"Remember this—if you feel like you can't continue, call for the match to stop immediately."
"Don't force yourself."
Zhao Xunxing spoke in a serious tone as his gaze swept across the two participants standing inside the training arena.
However, his eyes lingered a little longer on Yu Xiaogang.
Although Yu Xiaogang possessed two thousand-year spirit rings that far surpassed ordinary standards, Zhao Xunxing still found it difficult to believe that a Spirit Grandmaster could truly challenge a Spirit Ancestor head-on across a twenty-rank difference.
After all, the gap between each realm became larger the higher one climbed.
Normally, a Spirit Ancestor could completely suppress a Spirit Grandmaster with raw spirit power alone.
Yet for some reason…
Looking at the calm and confident Yu Xiaogang, Zhao Xunxing felt strangely uncertain.
Perhaps this young man would once again do something that shattered common sense.
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Xunxing raised his hand.
"The match begins!"
The moment his voice fell, Qin Haoyue immediately moved.
Facing Yu Xiaogang, he showed no intention of underestimating his opponent despite the difference in spirit power.
His yellow first spirit ring lit up instantly.
"First Spirit Ability: Jade Wind Sword Qi!"
A jade-green glow erupted around the longsword in Qin Haoyue's hand.
In the next second, he swung the blade sharply through the air.
Two crescent-shaped Wind Blades tore forward with terrifying speed, slicing toward Yu Xiaogang like sharp green flashes.
At the same time, Qin Haoyue himself rushed forward behind the attacks without hesitation.
Clearly, he intended to use the Wind Blades to pressure Yu Xiaogang while closing the distance for close combat.
Seeing the incoming attacks, Yu Xiaogang remained perfectly calm.
"Xiao Long!"
"Awoo!"
A youthful dragon cry echoed through the arena.
The moment Yu Xiaogang called out, the thousand-year first spirit ring beneath him lit up brilliantly.
Then both Yu Xiaogang and Xiao Long moved simultaneously.
As a Spirit Beast, Xiao Long immediately spread its wings and soared into the air.
Golden-white light began gathering rapidly in front of its body.
Tiny particles of light condensed one after another until they filled the sky like countless glowing raindrops.
"Roar!"
With another energetic roar, the Light Particles surged forward like a storm, shooting toward Qin Haoyue from above.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang himself rushed directly toward the two Wind Blades.
Just before the attacks reached him, he raised one hand calmly.
A layer of light instantly condensed before him, forming a glowing shield.
Bang! Bang!
The two Wind Blades crashed against the Light Shield with muffled explosions.
However, instead of breaking through, the attacks sank into the shield and disappeared entirely.
Qin Haoyue narrowed his eyes.
But before he could react further, the Light Shield suddenly dissolved into countless glowing particles.
And from within those particles—
Yu Xiaogang emerged holding a shining Light Sword.
Without hesitation, he swung the blade directly at Qin Haoyue.
Clang!
Qin Haoyue immediately raised his own sword to block.
The clash of metal rang loudly through the training ground.
And just like that, the close-quarters battle began.
At first, Qin Haoyue was extremely confident.
After all, he was a Spirit Ancestor.
Even if Yu Xiaogang possessed abnormal spirit rings, the gap in spirit power should have allowed him to completely suppress his opponent physically.
But after several exchanges—
His expression gradually changed.
Every time their swords collided, Qin Haoyue expected Yu Xiaogang to be pushed back.
Yet instead, he found himself evenly matched.
No.
More accurately…
Yu Xiaogang was actually matching him head-on in strength.
"How is this possible?!"
Qin Haoyue felt disbelief rising in his heart.
"I'm a Spirit Ancestor!"
"How can a Spirit Grandmaster compete with me physically?!"
But before he could think further, danger descended from above.
The countless Light Particles released by Xiao Long had already arrived.
Seeing the rain-like attacks about to engulf him, Qin Haoyue gritted his teeth.
"Second Spirit Ability: Wind Transformation!"
A jade-green light wrapped around his body instantly.
In the next moment, his speed exploded.
Whoosh!
Qin Haoyue retreated rapidly, barely escaping the area covered by the Light Particles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The particles exploded one after another upon impact with the ground.
Although the destructive power of each individual particle was not especially high, their sheer number made them terrifying.
The entire area shook continuously under the bombardment.
Seeing Qin Haoyue retreat, Yu Xiaogang immediately chased after him with his Light Sword in hand.
However, Qin Haoyue's Second Spirit Ability clearly specialized in speed enhancement.
In only a few moments, he widened the distance between them again.
Seeing that he couldn't catch up immediately, Yu Xiaogang suddenly threw the Light Sword in his hand toward Qin Haoyue.
The action surprised many spectators.
Qin Haoyue himself frowned slightly.
"What is he doing?"
"Did he panic?"
With his current speed, dodging the incoming Light Sword was easy.
He tilted his body slightly and avoided the attack effortlessly.
But just as he relaxed—
Yu Xiaogang calmly raised his hand again.
Two more Light Swords condensed beside him.
The weapons floated above his shoulders, gleaming brightly under the sunlight.
Then Yu Xiaogang flicked his fingers.
