Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"Cheng Xiao, go for it!"

On the Duel Stage, Cheng Xiao had just steadied himself when a faint, soft voice from behind caught his attention. He smiled slightly and waved to the girl standing behind him.

At this moment, the members of the Emperor Battle Team watched the young man in black and the young man in blue in the arena with intense focus.

Seeing the two opponents facing off, Dugu Yan came up to Ye Lingling and teased, "Lingling, this isn't like you at all—cheering for a guy? That's rare to see."

"Yan-Yan, stop teasing me," Ye Lingling replied, her cheeks tinged with pink as she gently patted Dugu Yan's arm. Curiously, she then asked, "If our captain loses, will you be upset?"

"Upset?" Dugu Yan blinked, then gritted her teeth as she looked fiercely at the blue-clad figure on the stage. She snorted, "I don't care about him! If he loses, it's just because he's not good enough—why should I be mad?"

Hearing this, Ye Lingling couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

"How do we decide the winner?" Facing the stern-looking Yu Tianheng, Cheng Xiao clenched his fists slightly and asked with a smile.

"Whoever falls first admits defeat. How about that?" Yu Tianheng nodded and proposed.

"Then let's begin," Cheng Xiao replied.

"Bring it on!" With a firm nod, a dazzling blue light suddenly shone from the center of Yu Tianheng's forehead. The blue light expanded, spreading downward until it enveloped his whole body. Blue-violet arcs of electricity erupted in all directions.

Physically, Yu Tianheng's transformation didn't look too drastic. Besides the blue lightning mark on his forehead, his arms were the only parts that grew significantly larger due to his martial spirit's power. His arms became covered in blue scales, his hands transformed into claws, and a faint blue glow mixed with streaks of lightning flickered around them.

Seeing Yu Tianheng fully transformed, Cheng Xiao pondered for a moment before deciding to use the Runic Stone skill, Dragon Transformation, that he had acquired from Nash.

He wanted to see which would prove superior—the Dragon Transformation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon or his own Dragon Transformation!

With a slight stomp, a sharp cracking sound reverberated across the stage, startling Yu Tianheng. As the explosive sound rang out, Cheng Xiao's figure trembled slightly, vanishing from where he stood.

Watching Cheng Xiao suddenly disappear, Yu Tianheng's face changed. His third and fourth spirit rings immediately lit up. At this moment, he knew he couldn't hold back—only by giving his all could he stand a chance to defeat his opponent.

As the Emperor Battle Team's captain, he would never allow himself to be defeated so easily.

"Third spirit skill, Thunder Fury!"

"Fourth spirit skill, Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Dash!"

Activating his third spirit skill, Thunder Fury, Yu Tianheng entered a berserk state. This spirit skill boosted his lightning power by 100% and his spirit energy by 50%—a terrifying enhancement.

With a blue energy orb forming in his hand, Yu Tianheng swiftly turned and aimed a powerful punch behind him. Instantly, a massive blue electric dragon, several meters long and brimming with terrifying thunder energy, crashed towards the spot where Cheng Xiao suddenly reappeared.

"Guessed right!" Yu Tianheng felt a surge of joy. Just as he prepared to continue his attack, he noticed something astonishing—Cheng Xiao's arms were covered in scales similar to his own. However, the gleam on Cheng Xiao's scales was even brighter than anything he possessed.

"He doesn't have a dragon martial spirit, so how does he have the ability to transform into a dragon?" This thought threw Yu Tianheng off balance. While Cheng Xiao's strength had always been remarkable, it was still within a normal range and seemed only to stem from a unique martial spirit. But now, Cheng Xiao had achieved a dragon transformation, suggesting he might possess a second martial spirit, possibly a dragon martial spirit.

As Yu Tianheng was momentarily distracted, Cheng Xiao's figure appeared right in front of him, the crackling of electricity filling the air.

"Impressive power, but it's ineffective against me." In his dragon-transformed state, Cheng Xiao's arms had developed formidable resistance. Although Yu Tianheng's lightning-infused dragon was powerful, Cheng Xiao barely felt it, as if it was nothing more than a gentle tickle.

Cheng Xiao's sudden approach startled Yu Tianheng. His pupils shrank as he swung his dragon-clawed arm toward Cheng Xiao.

Seeing Yu Tianheng's reaction, Cheng Xiao sighed inwardly. If this was the extent of Yu Tianheng's strength, then their sparring session was effectively over.

In the next moment, Cheng Xiao's arms, covered in dragon scales, effortlessly withstood Yu Tianheng's powerful claw attack. With a resounding "bang," Yu Tianheng's dragon claw was deflected. Cheng Xiao's mouth began to glow, and his eyes turned an ominous crimson.

This was Nash's unique skill: Light Dragon's Breath, a devastating ability capable of annihilating anything it touched. Given Yu Tianheng's current level, a single touch from this dragon breath could instantly reduce him to ashes.

Startled by Cheng Xiao's actions, Yu Tianheng swung his dragon-clawed arm again, unleashing his fourth spirit skill, Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Dash. Another blue electric dragon, several meters long and surrounded by crackling lightning, lunged ferociously toward Cheng Xiao.

But as soon as the blue electric dragon appeared, Cheng Xiao's Light Dragon's Breath finished charging. In the next second, a scorching crimson pillar of flame shot forward. The energy-made blue electric dragon was instantly pierced through and incinerated, leaving nothing but emptiness in its place.

With the blue electric dragon obliterated, Cheng Xiao's figure blurred and appeared directly before Yu Tianheng like a phantom.

"You've lost." Cheng Xiao's lips curved into a faint smile as his massive dragon claw lunged toward Yu Tianheng's chest.

Knowing he had no room to retreat, Yu Tianheng demonstrated the resilience of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial spirit in a last-ditch effort. A blue electric net quickly formed in front of his chest, aiming to block Cheng Xiao's attack.

However, reality fell short of his hopes. Just as Yu Tianheng thought he could withstand the assault, the electric net was torn apart in an instant by Cheng Xiao's dragon claw, stopping mere centimeters from Yu Tianheng's chest.

Watching this scene, the onlookers in the stands were dumbfounded.

The members of the Emperor Battle Team stared at Cheng Xiao's massive dragon claw, even larger than Yu Tianheng's transformed arm, in shock. What was going on? Wasn't Cheng Xiao's martial spirit supposed to be Shadow? How was he able to transform like Yu Tianheng?

"No way, could Cheng Xiao have a twin martial spirit? And is it a dragon martial spirit like the captain's?"

"No wonder Cheng Xiao beat the captain so easily. Turns out he's also a dragon-type spirit master, and it seems his dragon martial spirit is even stronger than the captain's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"

Even Dugu Yan, who was well aware of Cheng Xiao's formidable power, couldn't help but acknowledge his strength. Though her spirit energy level was higher than Yu Tianheng's, she often struggled against him in battle and only won because he held back.

"This guy is so good at hiding his true abilities. We were all deceived by his facade," Dugu Yan said with a bitter smile.

Everyone present, except for Ye Lingling, who seemed slightly puzzled, now saw Cheng Xiao as a genius possessing twin martial spirits.

"Good match, Tianheng." Watching Yu Tianheng, who had lost his fighting spirit, Cheng Xiao let the dragon scales on his arms gradually fade. He patted Yu Tianheng on the shoulder and said in a deep voice.