"Hmph, courting death."
Hu Erhan stomped his right foot fiercely on the ground. Three yellow Spirit Rings rose beneath him.
"First Spirit Ring ability, Demon Bear Stomp!"
His foot slammed down. The earth trembled, and shards of stone burst upward.
The fragments were sharp and extremely fast. If they struck the body, the injuries would not be light.
"Nothing impressive."
Wu Qi sneered. The wings of his Azure Luan spread and beat powerfully, stirring fierce gusts that formed a wall of wind, blocking the flying debris.
"I underestimated you."
Hu Erhan charged forward and threw a heavy punch at Wu Qi.
The attack power of a strength-type Spirit Master was not something an agility-type Spirit Master could easily withstand.
In his eyes, Wu Qi had abandoned his aerial advantage and chosen ground combat, he was seeking death.
With freedom seemingly within reach, Hu Erhan's punch carried even more force.
The Azure Luan wings spread in front of Wu Qi, taking the punch head-on.
The strength of a high-ranking Spirit Elder was not to be underestimated. Wu Qi was forced several steps back.
"As expected of a strength-type Spirit Master. In that case, let's try this."
As a disciple of Azure Luan Douluo, he had already begun learning his teacher's signature techniques.
The Azure Luan Aerial Combat Art was a self-created close-combat Spirit ability developed by Azure Luan Douluo.
He had come here for training to test the power of this self-created Spirit ability. Naturally, it was part of his trial.
Blades extended from Wu Qi's fingertips as he lunged forward.
Hu Erhan laughed wildly. "Good! You want close combat? Let's see who's afraid!"
"Second Spirit Ring ability, Demon Bear Roaring Fist!"
Power gathered in his right fist, ready to explode.
As a high-ranking Spirit Elder and a strength-type Spirit Master, the force behind this punch was immense.
For Wu Qi, who was only a low-ranking Spirit Elder, the wiser choice would have been to use his aerial advantage to evade.
But he trusted the power of the Azure Luan Aerial Combat Art and chose to take the punch head-on.
Blinded by the thought of freedom, Hu Erhan gave no thought to strategy.
Just as the fist was about to land, Wu Qi leaned sharply backward, seized Hu Erhan's arm with both hands, and beat his wings rapidly to disperse the force of the blow.
He then twisted around the arm, his core muscles erupting with strength, and used tremendous force to hurl Hu Erhan to the ground.
Force dispersion was an innate capability of the Azure Luan martial soul. By building a combat method around it, Wu Qi could stand toe-to-toe with most strength-type Spirit Masters.
And with Hu Erhan taking no defensive measures, it was almost impossible for Wu Qi to fail.
On the other side, Chang Kong's Coiling Dragon Staff blurred with motion, strike after strike landing cleanly as A Ming cried out in pain.
A Ming's martial soul was also a weapon, but he was completely suppressed in technique and could not lift his head.
Suffering repeated losses in close combat, Hu Erhan grew furious.
"For a low-ranking Spirit Elder to push me this far, you really are a genius of Spirit Hall. Unfortunately, you should never have blocked my path to freedom."
"I'll give you one last chance. Hand over the gold badge, and I'll spare you!"
Wu Qi chuckled lightly. "Oh? You seem confused. I have the advantage. Why would I surrender?"
Hu Erhan's gaze burned fiercely. "Good. You asked for this."
"Third Spirit Ring ability, Feral Instinct!"
His entire body entered a berserk state. His attack power and defense increased by fifty percent.
In terms of raw strength, he was now not inferior to a low-ranking Spirit Ancestor.
"Then let me wake you up!"
Wu Qi leapt into the air. His Azure Luan wings beat rapidly as his second Spirit Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
His second Spirit Ring was not an ordinary hundred-year ring. A faint trace of purple tinged its surface. It had a terrifying age of nine hundred years, already exceeding the usual absorption limit for a second Spirit Ring.
Thanks to the resources of Spirit Hall, his physical strength was not inferior to a strength-type Spirit Master of the same rank. When he absorbed his second Spirit Ring, he had clearly still had room to spare.
It could be said that nine hundred years was not his personal limit, but rather the maximum Azure Luan Douluo allowed him to absorb within a safe range.
"Second Spirit Ring ability, Sorrowful Wind Cry."
This Spirit Ring came from the Xuanyin Parrot, and the ability it granted corresponded to another aspect of the Azure Luan martial sou, sound waves.
Sound wave attacks were also a form of spiritual attack.
After entering a berserk state, Hu Erhan had temporarily lost his rationality. But the sound wave attack forced him to regain clarity, and his berserk Spirit ability collapsed on its own.
"How is this possible? What kind of martial soul do you have?"
As the power in his body receded like a falling tide, Hu Erhan had completely lost his earlier arrogance.
As a Spirit Elder, the sound wave attack did not affect him too severely. But his subordinate A Ming was not so fortunate.
His perception and mobility were completely numbed, and he became like a wooden post.
Chang Kong activated his second Spirit Ring ability and ended his life on the spot.
Hu Erhan fell into panic. However, he had not yet suffered fatal injuries and still had the strength to fight.
A pair of Crane Cloud Wings emerged behind Wu Qi, overlapping with the wings of his Azure Luan martial soul. From the outside, there was no visible difference.
The Crane Cloud Wings could transform into wing blades, further enhancing Wu Qi's combat power.
His wings spread wide, cold glints flashing. The feathers at the tips turned into sharp blades.
"Die!"
His wings spun, stirring up a storm as he shot forward.
Hu Erhan steadied himself in his panic and tried to defend.
The assault of the wings was swift and fierce, carving multiple wounds across his body.
Realizing he was outmatched, Hu Erhan began to think of retreat.
He admitted defeat today. Once he regrouped with more men, it would be Wu Qi's turn to die.
But with their identities as trial participants exposed, how could Wu Qi possibly let him escape?
"Wing Blade Slash!"
Using the sharpened wings formed by the Crane Cloud Wings, Wu Qi developed this self-created Spirit ability on his own.
The wing blades swept through, shattering man and mount alike.
Hu Erhan's sturdy physique allowed him to survive the strike, though he was gravely wounded.
Wu Qi immediately severed his legs to prevent any chance of escape.
About three minutes later, Hu Erhan's body collapsed powerlessly into the rain, completely lifeless.
Chang Kong ran over with excitement on his face. "Brother Wu, impressive! That counts as defeating someone above your rank, right?"
Then he added awkwardly, "If my grandfather finds out, he'll probably compare me to you again."
Wu Qi felt somewhat exhausted.
Killing a high-ranking Spirit Elder in this environment had been a stretch. In strong winds, he would have had a much easier time.
"You were born with nine level of innate spirit power, yet you're still only a level twenty-eight Spirit Grandmaster. That's indeed a bit low."
Chang Kong protested, "It's not like I've been slacking. My cultivation speed just won't increase. What can I do?"
Hearing this, Wu Qi could not help but think of something.
The biggest issue on Douluo Continent was that Spirit Masters lacked a complete cultivation method.
Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill came from a low-martial world, yet in Douluo Continent it surpassed all existing cultivation methods.
Without the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San's talent might have been ruined long ago.
As for cultivation methods, Wu Qi had no way to change the situation. Even if he wanted to create one, it would take decades.
After a brief pause, he urged, "Cultivation cannot be rushed. Don't be too anxious."
"Collect the badges first. Before nightfall, we'll enter the inner city."