"What's there to fear! Since you're so eager to lose, I'll gladly grant your wish."
Wang Chen accepted Wang Teng's challenge without hesitation.
He might tread carefully before the Wang Family ancestor, Wang Yan—but you, Wang Teng, a mere junior, dare to bare your fangs before him?
Hearing Wang Chen's reply, Wang Teng's eyes burned crimson with excitement. A layer of scarlet scales erupted across his skin, and waves of scorching heat—several hundred degrees—radiated from his body, distorting the air around him.
This was one of the Wang Family's inherited martial souls — the Flame Scale Beast, possessing the fire attribute and formidable close-combat ability.
Though inferior to the top-tier martial souls of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family, such as the Solar Dragon or the Purple Destruction Dragon, it was still an exceptionally powerful high-level martial soul.
Seeing this scene, the chief referee Wang Yuan wasn't angered — instead, he found it rather amusing. The duel between the two most outstanding youths of the Wang Family's younger generation truly made him look forward to what was coming.
He also wanted to see whether the Soul Elder-level Wang Teng was stronger, or if the soul tool prodigy Wang Chen would prevail.
Whichever of the two emerged victorious would become the true genius the Wang Family would focus all its resources on nurturing.
Wang Yuan declared, "Everyone else, clear the arena. Leave the field to Wang Teng and Wang Chen."
"Yes, Elder Wang Yuan!"
...
As the Wang Family juniors withdrew, the vast arena quickly emptied. Only Wang Chen and Wang Teng remained, standing fifty meters apart in the center.
Wang Chen, handsome and composed, wore a fitted combat uniform, his posture tall and straight. In his hands, he gripped a peak Rank-3 soul tool spear, and on his back was mounted a Rank-3 propulsion device of the same level.
As the wind brushed past, the edges of his clothes fluttered gently — he looked like a sharp sword ready to be drawn, poised for battle.
Wang Teng also equipped his soul tools, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit as he fixed his gaze on Wang Chen, waiting for Wang Yuan's signal to prove himself as the Wang Family's true number one genius.
From midair, acting as both referee and protector, Wang Yuan's loud voice rang out:
"Begin the match!!"
As soon as the words fell,
two yellow soul rings rose and spun around Wang Chen's body, flickering with light.
Weapon Spirit, first soul skill — Attack!
Weapon Spirit, second soul skill — Break!
With the activation of both enhancement skills, Wang Chen's martial soul, the Weapon Spirit, merged with his spear. In an instant, the spear's edge gleamed with a razor-sharp metallic luster.
But what no one knew was that, in the brief flash of those two soul rings, Wang Chen had also activated the secret art Ring Tempering.
By now, Wang Chen had mastered the Ring Tempering technique to perfection. Unlike before, when it required preparation time and imperfect control that led to energy leakage and waste,
he could now execute it in an instant, perfectly channeling every bit of energy from his soul rings into his body without any overflow — achieving complete and seamless enhancement.
Moreover, no one watching could even tell that he had used a secret technique to strengthen himself.
Feeling the surge of powerful energy coursing through his body, Wang Chen grinned.
Half a month ago, when he used Ring Tempering, he could only raise his strength to just barely reach the level of a newly advanced Soul Elder.
But now, he could match — or even surpass — the power of a level 33 or 34 Soul Elder.
After using his two soul rings and the secret technique to strengthen himself, Wang Chen wasted no time. He struck first — taking the initiative.
After all, the Ring Tempering technique's duration was limited. And since he was only a Great Soul Master, his total soul power was less than Wang Teng's.
If he allowed the fight to drag on, defeat would be inevitable — so he had to end it swiftly.
Under the propulsion of his peak Rank-3 soul tool thruster, Wang Chen shot forward like an arrow released from the string, charging straight toward Wang Teng across the fifty-meter gap.
At that speed, enhanced by the propulsion device, Wang Chen's movement rivaled that of an agility-type Soul Elder.
Wang Teng, seeing Wang Chen dare to charge directly at him, couldn't help but be astonished.
A Great Soul Master dares rush a Soul Elder?
Even with a Rank-3 peak soul tool, you can't possibly bridge the gap in cultivation between us!
Though puzzled, Wang Teng's absolute confidence in his own strength quickly took over. He immediately launched his counterattack.
Two yellow soul rings on his body lit up simultaneously.
Flame Scale Beast, first soul skill — Fire Corrosion!
Flame Scale Beast, second soul skill — Fire Element Amplification!
Wang Teng's first skill allowed any attack he made to carry hidden flame corrosion — when combined with other skills or soul tools, it effectively stacked two attacks into one, greatly increasing power.
His second skill amplified his fire-attribute attack power by 50% and reduced soul power consumption by 30%.
As both skills activated, Wang Teng raised his right arm, and with a metallic clang, a dark metal cannon barrel extended from his forearm.
"Boom!!"
With a thunderous explosion, a barrage of dark-red energy blasts erupted, shooting straight toward Wang Chen.
At this moment, every pair of eyes in the stands was fixed on the two combatants.
Even the parents of Wang Teng and Wang Chen stopped arguing, silently watching their sons' duel.
Wang Chen faced the incoming red energy blasts calmly. His spiritual power, nearly reaching Soul King level, gave him extraordinary perception and reaction speed. With only a few slight twists of his body, he effortlessly dodged every attack in the narrowest of margins.
Seeing Wang Chen evade all his shots so easily, Wang Teng was utterly stunned.
Such speed… is that even possible for a Great Soul Master?
This brat Wang Chen still had such a trick up his sleeve? No… I can't underestimate him. I must treat him as an equal-level opponent and go all out.
Focusing all his attention, Wang Teng began circulating his soul power in advance, waiting for Wang Chen to close the distance — ready to unleash his third soul skill the instant he got close.
Fifty meters vanished in an instant. After firing one interception shot, Wang Teng found Wang Chen already in front of him.
Wang Chen's eyes sharpened. His spear straightened instantly, like a streak of black lightning.
The spearhead tore through the air with a sharp "sssss" hiss, striking directly at Wang Teng's right chest.
Wang Teng grinned. His thousand-year purple soul ring flared to life, and the third soul skill he had prepared burst forth in a blaze.
"Third Soul Skill — Explosive Flame Destruction Slash!!!"
A fiery red blade of energy collided head-on with Wang Chen's spear tip.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the entire arena.
Wang Teng exerted his full strength, channeling every ounce of power into his third soul skill in an attempt to overpower Wang Chen.
But to his shock — despite being a Soul Elder — he couldn't suppress Wang Chen, a mere Great Soul Master!
As the clash ended, Wang Chen flicked his wrist, and the spear moved like a living serpent, instantly shifting direction to sweep horizontally toward Wang Teng's waist.
Having just unleashed his third skill, Wang Teng was caught between breaths, his previous strength expended and new power not yet gathered.
He hurriedly tried to activate his defensive soul tool, but it was too late. Before the protective shield could even form, pain shot through his abdomen.
Seizing the moment, Wang Chen gave him no chance to recover. With a sharp motion, he pulled back the spear and swung the shaft like a staff, smashing it squarely into Wang Teng's face.
Wang Teng's vision blurred — his head spun, the world tilted, and his mind went blank. Then his body collapsed limply to the ground, unconscious.
As Wang Chen's victory became clear, the entire arena fell into stunned silence.
A Soul Elder-level Wang Teng… defeated by a Great Soul Master-level Wang Chen??