Lu Jingming appeared calm and unhurried. Even when he saw Zhang Lexuan take Ma Xiaotao's "Phoenix Sky-Shattering Strike" head-on, he showed no sign of worry.
After all, he knew Zhang Lexuan inside out and was well aware of the strength of her fourth soul skill, "Lunar Cycle."
This soul skill not only allowed her to quickly recover from injuries and restore soul power but also formed an extremely sturdy soul power shield in critical moments, effectively blocking powerful attacks. It combined both recovery and defense, making it Zhang Lexuan's trump card in battle.
"Your speed isn't bad, but what about this?" Zhang Lexuan said calmly as if the fierce attack had not affected her at all.
Ignoring the flames still burning around her, her third soul ring suddenly lit up with purple light.
"Third Soul Skill, Moonfall Sword Domain!" With a clear shout, countless sword energies condensed from moonlight erupted, crisscrossing in all directions like dense raindrops, creating a vast area of indiscriminate attack.
In an instant, the entire beach was blanketed in silvery sword energy, as if entering a dreamlike silver world—yet beneath this beauty lurked deadly danger.
Previously, Ma Xiaotao had been suppressed by Zhang Lexuan, unleashed several soul skills in succession, and even used her current strongest fourth soul skill. This had greatly depleted her soul power and left her physically exhausted.
Faced with this overwhelming, inescapable sword energy, she was powerless to dodge.
She could only fold her wings tightly around herself, turning into a giant fireball, trying to withstand the sword energy's onslaught.
Thunk, thunk, thunk—!
A series of dull sounds rang out—the sound of sword energy piercing the flame shield.
Each one seemed to hammer at Ma Xiaotao's heart, making her sink deeper.
When all the moonlight sword energy finally dissipated, the flames she used to shield herself were completely worn away. She could no longer hold on and fell heavily to the beach like a broken kite.
"It's over." Seeing this, both Lu Jingming and Keqing realized at the same time that this splendid soul battle had produced a winner.
Zhang Lexuan stood where she was, clothes fluttering, spotless, still exuding elegant composure, as cold and ethereal as a fairy descending from the heavens as if she had never experienced the fierce battle.
In stark contrast, Ma Xiaotao lay limp on the beach, her clothes tattered, covered in cuts from the sword energy.
She gasped for breath, sweat rolling down her forehead in large drops. She was so weak she could barely move a finger.
Her once-neat clothes were now in disarray, exposing large areas of skin in a half-revealed state.
"How tragic!" Lu Jingming strolled over with a wicked grin, feigning exaggerated amazement at Ma Xiaotao's sorry state.
Ma Xiaotao glared at Lu Jingming, her teeth grinding. She felt both ashamed and furious—not only because of her defeat but also because her disheveled, exposed appearance was seen by Lu Jingming.
If only Zhang Lexuan and Keqing were present—both girls—she wouldn't have cared much. But Lu Jingming was different; he was a boy and one who had once infuriated her.
Thinking of him seeing her like this, she felt dizzy, as if she might faint from shame and anger at any moment.
"Xiaoming, don't bully girls!" Zhang Lexuan scolded, glaring at Lu Jingming and gently covering his eyes with her hand.
Keqing sighed, quickly walked over to help the limp Ma Xiaotao, and took out a clean garment from her storage soul tool, gently draping it over Ma Xiaotao to cover her exposed body.
However, Ma Xiaotao's torn black stockings on her legs were still eye-catching, her half-revealed skin unintentionally exuding a strong allure.
"Just a little girl, what's there to see." Even with his eyes covered, Lu Jingming couldn't resist teasing.
He leaned his head against Zhang Lexuan's soft body, feigning disdain.
Though he said so, he knew Ma Xiaotao was only thirteen, not yet fully developed, and naturally could not match Zhang Lexuan's youthful allure.
According to his memory, Ma Xiaotao's figure would become famously curvaceous in the future, eventually surpassing Zhang Lexuan's.
But that didn't stop him from teasing her; seeing her angry but helpless was rather entertaining.
Hearing Lu Jingming's teasing, Ma Xiaotao's anger surged so strongly that she suddenly blacked out, her vision swimming, eyes slowly closing as she collapsed soft and limp into Keqing's arms, fainting on the spot.
Zhang Lexuan helplessly lowered her hand from Lu Jingming's eyes, then gently pinched his cheek in reproach, her voice soft: "She's older than you, yet you still call her a little girl."
Lu Jingming regained his vision and saw Ma Xiaotao fainted in Keqing's arms. Tilting his head, he wore a half-smile and sighed, "Young people have healthy bodies—fall asleep as soon as they lie down."
Keqing's purple eyes flashed sharply as she glared at Lu Jingming and snapped, "Could you say less? See how mad you made her?"
Seeing Keqing was angry, Lu Jingming quickly raised both hands in surrender, plastering on a smile and trying to appease her: "Alright, alright, everything follows Miss Keqing's orders. I was wrong, okay?"
Zhang Lexuan shook her head, helpless about Lu Jingming's occasional troublemaking.
She turned her gaze to the unconscious Ma Xiaotao, her expression turning serious: "Let's get her to rest. No matter what, she's our guest. Although I held back during the battle, she's exhausted and her body won't hold up."