"How is this possible?!"
Golden Crocodile's face was filled with disbelief. He knew his own strength best. His Martial Soul, the Golden Crocodile King, excelled in both power and defense. As an offense-type Title Douluo with Rank 98 spirit power, even without spirit skills, a single strike from him could shatter a small mountain.
But right now, against Xu Yang's slender right hand, his vaunted strength was utterly useless.
"As expected of Spirit Hall's Second Worship. That strength really packs a punch."
Xu Yang grinned. Then, under Golden Crocodile Douluo's stunned gaze, he suddenly lifted his right leg and unleashed a lightning-quick side kick.
Golden Crocodile wanted to dodge—but he couldn't.
Boom!
The kick landed squarely in his abdomen. Golden Crocodile felt as if his internal organs had shattered. His entire body spasmed before he was launched like a cannonball into the air, crashing into the distant teaching building. Half the structure collapsed in a cloud of smoke and rubble, making it impossible to see what had become of him.
All of this happened in an instant.
Even Qian Renxue only barely saw a blur of Xu Yang's leg. The next second, Golden Crocodile had vanished like a flash of light.
"What?!"
Qian Renxue stared at Xu Yang in disbelief. No one knew how strong Golden Crocodile was better than her—Rank 98 spirit power, a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, one of the strongest beings on the continent. And yet, he had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a Soul Sage.
She herself was also a Soul Sage. In fact, thanks to Xu Yang's guidance and the experience shared by the Seven Worships of Spirit Hall, she had even condensed a soul core in advance—essential for breaking through to Title Douluo.
With that soul core, she had believed her strength already surpassed the Soul Sage realm and that she could even battle Title Douluo like She Long and Porcupinefish without falling behind. She thought she wasn't inferior to Xu Yang at all.
But clearly, the gap between them was astronomical.
She certainly couldn't handle Golden Crocodile's strength as easily as Xu Yang had—let alone kick him into a building.
Xu Yang… just how strong are you?!
Qian Renxue was shaken. She finally understood where that unsettling feeling from earlier had come from. She also realized why Ning Fengzhi had been confident enough to let Xu Yang face them alone—because they trusted in his strength. Xu Yang could not only protect himself—he could kill them.
If Xu Yang was here…
Then what about Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin?
"Not good!"
Qian Renxue's expression changed dramatically. She turned toward the collapsed teaching building and shouted, "Grandfather! Make it quick! Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin went to the military encampment!"
With that, she no longer cared about the three Deans or the Heaven Dou Academy students. Her golden wings flared open and she shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of golden light that raced toward the barracks. She planned to leave the situation here to Golden Crocodile.
But—
"You two can stay behind and play with me."
Just as She Long and Porcupinefish rose into the air, two miniature suns—blazing with intense heat—suddenly appeared above them without warning.
Xu Yang's magnetic voice followed immediately.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Porcupinefish Avatar."
"Seventh Soul Skill: Spirit Avatar."
The two of them tensed up instantly, their spirit power surging.
Porcupinefish's body glowed with orange light. His seventh spirit ring lit up as he transformed into a massive porcupinefish, floating in the air. He opened his mouth wide, sucking in the surrounding air at a visible rate. His already large body expanded even further, and the loose skin on his frame stretched taut. Spirit power surged across his body.
She Long, on the other hand, was enveloped in a ghostly green glow. His body twisted, transforming into a two-headed emerald snake. Unlike his usual Snake Lance form, he chose beast form for its superior defense.
Both men stared at the suns above them with extreme vigilance. The threat they felt from the twin spheres of light was immense—those suns could explode at any second, and when they did, their lives might be forfeit.
"Explode."
Xu Yang snapped his fingers.
A low boom sounded as the two miniature suns collided in the sky above Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Sixth Soul Skill: Poisonous Iron Armor!
A violent shockwave erupted instantly. Faced with the terrifying heat and force of the explosion, Porcupinefish's sixth spirit ring flared. He spat out a flood of toxic green liquid that quickly coated his entire body, forming a corrosive armor.
But the shockwave was too powerful. His inflated body shook violently under the impact. Cracks quickly formed in the toxic armor, and when the sunfire within the blast struck those cracks, it ignited instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Porcupinefish turned into a blazing fireball.
Agonized screams erupted from within the flames.
If even Porcupinefish—a defense-type Title Douluo—was in this condition, what of She Long, an offense-type?
He tried to twist and writhe like a snake to disperse the force, but the impact was too overwhelming. His internal organs convulsed violently, and his bones cracked and snapped. Before he could even be flung away by the blast, he was engulfed in sunfire.
His screams joined the chorus.
Both of them poured out their spirit power in desperation. Their meridians were already torn apart from the overload. But they kept pushing themselves, doing everything they could to survive the inferno.
"It's useless."
Xu Yang's eyes glinted with contempt.
His irises turned golden-red. Armor lines appeared along his forehead, right arm, and legs. He raised one hand.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sun fire flared even more intensely.
Porcupinefish and She Long struggled inside, their spirit power rapidly draining. Their bodies were riddled with burns. The golden-red flames didn't just burn flesh—they consumed spirit power itself.
Before long, the flames had crept into their bodies through their spirit energy circulation pathways.
The screams gradually died out. Their consciousness faded. Life ebbed away.
At that moment, a figure burst out of the rubble.
It was Golden Crocodile.
His appearance was battered and charred. When he saw the ashes that were once She Long and Porcupinefish, he roared furiously.
"You little bastard! Don't get cocky!!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin