Jing Hongchen went through all the trouble of arranging for Xiao Hongchen to face off against Liuxing, likely to make Xiao Hongchen see reality for himself.
Living in his own world would never allow him to surpass his grandfather.
Instead of suffering a harsher blow later, it was better to let Liuxing give him a good beating now to wake him up.
At this moment, as the battle roster appeared, the students in the stands started discussing fervently.
"Who do you think will win, Xiao Hongchen or Liuxing?"
"Of course, it'll be Liuxing. He even defeated that sword fanatic before."
"But Xiao Hongchen doesn't seem weak either. Not only is he a Level Five Soul Engineer, but he's also the grandson of the Red Dust Hall Master. I heard his martial soul has the bloodline of a divine beast, making it unimaginably powerful."
Jing Ziyan listened to the surrounding discussions, then turned to Ji Juechen beside her and asked, "What do you think?"
Ji Juechen crossed his arms over his sword, closed his eyes, and said flatly, "He will win."
Jing Ziyan rolled her eyes. Of course, she knew exactly who Ji Juechen was referring to.
But still, the level of attention Ji Juechen paid to Liuxing, along with his unwavering confidence in him, made her a little jealous.
Then again, she also knew that Ji Juechen would be like this no matter which strong opponent Liuxing faced.
…
Meanwhile, at the Soul Tool Trial Grounds.
Six combat platforms slowly rose up, their golden surfaces gleaming like radiant suns, exuding dazzling brilliance.
Soon, the teacher presiding over the match stepped onto the high platform, holding a sound-amplifying soul tool in his hand as he announced loudly, "Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, final match of the Reserve Team Selection Tournament, begins now! The twelve participants, please step onto the stage!"
As soon as the words fell, under the expectant gazes of thousands of students, twelve contestants ascended to their respective platforms one after another.
Six platforms, each with two opponents facing off.
Liuxing stepped onto the first platform, facing his opponent for this match, Xiao Hongchen.
"I've always had a small doubt about whether you're really stronger than me."
Xiao Hongchen crossed his arms and adjusted the hat on his head, his gaze carrying a rare trace of seriousness.
"Oh? Perfect, because I've also had a small doubt about whether you truly deserve the title of number one genius."
Liuxing curled his lips in defiance.
"Here we go again. These two are always at each other's throats!"
On another platform, Meng Hongchen rolled her beautiful eyes, then turned to her opponent,a Soul Ancestor-level student, and said apologetically, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry."
Meng Hongchen defeated, the Soul Ancestor level student without breaking any sweat.
After defeating her opponent, Meng Hongchen jumped off the ring and looked towards the arena where Liuxing and Xiao Hongchen were about to fight.
As the referee announced the start of the match, Liuxing immediately activated his Martial Soul Possession, entering his Molten Knight state.
Although he didn't believe he would lose, he still took Xiao Hongchen seriously.
After all, Xiao Hongchen was a Soul King who practiced both soul tool crafting and soul mastery. His strength was on a completely different level compared to the students Liuxing had fought before.
Even Ji Juechen might not have the upper hand if he had to face a fully equipped Xiao Hongchen.
Liuxing respected Xiao Hongchen's strength, and Xiao Hongchen, in turn, took Liuxing just as seriously. In contrast to Liuxing, his expression was even graver.
Though proud, Xiao Hongchen was not blind to Liuxing's strength. So, he immediately went all out.
A golden light flashed around Xiao Hongchen's body, and five soul rings appeared, two yellow, two purple, and one black.
"First Soul Skill, Metal Control."
"Third Soul Skill, Metal Shaping."
With a low shout, Xiao Hongchen summoned numerous glowing metal orbs out of thin air, which hovered around him.
As he waved his hands, the orbs began to morph and rearrange.
In an instant, over a hundred soul tool turrets took shape, floating in the air, densely packed together, leaving the watching students stunned.
For an ordinary soul engineer, controlling ten soul tool turrets at once would already be the limit.
Yet, with a mere wave of his hand, Xiao Hongchen had manipulated over a hundred.
And what made this even more shocking was that these turrets weren't pre-made; they were directly formed using his soul skills.
Many students stared at Xiao Hongchen in awe. He truly lived up to his reputation as the academy's top genius.
Just this display of metal shaping had already amazed the entire crowd.
Xiao Hongchen adjusted his hat with one hand while raising the other, palm facing Liuxing, and clenched his fist confidently.
"Liuxing, prepare to be bombarded by my firepower."
The next moment, hundreds of golden energy spheres shot out from the turrets, densely packed as they rained down on Liuxing.
Liuxing's mouth twitched, this was the very definition of excessive firepower.
"Boom!"
Flames burst from Liuxing's back, propelling him into the air. He maneuvered swiftly, dodging the barrage of golden orbs.
His Blazing Spear glowed red as he slashed at the incoming projectiles, detonating them one by one to carve a path for himself.
Xiao Hongchen laughed heartily.
"Second Soul Skill, Metal Boiling."
"Fourth Soul Skill, Metal Sacrifice."
With both soul skills activated, the power of his turrets surged.
Their rate of fire and number of projectiles increased dramatically, completely enveloping the arena in golden explosions.
