The morning sun cast long shadows over the Spirit Arena as the Azure Dragon Academy faced off against Divine Wind Academy.
The audience buzzed with anticipation—not because of the famous Divine Wind team led by Feng Xiaotian, but because Jiang Yun and his Azure Dragon squad had drawn increasing attention. They were powerful. Too powerful. Rumors had already begun swirling, whispers in Spirit Hall's upper echelons about their true background and capabilities.
So today, the Azure Dragon squad had agreed on a plan.
They would not dominate.
They would struggle—or appear to.
---
Before the Match – Shrek Academy Stand
Tang San sat quietly, his fingers brushing the Blue Silver Grass coiled at his side. He watched as the Azure Dragon team prepared to enter the field, but his mind was elsewhere.
Doubt gnawed at him.
"Is the Blue Silver Grass really worth it? Am I holding myself back? Maybe I should've chosen the Clear Sky Hammer first…"
He remembered the countless hours he'd devoted to cultivating the Blue Silver Grass, convincing himself of its potential. But now, watching the might of other elemental martial souls, and the overwhelming strength of teams like Azure Dragon and Tianshui, his faith trembled.
Unable to hold it in, he turned to Master Yu Xiaogang beside him.
"Master… do you think I made the wrong choice?"
Yu Xiaogang's gaze remained calm, but something flickered behind his eyes.
He replied coldly, "A true master is not determined by his tool, but how he wields it. You've come this far already. Don't second-guess your path."
But inside, Yu Xiaogang's ambitions whispered louder.
"If I can raise a boy with Blue Silver Grass to the pinnacle, I'll silence everyone who mocked me. Even Bibi Dong will have to recognize me again…"
He didn't speak those words. He never would.
---
In the Arena
Divine Wind Academy stepped into the arena, led by Feng Xiaotian.
With shoulder-length hair and a confident smirk, Feng Xiaotian exuded arrogance. His teammates—six wind-attribute soul masters—stood behind him in formation. Among them, two were Soul Ancestors, and the remaining four were Soul Elders, all clad in sky-blue robes trimmed with silver.
"Azure Dragon Academy and Divine Wind Academy, ready yourselves!" the referee called.
At 24 years old, with a powerful Stormwind Double-Headed Wolf Martial Spirit and level 44 spirit power, he should've been a dominant figure.
'Wasted talent,' Jiang Yun thought.
'Innate full soul power, but still at Soul Ancestor level at his age. He spent years perfecting a flashy self-created skill when he should've been breaking bottlenecks. He has the potential to become a Soul King by twenty, even a Soul Emperor with luck. Instead, he spent his golden years forging a flashy skill built on momentum. Ridiculous.'
Jiang Yun exhaled slowly and said nothing.
Azure Dragon lined up. Jiang Yun at the front, with Feng Ming, Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, Bai Ling, Qiao Xuan, and Hua Yue behind him. All eyes turned toward them.
---
"Match start!"
Wind erupted instantly from Divine Wind's side. Feng Xiaotian surged forward, his eyes glowing with battle fervor.
"Stormwind Double-Headed Wolf Possession!"
A wolf-shaped spirit shadow howled behind him, and his body transformed—limbs bulked, claws sharpened, twin wolf heads of wind energy howling above his shoulders.
He opened with a familiar skill.
"Wind Blade Burst!"
Ten half-crescent wind blades sliced through the air, heading straight for Jiang Yun.
But before Jiang Yun moved, a blur streaked out from the Azure Dragon side.
"Fourth Ability – Shadow Phantom!"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice rang out.
Three shadow clones erupted from her form, each weaving between the blades. The real Zhu Zhuqing appeared behind Feng Xiaotian, claws poised.
"Hell Hundred Claws!"
Feng Xiaotian's Double Wolf Body Enhancement activated instantly. His defense, speed, and strength surged, allowing him to narrowly block the flurry of attacks. He countered, swinging his arm forward.
Jiang Yun also dodged the wind blades and retreated to side.
"Stormwind Wings!" Feng Xiaotian used his third soul ring ability.
Massive wind-forged wings erupted from his back. He launched into the air, slashing with his razor-sharp wings. Zhu Zhuqing dodged and retreated as Qiao Xuan stepped forward.
"Second Ability – Quake Strike!"
The ground shook violently beneath Divine Wind's formation, knocking two Soul Elders off balance.
Not everyone can get a flying type soul ability even if they have wind attributed martial soul.
