Zhang Yangzi almost transformed into darkness, launching a direct attack from the sky, his claws razor-sharp.
Lin Xiuran didn't retreat; his hands were wreathed in flames as he threw a punch, unleashing a torrent
of fire. The fierce flames collided with the boundless darkness.
The darkness was limitless, yet even the most sacred flames could incinerate everything.
Zhang Yangzi was forced back almost instantly upon impact, hovering in the sky.
He looked at his sharp eagle claws, now scorched by the flames, leaving a small gash.
He truly hadn't expected that such a simple collision would so easily injure him.
Lin Xiuran also saw Zhang Yangzi's injury, and his thoughts gradually became clearer. Although he couldn't use the Phoenix True Fire in battle, his own flames genuinely contained Phoenix True Fire.
This Phoenix True Fire absolutely suppressed Zhang Yangzi's dark attributes—this might not just be a suppression of ordinary attributes, but an absolute counter! Therefore, Zhang Yangzi was scorched the moment they collided.
"Why not use your Martial Soul?"
Lin Xiuran said calmly, "It's unnecessary."
Zhang Yangzi's expression turned serious, and his power continuously gathered. His first Soul Ring lit up.
He began to spin rapidly around the entire arena, and the black curtain of darkness once again covered the area. This time, both the range and density were much greater.
He disappeared into the darkness, making it impossible for Lin Xiuran to see his exact location, and then launched a sudden attack.
This made things difficult for Lin Xiuran, but he didn't intend to let him continue like this.
Lin Xiuran enhanced his hands with wind element, and with a wave, ice walls rose from the ground, instantly standing before him, directly blocking the further spread of the black mist. Moreover, it completely divided the black mist into several sections.
In this way, although his exact location couldn't be determined, his specific area could be identified.
Lin Xiuran only needed to launch an area-of-effect attack within that area, which would be sufficient.
A barrage of ice spikes followed, completely covering the area.
This tactic was completely effective; Zhang Yangzi was forced out of the black mist, and his fighting style, which he relied on, became completely ineffective against Lin Xiuran.
He relied on this style of combat—wearing down opponents and launching sneak attacks—but seeing that it wasn't working, he had no choice but to confront Lin Xiuran head-on.
Otherwise, if the fight continued, he would definitely fall.
He let out a loud eagle cry, then soared high into the air, and in the next instant, swooped down at almost a ninety-degree angle.
Lin Xiuran gave him no chance, immediately imbuing Zhang Yangzi with wind element, greatly reducing his speed.
The instant Zhang Yangzi was controlled, his second yellow Soul Ring appeared on his hand. A black shadow emerged from his body.
Shadow Clone, Zhang Yangzi's second soul skill. He released a clone possessing fifty percent of his power. Those struck by the attack would be affected by the darkness, their soul power continuously melting and their very being eroded.
This soul skill, mirroring Zhang Yangzi's posture, swooped down, its target Lin Xiuran.
Lin Xiuran's eyes flashed with the colors of the three elements as he stared at the descending Zhang Yangzi.
Almost instantly, fire element condensed in front of him, forming a large fireball, which he hurled away.
Accompanying the fireball's attack was a deep phoenix cry. Almost at that moment, Zhang Yangzi's body seemed to suddenly become unrestrained. The black shadow shattered instantly, and he himself fell like a deflated ball, crashing heavily to the ground.
Just moments before, meeting Lin Xiuran's gaze, he had felt his body and soul tremble, as if something had gripped his throat, a fear that emanated from his very blood.
He was utterly incapable of resistance; the feeling was like a kitten encountering a tiger.
It was reminiscent of the feeling Wang Jinxi had described when facing Tang Wulin.
But now, he was facing Lin Xiuran.
The phoenix was the king of birds, and Lin Xiuran's bloodline was the purest, giving the Dark Demon Eagle, an avian martial soul, an innate advantage.
The outcome was obvious. Even the referee was somewhat surprised; he had expected a closely fought battle, but it turned into a complete rout.
Lin Xiuran hadn't even used his Martial Soul; he had simply used elemental power to defeat Zhang Yangzi.
Zhang Yangzi barely managed to stand up, looking at Lin Xiuran with a pale face, and asked, "Are you from Class Zero?"
Lin Xiuran nodded calmly, then walked off the stage.
Zhang Yangzi gave a bitter smile; he had guessed it. With such talent, like Gu Yue, he could control multiple elements. And that suppressed feeling in his bloodline—he lost before the other party even revealed his Martial Soul.
He had initially thought the other party was underestimating him by not summoning his Martial Soul, but it turned out he genuinely didn't need to. Such talent was only found in Class Zero at Donghai Academy.
Seeing Lin Xiuran step off the stage, Xie Xie's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
"Brother Xiuran, when did you become able to control the ice element?"
In Xie Xie's memory, during their fight with Wu Changkong over the past two months, Lin Xiuran had always used wind and fire elements.
But today, he had suddenly revealed the ice element.
Lin Xiuran explained, "I've broken through to level 30."
"So fast!" Xie Xie's eyes widened in surprise, then he thought, "Does this mean that every time I break through to a new level, I'll gain a new element?"
This was enough to astonish him, considering that only Gu Yue could control multiple elements. But Lin Xiuran was gradually mastering other elements as well.
If he progressed further, wouldn't that mean Lin Xiuran would become stronger, and his current combat power wasn't low either? That was enough to show that his talent was no less than Gu Yue's.
This was what surprised Xie Xie the most, because in his eyes, Gu Yue had always been the strongest in Class Zero. She just hadn't used her full strength, but her talent was undeniable.
Gu Yue's eyes were also full of thought, glancing at Lin Xiuran from time to time, her expression somewhat grave.
Xu Xiaoyan simply smiled and didn't say anything.
At this moment, Ye Xinglan, not far away, looked at Lin Xiuran with a serious expression.
She had initially thought his strength was just average, but now it seemed to have exceeded her expectations. He had mastered three elements and resolved the battle without using his Martial Soul.
Even if Zhang Yangzi were incredibly strong, she couldn't possibly have avoided summoning her Martial Soul.
But this definitely piqued her interest, making her look forward to her upcoming match against Lin Xiuran.
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(End of Chapter)