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Chapter 10: Defeating Haibai — Haigui Nearly Killed
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 04:18:19 +0000 UTCNot long after, to the eager anticipation of the students, Ignaz arrived at the dueling grounds behind the dormitory building.
The arena was a large circular platform, about sixty or seventy meters across. At its center was a fifty-meter-wide pool, roughly eight meters deep. By the time Iggy arrived, the entire perimeter was already packed with spectators—including more than a dozen instructors, among them Director Lu and Dean Shui, who had shown up in person to watch the match.
“Lu,” Dean Shui asked with a slight frown, “do you think this kid Iggy stands a chance? His soul ring ability is impressive, sure—but he’s up against the Haipo brothers, who started at level five and have now broken through to level twelve. Honestly, I’m not optimistic. Not to mention... Iggy’s a Tool Soul Master.”
Director Lu glanced at Dean Shui, trying to contain his smirk. He had personally witnessed Ignaz’s absurdly powerful first soul skill. In one-on-one combat, there likely wasn’t a single Soul Master under level 20 who could beat him. Even if the Haipo brothers had a Martial Soul Fusion skill, Iggy still had a fighting chance. That said, the dean had a point—going up against Sea Soul Masters as a Tool Soul Master was a real disadvantage.
“I trust the kid,” Lu replied with forced confidence, though deep down, even he wasn’t sure how this would play out.
Ignaz and the Haipo brothers stepped onto the solid platform at the same time, facing off in silence.
“Ready, Iggy?” Haibai called with a grin. “Don’t cry when you lose!”
He waved a hand to stop his younger brother, Haigui, from stepping forward, then turned back to Iggy with a look of scorn.
“Let me handle this one,” he said confidently. “He’s just a rusty old spear wielder with one ring. I don’t even need my first soul skill—three moves, and he’s done.”
With that, Haibai leaped into the pool. Water splashed everywhere as a horned seal burst from the surface, Haibai perched heroically atop its back.
“Haibai, a fourth-year student. Martial soul: horned seal. Level 12, one-ring Battle Soul Master.”
A yellow soul ring began to rise from beneath his feet. He gave Iggy a mocking glance.
Iggy didn’t flinch. He channeled a portion of his soul power to his feet and lightly leaped—landing steadily on the surface of the water.
This was a technique he had spent the entire school break developing—a step-by-step adaptation to aquatic combat. Not only did it work on water, but it translated to land battles as well, allowing for much faster movement—though at the cost of extra soul power.
“Wait, what? Isn’t he a Tool Soul Master? How’s he standing on water?!”
“Could that be a technique similar to Wave-Walking?” (A rare skill that mimics flight by channeling soul energy beneath the feet.)
Gasps and chatter rippled through the crowd. Some of the female students began squealing with admiration, cheering Iggy on.
Even the experienced instructors in the crowd couldn’t hide their surprise.
“Lu, that kid of yours handles soul power better than I ever could. This is the first time I’ve seen someone use foot-channeling to adapt to a Sea Soul Master’s arena.”
“Lu, I’ll give you ten jars of my best homebrew if you transfer him to our fourth-year class.”
Director Lu was immediately swarmed by his colleagues—some of them from as far up as the sixth year—begging for a class transfer.
“Back off!” Lu barked. “The kid’s got a solid theory, quick thinking, and insane discipline. I’ve raised this seedling myself.”
“And where were all of you when he was just starting, huh? Now that he’s ripe for the picking, do you want to snatch him away? Dream on!”
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Ignaz summoned his Rusted Spear soul. The blood-colored weapon materialized in his right hand.
“Ignaz, a third-year student. Martial Soul: Rusted Spear. Level 12, one-ring Tool Soul Master.”
He raised his left hand and gestured—after you.
As the yellow ring glowed beneath Iggy’s feet, the crowd erupted again.
“Another hundred-year soul ring?! Director Lu must’ve gone all in!”
For the first time, Haibai and Haigui felt an inexplicable pressure. Same soul level, same first-ring yellow ring... but something about Iggy was different. Still, this was their turf. Against someone like Iggy, it should’ve been a cakewalk.
Haibai dove underwater, surging toward Iggy at high speed, ready to activate his first soul skill.
The seal’s tail doubled in size. As it swam, the whole pool shook like it was being hit by a quake. The water rose and crashed—Iggy could barely stay upright.
“First Soul Skill—Battle Spear: Dragon Transformation.”
A thin layer of crimson scales appeared on Iggy’s body—an energy armor that significantly boosted his defense.
Haibai shot out from the water. Half the pool was now empty. A huge wave—two meters tall—surged toward Iggy as the seal’s massive tail whipped through the air.
Just as the wave crashed down and the tail struck, Iggy saw his opening. He drove his blood-colored spear straight through the seal’s tail and gave it a sharp pull—splitting it cleanly in two.
With a quick sidestep, Iggy slashed the spear across the seal’s flank, leaving a three-meter gash along its side. Haibai fell back into the water, a thirty-centimeter wound now running down his left arm.
As the water settled, Haibai struggled to regain balance atop his wounded seal, gasping for breath, clearly exhausted.
“You lost. This match is over,” Iggy said calmly. “My spear’s poisoned—get to a teacher, now. If you wait too long, you might lose that arm.”
He meant it. A duel was meant to test strength—not take lives. Iggy had already proven his point.
Haibai looked around at the stunned crowd of students and teachers, eyes full of frustration.
“I haven’t lost yet!”
Gritting his teeth, he forced some of the poisoned blood from his arm using soul power. His complexion improved slightly. Then he turned to his brother.
“Let’s do it.”
“Right!” Haigui replied.
He leaped into the pool and summoned his horned seal. The two brothers activated their first soul skills in tandem, circling the pool at high speed.
Suddenly, a massive water tornado—fifteen meters in diameter—rose into the air, carrying a force equivalent to a second-ring, 800-year soul skill.
The suction pulled in every leaf in the area. Without the protective barrier from the instructors, many students would’ve been caught in the blast.
“This is our strongest technique,” the brothers shouted in unison. “With only one ring, you don’t stand a chance.”
Ignaz was already being pulled into the vortex. With almost no resistance on the water’s surface, he was quickly swallowed by the whirlpool. The intense water pressure crushed in from all sides. If not for his enhanced physical defense—up to 40%—he would’ve been torn apart.
Inside the vortex, the brothers began their charge.
Iggy gripped his spear tighter, tracking Haigui’s movement and adjusting for water pressure. He waited for the right angle—
Whoosh!
He hurled the blood spear with full force. Haigui, moving too fast to dodge, saw the spear closing in on his chest. Panic set in—there was no way to stop their Fusion Technique mid-cast.
But before the spear could hit—
The entire water vortex began freezing from the base upward. In less than a second, it had become a four-meter-high column of ice—freezing all three of them solid.
“Sigh... these kids. Always pushing things too far.”
Dean Shui snapped his fingers, and the ice tornado shattered instantly. All three students drained of soul power, began to fall.
Three flying instructors shot up just in time to catch them.
“Hurry—get them to the infirmary! Treat Haibai first. He mustn’t be allowed to die.”
“Yes, Dean!”
