Down below, Director Meng Shenji stepped up to the central podium. He reached his hand into the lottery box.
Smack!
He slammed the two wooden tokens onto the podium.
"The first match of the 1v1 Exhibition! Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Elephant Armored Academy!"
The crowd erupted.
"Representing Elephant Armored Academy: Captain Hu Yan Li!"
A massive roar echoed from the eastern tunnel as the towering giant stomped onto the arena floor.
THUD!
The stone beneath his boots trembled.
"And representing Heaven Dou Royal Academy: Captain Yu Tianheng!"
A crackle of blue lightning burst from the western tunnel as Yu Tianheng walked out. He rolled his shoulders once, his expression calm and almost bored.
"Oh, this is going to be brutal!" a Kamikaze student shouted from the stands.
"A Dragon against a Mammoth! Pure destruction!"
"Ten silver coins on the Dragon!" another student yelled.
"You're betting against that mountain?"
"Then twenty!"
Laughter spread through the stands.
In the Royal Team's dugout, Arthev sat on a wooden bench, calmly flipping through a small notebook.
As Tianheng passed him, Arthev spoke without looking up.
"Eight minutes, Captain."
Tianheng glanced sideways.
"Eight?"
"Pace yourself. Don't reveal too much."
Tianheng's mouth curved into a grin.
"You don't have to tell me twice."
Dugu Yan leaned forward from the bench.
"And Tianheng? Don't get carried away."
He stopped and looked at her.
"Me? Never."
Dugu Yan snorted.
"That's exactly what someone about to get carried away would say."
Tianheng chuckled and stepped onto the arena.
The two captains stopped ten meters apart in the center of the vast stone floor.
"Yu Tianheng," the dragon heir announced, raising a fist. "Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
"Hu Yan Li!" the giant bellowed, slapping his massive chest. "Martial Soul: Diamond Mammoth! Prepare to be crushed, noble boy!"
Tianheng's eyebrows lifted.
"That's a lot of confidence for someone who hasn't even punched me yet."
A few Royal Team members laughed from the dugout.
"Captain, don't provoke the elephant!" Osler shouted.
Hu Yan Li's eye twitched. "Too late."
"Begin!"
The referee immediately leapt backward.
"GRAAAH!"
Hu Yan Li didn't hesitate.
He bent his knees and launched his massive frame forward like a runaway boulder. No soul skill. No preparation. Just raw physical force.
His fist came straight toward Tianheng's chest.
In the VIP box, Prince Xue Xing gripped the armrests.
"Dodge it, boy!"
But Tianheng didn't dodge. He just planted his feet, raised his bare hands, and met the mammoth's fist head-on.
CLANG!
The impact detonated across the arena.
A shockwave blasted outward, sweeping dust from the stone floor and sending several loose pieces of gravel skittering across the arena.
The crowd gasped.
Hu Yan Li's eyes widened. His fist had stopped completely. Yu Tianheng had caught it.
His boots had been pushed back barely two inches, carving shallow grooves into the stone, but his arms hadn't buckled.
"What..."
Hu Yan Li stared at him.
"You... caught that?"
Tianheng looked down at their locked fists. Then he looked back up. A wild grin slowly spread across his face.
"Is that all?"
Hu Yan Li's expression hardened.
"You little..."
Tianheng twisted his hips.
"You're heavier than you look."
With a sharp burst of force, he shoved the giant backward.
THUD!
Hu Yan Li stumbled several steps before regaining his balance.
The Elephant Armored students in the stands went silent. One of them slowly lowered the meat bun he'd been eating.
"Did... did the Dragon just push Captain Hu Yan back?"
Teacher Hu Yan's expression changed.
"What kind of physical strength is that?"
Tianheng rolled his shoulders.
"I've spent months rebuilding this body for nothing."
His grin widened.
"You're not as heavy as you thought, Mammoth."
Hu Yan Li's face reddened.
"You're asking for it!"
BZZZT!
Blue lightning erupted around Tianheng.
Three soul rings flashed beneath his feet: two yellow and one purple. He deliberately kept the terrifying black fourth ring hidden.
"Let's warm up!"
"First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claws!"
His arms swelled as blue scales spread across his forearms. His hands transformed into thick, electrified dragon claws.
BZZZT!
He lunged.
Hu Yan Li gritted his teeth and summoned his own three rings.
"First Soul Skill: Mammoth Charge!"
Yellow-brown light enveloped his body.
He lowered his shoulder and charged.
BOOM!
The two collided.
Tianheng's claws raked across the Mammoth's hardened body.
SKRRAAAK!
Sparks scattered across the arena. Hu Yan Li swung a heavy punch. Tianheng ducked beneath it.
