Chapter 51: A true beast
Lin Xiaotian emerged from the lightning directly above Xingluo, bringing the polearm down with both hands.
Xingluo crossed her sword against the shaft, but the impact still drove her into the ring and cracked the stone beneath her feet.
Before Lin could press down further, she shifted the blade along the polearm and stepped aside, allowing the weapon to crash into the ground.
Lin immediately twisted his grip and struck the base of the polearm against the ring, lightning erupted in every direction.
Blue currents spread through the cracks beneath Xingluo, forcing her to jump as several bolts rose from the ground and crossed beneath her feet.
Lin followed her movement and swung the polearm upward, catching her sword before she could land properly.
The force threw her across the ring, but Xingluo turned in the air and landed on one knee before sliding several metres.
Lin Xiaotian did not chase her immediately.
He stood at the centre of the spreading lightning with the polearm planted beside him, his massive body covered in blue arcs while the roaring outline behind him grew clearer.
The audience around Ring Seven became louder. "That is Lin Xiaotian’s Thunder Beast reinforcement."
"He is already using it in the first round?"
"That girl forced him to become serious."
Xingluo pushed herself up and tightened her grip around the sword. Her arm was still numb from blocking the previous strike, but Lin had already pulled the polearm free.
He rushed forward again, using the lightning beneath his feet to push his large body across the ring.
Xingluo avoided the first thrust, but the side blade changed direction and cut across her shoulder before she could move completely away.
Lin stepped after her and drove one fist toward her chest, Xingluo blocked it with her forearm, then struck his ribs with the hilt of her sword.
Lin endured the blow and caught her shoulder, attempting to throw her against the ring, but Xingluo lowered her body and hooked one leg behind his knee.
She pulled while striking his chest with her shoulder and for the first time, Lin Xiaotian lost his balance.
His foot slid backward, but before he could fall, lightning exploded from his body and forced Xingluo to release him.
She crossed her arms as the burst pushed her away, while Lin struck the polearm against the ground once more.
Six bolts shot outward and stopped around Xingluo, they rose into thick pillars of lightning before connecting above her head, forming a closed cage around her.
The audience reacted immediately. "Lightning Prison!"
"She cannot touch those walls without being paralysed."
Lin Xiaotian stood outside the prison and pointed the crystal toward Xingluo.
Lightning gathered around the floating gem before several narrow bolts entered the cage from different directions.
Xingluo moved between them, but the space inside was too limited, one bolt struck her leg, causing her muscles to stiffen, while another passed across her back and forced her closer to the prison wall.
Lin stepped forward and thrust the polearm through an opening between the lightning pillars.
Xingluo barely redirected the blade, but the strike was followed by another lightning discharge that threw her against the opposite side of the cage.
Pain spread through her body as the lightning wall struck her back, yet she forced herself away before the current could completely lock her muscles.
Lin attacked again and the long weapon filled most of the prison, leaving Xingluo little room to avoid each strike.
She blocked twice, ducked beneath the third, then noticed the lightning around the nearest pillar weakening when Lin released another spell through the crystal.
Her eyes moved toward the remaining pillars, every time the polearm discharged, part of the lightning maintaining the prison flowed back toward the weapon.
Lin Xiaotian pulled the polearm back and gathered another attack, while Xingluo deliberately moved toward the weakest side of the cage.
The crystal flashed and Lin thrust forward, expecting her to dodge again, but Xingluo stepped toward the weapon instead.
She struck the side of the polearm with both hands, redirecting its head into the weakened lightning pillar.
The collision disturbed the current for an instant and Xingluo rushed through before the gap could close.
Lightning tore across her shoulder and side, but she escaped the prison and continued moving directly toward Lin.
His eyes widened as she entered his range.
Xingluo drove her knee into his stomach, then struck the side of his face with the pommel of her sword.
Lin staggered back, but his large body remained standing as he swung the polearm horizontally.
Xingluo lowered herself beneath the blade and cut across the same leg she had injured earlier.
