Douluo Continent: Thunder Roar

Ma Xiaotao turned around and walked quickly towards the courtyard gate, clearly eager to spar with Ling Yu.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and shook her head, slowly stood up, and calmly followed.

Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong'er also quickly got up and followed Ling Yu on either side, walking quickly outside.

Before long, the group arrived at the shore of Poseidon Lake.

The lake is vast and boundless, with crystal-clear emerald green water. Sunlight shines on the surface, creating shimmering, fragmented light, like scattered gold dust.

Several water birds skimmed across the water in the distance, their wings gently creating ripples before quickly taking flight and disappearing into the depths of the bamboo forest on the shore, adding a touch of life to the scene.

Several people stood on the lake shore, gazing at the lake in front of them, each with a different expression.

Ma Xiaotao took two steps forward first, lightly touching the ground with her toes. With a slight movement of her soul power, she floated up gracefully, like a red feather. She landed slowly on the water, leaving only a faint ripple beneath her feet. Her figure was steady and composed, as if she were standing on flat ground, without even wetting her skirt.

She turned around, looked at Ling Yu on the shore, a smug and confident smile on her lips, and called out, "I'll go to the middle of the lake and wait for you, don't dawdle!"

After saying that, she lightly touched the water with her toes, and her figure instantly darted out, drifting back more than ten feet. Finally, she came to a steady stop in the middle of the lake, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at the shore with a relaxed expression, her eyes full of anticipation.

Jiang Nannan stood on the shore, her gaze shifting between Ma Xiaotao on the lake and Ling Yu beside her. The worry in her eyes grew increasingly apparent. She couldn't help but look at Zhang Lexuan and softly asked, "Sister Lexuan, can Doctor Xiaoyu really walk on water? He's only at the third ring; will his soul power be enough to support him?"

Zhang Lexuan watched Ling Yu's retreating figure, a faint smile playing on her lips. She didn't answer directly, but simply shook her head gently, her tone resolute: "Don't rush, just watch him."

Wang Dong'er stood beside Ling Yu, her pink-blue eyes fixed on him, not daring to blink, afraid of missing his every move, her heart filled with curiosity about how he was going to get to the center of the lake.

Ling Yu remained silent, but slowly took two steps forward and stood at the edge of the lake. The lake water was emerald green beneath his feet. A gentle breeze rippled the surface of the lake, splashing up a few water droplets.

The next second, he lifted his foot and gently stepped onto the water.

A faint ripple spread across the water's surface, the water droplets dancing gently, but his feet remained firmly planted on it, showing no sign of sinking.

Then, he lifted his other foot and gently stepped on it as well.

He stood steadily on the water, his posture upright and his expression calm, no different from standing on flat ground. His soul power was well contained, and there was no trace of him deliberately supporting himself.

Jiang Nannan was completely stunned. Her mouth was slightly open, and the worry in her eyes was instantly replaced by shock. She couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.

Wang Dong'er was also stunned. Her pinkish-blue eyes widened, and her lips were slightly pursed, as if she wanted to say something, but she was speechless for a moment. The curiosity in her eyes was instantly replaced by amazement.

Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before she laughed again, her tone filled with admiration: "You really didn't disappoint."

Ling Yu ignored the gazes of the three people on the shore, and slowly lifted his foot to walk towards Ma Xiaotao in the center of the lake.

He walked slowly, his steps steady and unhurried. With each step, only a faint ripple spread out beneath his feet, disappearing in an instant, as if he were walking on an invisible, flat road, or as if the lake itself had paved the way for him, only unseen by others.

It took Wang Dong'er a while to slowly come to her senses. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, her tone full of doubt and amazement: "How...how could he do that? How could Sanhuan do it so easily?"

Zhang Lexuan chuckled softly, her gaze fixed on Ling Yu's retreating figure, her tone tinged with a hint of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret, regret, and a sense of awe): "It seems we all underestimated him. He harbors far more secrets than we imagined."

In the middle of the lake, Ma Xiaotao watched Ling Yu walk towards her step by step, his steps steady and unhurried, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, his anticipation and admiration almost impossible to hide.

When Ling Yu approached and stopped about three zhang away from her, Ma Xiaotao finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, her voice filled with undisguised admiration: "I didn't expect you to be so capable at such a young age. You can even do this so easily. You're better than many inner court disciples."

Ling Yu looked at her, his expression still calm, and said nothing, simply waiting for her to make her move.

