Chapter 195: Luo Ling's True Power (Part Two)
When that familiar scythe—Shadow Reaper—appeared, Tang San's pupils contracted. In the stands, several knowledgeable spirit masters quickly recognized what was happening.
"So his spirit isn't actually a scythe? That weapon is part of his third ability?"
"A weapon-type spirit skill? Something he conjures himself?"
More murmurs followed, and within seconds, the sharpest observers pieced together Luo Ling's secret.
At last, Tang San understood too.
Luo Ling hadn't been boasting—he had been telling the truth.
That black scythe, the weapon Tang San had feared so much, wasn't even Luo Ling's true martial soul. It was merely a product of his third spirit skill. Luo Ling had never once used his real martial soul.
Then… what was his true spirit?
All eyes turned toward the figure standing before Luo Ling—a duplicate of himself, expressionless and lifelike.
"Let my spirit entertain you a little," Luo Ling said with a smile. The puppet in front of him—Crow Shadow Effigy—immediately rushed forward, its movements swift and deadly.
Shrek's team finally reacted. Ning Rongrong, reluctant but obedient, began casting support buffs over her teammates.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, clearly with unspoken understanding, darted straight for Luo Ling's true body.
Seeing this, Tang San quickly guessed what was happening.
Luo Ling's real spirit must be some kind of puppet—the first he'd ever seen. But judging by what was before him, Tang San pieced together the logic: like any puppeteer, if the puppeteer was defeated, the puppet would lose power too.
"Tianheng! Fatty!" he shouted sharply. "You, along with Xiao Wu, focus everything on Luo Ling's real body! His spirit's a puppet—if we destroy its master, it'll stop attacking!"
Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun didn't hesitate.
The sight of Luo Ling's bizarre power unsettled them, but it was still a match. They had no time for fear or speculation.
Their martial souls activated instantly, unleashing their boosts as both charged toward Luo Ling.
But Luo Ling merely smiled. The second ring beneath his feet lit up, and the air darkened as countless black feathers materialized overhead.
They fanned out like a storm, whistling down on Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun.
Second Spirit Skill: Nightcrow Feathers.
The attack was far more lethal than Tang San's Blue Silver Blades. Each feather carried lethal force infused with pure dark corruption and an additional layer of hallucinogenic toxin.
For Yu Tianheng, Luo Ling directed the feathers charged with extreme corrosive evil; for Ma Hongjun, only the poisonous illusion variant.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu closed in fast. Neither seemed willing to truly fight, but as competitors, they held their resolve.
This was a championship match—duty before hesitation.
Luo Ling's expression softened just slightly. His right hand twitched, and threads of pure shadow surged out of nothingness. Within moments, those thin black cords coiled around both women, wrapping them tightly.
The threads contracted and absorbed their spirit energy, draining their strength by the second.
Bound, entangled, and powerless, they soon collapsed, their faces flushed and their energy completely spent.
Meanwhile, the storm of feathers slammed into Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun crashed from the air, his Phoenix Flame smothered. When he hit the ground, his eyes went wide with horror—his mind trapped in a nightmare conjured by the toxin. Trembling, he clawed at the earth, whimpering in panic.
Yu Tianheng fared far worse. Several feathers pierced straight through his body, their corrosive energy burning through flesh and bone. After a few screams, he collapsed, unmoving.
In mere moments, four of Shrek's Soul Sects had been wiped out completely.
The audience fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
What Luo Ling demonstrated now wasn't power—it was domination.
Unlike before, he hadn't even moved. Standing calmly in place, he'd defeated four strong opponents through effortless precision and frightening control.
Every black feather, every silken thread—none of it was anything the crowd had seen from him before.
Terrifying. Overwhelming. Limitless.
Everyone had thought Luo Ling was a melee attacker. Now they saw the truth—he was just as dangerous from range, if not more.
He glanced briefly at Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun, then dismissed them entirely. His threads flicked outward, carrying Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's unconscious bodies out of the arena like discarded dolls.
As for Ma Hongjun and Yu Tianheng, he didn't even bother. They lay twitching where they fell.
When he finished, the black threads hovered lazily around him like living serpents—a vision of elegant menace.
Luo Ling remained motionless. His eyes, calm and unhurried, were fixed solely on Tang San, who was still engaged with the Crow Shadow Effigy.
He could have ended it any moment—but chose not to.
He wanted Tang San to feel this humiliation.
To see what true disparity meant.
To fight and struggle while everyone around him fell.
Tang San, too busy clashing with the puppet, hadn't noticed the state of his allies. The scythe in the effigy's hand cleaved through the air like a whisper of death, forcing him to parry continually with his Clear Sky Hammer.
Each blow was powerful, precise, merciless.
It wasn't just a puppet—it was like fighting an emotionless war machine.
As Tang San fought desperately, the spectators watched in awe.
Now, they finally understood: even without lifting a finger himself, Luo Ling could overpower an entire team. His martial spirit puppet alone was enough to fight on par with the strongest of his peers.
And Luo Ling had used only three abilities so far—the first, second, and third.
He still had two ten-thousand-year skills and a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring unused.
Even so, the battle was already decided.
Shrek Academy was finished.
The only ones left standing were Tang San, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar.
Yet Luo Ling made no move toward the support-type masters. His contempt was unmistakable.
In any serious battle, support-types were eliminated first. Yet Luo Ling ignored them completely, as if they weren't even worth the effort.
Pure contempt.
Tang San finally felt the weight of despair pressing on him. His hammer grew heavy in his hands; sweat dripped from his brow.
And then—he looked up.
Luo Ling stood calmly, smiling faintly, watching him like one might observe a struggling insect.
Only then did Tang San realize how empty the arena had become.
Yu Tianheng and Ma Hongjun lay defeated in the dirt. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were gone; he spotted them, pale and exhausted, by Shrek's resting area.
He froze. His mind couldn't accept what his eyes saw.
Had Luo Ling really… defeated them all that easily?
Before he could process it, his opponent—the Crow Shadow Effigy—flashed forward.
Without even bothering to use the scythe, it raised its hand and slapped him across the face.
The blow was deafeningly crisp.
Tang San's body spun midair several times before crashing to the ground, dirt exploding upon impact.
When the dust settled, he pushed himself up shakily.
He wasn't seriously hurt; the strike hadn't contained much energy.
But the pain of that humiliation… cut deeper than any wound.
(END CHAPTER)
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