The sword opened another wound behind his knee and Lin dropped slightly, then forced himself upright with a roar as lightning surged through his muscles.
He caught Xingluo with his shoulder and smashed her into the ring, the impact emptied the air from her lungs, but she rolled away before the polearm descended and shattered the stone where her head had been.
Across the arena, several other matches had already ended, the barriers around Rings One, Three, and Six had lowered, while the winners stood near the edges watching the remaining fights.
Another contestant was thrown from Ring Four, leaving only three matches still active.
Most of the audience had already turned toward Ring Seven.
Miao Tianhe watched with growing interest, while Qin Haoran’s expression darkened each time Xingluo avoided one of Lin Xiaotian’s attacks.
Inside the ring, Lin pulled the polearm from the broken ground and looked toward Xingluo.
His breathing had become heavier, while the crystal at the head of his weapon flickered from the repeated spells. "You are stronger than I expected, Miss Luo."
Xingluo raised her sword again. "You are not exactly making this easy either."
Lin gave a short laugh before gripping the weapon with both hands. "Then we should end it properly."
He raised the polearm above his head and the remaining lightning across the ring rushed toward the floating crystal, gathering into a dense sphere that turned from blue to white.
The barrier surrounding Ring Seven shook as the pressure continued building, the military personnel near the ring activated another layer of protection, while the spectators fell silent.
Lin Xiaotian brought the weapon down and the base struck the ring with a deafening impact.
Stone shattered outward as a circular lightning shock erupted from the centre, tearing through the platform and throwing broken pieces into the air.
Xingluo ran directly toward the attack, several people in the audience stood in shock, believing she had made a mistake.
The lightning wave spread through the ground beneath her, but Xingluo jumped just before it reached her feet.
She landed on a rising piece of broken stone, pushed from it, and crossed the remaining distance while the shock continued destroying the ring behind her.
Lin looked up, but the crystal had dimmed after releasing nearly all its stored power and the lightning reinforcing his body weakened with it.
Xingluo descended with her sword raised, Lin lifted the shaft to block, and their weapons struck with enough force to drive his feet deeper into the shattered platform.
Xingluo did not pull back instead she placed her free hand against the back of the blade and forced it downward with all her remaining strength.
Lin’s injured leg trembled beneath him, the ground under his foot broke, and his knee finally struck the ring.
Xingluo twisted the sword away from the polearm, stepped onto the shaft, and drove her other knee into Lin’s chest.
His grip loosened, she kicked the polearm aside, landed behind him, and placed the edge of her sword against his neck before he could stand.
Lin Xiaotian remained still for several breaths as the shattered ring around them continued releasing small sparks, while the last traces of his lightning disappeared from the crystal.
The military referee raised one hand. "Ring Seven, match concluded."
The result appeared above the arena.
[Winner: Luo Xingluo.]
For a moment, the audience remained silent and then the cheers erupted across the stands.
Many had expected the unknown student from South River University to lose against the City Guards Captain’s son, yet she had broken through his Lightning Prison, survived his strongest attack, and defeated him under equal restrictions.
Xingluo lowered her sword and stepped back, Lin Xiaotian stood slowly, then looked at the destroyed ring before turning toward her.
"You ran toward the final attack because you realised the lightning travelled through the ground."
Xingluo nodded. "And every time you released a large spell, the crystal needed time to recover. Your physical reinforcement weakened during that gap."
He placed one fist against his chest and bowed slightly. "I lost, Congratulations Miss Luo."
Xingluo returned the gesture. "It was a good fight."
As the barrier around Ring Seven lowered, she looked across the arena.
Five matches had already ended, while the final two were approaching their conclusions.
Several winners were watching her carefully now, no longer treating South River University’s unknown contestant as an easy opponent.
Wuxia floated down beside her with a faint smile, this time, Xingluo had not survived because of luck, equipment, or a stronger Soul Soldier.
She had read her opponent, endured his power and defeated him herself.