WHOOOSH!
The fist passed over his head.
"Too slow!"
Tianheng drove an electrified knee into Hu Yan Li's ribs.
THUD!
"Ugh!"
The giant staggered sideways.
"Don't get cocky!" Hu Yan Li snarled.
He swung again.
Tianheng slipped past the punch and struck his side.
CRACK!
"He's actually faster than before," Huo Wushuang muttered from the stands.
Huo Wu crossed her arms.
"Not just faster. His movements are cleaner too."
Yu Tianxin just watched silently.
In the Royal Team's dugout, Dugu Yan folded her arms with a smug smile.
"That's what happens when you spend weeks being thrown into mud."
Osler groaned.
"Don't remind me."
Back on the arena floor, Hu Yan Li wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"You think speed is enough?"
His second ring lit up.
"Second Soul Skill: Elephant Body!"
BOOM!
His body expanded, muscles swelling as his skin hardened into a deep grey armor. The pressure around him increased dramatically.
Tianheng's eyes narrowed.
"Now we're talking."
His second ring ignited.
"Second Soul Skill: Thunder Bolt!"
BZZZZT!
A concentrated bolt of lightning exploded from his palm and struck Hu Yan Li directly in the chest.
BOOM!
Electricity crawled across the Mammoth's body. Smoke rose from his shoulders. But he remained standing.
"Gotcha!"
Hu Yan Li charged through the fading lightning and grabbed Tianheng's arm.
"You're not getting away!"
He twisted his massive body, preparing to slam Tianheng into the ground.
But Tianheng's expression didn't change.
'Center of gravity. Don't fight the force. Redirect it.'
Arthev's voice echoed through his memory.
Tianheng lowered his hips. Shifted his weight. Then stepped inside the Mammoth's momentum.
"What?"
Hu Yan Li's eyes widened.
Tianheng hooked his leg behind the giant's and twisted.
"Your balance is terrible."
"W-Wait....."
Tianheng pulled.
THUDDDD!
Hu Yan Li crashed onto his back.
The arena exploded with cheers.
"What?!"
"He threw him!"
"That's a Mammoth!"
"How the hell did he do that?!"
Even Ning Fengzhi raised his eyebrows slightly.
Sword Douluo's eyes narrowed.
"Flawless weight distribution."
He watched Tianheng rise smoothly.
"That isn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's traditional fighting style."
Ning Fengzhi smiled.
"He has taught them how to use their bodies."
In the Royal Team dugout, Arthev calmly marked something in his notebook.
"Good."
Dugu Yan glanced at him.
"That's all?"
"He executed the technique correctly."
Osler stared at Arthev.
"The captain just threw that mountain-sized man."
"Yes."
"And you're saying 'good'?"
Arthev looked up.
"Then what would you prefer?"
Osler opened his mouth. Then closed it.
"...Fair point."
Hu Yan Li scrambled back onto his feet, his face burning with embarrassment.
"That's it!"
His purple third ring ignited. The ground beneath his feet began to tremble.
"Try dodging this, Dragon!"
He raised both massive fists.
"Third Soul Skill: Earth Shock!"
BOOM!
His fists slammed toward the ground.
The stone floor cracked outward as a violent seismic force surged through the arena.
Tianheng's eyes flashed blue. His own third ring ignited.
BZZZZT!
"Third Soul Skill: Thunder Fury!"
Lightning exploded around his body. He lowered his stance. The muscles in his legs tightened.
The crowd rose to its feet.
"They're both using third skills!"
"Look at that lightning!"
"Move back!"
Even the instructors leaned forward.
Huo Wu narrowed her eyes.
"Tch. They're still holding something back."
Yu Tianxin's expression became more serious.
Feng Xiaotian blinked.
"Wait, you guys can tell?"
Yu Tianxin didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on Tianheng.
Below, Hu Yan Li roared and brought his fists down.
Tianheng launched forward.
The seismic wave and lightning-charged Dragon were about to collide.
Then..
DING! DING! DING!
A sharp bell rang across the Colosseum.
The head referee appeared between them in a flash of high-level soul power, both hands raised.
"Halt!"
The two attacks stopped just short of collision.
The crowd erupted into confused shouting.
"What?!"
"Why did they stop it?"
"What's happening?"
The referee looked between the two captains.
"Both combatants, return to your positions!"
Tianheng and Hu Yan Li froze, their soul skills abruptly cutting off. Both stared at the referee, chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath.
"What?!" Hu Yan Li barked. "I was just about to crush him!"
"And I was just about to fry you!" Tianheng shot back.
