"Die!"
Ma Xiaotao let out a sharp cry, and the eighth-rank soul tool in her hand—the golden crystal sword—suddenly erupted with a brilliant golden-red light.
For this attack, she no longer mobilized even a sliver of fire spirit power to coat the blade, but instead purely activated the "Tear" and "Shock" Core Formations engraved inside the spirit tool.
"Buzz—!"
The blade sliced through the air, emitting a teeth-gritting low hum.
That was not the sound of fire burning, but a sonic boom produced by high-frequency vibrations cutting through the air.
Streaks of tangible Sword Qi enveloped Liu Yuan like a torrential storm.
"Hmph, you've certainly learned to be smarter."
Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as his figure shuttled rapidly through the gaps in the Sword Qi.
Although he now possessed the [Huge Power] Ability, which doubled his physical attack power, this did not mean his defense could ignore the sharpness of an eighth-rank soul tool.
Furthermore, Ma Xiaotao was, after all, a top-tier attack system Spirit Saint with immense strength.
To deal with her...
Going head-to-head?
That would be a bit too foolish.
Finding an opportunity to fully stack Dragon Dance was the true way to solve the problem!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The hard granite surface of the arena shattered like tofu under Ma Xiaotao's Sword Qi, with rubble flying and dust filling the air.
Liu Yuan's figure flickered in and out of the smoke and dust; although it looked like he was in constant danger, he managed to evade every fatal blow by a hair's breadth.
"Do you only know how to hide? Coward!"
Unable to land a hit for a long time, Ma Xiaotao grew increasingly anxious.
She swung the golden crystal sword in her hand even more frantically, her sword momentum continuous, giving Liu Yuan no chance to breathe or counter-attack.
She knew very well that Liu Yuan's Dragon Dance provided an extremely strong buff; once he caught an opportunity to stack it, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, she had to suppress him! Suppress him relentlessly! Leave him no chance to stack Dragon Dance!
However, just at the moment when Ma Xiaotao's old strength was spent and her new strength had yet to arise.
Liu Yuan, who had been in a passive defensive state, suddenly focused his gaze.
"The chance!"
His footwork abruptly changed, and his originally illusory figure instantly became solid as a sharp, peak-level aura erupted from within him.
"Extreme Speed!"
Whoosh—!
In the blink of an eye, Liu Yuan's figure vanished from the spot into thin air.
His speed was so fast that it even left a long white air wave in the atmosphere.
"Here it comes!"
Ma Xiaotao's pupils contracted sharply, and alarm bells rang in her heart.
She was all too familiar with this move!
This was Liu Yuan's signature skill.
"Thinking of a sneak attack? In your dreams!"
Ma Xiaotao reacted extremely quickly, making a response almost subconsciously.
"Boom!"
The Phoenix Evil Fire within her body surged out in all directions without reservation, instantly turning the area of several dozen meters around her into a sea of fire.
Although the flames couldn't hurt Liu Yuan, as long as he stepped into this sea of fire, the subtle changes in the flow of the flames would immediately expose his position!
Simultaneously, Ma Xiaotao held the golden crystal sword across her chest, her muscles tensed as she assumed the perfect defensive posture, ready at any moment to receive Liu Yuan's thunderous strike.
However...
A second passed.
The anticipated attack did not arrive.
Instead, that sharp aura was actually... moving away?
"What?!"
Ma Xiaotao snapped her head up and looked in the direction she sensed the aura.
She saw that dozens of meters away, at the very edge of the arena.
Liu Yuan's figure was quietly floating in mid-air.
He hadn't charged over at all!
That seemingly fierce opening move just now was nothing more than a feint!
His true purpose was to use the unparalleled explosive speed of Extreme Speed to instantly pull away from Ma Xiaotao!
At this moment, Liu Yuan looked at the stunned Ma Xiaotao, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a cunning smile.
Following that, he opened his arms, and purple-black dragon-shaped currents began to emerge around him, dancing with an ancient and mysterious rhythm.
The currents spiraled upward, not only strengthening his muscle power but also frantically boosting his speed attribute.
[Dragon Dance]!
Attack increased by one stage! Speed increased by one stage!
"Damn it! I've been played!"
Watching this scene, Ma Xiaotao felt a rush of blood to her head; she was about to explode with rage.
She had calculated everything, guarding against all of Liu Yuan's offensive routes, and had even prepared to tank a hit to counter-attack.
In the end, this guy actually ran to the corner to dance?!
This was blatant tactical deception!
"Liu Yuan! You bastard! Stop right there!"
Ma Xiaotao roared, her flame wings flapping violently as she turned into a streak of red lightning, charging frantically toward Liu Yuan.
She absolutely could not let him stack his buffs!
The lesson from the last match was still fresh in her mind; once Liu Yuan fully stacked Dragon Dance, that terrifying destructive power would be something even she might not be able to withstand!
A distance of dozens of meters was but a blink of an eye for powerhouses of their level.
Looking at the exasperated Ma Xiaotao charging over, Liu Yuan, who was "dancing," did not panic in the slightest.
Just an instant before Ma Xiaotao's golden crystal sword was about to strike down.
The dragon-shaped currents surrounding Liu Yuan suddenly retracted into his body.
One Dragon Dance stack, complete!
Immediately after.
Liu Yuan looked at the blade right before his eyes, a glint flashing in his gaze as he once again uttered the two words that drove Ma Xiaotao crazy:
"Extreme Speed!"
Whoosh—!
This time, Liu Yuan's speed was even faster than before!
With the speed bonus from Dragon Dance, his figure truly seemed to turn into an elusive beam of light.
Ma Xiaotao only felt a blur before her eyes, and her sure-hit sword strike actually slashed through empty air!
"What?!"
Before she could even react, that silhouette had already swept across most of the arena in an instant, appearing in another corner completely opposite to where he was before.
"Bang!"
Ma Xiaotao's sword struck the empty ground, and the powerful momentum forced her to stumble several steps forward before she could stabilize herself.
She spun around, staring fixedly at the distant Liu Yuan, her eyes bloodshot and her chest heaving violently.
But at this time, Liu Yuan acted as if nothing had happened, opening his arms again as the purple-black dragon-shaped currents emerged around him once more.
Dragon Dance, second stage!
"You... you're shameless!"
Ma Xiaotao shook with rage, cursing through gritted teeth.
"All is fair in war."
Liu Yuan shrugged leisurely while maintaining the operation of Dragon Dance. "If you have the Ability, then catch me."
"Argh! You're infuriating me!"
Ma Xiaotao completely went berserk.
Reason told her that at a time like this, she should calmly search for a flaw.
But seeing the aura on Liu Yuan growing stronger and stronger, that feeling of a looming crisis made it impossible for her to remain calm.
She raised the golden crystal sword again and charged toward Liu Yuan regardless of the cost.
However, in the next second, a sudden change occurred!
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