Chapter 34: Moonlit Soul
"First Rated Output!"
"I am the black from the abyss, the white descended from the heavens—born before creation, enduring beyond annihilation. I shall freely give the water of the Fountain of Life to all who thirst!"
Hu Liena took one staggering step toward Qian Ningshuang—then collapsed again.
Without hesitation, Qian Ningshuang activated White Bloom's healing power.
Yes—*healing*. To make this fool surrender with true conviction, she first had to restore her to full strength.
Then, and only then, would she crush her at her absolute peak.
Besides—beating someone already half-dead? Qian Ningshuang had too much pride for that.
As White Bloom's life energy surged into Hu Liena, her wounds vanished in an instant. Burns faded, bruises disappeared, and her strength returned as if she'd never fought at all.
Qian Ningshuang tossed a cloak from her spatial spirit device onto the ground. Hu Liena's clothes had been reduced to rags by the earlier flames—barely enough to preserve modesty.
Standing at the edge of the half-meter-deep crater, Qian Ningshuang looked down at her.
"Don't zone out. Get up. Weren't you shouting about a second round? Fine—I'll give you a *third*."
"But let's be clear: as a control-type spirit master who's taken the wrong path, you can't last a single move against me. You've already felt that truth."
"I hear you and your brother have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Go ahead—call him up."
"And that little follower you 'recruited' from Tian Yao—what's his name? Yan? Bring him too."
"In fact—anyone else from your Pope Palace team? Summon them all!"
"Since your spirit skills were built for team battles, then *bring your team!*"
"Today, I'll show Spirit Hall one truth: true strength cannot be bridged by teamwork!"
This was Douluo—not her past life's Blue Star. Small squads overcoming stronger foes through coordination? That only worked when the opponent wasn't *truly* strong.
Spirit Masters were, at their core, a violent profession defined by *individual* power—not collective illusion.
"Is Xiao Shuang out of her mind?!" Tian Yao shot up from the stands, ready to leap down. "I'm going to help her! Na-jie, Qiu'er—come on!"
But Gu Yuena held her back.
"Shuang'er wouldn't say this without confidence. Tell me—when we spar with her, has she ever used her full strength?"
As the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena saw clearly: Qian Ningshuang always held back during their private bouts.
Now, provoked into genuine fury and battle-lust, let her fight to her heart's content.
Being stared down from above was humiliating—that was Hu Liena's thought.
And when she heard Qian Ningshuang's demand, the flicker of gratitude from the healing twisted instantly into rage.
Of course she was angry! Challenging one person with a whole team? What kind of insult was that?!
But just as quickly, her anger melted into bitter laughter.
Right—Qian Ningshuang *could* demand this.
She could've kicked Hu Liena off the platform and claimed victory. Instead, she healed her, restored her dignity, and even offered her a chance to call allies. That was more than generous.
Maybe… it *was* time to concede gracefully.
But Bibi Dong gave her no such choice.
Xie Yue and Yan were already stepping onto the arena.
Bibi Dong knew surrender was the wisest path—but watching Hu Liena rise again and again, battered yet unbroken, had ignited her own fury.
And when Qian Ningshuang dared to mock her disciple by demanding a team fight? That fury boiled over.
Fine. You asked for it. Let's see who ends up humiliated.
Still, Bibi Dong wasn't foolish enough to send all seven. Three could be excused as "necessary against overwhelming power." Seven? That would be shameless.
"Greetings, Second Young Miss."
A black-and-red-haired youth with sharp features, and a fiery-haired, muscle-bound man bowed respectfully.
Xie Yue and Yan. Regardless of their personal feelings, etiquette on the arena was non-negotiable.
"No more talk. Come!"
"My apologies, Second Young Miss," Xie Yue said.
In an instant, his martial soul activated. Hu Liena glowed crimson. Yan's body erupted in molten rock as he charged.
"Hellfire Lava Charge!"
Just as Yan was about to slam into her, Qian Ningshuang inhaled deeply.
"Radiance—be with me!"
*Clang!*
Yan didn't strike Qian Ningshuang. He crashed into a translucent blue shield. Above him, a massive, tipless greatsword descended from the sky.
Yan barely activated his second spirit skill—Granite Rock—before the blade sent him flying. He choked back blood and looked up.
Qian Ningshuang hovered a meter above the ground, transformed.
Her casual attire had become a sleek blue-and-white knight's battle dress. Her golden ponytail now flowed freely behind her like a banner of war.
Most striking were the two towering, semi-transparent figures behind her—both clad in ornate blue-and-white armor and featureless masks. One, male, gripped the greatsword. The other, female, held the massive shield.
This was *Moonlit Soul*—the second Valkyrie armor of her past life's Bianka Durandal.
The phantom warriors were her Spirit Skill manifestations: King and Queen.
Thus, Qian Ningshuang's spirit skills didn't just grant extra abilities—they came with instant wardrobe changes, aerial mobility, and even spectral bodyguards.
'Is this even fair?!' Yan thought bitterly. That presence alone screamed "untouchable."
He glanced toward his teammates—only to find Hu Liena and Xie Yue gone. In their place: a swirling red mist.
The moment he looked, the mist exploded outward like a shockwave, engulfing nearly half the arena—including Qian Ningshuang.
Her senses dulled. Her soul power weakened. Her movements slowed.
Is *this* all?
"Promotion!"
From Qian Ningshuang's core, rippling waves of blue light surged outward, purging the red haze like dawn burning away night.
*Clang~!*
Queen's shield intercepted a sudden strike—a long-haired, androgynous figure lunging from the dissipating fog.
Exposed, the assassin—Yaomei—had no choice but to engage head-on. Yan charged again.
King swung his greatsword. Yaomei crossed twin blades to block, skidding backward. Yan? Already unconscious, sprawled on the ground.
Then—hundreds of phantom slashes rained down on Yaomei.
"Not bad," Qian Ningshuang murmured, watching the genderless warrior struggle under King and Queen's relentless assault.
But now—it was time to end this.
After hundreds of exchanges, Qian Ningshuang suddenly retreated, breathing deeply.
Here lay Moonlit Soul's flaw: soul power drained too fast. Already, she was below half.
White Bloom's life energy was vast—but converting it to soul power took time. And Qian Ningshuang had cooled down. She no longer wished to waste energy.
Time for a grand finale.
"This next move is my last. Try to survive it."
Before Hu Liena or Xie Yue could respond, twin wings of light erupted from Qian Ningshuang's waist. She soared into the sky.
—The moment had come.
She descended like a golden eagle, spear in hand, hair streaming like fire.
Hungry.
And—
—fixated on her prey.
"I am the black that devours all, the white that births all—born before creation, enduring beyond annihilation. Divine Key: Black Abyss White Bloom, First Rated Output—*Sacred Lance Bloom!*"
A pillar of azure light plunged from the heavens—crashing down upon Yaomei with apocalyptic force.