An ancient and vast aura diffused from the void, bringing with it waves of solitary passage and profound antiquity.
The sky, without warning, suddenly darkened as if obscured by heavy clouds. Thunder rumbled deafeningly, and lightning writhed like silver snakes, dazzling and piercing.
A terrifying, oppressive pressure permeated the entire world.
"The sky, why has it changed?"
"Is it going to rain? How inconvenient!"
"The challenge match has just begun!"
Many people in the plaza grumbled softly, but then they heard other sounds.
The sea churned, waves towered, like an army of thousands charging across land, their roars shaking the sea and mountains.
Though the plaza itself remained unchanged, everyone present felt a sense of impending doom.
Lightning crisscrossed the sky, shaking the heavens. Waves surged, the earth quaked. An ancient, colossal tree, at this moment, pierced the void and descended upon the world.
"What, what is this, a martial soul!"
"How can a martial soul be this large, possessing such power!"
"What martial soul is this! A tree?"
"A standard trash martial soul, how could it bring such terrifying might!"
On the steps of the high platform, Ling Yuan gasped in shock. She had seen Wang Zhong's martial soul before; it was nothing like this.
Long She, Ci Tun, Gui Bao, and Mo Xiong exclaimed in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
The spectral image of an ancient, colossal tree rose, propping up the sky. Its massive, emerald canopy enveloped the entire plaza, stretching boundlessly, like a heavenly canopy, blocking out the sun. Within it, thunder crackled and lightning flashed.
Its impossibly thick trunk filled the world before them, piercing the clouds, supporting heaven and earth, ancient and awe-inspiring.
The dense roots that had originally hung in the void were now covered by an endless expanse of yellow ocean. Waves of deathly chill and decaying rot brought with them astonishing dread and terror.
Thick bolts of lightning, as large as water buckets, occasionally descended from the canopy, striking the yellow ocean and creating dense electric nets, ferocious and terrifying.
This tree canopy separated heaven and earth, connecting the world!
Not only Ling Yuan and the others were stunned and frightened, but Gui Mei and Yue Guan were equally taken aback, their gazes vacant, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Bi Bidong, looking at the tree martial soul behind Wang Zhong, her exquisite face also held a trace of shock. While she knew the tree martial soul would constantly evolve and grow, she had never imagined that a tree could reach such proportions.
The shock caused by the manifestation of the tree martial soul completely suppressed her previous anger.
Looking up at the sky, gazing at the canopy-like crown, Ying Yan Yang's heart pounded. He also had not anticipated such a terrifying transformation and growth for the tree martial soul.
"Wang Zhong's martial soul is definitely not just a tree!"
"What it specifically is, perhaps only the Arbitration Elder and His Holiness the Pope know! Otherwise, they wouldn't both be so concerned about him."
At this moment, Ying Yan Yang finally understood why, not long after Wang Zhong had enrolled, he had attracted the attention of the two most powerful figures in the Spirit Hall.
If they had known Wang Zhong's martial soul could grow to this extent, everything would be explainable.
The sound of thunder gradually receded, and the roar of the waves slowly died down. The extremely terrifying scene that had just occurred vanished like a mirage.
Although the tree martial soul had disappeared, the shock that gripped everyone's hearts did not. Students and teachers alike stared at Wang Zhong as if he were some monstrous anomaly.
"Wang Zhong's tree martial soul didn't look like this!" Zhang Shuai from the third-year class A couldn't help but swallow. The terrifying, sky-piercing giant tree made his Iron Arm Ape look like a mere monkey in comparison, weak and insignificant.
"Wang Zhong's martial soul has changed! How is that possible!" Lu Xiaoshuang from the fourth-year class A, his robust body trembling slightly.
Once a martial soul awakened, it was essentially fixed. No one's martial soul had ever undergone such a fundamental change as Wang Zhong's.
It was like two martial souls!
"Teacher Ying, please guide me!"
Wang Zhong retracted his outstretched arms, adopting a stance that could advance or retreat, ready for battle.
Ying Yan Yang suppressed his inner shock, his gaze fixed on Wang Zhong with grave seriousness.
This former student was likely one of the strongest opponents he would ever face! Furthermore, Wang Zhong's fifth spirit ring could not possibly be a ten-year one!
The condition for the tree martial soul's evolution was spirit power! A mere ten-year spirit ring could not cause such a transformation.
"His fifth spirit ring must be a hundred-thousand-year one! He's just using some method to conceal its color!"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ying Yan Yang's surrounding flames had not extinguished since the beginning, his strength and aura continuously rising.
Fierce and wild, yet neither chaotic nor restless.
Ying Yan Yang made no move, and Wang Zhong felt an aura of invincibility from him. He also hesitated to strike first, fearing to be outmaneuvered.
A terrifying pressure emanated between the two. The students and some teachers watching from the edge of the arena held their breaths, daring not to make a sound.
As the two remained locked in a stalemate, Ying Yan Yang's eyes narrowed, and the flames around him suddenly boiled.
With a flash of firelight, his figure vanished from his spot, transforming into a fiery red arrow that shot straight towards Wang Zhong.
A scorching wave of heat assailed him, almost igniting the air before him. Each breath felt like searing his lungs.
For others, this heatwave alone would have been unbearable for a long time, but for Wang Zhong, who had undergone training at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and whose lungs had been tempered by poison pills and the Snow Swan's Kiss, this temperature was nothing.
A fist, engulfed in raging flames, arrived before Wang Zhong in the blink of an eye, intensely hot, surging, carrying immense force, it slammed down unreservedly towards his chest.
His expression darkening slightly, Wang Zhong met the fist with an open palm at the last instant.
Fist and palm collided, a violent explosion of furious flames and terrifying brute force!
The impact was like a volcanic eruption or the earth stirring, and every teacher and student in the plaza felt the ground tremble.
His body suddenly sank, as if a mountain were pressing down, from his palm. The stage beneath his feet was nearly destroyed in an instant.
Cracks spread like a spiderweb from where Wang Zhong stood, covering the entire platform. Shards of stone fell, and the whole stage swayed precariously.
Ying Yan Yang's strike was as powerful as a meteor impact.
"Unimaginable super strength! I thought my body and strength were unparalleled, but I didn't expect Teacher Ying to possess strength comparable to mine."
With one hand holding back Ying Yan Yang's fist, Wang Zhong's eyes were filled with surprise, but also a hint of fervor.