"The two competitors in this match are Xu Yuan from Shrek Academy and Long Yue, the Dragon King, from our Monster Academy!"
"Please welcome both competitors to the stage!"
The announcer's voice was filled with excitement, stirring up the audience in the stadium.
Cheers erupted continuously from the stands.
Amidst the roaring cheers, Xu Yuan and Long Yue stepped onto the arena.
"Competitors, prepare!"
Xu Yuan and Long Yue simultaneously released their martial souls.
Around Xu Yuan, five pitch-black soul rings appeared one after another.
Around Long Yue, six soul rings—three purple and three black—lined up neatly!
The configuration of three purple and three black soul rings seemed to be a tier lower than Xu Yuan's five black soul rings.
After all, five black soul rings naturally had a more striking visual impact than just three.
However, Xu Yuan's aura was still significantly weaker than Long Yue's by more than a margin.
Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Facing Long Yue directly, he could feel the overwhelming pressure, as heavy as a mountain.
It was incredibly oppressive.
Without using any soul skills, it felt as though a gravity field had been unleashed.
"This Long Yue… the years of his last three ten-thousand-year soul rings must exceed thirty thousand years. Moreover, he likely possesses soul bones, possibly even the Mountain Dragon King's torso bone," Xu Yuan thought.
He had already speculated that Long Yue had received the inheritance of another Mountain Dragon King. Not only had his martial soul evolved into the Mountain Dragon King, but he might have also gained the corresponding soul spirit and soul bone inheritances.
"The match begins!"
After both competitors released their martial souls, the referee immediately announced the start of the battle.
The cheers that had filled the entire stadium moments ago vanished, and the venue fell silent.
All eyes were now fixed on Xu Yuan and Long Yue, eagerly anticipating their clash.
Xu Yuan's body began to glow from every part, and in an instant, he entered his peak state.
Two pieces of battle armor, along with a complete mech suit.
A towering five-meter-tall mech appeared on the arena.
Its dazzling appearance and surging energy fluctuations clearly showcased Xu Yuan's immense power.
In his hands, pieces of metal fused and transformed, merging with his Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear* martial soul to form a spear adorned with starlight.
The mech held the spear horizontally at its side, displaying no hint of clumsiness.
On the other side, Long Yue also immediately released his battle armor.
Across his body, flashes of light flickered.
Unlike Fox King or Tiger King, Long Yue's battle armor wasn't something he physically wore.
His battle armor was two-word battle armor!
Made from spirit-forged alloys with infused spirits, it could integrate into his body!
Two-word battle armor could technically be crafted using only spirit-forged metals, but the truly exceptional pieces were invariably made from spirit-forged alloys infused with spirits. These alloys combined the properties of different metals, making them more compatible with soul masters and providing more comprehensive and thorough enhancements.
Long Yue's battle armor was crafted from such spirit-forged alloys.
Although the forging community on the Star Luo Continent lagged far behind that of the Douluo Continent in terms of fusion forging, they still possessed the technology.
Among them, Long Yue and his master had mastered the art of fusion forging.
Yes, Long Yue and his master.
En Ci's achievement as a four-word battle armor master was nothing short of legendary.
Strictly speaking, back then, he had ambitions as lofty as Xu Yuan's, pursuing three secondary professions simultaneously: forging, design, and crafting.
Though he didn't choose maintenance, his studies in design and crafting essentially granted him that skill as well.
In other words, he too had pursued four professions simultaneously.
However, what set him apart was that he began learning these skills only after reaching level 98. He crafted his own battle armor entirely on his own, completing a three-word battle armor.
After finishing the three-word battle armor, he broke through to become a Limit Douluo. Under his unique nurturing, the battle armor also advanced smoothly to become four-word battle armor.
This was the only known instance on the entire Douluo Star of non-standard heaven-forged four-word battle armor.
No one knew the exact principle behind it.
As En Ci's disciple, Long Yue had chosen to specialize in only one secondary profession—forging.
However, under En Ci's guidance, Long Yue's progress in forging was meteoric. At the very least, his forging level consistently matched the demands of his soul power.
Currently, Long Yue was a sixth-level Forging Grandmaster, striving to break through to the seventh level.
Unfortunately, soul forging was incredibly difficult. Even though the Star Luo Continent had master craftsmen who understood soul forging, it was still hard to explain the intricacies.
Even after completing his two-word battle armor, Long Yue remained far from achieving the seventh-level forging rank.
After fusing with his two-word battle armor, Long Yue's aura became even more terrifying.
At this moment, the entire stadium seemed to tremble, as if it might collapse at any moment under the overwhelming pressure radiating from Long Yue.
Xu Yuan's aura was equally formidable, but the five elements mutually reinforced each other, creating an oppressive yet restrained presence. In contrast, Long Yue's aura was unrestrained and wild.
"Xu Yuan, you're incredibly strong, your talent almost monstrous. Even I must give my all to have a chance of defeating you," Long Yue said earnestly.
After all, he was five years older than Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan was only fifteen, meaning he had only been cultivating for nine years.
If given five more years, would he reach the Soul Emperor stage?
Could he become a two-word battle armor master?
This was almost certain.
After all, Xu Yuan was already at level 55!
Would it be difficult for Xu Yuan to increase by five levels in five years?
As for battle armor…
Long Yue wasn't sure why Xu Yuan didn't have more battle armor.
That's right—he had seen clearly.
When Xu Yuan transformed into light earlier, most of the glowing masses had directly formed into the mech, with only two pieces fusing into his right shoulder and the back of his right hand as battle armor.
Long Yue spoke earnestly.
"Once I unleash my full strength, I may lose all restraint. If you can't withstand it, don't force yourself."
It was a well-intentioned warning.
Immediately afterward, his body rapidly grew larger, forcibly increasing in height to over three meters.
Long Yue was already tall at two meters, and with his martial soul activated and the Mountain Dragon King's aura surging, his body quickly reached over three meters. Combined with the shadow of the Mountain Dragon King behind him, his overall presence rivaled Xu Yuan's mech in size.
A dragon roar erupted from his throat.
The terrifying dragon might swept across the arena, causing the audience to tremble with fear, some even feeling the urge to kneel. Fortunately, they were seated, so their reactions were limited to collapsing weakly into their chairs without further embarrassment.
Long Yue's eyes glowed faintly red.
From within the mech, Xu Yuan observed everything clearly.
The dragon might had no effect on him.
With a powerful will, he could resist all forms of intimidation!
Essence, energy, and spirit merged with the heavens and earth.
Essence, energy, and spirit sealed.
The Seven Forbidden Techniques took effect. Despite Long Yue's earlier explosive roar and overwhelming momentum, his aura quickly diminished.
Long Yue's expression shifted slightly.
What terrifying suppression.
More bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes.
He glared at the surrounding oppressive forces of heaven and earth, as if venting the rage within his heart.
The Mountain Dragon King's aura surged once more.
Seeing Long Yue surrounded by earthy-yellow energy, Xu Yuan's mech launched the first attack.
The spear strikes, slaying the dragon!
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