"Since none of you want to bully the children, I'll take care of it."
Li Kai rolled his wrist casually, speaking in a calm voice.
Yu Tianheng's expression was already so dark it looked as if ink might drip from his face. But the difference in strength between both sides was so overwhelming that he couldn't even argue back.
"You all, come at me together."
Glancing at the members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, a mocking curve tugged at the corner of Li Kai's lips. He crooked a finger at them, a gesture full of disdain.
Facing his arrogance, Yu Tianheng and the others felt their hearts rise to their throats. A six-ringed Soul Emperor—four of which were ten-thousand-year soul rings. That kind of existence was unheard of across the entire continent.
"Attack!"
At Yu Tianheng's shout, the Heaven Dou team surged forward together, their soul skills releasing one after another.
Yet, despite their desperation, they all shared one unspoken understanding—none of them dared provoke Xie Yue or the others.
"Commendable courage, but in the end, you're just mantises trying to block a chariot."
Li Kai frowned faintly, scarlet light flashing in his eyes as his fourth soul ring lit up. He made no move to dodge, letting the barrage of soul skills crash against him.
Smoke and dust erupted, shrouding the entire arena in a thick haze.
"Hmph, people from Spirit Hall are too arrogant. That kind of arrogance will destroy them sooner or later."
Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but snort coldly. In truth, even he coveted Spirit Hall's geniuses. But they weren't part of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and his clan hadn't produced a true prodigy in ages. Aside from Yu Tianheng, their so-called "genius," the last notable one had been Yu Xiaogang… who had nailed their clan's name onto the continent's pillar of shame.
On the stage, Yu Tianheng also let out a sigh of relief. Xie Yue hadn't even moved yet. Deep down, he already knew this was a lost battle, but if they could at least injure Li Kai, then their loss wouldn't be as humiliating.
"Is this all you've got? If that's the extent of your strength, stop your meaningless struggling."
Before the smoke even cleared, Li Kai's voice cut through. The next instant, before Yu Tianheng could react, a fist sent him flying straight out of the arena. He landed unconscious outside the stage.
"Tianheng!"
Yu Yuanzhen slammed the armrest and nearly charged forward in rage.
"Yu Yuanzhen. I hope you remember where you are."
One sharp look from Bibi Dong froze him in his seat, unable to move.
"Even my fourth soul skill couldn't be broken. You've disappointed me."
Li Kai's crimson eyes swept across the battlefield, and the simple act made the Heaven Dou team tremble uncontrollably.
Before they could regroup, Li Kai turned into a streak of black light, flickering across the arena. Within just a few breaths, every single member of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy team was kicked out of the stage, one after another.
"Are all Spirit Hall disciples such monsters?"
Gu Rong frowned deeply.
"Uncle Gu, is something wrong?"
Ning Fengzhi's voice carried worry. A Soul Emperor was powerful, yes—but not to this extent. Even against a normal team, no Soul Emperor could finish a battle so effortlessly.
"It's spatial attributes… the entire continent is about to change."
Gu Rong massaged his temples, his expression grim.
"Correct. Fengzhi, didn't you notice? The other five from Spirit Hall haven't even moved."
Chen Xin's focus was elsewhere, not on Li Kai but on Xie Yue and the others who stood unmoving.
"Uncle Jian… you mean…"
Ning Fengzhi froze, unable to finish the thought.
"That's right. I fear the others are even stronger. A fight like this isn't even worth their attention."
Chen Xin shook his head helplessly, struggling to imagine where Spirit Hall had found such monstrous talents.
The rest of the major powers were realizing the same thing—Li Kai might not even be the strongest of the six. He could very well be the weakest.
"No… impossible… absolutely impossible… How could his fourth soul ring already be ten-thousand years?"
"This isn't my fault. My ten core theories are flawless! It's Spirit Hall! They must have discovered some secret method and kept it hidden from me!"
Yu Xiaogang—the so-called "Grandmaster"—sat in a daze, eyes lifeless.
Meanwhile, the Heaven Dou team was carried away for treatment, broken and humiliated.
"This is boring. Too slow. Playing with weaklings doesn't even stir my interest."
Xie Yue stepped off the stage, shaking his head in disinterest.
Within half a day, the news spread across the continent: a single Spirit Hall disciple had crushed the entire Heaven Dou Imperial Academy team.
The impact was immediate. Forces that had once opposed Spirit Hall now scrambled to pledge allegiance, some even offering up soul bones as tribute in hopes of joining their ranks.
"No… I must speak with Bibi Dong. I need to know the truth."
After the crowd dispersed, Yu Xiaogang rose shakily to his feet and made his way toward Spirit Hall, using his token to pass through unimpeded until he reached the Pope's Hall.
"Bibi Dong! How can your Spirit Hall members possibly have four ten-thousand-year soul rings?!"
Before she could even speak, Yu Xiaogang barked the accusation, his bloodshot eyes full of hysteria.
"Of course they absorbed them themselves," Bibi Dong replied with a faint smile.
"Absorbed them themselves? Don't take me for a fool, Bibi Dong! I've read Spirit Hall's records. There isn't a single case of anyone successfully absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring for their third or fourth ring!"
His voice cracked as he shouted, bordering on madness. If his so-called Ten Core Theories were overturned, he would once again be branded a laughingstock by the entire continent. His "pride" as the Grandmaster would never allow that.
"Yu Xiaogang, enough! Do you think Spirit Hall owes you answers? Who are you, really? The continent's officially recognized joke?"
Bibi Dong's laughter was cold, her gaze full of ridicule.
Yu Xiaogang froze, stunned. Never in his life had Bibi Dong spoken to him like this.
"You… Fine. Even if the soul rings are your secret… I came here for another reason. I want the method to cultivate twin martial souls."
He took a deep breath, forcing calm, but his eyes revealed his greed. He knew Bibi Dong possessed twin spirits—and that she had mastered their cultivation.
"Yu Xiaogang, you really think too highly of yourself. You stole Spirit Hall's records and pieced together your so-called 'Ten Core Theories,' and I let that go. Yet now you dare come begging for my secrets?"
Even Bibi Dong hadn't expected his shamelessness to reach such heights. Failing to pry out Spirit Hall's secret behind absorbing ten-thousand-year rings, he now wanted to steal the method of cultivating twin martial souls.
Twin spirits weren't unheard of on the continent, but most who possessed them died violently because they had no idea how to cultivate them properly. Bibi Dong had reached her current heights by painstakingly exploring the path herself, step by step.
And now, after years of absence, a coward who once abandoned her dared to demand her hard-earned knowledge? It filled her with disgust.
****
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