"Impossible. If your innate Spirit Power was only rank four, how could you have cultivated so fast?"
Feng Xiaotian's voice rose in disbelief. As the words left his mouth, he realized his emotions were being stirred. He immediately cursed inwardly. Damn… I lost control. A few simple words from Lin Jie had thrown him off balance. He took a deep breath to steady himself, inwardly wary—This Lin Jie… he's dangerous.
Lin Jie gave a helpless shrug. "Sigh, I'm only telling the truth. Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Hmph. You're trying to provoke me—hoping I'll slip up and show a weakness. But I'm not falling for it," Feng Xiaotian said, his tone now calm again.
Provoke you? When did I ever try to do that…? Lin Jie couldn't help but be speechless.
At that moment, the referee—who had initially ignored their back-and-forth as mere pre-battle banter—finally stepped in, frowning slightly. "The match has begun. Contestants, commence!"
As the words fell, Lin Jie casually extended a hand and pointed at Feng Xiaotian, his tone unhurried.
"You… think you can defeat me head-on?"
He didn't lower his voice. Most of the spectators were seasoned Spirit Masters, and with their sharp hearing, they naturally caught every word.
"Arrogant!" someone in the crowd shouted, and murmurs of similar sentiment echoed around the arena.
But Feng Xiaotian didn't waste time on words anymore. With his temper no longer the issue—it was instinct—he charged forward.
His figure blurred, vanishing in a burst of green light. Pushed forward by the wind-element aura trailing behind him, Feng Xiaotian's speed soared to frightening levels.
Though classified as a Power Attack-type Spirit Master, in this moment, his speed surpassed even that of most Agility-types.
Yet Lin Jie didn't move. His expression remained calm.
Feng Xiaotian might be fast, but to Lin Jie… it was nothing. When it came to speed, Lin Jie had never feared anyone.
Seeing that Lin Jie remained still, Feng Xiaotian smirked inwardly. His first Spirit Ring lit up—
First Spirit Ability: Wind Blade Burst.
Sharp wolf claws extended from his fingers, glinting coldly under the light. Even before he reached his opponent, he slashed through the air.
Dozens of wind blades burst forth in a fan shape, whistling as they sliced through the air and sealed off every possible path of evasion.
Ordinary Wind Wolf-type Martial Souls could only unleash one or two wind blades at a time. But Feng Xiaotian's Martial Soul was a mutated version—Stormwind Doubleheaded Wolf. His Wind Blade Burst launched over dozens of blades simultaneously. It wasn't even close to the original skill—it had evolved.
As the wind blades closed in, Feng Xiaotian didn't relax. He knew Lin Jie wouldn't be taken down so easily by a single Spirit Ability.
Indeed, despite the sealed escape routes, would Lin Jie really be struck?
The answer was no.
Lin Jie's feet shifted lightly. With his naturally swift movement, further amplified by lightning, his footwork blurred into phantom speed. No one could clearly see how he moved.
To Feng Xiaotian's surprise, his locked-on wind blades missed. They passed straight through Lin Jie.
Shhhk! Shhhk!
Dozens of wind blades sliced through Lin Jie's body—at least, that's what it looked like.
The crowd gasped in unison. Did Feng Xiaotian land a hit already?
But sharp-eyed Spirit Masters noticed something was off. The blades had passed through Lin Jie—yet he wasn't bleeding. He wasn't even scratched. He stood there with the same calm demeanor.
Indeed, none of the blades had landed. Lin Jie had evaded them all with precise, minute movements. To the untrained eye, it seemed like the blades had pierced him, but in reality, they had merely passed by.
Even Feng Xiaotian himself knew he had missed. He couldn't track how Lin Jie had dodged the barrage so effortlessly. Incredible. I knew it wouldn't be that easy.
By now, the distance between them had closed to less than five meters—barely enough time to react once.
Feng Xiaotian didn't use another ability. Instead, he struck out with pure strength, swinging his sharp wolf claws directly at Lin Jie.
The claws whistled through the air with violent momentum. This wasn't a weak blow.
Lin Jie raised his evaluation of Feng Xiaotian slightly. Most Spirit Masters relied too much on abilities, forgetting their fundamentals. Feng Xiaotian understood that every ability consumed Spirit Power, while close combat preserved it.
In his own battles, Lin Jie often avoided using Spirit Abilities. Instead, he relied on self-created techniques. Not only were they more energy-efficient, but in some cases, even more powerful than conventional Spirit Abilities.
Feng Xiaotian had already used one ability. In terms of Spirit Power reserves, he was slightly behind. By switching to physical combat, he hoped to reclaim some advantage.
But if Feng Xiaotian thought Lin Jie was weak in melee… he couldn't be more wrong.
Lin Jie had undergone years of tempering his body with lightning. He had taken celestial herbs and trained in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If Feng Xiaotian wanted to brawl, he had picked the worst possible opponent.
As the wolf claws descended, Lin Jie's right hand shot out—fingers joined into a knife-hand. He struck directly toward Feng Xiaotian's claw.
Feng Xiaotian believed that, as a Beast-type Spirit Master, his enhanced physical strength far exceeded Lin Jie's. Without using Spirit Power, Lin Jie surely wouldn't be able to block his strike.
Just as Lin Jie's knife-hand closed in, Feng Xiaotian smirked. His wolf claw twisted midair and caught Lin Jie's hand, ready to crush it—
Only to find… it wouldn't budge.
Though Lin Jie hadn't infused his hand with Spirit Power, it felt like steel. Feng Xiaotian's claw couldn't close around it at all.
Unbeknownst to him, Lin Jie had channeled internal force into his palm. With a sudden shift, his fingers curled inward, force exploding outward.
Snap! The counterforce jolted through Feng Xiaotian's claw, sending pain surging through his arm.
Reacting instantly, Feng Xiaotian launched his Wind Blade Burst again at point-blank range. Six sharp wind blades shot toward Lin Jie's arm.
Lin Jie was forced to abandon his follow-up attack and dodge to the side. But as he moved, a blue streak of lightning flashed from his other hand—shooting straight at Feng Xiaotian.
Still reeling from the pain in his claw, Feng Xiaotian was shocked to find Lin Jie counterattacking mid-dodge. He was barely able to react.
The blue lightning streak moved fast—very fast. A chilling sense of danger surged up in Feng Xiaotian's heart.
If I get hit… I'll lose.
With split-second reflexes, Feng Xiaotian exploded with Spirit Power and launched himself backward. He barely avoided the oncoming lightning strike.
Lin Jie narrowed his eyes. That was fast. Not bad at all, Feng Xiaotian…
From that sudden burst of speed, Lin Jie could already tell—Feng Xiaotian's Stormwind Doubleheaded Wolf wasn't purely Power Attack-type. It had clear Agility-type traits as well.
As Feng Xiaotian retreated, he was no longer hesitant. That brief exchange had proven one thing: Lin Jie's close-combat ability, speed, and reaction time were superior.
Feng Xiaotian couldn't afford to underestimate him. He made a decision.
While retreating, his second and third Spirit Rings lit up simultaneously.