Ma Xiaotao didn't hesitate. She took off her red coat and tossed it behind her. The coat landed on the water and floated steadily, as if it were supported by an invisible soul force, without showing any signs of sinking.

She moved her wrists and neck, her finger bones making a slight crackling sound, and her soul power gradually surged, with a faint heat rising in the air.

"I've been wanting to test your skills for a while now," Ma Xiaotao looked up at Ling Yu, her pale pink eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement and a hint of eager provocation. Her tone was serious and urgent. "Are you ready? I won't hold back!"

On the calm lake surface, a crimson afterimage suddenly rippled through the water, causing huge ripples to explode. The splashing water droplets shattered into stars in the sunlight, instantly breaking the previous tranquility.

"Are you ready?" Ma Xiaotao's voice was accompanied by a scorching heat wave, and before she even landed, flames were already raging around her.

Ling Yu remained silent, only slightly raising his right hand and gesturing towards her with his palm.

"Please~"

Ma Xiaotao's eyes suddenly lit up like sparks, and in the next instant—

boom!!!

A scorching wave of heat erupted violently from her body, instantly scorching the lake surface beneath her feet until it boiled, sending plumes of white mist soaring into the sky and obscuring the entire body of water.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings rose neatly from beneath her feet, slowly rotating in the flames. The Soul Emperor's pressure was like Mount Tai pressing down, directly enveloping Ling Yu.

Without testing her or holding back, Ma Xiaotao kept her word and refused to back down.

With a flash, he transformed into a streak of crimson light, instantly traversing a distance of three zhang. His right fist, enveloped in flames that could incinerate everything, hurtled straight at Ling Yu's face with a whooshing sound!

Before the fist even reached the body, the scorching wind from the punch swept over first, distorting and wrinkling the air. The wind scraped a charred black mark on the lake's surface, and the white mist rose even more intensely, even the light was scorched and flickered slightly.

Ling Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, and he dared not relax for a moment.

He had personally witnessed Zhou Yi's formidable strength, but that was merely the level of an outer court teacher who hadn't exerted their full power. Ma Xiaotao, as an inner court genius Soul Emperor, had, after freeing herself from the interference of the evil fire, already possessed the power of the Fire Phoenix, a top-tier beast spirit, which was approaching the level of the ultimate fire, far surpassing Zhou Yi's abilities.

He is absolutely the most powerful Soul Emperor, with combat strength comparable to a high-level Soul Saint.

Almost the instant Ma Xiaotao threw her fist, his Sharingan opened instantly in his eyes. The three tomoe spun wildly, precisely capturing and dissecting every subtle movement of hers—the three-inch angle at which her right shoulder sank, the force of her waist and hip twisting, the trajectory of the flames flowing on her fist, and even the frequency of the soul power trembling at her fingertips. All of these were transformed into countless still moments in his eyes, making her flaws immediately apparent.

At the same time, the lake beneath Ling Yu's feet exploded with a roar, and silver-white lightning surged out from his body, instantly covering his entire body like a tide, and Lightning Release: Chakra Mode was activated in an instant!

Sizzle—!!!

The ear-piercing sound of electricity ripped through the tranquility of the lake. Silvery lightning snakes darted and coiled wildly across his body, his black hair stood on end by the lightning, and tiny sparks danced at the tips of his hair. The air around him crackled and hissed from the heat of the lightning.

He didn't retreat even a step. Instead, he pushed off the water with his feet and charged forward into the scorching wind of the punch. His right fist also slammed out, and the silver-white lightning and the crimson flames collided head-on without any buffer!

Bang! ! !

The instant their fists clashed, lightning and fire exploded violently between them. The raging shockwave violently churned the lake's surface, forcibly pressing a huge circular crater into the water. The surrounding waves surged several meters high like a tsunami! Before the splashing water could even land, it was instantly evaporated by the lightning and fire erupting from the two men. A thick white mist swept across the sky, completely enveloping the lake surface within a radius of ten meters, reducing visibility to less than three feet.

Suddenly, Ma Xiaotao's cheers rang out from the white mist, her eyes shining brightly: "Great! That's more like it!"

Before she finished speaking, she pulled back her fist so fast that it was just a blur. Her waist twisted violently, and her left leg swept out like a red-hot whip. The flames at her ankle burned even more fiercely, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Wherever it passed, the air was ignited with tiny sparks, leaving a long trail of fire that lingered for a long time, heading straight for Ling Yu's waist.