The two swords immediately shot forward through the air with astonishing agility, almost like living creatures.
At the same time—
A sharp sound of wind cutting through the air came from behind Qin Haoyue.
His expression changed instantly.
Turning slightly, he discovered that the Light Sword he had just dodged had curved around and was now flying back toward him from behind.
"He can control them remotely?!"
Qin Haoyue finally realized the situation.
Three Light Swords now surrounded him from different directions.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang calmly stood at a distance while controlling them with spirit power.
Above them all, Xiao Long continued circling through the sky while releasing more and more Light Particles.
The entire training ground was gradually becoming covered by glowing attacks.
For the first time since the battle began, Qin Haoyue felt completely stifled.
This feeling was absurd.
He was a Spirit Ancestor.
His opponent was only a Spirit Grandmaster.
Yet somehow, he felt as though he were being pressured by multiple enemies simultaneously.
At that moment, Qin Haoyue finally understood Yu Xiaogang's combat style completely.
Man and dragon fought separately.
Yu Xiaogang himself possessed extraordinary physical strength and close-combat ability.
At the same time, Xiao Long remained in the sky providing long-range support and area suppression.
One fought in close quarters.
The other dominated from afar.
The coordination between them was nearly perfect.
If Qin Haoyue focused on Yu Xiaogang's close-combat attacks, Xiao Long's ranged bombardment disrupted his movements constantly.
If he tried dealing with Xiao Long, Yu Xiaogang immediately pressured him from the front.
The worst part was—
Yu Xiaogang himself was simply too strong.
If it had been an ordinary Spirit Grandmaster, Qin Haoyue could have overwhelmed him instantly.
But Yu Xiaogang's physical power, swordsmanship, reaction speed, and combat awareness were all unbelievably abnormal.
Breaking through his defense was far from easy.
"How am I supposed to fight this?"
Qin Haoyue felt a headache coming on.
Why did a one-on-one duel feel like he was being gang attacked?
The battle continued.
Under Yu Xiaogang's control, the three Light Swords moved through the air with incredible flexibility.
One sword constantly pressured Qin Haoyue directly from the front.
Its attacks were sharp, precise, and relentless.
The more Qin Haoyue exchanged blows with it, the more shocked he became.
Controlling a flying sword to such a degree required astonishing precision and spirit power control.
It felt as though he were fighting a true master swordsman.
Under normal circumstances, Qin Haoyue might even have admired Yu Xiaogang's sword techniques.
But he had no opportunity to appreciate anything calmly.
Because the other two Light Swords were even more troublesome.
Every time Qin Haoyue focused on blocking one sword, another would suddenly attack from a blind spot.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Sparks exploded continuously throughout the battlefield.
Forced into a corner, Qin Haoyue could only repeatedly activate his Third Spirit Ability.
"Third Spirit Ability: Green Wind Guidance!"
Green winds instantly spiraled around his body.
The swirling currents deflected the incoming Light Swords and weakened Xiao Long's Light Particle attacks.
This was Qin Haoyue's defensive Spirit Ability.
However, the cost of maintaining it continuously was enormous.
His spirit power began draining rapidly.
Sweat gradually appeared across his forehead.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang's expression remained calm from beginning to end.
Qin Haoyue also attempted several times to forcefully break through the encirclement and attack Yu Xiaogang directly.
But every time he approached—
The flying swords instantly returned to Yu Xiaogang's hands.
And the moment they did, Yu Xiaogang transformed back into an incredibly dangerous close-combat fighter.
The transitions were seamless.
Qin Haoyue simply couldn't find an opening.
Time passed little by little.
Finally, Xiao Long's Light Particles completely filled the battlefield.
Glowing explosions surrounded Qin Haoyue from every direction.
The three Light Swords hovered before him like executioner's blades waiting to strike.
At that moment, Qin Haoyue fell silent.
He was unwilling.
Extremely unwilling.
He was a dignified Spirit Ancestor.
Yet he had been completely suppressed by a Spirit Grandmaster.
But after thinking carefully…
He realized there truly was no solution.
He couldn't overpower Yu Xiaogang in close combat.
He couldn't break through Xiao Long's ranged suppression.
And he couldn't endure the endless consumption battle forever.
In this situation…
What other outcome could there possibly be besides defeat?
After a long silence, Qin Haoyue finally let out a bitter sigh.
"I concede."
The moment those words left his mouth, the floating Light Swords slowly dispersed into glowing particles.
The Light Particles filling the battlefield also gradually vanished.
Xiao Long flapped its wings and descended from the sky, landing proudly beside Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly and gently patted Xiao Long's head.
"Good match."
Although the duel had ended—
No one in the training ground spoke for a very long time.
The entire arena remained deathly silent.
Every spectator stared at Yu Xiaogang with shock written across their faces.
What they had just witnessed completely overturned their understanding of spirit masters.
A Spirit Grandmaster had defeated a Spirit Ancestor head-on.
Not through tricks.
Not through luck.
But through absolute combat suppression.
And most terrifying of all—
Yu Xiaogang had not fought alone.
For the first time, everyone truly witnessed the terrifying combat style of man and dragon fighting side by side.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)