"Analysis… complete…" Shin was in the worst state since arriving in the Lantis Republic. His entire upper torso was exposed, and his flesh had started to tear from within. His healing factor was forcing back some of the pain, but Shin still felt like his entire body was being melted.

"He's okay… That's good…" Kanari sighed, relieved that Shin had tanked the attack. Then, she saw the youth's face. "Those eyes… Shin realised something…" It was a scene that Kanari had witnessed many times before. Whenever Shin had solved something, he would wear that exact same expression, as if he were a kid in a candy shop.

The Prince of Water didn’t use any of his usual spiritual abilities. Instead, his two hands became coated in dense azure light. The Domain of Dreams helped to increase the power within Shin’s palms, making him glow in an even more Imperial light. All of a sudden, the arena started to chill. Audience members felt the air cool, and some had even breathed out puffs of smoke, similar to that of a dragon’s breath.

Meijing Bingying, being the Pearl in the East, and the best Spirit Spectre with the Ice-Element, was the first to exclaim. “Is he trying to freeze Feifei’s domain?”

That was the logical conclusion. If Feifei could move within her Salt Flat Lagoon unhindered, all Shin needed to do was to cancel out the domain with his own abilities. However, Shin wasn’t an Ice-Elemental user, and it wasn’t that easy to freeze an entire domain of a famed Luminary, particularly Xunyu Feifei, whose entire battle plan rested on the powers of her domain. So what was Shin really trying to do?

Xunyu Feifei noticed this from her hidden location, and a wry smile crept up her face. She knew that Shin wasn’t able to crack her domain and was confident that she could wear his mana down until he would be beaten. Feifei just needed patience and time, and from the looks of it, Shin had neither. The Prince of Water dived down like a falcon, pushing his two palms onto the transparent surface. All he could see were the reflection of his chiselled body and the gorgeous blue skies, but Shin wasn’t bothered by that.

As anticipated, Feifei wouldn’t let Shin freeze her entire domain without putting up a fight. The five Heavenly Sturgeons that had disappeared into the Salt Flat Lagoon made their appearance once more, attacking Shin on all fronts. The whiskers of the albino-grey sturgeons were creeping ever so close towards Shin’s tender flesh, ready to rip it into shreds. However…

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!

The familiar siren’s wail screeched out, deafening any who were within thirty metres of the youth. On his back, a white shard, illuminated by the dense mana particles of the adorable little Sovereign Koi, broke the silence of the crowd, pulsating vast amounts of spiritual energies. The Shard of the Azure Dragon was completely stable, entirely unlike the maelstrom that Shin had witnessed in his Spiritual Body just a few months prior. The lightning bolts, created of pure destructive mana, flashed by, ready to wreck any that dared to cross its path. And then…

“Ignite...” Shin muttered that dreadful word.

BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOMMM!!!

Five resonant explosions destroyed the Heavenly Sturgeons, leaving the skies as clear as can be. Not many had the capabilities of witnessing or comprehending what Shin had accomplished, but those who did, all had ashen faces.

“His partial ignition improved this much in one month?” Longyu Dao murmured. Shin didn’t really ignite the entire Shard. If he did, half the arena would have been destroyed and the shields protecting the audience would have been utterly broken down into a million pieces. Furthermore, fully igniting the Shard would take away a considerable chunk of Shin’s mana, crippling him for the later matches. It was a conclusion that neither Shin nor the administrators of Yingxiong Amphitheatre wanted.

What Shin did was far more straightforward. He released the Shard of the Azure Dragon and ignited a percentage of what it could truly unleash. Then, he split it into five thunderbolts of pure mana, inflicting an offensive attack onto the five Heavenly Sturgeons. In the end, Feifei was unable to stop the youth’s descent onto her domain surface and could only watch as Shin began to freeze a little bit of her powers.

‘Hmph! You’re naive if you think that I’ll sit back and let you stop my domain!’ Xunyu Feifei cursed. She moved in her mirror dimension into a better location and wanted to summon out even more Heavenly Sturgeons to come to her aid. However, to her complete surprise, Feifei was unable to utilise the entirety of her domain and was only able to materialise two Heavenly Sturgeons instead of her usual five.

‘What’s going on?!’ The Luminary questioned herself. Shin had only just begun to freeze her domain. He wasn’t Meijing Bingying. To bypass her mana and take over her domain, the youth needed much more time! So why was it that Xunyu Feifei couldn’t control her domain anymore?

‘Wait! What’s that?!’

It was by sheer coincidence that the Luminary looked down. Xunyu Feifei was questioning herself, and for some reason, her eyes were drawn to the ground, or rather the lack thereof. It was all a cloud of steaming hot mist, with a spiritual energy that would suffocate any normal Spirit Practitioner. Xunyu Feifei’s domain, which had floated up to the top, was now no longer the densest object. It started to drip down as the gas began to rise. The Luminary had been focused on the airborne Shin that she failed to realise that the world beneath her had started to change drastically.

Shin knew of that. He was the one that changed his water into mist after all. Adding to the fact that the domain was being frozen from the surface as well, Xunyu Feifei was losing control over her domain, and she was losing it fast. In just one expert move, Shin had taken away the Luminary’s most potent weapon away from her, defanging her and giving him the complete upper hand.

‘This ass! How did this happen?!’

Xunyu Feifei had never felt this countered in her life. Even when she fought Meijing Bingying, her freezing capabilities weren’t enough to completely strip the Luminary naked. Shin was the only person that had utterly stopped her domain within seconds, and he’d only fought her once!

