Seeing Teng Teng immobilized by her control, Xu Xiaoyan was delighted but remained composed. She immediately raised her Star Staff, and the first Soul Ring behind her lit up.
Golden chains materialized out of thin air, and a golden Star Wheel emerged from the ground, both flying toward Teng Teng, who was frozen in place.
Xu Xiaoyan's strongest control Soul Skill—Star Wheel Chains!
Teng Teng's eyes flashed with deep astonishment. He had thought he understood Xu Xiaoyan's Soul Skills well enough, but facing them now made him realize he had been overconfident. He never expected her Soul Skill could ignore his speed!
Watching the incoming Star Wheel Chains, he was well aware of its power—every opponent Xu Xiaoyan had faced before had lost to this move.
His second Soul Ring flickered, and Teng Teng's figure vanished instantly, leaving only a shadow that darted swiftly toward Xu Xiaoyan.
Shadow Hide!
Xu Xiaoyan had naturally studied Teng Teng's combat information beforehand and knew he possessed a Soul Skill that allowed him to conceal himself within shadows. Watching the shadow charging at her, she calmly retrieved a Soul Guidance Laser Emitter, aimed it at the landing point of the Star Wheel Chains, and decisively pulled the trigger.
A powerful laser shot out from the emitter, crossing the air in the blink of an eye before striking its target.
"Zzzzt!"
An ear-piercing, grating sound rang out as Teng Teng, hidden within the shadow, was forced to reveal himself. His black dagger clashed with the laser Xu Xiaoyan had fired, producing the harsh noise.
Teng Teng stared at Xu Xiaoyan in disbelief, but all he received in response was a relentless barrage of lasers.
"Absolute control—utterly terrifying!" Long Yue and Dai Yueyan, watching from the waiting area, couldn't help but exclaim at the scene unfolding on the stage.
Long Yue remarked, "Who would've thought the absolute control of the Star Staff Martial Soul could even lock onto shadows? Truly eye-opening!"
Dai Yueyan nodded in agreement. "Indeed. No wonder the Star Crown Sect once managed to usurp the throne. If the Star Staff, merely a variant of the Star Crown, possesses such formidable power, how much more terrifying must the true Star Crown Martial Soul be?"
After observing so many matches, the Star Luo Imperial Family had confirmed Xu Xiaoyan's connection to the Xu family of the former Star Crown Sect. After all, sharing the surname "Xu" and wielding the Star Staff Martial Soul made it hard not to draw the connection. Once this was established, Dai Yueyan had reviewed all available records on the Star Crown Sect.
As former adversaries, the Dai family had conducted in-depth research on the Star Crown lineage of Martial Souls, and the absolute control of the Star Staff was no exception.
On the stage, Teng Teng quickly realized this as well. Without hesitation, he sidestepped the laser and shot toward the far end of the arena at blinding speed, landing on the opposite side in an instant. Then, pieces of gray armor flew out from his body and swiftly assembled onto him.
One-Word Battle Armor—activate!
Teng Teng lacked strong moral scruples. As someone who prided himself on being an assassin, he didn't share Lin San's high ethical standards. Thus, even though his opponent was a Soul Grandmaster four or five years his junior—and a girl at that—he felt no qualms about using Battle Armor.
In his view, victory was all that mattered. Whether it was honorable or not was irrelevant—such concerns were beneath the Shadow King. Shadows, after all, belonged to the night!
Xu Xiaoyan saw her opponent donning Battle Armor without hesitation, and a smug expression flickered across her face. She raised her hand and fired several laser beams. Despite her confidence, she knew her chances of victory were plummeting.
With the boost from his One-Word Battle Armor, Teng Teng reached his peak state, his speed bordering on insanity. Before the lasers had even fully left their barrels, he had already dodged past them, closing the distance to Xu Xiaoyan. His first Soul Ring glowed as he slashed out with a pair of daggers mid-sprint.
Shadow Slash!
The strike tore through the air with an ear-piercing shriek, arriving before Xu Xiaoyan in an instant.
The attack was so fast that she had no time—or possibility—to evade.
A golden light flashed in Xu Xiaoyan's eyes as the Shadow Slash landed. Just in time, a golden shield materialized, absorbing the majority of the attack's force. The residual impact still sent her stumbling back several steps, slamming her into the arena barrier and knocking the laser emitter from her grip—but it left no substantial injury.