"Fourth Ability – Earth Dragon Domain!" Dugu Yan called, her body glowing with toxic green and golden-yellow hues. A noxious mist rose, paralyzing one of the Soul Ancestors and seeping into the air.
"Second Soul Skill – Storm Claws!" Feng Ming's voice rang out.
From above, the Phoenix Gale Falcon martial spirit soared as Feng Ming descended in a burst of wind and fire, dual wind and fire blades on his arms slicing forward. He parried an incoming Divine Wind soul elder, spinning mid-air.
His afterimages spread across the arena—
"Third Soul Skill – Wind Mirage!"
The enemy was disoriented instantly, chasing illusions while he attacked the behind of formation.
"Feng Ming!" Jiang Yun called out. "Right flank!"
Feng Ming gave a grin and blurred again.
"Roger, Captain!"
Still, Divine Wind didn't crumble. They fought hard—wind slashes, gust barrages, and swirling vortexes filled the battlefield. From the sidelines, even Spirit Hall observers raised eyebrows. Azure Dragon Academy, though obviously stronger, seemed to be struggling.
One of the soul elders managed to land a slash on Hua Yue's shoulder, sending sparks and blood flying.
"We're letting them land hits?" Hua Yue whispered, anger flaring.
"Keep the act," Jiang Yun said through spiritual transmission. "If Spirit Hall thinks we're stronger than their golden generation, we won't even smell the prized soul bones."
The real battle was only just beginning.
––
Suddenly, Jiang Yun stepped forward, calm amidst the chaos. He raised his right hand slowly and pressed the arcle , the fourth soul ring invisible but present shimmering beneath his feet.
"Fourth Soul Skill – Chou Henshin!
Pegasus Form."
A cyclone of light enveloped him, spiraling green and silver transforming into a sleek green suit of armor, leaner and more agile. Lines of silver traced the joints and chest, and a slim golden horn protruded subtly from the helmet's brow.
No wings appeared. Pegasus Form could not fly.
But Jiang Yun didn't need flight.
His left wrist clicked—and in a flash of light, a compact, high-speed Pegasus Bowgun extended from his forearm. Sleek and angular, the crossbow-shaped weapon pulsed with energy, ready to fire precision light bolts guided by Jiang Yun's senses.
Feng Xiaotian narrowed his eyes.
"Fast."
Jiang Yun vanished.
In a blink, he reappeared beside one of the Divine Wind Soul Ancestors and fired a single glowing bolt from his bowgun—green light pierced straight through the target's shoulder, dropping him instantly.
"Second Soul Skill – Crimson Lock."
A blood-red glow shimmered briefly on Feng Xiaotian's chest
.
The lock-on activated.
Feng Xiaotian growled and lunged.
"Stormwind Demon Wolf's Thirty Six Successive Chops!"
Three chi-long wind blades jutted from his knuckles, his limbs howling with energy. The air twisted violently as he launched the self-made combo—a whirlwind of thirty-six furious slashes, each one heavier and faster.
Jiang Yun's feet skimmed the ground as he dodged, blocked, and parried. His bowgun fired intermittently, each bolt forcing Feng Xiaotian to alter his rhythm. The Pegasus Form's strength wasn't in brute force—it was predictive combat, reaction time, and angle control.
At the twenty-fourth strike, Jiang Yun stepped out of the pattern—
"Blast Pegasus."
The bowgun pulsed once, and a burst bolt fired point-blank, colliding into Feng Xiaotian's chest—right where the Crimson Lock had marked.
Feng Xiaotian gasped, thrown backward as his attack shattered in mid-air. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
With their captain down, Divine Wind's formation faltered.
"Fourth Ability – Crimson Inferno Claws!" Hua Yue roared, twin trails of burning flame cut through the air, blasting two wind-soul masters off their feet.
"Radiant Bloom!" Bai Ling's gentle light swept over her teammates, closing wounds and steadying breath.
Within seconds, Divine Wind's remaining fighters collapsed one after another.
"Victory: Azure Dragon Academy!" the referee declared.
Cheers erupted. Jiang Yun stepped back, his green armor vanishing as the soul skill ended. His breathing was calm—but his squad was bruised and dirtied. They looked like they had fought tooth and nail.
From the stands, Salas from Spirit Hall murmured.
"Formidable, but not beyond the golden generation," he whispered.
Jiang Yun overheard. He smiled faintly.
'Exactly as planned.'
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