Arthur's gaze swept over the stunned third-years.
"Now it's my turn."
The Holy Sword tapped lightly against the ground.
Golden ripples spread outward layer upon layer, like rings rippling across a clear lake.
In an instant, the Sword Domain and Return to the Void descended together, a dual domain of physical and spiritual power.
Within the reach of the Sword Domain, the air was sliced by invisible sword qi, hissing softly, and fine sword marks appeared across the surface of the arena.
The surfaces of the third-years' Battle Armor automatically began to glow, resisting the pressure of the Sword Domain.
They felt their whole bodies grow heavy, the flow of their soul power dropping by thirty percent in an instant.
Even Mo Yu's complete single-word Battle Armor let out a strained hum under the Sword Domain's suppression.
At the same time, the spiritual domain of Return to the Void spread outward, its gray spiritual waves intertwining with the golden Sword Domain to form a curtain of light, stark black and white.
A chaos of fragmented noise erupted in the students' minds, as if countless thoughts were breeding wildly only to be snuffed out an instant later.
"A dual domain layered together, and still a seamless fusion of physical and spiritual power... to reach this level at his age."
Ya Li's gaze sharpened. She understood clearly, just from what she was witnessing now, that even someone like Yun Ming would be left standing on the sidelines among peers his age.
Before she could finish the thought, Arthur had already moved like thunder up on the stage!
His afterimage darted freely through the ranks of the third-years.
The invisible sword qi within the Sword Domain condensed into something tangible in an instant, falling like a meteor s
Chapter 135: Victory
Arthur's gaze swept over the stunned third-years.
"Now it's my turn."
The Holy Sword tapped lightly against the ground.
Golden ripples spread outward layer upon layer, like rings rippling across a clear lake.
In an instant, the Sword Domain and Return to the Void descended together, a dual domain of physical and spiritual power.
Within the reach of the Sword Domain, the air was sliced by invisible sword qi, hissing softly, and fine sword marks appeared across the surface of the arena.
The surfaces of the third-years' Battle Armor automatically began to glow, resisting the pressure of the Sword Domain.
They felt their whole bodies grow heavy, the flow of their soul power dropping by thirty percent in an instant.
Even Mo Yu's complete single-word Battle Armor let out a strained hum under the Sword Domain's suppression.
At the same time, the spiritual domain of Return to the Void spread outward, its gray spiritual waves intertwining with the golden Sword Domain to form a curtain of light, stark black and white.
A chaos of fragmented noise erupted in the students' minds, as if countless thoughts were breeding wildly only to be snuffed out an instant later.
"A dual domain layered together, and still a seamless fusion of physical and spiritual power... to reach this level at his age."
Ya Li's gaze sharpened. She understood clearly, just from what she was witnessing now, that even someone like Yun Ming would be left standing on the sidelines among peers his age.
Before she could finish the thought, Arthur had already moved like thunder up on the stage!
His afterimage darted freely through the ranks of the third-years.
The invisible sword qi within the Sword Domain condensed into something tangible in an instant, falling like a meteor shower across the sky, each strand carrying a shrill shriek that tore through the air, along with pure sword intent.
At the same time, the spiritual suppression of Return to the Void surged in tandem. The noise in the students' minds turned into a deafening roar, and those with weaker willpower had their eyes roll back on the spot, unable to even use their soul skills.
Not far away, Ye Xinglan instantly pulled away from the first and second-year battlefield, her eyes lighting up as she stared over.
She didn't want to miss a single detail.
This was it! This was exactly it!
This was why she'd come down to join the first-years, why she'd begged to be on Arthur's team.
All so she could see this again!
A domain that belonged to the sword!
"Hmmmm!"
The Holy Sword traced a golden arc in Arthur's hand, and the sword qi filling the sky surged into sudden overdrive.
"I'll take point! The rest of you flank and hold him back!"
Mo Yu roared as she drove her single-word Battle Armor to full power, a sky full of Swan Feathers rising to intercept the sword qi.
But it was no use. The sword qi tore through the Swan Feathers' defense like a meteor chasing the moon.
The feathers shattered under the sheer force of the sword intent, dissolving into scattered points of light.
The flanking attacks accomplished nothing either.
As if every move had been calculated to perfection, Arthur didn't so much as glance at the attacks coming from his sides or his back.
With every casual motion, he slipped past each strike with flawless precision, and dropped one of the "kids" with every single blow.
"Thwack!" "Thud!"
Crisp impacts and the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground rang out one after another.
By the time Mo Yu came back to her senses, the third-years had all fallen like wheat before the scythe.
She was the only one left standing.
Oh, and Qian Wu, too.
Except Qian Wu had already burned through everything he had. He looked like he was still standing, but in truth he'd checked out a while ago.
She took a deep breath.
Gritting her teeth, Mo Yu prepared to burn through the last of her soul power, when she suddenly froze.
Because the tip of Excalibur was already resting against the space between her brows.
With a flick of his wrist, the blade spun.
A wave of pressure like a towering surge of water erupted behind her, and yet it didn't so much as graze her.
"Want to keep going?"
