Ever since he had become a Titled Douluo, his rate of progression had tapered off significantly. He was still working very hard in his cultivation, but his progression had slowed to a crawl. He knew that he needed to accumulate more experience in order to continue to improve, and the best way to do this was undoubtedly through battle.

This was only the first match, yet he had already encountered such a dangerous Soul Douluo, and this was causing his battle intent to escalate through the roof. He would much rather face a powerful opponent than have an easy match as the more powerful his opponent was, the more he'd be able to improve by battling them.

"Three, two, one, begin!"

As the electronic voice announced the commencement of the matches, protective light barriers instantly rose up around all of the competition platforms.

Chi Shanming immediately took the initiative and lunged forward. In his experience, nothing was more important than offense and momentum. Offense was the best defense and was also the key to victory.

He didn't unleash any soul skills and didn't even release his martial soul; choosing instead to propel himself forward like a cannonball with brute strength alone. However, upon closer inspection, one would discover that his skin had turned slightly red, and he was giving off a scorching aura.

He was like a soul missile that had just been launched out of the barrel. In the instant that it emerged from the barrel, it instantly began to heat up while continuing to accelerate. The closer he got to Yuan Hui, the redder his skin became, and his aura was only becoming more and more fearsome.

In contrast, Yuan Hui remained completely still on the spot, as if he had been scared witless. Did he have a death wish? The referee may not be able to intervene in time to save him!

All of the spectators looked on with wide, astonished eyes, and they discovered that Yuan Hui seemed to have been immobilized on the spot.

Chi Shanming was also quite perplexed by this, and he began to hold back a little in his forward charge in order to keep his options open. In his experience, there was only one possible explanation for this: his opponent's forte was speed, and he was confident in evading the attack at the last second. However, Chi Shanming was unconvinced. He was a very burly and powerful man, but that didn't mean that speed was a weakness for him.

The two of them drew closer and closer, and Chi Shanming was beginning to anticipate when his opponent was going to evade.

There were 10 meters left... Five meters... Three meters...

Why was he still not dodging? Did he think that he still had time?

Chi Shanming was feeling very slighted by what he perceived to be sheer arrogance from his opponent, and a hint of fury flashed through his eyes. All of a sudden, a burst of scorching red flames erupted from behind him, and his speed was instantly accelerated by threefold, allowing him to cover the remaining three meters in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!"

All of the spectators were also anticipating that Chi Shanming's opponent would dodge, but much to their surprise, Yuan Hui continued to remain still on the spot.

In the instant that the two of them clashed, a burst of reddish-golden flames erupted like the explosion of a soul missile. The scene was filled with a sense of brutal artistry, and all of the spectators felt bursts of adrenalin coursing through their veins.

Chi Shanming had claimed the victory with a single attack!

Instead of erupting into cheers, the spectators were quite disappointed to see this. They were hoping to watch a spectacular match, not a one-sided victory like this. Such a crushing victory presented quite an exhilarating spectacle, but it was simply far too short.

A faint smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face, and there was no concern whatsoever in his eyes.

So what if this Chi Shanming was a Titled Douluo? There was no way he would be able to defeat Yuanen Yehui so easily.

The flames subsided, and the spectators finally managed to see what was happening on the competition platform.

Much to everyone's astonishment, Yuan Hui was still standing on the spot, and all he had done was raise a single hand. However, the hand had stopped Chi Shanming's fist cold in its tracks.

Chi Shanming was a mountain of muscle that was over two meters tall, while Yuanen Yehui was a thin and frail young man who wasn't even 170cm tall.

Even at a conservative estimate, Chi Shanming had to weigh at least twice as much as him, yet Yuan Hui was standing before him like an immovable brick wall.

Chi Shanming's eyes were currently filled with astonishment. Never did he think that this would be the outcome.

In the instant that his fist had struck Yuanen Yehui's outstretched right hand, he had thought that his flames and enormous strength would overwhelm his opponent even before the referee had a chance to step in.

However, when the clash actually took place, things didn't go as he expected.

Chi Shanming felt as if his fist had struck an indestructible mountain. All of his strength and fire elemental power were smothered by the mountain, and he was completely stopped in his tracks.

How was this possible? This didn't make any sense!

Chi Shanming had a vast wealth of battle experience, but he had never encountered a situation like this before. It was downright preposterous to think that someone could be this strong!

However, Chi Shanming only paused for a brief moment before he returned to his senses and stepped forward with his left foot. At the same time, a layer of reddish-golden flames erupted from his body alongside nine soul rings.

A fiery figure that was virtually identical to him in size and form also rose up behind him.

This fiery figure was of a reddish-golden color, and it crashed into Chi Shangming's body as soon as it appeared. As a result, his body instantly turned a reddish-golden color as well, and scorching flames swept toward Yuanen Yehui in an inescapable wave.

As a Titled Douluo with Fire Elemental Control as his martial soul, the temperature of his flames was extremely fearsome, and these flames were the basis of all of his soul skills. His opponent's incredible defense hadn't shaken his unwavering confidence.

Right at this moment, Yuanen Yehui also sprang into action. Instead of retreating or taking evasive measures, she took a small step forward before violently thrusting her right hand toward her opponent's fist.

All of a sudden, the air currents around Chi Shanming began to swirl, his flames were caught in a vortex that was expanding in all directions. Furthermore, there was a strange type of repulsive force being released by his opponent's hand, making it impossible for his flames to converge. What was even more astonishing was the enormous force being exerted by his opponent's right hand. The force was too powerful for him to resist, and he immediately tried to withdraw his right fist.

At the same time, the Flame Spirit that had just fused into his body erupted forth before hurtling directly toward Yuanen Yehui in a fiery embrace.

The Flame Spirit was one of his soul spirits and one of the most important constituents of his combat prowess. The most fearsome trait of elemental control Soul Masters lay in the unpredictability and versatility of their attacks as they weren't bound by the same restrictions as normal Soul Masters.

Chi Shanming had reacted very appropriately to the situation, but unfortunately for him, he was facing one of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, Yuanen Yehui.

All of a sudden, Chi Shanming caught a glimpse of Yuanen Yehui's eyes. Even his scorching flames were unable to outshine the light in those scintillating yellow eyes.

It was also at this moment that a burst of yellow erupted from her body, which kept all of the scorching reddish-golden flames at bay.