Seeing that Jing Shaoyu had released his Primordial Spirit Martial Soul, Long Yue's eyes flashed with anger—was he being looked down upon?
From his teacher En Ci, Long Yue already knew that Jing Shaoyu's primary Martial Soul leaned toward a support type. However, after their brief clash, he understood that Jing Shaoyu was no mere healing-type soul master. Thus, he had been eagerly anticipating that in the finals, Jing Shaoyu would reveal the spear Martial Soul he had glimpsed before, engaging him in an exhilarating battle between true warriors.
Yet, Jing Shaoyu hadn't used his spear Martial Soul. Was he underestimating Long Yue?
Damn it!
The flames of fury in Long Yue's heart surged uncontrollably. He would make Jing Shaoyu regret his arrogance and conceit!
"Mountain!" Long Yue roared, raising his hands toward the sky. A towering peak, piercing through the clouds, erupted into the air. In an instant, the entire arena's atmosphere grew oppressive, as though a thousand-meter-high mountain loomed overhead.
"Boom—"
The earth trembled as the colossal mountain descended from the sky. Countless boulders tumbled down from its summit, the terrifying momentum causing even the spectators near the arena to pale in fear—it felt as though those boulders would crush their heads the next moment.
With such a massive peak bearing down on Jing Shaoyu, everyone held their breath for him. Yet, he remained motionless, standing firmly in place without the slightest intention to block or evade.
Had he been frightened into stupor?
The referee below the stage was already prepared to halt the match.
"Crash—"
The mountain collapsed, burying Jing Shaoyu completely beneath it. The air instantly turned murky, obscuring the view of the arena. Everyone's hearts clenched as they stared nervously at the stage, their expressions tense with dread.
Long Yue's sharp gaze pierced through the swirling dust, landing on the scene beneath the shattered mountain—and what he saw left him utterly disbelieving. Jing Shaoyu stood there unharmed, still smiling!
The countless boulders that had struck him had turned into illusory earth elements upon contact, dissipating into the world. The thousand-meter mountain Long Yue had summoned was rapidly disintegrating, crumbling into nothingness.
"How?!" Long Yue was stunned. His first Soul Skill at full power was something even power-type Soul Masters at the Soul Douluo level had to face with their full strength. Yet, Jing Shaoyu had emerged unscathed!
How was this possible?
As the dust settled, the same shock and confusion spread across the faces of the audience. How had Jing Shaoyu remained unharmed?
"Good! You truly haven't disappointed me!" Long Yue's excitement soared as he burst into wild laughter. "Hahaha! After the mountain, comes the surging river!"
Still holding his hands aloft, Long Yue summoned a vast river that tore through space, stretching endlessly across the sky. The river spanned hundreds of feet, its roaring currents like ten thousand stampeding horses. In an instant, every spectator felt the overwhelming force and unstoppable destructive power!
The river hung ominously in the air, darkening the heavens. With the force of thunder, the torrential flood surged downward, crashing toward Jing Shaoyu with relentless fury.
Jing Shaoyu gazed at the majestic great river surging toward him, his smile unchanged, his posture unmoving. He simply stood there, allowing the torrential currents to crash against his body.
A trace of solemnity finally appeared in Long Yue's eyes. The river powerful enough to breach city walls hadn't shaken Jing Shaoyu in the slightest—the opponent's clothes remained completely untouched. Looking at Jing Shaoyu's smile, he found it unbearably irritating.
He had never encountered such a bizarre opponent before, which only fueled his excitement further. A hint of madness gradually surfaced in his eyes.
"Swamp!" His third soul ring lit up—another area-of-effect attack, another motion of raising both hands to the sky. A murky, heavy swamp filled with deathly aura hung inverted above the arena, completely covering it. All light vanished beneath the bog, leaving only darkness behind.
The swamp slowly descended. Compared to the imposing grandeur of mountains and rivers, it moved sluggishly, embodying its very nature—inducing a suffocating sense of despair, making one struggle helplessly toward inevitable doom.
Jing Shaoyu was swallowed by the swamp, but in the next instant, it collapsed without warning—disintegrating, dispersing, and vanishing until it shattered completely.
"Wilderness!" His fourth soul ring ignited. A vast, boundless plain stretching as far as the eye could see replaced the swamp, enveloping the arena once more. Cities rose from the earth across the wilderness, teeming with life, lending it immeasurable weight.
The wilderness pressed down on Jing Shaoyu, yet still failed to harm him. Instead, it followed the swamp's fate.