Feeling the aftershocks of the wave still trembling behind her, Mo Yu swallowed hard, her voice coming out hoarse. "No need."
"Third-years: defeated."
"Wait!"
It was Qian Wu.
His "standing" figure swayed violently before he forced his spine straight.
"Before this ends, I have a request."
His eyes were bright and burning.
"Can you show me what your full strength looks like now?"
He would never forget, for the rest of his life, the feeling of being struck by that beam of light three years ago.
He wanted to see it: now that Arthur was who knew how much stronger than he'd been three years ago, what would it look like if he used that move again?
The fallen third-years gasped in surprise, and even the elders up in the stands all turned to look at once.
They, too, were curious just how strong Arthur really was at full power.
Full power?
Arthur lowered his head slightly, thinking it over for a moment. Then, instead of answering, he asked Qian Wu, "What are your plans, going forward?"
"What do you mean?" Qian Wu blinked, caught off guard.
"Your talent's decent enough. Come run with me from now on," Arthur said. "And I'll show you my full strength."
Qian Wu's whole body jolted. After a long silence, he nodded.
He was, in truth, more than a little thrilled.
That one line alone was enough to knock the current head of the fan club right off his perch!
Seeing him agree, Arthur thought it over and said, "Let's say around when break starts. You'll come with me to hunt evil soul masters then."
"You'll see it for yourself."
Hunt evil soul masters?
Qian Wu nodded. "Deal. It's settled!"
Arthur nodded, and the light of the Holy Sword slowly receded. The dual domain of the Sword Domain and Return to the Void faded along with it, and the crushing pressure around the arena vanished all at once.
The fallen third-years, as if pardoned from a death sentence, struggled up one after another. The looks they gave Arthur were full of awe and lingering fear. That crushing display of strength had made the gulf between them and him painfully, thoroughly clear.
Mo Yu unequipped her single-word Battle Armor, fine beads of sweat on her brow, and looked at Arthur, saying in a low voice, "Arthur, I lost, and I accept it completely."
She was proud, but she was also fair-minded. That wave of pressure kicked up by the flick of his blade had shown absolute strength, and the control behind it earned her genuine respect.
Arthur said nothing more, only raised a hand in a light pressing gesture, signaling for quiet.
His gaze swept over Qian Wu as he added, "In the meantime, work on consolidating your soul power, and polish up Behemoth's burst output some more. Evil soul masters aren't like ordinary soul masters. Their methods are vicious and underhanded, and without enough strength behind you, it's easy to capsize in a ditch."
He paused, then started dangling the carrot. "You're getting close to Soul Emperor, from what I can tell. When the time comes, I'll pay to get you a set of two-word Battle Armor."
Up on the platform, Ya Li: ?
You, pay? Now why don't I believe that for a second?
Qian Wu let out a whoop.
A full set of Battle Armor, too?
In that moment, he almost wanted to call Arthur "Dad" again.
Qian Wu's face lit up with excitement. He nodded hard, fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. "Understood! I'll be living in the training room from now on, I promise I won't drag you down!"
Just thinking about following Arthur to hunt evil soul masters, and getting to witness his true full strength, was enough to set his heart racing. Even the exhaustion of having burned through his soul power seemed to fade away.
Seeing this, Ye Xinglan came running over from a distance, planting her heavy sword against the ground, her voice urgent. "Arthur! I want in too! Can I come along?"
"My swordsmanship isn't bad, and I can help hold enemies back!" Her eyes burned with intensity, fixed on Arthur, terrified of missing this chance.
"You?" Arthur turned his head to look at her. "Of course. You were already going."
"Hm?"
Ye Xinglan didn't follow. What did he mean, she was already going?
It wasn't just Ye Xinglan. Arthur had already made up his mind.
He'd lead the entire class in an all-out assault on evil soul masters.
Hunting evil soul masters was a habit best cultivated young.
Of course, for now it would just be the low-end matches.
The high-end ones were still out of reach for the time being.
Finals were coming up soon. After that, he'd launch an all-out attack on the evil soul masters, and while he was at it, give the Holy Lance a proper outing.
hower across the sky, each strand carrying a shrill shriek that tore through the air, along with pure sword intent.
At the same time, the spiritual suppression of Return to the Void surged in tandem. The noise in the students' minds turned into a deafening roar, and those with weaker willpower had their eyes roll back on the spot, unable to even use their soul skills.
Not far away, Ye Xinglan instantly pulled away from the first and second-year battlefield, her eyes lighting up as she stared over.
She didn't want to miss a single detail.
This was it! This was exactly it!
This was why she'd come down to join the first-years, why she'd begged to be on Arthur's team.
All so she could see this again!
A domain that belonged to the sword!
"Hmmmm!"
The Holy Sword traced a golden arc in Arthur's hand, and the sword qi filling the sky surged into sudden overdrive.
"I'll take point! The rest of you flank and hold him back!"
Mo Yu roared as she drove her single-word Battle Armor to full power, a sky full of Swan Feathers rising to intercept the sword qi.
But it was no use. The sword qi tore through the Swan Feathers' defense like a meteor chasing the moon.
