Douluo Continent: The Real World

"Is this kid crazy? He can keep draining Tai Long's soul power, so why does he want to fight head-on?" Yinshu looked at Liu Erlong in confusion.

Liu Erlong didn't want to pay attention to him, or to anyone for that matter. Yu Tianyan's provocative attitude was making her lose face.

"But if we're going head-to-head, it's okay for me to release my martial spirit, right?" Yu Tianyan said casually, a flash of lightning appearing in his palm.

Jiangzhu, Jingling, and Huang Yuan all focused intently on him. Yinshu had once remarked, after a few drinks, that the dean's younger brother was the most talented child he'd seen in ten years of teaching. This piqued their curiosity about Yu Tianyan's martial spirit and cultivation level.

Tai Long, stunned, finally managed to say, "Okay... I won't attack yet. I'll wait for you to release it."

As Yu Tianyan released his martial spirit, Tai Long froze, speechless.

"Xiaoyan actually…" Yinshu was also at a loss for words.

"This is impossible," Huang Yuan gasped.

"Purple… a thousand years…" Jingling, normally taciturn, couldn't help but comment.

"Oh my god!" Jiangzhu exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock.

Yu Tianyan stood confidently, his right hand extended, with blue-purple lightning crackling from his palm. Two soul rings, one yellow and one purple, rose slowly from beneath him. The purple soul ring—rare and powerful—left everyone astonished.

Tai Long's eyes widened as he stumbled over his words. "How… how could it be a thousand-year soul ring? You actually have a soul power over level 20? No, even if you did, how could you possibly have a thousand-year soul ring? It's… impossible..."

Despite his heritage in the Power Clan, Tai Long's second soul ring was only 600 years old, and his father's fifth soul ring was purple. He could hardly comprehend the thousand-year soul ring on Yu Tianyan.

Tai Long roared in disbelief, his understanding of soul rings shattered.

Jiangzhu, Jingling, and Huang Yuan were also stunned. Liu Erlong smirked slightly, suddenly enjoying the feeling of watching Yu Tianyan outshine the others.

She turned to Yinshu. "Dean of the Audio Library, are you reassured now?"

Yinshu nodded, albeit reluctantly. "No doubt, Xiaoyan is truly a rare genius, one in a century."

Seeing Tai Long's disoriented expression, Yu Tianyan didn't bother to explain.

"So, are you still going to fight? Didn't you ask for a head-on confrontation?"

Tai Long swallowed his shock, gathering his courage. As a descendant of the Power Clan, he wasn't one to back down from a strong opponent. "Of course I will. Even if you have a thousand-year soul ring, your spirit power can't exceed mine. I apologize, but I'll have to break my promise and use my second soul skill. I admit I underestimated you."

Tai Long's body tensed and his second yellow soul ring lit up.

"[Second Soul Skill, Explosive Force!]"

His body, already muscular, seemed to grow larger as khaki-colored soul power enveloped him. He rushed at Yu Tianyan with all his strength, shouting, "Be careful!"

Under the second soul skill's effect, he pressed off the ground, accelerating rapidly, and threw a powerful punch.

Watching closely, Huang Yuan muttered, "Let's see just how strong you are with a thousand-year soul ring."

Yu Tianyan, calm and composed, had dragon scales form over his arm, enhanced by blue-purple lightning. He crossed his arms to brace for Tai Long's strike.

There was a deafening roar, accompanied by flashes of lightning as the two collided.

Tai Long's powerful punch struck Yu Tianyan's crossed arms, creating a blinding flash of electricity. "Ah!"

Tai Long stumbled backward, clutching his right hand, which now trembled slightly. Yu Tianyan, though pushed back ten steps by the force, remained unscathed, his scales protecting him from Tai Long's strike.

The lightning from Yu Tianyan had dealt significant damage to Tai Long. His right fist was now charred and bleeding, showing visible burns.

With two thunder-attributed dragon soul beasts as his sources of power, Yu Tianyan's lightning was intense, even without activating soul skills. Tai Long's right fist throbbed from the electric shock, his entire right arm numbed.

"Tai Long was injured by the shock," Jiangzhu observed in surprise.

He raised his left hand, summoning a platinum-colored scepter with two yellow soul rings hovering around it. Just as he prepared to start healing, Jingling interrupted him.

"Wait."

Huang Yuan nodded in agreement. "Yes, wait a moment."

Jiangzhu frowned, "Why? Tai Long is injured."

"Tai Long has his pride. Losing to a peer would be one thing, but getting treated now would feel like admitting defeat. Better to let them decide the outcome themselves. Both of them are sensible and won't go too far." Yinshu explained calmly.

Jiangzhu, still hesitant, nodded in agreement with Yinshu, Huang Yuan, and Jingling.

Meanwhile, Tai Long activated his soul power to forcefully dispel the numbness in his arm. His wounded right fist, though still bearing black scorch marks, stopped bleeding thanks to the healing properties of his soul power.

He sneered, "Your defense is strong, I'll give you that. But this lightning isn't enough to take me down. Let's go again!"

Yu Tianyan thought to himself that Tai Long, as a pure power soul master, indeed had an impressive resilience. Turning to offense, his first soul ring lit up.

"[First Soul Skill, Thunder]"

With a 30% boost to all attributes—speed, strength, soul power, physical resilience, attack, and defense—Yu Tianyan's speed surged as he charged toward Tai Long.

Tai Long instinctively crossed his arms, wary of Yu Tianyan's lightning attacks. He activated his own defensive skill.

"[First Soul Skill, Rock Control]"

A yellowish-brown soul shield appeared around his body. Yu Tianyan struck it with his palm, but it held firm, showing no sign of weakening.

Before Tai Long could celebrate, he noticed Yu Tianyan's pupils turn a bright blue-purple as he whispered two words:

"Discharge."

The air flashed as lightning bolts surged from Yu Tianyan's palms, enveloping Tai Long's shield. The powerful lightning surrounded Tai Long's large frame, attacking him from all sides.

Tai Long gritted his teeth, trying to withstand the onslaught. Under the relentless barrage of lightning, the khaki-colored shield began to flicker and dim.

(End of this chapter)