Huo Yuhao's third spirit ring should have been a lustrous white jade color.
However, under the exquisite effect of the simulated spirit ability, to outsiders, it appeared as ten thousand years black, just like his first and second spirit rings!
Naer's silver eyes reflected three black halos, and a trace of shock couldn't help but flash in the depths of her pupils; for a moment, she even forgot to attack.
On the sidelines, a flicker of surprise also crossed Yun Ming's deep eyes.
He looked at the three black spirit rings beneath Huo Yuhao's feet and thought to himself, "Spirit sea realm!"
Three ten thousand years spirit rings also signified that Huo Yuhao's first spirit soul had advanced to the ten thousand years level.
Only when one's mental force reached the spirit sea realm could one bear a ten thousand years spirit soul.
Furthermore, under Leng Yaozhu's guidance, Huo Yuhao's first spirit soul dared to advance to ten thousand years so early; his mental force was likely not just at the initial stage of the spirit sea realm!
His assessment of Huo Yuhao rose several notches, realizing it was no wonder Leng Yaozhu called him the "strongest genius"!
Naer's delicate little face showed a grave expression.
Huo Yuhao's three black spirit rings had indeed shaken her heart for an instant.
But, only for an instant.
Who was she?
She was the half of the Silver Dragon King!
Well... perhaps not half, but at least one-third!
Therefore, she had seen major events before and naturally would not be scared off by a three-ring spirit elder.
"Hmph!"
A crisp, light snort came from Naer's nose.
The shock in her silver eyes quickly receded, replaced by an even sharper glint.
"Swish!"
Naer's footwork changed abruptly; her small figure and the slender silver dragon spear seemed to instantly merge into one.
Under the full amplification of her first spirit ability, this attack system spirit master unleashed a terrifying speed comparable to top-tier agility-attack system spirit masters of the same rank!
The short ten-meter distance between them was crossed in one step, and she fiercely rushed before Huo Yuhao, carrying a biting spear wind!
There were no fancy changes in moves, no probing feints.
Naer held the spear with one hand, her arm extended like a bow, the spear tip aimed precisely at Huo Yuhao's face!
Facing this sudden spear thrust, Huo Yuhao's face still showed little emotional fluctuation.
However, just as the silver spear tip was about to touch his glabella—at the critical moment—his right hand... moved.
The movement was simple, direct, and so fast that only an afterimage remained.
There was no radiance from spirit power bursting forth, no sign of flashing spirit rings.
He merely extended his right hand forward and clenched his five fingers in the air.
Clang!
A clear, crisp metallic chime sounded.
A long sword, entirely deep blue with a simple and smooth design, appeared out of thin air in his hand, precisely intercepting the trajectory of the silver dragon spear!
The silver dragon spear solidly struck the side of the seemingly thin deep-blue blade; the expected scene of the long sword being knocked away or pierced did not occur.
The deep-blue long sword only trembled slightly; the energy circuit light on its blade flashed, steadily catching and neutralizing that massive impact force. Huo Yuhao, holding the sword, didn't even retreat half a step!
On the sidelines, the moment Yun Ming saw the sword in Huo Yuhao's hand, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he thought, "spirit tool?!"
That's right, the deep-blue long sword in Huo Yuhao's hand was a rank 4 close-combat spirit tool he had crafted himself.
He knew that in the world ten thousand years later, everything was dominated by battle armor, and spirit masters aimed to become battle armor masters.
But he couldn't quite understand why spirit masters basically abandoned the use of spirit tools in combat.
He had watched a duel before where one spirit master was completely helpless against an opposing flying spirit master—couldn't that problem be solved by simply equipping a flying spirit tool?!
In Huo Yuhao's view, since he specialized in the spirit eyes martial soul, spirit tools could greatly enhance a spirit master's combat strength.
Therefore, he never gave up researching and using spirit tools.
This rank 4 spirit tool long sword was not just a weapon; it was a tool to compensate for the shortcomings in his close-combat physical attacks within his combat system.
Although Huo Yuhao appeared not to be using any spirit abilities now, under the concealment of the simulated spirit ability, his mental detection spirit ability had long been spread out, and he was fully aware of all of Naer's attacks!
"Ding! Ding! Clang! Clang!..."
Crisp, dense metallic collisions erupted continuously in the small courtyard, like heavy rain hitting banana leaves.
Silver spear shadows and deep-blue sword lights intersected and flickered, moving too fast for the eye to follow.
Naer's offensive was like a tide, stabbing, lifting, sweeping, or smashing; her spear techniques were agile and ruthless, displaying the dominance of an attack system spirit master to the extreme.
However, facing this stormy barrage of attacks, Huo Yuhao remained steadfast, neutralizing every one of Naer's fierce assaults.
After dozens of moves, Naer had failed to force him back even half a step, let alone pose any effective threat.
On the sidelines, Yun Ming's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
But this wasn't because Naer couldn't break through; it was because of Huo Yuhao!
In Yun Ming's eyes, although Huo Yuhao's swordsmanship achieved precise blocks, the sword momentum itself was empty, mechanical, and lacked soul.
It was almost impossible for such swordsmanship to generate sword intent.
What Yun Ming didn't know was that Huo Yuhao had never systematically learned any sword techniques.
The "swordsmanship" he displayed relied entirely on the super information processing and prediction capabilities derived from mental detection, coupled with millimetre-precise control over his body.
Every block was an optimal reaction based on calculations of Naer's attack trajectory, force, and speed.
While dealing with the attacks, Huo Yuhao was also rapidly assessing Naer's strength.
Through these dozens of exchanges, he had a clear idea in his mind.
The silver dragon spear was of extremely high quality, Naer's spirit power was condensed and solid, her spear foundation was extremely firm, and her combat awareness was sharp... Her overall strength was definitely not weaker than an average three-ring spirit elder.
However, he, Huo Yuhao, was never just any average spirit elder.
Just as Naer's powerful horizontal sweep was parried aside by Huo Yuhao's vertical sword, causing the spear shaft to swing up—just as the old force ended and the new force was about to begin—the black first spirit ring beneath Huo Yuhao's feet suddenly flashed without any warning!
This time, he did not use simulation to mask the light emitted when activating the spirit ability.
Naer's alarm bells blared!
Her silver eyes narrowed, and spirit power surged wildly within her body as she prepared to defend or evade against the opponent's ten thousand years spirit ability.
However, before Naer could make any move, she felt a sharp, piercing pain deep in her mind, as if she had been severely pricked by fine needles!
Immediately following, a strange numbness, like an electric current, spread out from that piercing point, instantly engulfing her entire body!
Her movements inevitably suffered a fatal lag; even the action of retracting the silver dragon spear to defend was half a beat slow!
"Now is the time!"
A sharp light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes; his footwork instantly shifted from extreme stillness to extreme motion!
He stopped passively defending and instead surged forward, his spirit tool long sword sweeping out a concise arc.
"Clang!"
With a light sound, the silver dragon spear was easily flicked away, leaving her wide open!
And Huo Yuhao's long sword, enveloped in that deep-blue cold light, gently touched her fair and slender throat before Naer could fully recover from the mental sting and physical stiffness.
The icy touch of the metal transmitted through her skin, carrying an undisguised sharpness.
All sound abruptly ceased.
In the small courtyard, only the rustling of leaves in the breeze remained.
Naer stood frozen, her silver eyes wide open, staring at the sword tip inches away, and behind the sword, Huo Yuhao's calm, unwavering eyes.
The hand gripping the spear drooped powerlessly; her delicate face was filled with frustration, along with a trace of lingering bewilderment.
The victory or defeat had been decided.
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You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion