Chapter Forty-Eight: The Arena Battle

As noon approached, the cafeteria was bustling with faculty and students alike. Except for a few elderly gourmets, almost everyone was captivated by the unfolding events around Chen Ming, many forgetting their meals as they gathered nearby to watch the spectacle.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chen Ming and Yu Tianheng arrived at the arena and took their places on the platform.

The one-on-one arena was modest in size—a square measuring twenty meters on each side. This distance was too short for ranged soul masters but just right for close-combat and mid-range fighters.

Whether agile attackers or control-type soul masters, this stage allowed them to fully demonstrate their skills.

By the time the three committee members arrived, Yu Tianheng and Chen Ming stood on opposite sides of the platform, glaring at each other. Though it seemed they were on the verge of striking at any moment, no real combat had broken out yet.

This was because the arena lacked a referee.

After escorting Yu Tianheng and Chen Ming over, Qin Ming quickly slipped aside, citing that he had exhausted too much soul power treating students earlier and refused to act as the sacrificial referee no matter what.

Though many other instructors were present, they all found excuses to avoid involvement, with none daring to intervene directly. Ultimately, they had to wait for the arrival of the three committee members.

Seeing this, Bai Baoshan, Meng Shenji, and Zhi Lin exchanged helpless glances.

They looked to each other but couldn’t devise an appropriate solution.

The crowd was too large—over a hundred students alone, nearly a fifth of the entire academy.

Had there been fewer people, the three could have stepped in to suppress the matter. But with nearly the whole academy watching, they dared not exert direct force.

Having lived together like conjoined triplets for decades, the three men communicated silently through simple eye contact. After a brief unspoken discussion, Meng Shenji reluctantly stepped forward to assume the role of referee.

“Both sides, step back and release your soul weapons. You may only summon them again after the signal is given.”

“This duel is merely a sparring match between students. Both parties must exercise restraint and avoid causing fatal injuries.”

“One-on-one matches prohibit outside assistance or sneak attacks. Violators will face severe penalties.”

“Level 23 Great Soul Master Chen Ming versus Level 32 Soul Sovereign Yu Tianheng—prepare…”

Since Chen Ming had only recently broken through, everyone still regarded him as a level 23 soul master. Even the committee hadn’t noticed his new rank.

At this announcement, Meng Shenji couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for Yu Tianheng. To face an opponent nearly ten levels lower in such a duel was somewhat humiliating.

“Begin!”

At the command, Chen Ming and Yu Tianheng charged at each other in an instant. As they sprinted, their soul weapons manifested.

Yu Tianheng’s soul weapon appeared swiftly, but Chen Ming’s speed surpassed even his. Before Yu Tianheng’s soul ring could even flicker, Chen Ming’s first soul ring shone brightly as he charged like a bulldozer into Yu Tianheng.

Twenty meters is roughly a two-second sprint for top athletes on Earth. With their soul powers, and charging head-on, their initial collision took less than a second.

A massive green poisonous mist surged from Chen Ming’s body, forming a circular poison zone under his control. As Chen Ming’s hands bristled with soul power, they clashed against Yu Tianheng’s arms, while his scorpion tail silently arced toward Yu Tianheng’s calf.

The impact stunned both fighters—their first impression was that neither was inferior in strength.

Yu Tianheng wielded the supreme Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus soul weapon, with maximal elemental power, speed, and strength. His medicinal baths surpassed Chen Ming’s by a tier, and having absorbed a third soul ring, he held the rank of Soul Sovereign, exceeding Chen Ming’s soul power by eight levels.

In all respects, Yu Tianheng’s advantage was clear. By logic, even if Chen Ming’s soul weapon was the Jade Scorpion King, he should have been sent flying by Yu Tianheng’s first strike.

Yet, Chen Ming’s years of consuming whale glue had fortified his body. His soul weapon had undergone multiple upgrades, and he had absorbed a millennium-grade external soul bone. His physical attributes defied the understanding of ordinary great soul masters.

Though his soul power was nearly a full realm below Yu Tianheng’s, Chen Ming’s physique even slightly surpassed him.

The collision of strength resulted in a brief stalemate, but the elemental battle followed swiftly.

