Tempest of the Battlefield

Michaux could not accept the reality that someone else had gained the soul essence before him. Plus, Wang Tong was still far away from being an Einherjar. How would he have learned about the power of soul essence?

"Kom!"

Michaux slammed the staff down as a ray of cold light shot out from the tip of the staff. Meanwhile, Wang Tong charged up his GN force and sent a ray of golden light into the night sky.

As the two rays collided, they unleashed an immense energy that threatened to collapse the first layers of energy shield. As energy poured out profusely from the two fighters, both Li Shiming and Patroclus tightened their face and initiated their personal soul energy shield,

Outside the danger zone, no one could make out what was happening on the stage, as they murmured their admiration with awe.

The two fighters\' performances had exceeded the audiences\' expectation towards those of top fighters. Everyone was astonished by the incredible power of this generation of young fighters.

As the swirl of energy slowed down, the two rays of lights faded away. Wang Tong could sense the drastic difference between pulling the natural force with soul energy and being one with the natural energy. However, the risk of backfiring in blending oneself with the primordial force was significant, and such consequences could be catastrophic.

Fortunately for Wang Tong, after having survived the nuke blast ordeal on Norton, his body had been purified by the soul essence. Therefore, his soul energy was much more compatible with the natural force, thus lowering his risk.

Although Wang Tong knew practically nothing about the soul essence, today\'s fight was a solid first lesson for him.

Michaux stared at Wang Tong with envy. He had spent his entire life studying the soul essence, yet he was still denied its secrets.

Spurred by indignation, Michaux attacked again. He raised the staff above his head using his left hand while making a dozen hand signs with the right hand. Suddenly, the first layer of energy shield that had been invisible so far seemed to have turned into a glistering fluid, as it flowed into the staff like water being siphoned into a beaker—Michaux was absorbing the energy in the shield.

Wang Tong smiled calmly. Michaux\'s move didn\'t scare him. Instead, he felt more relaxed than before. He marveled at the unique advantage that the Tactics of the Blade had given him, as he reckoned that Michaux\'s method of obtaining energy was much inferior to his. Instead of becoming one with the natural force, Michaux was channeling it using his soul energy.

As the energy gathered inside the staff, a fiery bird appeared out of nowhere, hovering above it. The bird was a vivid representation of the Divine Master Sect\'s sigil—the undying phoenix.

Realizing that a coup de grace was coming, Wang Tong slammed the ground with a fist, and the rocks and debris started to tremble and rotate around the little crater, until they gained enough velocity and started to levitate. In a blink, Wang Tong had wrapped himself with a swirling tornado, with a few rays of golden light piercing through the cracks of the hurling rocks from time to time.

Sensing the promise of a devastating collision, Patroclus and Li Shiming finally abandoned their front row seats and retreated to safety. This was the first time for the Martians to see their young master unleash his true power.

Michaux shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice was filled with sorrow and anger.

"Flame of the Pure Soul!"

The fiery phoenix swooped down on Wang Tong with a menacing intent. It hit head-on against the golden ray of light, and made its way through half its length. Wang Tong gathered his strength and punched at the Phoenix. The impact release so much heat that it had turned air into hot steam. The sudden combustion sucked air into the vacuum, and Wang Tong suddenly felt being suffocated. Michaux\'s second attack was on its way already. Wang Tong hurried to defend, but the belligerent attack kept on raining from above. The fiery bird inched closer towards Wang Tong\'s head as the sphere of golden light shrunk its girth.

Michaux\'s eyes glinted with a new found confidence. Although Wang Tong had gained the soul essence ahead of him, he knew nothing about his new ability. In other words, Wang Tong still fought with the old mindset, and Michaux believed that that would be his downfall.

Karl\'s face had turned pale after seeing such display of strength. Although the two fighters\' techniques were beyond his understanding, he could tell that they had taken the fight to the next level. He could also sense that Wang Tong had arrived at a critical moment in his cultivation, and the outcome of this fight would directly affect his advancement. The more Karl thought about it, the more worried he became for him, since Wang Tong\'s opponent was the young master Michaux, who was feared even by Li Shiming and Patroclus.

A smug look crept onto Lie Jian\'s face as he noticed that Wang Tong was struggling. He watched as Wang Tong\'s golden energy started to wane. Once the fiery bird reached Wang Tong, he could be crushed by the deadly force in an instance. Lie Jian believed that Wang Tong\'s focus was no longer winning, but surviving.

The fizzling line of contact between the two energies was only a few feet away from Wang Tong\'s head. Already, Wang Tong could smell the stench of burnt hair. He hadn\'t been in such a passive position ever since his battle against Mr. Wannabe in the crystal space. His dire situation convinced him that Michaux was a better fighter than him. However, Wang Tong would never give up.

Wang Tong\'s mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution. Since he lacked even the most fundamental understanding of the soul essence, thinking had been difficult.

The situation was getting worse. Being forced into a corner with no way out, even a minor slip up would have cost Wang Tong\'s life. He had to act quickly—but how?

"Wang Tong is in danger. He should surrender right now, or he will be injured!" Li Ruoer heaved a sigh of resignation. She tried to hide her sympathy in her voice but failed.

Michaux Odin was too powerful of an opponent for Wang Tong. Not only was he the Martians\' spiritual leader, but he was also much more powerful than people had predicted. Michaux was not from the Great Houses, but he had proven to be as deadly as great house members, if not more so.

Wang Tong had done a great job getting so far into the tournament, but it appeared that his journey would have to end here.

"Xiaoru! Come back!" Li Ruoer suddenly found out that Ma Xiaoru was walking towards the danger zone by herself. Her sea of consciousness was wide open.

The MC also noticed the sudden development and announced that the heir of House Ma was approaching the stage despite the grave danger. No one had rushed to rescue Ma Xiaoru, since it would be too dangerous to walk right into the storm of chaos without any protective gear.

Li Shiming and Patroclus wanted to pull Ma Xiaoru out, but they were at the other end of the arena, and therefore, would not make it in time to reach her.