Ding!

Li Luo blocked another thrust of a spear, the impact knocking Water Edge off his sword, making it boil away into mist.

Li Luo staggered back another step.

Another toxic-green blast of energy from the fan, striking out like a viper, punctuated by the foul odor of decomposition.

Li Luo's other blade parried it. "Waterlight Demon Mirror!"

The fan hit the mirror of water, sending the poison resonant power spraying outwards. The fan almost slipped in Wang Hejiu's grip, and Li Luo ducked away.

Both were attacking with everything they had, and they were starting to score. Li Luo's hands were bleeding from the repeated abuse, and his arms were stinging from the pain.

Fortunately, his waterlight resonance and wood resonance were three recuperative elements. Each time he was injured, the three regenerative sources kicked in to heal him quickly.

This was the reason why Li Luo could hold out against the combined attacks of Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan for so long.

His tenacity alarmed both opponents. They had pushed themselves hard and were panting heavily, yet Li Luo was still grimly holding on. He showed no signs of yielding.

That was sick. Surely not even the famed endurance of a water resonance user could last this long?

They exchanged looks and saw their own determination mirrored in the other's eyes. Li Luo's strong front had to be on the verge of breaking. They just had to keep up the offense.

Both stepped forward as one.

Li Luo sensed it, and he moved several steps backwards in response. One of his short blades glowed with wood resonant power.

"Tiger-general resonance art, Arboreal Bindings!"

The trees around them seemed to spring into life, thick vines burgeoning forth to bind Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan.

These vines were covered in little flowers that absorbed light energy from around them, reinforcing the vines.

Li Luo had added his light resonant power into it to strengthen the tiger-general resonance art.

"Tiger-general resonance art, Heavy Water Art!"

After Arboreal Bindings, Li Luo followed up with a well-prepared water resonance art. Navy-blue liquid splashed over the vines.

They instantly grew even more ponderous and powerful, weighted vines that smashed rather than lashed.

Moreover, if one observed carefully, one would see that the heavy water also had grains of sand floating within it.

This was no ordinary Heavy Water Art. Li Luo had injected some earth resonant power into it to increase the weight.

Li Luo's two resonance arts were even more polished than when Duze Beixuan had last faced them during the Choosing of the Mentors.

While he was grimly tanking the attacks, he was also charging up for this devastating counterattack.

Shing!

The vines screamed through the air, whistling powerfully.

Both guys answered head-on with their resonant powers.

Bong! Bong!

The spear and fan took on defensive positions, bracing themselves against the sturdy vines. When the attack landed, both showed identical expressions of shock.

"What power!"

Wang Hejiu frowned deeply. The vines were heavy as battering rams. Each smash from the vines left his hands numb from the impact.

"It's Li Luo's combined resonance art!" Duze Beixuan shouted. He was scared now, having lost once to it already.

And this time, he could feel that Li Luo's combined resonance art was much stronger than before.

"The power of dual resonances. This isn't even dual, just combined, yet it's already so hard to deal with," Wang Hejiu marveled.

"But Li Luo, did you think we weren't prepared to face your combined resonance arts?"

"It's quite surprising the first time, but without that element of surprise, it isn't so effective."

Wang Hejiu sucked in a deep breath. Bluish-green patterns of light appeared on his cheeks, gathering at his lips.

He then blew out, "Tiger-general resonance art, Corrosive Wind!"

Woo, woo!

The wind howled from his lips, an alien, eerie gust that ate away at the power on the vines, corroding them.

Duze Beixuan made his move at the same time. Aquamarine resonant power bloomed forth. "Tiger-general resonance art, Kun's Roar!"

Woo, woo!

A dark-blue sonic wave rippled out from his own mouth, reinforcing Wang Hejiu's corrosive wind. The wave swept up all the limp vines and sent them bowling back towards Li Luo.

He desperately scrambled backwards, caught off-guard by Wang Hejiu and Duze Beixuan's well-coordinated resonance art combination. It had completely broken his offense.

As expected of elite Astral Sage College students. After a period of adjustment, they were starting to develop combined powers. It quickly wore away the advantage of Li Luo's combined powers.

Eyeing up the expanding sonic wave with trepidation, Li Luo faltered.

"Xin Fu," he called softly, "can you block this one?"

A shadow shimmered into view beside him. "I can," Xin Fu said, even more impassive than usual. "But I can only block an attack of this degree once. And then I will be out of the fight."

"Are you sure you can handle it alone after that?"

Li Luo smiled. He could feel the two resonance seeds within him vibrating violently in his resonant palaces. He nodded.

"Alright," Xin Fu said simply.

Li Luo retreated.

Dark shadows gathered before him, spreading like ink in water.

Xin Fu put his palms together. "Sable Veil!"

The dark shadows exploded into reality, creating a new world of darkness that cast the entire gorge into gloom.

The wave of sound and poison was swallowed up inside Sable Veil.

Boom!

The energy tore and shredded away at the darkness.

The violent struggle persisted for half a minute, then the black veil was ripped apart, shredded and riddled with holes. 

The devastating wave had sundered it.

From within the darkness, Xin Fu's body flew out, smashing against a tree. He stirred weakly, wiping away the blood from his mouth. His entire body was covered in dark-green gashes. He shook his head.

If the ranking battles were just a little later, he might have reached the Pattern Genesis tier, mitigating their advantage.

He looked at Li Luo. "All yours, Leader," he mumbled.