The sharp clashing of metal and the roaring explosions of spirit power intertwined, swirling endlessly above the Soul Dueling Platform.
Zhang Lexuan's figure was like a firefly under the moonlight, each movement carrying a chilly clarity akin to lunar radiance, yet the fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead betrayed the turbulence in her heart.
The battle had already lasted for a quarter of an hour, and within such an intense exchange, Zhang Lexuan discovered that her abilities had been completely anticipated by Xu Tianran.
It was only then that she remembered that among the three great inherited Spirits of the Sun Moon Royal Family, the Moon Martial Soul was one of them.
Although her Moon Martial Soul did not originate from the Sun Moon Royal Family, the Spirits were of the same origin, and their abilities were nearly identical.
No wonder Xu Tianran was so confident.
She had originally thought it was the arrogance of the Crown Prince, but she had not expected him to be so well-prepared.
Zhang Lexuan dodged the successive spear shadows from Xu Tianran; her mind suddenly cleared, yet a sense of gravity arose within her.
"So this is your trump card," Zhang Lexuan said, lunar radiance flowing around her body. "Do you think that by relying on your familiarity with my Spirit, you can secure victory?"
Xu Tianran's attacks became increasingly fierce. The brilliant dragon spear seemed to have a life of its own in his hands, its tip spitting out pale golden blades of light, each thrust carrying a sharp whistle as it tore through the air.
His figure was steady and swift, always able to find flaws in the gaps of Zhang Lexuan's spirit power transitions. His entire attack sequence was fluid and natural, without a shred of redundancy.
It was clear that he had a thorough understanding of the attack rhythm and even the weaknesses of the Moon Martial Soul.
Exclamations rose and fell from the spectator stands. Anyone could see that although Zhang Lexuan had not fallen into a disadvantage, she was constantly being led by Xu Tianran's rhythm.
This feeling of being constrained at every turn was extremely rare in her previous battles.
"In that case, I will hold back no longer," a flash of resolution crossed Zhang Lexuan's eyes.
If she continued to parry passively like this, she would be completely dominated by Xu Tianran.
Before her voice had even faded, the spirit rings around her body suddenly began to pulse. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—the seven spirit rings lit up in sequence, finally settling on that most profound black seventh spirit ring.
Surging spirit power erupted from her body. The surrounding air seemed to be pulled by this force, forming a visible vortex of airflow.
She raised her right hand high, and within her palm, a wisp of bright silver light silently condensed.
At first, it was only a light spot the size of a bean, but under the illumination of the brilliant seventh spirit ring, it expanded crazily at a geometric rate—
Three inches, one foot, one zhang, three zhang...
In the span of a few breaths, it transformed into a gigantic full moon with a diameter of fully ten meters.
Lunar radiance poured down like water, and the entire firmament was shrouded in this soft yet terrifyingly powerful light, the sky illuminated until it was crystal clear.
"Seventh Spirit Ability: Spirit Avatar!"
The gigantic full moon floated before her, its edges shimmering with a faint silver-purple halo, as if a true moon had descended upon the human world, radiating a heart-stopping sense of oppression.
The next moment, this full moon, carrying an unstoppable momentum, crashed violently toward Xu Tianran.
Wherever it passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a piercing shriek.
Facing such a formidable blow, there was not a trace of panic on Xu Tianran's face.
He gripped the brilliant dragon spear, and the huang long set around his body suddenly erupted with dazzling light.
The light released by the entire set of spirit tools intertwined, setting off his two-meter-tall figure as if a war god had descended.
He took a deep breath, and the spirit power within his body poured into the brilliant dragon spear without reservation. The spear shaft was instantly enveloped by a layer of dense purple-red spirit power, and atop the spear tip, a wisp of a phantom dragon image even condensed.
"Well done!" Xu Tianran shouted. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his arms exerting force as he thrust the brilliant dragon spear forward with all his might.
In front of the gigantic full moon, his figure was as tiny as an ant, yet this thrust carried an indomitable resolution and power.
The golden-red spear radiance and the silver-white lunar radiance collided violently in mid-air—
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening roar spread throughout the entire Soul Dueling Platform, and the violent shockwave of spirit power spread outward like a tsunami.
Everyone widened their eyes.
Xu Tianran held the brilliant dragon spear, its tip firmly pressed against the center of the full moon. The purple-red spirit power and the silver-white lunar radiance collided fiercely, forming a clear boundary line of energy.
