RNP Chapter 109: Victory
Chapter 109: Victory
As both sides announced their soul power levels, a murmur arose from the audience below.
The highest soul power level was actually a level 25 Great Soul Master, which is rare in the later competitions. The closer to the end of the competition, the stronger the team becomes. Now, almost all those who can advance have a Soul Venerable. It is relatively rare for a team like Yu Chen's, which consists of three Great Soul Masters.
"Both... are millennia old?!"
After Yu Chen revealed his spirit ring, even though Zhou Hanyou already knew about Yu Chen, she subconsciously took a half step back. Zhou Tian'er beside her also widened her eyes, and the emerald light in her hand trembled. After all, seeing it with one's own eyes is different from hearing it from others.
Wang Dongqi tightened her grip on the sword, but as a genius student of Tianling Academy, she quickly calmed down and said in a deep voice:
"Don't be intimidated by spirit rings! The age of spirit rings doesn't mean everything; teamwork is what matters in team competitions!"
"The match begins!"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Yu Chen's golden eyes suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.
Instead of directly activating Time Zero, he pushed the visual abilities of his Golden Eyes to their limit—
Within the vision of the golden vertical pupils, every movement trajectory, soul power flow, and muscle tremor of the opponent was as clearly visible as the lines on the palm of one's hand.
At that very moment, the three spirit rings beneath Zhou Hanyou's feet lit up simultaneously!
This ice-type Soul Master was clearly prepared for a swift victory. Her first Soul Ring flashed, and a thick wall of ice rapidly solidified in front of her.
Her second spirit ring shone brightly, and three ice spikes, each over a meter long and exuding a chilling aura, floated around her.
Her third spirit ring suddenly lit up, her skin instantly turned ice blue, and an extremely cold aura emanated from her body.
Ice Spirit Amplification, Full Power Activated!
"Holy crap! They went all out right from the start, no sportsmanship whatsoever!"
Xie Xie's expression changed. His opponent had actually gone all out from the start, which was completely unexpected.
But Yu Chen was prepared.
"Gu Yue, press ice elements."
He let out a low shout and charged forward, at the same time a long naginata appeared out of thin air in his hand.
The blade gleamed with a dark golden luster, and the hilt was adorned with black dragon patterns, giving the entire blade an ancient yet sharp aura.
Gu Yue understood, and his soul ring flashed beneath his feet. The fire element in the air gathered wildly, transforming into a blazing domain that collided head-on with Zhou Hanyou's extreme cold aura.
Ice and fire clash fiercely, the two elemental forces with completely opposite properties clashing violently in the field, emitting hissing and exploding sounds.
In that moment of stalemate, Zhou Tian'er made a move.
"First Soul Skill: Thorn Vine!"
The ground split open, and several thick vines covered with sharp thorns burst forth from the soil, coiling around Yu Chen's feet like venomous snakes.
The surface of these vines gleamed with a metallic sheen, clearly indicating that their hardness and toughness had been greatly enhanced under Zhou Hanyou's Ice Spirit amplification.
"Second Soul Skill: Wood Spirit!"
A verdant halo spread from Zhou Tian'er's feet, and the vines instantly grew thicker again, their thorns becoming even sharper.
The Wood Spirit amplification not only strengthened her attacks, but also subtly suppressed all wood-attribute power in the arena.
However, Yu Chen does not possess a wood-attribute martial soul.
In the Golden Eyes' vision, every movement of the vines is clearly discernible.
He twirled the naginata in his hand, the blade tracing a dark golden arc in the flames.
There are no fancy moves, just the most basic horizontal slash.
But the timing, angle, and force of this strike were all exquisite—the blade sliced precisely through the most vulnerable points of several vines.
scoff!
The thick vine snapped in two with a snap, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut.
Those thorny vines that were said to be able to bind Soul Masters were as fragile as paper in front of the naginata.
"How is that possible?!"
Zhou Tian'er's eyes widened. Her thorny vines, amplified by the Wood Spirit, were as tough as refined iron, yet they were severed in one strike?
Seeing that she was distracted, Wang Dongqi quickly tried to fix the situation.
This level 32 offensive-type Battle Soul Master is very clear about his role—to crush the opponent's core damage dealers with overwhelming force.