This sudden golden shield was Star Protection, a Soul Skill granted by her Star Blessing Skull. Constructed entirely from stellar energy, the shield's strength grew alongside Xu Xiaoyan's cultivation. At her current level as a Soul Grandmaster, it could completely nullify attacks from Soul Grandmasters or weaker.
"Cough, cough!" Xu Xiaoyan cleared her throat, watching as Teng Teng relentlessly advanced. A trace of resignation flickered in her eyes—it seemed this match would end here. She was ready to concede, but before that, she wanted to make one last attempt.
Raising her Star Staff, she activated Starlight Feedback and Glittering Starlight, flooding the arena with radiant starlight once more. Faced with the overwhelming brilliance, Teng Teng grimaced. He could only rely on his speed to skirt the edges of the arena, where the starlight hadn't reached. But to attack Xu Xiaoyan, he would still have to cross through the starlight—and the ever-looming Star Wheel Chains.
Retreating to the arena's edge, he took a deep breath, and his fifth Soul Ring ignited. A startling scene unfolded on the battlefield.
Behind Teng Teng, shadows rapidly multiplied, folding over one another until thirty-six distinct silhouettes had formed. The rearmost shadow suddenly lunged forward, merging into the one before it. This process repeated until the foremost shadow had absorbed all the others, solidifying into a near-perfect copy of Teng Teng himself.
When the final shadow fused back into his body, Teng Teng swung his dagger with explosive force, propelling himself forward.
A bluish-gray crescent of light solidified midair, slicing through the starlight like a tangible blade as it shot toward Xu Xiaoyan. Teng Teng followed closely behind the attack.
This was his fifth Soul Skill—Hundred Shadow Layers—a technique that required time to charge. Since Xu Xiaoyan lacked offensive Soul Skills, he had been able to execute it unhindered.
Xu Xiaoyan raised her hand again, unleashing her first Soul Skill, Star Wheel Chains, while simultaneously pulling out a portable Soul Guidance Cannonball Launcher and aiming it at Teng Teng. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger—a Level 4 General-Purpose Soul Guidance Cannonball blasted from the barrel.
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The cyan-gray blade light slashed onto the level-4 Soul Guidance Cannon Shell, instantly triggering a blinding white flash followed by a deafening explosion. The spectators in the stands, the VIP seating area, and the competitors' zone were all stunned. Although the power of a level-4 Soul Guidance Cannon Shell was negligible, seeing it used in a competition was truly unprecedented.
The people of Star Luo Continent were still rather ignorant and narrow-minded, but one couldn't blame them—their development had been slow. Back on Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago, Soul Guidance Cannon Shells had already been widely used in competitions. Forget level-4 shells—even level-6 Soul Guidance Cannons had been employed!
However, with the rapid advancement of soul guidance technology and the decline of traditional Soul Masters, it had become rare to see Soul Guidance Cannon Shells used in Soul Master battles on Douluo Continent. They were typically reserved for Mecha battles instead.
Xu Xiaoyan's level-4 Soul Guidance Cannon Shell and its launcher were both crafted by herself. After all, she was already a level-5 Mecha Manufacturer. Though not as versatile as traditional Soul Masters, she certainly had the capability to follow blueprints.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Xu Xiaoyan and Teng Teng's figures reappeared. Xu Xiaoyan remained standing in place, completely unharmed aside from some dust covering her. Teng Teng, however, was in a rather sorry state. Having been at the epicenter of the blast, he was covered in grime from head to toe, and even his Battle Armor had lost its luster, looking like a secondhand piece of equipment.
"Pah! Pah!" He spat out the dust in his mouth, glaring furiously at the unscathed Xu Xiaoyan. Gripping his dagger tightly, he immediately charged toward her.
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head weakly, a look of dejection on her face as she called out, "I concede!"
Hearing her surrender, the referee nodded, and the commentator began congratulating Monster Academy. Teng Teng had no choice but to halt his advance, glaring at Xu Xiaoyan in frustration. He felt thoroughly mocked, a raging fire of anger burning inside him with no outlet.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon a laser emitter not far away. An idea sparked in his mind. He quickly strode over, picked it up, and inspected it, finding it only slightly damaged. Turning toward Xu Xiaoyan, who was already walking off the stage, he shouted, "Hey! You dropped your laser emitter. Here, take it back!"
Xu Xiaoyan didn't even turn her head upon hearing Teng Teng's call, simply raising a hand in refusal. "Just a piece of junk. You can keep it."
Yet the moment she answered, a sharp p
ain shot through her head. Her vision blurred, and she lost consciousness. Before her eyes closed, she saw her own laser emitter land beside her.