"This…" Jiang Nannan covered her mouth in surprise, unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
The crowd around them erupted in discussion.
"He didn't use a soul skill… and there wasn't any energy fluctuation from a soul bone either. How did he teleport?"
Teleportation wasn't an unfamiliar concept, but to do it without triggering soul skill activation or aura release? That was something else entirely.
Even Moon, who had been lounging casually to the side, had a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
With his level of cultivation, even he didn't expect Shi Yu's teleportation to be so… unorthodox.
"This level of teleportation… it can only be achieved with extreme mastery over space itself," Moon thought silently.
The spectators' shock stung Xu Sanshi even more. The louder their praise for Shi Yu, the more humiliated he felt.
His face turned darker than storm clouds. Without another word, he charged at Shi Yu again.
This time, his first soul ring lit up halfway. His first soul skill: Xuanming Shock was activated.
Shi Yu's focus had been on Xu Sanshi from the beginning. Naturally, he caught the moment his soul skill launched.
He had done some homework on Xu Sanshi's soul abilities. That first skill—Xuanming Shock—was a short-range area effect. Its main function was knockback, but it also carried a stun effect against spirit masters with lower soul power.
And that was precisely Shi Yu's weakness—his current soul power was lower.
If he got hit and stunned, the consequences could be disastrous.
Shi Yu acted instantly.
The spatial energy within his body surged. He vanished on the spot, reappearing nearly twenty meters away—stretching the very limits of his spatial movement.
That was his current maximum range.
Compared to ten thousand years ago, this was 90% shorter. The degradation of his power was severe.
He didn't know the reason, only that the control he had over space and time had weakened dramatically after returning.
Back in the past, space and time powers seemed amplified. Maybe that's why I, a level-ten soul master, could last so long against Zhao Wuji, a Soul Saint…
Even with space-time power, it shouldn't have been possible. But it was.Now? That incredible strength was gone.
He couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Worth noting—after absorbing his first soul ring, Shi Yu's level had risen to 14. Now, he had reached level 16.
The extra two levels were thanks to both the Nine-Hearted Begonia flower and the external soul bone from the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
The Begonia flower mostly improved his body, contributing maybe half a level of soul power.
The spirit bone did the rest.
As Shi Yu distanced himself again, nearby students instinctively stepped back as well, unwilling to be caught in the crossfire.
Xu Sanshi noticed this and restrained the soul skill's release momentarily, planning to activate it only once he got close.
But Shi Yu didn't give him that chance.
He kept blinking left and right, movement erratic, making it almost impossible to lock onto him.
Eventually, Xu Sanshi had no choice but to unleash his skill toward Shi Yu's last known position.
Boom!The Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield slammed to the ground, sending a powerful energy shockwave toward Shi Yu.
Shi Yu vanished again.
Twenty meters.
He reappeared out of the blast range, though the shockwave still caught the edge of his position, causing him to stumble a few steps—but he wasn't harmed, nor stunned.
Ironically, some of the nearby students didn't dodge in time and got knocked over.They ended up looking more embarrassed than Shi Yu, the original target.
"Is that all you can do? Just dodge like a coward?" Xu Sanshi shouted, face red with frustration. "Are you even a man?"
Shi Yu didn't get angry. He simply responded:
"Combat is about maximizing strengths and avoiding weaknesses. My soul power's lower than yours. My attack power's weaker. My defense is nothing compared to yours. If I don't dodge, what do you expect me to do? Let you beat me senseless?"
He shrugged. "Using my weaknesses to clash with your strengths… that's not bravery—that's stupidity."
Some students in the crowd nodded in agreement.
Even Moon—watching quietly—nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Shi Yu with newfound respect.
He understands combat very well. He knows his limits. His spatial control, decision-making… it's impressive.
"You coward," Xu Sanshi spat, hoping to provoke a reaction.
But Shi Yu didn't take the bait.
"You still have one move left," he said calmly. "If you can't beat me with that, then stop bothering Nan Nan. You don't deserve her."
Xu Sanshi's expression twisted.That sentence stung more than any insult. It hit something sensitive—his pride.
"If I'm not qualified, you're even less qualified!" Xu Sanshi shouted.
His composure slipped completely. He couldn't argue with Shi Yu's logic—but he couldn't accept it either.
Just as he prepared to attack again, a voice rang out:
"Hold on. This was a three-move agreement, wasn't it?"
Xu Sanshi froze, turning toward the speaker.
Shi Yu also looked up.
A man stepped forward confidently, making no attempt to hide himself.
Who is this guy? Shi Yu wondered.
It was Beibei.
"We said Xu Sanshi had three chances to defeat me," Shi Yu explained. "But we never said how many moves I could use."
"I've only been dodging. You could say my teleportations are just steps. Do steps count as moves?"
"If they do, then Xu Sanshi's taken dozens. He was the first to move too. So by that logic, he already lost."
Beibei raised an eyebrow. "You're saying teleportation is the same as taking a step?"
"Yes. Conceptually, it is," Shi Yu answered with a straight face.
To demonstrate, he stepped forward—and in a blink, moved five or six meters.
Then he stepped back, returning to his original position.
"Isn't that just one step?" he asked innocently.
Beibei's eyes flashed.
What kind of freakish control…?
To use teleportation so casually, and at such a low soul power level—it was extraordinary.
He stayed silent. There was no way to refute Shi Yu's logic in that moment.
Others watching the scene started nodding.
"He's got a point…"
"The three-move agreement doesn't mean three steps…"
"I think it's fair."
Then came Jiang Nannan's voice, firm and clear:"I think this is fine."
"I agree," said another voice. More followed. They weren't trying to curry favor—Shi Yu's logic genuinely made sense.
Xu Sanshi didn't want to hear any of it.
"I still don't believe I can't beat you!" he roared.
Enraged, he activated his third soul ring.
The power of Xuanming surged again.
Dark water materialized around Shi Yu, surrounding him. It wasn't ordinary water—it squeezed tightly around him, disrupting his soul power circulation and making movement harder.