The Lightning Sword was raised high, and the second spirit ring suddenly shone with a dazzling light: "Silver Serpent Dance!"
The sword burst forth with blinding lightning, and dozens of silver arcs of electricity covered most of the arena like wildly dancing venomous snakes.
This area-of-effect attack is not only powerful, but also contains a strong paralyzing effect, making it particularly effective against agility-based Soul Masters.
Xie Xie originally wanted to flank from the side, but was forced to retreat repeatedly by the electric net, and for a time he was unable to get close.
Seeing that the two people opposite him were temporarily unable to free up their hands, Yu Chen quickly moved towards Zhou Hanyou.
Under the ultimate vision of his Golden Eyes, the trajectory, speed, and energy intensity of each arc of electricity were clearly discernible. He held the naginata in one hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, his footsteps shifting like flowing clouds.
As the electric arcs surged towards him, he flicked his wrist, and the naginata drew a smooth arc in front of him.
clang!clang!clang!
The blade collided with the electric arc, producing a crisp, metallic clang.
The lightning bolts, powerful enough to paralyze a Soul Master, were absorbed by some invisible force the moment they touched the naginata blade.
"What?!"
"What kind of weapon is this?!"
Wang Dongqi's pupils suddenly contracted.
Although her Silver Serpent Dance isn't top-tier in single-target attack power, the paralyzing effect of lightning is enough to slow down the opponent's movements.
But that strange knife could actually neutralize lightning?
In that instant of her daze, Yu Chen broke through the electric fence, dragging his naginata behind him, and charged straight at the Zhou sisters!
"Don't even think about it!"
Zhou Hanyou let out a sharp cry, and the ice wall in front of her suddenly thickened.
At the same time, she waved her hands, and three ice spikes shot towards Yu Chen like arrows.
These ice spikes, amplified by the Ice Spirit, are not only enormous in size, but also exude an overwhelming chill.
Wherever it passed, the air condensed into fine ice crystals; its speed was incredibly fast.
Faced with three ice spikes arranged in a triangular shape that blocked any escape route, Yu Chen finally got serious.
With a flick of his right hand, he changed the direction of the naginata from dragging to lifting it, the blade drawing a perfect semicircle in the air.
"Junyan - Appendix"
As he whispered, golden flames surged from his palm, spreading along the hilt to the entire blade.
The originally dark gold naginata instantly transformed into a divine weapon burning with golden flames.
Yu Chen flicked his wrist, and the naginata danced in front of him, creating a golden curtain of blades.
The blade flashed like a wheel, and the flames shone like a ring.
The two ice spikes crashed into the blade curtain and instantly vaporized.
But his steps never stopped.
One step, two steps—
Yu Chen had already arrived in front of the ice wall.
Instead of trying to avoid it, he gripped the naginata with both hands, raised the blade backward, and concentrated all his strength at that moment.
"break."
The naginata fell.
The moment the blade touched the ice wall, Junyan erupted in full force.
Golden flames erupted like a volcano, spreading and seeping wildly along the patterns of the ice wall.
"Ice Spirit - Enhancement!"
Zhou Hanyou gritted his teeth and pushed his third soul skill to its limit. Complex ice crystal patterns appeared on the surface of the ice wall, and its defensive power suddenly increased several times.
But this time, she underestimated the sharpness of the naginata.
Click!
A crisp cracking sound rang out.
A fine crack appeared on the ice wall. Then, the crack spread like a spider web, instantly covering the entire ice wall.
"Wood Spirit - Revival!"
Zhou Tian'er desperately poured emerald light onto the ice wall, trying to repair the cracks.
But Yu Chen won't give her the chance.
With a flick of his wrist, the naginata stirred and vibrated within the cracks of the ice wall.
boom!
The thick ice wall shattered with a roar, turning into countless ice crystal fragments.
Zhou Hanyou groaned, staggered backward by the recoil, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Yu Chen had already passed through the rain of ice crystals, his naginata pointing directly at the Zhou sisters.
"Stop him!"
Zhou Hanyou suppressed her injuries, trying to recreate the ice wall and buy her sister some time.
But at this critical moment, Gu Yue's support arrived.
Dozens of fist-sized fireballs rained down on Zhou Tian'er from the sky.
