Lu Jingming's expression remained calm and composed. Even when he saw Zhang Lexuan take a direct hit from Ma Xiaotao's "Phoenix Roar Strike," there wasn't a trace of worry on his face.
After all, he knew everything about Zhang Lexuan thoroughly and was well aware of the power of her fourth soul skill, Moon Phase Rotation.
This soul skill not only allowed her to rapidly heal her injuries and replenish her soul energy but could also, at critical moments, form an incredibly sturdy soul energy shield. This shield effectively blocked all kinds of powerful attacks. It combined both healing and defense, making it one of Zhang Lexuan's greatest trump cards in battle.
"Not bad speed. But what about this?" Zhang Lexuan's face remained calm, as if the fierce attack just now hadn't affected her at all.
Ignoring the blazing flames still burning around her, the third soul ring on her body suddenly glowed with a purple light.
"Third soul skill, Moonfall Sword Domain!" With a clear shout, countless sword energies condensed from moonlight erupted across the sky.
These sword energies crisscrossed like dense raindrops, shooting in all directions to form a vast area of indiscriminate attack.
In an instant, the entire beach was shrouded in silver sword energy, as if stepping into a dreamy silver world. But beneath this beautiful illusion lurked a deadly danger.
Having been overwhelmed by Zhang Lexuan from the start and forced to unleash multiple soul skills—including the strongest current fourth soul skill—Ma Xiaotao's soul energy was nearly depleted, and her body was utterly exhausted.
Facing this overwhelming, all-encompassing sword energy attack, she was powerless and unable to make any effective evasive moves.
Helpless, she quickly folded her wings and wrapped herself tightly within them, transforming into a huge fireball in an attempt to withstand the storm-like sword energy barrage.
Puff, puff, puff— a series of muffled sounds rang out, the noise of the sword energy piercing through the flame shield.
Each strike felt like a blow to Ma Xiaotao's heart, making it sink lower and lower.
As the moonlight sword energies gradually dissipated and the flames protecting her were completely extinguished, she could no longer hold on. Her body fell heavily onto the beach like a kite with a broken string.
"It's over." Seeing this scene, Lu Jingming and Ke Qing almost simultaneously realized that this spectacular soul battle had reached its conclusion.
Zhang Lexuan stood where she was, her robes fluttering gracefully, spotless and immaculate, still maintaining that elegant and composed aura—cold and ethereal like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens—as if she had never even taken part in the fierce fight.
In contrast, Ma Xiaotao lay collapsed on the sand in a pitiful state. Her clothes were torn to shreds, marked everywhere by sword energy cuts.
She gasped heavily, sweat beads rolling down her forehead like pearls. She was so weak that she couldn't even move a single finger.
Her once neat clothing was now in utter disarray, exposing large patches of skin, with glimpses of her figure barely concealed.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a sorry sight!" Lu Jingming approached with a wicked grin, exaggerating his expression of shock upon seeing Ma Xiaotao in such a state.
Ma Xiaotao glared at Lu Jingming furiously, her silver teeth clenched tightly, her heart burning with both shame and anger.
She was not only disheartened by the crushing defeat in the fight but even more humiliated that Lu Jingming had witnessed her disheveled appearance and exposed skin so clearly.
If only Zhang Lexuan and Ke Qing—both girls—were present, she might not have cared so much.
But Lu Jingming was different. He was a boy, and more importantly, the very boy who had once made her so furious that she was ready to explode.
Just the thought of Lu Jingming seeing her in such a pitiful state made Ma Xiaotao feel dizzy, as if she might faint from a mixture of shame and anger at any moment.
"Xiaoming, don't bully the girl!" Zhang Lexuan said with a teasing glare at Lu Jingming, then gently covered his eyes with her hand.
Ke Qing sighed helplessly and quickly stepped forward, lifting the limp Ma Xiaotao off the ground. She then took a clean set of clothes from her storage soul device and carefully draped it over Ma Xiaotao, shielding her exposed skin from view.
However, Ma Xiaotao's torn black stockings on her legs still caught the eye. The glimpses of bare skin beneath gave off an irresistible allure, stirring vivid fantasies.
"(ˉ▽￣～) Tch—she's just a little girl, what's there to see?" Even with Zhang Lexuan covering his eyes, Lu Jingming couldn't help but tease.
He leaned his head against Zhang Lexuan's soft figure and said disdainfully, pretending to be indifferent.
Though he said it casually, he knew very well in his heart that Ma Xiaotao was only thirteen years old, far from her physical prime. Naturally, her charm couldn't compare to that of the youthful and blossoming Zhang Lexuan.
From his memory, the future Ma Xiaotao was famously voluptuous, and it was only a matter of time before she surpassed Zhang Lexuan in allure.
But none of that stopped him from provoking Ma Xiaotao. After all, watching her both embarrassed and furious, as if she wanted to devour him but was utterly helpless—that was quite entertaining.
Hearing Lu Jingming's teasing words, Ma Xiaotao suddenly felt a burst of anger flare up fiercely in her chest. The rage was so intense that her vision darkened, her head spun, and her eyes uncontrollably closed. Her body went limp as she slowly collapsed into Ke Qing's arms, fainting on the spot.
Zhang Lexuan sighed softly, withdrawing her hand from Lu Jingming's eyes. Then, with a gentle but reproachful gesture, she lightly pinched his cheek and said softly, "She's actually older than you. And you still call her a little girl?"
Lu Jingming's vision cleared, and he immediately spotted Ma Xiaotao fainted in Ke Qing's embrace.
Tilting his head slightly, he wore an amused, half-smile and remarked, "Young people really do have strong bodies—just lie down and fall asleep."
A sharp gleam flashed in Ke Qing's purple eyes as she glared fiercely at Lu Jingming and snapped, "You'd better watch what you say. Look at what you've done to the poor girl."
Seeing Ke Qing genuinely annoyed, Lu Jingming quickly raised his hands in surrender, his face full of smiles as he tried to appease her, "Alright, alright, whatever Lady Ke Qing says. I was wrong, okay?"
Zhang Lexuan shook her head helplessly. She really had no patience for Lu Jingming's occasional penchant for stirring up trouble.
Then, she turned her serious gaze back to the unconscious Ma Xiaotao and said solemnly, "Let's take her to rest first. No matter what, she's our guest. Although I held back during the fight, her soul energy is severely depleted, and her body won't hold up much longer."