270: The Azure Serpent's Fangs
The confrontation with Yang Nianxia hadn't been a battle; it had been a calibration. A measurement of strength, mettle, and reaction. Yao Xuan's Eye of Insight had recorded every detail—the flow of Yang Nianxia's soul power, the stability points in his stance, the micro-expressions of shock and determination. The data was logged, analyzed, and filed away.
When Yang Nianxia roared and activated his Dark Gold Protective Shield, a dark gold sheen solidifying over his already formidable form, Yao Xuan saw not an impenetrable wall, but a structured energy matrix. With his enhanced comprehension, he perceived the harmonic frequency of that shield, the points where the energy density was slightly lower to allow for mobility near the joints.
"Ancestral Dragon's Thousand Blade Kill."
Yao Xuan's voice was calm, almost detached. The fourth soul ring, so deep a purple it seemed to drink the light, brightened. He didn't summon a storm of scales. Efficiency was key. Six dragon scales, each no larger than a palm, shimmered into existence above his forearm. They weren't thrown; they were guided, propelled by his will and the compressed soul power vortex spinning in his heart. They left not with a roar, but with a series of sharp, clear sounds like crystals chiming, trailing faint, nine-colored afterimages.
Yang Nianxia's eyes tracked the first one, then lost them all. They moved with a speed that defied his bear-instincts. They didn't aim for the center of mass. Two targeted the space just above his collarbone, where his Eye of Insight highlighted a convergence point in the shield's energy flow. Two more aimed for his temples, not to penetrate the skull, but to disrupt the spiritual energy fueling the defense. The final two went for his knees—not to cripple, but to destabilize.
The result was instantaneous and brutal in its precision. The dark gold shield flickered violently as the key energy nodes were pierced, then shattered like glass under a diamond drill. The scales, their penetrative power terrifying, continued their path. They didn't need to create gaping wounds; the simulated system registered the precise, fatal disruptions to vital energy centers and translated them into a catastrophic failure.
Yang Nianxia's charge faltered mid-stride. He looked down, a confused expression on his face, then his form dissolved into a shower of light.
Outside the pod, his real body jerked. The disconnect was jarring. One moment, the adrenaline of battle, the next, the sterile quiet of the simulation chamber. He sat there for a long moment, the echo of that impossible, precise strike lingering in his mind. It hadn't felt like being overpowered. It had felt like being… deconstructed.
Shen Yi's subsequent consolation about Yao Xuan being the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's disciple and a "special case" helped, but it couldn't erase the visceral lesson. Humility, he was learning, wasn't just a virtue at Shrek; it was a survival skill.
Back in the forest, the notification was brief.
'A more substantial reward,' Yao Xuan noted. 'His ranking and fighting spirit added value.' He turned to his team. Gu Yue's expression was unreadable, but he felt her analytical gaze assessing his technique, filing away the efficiency of the Thousand Blade Kill. Tang Wulin looked impressed and fiercely determined. Xie Xie whistled softly, a glint of respect in his eyes. Xu Xiaoyan and Zhang Yangzi just stared, absorbing the display of overwhelming, controlled power.
"Let's move," Yao Xuan said, his voice pulling them back to the present. "The forest is getting quieter. Others are being eliminated or grouping up."
He led them forward, his Eye of Insight constantly active, painting the world in layers of data. It was this heightened perception that caught the anomalous signatures ahead: three souls moving with coordinated caution, one radiating a venomous, reptilian coldness that stood out starkly against the forest's life.
Through a screen of hanging vines and broad leaves, he observed them. The girl in front—emerald hair, sharp features, an aura of arrogant toxicity. The Azure Serpent Emperor spirit soul, a legacy of ancient poison. Zheng Yiran. Flanking her, the twin brothers, their souls mirror images of muted, supportive energy, likely amplifiers or conduits for her power.
"Target spotted," Yao Xuan murmured, halting his team with a raised hand. He didn't elaborate. They trusted his perception. With a series of hand signals—simple gestures they had loosely agreed upon—he indicated a flanking maneuver. Gu Yue would take the high ground on the left, Tang Wulin the right. Xie Xie would be ready to intercept any attempt to flee. Zhang Yangzi and Xu Xiaoyan would provide rear support and area control.
Then Yao Xuan simply stepped through the foliage, placing himself directly in their path, his hands relaxed at his sides.
"This student, this road is blocked." His tone was polite, but the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes, which held the calm, assessing look of a predator.
Zheng Yiran's reaction was instantaneous, a flash of irritation in her emerald eyes. "Arrogant! Zheng Long, Zheng Hu, take him out."
The twins moved as one, a practiced synchronization. Their first yellow soul rings glowed, and their auras turned sickly green. They didn't charge; they struck from range, mouths opening to unleash twin beams of concentrated, corrosive venom. The air hissed as the jets of green light cut through it, withering leaves and vines into blackened sludge in an instant. It was a ruthless, area-denial attack meant to kill or cripple immediately.
Yao Xuan didn't move. His Eye of Insight tracked the trajectories, composition, and velocity of the poison streams. 'High corrosiveness. Moderate speed. Linear path. Predictable.'
"Ancestral Dragon's Thousand Blade Kill."
Again, the fourth ring flashed. This time, only two dragon scales formed, materializing before him. He didn't aim for the twins. He aimed for the poison streams themselves.
The scales, gleaming with nine-colored light, shot forward, not as projectiles to intercept, but as spinning blades that passed through the streams of venom. As they did, Yao Xuan's Ancestral Dragon Elemental Control subtly asserted itself, not to control the poison, but to destabilize its cohesive spiritual structure at the point of contact.
The result was dramatic. The two coherent, deadly streams of poison seemed to hit an invisible wall mid-air and detonated into harmless, dissipating green mist well before reaching Yao Xuan. The scales, unaffected by the toxin, continued their path, zipping past the stunned twins' ears with a sharp zing before circling back to hover beside Yao Xuan, a silent, gleaming warning.
Zheng Yiran's eyes widened. Her twins' opening salvo, which could cripple a Soul Elder, had been nullified with what looked like contemptuous ease. A flicker of uncertainty, quickly masked by rising anger, crossed her face. The green serpent around her arm raised its head, its eyes glowing with malignant light.
Yao Xuan simply looked at her, the two dragon scales orbiting him slowly. "Your turn?" he asked, his voice still deceptively mild.
The real battle, he knew, was about to begin....