Yun Ze chuckled.
"What I actually meant to ask about was Long Chen's family background. What you just told me—his feelings for you—I already figured out from your earlier conversation. No need to repeat it."
"I was just worried you'd misunderstand…" Gu Yuena muttered, and immediately regretted it—her cheeks flushed red.
"Whether I misunderstand or not doesn't really matter. You don't have to explain yourself to me," Yun Ze smiled and shook his head, as if he didn't catch the deeper meaning behind her words.
"Oh…" Gu Yuena responded, her mood visibly dimmed. Yun Ze's indifferent attitude left her feeling a little disappointed.
She knew exactly why she felt this way—it was because she had developed feelings for Yun Ze. In human terms, she liked him.
Even though Yun Ze currently looked like a six-year-old child, his soul was that of a mature adult. What attracted her was this mature, calm, and knowledgeable soul.
Not to mention his detached, ethereal aura—those otherworldly qualities only drew her in more.
Beyond the emotional and spiritual attraction, his bloodline also pulled her toward him, making her instinctively want to be close.
"As for Long Chen's family background, I don't really know. I never looked into it. I only know that the academy places great importance on him—that's why I haven't outright killed him."
"But this time, I don't plan to hold back anymore," Gu Yuena's eyes flashed coldly. Her patience had run out.
"Then don't hold back," Yun Ze said flatly."But we can't kill him inside the academy. Wait until he leaves before taking action."
"Mm, I was thinking the same thing," Gu Yuena replied.
Within the Sun Moon Royal Academy, there was one main dueling arena and nine secondary arenas, which students could freely use for sparring.
In one of the secondary arenas, the central platform was a 200-meter diameter circular stage, surrounded by stands that could hold up to 3,000 spectators.
They were in luck—when they arrived, no one else was using the arena. Long Chen stepped onto the stage first.
Yun Ze followed suit, walking calmly up as well, while Gu Yuena stood in the front row of the stands, watching with anticipation for Yun Ze's performance.
There were already students present before, and with the crowd that followed them from the cafeteria, there were now around 600–700 people, most of whom sat behind Gu Yuena.
They were here for both the fight and the beautiful girl—two attractions in one.
"Little brother Yun Ze, don't blame big brother here for bullying the weak," Long Chen said with malicious intent.
"I hope you can actually manage to bully me," Yun Ze replied coolly.
"Arrogant brat," Long Chen snorted.
A dragon's roar echoed from his body as his soul power surged, and his Light Holy Dragon Martial Soul appeared behind him.
His height increased by about three inches, and golden dragon scales emerged on both his arms, exuding a sacred aura.
Four soul rings rose from beneath his feet—all purple in color, although varying slightly in shade—hovering and pulsing rhythmically around him.
"Screee!" A sharp phoenix cry rang out.
The Flame Phoenix soared from behind Yun Ze, spreading its wings and dragging a trail of blazing fire through the air.
Flames ignited on Yun Ze's body, and the intense heat distorted the air around him—yet his clothing remained unscathed.
His clothes weren't fire-resistant. In fact, they could easily catch fire. But his precise control over the flames meant that the fire touching his clothes had no heat, and so the fabric remained intact.
The Phoenix's presence raised the temperature of the entire arena—what had been a cool environment now felt oppressively hot.
Two purple soul rings rose from beneath Yun Ze's feet.
Upon seeing those two purple rings, many students in the stands jumped up in shock, unable to believe their eyes.
"Two-ring Soul Grandmaster? A two-ring Grandmaster at just six years old?" the students exclaimed, utterly stunned.
Even Long Chen's pupils constricted in disbelief. A six-year-old Soul Grandmaster? That was insane!
"Are you ready?" Yun Ze asked, not taking advantage of Long Chen's moment of shock.
Hearing this, Long Chen quickly calmed himself. He took a deep breath and gave Yun Ze a nod.
Seeing that Long Chen was ready, Yun Ze didn't waste time—his first soul ring lit up: Fire Prison!
A wave of purple energy burst forth. The ground beneath them erupted in flames, spreading rapidly outward from Yun Ze at the center.
The metal flooring might as well have been soaked in oil—the fire roared across it with ease.
Even though the flames were only half a meter tall, Long Chen immediately felt the searing heat. Breathing became difficult. The air in front of him seemed to be burned away.
He quickly retreated. His second soul ring lit up—Dragon's Roar.
Behind him, the Light Holy Dragon bellowed mightily, releasing a massive shockwave of sound that rolled forward like a physical force.
The sound wave swept across the flames, bending them and even blowing some into the air—but it couldn't extinguish them.
Not only did it fail to extinguish the flames, it didn't even slow them down.
After all, this was Phoenix fire—how could it be so easily blown out?
Long Chen's heart sank. Without hesitation, his fourth soul ring lit up—Dragon's Power.
The power of his Light Holy Dragon bloodline surged through his body. A golden light enveloped him, and a layer of fine dragon scales formed on his skin.
Bending his knees, he leapt forward, no longer avoiding the flames—he was going to charge straight through them.
"Let's see if a Grandmaster's fire can really hurt a Soul Ancestor like me," he thought.
Long Chen charged into the blazing inferno. Instantly, his clothes caught fire, and the heat scorched his body.
The temperature was several thousand degrees. Even with his fourth soul skill amplifying his strength, he couldn't completely ignore the flames. His whole body felt like it was boiling.
But even so, he wasn't at the point of rolling on the ground in agony. His soul power protected him just enough to endure.
Yun Ze then activated a soul spirit with a thought—the Fiery Nine-Headed Bird emerged from his body and soared upward, growing in size as it rose.
It hovered about 10 meters above the ground, wings fully extended—over five meters wide.
Its body was engulfed in flames, and its nine heads swayed menacingly, giving off an aura of ferocity.
"Boom!" The central head opened its beak and spat a fireball down at Long Chen.
"Boom boom boom…" The other heads followed suit, launching fireballs that rained down upon Long Chen.
The fireballs weren't overwhelmingly powerful, but Long Chen wasn't reckless enough to take them head-on. He weaved left and right to dodge.
A few fireballs missed and exploded on the ground, their flames spreading—adding to the fire prison.
"Break!" Long Chen roared, leaping into the air and smashing apart one fireball he couldn't avoid.The explosion sent him crashing back to the ground, staggering backward a few steps.
The Nine-Headed Bird continued to bombard him from above, while Yun Ze sprinted forward, launching into the air with a spinning side-kick aimed at Long Chen.
Yun Ze timed it perfectly—just as Long Chen was recovering his balance, the kick struck with no chance to react.
His leg was wreathed in flames, and the powerful kick was like a flaming club smashing straight at Long Chen's face.
Long Chen instinctively raised both arms to block.
He managed to block the kick—but the force and heat behind it were immense. It felt like even his soul power couldn't stop the burn.
His arms went numb from pain, the strength in them dissipated. His own hands slammed into his face, and he staggered sideways, struggling to keep his footing.
Yun Ze, already in motion, mimicked drawing a bow with both hands—flames gathered, forming a longbow. A flaming arrow appeared, nocked and ready.
"Whoosh!"
The arrow shot out with a sharp screech through the air—Long Chen's left arm was struck before he could regain balance.