Chapter 116: Victory

Chen Mobai knew the Wood Prison Talisman wouldn't hold Gong Xiangyu for long, so he immediately knocked the prison, along with his opponent inside, out of the arena.

"Damn it, how can I lose in this round?"

Roaring furiously, Gong Xiangyu, who had been struck into the air by a Water Fist, pulled out another talisman. A dark blade of light erupted, slicing through the ordinary first-grade low-tier Wood Prison Talisman, which only lasted for two seconds before shattering.

"The Spirit Transformation Talisman is complete; I can now unleash power beyond the Qi Cultivation realm..."

At this moment, Gong Xiangyu's right hand was completely covered in scales. As he roared, his arm suddenly elongated like a long snake, gripping the edge of the arena. A burst of immense power then forcibly halted his uncontrolled body in mid-air.

"Get back here!"

With a thunderous shout, Gong Xiangyu used his right hand as leverage, forcibly pulling his suspended body back towards the arena.

This sight made many people's hair stand on end.

Although the path of cultivation involved countless spells, the sight of an arm transforming into a snake-like appendage made the less experienced Qi Cultivation students feel slightly uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, in the viewing stands, representatives from the Daoist Academy were watching with great interest.

"Only after spirit transformation can the full power of Spirit Control arts be unleashed."

"Given that, even though that young man's combat awareness and spell system are excellent, if the fight drags on, he's very likely to be outmatched."

"We agree, but Chen Mobai has given me too many surprises. He might have a trump card to defeat the Spirit Control art."

Lan Haitan's words slightly startled the three people present.

From his tone, it seemed he knew Chen Mobai.

"No, it seems there won't be a second round," said Bian Yiqing, who had been silent until now.

"Hmm?"

Although his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, he was a grandmaster of the Sound Dao. He could perceive and hear many imperceptible details through the subtle rhythms of the atmosphere, deducing omens akin to foresight.

Lan Haitan, the other two, and the academy representatives behind them all looked towards the arena, paying particular attention to Chen Mobai's movements.

Finally, Lan Haitan, with the highest cultivation and most extensive combat experience, noticed something.

Chen Mobai's hands, which had been hanging naturally at his sides, subtly trembled. His left hand gently lifted, as if gripping something.

At the same time, the Ice Water Sword, previously embedded in the center of the arena, shot straight up. Guided by water manipulation arts, it flew like a true flying sword, descending towards Gong Xiangyu.

A dazzling white light streaked across the arena, drawing a perfect semicircle in everyone's eyes. Carrying a faint cold current, it swept past the base of Gong Xiangyu's snake-like hand, which was gripping the arena edge, with lightning speed.

With a "ding," sparks flew!

Gong Xiangyu's scales, which had appeared after his spirit transformation, proved remarkably tough. Although the Ice Water Sword was enhanced by spells, it was not a true flying sword. It shattered two scales but failed to sever the snake-like hand.

Hiss... hiss... hiss...

A sinister hiss emanated from between Gong Xiangyu's clenched teeth. With icy, vertical pupils, he watched as half his body had already returned to the arena, just about to place one foot back on it, when an intensely hot stream of air suddenly emerged.

Then, a fiery red light surged upwards from Chen Mobai's position, like a massive sword overflowing with flames, crashing down heavily onto Gong Xiangyu's head.

The latter immediately activated his last defensive talisman. Although he didn't expect it to completely block this first-grade high-tier talisman, likely Chen Mobai's trump card, he hoped it would buy him some time to free his hands.

"It's over," Chen Mobai said softly.

With the Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman gripped in his right hand, Chen Mobai's left fingers moved again, guiding the Ice Water Sword.

To everyone's astonishment, he used the water sword to slice off the entire section of the arena edge that Gong Xiangyu's snake-like hand was grasping.

Simultaneously, the power of the Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman fully erupted.

Gong Xiangyu felt his body lighten, then he lost all control, getting heavily struck by the crimson fire sword and sent more than ten meters outside the arena.

Boom!

Starting from Chen Mobai's position, the enormous, square stone arena was carved with a massive gash by the Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman. This gash extended for twenty to thirty meters, widening further out, as if spreading, reaching its largest diameter at the edge of the arena.

This was because Chen Mobai had dispersed the Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman, which was supposed to be inwardly concentrated, at that spot, transforming it into a massive shockwave that pushed Gong Xiangyu out of the arena.

At the end of the gash stood Gong Xiangyu, trembling all over, wide-eyed, and filled with disbelief after landing.

His body appeared scorched and blackened in patches, looking quite terrifying; outsiders might have assumed he was gravely injured. However, Foundation Establishment cultivators like Lan Haitan could sense that his qi and blood were stronger than ever.

This was a sign that the Spirit Transformation Talisman had fully activated, allowing him to wield a portion of second-tier Spirit Control power.

But none of this mattered anymore.

He had been knocked off the arena.

He had lost.

A complete and utter defeat.

Although he could have argued that he was careless or underestimated his opponent, Gong Xiangyu knew that doing so would strip him of his last shred of dignity, making him appear as a sore loser and a fragile clown in the eyes of the Daoist Academy representatives.

"I can't believe it, I actually lost to you!"

Although Gong Xiangyu hadn't been entirely confident of winning the duel, he believed only Yan Feng and Kong Feichen had a chance to defeat him; even Yang Jing wasn't qualified.

"Referee!"

But Chen Mobai didn't respond to him. Instead, he raised his hand and called out to the Danzhu Academy teacher who was still standing below the stage, mouth agape and somewhat dazed.

"Oh." Startled by the call, the referee teacher finally snapped back to reality. After a slight cough, he announced the result.

"The winner is Chen Mobai!"

As these words were shouted, Lu Hongsheng from Fifth High School let out the cheer he had been suppressing, yelling like crazy.

Not just him, but also some highly speculative bettors who had wagered on Chen Mobai's victory had their eyes turn red with excitement.

Facing the Fifth High School students who rushed onto the arena and swarmed towards him, Chen Mobai remained rather calm.

To be honest, Gong Xiangyu's Spirit Control art, and even his spiritual power cultivation, had somewhat exceeded Chen Mobai's expectations.

When his opponent's Spirit Transformation Talisman activated, unleashing powerful spiritual energy far exceeding the Qi Cultivation realm, Chen Mobai even felt he might lose.

But in the end, Chen Mobai still found a way to win.

Or perhaps, the demonic beast aura emanating from the transformed Gong Xiangyu had ignited Chen Mobai's combat experience from his life-and-death struggles with demonic beasts on Qingguang Island.