As they watched the two figures in the center of the arena, Xie Yue and Hu Liena couldn't help but wonder silently to themselves:
Faced with such a troublesome opponent, will Yan use his external soul bone to turn the tide?
At the same time, Lin Zhendong's gaze remained fixed on Yan, who was now entering a full battle stance.
Yan had defeated Xie Yue just the day before — his strength was undoubtedly greater. Lin Zhendong was curious to see how Yan would respond to this new challenge.
The moment Yan saw Feng Yizhi's martial soul — the Wind Sword — he immediately realized that this was going to be a very difficult fight.
Neither his First Soul Skill: Infernal Magma Surge, nor his Third Soul Skill: Infernal Flame, nor even his Fourth Soul Skill: Blazing Flame Slash would be able to easily damage Feng Yizhi.
No matter how powerful a soul skill was, it was useless if it couldn't hit the target.
And since Feng Yizhi could ride his sword and fly freely, he could easily evade most direct attacks.
That meant the only techniques capable of threatening him were Yan's Second Soul Skill: Granite Crush, his self-created soul skill: Blazing Sand Prison, and attacks empowered by his external soul bone.
Having learned from Xie Yue's defeat, Yan had no intention of launching an all-out assault right away. Instead, he chose to stay calm and observe, conserving his soul power as much as possible.
He planned to defend patiently, waiting for an opening — then strike with a decisive blow.
Feng Yizhi, however, seemed to see right through his plan. A faint smile touched his lips as he spoke, his tone carrying a hint of provocation:
"Young man, just from your aura I can tell — you're a formidable fire-type soul master.
But now that you've seen my martial soul, you should know your flames will find it hard to harm me.
So, let's see just how long you can withstand my attacks."
The moment his words fell, Feng Yizhi made the first move.
The Wind Sword in his hand swept out sharply, filled with a fierce, slicing aura.
A flash of green-blue light flared — and a razor-sharp arc of sword energy shot straight toward Yan.
Yan's body flickered, his reflexes and agility astonishing as he dodged the attack with ease.
The sword energy smashed into the rocks behind him, erupting in a thunderous explosion.
Seeing that, both Xie Yue and Hu Liena tensed, their hearts leaping into their throats.
That soul master who had seemed so gentle moments ago now looked like a completely different person — his strikes were clean, ruthless, and precise.
If that blow had hit Yan directly, the battle might have already been over.
"Brother," Hu Liena whispered, "have you noticed? Yan's gotten much faster than before."
Xie Yue nodded. "Yes. I sensed it yesterday during our fight. That Flame Sky Fox gave him not only his soul rings and external bone, but also enhanced his speed."
As the siblings spoke, their eyes never left the battlefield.
Having missed his first strike, Feng Yizhi did not let up.
"Your speed exceeds my expectations," he said coolly, "but you won't escape my Heavenly Net of Swords."
As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Yizhi unleashed his Second Soul Skill: Wind Sword Formation.
In an instant, dozens of sword lights burst forth from all directions, converging on Yan like a dense web of blades that left no room to run.
But faced with this sudden, all-encompassing assault, Yan remained unshaken.
The second soul ring on his body flared brilliantly as he activated Granite Crush.
At once, the ground around him began to tremble — nearby stones rose into the air, swirling rapidly around him.
Some of the rocks shot outward, colliding with the incoming swords, while others compacted together in front of Yan, forming a solid wall of stone.
In mere moments, an unbreakable barrier surrounded him like a fortress.
The flying swords clashed violently against the stone shield, ringing out in a chorus of metallic screeches.
But even as the onslaught continued, the barrier held firm.
Seeing this, Feng Yizhi frowned slightly, and even the two Soul Kings standing nearby exchanged surprised looks.
They hadn't expected that this fire-type soul master would also wield such a powerful earth-type soul skill.
Feng Yizhi smirked lightly. "So, you've got some tricks of your own, huh? Not bad. But you'd best be careful now."
His tone was confident — relaxed — as if he still had everything under control.
The Wind Sword Formation was a group attack skill — powerful in scope, but its offensive power per strike wasn't particularly strong. It was, after all, merely a thousand-year soul skill.
What he was about to use next, however, was another story.
Under everyone's gaze, the ten-thousand-year soul ring around Feng Yizhi's body began to glow.
The sword in his hand suddenly expanded, stretching to five meters in length as wind energy roared around it.
Then, with a deafening crack, he swung the blade downward.
A blast of sword energy, far more powerful than before, smashed directly into the stone barrier that shielded Yan.
BOOM—!
The impact shattered the rocky defense in an instant.
Yet, to everyone's astonishment, the shards of stone didn't simply scatter and fall.
Instead, they whirled through the air with startling speed — drawn toward Feng Yizhi — and began rapidly circling around him.
Then, without warning, blazing flames burst forth from thin air, merging with the spinning rocks.
In the blink of an eye, a Blazing Sand Prison formed — trapping Feng Yizhi inside a fiery vortex of molten debris.
So that was Yan's plan — his stone defense had never been purely defensive.
He'd used it to lure Feng Yizhi into using his stronger skill, baiting him into expending soul power — and setting up a perfect counterattack.
The moment the barrier shattered, Yan struck back with precision.
Feng Yizhi had underestimated him. He hadn't expected Yan to command not only fire and earth attributes, but even possess a self-created soul skill.
The flames swirling within the prison were searing — their power not to be taken lightly. Feng Yizhi could feel the danger immediately.
But as a fifty-second level Soul King, he was not someone who could be so easily contained.
Within the blazing crimson prison, streaks of cyan sword light flared as he slashed furiously in every direction.
Moments later, another thunderous explosion erupted as the Blazing Sand Prison was blown apart.
Yet everything unfolded exactly as Yan had intended.
At that precise moment, a pillar of molten magma erupted from the ground, shooting straight toward Feng Yizhi as he broke free from the prison's grasp.
Lightning-fast, Feng Yizhi reacted — his foot tapped lightly upon the Wind Sword, and his body shot upward into the sky, barely avoiding the magma's scorching blast.
Hovering high above, he finally steadied himself and exhaled softly.
He hadn't expected that this young Soul Master before him would possess such refined and intelligent combat skills.
Though Yan's rank was lower, every move he made was efficient — every use of soul power precise and measured, without a trace of waste.
Even as a Soul King, Feng Yizhi found no real advantage over him.
In fact, when he had been trapped in the Blazing Sand Prison, several shallow cuts had been left across his arms.
On the ground, Yan stood calm and composed, his gaze fixed on his airborne opponent.
Seeing this, Xie Yue grew excited, his thoughts racing:
Is Yan about to release his Flame Wings?
If he does, he might actually be able to defeat that Soul Master!
But to everyone's surprise, Yan didn't do what Xie Yue expected.
He glanced briefly at Lin Zhendong, then looked back up at Feng Yizhi.
In a calm, steady voice, he said:
"Senior, I concede this match."
For a moment, silence filled the arena.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue exchanged stunned looks, unable to comprehend what they had just heard.
Yan… surrendered? Just like that?
Across the field, Lin Zhendong's expression softened into a satisfied smile.
He nodded, his eyes gleaming with approval.