Chapter 137: Dominant Victory

"Wood Summoning—Flame Bird!"

With a crisp and clear bird cry, a giant bird enshrouded in fierce flames burst through the air. The moment it appeared, it unleashed a torrent of scorching fire toward Yuming. Under the intense, blistering heat, even the extraordinarily sturdy stone floor of the combat arena showed signs of melting.

"A sixth-tier spirit beast—the Flame Bird!"

A sixth-tier spirit beast possessed strength comparable to a formidable martial realm expert. Not daring to show the slightest bit of arrogance, Yuming shifted his weight constantly to dodge the rushing flames, circulating his primal energy externally to fend off the terrifying heat while rapidly executing hand seals.

"Earth Sealing—Impenetrable Barrier!"

A circular ring of light rapidly shot toward the Flame Bird. Yet, Yuming did not stop there; he simultaneously maintained his focus to launch a piercing earthen spike attack against Ye Zihan.

"This Yuming is truly remarkable. He can actually divide his focus and weave two hand seals simultaneously! That is a technique only those in the late stage of the martial realm can master. To think he can pull it off while only in the early stage—he is truly worthy of being the young master of the Misty Rain Pavilion."

Yuming's display immediately drew exclamations of admiration from many in the crowd. Even Su Zi wore a solemn expression, feeling a surge of worry for Ye Zihan.

"Wood Summoning—Kui Wood Wolf! Tree Sprite!"

Ye Zihan's expression remained unchanged as he summoned two more sixth-tier spirit beasts, both affiliated with the wood element. Among the Five Elements, wood restrains earth. The Tree Sprite was a wood-type entity; the moment it emerged, its roots plunged deep into the ground, forming an impenetrable defense around Ye Zihan. Yuming's earthen spikes could no longer manifest, as the ground was now entirely controlled by the Tree Sprite.

"He actually summoned three sixth-tier spirit beasts all at once!" Ye Zihan's feat sparked a fresh wave of shock among the spectators, their gazes turning eager and expectant. Two exceptional geniuses colliding like this left everyone wondering who would ultimately emerge victorious.

"Hmph! Do you really think summoning a few spirit beasts makes you invincible?" Yuming was startled at first, but then sneered. While one hand maintained the seal controlling the Flame Bird, his other hand rapidly formed a new seal just as the Kui Wood Wolf was about to close in on him.

"Earth Prison!"

Thud!

An earthen cage suddenly erupted from the ground, firmly trapping the Kui Wood Wolf inside.

"And you, get in there too! Earth Prison!"

Yuming looked up at the Flame Bird sealed within the sphere of light in mid-air, pointed his finger, and manifested another thick earthen cage to imprison the Flame Bird as well. Among the Five Elements, apart from water restraining fire, earth could also suppress fire. Despite possessing the strength of a martial realm expert, the Flame Bird was rendered completely helpless, trapped tightly within the earthen prison.

After neutralizing both spirit beasts, Yuming did the unexpected—he drew a long sword and charged directly at Ye Zihan.

"What is he trying to do? Could it be that he is also a fire-attribute shadow warrior?"

The crowd speculated wildly, assuming Yuming was a dual-attribute cultivator—an exceedingly rare existence.

"You didn't expect this, did you? Although I am not a shadow warrior, my close-combat capabilities are by no means inferior to a shadow warrior in the Three Talents realm. The legacy of a high-tier spirit beast is not as simple as you think!"

As Yuming closed the distance to Ye Zihan, he shouted triumphantly. Although the Tree Sprite was a sixth-tier spirit beast, its offensive power was limited; its true excellence lay in defense and its counter to earth-element attacks.

Just as Yuming closed in on Ye Zihan and the onlookers held their breath in suspense, those who knew Ye Zihan's true background wore deeply eccentric expressions, their eyes filled with pity as they watched Yuming.

