian felt as though he'd been mired in quicksand; no matter how he struggled, he couldn't muster his strength. Despite his Herculean power, he could only watch helplessly as the plants immobilized his limbs completely.
"Incredible! Contestant Jing Shaoyu has demonstrated yet another new ability—this time with frenzied vegetation! Contestant Sima Xian has fallen helplessly into the plant trap with no apparent means of escape!" Fang'er exclaimed in astonishment.
"Damn it!" Sima Xian's face bulged with veins as his forcibly straightened arms struggled to close together. But every time he managed to pull them slightly closer, two new vines would immediately wrap around them, leaving his arms and legs now bound by at least ten vines each.
"I absolutely cannot lose like this!" Sima Xian let out a furious roar as the fifth Soul Ring behind him erupted with dazzling light. A massive phantom of an Ox-Horned Dragon appeared behind him, its shadowy form tilting its head back with a heaven-shaking roar that made the very air of the arena tremble.
The next instant, this phantom suddenly surged into Sima Xian's body. His frame immediately swelled—the muscles on his legs expanding until they were thicker than his head, while the end of his tail bulged into a massive hammerhead that swung wildly with his movements.
Fifth Soul Skill: Wrath of the Armored Dragon King!
Empowered by this skill, Sima Xian's strength increased dramatically. With just a slight exertion, he snapped the numerous vines binding his arms, then stomped his foot—the terrifying shockwave instantly pulverizing the vines around his legs and those nearby.
He then threw several fierce punches, the violent shockwaves from his strikes scattering all surrounding plants.
As the audience watched Sima Xian break free from the plant entanglement and continue his assault toward Jing Shaoyu, his supporters didn't cheer. They could clearly see that while Sima Xian had been struggling, Jing Shaoyu hadn't been idle either.
Raising the Staff of Stars, a crimson fireball formed above his head. Under Jing Shaoyu's deliberate control, it continuously condensed and expanded. By the time Sima Xian burst through the vegetation, what greeted him was an enormous fireball—its diameter nearly half the arena's width—casting a shadow that covered half the fighting space.
"Shit!" Sima Xian instinctively cursed as he looked up at the incoming fireball. Immediately dropping into a crouch, he wrapped his arms around his head and curled into a ball. He knew full well he couldn't escape the blast radius, so he didn't even try—placing all his hopes on his natural defenses instead.
All those armored dragon scales weren't just for show!
"BOOM—"
The fireball struck and detonated, sending up a red-and-black mushroom cloud over the arena. Thick dust obscured all vision—except for Jing Shaoyu standing calmly at the edge, admiring his handiwork with satisfaction.
First attempt at compressing a fireball, and the power wasn't bad at all, he mused, already planning to properly reward Gu Yue that evening. Truly befitting the Silver Dragon King—her understanding of elemental forces ran deep.
"Cough! Cough! Cough—"
As the dust cleared, the arena lay in ruins. From the debris emerged a charred figure who staggered to his feet, swaying drunkenly in circles before finally raising a hand to shout, "I—I give up! This is just bullying!"
The human charcoal was naturally Sima Xian, his entire body burning hot. With no will left to continue fighting—nor any strength to do so—he conceded outright.
Jing Shaoyu's victory was indisputable. With a light turn, he stepped down from the arena.
In the competitors' waiting area, within Monster Academy's designated section.
"Brother Long, what do you think?" Dai Yueyan sat beside Long Yue and turned to ask for his opinion.
"I'm becoming more and more interested in him!" A flash of fervor crossed Long Yue's eyes. "So far, he's demonstrated five elemental abilities—fire, water, ice, wind, and today's wood element. Yet we still can't determine what his Soul Skill is. Fascinating, absolutely fascinating!"
"I think that guy's Soul Skill is those elemental abilities," Dai Yuner chimed in from the side. "It's just that he can conceal his Soul Rings."
"No, it's not that simple." Long Yue shook his head. "When he uses those elements, the fluctuations in his Soul Power are too calm. That's not the kind of fluctuation one gets from using a Soul Skill. So those elemental abilities aren't Soul Skills!"
"If they're not Soul Skills, then what could they be?" Dai Yuner scratched her head in confusion. "Could they be innate abilities?"
"Bloodline!" Dai Yuner's offhand remark made Long Yue's eyes light up. "It's possible—it might be a bloodline ability none of us know about!"
"Bloodline?" Dai Yueyan looked thoughtful and couldn't help glancing at Su Mu beside him.
Su Mu shook his head, indicating that his knowledge didn't include any bloodline with such abilities.
"What kind of bloodline would allow him to master so many elements at once?" Dai Yuner asked.
"Hmm..." Long Yue closed his eyes, deep in thought. After a long moment, he opened them again. "Legend says the Silver Dragon can control all elements. Jing Shaoyu's bloodline must be related to the Silver Dragon—perhaps even the Silver Dragon bloodline itself!"
"Silver Dragon? That actually makes sense!" Dai Yuner considered Long Yue's words and found them quite plausible.
"Then does that mean Gu Yue is the same?" Su Mu asked, a hint of uncertainty flashing in his eyes.
Long Yue's expression froze as he began to doubt his own speculation. The Silver Dragon was an even rarer dragon lineage than his Mountain Dragon. His Mountain Dragon heritage was already incredibly precious—how could two individuals with the even more powerful and scarce Silver Dragon heritage appear at once?
He shook his head. "Hard to say."
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