Chapter 22: Battle Against a Soul Elder
"He's one too?"
Qian Renxue instantly understood what Lei Ying meant and hurriedly shook her head.
"No, no, no. Although Beiya was born with innate full soul power, he's only Rank 10 at awakening. Right now, he's just a Rank 16 Soul Master."
Lei Ying blinked in confusion, feeling like her brain wasn't quite keeping up.
"Then how did you lose to him?"
After all, there was nearly a ten-level difference between them. Yet Qian Renxue had just admitted that she'd never once beaten him in a duel.
At that, the little angel's expression turned awkward. Losing to a mere Soul Master wasn't exactly something to brag about.
"Well... Beiya's martial soul is kind of special — it just happens to restrain mine! He's been bullying me all year!"
"Wuu... wuu..." she added for effect, pretending to sob pitifully.
"???"
Lin Beiya stared at her, completely speechless. What kind of nonsense was she spouting this time? Why was she deliberately framing him like some villain?
But before he could protest, Lei Ying's eyes had already turned sharp, the air around her thick with battle intent.
"Is that so? Sounds like I'll have to teach you a proper lesson."
Even though she could tell her best friend was exaggerating to stir trouble, it didn't matter—Lei Ying loved a good fight. Besides, she was genuinely curious about this boy who could make the proud little angel admit defeat.
"Come on then, let's head to the training ground."
Lin Beiya rolled his eyes. A twelve-year-old Soul Elder challenging a seven-year-old Soul Master—how honorable.
Still, since this was their first meeting, he didn't want to offend her. Worst-case scenario, he'd just get beaten up again. It wasn't like he was unfamiliar with losing—Qian Renxue dragged him into sparring matches all the time and insisted he not use his combat techniques. He was used to being flattened.
Besides, part of him did want to see how far he could go against a genuine Soul Elder.
"Alright, let's go."
Seeing that Lin Beiya neither complained about the gap in strength nor tried to defend himself against Qian Renxue's accusations, Lei Ying's impression of him rose several notches. At least he was courageous and unafraid to challenge someone stronger — a rare quality in a young talent.
Qian Renxue's eyes flashed with a hint of excitement, though it quickly turned to worry. As they walked toward the training grounds, she subtly tugged at Lei Ying's sleeve.
"Yingying-jie, please... go easy on him, okay? Just stop once it's clear who wins."
"Hm?"
Lei Ying shot them both a strange look. Her gaze flicked between Qian Renxue and Lin Beiya, growing increasingly suspicious. 'Don't tell me... this kid already stole her heart?'
Her expression hardened. All the more reason to give him a proper beating.
Still, she nodded reassuringly to her best friend—completely unaware that Qian Renxue had just unknowingly betrayed Lin Beiya again.
When they arrived at the training arena, the two stood opposite each other while Qian Renxue took up the role of referee.
"I'm five years older than you, so you can make the first move."
Lin Beiya didn't take it as condescension. Facing a Soul Elder, he didn't dare underestimate her for even a second.
"In that case, Sister Lei Ying — be careful."
As he spoke, the statue of Athena appeared in his hand. A brilliant golden light burst forth as he summoned the Aries Gold Cloth.
Golden light flooded the arena, dazzling even Lei Ying.
After a year, Lin Beiya's body had grown noticeably stronger, yet the Gold Cloth still fit him perfectly. He was quite pleased with that—after all, the Aries Gold Cloth had originally looked like a child's set of armor. He'd once worried whether he'd outgrow it!
Without any hesitation or testing strikes, Lin Beiya launched his opening move — the Aries constellation's signature technique.
"Starlight Extinction!"
With both palms extended forward, the gathered starlight condensed into a blazing beam of energy that shot forth like divine judgment.
Feeling the terrifying power within that ray, Lei Ying's playful smile vanished. This wasn't an attack an ordinary Soul Master could unleash. No wonder Xue'er had said she couldn't defeat him.
A thunderous lion's roar erupted. Flames surged around Lei Ying as she instantly entered her Martial Soul Possession state. Her fiery aura surged skyward, fierce and domineering. Two yellow and one purple soul rings circled her—clear proof of her Soul Elder-level strength.
"Second Soul Skill — Blazing Flame Possession!"
"First Soul Skill — Scarlet Flame Claw!"
As the starlight neared her, Lei Ying unleashed both soul skills at once. The flames on her body blazed even fiercer, and her right claw erupted with explosive force as she slashed at the beam of light.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion thundered through the training arena.
On the sidelines, Qian Renxue looked visibly anxious. On one side was her lifelong sister figure, and on the other, her increasingly important companion. She didn't want either of them to hurt. For the first time, she regretted her earlier teasing that had started all this.
In the center of the arena, Lei Ying was forced back several steps by the impact. Before she could even lift her head, a golden, armor-clad fist appeared right before her eyes.
"So fast!"
Lei Ying's pupils contracted sharply, but her reaction was equally swift. Crossing both arms, she blocked the incoming punch just in time.
The tremendous power behind the strike forced her back again, carving two deep grooves into the ground beneath her feet. Her expression grew increasingly grave.
Lin Beiya, on the other hand, was quite satisfied — his attack had forced a Soul Elder to retreat.
"It seems this year of hard training wasn't in vain after all."
Seeing Lei Ying take up a defensive stance, Lin Beiya pressed his advantage. At near point-blank range, he unleashed Starlight Extinction once more, this time without holding back. Brilliant golden flares burst between them like a shower of exploding stars.
Constant pressure broke even the strongest defenses. Lei Ying was no defensive-type soul master, and countless starlight projectiles bombarded her from every angle, leaving her no time to counter.
Within seconds, blows struck her abdomen and chin in quick succession.
Lei Ying let out a muffled groan, and Lin Beiya's eyes lit up in excitement. His attacks were working!
But before he could savor the moment, a surge of violet light erupted around Lei Ying as her third soul ring flared to life.
"Third Soul Skill — Endless Flame Pillars!"
Sensing the violent power brewing beneath his feet, Lin Beiya immediately activated his Crystal Wall, forming a massive translucent cube to shield himself.
A moment later, towering flame pillars erupted from the ground, hammering against the crystalline barrier.
Since facing Bibi Dong, this was the first time Lin Beiya's Crystal Wall had been tested to such an extreme. The once-still surface rippled like a stormy sea, threatening to shatter at any moment.
"You... a mere Soul Master, actually have two soul skills!?"
Lei Ying's eyes were wide with disbelief. She had clearly seen Lin Beiya unleash an offensive skill earlier, yet now he was defending with another.
That wasn't all — he was enduring the destructive power of her thousand-year soul ring skill with the strength of a mere Soul Master!
Refusing to believe it, Lei Ying poured even more soul power into her attack.
Lin Beiya's expression changed instantly. Slamming his feet against the ground, he shot backward at full speed just as several more pillars of fire burst upward, striking the Crystal Wall.
Crack!
The barrier finally reached its limit, splintering apart with a sharp shatter before dissolving into golden light.
As the fiery storm died down, Lei Ying slowly withdrew her soul power. Even though she was breathing a little heavily, faint beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. Clearly, fighting Lin Beiya hadn't been easy.
"Beiya," she said at last, her tone half-surprised, half-impressed,
"You really are full of surprises."
—
End of Chapter