"!" A strange light flashed in Long Yue's eyes. He understood now—Jing Shaoyu could actually nullify his attacks. To be precise, mountains, rivers, swamps, and wildernesses couldn't harm him. No wonder this guy hadn't summoned his spear Martial Soul—he'd anticipated this strategy from the start!
But if this is all the cleverness you've got, then this match is as good as over!
A savage, cruel glint flickered in Long Yue's eyes.
"His Martial Soul is problematic!"
On the VIP platform, En Ci keenly noticed this as well, speaking in a low, astonished tone. "What?" Only Dai Tianling heard En Ci's words.
"Jing Shaoyu's Angel Spirit can actually nullify A-Yue's Soul Skills—this is truly unexpected!" En Ci remarked, his eyes gleaming with thoughtful light.
"Does that mean Long Yue might lose?" Dai Tianling was shocked and somewhat worried.
"No, A-Yue's Soul Skills are far more complex than they appear," En Ci shook his head. "His Martial Soul's capabilities extend well beyond this. Though I don't understand why Jing Shaoyu's Martial Soul can nullify the summoned mountains, rivers, swamps, and wildernesses, A-Yue's true strength has never relied on these! Your Majesty, just keep watching."
Reassured by En Ci's confident tone, Dai Tianling set aside some of his concerns and returned his attention to the match.
"Hahaha, excellent, excellent!" Long Yue laughed wildly, his first soul ring lighting up once more. "Steady as Mountains!"
His figure instantly became as towering and unshakable as a mountain, his aura turning profound and immovable.
"Torrential as Rivers!" Long Yue surged forward, his momentum like a raging river. His formidable frame charged toward Jing Shaoyu, both hands gathering the power of mountains and rivers. Wherever he passed, the air itself seemed to be drained away.
Jing Shaoyu was no longer indifferent. A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips as he spread his arms. The Staff of Stars vanished, and with a gentle flap of his Wings of Origin behind him, he slowly ascended into the air.
As he rose, his demeanor shifted from gentle benevolence to ruthless ferocity. His eyes, once warm as a spring breeze, now turned cold as a winter's night.
At some point, the Godslayer Spear of the End appeared in his grasp. He raised it single-handedly overhead, pointing directly at the heavens.
The soul rings of his two Martial Souls manifested simultaneously—five black and four orange-gold, nine rings in total—radiating a profound and dazzling brilliance. They hovered like divine halos behind his head, as though he were a deity!
Everyone in the Star Luo Grand Stadium felt as if their throats had been seized, their necks stiffening as they gaped in stunned silence.
The sight was simply too overwhelming!
What did it mean for a soul master to reveal nine soul rings at once? This was the most basic knowledge, something even a child who had just awakened their Martial Soul would understand. Yet now, tens of thousands of advanced soul masters in the stadium were left bewildered.
Five black soul rings and four orange-gold ones—even a Super Douluo would struggle to match this!
But the Jing Shaoyu on the stage was clearly not a Super Douluo. He wasn't even a Titled Douluo—just a mere Soul King. Yet he had displayed such an impossible configuration of nine soul rings. It defied all logic!
"...Teacher, what do you make of this?" Dai Tianling asked En Ci, his voice stiff.
En Ci's expression was grave as he replied in a low tone, "As expected of a student from Shrek Academy. To wield dual Martial Souls at the Soul King level—remarkable indeed. A-Yue has met his match."
"Teacher, what about his soul rings?" Dai Tianling pressed.
"Beast King soul spirits!" En Ci declared with certainty, his voice tinged with envy. "Shrek Academy must hold him in extremely high regard."
At these words, Dai Tianling's expression hardened, as if struck by a sudden realization. His gaze toward Jing Shaoyu, suspended mid-air above the stage, grew fervent.
On the stage, Long Yue watched Jing Shaoyu with tense vigilance, rooted in place.
Jing Shaoyu's eyes, devoid of any emotion, bore down on Long Yue as he uttered coldly, "Feel the wrath of nature."
As his words fell, the sky behind him twisted violently. The once bright and clear blue expanse darkened in an instant—clouds roiled, winds howled, the sun vanished, and night descended abruptly. The crowd looked up in terror, unable to comprehend what was happening.
An enormous sphere materialized above Jing Shaoyu's head, hovering just a hair's breadth from the tip of the Godslayer Spear. It resembled an entire world unto itself—an endless expanse of primordial forest, its dense wood elemental and natural energies so concentrated they seemed to crystallize, painting the sphere in lush, verdant green.
The forest world descended slowly, crushing the soul barrier protecting the finals stage as it pressed down toward Long Yue.
Only then did everyone realize—this green sphere was even larger than the stage itself!
Long Yue's face paled. He truly felt the weight of an entire planet bearing down on him.