Chapter 11: The Battle of the Saint and the Level 30 Breakthrough
The incense was lit. The air in the square grew heavy as Zhao Wuji released his seven spirit rings: Two yellow, two purple, three black. The pressure of a 76th-level Spirit Saint was like an invisible wall pressing against their chests.
"Alright, runts," Zhao Wuji growled, his body expanding as his Vigorous Vajra Bear soul possessed him. "You've got one incense stick. Try not to end up in the infirmary in the first ten seconds."
"Ten seconds? Boss, I haven't even finished my warm-up!" Ye Chen shouted, his 40% Kevin Hart energy keeping the fear at bay.
"San! Formation! Ning, buff the heavy hitters! Ling, stay on his blind side! Slender, wait for the opening!"
As the battle erupted, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wove through the air like emerald snakes, while Xiao Wu and Xiao Ling launched a coordinated rabbit-bolt attack. But Zhao Wuji was a fortress. Every strike they landed felt like hitting a mountain.
"Is that all?" Zhao Wuji laughed, his Gravity Control pinning them to the ground.
Ye Chen felt his knees buckle. The pressure was immense. But inside his chest, the Level 29 bottleneck—that "full sponge" feeling—was starting to crack. The sheer weight of Zhao's gravity was exactly the "hammer" he needed to compress his solar energy into its next form.
"You want... more?" Ye Chen grunted, his eyes glowing a fierce, incandescent blue. "I was... saving this... for a special occasion!"
Ye Chen didn't move toward Zhao. He stood his ground and began to absorb the gravity. He used the external pressure to force his internal cells to fuse.
BOOM.
A shockwave of golden light erupted from Ye Chen, momentarily canceling out Zhao's gravity field. A third spirit ring—a deep, shimmering purple that looked like a bruised sunset—began to form out of thin air, fed by the "Fortress" ring's stored energy.
[Third Spirit Skill: Invulnerability - Unlocked]
Ye Chen stood up, his skin turning a subtle, metallic bronze. He looked at Zhao Wuji, who was staring in genuine shock at a kid breaking through during a fight.
"My turn, Bear-Man!" Ye Chen shouted.
He didn't run. He just stood there and let Zhao Wuji land a massive, palm-strike directly on his chest.
CLANG!
The sound was like a temple bell. Zhao Wuji's hand bounced off Ye Chen's chest as if he'd hit a slab of Divine Iron. Ye Chen didn't even flinch. He just looked down at his shirt, which was now shredded, revealing a physique that looked carved from diamond.
"You ripped the shirt, Zhao," Ye Chen said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, witty calm. "That's the second shirt this week. Do you know what the 'Fortress' budget for laundry is? It's zero! Because I shouldn't be losing clothes!"
With a blur of Super Speed, Ye Chen appeared under Zhao's guard. He didn't punch to kill; he just gave a massive, Level 30 Super Strength uppercut to the jaw.
The shockwave sent the Vice-Principal staggering back three steps—the first time he had been moved all day.
The incense stick hit the ash. The time was up.
Flender, watching from the roof, adjusted his glasses, a grin spreading across his face. "A breakthrough mid-fight... and skin like a Spirit Tool. Ye Chen, you're not a monster. You're a lawsuit waiting to happen."
Ye Chen turned to the group, his bronze skin fading back to normal as he gasped for air. "We... we win. Now, someone get me a towel and a contract. I'm officially Level 30, and I'm ready to take this business global!"
Xiao Ling ran to him, checking his chest for bruises and finding none. "You're a maniac."
"I'm a partner, Ling-Ling," he winked. "And I think I just earned us a scholarship."