In such close quarters, Chen Ming’s poisonous cloud was impossible to evade. Yu Tianheng could only unleash a widespread thunder attribute soul power to resist the toxin’s effects.

The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus’s thunder attribute was of exceptional quality. Lightning naturally countered poison to some extent, and for a moment, it truly blocked Chen Ming’s toxic mist. But this came at a cost—Yu Tianheng’s soul power drained rapidly like flowing water.

Previously attentive to Du Gu Yan’s tactics, Yu Tianheng was well-informed about poison attacks. From the start, he tightly guarded vulnerable areas like his mouth and nose, preventing instant fatal damage upon collision.

This was the poison soul masters’ greatest strength: their sneak attacks were nearly unbeatable. Skillful use could secure victory even against opponents several realms stronger.

But if the enemy was prepared and the poison failed to take effect immediately, the threat posed by poison soul masters diminished significantly, dragging the battle into a prolonged tug-of-war unfavorable to them.

“First soul skill: Thunder Dragon Claw!”

At this moment, Yu Tianheng unleashed his first soul skill. Though hastily activated and somewhat weakened, the fierce thunder still posed a significant threat.

Yu Tianheng barely parried Chen Ming’s attack, then leapt back several steps and struck the bizarrely angled scorpion tail with a thunderous blow. The tail was sent flying away before it could pierce him.

Personality issues aside, though many believed a poor temperament implied weak ability, capability and character were not always correlated.

Even those with bad temperaments could possess formidable skills.

While Yu Tianheng didn’t completely suppress his emotions in battle like a cold machine, his prior targeted training allowed him to minimize unnecessary feelings and maintain the poise expected of an excellent soul master.

Yu Tianheng’s soul power was outstanding, and he was battle-hardened. Born into a prominent family, he had personal trainers from childhood and ample combat experience upon entering the academy.

He had faced foes on land and in the air—only aquatic opponents were relatively unfamiliar.

Having noticed Chen Ming’s soul weapon and tail before, Yu Tianheng had been especially wary of the scorpion tail’s formidable threat. During combat, he paid close attention to its movements, preventing a swift defeat in the first round.

Chen Ming’s scorpion tail was the hardest part of his body, reinforced by an external soul bone. Its toughness and sharpness exceeded imagination. Even a sudden stab carried immense power, capable of easily piercing Yu Tianheng’s body.

The scales and flesh on Yu Tianheng’s body were no match for the tail’s penetration.

Though Yu Tianheng hastily knocked the tail away, he hadn’t expected its force to be so great. His entire arm tingled numb, and the bones throbbed with a faint ache.

Though only a few seconds of impaired control, such a gap was a huge vulnerability in close combat. Chen Ming had no reason to miss this opportunity.

Using the momentum, Chen Ming pressed forward without giving Yu Tianheng a chance to counterattack. Gritting his teeth, Yu Tianheng unleashed his third soul skill, Thunder Fury, then immediately followed with his second skill, Thunder Might.

“Thunder Fury! Thunder Might!”

Thunder Fury triggered a soul power frenzy, boosting Yu Tianheng’s thunder attribute by 100% and his soul power by 50%, a formidable effect. During its duration, his first two soul skills grew significantly stronger.

However, the skill’s drawback was its enormous soul power consumption.

As a level 32 soul master, Yu Tianheng felt his soul power rapidly drained. He could maintain it for only about ten minutes before losing all his soul power.

Thunder Might was a powerful area attack, showcasing the full might of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus’s electricity.

Though an AoE skill, it still inflicted devastating damage on single targets. Its only flaw was its huge soul power cost, making even soul sovereigns cautious about using it casually.

Casting two such costly skills simultaneously was like tearing a huge chunk out of Yu Tianheng’s soul power.

With the third skill’s enhancement, lightning flickered intensely around him. Adjusting his stance slightly, he actively met Chen Ming’s attack head-on.

Though somewhat lacking in raw strength, Thunder Might empowered by Thunder Fury more than compensated.

The fierce lightning pierced through the protective soul power shell covering Chen Ming’s body due to his soul weapon manifestation. It struck heavily against the armor-like shell.

Though it caused no severe injury, the intense electric attribute numbed Chen Ming’s body momentarily, causing a brief hesitation.