The feathers shattered under the sheer force of the sword intent, dissolving into scattered points of light.
The flanking attacks accomplished nothing either.
As if every move had been calculated to perfection, Arthur didn't so much as glance at the attacks coming from his sides or his back.
With every casual motion, he slipped past each strike with flawless precision, and dropped one of the "kids" with every single blow.
"Thwack!" "Thud!"
Crisp impacts and the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground rang out one after another.
By the time Mo Yu came back to her senses, the third-years had all fallen like wheat before the scythe.
She was the only one left standing.
Oh, and Qian Wu, too.
Except Qian Wu had already burned through everything he had. He looked like he was still standing, but in truth he'd checked out a while ago.
She took a deep breath.
Gritting her teeth, Mo Yu prepared to burn through the last of her soul power, when she suddenly froze.
Because the tip of Excalibur was already resting against the space between her brows.
With a flick of his wrist, the blade spun.
A wave of pressure like a towering surge of water erupted behind her, and yet it didn't so much as graze her.
"Want to keep going?"
Feeling the aftershocks of the wave still trembling behind her, Mo Yu swallowed hard, her voice coming out hoarse. "No need."
"Third-years: defeated."
"Wait!"
It was Qian Wu.
His "standing" figure swayed violently before he forced his spine straight.
"Before this ends, I have a request."
His eyes were bright and burning.
"Can you show me what your full strength looks like now?"
He would never forget, for the rest of his life, the feeling of being struck by that beam of light three years ago.
He wanted to see it: now that Arthur was who knew how much stronger than he'd been three years ago, what would it look like if he used that move again?
The fallen third-years gasped in surprise, and even the elders up in the stands all turned to look at once.
They, too, were curious just how strong Arthur really was at full power.
Full power?
Arthur lowered his head slightly, thinking it over for a moment. Then, instead of answering, he asked Qian Wu, "What are your plans, going forward?"
"What do you mean?" Qian Wu blinked, caught off guard.
"Your talent's decent enough. Come run with me from now on," Arthur said. "And I'll show you my full strength."
Qian Wu's whole body jolted. After a long silence, he nodded.
He was, in truth, more than a little thrilled.
That one line alone was enough to knock the current head of the fan club right off his perch!
Seeing him agree, Arthur thought it over and said, "Let's say around when break starts. You'll come with me to hunt evil soul masters then."
"You'll see it for yourself."
Hunt evil soul masters?
Qian Wu nodded. "Deal. It's settled!"
Arthur nodded, and the light of the Holy Sword slowly receded. The dual domain of the Sword Domain and Return to the Void faded along with it, and the crushing pressure around the arena vanished all at once.
The fallen third-years, as if pardoned from a death sentence, struggled up one after another. The looks they gave Arthur were full of awe and lingering fear. That crushing display of strength had made the gulf between them and him painfully, thoroughly clear.
Mo Yu unequipped her single-word Battle Armor, fine beads of sweat on her brow, and looked at Arthur, saying in a low voice, "Arthur, I lost, and I accept it completely."
She was proud, but she was also fair-minded. That wave of pressure kicked up by the flick of his blade had shown absolute strength, and the control behind it earned her genuine respect.
Arthur said nothing more, only raised a hand in a light pressing gesture, signaling for quiet.
His gaze swept over Qian Wu as he added, "In the meantime, work on consolidating your soul power, and polish up Behemoth's burst output some more. Evil soul masters aren't like ordinary soul masters. Their methods are vicious and underhanded, and without enough strength behind you, it's easy to capsize in a ditch."
He paused, then started dangling the carrot. "You're getting close to Soul Emperor, from what I can tell. When the time comes, I'll pay to get you a set of two-word Battle Armor."
Up on the platform, Ya Li: ?
You, pay? Now why don't I believe that for a second?
Qian Wu let out a whoop.
A full set of Battle Armor, too?
In that moment, he almost wanted to call Arthur "Dad" again.
Qian Wu's face lit up with excitement. He nodded hard, fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. "Understood! I'll be living in the training room from now on, I promise I won't drag you down!"
Just thinking about following Arthur to hunt evil soul masters, and getting to witness his true full strength, was enough to set his heart racing. Even the exhaustion of having burned through his soul power seemed to fade away.
Seeing this, Ye Xinglan came running over from a distance, planting her heavy sword against the ground, her voice urgent. "Arthur! I want in too! Can I come along?"
"My swordsmanship isn't bad, and I can help hold enemies back!" Her eyes burned with intensity, fixed on Arthur, terrified of missing this chance.
"You?" Arthur turned his head to look at her. "Of course. You were already going."
"Hm?"
Ye Xinglan didn't follow. What did he mean, she was already going?
It wasn't just Ye Xinglan. Arthur had already made up his mind.
He'd lead the entire class in an all-out assault on evil soul masters.
Hunting evil soul masters was a habit best cultivated young.
Of course, for now it would just be the low-end matches.
The high-end ones were still out of reach for the time being.
Finals were coming up soon. After that, he'd launch an all-out attack on the evil soul masters, and while he was at it, give the Holy Lance a proper outing.