"Oh? I wonder how His Highness intends to evaluate us?" Meng Shenji asked calmly, his expression relaxed.
It wasn't that he wasn't afraid, but rather, as the head of the academy, Meng Shenji had long seen through everything.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had become nothing more than a stagnant pool. Most of the students just coasted by without any motivation. He had already resigned himself to this reality.
Fortunately, there were still a few students who remained diligent and hardworking, so dealing with this inspection shouldn't be a problem.
Xue Qinghe gave a refined smile, then gestured toward the guards behind him. "I've brought along a few of my useless guards. They're around the level of three soul rings. Why don't we let them have a little test against the academy's elite students?"
Meng Shenji glanced at the guards behind Xue Qinghe, then nodded impassively. "That's acceptable. However, I believe simply comparing soul skills won't fully reflect the strength of our students. Instead, how about we only compare martial spirits? No soul power, just the spirits themselves. What do you think?"
"Agreed. Please, sirs," Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, then gestured politely.
"The true controller of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is Prince Xue Xing. He's always supported my brother Xue Beng, so I intend to use this opportunity to seize some influence over the academy," Qian Renxue sent a sound transmission to Li Chang'an as they walked toward the dueling arena.
Once her guards won against the academy's students, she could claim mismanagement and justify stepping in. This had been part of her plan all along.
Li Chang'an gave a silent nod, saying nothing. If he didn't intervene today, Qian Renxue would likely hit a wall—after all, there were indeed a few real elites among the current batch of students, especially the team led by Yu Tianheng.
The group soon arrived at the special dueling grounds of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, where another team was already waiting at the opposite end of the arena.
Leading them was a young man in blue robes—not exactly handsome, but with a stern and composed appearance. Beside him stood a young woman with short, deep purple hair and, strangely enough, emerald green eyes.
Behind the pair were five more people, each giving off strong auras as well. However, what truly caught Li Chang'an's attention was a woman dressed entirely in black.
This woman wore black robes and a black veil, and with her long blue hair and a faint air of melancholy, she clearly stood out from the rest.
Li Chang'an quickly identified each of them based on their traits. Though Yu Tianheng and the others weren't at their peak yet—since they wouldn't face Tang San's group for over a year—their current levels were already around 30.
After a brief explanation of the rules, Yu Tianheng and his team respectfully saluted Xue Qinghe. The duel officially began.
The first to step forward was none other than the team captain himself—Yu Tianheng. It was clear he wanted to lead with a strong showing.
A brilliant blue light suddenly flared from Yu Tianheng's forehead, quickly spreading over his body. Streaks of blue-purple electricity snaked across his body like small serpents. His appearance didn't change much, aside from a blue lightning symbol appearing on his forehead.
But there was one area that transformed drastically—his right arm.
The right sleeve of his uniform burst into ashes as the arm expanded, growing nearly half a foot longer. It became thick and muscular, covered in blue-purple scales. His hand transformed into a claw, with large knuckles and the same scaled surface. Crackling serpentine lightning spiraled continuously around it.
"Direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, wielding the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit—Yu Tianheng. Pleased to meet you."
The moment Qian Renxue saw his martial soul, her expression changed slightly. No wonder Meng Shenji had suggested not using soul skills. With a martial soul like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Yu Tianheng already had a massive advantage even without soul skills!
To be honest, Qian Renxue had to admit—none of her guards were capable of dealing with someone like this. Unless...
Her gaze turned to Li Chang'an.
Though she didn't say a word, after what had transpired between them that morning, their unspoken understanding was enough. Li Chang'an gave her a small nod and stepped forward.
Although Li Chang'an had slightly disguised his appearance, he didn't intend to use his Pangu Axe martial spirit. First, it would be hard to explain if he were exposed. Second, for battles at this level, the donghuang Bell was more than sufficient.
A simple, ancient-looking bell appeared in his hand, radiating a faint, wild aura. Even though no soul rings appeared, just Li Chang'an standing there with the donghuang Bell in hand made him seem like the focal point of the entire battlefield.
"Bodyguard of His Highness, Xiao Li." Li Chang'an said casually. "Martial soul: donghuang Bell. Let's begin."
Yu Tianheng frowned. Although it seemed like the opponent was just fooling around, the pressure from that martial soul forced him to focus.
"Haah!" Blue lightning burst from his dragon claw as Yu Tianheng leapt into the air, aiming a powerful downward strike at Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an didn't dodge, nor did he use the donghuang Bell for defense right away. Instead, he gently tossed it with his left hand—the bell expanded instantly and clashed directly with Yu Tianheng's dragon claw.
Boom!
Szzzzz!
A pulse of energy spread through the air as the two clashed mid-air. Despite Yu Tianheng's full force, his claw couldn't push forward an inch, while Li Chang'an stood calm and composed.
[Yu Tianheng. Points +8.]
[..... Points +7.]
...
"Let's go!" Li Chang'an exerted slight force with his left hand, nudging the donghuang Bell forward. The impact made Yu Tianheng's dragon claw tremble slightly as he was forced back down to the ground.
"Thunder Wrath!"
Yu Tianheng looked up, unwilling to admit defeat. Blue lightning began gathering rapidly above his claw. In seconds, a massive claw of pure lightning—about twenty meters long—materialized above his head.
"Truly a powerhouse among beast martial souls. Come then—today, let me show you the might of Xiao Li!"
Unfazed by the looming lightning, Li Chang'an even made a mock fighting pose.
"Go!"
The lightning claw descended like thunder, and just when everyone thought Li Chang'an would take it head-on again, he suddenly pulled the donghuang Bell over himself in one smooth motion.
His timing... was almost heartbreakingly perfect.
_____
T/N:
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