Chapter Forty-Four: Duel with Wind Laughs at Heaven

Seeing the once gentle and considerate Ye Lingling now showing signs of turning dark, Xiao Yu was covered in cold sweat. Damn it, I haven’t exactly been two-timing anyone—although, who knows about the future—but for now, I haven’t done anything. So why does the atmosphere feel like a battlefield of jealous lovers?

“Lingling, let me explain,” Xiao Yu said, gently patting Ye Lingling’s hand, which was fidgeting with little gestures, signaling her to let go as he made a move to explain himself.

Before he could get a word out, Gale the Lapdog, Feng Xiaotian, erupted in fury, “Kid, how dare you deceive Huo Wu? Are you looking to die?” For years, I’ve groveled before Huo Wu and never gotten a kind look, yet this punk takes his blessings for granted and even has the audacity to two-time her? Comparing myself to him is enough to enrage me to death. Feng Xiaotian was broken inside.

Xiao Yu felt speechless. “Can you all just let me finish my sentence?”

“No need for explanations, kid. If you have the guts, come fight me on the Dueling Soul Arena. I’m going to teach you a lesson for Huo Wu!” Clearly, jealousy had consumed Feng Xiaotian’s mind, rendering him deaf to Xiao Yu’s words as he directly threw down a challenge.

Although Huo Wu had always looked down on Feng Xiaotian’s sycophantic behavior, the thought that Xiao Yu had dared to deceive her made her remain silent, letting Feng Xiaotian continue his misunderstanding. That way, he could vent her anger by beating Xiao Yu on the arena.

Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone Xiao Yu, who was not someone to suffer in silence. He did feel a pang of guilt toward Huo Wu, but as for Feng Xiaotian, the relentless lapdog who kept provoking him, there was no need for courtesy. “Fine, let’s settle everything with strength.”

Both Divine Wind Academy and Blazing Fire Academy had come to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy for exchange and study, and sparring matches were naturally part of the arrangement. The Dueling Soul Arena at the Imperial Academy was already prepared. Feng Xiaotian held a respectable position in Divine Wind Academy; after quickly informing his supervising teacher, arrangements were made with the Imperial Academy’s staff, and within ten minutes, an arena was cleared for Feng Xiaotian and Xiao Yu’s duel.

On the arena, Feng Xiaotian and Xiao Yu stood on opposite sides.

“Martial Spirit Possession!” Feng Xiaotian bellowed. The Gale Twin-Headed Wolf spirit enveloped him, a faint azure light bursting forth from within, causing his body to visibly change. With the crackling of bones, both his muscles and skeleton swelled, making his figure noticeably larger, his long hair turning blue, and a wolf’s head emerging on his left shoulder. Before him, two yellow and one purple soul rings pulsed rhythmically.

“Feng Xiaotian, thirty-seventh rank, Agile Attack System, Battle Soul Master!” Xiao Yu sighed in resignation as he watched him. If he remembered correctly, this guy was eighteen years old and innately full of soul power. At eighteen, he was rank thirty-seven, but in the original story, he appeared at twenty-four as rank forty-four. Excluding the level gained from absorbing his fourth soul ring, that meant only six ranks in six years—an average of one level per year. No wonder he was called the shame of innately full soul power.

After absorbing his third soul ring, he’d likely devoted himself to developing his self-created soul skill, and spent the rest of his time chasing after Huo Wu at Blazing Fire Academy, leaving his fundamental soul power cultivation neglected.

“Scared now, kid?” Feng Xiaotian now sported a blue wolf’s head, his eyes cold and fixed on Xiao Yu, thinking the latter was intimidated by his power.

Xiao Yu didn’t bother arguing. For someone like Feng Xiaotian, convincing him with strength was far more effective than any war of words.

His martial spirit quietly possessed him; inky black armor enveloped his body, a pair of equally dark wings unfurled from his back, lifting him into the air as four soul rings—yellow, purple, purple, black—appeared in a flash.

This time, Xiao Yu had no intention of hiding his strength. With the widespread use of soul devices, the sect was now flush with funding. Upon returning, he would start establishing the academy, and as its future chief, it was his duty to make a name for them. Here, hundreds of students from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Divine Wind Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy were watching, and through them, word would soon spread throughout the entire Heaven Dou Empire.

Now, the sect had three Title Douluos as guardians. Although Dugu Bo hadn’t officially joined the Nine Stars Hall, he was clearly leaning toward supporting Xiao Yu, having lent his name to the sect’s affairs several times recently. With the deterrence of four Title Douluos, no fool would dare to try and forcibly steal the secret of cross-tier soul ring absorption from Xiao Yu.

As for the Spirit Hall, Xiao Yu reasoned that Bibi Dong’s decision to launch the soul hunting campaign more than a decade later was largely due to her unstable position within the organization—she wasn’t of angelic lineage, after all. The current Bibi Dong couldn’t afford to provoke the wrath of a sect with multiple Title Douluos.

“Xiao Yu, forty-fifth rank, Power Attack System, Battle Soul Sect. Let’s begin!” Xiao Yu’s deep voice rang out, causing a stir among the crowd.

“How is that possible? A thousand-year second ring, a ten-thousand-year fourth ring—all absorbed across the normal thresholds. How did he do it?”

“He looks even younger than us. How did he reach the Soul Sect level at his age? Even in the Spirit Hall, such talent would be exceedingly rare!”

Feng Xiaotian was as astonished as the spectators below, his face full of shock.

“So, are you going to surrender right away?” Xiao Yu’s cold voice pulled Feng Xiaotian back to reality. Facing this monstrous opponent, he truly considered conceding for a moment.

Yet his pride wouldn’t allow it—especially with Huo Wu watching. How could he give up without a fight?

“Second Soul Skill: Twin Wolves Possession!”
“Third Soul Skill: Gale Wings!”

Facing an opponent whose power far exceeded his own, Feng Xiaotian skipped all preliminaries and went straight for his trump cards. As his second and third soul rings lit up, a pair of massive blue wings unfurled from his back. At the same time, a blue phantom in the shape of the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf gathered behind him. Against the dazzling, imposing backdrop, Feng Xiaotian soared into the air, his wings beating once to ride the wind and shoot fifty meters above the ground, facing Xiao Yu in midair.

Feng Xiaotian’s gaze had changed; gone were the previous arrogance and hostility, replaced only by respect for his opponent. “I never expected you to be this strong. My earlier words were out of line—someone of your caliber would never stoop to playing with a girl’s feelings. To make up for my rudeness, I’ll attack you with my strongest technique. This is a soul skill I’ve spent years developing—be careful. Its name is Eighteen Strikes of the Gale Demon Wolf.”

Eighteen strikes—not yet the thirty-six from the original story. Clearly, Feng Xiaotian had poured all his time into perfecting his soul skill.

“Come then!” Xiao Yu nodded, ready to meet him head-on.