Chapter 27 – Exploiting the Knowledge Gap, Defeating the Demon Wolf

"Yun Yibai—a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan,"

Yu Tianheng said solemnly.

"A talent no less than Feng Xiaotian himself. A soul master with a self-created soul skill.

Even I have to admit, his dedication to cultivation is unmatched."

Elsewhere, Yu Tianxin narrowed his eyes.

"So this is the real you, Yun Yibai?

Able to fight evenly with Feng Xiaotian, who has innate full soul power..."

He knew Feng Xiaotian's strength well.

Both were standouts at their respective academies—Thunderclap Academy and Divine Wind Academy—and naturally had crossed paths before.

In the Soul Arena, Feng Xiaotian smirked as he watched his Gale Demon Wolf Combo Slash stack up blow after blow.

He could already imagine Yun Yibai being crushed by the final strike.

Yun Yibai, of course, had no idea what Feng was thinking—and even if he did, he probably wouldn't care.

But the soul power cost of Feng's combo was starting to pile up.

After taking three more of Feng Xiaotian's attacks, Yun Yibai keenly sensed that Feng's speed had begun to drop slightly.

"Now!"

A glint of focus flashed in Yun Yibai's eyes.

This was what he'd been waiting for: a knowledge gap. Feng Xiaotian didn't know Yun Yibai's true strength—but Yun Yibai had done his homework.

Bzzzt…

Thunder Breathing!

Electric energy began to surge. Golden arcs of light flickered wildly around Yun Yibai.

Feng Xiaotian was still fast—Yun Yibai couldn't guarantee a clean dodge—so he chose to go all-in.

Feng, sensing something was off, instinctively realized he was walking into a trap.

But it was too late—he was already within one meter of Yun Yibai.

"Crushing Fist!"

BOOM!

"He baited me!"

That was Feng Xiaotian's first thought after taking Yun Yibai's blow head-on.

The impact knocked Yun Yibai back a few steps, but Feng Xiaotian was sent flying.

"Roar of the Thunder Dragon!"

A golden lightning beam blasted downward, enveloping Feng Xiaotian in its fury.

At that moment, the outcome was already clear.

Feng Xiaotian had been outplayed.

The deciding factor?

He didn't know anything about Yun Yibai—while Yun Yibai knew plenty about him.

Had Feng Xiaotian understood his opponent, Yun Yibai might have had to pay a much steeper price for victory.

Chasing down someone as fast as Feng wasn't impossible—but using that kind of effort in this battle just wasn't worth it.

Moments later, Feng Xiaotian reappeared, looking worse for wear.

His clothes were shredded, his face was scorched black—he'd barely managed to shield himself with soul power.

"Cough, cough… You got me with that one."

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning came crashing down again.

"Alright, alright—I admit defeat!"

Already injured, Feng knew if this kept going, he'd only get hurt worse. Might as well surrender.

"Let's talk after the match."

He shot Yun Yibai a meaningful glance before walking away.

As the battle ended, Yu Tianxin turned his gaze away.

"The clan did misjudge him."

"Though… they weren't wrong to begin with. They placed too much hope in him.

So when Yun Yibai broke the clan's rules, they were all the more disappointed."

"If only they'd treated him as an outer disciple instead of a core heir,

maybe this story would've played out very differently."

"But… with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul,

how could the clan possibly overlook him?"

Of course, it wasn't just them watching from the arena.

In a shadowy corner, four young women dressed in sky-blue uniforms stared, eyes full of disbelief.

"So this is the true strength of that Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul master?"

"Then today… was he just slacking? Or does he just look down on us?"

They were, of course, from Tianshui Academy.

Earlier that day, Thunderclap Academy had faced Tianshui Academy in the 7v7 round—and Yun Yibai had been coasting through it.

"Sister Xue Wu, you've got a Gold Soul Badge too—

if you run into him next time, you have to give us some payback!"

"You girls… did you forget what type of soul master I am?"

"My gold badge wasn't earned through pure personal power."

"Ugh! I'm still mad!"

Back in that familiar lounge room—but now with one extra person.

"I have a suggestion…"

Huo Wu said, pointing at Yu Tianheng's group and then to her own.

"How about a 3v3 Soul Battle—us three vs. you three?"

"Sounds good to me!"

Feng Xiaotian was the first to agree—not for any tactical reason,

but simply because he could be on the same team as Huo Wu.

"I think it's a great idea!"

Huo Wushuang cracked his knuckles, clearly itching for another match.

"The main academy tournament's too restrictive anyway."

"No objections from me."

Yu Tianxin crossed his arms, tone cold as always.

"Sounds interesting."

Yu Tianheng chimed in as well.

All eyes turned to the final vote: Yun Yibai, who hadn't said a word.

But he was deep in thought—mulling over something else entirely.

Even though he sensed everyone staring at him, he didn't react right away.

For anyone else, that kind of intense focus would've been nerve-wracking.

But Yun Yibai wasn't just anyone.

He calmly lifted his gaze and met their stares.

"…What did you all just say?"

"...…"

A moment of stunned silence.

They hadn't expected that response.

"Forget it," Feng Xiaotian said.

"Your opinion doesn't matter anymore—five to one.

Majority rules."

"Five to one? What are you talking about?"

Yun Yibai blinked, confused.

"But…"

Yu Tianheng paused.

"Yun Yibai, not cool—sneaking out to fight in the Soul Arena without calling us!"

He playfully locked an arm around Yun Yibai's neck.

"Who's up next? Let's move—singles are almost done, and doubles are starting soon!"

Feng Xiaotian ignored them and looked down toward the arena.

"My match is next—just below us."

Yu Tianxin said.

"Me too."

Huo Wu added.

After another round of light banter, only Feng Xiaotian and Yun Yibai remained in the room.

The others had either gone off to participate in matches or to watch.

"Alright, spill it—now that it's just us."

Yun Yibai leaned back on the couch, his sharp eyes sizing up Feng.

"That move of yours—is it a self-created soul skill?"

Feng Xiaotian asked without missing a beat.

"Your perception is impressive."

Unless someone knew Yun Yibai extremely well, they would've assumed his techniques were just normal soul-ring skills.

But Feng Xiaotian had figured it out—not by knowing Yun personally,

but by analyzing the timing of his soul ring activation and his attack execution.

"Then I guess… we've got something in common."

Feng Xiaotian grinned.