Tang San watched with a grave expression, his words measured and deliberate: "Shen An intends to repeat what he did to us—taking on multiple opponents alone."
Dai Mubai shot to his feet, exclaiming, "Isn't he being too arrogant?" But beneath his indignation lay a deep-seated fear. He was terrified that Shen An might actually succeed, which would render his and Tang San's plan to ambush Shen An utterly laughable.
Yu Tianheng, too, couldn't believe his eyes. A flicker of anger crossed his face as he took in the scene before him. What was going on? An auxiliary soul master and a battle soul master—did they really think they could take on the Emperor Team?
"Stay back," Yu Tianheng said coldly, his voice dripping with disdain. "I'll handle this myself. These small-town folks really don't know their place."
Brilliant blue light erupted from the center of his forehead, and countless arcs of blue-purple electricity, like tiny serpents, burst forth, swirling around his body. The sleeve of his right arm tore apart, revealing a dragon-like limb adorned with two yellow and one purple soul rings—the optimal configuration.
Yu Tianheng pointed at Shen An with his left hand, curling his index finger in a beckoning gesture. "You. Come. Fight!" His tone exuded an air of invincibility.
Shen An smiled. "Rongrong, hold off on the support for now. I want to test my limits."
With that, Shen An took a step forward, his presence as sharp and unstoppable as an unsheathed sword.
He took three steps in total, and with each step, a soul ring manifested—yellow, purple, purple!
The members of the Emperor Team were stunned. Such a soul ring configuration was inhuman.
In the VIP box, Tang San and the others gasped in shock. Even though they had anticipated it, seeing this soul ring configuration that defied all limits still left them in awe.
Yu Xiaogang's mind raced. Why? How is he able to absorb soul rings beyond the standard limits?
On the arena, an overwhelming aura of sharp, icy intent enveloped Yu Tianheng, causing beads of cold sweat to form on his forehead. The pressure was immense.
"Come and fight," Shen An said indifferently, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. Yu Tianheng's previously domineering aura faltered.
As the possessor of the top-tier Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul and a thirty-ninth-level battle soul master, Yu Tianheng found himself being suppressed in aura by Shen An, a mere thirty-second-level Soul Master.
"ROAR!"
Yu Tianheng activated his third soul skill, Thunderous Fury, which greatly enhanced his attributes.
With a low growl, he charged at Shen An like a humanoid storm dragon, his first soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, slashing through the air with dazzling blue electricity.
Shen An's eyes had transformed into an endless expanse of azure—his third soul skill, Azure Sword Eyes!
To Shen An, Yu Tianheng's lightning-fast attack seemed slow and predictable. Dodging it would have been effortless.
But why dodge? Shen An's lips curled into a smile. If he was going to win, he would do so in the most domineering manner possible.
Activating Wind Chaser, Shen An swung the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass with his right arm.
"CLANG!"
The brilliance of the sword strike seemed capable of slicing through space itself. The sword light, resembling a beautiful cyan crescent moon, clashed head-on with the Thunder Dragon Claw.
"BOOM!"
The sword energy collided with the dragon claw, shattering it with unstoppable force. The blue arcs of electricity scattered, and the sword energy continued unabated, striking Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng was sent flying over ten meters, a deep sword wound now marring his dragon-arm.
Such a domineering martial soul, such unreasonable sword energy.
He stared at Shen An in shock. With just one sword strike, he knew he was no match.
"What are you all standing around for? This guy's tough—let's take him on together!" Yu Tianheng shouted, his face flushed with embarrassment.
The Emperor Team had no time to complain about Yu Tianheng's earlier order to stay back. Shen An's single sword strike had torn through the dragon-arm of a top-tier beast martial soul. If they weren't careful, they might suffer an unexpected defeat today.
"Shen An, do you need our help?" Zhu Zhuqing asked with concern.
Shen An turned to look at her, his azure eyes as deep and detached as the vast sky, yet captivating all the same.
Zhu Zhuqing's heart raced, as if she were being drawn into those eyes.
"No need. I seem to be a bit stronger than I thought. Rongrong, you don't need to intervene either. Let me test my limits!"
The members of the Mad Team, who had been watching in awe, now regarded Shen An with reverence. Kuang Xi, who had previously been arrogant, spoke cautiously:
"Shen An, are you sure you don't need our help? With us joining the fight, combined with your strength, victory is guaranteed."
"No need. I alone am enough," Shen An replied indifferently.
As if I'd let you share the spotlight at such a moment.
"Damn it! How dare he face all seven of us like this? Does he really think he's invincible?"
Oslo, the Ghost Leopard Soul Master, spoke with clear hostility.
Dugu Yan, her legs now transformed into a serpent's tail, said coldly, "Let's attack together and teach him a lesson. Lingling, be ready to heal. Shi brothers, hold the front line."
Shen An's hearing, combined with the enhanced perception granted by his Azure Sword Eyes, allowed him to catch every word.
"Perfect. Let's not waste any more time. Come at me together."
The three soul rings merged with the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, and two spectral swords materialized, showcasing their brilliance under Shen An's split-control technique.
Countless cyan sword energies danced like lightning.
"Ten breaths. If I haven't won by then, consider it my loss."
"Arrogant!" the Emperor Team shouted in unison.
Shen An faced the two defensive-type soul masters, the Shi brothers, head-on. Their rock-solid tortoise shields were like paper before him.
Shen An didn't dodge or evade. He attacked directly, shattering the Shi brothers' shields and sending them flying.
Two flying swords—one aimed straight at Ye Lingling, the other pinning down the Emperor Team's two agility-type soul masters. Despite their speed, they couldn't break free.
Yu Tianheng was too far behind to help, and Dugu Yan was unable to intervene.
The Shi brothers and Ye Lingling were out of the fight!
Without hesitation, Dugu Yan spewed poison mist. Three swords gathered before Shen An, their sword energies erupting in unison. The fierce sword winds blew the poison back, causing the Emperor Team to suffer the consequences of their own attack.
In the end, aside from Yu Tianheng, the two agility-type soul masters and Dugu Yan each had a sword hovering at their necks.
Shen An had achieved an overwhelming victory.
In the VIP box, Yu Xiaogang slumped into his chair, defeated. Dai Mubai's eyes were blank with shock. Shen An had truly won.
Tang San's gaze was icy. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, staring intently at Shen An.
I need to forge the top-tier Tang Sect hidden weapons as soon as possible. In a head-on fight, I stand little chance against him.
Shen An, your greatest sin is being too strong!
Meanwhile, Shen An checked his skyrocketing fame points. His azure eyes shifted to a yin-yang duality, filled with hidden glee.
"Jackpot! The arena's promotion really worked—over 10,000 fame points! Once this spreads, I'll finally be able to open that mysterious figure's loot box..."