The referee rubbed his temple.
"Yes, yes. I'm sure you were both one glorious second away from victory."
The referee turned toward the VIP platform.
"Match concluded! An official 8 minutes time limit has been reached. The first round is concluded. Result: Draw!"
"EIGHT MINUTES?!" both boys shouted at once.
The referee winced.
"Yes. Eight minutes."
Tianheng turned toward the giant beside him. "Seriously? Did we really spend half the fight arguing?"
"Half?" Hu Yan Li snorted, rubbing his smoking ribs. "You started the trash talk!"
"You called me a noble boy."
"Because you're a noble boy!"
"And you called me a wet noodle!"
"You were annoying!"
The referee sighed.
"Can the two of you continue your argument after leaving the arena?"
Hu Yan Li pointed at Tianheng. "We're not finished."
Tianheng grinned. "Looking forward to it."
A collective groan rolled through the spectators. They had expected a decisive finish. Instead, they had gotten eight minutes of brutal combat, several near-collisions, and an argument that somehow seemed more energetic than the actual ending.
In the VIP box, the three Directors of Heaven Dou were sharing smug, incredibly satisfied looks.
"A draw on paper," Meng Shenji whispered to Bai Bao. "But a psychological victory in reality."
In the Tianshui viewing area, Teacher Leng remained silent, her eyes fixed on both players.
"He didn't use his fourth ring," Xue Wu murmured.
Shui Yue'er leaned forward. "Neither did Hu Yan Li."
"That's not what concerns me," Teacher Leng replied.
Bing'er understood immediately.
"The Royal Team deliberately limited their output."
Teacher Leng gave a slow nod. "Exactly. They weren't trying to win."
Her gaze shifted toward the Heaven Dou dugout.
"They were demonstrating what they can do without revealing their actual strength."
Bing'er's sapphire eyes followed hers. And there he was.
Arthev sat quietly on the bench, a small notebook resting against his knee. He hadn't cheered once. He hadn't even looked particularly excited during the match.
He had simply watched.
Writing.
'So he really is the one behind their changes.'
Bing'er remembered the way he had spoken beside the frozen lake.
Observation. Balance. Understanding rather than brute force.
She lowered her gaze slightly.
'What exactly have you taught them?'
Across the arena, Huo Wu's expression had become considerably less amused.
"Tianheng's physical strength shouldn't be that high," she muttered.
Huo Wushuang folded his arms. "It shouldn't."
"He stopped Hu Yan Li's charge without using a soul skill."
"And then threw him."
Huo Wu's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah. I noticed."
Nearby, Feng Xiaotian scratched his cheek.
"Uh... guys?"
Huo Wu glanced at him. "What?"
"Am I the only one who's worried that the Royal Team has apparently become a group of monsters?"
Huo Wushuang gave him a flat look.
"No."
Feng Xiaotian swallowed.
"Okay. Good. Just checking."
On the opposite side, Yu Tianxin stood with his arms crossed, staring toward the arena.
His expression was unusually serious.
"That wasn't the Tianheng I knew."
The Thunder Academy instructor glanced at him. "You mean his fighting style?"
"His entire foundation."
Yu Tianxin's fingers tightened slightly.
"He used to rely on overwhelming power and his Martial Soul's natural advantages. Now he's using his body like a weapon."
His eyes narrowed.
"Who taught him that way?"
In the VIP section, the reaction was considerably more restrained.
Prince Xue Xing leaned back in his chair, a pleased smile slowly spreading across his face.
"Ha! Excellent."
He glanced toward the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, did you see that? Our Royal Team held back their strongest abilities and still forced the Elephant Armored captain into a draw."
Xue Qinghe maintained his calm smile.
"I saw it, Uncle."
Beside them, Ning Fengzhi set down his teacup.
"Interesting."
Xue Xing looked toward him. "Sect Master Ning?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled.
"Most young Soul Masters fight according to what their Martial Soul gives them. Yu Tianheng was fighting according to what his body could do."
His gaze shifted toward the Royal dugout.
"That distinction is rather important."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin remained silent for several seconds before speaking.
"The boy's movement has changed."
Ning Fengzhi glanced back at him.
"How so?"
"He no longer wastes motion."
Chen Xin's eyes remained fixed on Tianheng.
"Every step had purpose. Every shift of his weight served the next movement. Even when he attacked, his balance never collapsed."
A faint smile touched Ning Fengzhi's lips.
"Then whoever trained them understands combat very well."
Xue Qinghe's eyes briefly moved toward the quiet figure sitting on the bench.
"Arthev."
Ning Fengzhi followed his gaze.
"That is the boy you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes."
To be continued...