He had actually managed to block Zhang Lexuan's Spirit Avatar with this long spear!
"Good! That's amazing!"
Thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the spectator stands, and many people stood up in excitement, their faces filled with shock.
"Is this a battle at the Spirit Saint level? It's simply beyond imagination!"
"Xu Tianran's spirit tool is too formidable; to think it could withstand a Spirit Avatar head-on!"
"Zhang Lexuan is not weak at all; I feel that if an average six-ring Spirit Emperor went up against that full moon, they probably wouldn't be able to block even a single strike!"
Discussions rose and fell; everyone was deeply captivated by this heart-stopping duel.
Zhang Lexuan raised her eyebrows slightly, marveling inwardly.
She could clearly feel that what was coming from the brilliant dragon spear was not just Xu Tianran's own spirit power, but also the terrifying energy contained within the spirit tool itself.
The two complemented each other, forcefully negating most of the impact from her Spirit Avatar.
"The power of the spirit tool is indeed beyond expectations," she thought to herself. Just as she was preparing to urge her spirit power to further increase the offensive, she saw Xu Tianran suddenly withdraw his strength.
Xu Tianran flicked his wrist, and the purple-red light on the brilliant dragon spear quickly dimmed. He withdrew the long spear to his side, and immediately after, the huang long set around his body began to disassemble.
The huang long set turned into streams of light one after another, being stored away by the spirit tool at his waist, vanishing in an instant.
He was bare-chested, his bronze-colored skin covered in fine beads of sweat, yet his posture remained upright, and he looked at Zhang Lexuan with a sharp gaze.
Everyone was stunned, not understanding why Xu Tianran had suddenly put away his spirit tool.
Clearly, with the advantage of the spirit tool, he could have continued to suppress Zhang Lexuan. Could it be that his spirit power was insufficient?
Or did he have other plans?
Zhang Lexuan was also full of confusion, her figure pausing slightly.
Xu Tianran spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire plaza: "You have already witnessed the power of the spirit tool."
His gaze carried a hint of arrogance, but even more so, a pure fighting Spirit: "But today, I will defeat you in the way you are most proud of, using a pure Spirit."
Once these words were spoken, the entire venue was in an uproar.
Shrek Academy had always taken pride in cultivating Spirit inheritance. These words from Xu Tianran were undoubtedly challenging the dignity of Shrek.
The Shrek reserve team members in the rest area had varied expressions—some angry, some disdainful, and others curious, wanting to see what kind of strength he could actually bring out.
Xuan Zi sat in the corner of the spectator stands, holding a wine gourd in his hand. He took a slow sip, then picked up a chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth.
He looked at Xu Tianran in the arena, a trace of gravity flashing in his murky eyes, and he shook his head slightly.
This kid not only had astonishing attainments in spirit tools, but even the strength of his own Spirit was so full of confidence; it was somewhat beyond his expectations.
The spirit power within Xu Tianran's body surged again. This time, without the assistance of spirit tools, the pure spirit power fluctuations spread out like a tidal wave.
Two yellow, two purple, three black—the seven spirit rings were neatly arranged, pulsing slowly around his body.
"Seventh Spirit Ability: Spirit Avatar!"
The pitch-black seventh spirit ring suddenly erupted with brilliant light, and intense spirit power fluctuations exploded outward.
Xu Tianran's figure could be seen constantly growing taller and transforming within the light; scales, dragon horns, and dragon claws appeared in sequence, finally transforming into a five-clawed divine dragon with a body of purple-gold!
This divine dragon reached a body length of fifteen meters, its scales like purple-gold glaze, refracting a cold and eerie light under the sunlight.
The dragon horns atop its head were jagged, bearing sharp barbs, and its pair of dragon eyes were a deep purple-black, radiating a majesty that looked down upon the world.
Faint purple-black electric arcs circled its body, and wherever those arcs passed, even the air sizzled; it was the most pure aura of destruction.
"Purple Bright Heaven Extinguishing Dragon!"
Someone exclaimed in a lost voice, their tone filled with disbelief.
"That is one of the three great inherited Spirits of the Sun Moon Royal Family, the ancestor of sub-dragons that governs destruction!"
"The legendary Spirit actually exists!"
"No wonder he dared not to use spirit tools; the aura of this Spirit is even more terrifying than Zhang Lexuan's Moon Martial Soul!"