Facing the incoming close-range assault, Ye Zihan suddenly dismissed the Tree Sprite with a wave of his hand. This left Yuming momentarily stunned, unable to grasp the opponent's intention, though he soon attributed the move to fear.

"Ye Zihan, are you trying to forfeit? Too bad, it's too late now!"

Yuming had no desire to let a forfeit ruin his masterpiece. While he wasn't a shadow warrior, his Three Talents realm close-combat prowess had always been his pride. Proud individuals invariably loved to show off, exposing all their cards in the process, and Yuming thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, surrounded by envious and jealous gazes.

Hearing this, Ye Zihan smiled, shook his head, and said with a tone of mock regret, "Actually, I forgot to mention something just now. Not only am I a wood summoner, but I am also a shadow warrior!"

"What?!" Yuming's eyes widened in disbelief. In the next instant, a fierce, concentrated wave of fire-attribute primal energy erupted from Ye Zihan's body—the distinct power of a shadow warrior.

"Impossible!"

Watching the fist engulfed in blazing primal energy hurtle toward him, Yuming cried out in terror. But it was far too late to dodge; he had charged forward with too much momentum.

Bang!

With a brutal punch, Ye Zihan deflected Yuming's long sword and struck him squarely in the chest. Like a sandbag sent flying, Yuming was blasted into mid-air before crashing heavily outside the boundaries of the arena.

Ye Zihan had not used his full strength; he had merely knocked his opponent out of bounds. Yuming's physical constitution was tough enough that he merely spat a mouthful of blood before struggling to his feet. Breathing heavily with a livid expression, he glared from afar at Ye Zihan, who remained the focus of everyone's attention on the stage.

Of course, all eyes were currently on him as well, but the pitying gazes directed his way were more than he could bear.

"Cough."

Before he could catch his breath, Yuming rolled his eyes and passed out cold, literally fumed into unconsciousness by sheer anger.

"Big Brother Yuming!"

Qi Qianduan, Sen Fengjue, and Ye Yuetian hurried forward to check on his condition. The twin phoenixes of the Phoenix Academy watched the scene unfold from afar without stepping in, their eyes shimmering with brilliant, complicated light.

After announcing his victory, Ye Zihan stepped down from the platform. The audience greeted him with looks of awe and worship. This reverence stemmed not only from his strength as a mid-stage martial realm expert but also from his identity as a dual-attribute cultivator. A dual-attribute cultivator, provided they were not cut down prematurely, was destined to rise as a supreme powerhouse.

Back in the day, the ancestor of the Ye Yue clan, Ye Yuejin, had been a supreme warrior who cultivated three attributes simultaneously, eventually rising to become a peerless master of the Ten Directions realm who shook the Three Realms and laid the foundation for the Ye Yue family's millennium of glory.

While a dual-attribute cultivator could not quite match a triple-attribute master, they were still exceedingly rare, virtually guaranteed to reach the peerless heights of the Eight Trigrams realm.

As Ye Zihan walked off the stage, Yan Chen was clutching his stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hahahahaha! That was—that was hilarious! Yuming actually got—got so angry he passed out! Haha..." Yan Chen laughed so hard he was gasping for air, taking quite a while to recover.

"That guy's strength is far too weak," Chen Yiyan evaluated bluntly.

"The bird-man is right," Mo You chimed in while crunching on a spirit crystal. He had grown so fond of his daily diet of spirit crystals that he barely spoke anymore.

"If that fellow knew you were the very person who brushed past him at the inn, I wonder if he'd wake up from sheer rage." Yan Chen speculated with a mischievous glint. Nearly two years had passed since that gathering of the Five Elements. Compared to back then, Ye Zihan's strength had undergone a meteoric rise, and his aura, demeanor, and appearance had transformed completely. He had grown from an inexperienced youth into a formidable martial realm expert, with peak Eight Trigrams realm powerhouses willingly serving under his banner.

Even if Ye Zihan's biological father, Ye Gaozhan, were to stand before him now, he likely wouldn't dare recognize this man as his own son.