Chapter 38: Lu Yuan vs Yu Tianheng

Yu Tianheng could not believe his eyes as he gazed at his opponent in the Battle Arena.

He and his team, the Emperor Team, had been undergoing special training initiated by their teacher at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy for over two months.

The training involved individual battles, and as the leader of the team, he set an example by winning the first match.

Despite his victory, it had been a close battle due to the Great Spirit Arena system. At rank 24 Spirit Grand Master, his opponents were all Spirit Grand Masters, with most of them being rank 27 to 30.

Although he had an advantage in terms of Martial Soul quality and Spirit Rings, these opponents closed the gap with superior cultivation and combat experience.

Even though he was a rare talent and had been chosen as the Captain of the Emperor Team, he still lacked single combat experience, and this caused him to lose many of the early matches.

But he was soon improving and had even advanced to rank 25, which eventually led to his first winning streak.

Everything was going smoothly until a little over a week ago, when one of the managers of the Great Spirit Arena approached him and invited him to test himself by fighting a young prodigy, saying that they could learn from each other and that losing would not affect his winning streak.

It only took him a few seconds to accept the invitation. After all, he and his team were here to improve their individual fighting experience, so why wouldn't he accept the opportunity to fight a talented Spirit Master without any consequences?

So, he invited his entire team to witness this battle, and based on the confidence of his recent victories, he hoped to impress the Vice Captain of his team in this match.

However, he did not expect that his opponent would be a young child. This almost made him lose his composure, but thinking that it might have been a mistake, he said to the boy with a slight smile on his face.

"Kid, what are you doing in this place, did you just get lost?"

Clearly, Yu Tianheng refused to believe that Lu Yuan was his opponent.

"Same as you, I'm here to participate in the Battle Arena," Lu Yuan replied, looking at Yu Tianheng as if he was a fool.

Yu Tianheng's expression turned gloomy and his hands clenched tightly behind his back. He was beginning to believe that Lu Yuan was indeed his opponent.

But if that was the case, didn't that mean the Great Spirit Arena was making fun of him?

This would not only embarrass him in front of his teammates but also in front of the girl he liked.

'How dare they mock me! Besides, this brat seems to be intentionally targeting me, what's with that codename, Dragon Emperor? Looking at his appearance, he shouldn't be more than 8 or 9 years old, where did he get the courage to come up to the Battle Arena and fight against me?' Anger began to rise in Yu Tianheng's heart, which increased every time he looked at Lu Yuan's calm appearance, as he thought that he was being intentionally scorned.

In reality, Lu Yuan was only analyzing the best way to attack and defend against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

The referee, seeing that the two parties were no longer talking, immediately started the match, "The match officially begins!"

As soon as the referee's words fell, Yu Tianheng wanted to demonstrate his might by being the first to release his Martial Soul, causing a loud dragon roar to resound in the Battle Arena. After the Martial Soul possessed his body, two yellow Spirit Rings flashed under his feet.

"Yu Tianheng, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Power Attack System Spirit Master, Rank 25!" Yu Tianheng spoke with a hint of anger in his voice.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, took a deep breath and endured the frantic aura of the Golden Dragon, who had become extremely furious upon sensing the other party's aura, and introduced himself.

"Lu Yuan, Martial Soul: Golden Dragon, Power Attack System Spirit Master, Rank 17!"

Lu Yuan unleashed his Martial Soul, causing an imposing Golden Dragon to appear behind him as golden scales covered his body and his eyes turned golden.

Despite not focusing on cultivating in the past month, Lu Yuan's realm had still advanced one rank since the exchange of pointers with Tang San. This was mostly due to the life-and-death experience he had gone through in the Phoenix Village, where he had overdrawn his soul power.

'Golden Dragon? Tsk, do you really think your dragon variant can compare to the Continent's number one beast-type Martial Soul?' Yu Tianheng sneered inwardly upon seeing Lu Yuan's transformation.

Yu Tianheng stepped forward, activating his first Spirit Ring under his feet. Thunder light crackled on his claws as he charged towards Lu Yuan.

<First Spirit Ring: Thunder Dragon Claw>

Lu Yuan was ready, his golden eyes tracking the incoming attack. Just as the strike was about to hit him, he deftly dodged using his movement technique, leaving behind six afterimages in a blur of motion.

He was avoiding a direct confrontation, knowing that while he could match or surpass Yu Tianheng's attack strength, a battle of attrition might put him at a slight disadvantage due to the eight-rank difference between them.

Yu Tianheng, seeing that Lu Yuan had dodged his attack, started to chase after him, launching faster and more powerful strikes with increasing ferocity. The afterimages were impacted one by one, clearly showing that Yu Tianheng had no intention of showing mercy.

If anyone at this moment were to pay attention to Yu Tianheng's eyes, they might notice a slight reddish hue.

From the stands, a buzz of excitement filled the air as spectators discussed the ongoing confrontation.

"Such a young guy, how come they let him participate in this competition between Spirit Masters?" one onlooker said.

"The gap in soul power is quite significant, and it seems that the Spirit Master named Yu Tianheng is becoming increasingly irritated," added another.

"It's not a very thrilling match," someone sighed.

"I disagree," a girl chimed in, "that little guy is so agile and dashing, I just want to pinch his cheeks."

"You're crazy! this is the Battle Arena, it's all about strength, not looks," retorted the first speaker.

As the battle continued, Lu Yuan became more and more comfortable with Yu Tianheng's movements. He was now able to dodge less frequently and block the attacks with his spear, suppressing the Golden Dragon's aggressive instincts and keeping himself calm.

On the other hand, Yu Tianheng's relentless assaults showed no sign of slowing down. However, with each passing moment, Lu Yuan could see that the power and speed of Yu Tianheng's strikes were decreasing. This was due to the fact that he was rapidly depleting his soul power and physical energy.

As the spectators watched on, they held their breath as the tide of the battle shifted. Lu Yuan's calculated defense and preservation of his soul power and strength now allowed him to unleash a barrage of strikes against a flustered Yu Tianheng.

<Second Spirit Skill: Lightning> Yu Tianheng roared.

In his desperation, Yu Tianheng activated his second Spirit Ring, the crackling of lightning gathering in his hand as he released a blinding bolt straight towards Lu Yuan.

Reacting instantly, Lu Yuan first stepped back a few meters before spinning his spear into a vertical position, blocking the attack aimed at his face, and in the next moment, with a wave-like motion of his spear, the lightning attack gathered at the tip of his spear was deflected to the side of the Battle Arena.

BOOM!

The Battle Arena was shaken by the strong impact, as the crowd exclaimed in excitement and disbelief.

This move was something he created by analyzing She Long's movements and served to repel powerful attacks by expending a minuscule amount of soul power.

Seeing his attack being deflected, Yu Tianheng had a moment of clarity and realized that something was wrong with him for underestimating the opponent so much, but immediately, the small clarity in his eyes was again consumed by a reddish hue as he spoke arrogantly.

"Hmph! To have blocked my attack just now, I admit that I was too careless, but the difference in rank still exists, and even if my strength has greatly weakened, the soul power I have left is enough to deal with you."

Yu Tianheng's rage intensified, and he continued to unleash wave after wave of powerful strikes, but each time, Lu Yuan was ready, his movements graceful and precise as he expertly countered each attack.

The audience was awestruck by the display of skill and power, whispers of admiration spreading throughout the stands.