Zhou Tian'er had no choice but to abandon her support for her sister and focus all her efforts on defending against the fire rain.
It was during this brief lull that Xie Xie finally found his opportunity.
He had been lurking on the sidelines, then suddenly appeared on the battlefield like a ghost, his second spirit ring blazing with blinding light: "Light Dragon Storm!"
His figure transformed into a blurry afterimage, his speed exploding to its limit in an instant.
Target—Zhou Tian'er, who is dealing with the fire rain!
"Don't even think about it!"
Wang Dongqi's third spirit ring lit up, and the Lightning Sword was plunged into the ground: "Lightning Ring!"
A silver-white lightning ring exploded around her, attempting to block Xie Xie's surprise attack.
However, Xie Xie's attack trajectory was too cunning, and he managed to pass through the gaps in the spreading lightning ring, thrusting his twin daggers straight into Zhou Tian'er's back.
Zhou Tian'er turned around hastily, and thorny vines surged from the ground in an attempt to defend herself, while she had to dodge quickly.
Xie Xie achieved his goal. In order to avoid this surprise attack, Zhou Tian'er had to be distracted and could not maintain the release of the Wood Soul Skill continuously and stably.
As a support soul skill that requires continuous soul power, the effect of the Wood Spirit skill will be interrupted if the caster is distracted.
"what!"
The Wood Spirit's amplification was abruptly interrupted. Without the Wood Spirit's support, her thorny vines were greatly weakened and easily burned by Gu Yue's fire rain, sustaining serious injuries.
Meanwhile, the battle between Yu Chen and Zhou Hanyou had reached its climax.
Without the ice wall defense, Zhou Hanyou could only rely on ice spikes to constantly harass and move around.
But Yu Chen's attack with his naginata was relentless, each strike carrying the intense heat of the monarch's flames, forcing her to retreat step by step.
Even more terrifying, the naginata seemed to come alive in Yu Chen's hands.
Chop, slash, sweep, flick, stab—the simplest moves, yet they become difficult to defend against due to extremely precise timing and angle.
"We can't delay any longer!" A resolute glint flashed in Zhou Hanyou's eyes.
She and her sister exchanged a glance, then simultaneously stepped back, their hands quietly clasping together.
The ice and wood elements in the air began to converge wildly, forming a terrifying elemental vortex centered on the two sisters.
"They want to merge!" Gu Yue's expression changed.
She could clearly sense the power contained within that vortex; once it erupted, the entire arena would likely be frozen solid.
But this was the moment Yu Chen had been waiting for.
"Xie Xie, retreat!" Yu Chen shouted in a low voice.
Xie Xie withdrew without hesitation.
And Yu Chen moved.
"Word of Power: Time Zero".
As the realm of time zero unfolded, Yu Chen's speed became ghostly.
Without any hindrance, he arrived in front of them.
The naginata in his hand struck the necks of the two sisters, and they fainted just as their soul powers merged.
The elemental vortex that was about to take shape collapsed with a roar because of this slight interference.
The Martial Soul Fusion Skill was interrupted.
At this moment, only Wang Dongqi remained on the field.
This level 32 offensive-type Battle Soul Master looked at his fallen teammate, his eyes flashing with anger, resentment, and a trace of... fear.
She raised the Lightning Sword, her third spirit ring shining brightly: "I'll fight you to the death!"
But Yu Chen just looked at her calmly.
The naginata pointed diagonally at the ground, the lord's flames on its blade already concealed.
"You lost," he said.
"I didn't lose!" Wang Dongqi roared as he charged forward, lightning flashing on his Thunderclap Sword.
Yu Chen sighed softly.
He raised his left hand, and golden light shimmered in his golden eyes.
"Time zero".
The world has slowed down again.
In Wang Dongqi's perception, he seemed to see a dark shadow, and then he lost consciousness.
Yu Chen approached Wang Dongqi, but instead of using the naginata, he extended his right hand and pointed his fingers like a knife, striking her on the side of her neck.
"Go to sleep."
The flow rate returned to normal over time.
Wang Dongqi trembled, the light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and he collapsed limply.
The Lightning Sword slipped from his hand and landed with a crisp sound.
The entire competition area fell into dead silence.
The referee paused for a full five seconds before loudly announcing, "Donghai Academy Class Zero wins!"