‘Tsk, I still have one move left!!!’

If Feifei stayed in the domain, she would be forced out. Hence, the Luminary decided to launch one final counter-attack. She wasn’t just going to lose without putting on one last struggle. The two Heavenly Sturgeons joined her as she rode straight into Shin’s area. There was ice all around him, so the Princess of the Xunyu Clan had to attack from his sides. The two Heavenly Sturgeons expanded to become ten metres long each, and they all rose from what remained of the Salt Flat Lagoon like a Great White Shark jumping into the skies to kill its prey.

OOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Water elements went out of control as Xunyu Feifei encroached into Shin’s dominion. Two Luminaries, each one at the peak of their powers were about to come face to face. Shin’s hands were still firmly attached to the surface of the Lagoon, while Xunyu Feifei was free to attack the Prince of Water with whatever moves she had. It really was a no brainer for the audience to guess who was about to win that exchange. Alas, they all were forced to hold their tongues.

Before Feifei could even reach Shin, the Domain of Dreams automatically created a thousand water chains and weapons. Swords, spears, halberds, arrows… The list went on. They were like an angered army ready to squash the intruders that dared to walk into their land. The Heavenly Sturgeons were strong. Stronger than most people would have anticipated. They could ground earth into dust and destroy infallible walls with just a bump to the head. However, even they were bound by the rules of mana. Shin’s Domain of Dreams bombarded the two Heavenly Sturgeons until nothing remained, and the female Luminary was left with nothing to protect her as she fell onto the frozen land.

Xunyu Feifei looked like an immortal maiden descending from the heavens, with the remnant mana particles from her Heavenly Sturgeons glistening all around. She really didn’t look like a loser of an intense battle. The Luminary could even break a smile. She truly had been humbled in defeat.

At this time, Shin had long released his hold over the ice floor and created the Spear of Aiglos, pointing it at the maiden’s neck. Yes, Xunyu Feifei could continue fighting, but was it worth it? Her domain had been shattered, her spiritual abilities were countered heavily by the Prince of Water. She was now in arm’s reach of Shin, who was a spearmaster in his own right. Not to mention, he still had his Spiritual Body Enhancement and domain on. The Xunyu Clan’s Princess could continue on fighting, but what was the point? She was already beaten down, and any more strife would just injure her. Not worth it, in her opinion.

Raising her two hands up, Xunyu Feifei sighed. “Alright, I surrender.”

“Thank you for your leniency,” Shin smiled and dropped his weapon. It was hard-fought, but now… He had finally won.

“OOOORRYYYYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” The crowd broke into thunderous applause. It has been a while since they witnessed such an entertaining match. Shin’s attacks were completely unorthodox. Xunyu Feifei had control for the first part of the match, and her execution over her domain continued to impress. Still, it was no match for Shin’s overwhelming planning powers.

“Wow, the Prince of Water really lives up to his name!”

For many, it was the first time watching Shin perform. Not only was his efficient in moulding water into his own shape, but he could also even create mist and ice with relative ease. Xunyu Feifei was by no means a weak individual. However, in the latter part of the matches, the youth had dispatched her without even breaking a single sweat.

“If he continues at this rate, maybe he can really defeat the five Luminaries?!” One voice remarked above the Luminary stands, forcing the four remaining talents to wear blank expressions. Meijing Bingying was naturally happy about Shin’s growth, but she couldn’t appear too jubilant. After all, the remaining three people that were seated next to her didn’t particularly like the concept of losing.

Qilong Hu was the first to break the ice. “Shin, he… grew this much, huh?”

“Hehe, he really is a box of surprises...” Jingyu Taiyi replied smilingly. Though, if one observed really carefully, they could see a slight uneasiness within the slants of his eyes. The man was smiling, but his heart was far from happy.

“...” Longyu Linji remained silent. He was the next one to face Shin after Xunyu Feifei. The young man needed to retain his composure, not to become too overwhelmed by the power that Shin had displayed.

Xunyu Feifei had lost. In a rather convincing manner, as well. Typically, just one win over a Luminary was enough to make a person leap over the moon, and breakdance in the middle of nowhere. However, Shin wasn’t the average person. He jumped back to his corner, where Kanari and Longyu Hai waited for him.

“Brother Shin! Here’s a towel!” The young girl faithfully executed her duties as a squire, serving Shin at any chance she got. “I also brought you a change of clothes if you need them.” Shin’s robes had been torn by Xunyu Feifei’s dreadful attack. To look more presentable for the next fight, he needed to change.

However, Shin didn’t really care about appearances. Shin took the towel and freshened up his face and turned to Kanari to say: “Cover me, I’d used over thirty percent of my mana. I need to recover as much as I possibly can.”

After unleashing his domain, creating thousands of water weapons and bombs, dousing an entire arena in water, converting water into ice and most importantly… Partially igniting the Shard, Shin had used for more mana than he’d anticipated. There was still fifteen minutes until his next bout against Linji and every minute count.

“Do you need a mana crystal?” Kanari asked as if knowing what procedures to follow after a match.

“That would be nice...” The youth smiled and sat in a lotus position on the stone bed prepared for him. There was no time to waste. He sat down and took a deep breath in. The mana that he’d lost was rapidly coming back to him. Fifteen minutes. That was all he had. So, Shin had to treasure every second before they took the stage...