In the past, Xie Yue and Yan had faced each other many times.
Although their strength had always been evenly matched, every bout had ultimately ended in Xie Yue's victory.
However, Xie Yue knew very well — those wins did not come from defeating Yan's true strength.
He had always sensed that Yan, harboring deep feelings for his sister Hu Liena, never fought him with his full power — as if afraid that going all out might somehow harm his relationship with her.
But now, Yan seemed to have undergone a profound transformation.
He was stronger — and more than that, his mind and spirit had changed.
Xie Yue could feel it. The Yan standing before him no longer seemed like the one who used to hold back.
That realization stirred his fighting spirit.
He wanted to face this new Yan — in a real, unreserved duel.
The other team members also sensed the tension thickening in the air.
They instinctively stepped back, clearing the field to give the two their space.
Just then, Hu Liena walked in gracefully.
"Sister Na, you're here!"
Li Kai greeted her warmly.
"Mm. What's going on?"
Hu Liena asked in surprise as her gaze fell upon Xie Yue and Yan, both standing in the center of the training ground, clearly preparing for battle.
"Sister Na, Boss and Brother Yan are going to spar," Sun Chuantao explained.
"What?!"
Hu Liena's eyes widened in shock. She turned to Yan immediately.
"Sister Na, it was Boss's idea," Zhang Ping quickly added.
She knew how Yan felt about Hu Liena — and how much Hu Liena meant to him.
In front of her, Yan always tread carefully, afraid of being misunderstood.
That was why Zhang Ping hurried to clarify that this match wasn't Yan's challenge, but Xie Yue's proposal.
Understanding the situation, Hu Liena said nothing further.
She simply stood quietly at the sidelines, her eyes fixed on the two men in the center of the field.
She too wanted to see — just how far Yan's strength had grown.
At the center of the training ground, Xie Yue's gaze locked onto Yan's with unprecedented focus.
He knew that because Yan had to keep his external spirit bone a secret, he still wouldn't be able to fight with absolute full strength.
But even so, Xie Yue dared not be careless — Yan's spirit power was now half a level higher than his own.
"Yan, let's have a real match this time," Xie Yue said solemnly. "Same as before — a fifty-meter circle. Whoever steps out loses."
"Alright."
Yan agreed without hesitation.
A fifty-meter arena wasn't very large — the compressed space would force them into close combat, making it easier to determine a victor quickly.
The tension in the training ground reached its peak.
Both Xie Yue and Yan were ready for a true clash.
The watching team members held their breath. Only Hu Liena remained calm — though even her eyes reflected eager anticipation.
"Yan, release your martial soul and spirit rings. Get ready."
With a low shout, Xie Yue's Moon Blades appeared behind him, gleaming with cold light.
At the same time, four spirit rings — two yellow and two purple — rose beneath his feet, shining with immense power.
Yan followed suit. His Flame Lord martial soul erupted in an instant — a towering figure wreathed in blazing fire manifested behind him, accompanied by the same two yellow and two purple rings that marked his Spirit Ancestor rank.
Xie Yue struck first.
His Moon Blades split apart into multiple spinning arcs, whistling through the air toward Yan.
It was his First Spirit Skill — Moonblade Whirl.
Yan stayed composed. As his first spirit ring flashed, he unleashed his First Spirit Skill — Infernal Magma Surge.
A pillar of molten fire erupted from beneath his feet, the searing heat instantly melting the incoming blades.
Xie Yue grinned — unsurprised that his attack had been countered.
After all, they had fought many times before and knew each other's spirit skills inside and out.
"Fourth Spirit Skill — Dance of the Moonlit Night!"
In a flash, Xie Yue's body blurred, streaking through the air in a graceful arc.
His speed surged dramatically as his Moon Blades turned into a silver-white stream of light, slashing toward Yan with astonishing precision.
"Fourth Spirit Skill — Blazing Flame Slash!"
Yan countered head-on. From the palm of his right hand burst a scorching wave of sword-like flame, colliding fiercely with Xie Yue's attack.
A deafening boom shook the air. Both men were forced back several steps.
It was a perfect draw.
"Boss and Brother Yan are incredible!"
The team members gasped in awe.
It was their first time witnessing both men unleash their fourth spirit skills.
Watching from the sidelines, complex emotions crossed Hu Liena's face.
She had never seen Yan fight with such seriousness before.
In her heart, her brother Xie Yue had always been the strongest.
Yet now, even under her brother's relentless assault, Yan held his ground with calm composure.
She couldn't help but worry — which of them would ultimately win?
After two exchanges initiated by Xie Yue, it was Yan's turn to go on the offensive.
He inhaled deeply, focusing his spirit power and will.
Without warning, a fiery vortex erupted beside Xie Yue, stirring up dust and sand.
In moments, the swirling flames condensed the airborne dust into hardened granules, fusing them into the fiery maelstrom.
Within seconds, the flaming sand sealed itself around Xie Yue — forming a blazing cage.
This was Yan's self-created binding technique — Blazing Sand Prison.
The spectators were stunned speechless as the sand and fire fused into an impenetrable inferno.
None of them could imagine how long they would last if they were trapped inside such a prison.
"Brother Yan is amazing!"
"Yeah — just two months, and he's completely changed! He's not the same Brother Yan anymore!"
Their awed voices reached Hu Liena's ears, but she felt only growing unease.
That burning sand prison… even with her own Spirit Ancestor-level strength, she doubted she could last more than a few minutes inside it.
"Yan… you finally used it," came Xie Yue's voice from within the blazing inferno — not with fear, but excitement.
He had long wanted to test this move of Yan's.
He recognized it for what it was — a self-created soul skill.
And Xie Yue himself was not one to be underestimated.
As the Spirit Hall battle team's leader, he too had forged his own unique technique.
Taking a deep breath, he activated it now — Full Moon.
In that instant, his entire being seemed to merge with his Moon Blades.
His speed reached its absolute limit, his twin blades spinning at such velocity that they formed a perfectly circular crescent of silver light.
The radiant arcs streaked through the Blazing Sand Prison, each flash leaving deep gouges across the flaming barrier.
Finally — with an ear-splitting explosion — the Blazing Sand Prison shattered.
Hu Liena's eyes lit up in delight.
"Brother, that's amazing! You broke through Yan's Blazing Sand Prison!"
But before her words had even faded, something completely unexpected happened.
"Yan… I concede."
Xie Yue exhaled slowly and lowered his weapons.
Though he had broken free, the cost had been high.
His face was pale — the intense heat and strain had taken their toll.
He knew that if the battle continued, defeat would be inevitable.
Yan, on the other hand, still had power to spare.
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