The referee had activated a protective soul barrier the moment Xiao Hongchen summoned his turrets; otherwise, even the spectator stands would have been affected.
With Metal Boiling, Xiao Hongchen burned his soul power to enhance his soul tool attacks. Meanwhile, Metal Sacrifice allowed him to burn ambient metal elements in the air, boosting his turret firepower while simultaneously replenishing his own soul power.
At the same time, Liuxing activated his third soul skill, Total Burning. His silver-white mecha was now covered in flame patterns, further increasing its defensive capabilities.
Even with this, dodging every attack was impossible.
There was simply no room to evade; the sky was filled with soul tool firepower.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions rang out continuously, accompanied by Xiao Hongchen's wild laughter.
He was thoroughly enjoying himself, but Liuxing was not.
Although his mecha armor had kept him from taking significant damage, getting bombarded without the ability to retaliate went against his nature.
This was his first real taste of a soul engineer's overwhelming firepower. Even he was struggling to get close to his opponent.
Without a proper charge skill, Liuxing could only focus on evading while inching closer.
However, his patience was wearing thin.
"First Soul Skill, Lesser Combustion."
"Second Soul Skill, Heavenly Fire."
Soul skill for soul skill, he could play that game too.
Xiao Hongchen was grinning confidently. He knew he was at a disadvantage in close combat.
If Liuxing got within striking distance, he would likely be defeated in just a few moves.
But soul engineers never let their enemies get close. From the very start, he had kept his distance, unleashing his firepower at full strength, utilizing four soul skills at once.
This turret strategy, continuous, overwhelming bombardment, was his specialty, and he was using it to perfection.
He wanted to prove to everyone that the academy's top genius wasn't just an empty title.
And more importantly, he wanted to shut up his sister, Meng Hongchen, who was always fawning over Liuxing.
Surely, after this, she wouldn't keep comparing him to Liuxing.
But just as he was reveling in his success, his smile suddenly froze in horror.
He watched in disbelief as a blazing red figure pushed through his relentless barrage, tearing through the explosions like a ship cutting through waves, charging straight at him.
The air around him grew scorching hot, and his floating metal turrets began to melt, golden liquid dripping from them.
Xiao Hongchen could control metal, but against temperatures high enough to melt it, he was powerless.
He could only watch helplessly as his turrets were reduced to molten slag.
The next moment, a fiery red figure appeared before him.
Bang!
A powerful kick slammed into his chest.
Xiao Hongchen's pupils shrank. He watched in disbelief as Liuxing had brute-forced his way through his bombardment.
What the hell?! Was I just tickling him?
Having exhausted most of his soul power after using four soul skills simultaneously, Xiao Hongchen was powerless to dodge.
He was sent flying, unable to regain control.
Pain surged through his chest as he felt himself soaring through the air.
Then, his eyes widened in terror as he saw a crimson spear hurtling toward him, its tip radiating an overwhelming, inescapable force.
Liuxing wasn't really trying to kill him… right?
But then again, he had just mercilessly bombarded Liuxing without holding back.
The blinding spear light tore through the air, leaving behind a twisted trail of heat.
The referee had already prepared a soul tool, ready to step in and save Xiao Hongchen at a moment's notice.
Just as the spear was about to strike, Xiao Hongchen's fifth soul ring lit up.
His body melted into a pool of liquid gold, plummeting to the ground.
Liuxing halted his attack, recognizing that Xiao Hongchen had reached his limit. That must have been his last trump card.
He never actually intended to kill Xiao Hongchen, he had just been annoyed after being blasted repeatedly.
And really, who wouldn't be frustrated after getting bombarded like that?
The golden liquid slowly reformed into Xiao Hongchen's shape.
Clutching his chest, pale-faced, Xiao Hongchen looked at Liuxing, his lips quivering.
"Brother…"
From the stands, Meng Hongchen's worried voice rang out.
Xiao Hongchen trembled slightly. His expression was complicated as he looked at Liuxing, then spoke in a deep voice:
"I lost."
With that, he turned and walked off the stage, looking utterly defeated.
His fifth soul skill, Metal's Last Embrace, had been his final lifeline.
His soul power was nearly depleted, while Liuxing hadn't even used his fourth soul skill or his self-created Absolute Destruction Spear.
Liuxing had only used a fraction of his strength, while Xiao Hongchen had gone all out.
The difference in power was undeniable.
As Xiao Hongchen's dejected figure disappeared, Liuxing let his flames dissipate, revealing his true form. He wiped a trace of blood from his lips and grinned.
"Not bad, Xiao Hongchen. You actually managed to injure me. As expected of the academy's number one genius."
Despite his mecha's protection, the relentless explosions had still injured him.
That level of firepower would have reduced any ordinary Soul Ancestor to ashes.
That was why he was so frustrated, not because Xiao Hongchen had fought unfairly, but because he himself had been too arrogant.
He had known Xiao Hongchen was a soul engineer.
He had known what Xiao Hongchen was capable of.
Yet, he had still let himself fall into such a disadvantageous position.
####
You can check advanced chapters here -
patreon.com/Yui36