A Duel? More Like Teasing a Kid

Yan moved decisively and without warning. An inexperienced opponent might well have let him seize the initiative.

But Zhou You was no such opponent.

As the second Immortal Daying, he naturally had extensive combat experience. Even by a conservative estimate, the Quanxing fiends who had died at his hands numbered in the hundreds. Yan's paltry trick was like showing off his axe skills before the master carpenter.

His hands relaxed naturally and his knees bent slightly. Just as Yan was about to reach him, he abruptly lifted one foot and spun around his supporting leg so fast the movement blurred.

As Yan rushed past and was about to overtake Zhou You, Zhou You lightly hooked the ankle of Yan's foot with his raised foot, a decision made entirely on instinct.

The whole sequence was executed without the slightest trace of effort, leaving Yan unable to react.

All Yan saw was a blur before his target vanished from sight. At the same moment, his foot was tripped, and his forward momentum made it impossible to stop in time.

He went flying, his face making intimate contact with the ground.

"Ow—" Yan sprawled on the ground in a thoroughly undignified position, his upturned ass making Zhou You's foot itch.

Unable to resist, Zhou You lashed out with a kick.

"Aagh~~ you fucking—"

Yan scrambled to his feet, one hand covering his aching nose and the other his stinging ass as he glared at Zhou You.

But he looked anything but intimidating. Anyone who saw him would only want to laugh.

"Had enough?"

"Enough, my ass!" Yan roared and charged again, but this time he was much more cautious.

He no longer threw everything he had into the attack without a thought, instead holding back some strength so he could adjust his moves. That also meant Yan had begun to take Zhou You's strength seriously.

But it did nothing to improve the outcome.

Faced with Yan's seemingly ferocious assault, Zhou You remained as leisurely as if he were strolling through a courtyard. Now he dipped a shoulder, now he drew in his stomach, now he tilted his head, all while taking small steps backward, keeping Yan's fists a hair's breadth away.

Zhou You's movements were so nimble that he seemed to be dancing on a knife's edge, yet he held firm control over the entire rhythm. Yan grew angrier the longer he fought. He started out well enough, but soon his punches and kicks lost all form.

At one point, Yan suddenly missed with a wide swinging punch, leaving his back completely exposed to Zhou You. A chill ran through Yan's heart. He hurriedly turned his head, but his body couldn't stop in time.

Naturally, Zhou You couldn't let such an opportunity pass. He raised his hand and, without hesitation, planted a massive slap across Yan's face.

Smack!

The slap carried tremendous force. Though Yan had braced himself, it knocked him straight to his knees, leaving him completely dazed.

Although Zhou You had yet to formally cultivate Threefold Reversal out of consideration for his body's development, the Three-One Sect's stance training was already a prerequisite for reversal. It was remarkably effective at nourishing the body and accumulating Qi, a method that focused on cultivating one's life force.

Thus, although his body was only six years old, its strength had long surpassed that of his peers. In a pure contest of strength, Yan might not have been his match.

Members of the Three-One Sect were actually better suited to a forceful, fierce fighting style, but Zhou You hadn't met Yan head-on. He had played Yan around in circles using nothing but agile footwork, which could only mean there was a huge gap between them in combat experience.

Even now, he was still just playing with a child.

After taking that slap, Yan suddenly realized it too. Shame and anger overwhelmed him, but they also instantly cooled his overheated head.

Fuck! I can't beat him without my Martial Soul!

This time, before Zhou You could ask, he immediately shouted, "I'm not convinced!"

"That's what I figured." Zhou You wasn't surprised, but his words made Yan's face burn. It was hard to tell whether it was from pain or embarrassment.

"I'm an easygoing person. Just say it: what would it take to convince you?"

Yan got to his feet with a dark, solemn expression.

"I want a real combat match with you!"

"Sure." Zhou You nodded, then asked, "Do you need a few days to prepare?"

"No!" Yan rubbed his face with both hands. Those blows had left him a little disheveled, but they were only superficial injuries, and he had barely lost any stamina.

That was precisely why he couldn't swallow this insult. He was a Soul Master, and his greatest abilities naturally lay in his Martial Soul.

Yan believed that if he went all out, this kid would be no match for him!

"Then let's go." Zhou You gestured for him to lead the way.

Yan turned and walked off, with Zhou You following at a leisurely pace.

The two arrived at the school's training grounds, where Yan submitted an application with practiced ease and quickly received approval.

Since it was a spar between low-level Soul Masters, the fighting platform wasn't very large. It was a small circular arena about thirty meters in diameter, with no spectator stands around it.

However, a Soul Ancestor-level referee was provided, who also served as a safety officer in case the students on the platform got carried away and couldn't stop themselves.

"Are both sides ready?"

Yan said loudly, "I'm ready."

Zhou You merely smiled and nodded.

What a show-off! Yan thought fiercely. He couldn't stand the way this guy put on airs.

"All right, then. Begin!"

The Soul Ancestor at the side of the arena had barely finished speaking when Yan immediately used Martial Soul Possession.

His figure abruptly grew taller, magma-like patterns appeared across his skin, and his muscles bulged like a suit of armor cast from rock.

Heat filled the air, which warped around Yan.

Yan's Martial Soul was called the Flame Lord. It was said to be an ancient Martial Soul with both fire and earth attributes, characterized by powerful offense and tough defense.

Compared with Yan's astonishing Martial Soul debut, Zhou You's manifestation looked utterly unremarkable.

He simply turned his palm over and, as if performing a magic trick, pulled a black umbrella out of thin air.

The sight filled Yan with even greater confidence. With a vicious grin, he charged straight at Zhou You like a mighty rhinoceros.

The force of his charge even made Zhou You feel as though he were facing a dump truck.

But he also noticed his opponent's weakness.

"He's gotten clumsier."

Zhou You used Butterfly Step and easily dodged Yan's charge.

After Martial Soul Possession, Yan's movements had become stiffer, but when his fist came down, the arena floor cracked instantly, and a wave of scorching heat swept toward Zhou You.

Zhou You made a probing thrust with the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella. Yan reacted quickly, raising an elbow to block its tip with his arm. Their collision actually rang out like iron striking stone.

Zhou You was slightly surprised. Yan gave a cold laugh and suddenly swung his elbow, unleashing a tremendous force that sent Zhou You's entire body flying!

With his Martial Soul empowering him, Yan's strength had increased enormously.

Yet Zhou You didn't panic in midair. His powerful core allowed him to execute a precise backflip and land steadily on the ground again.

But Yan was already charging at him once more!

He had timed it perfectly. It was too late for Zhou You to dodge now.

If he couldn't dodge, then he wouldn't!

Instead of retreating, Zhou You advanced, quickly closing the distance between them. More importantly, he slipped inside Yan's reach, putting himself in a position where Yan couldn't throw a punch at all.

Yan was startled, having never expected him to respond like that. He could only grit his teeth and ram him with his body.

Let's see which of us is tougher! Yan thought fiercely.

The Soul Ancestor referee at the side watched with complete concentration, ready to intervene.

As he saw it, Zhou You's body of flesh and blood simply couldn't withstand the formidable physical toughness of the Flame Lord.

Besides, the Flame Lord also dealt additional heat damage. In a head-on collision, Zhou You was sure to be the one injured.

Yet the result took everyone by surprise.

Just as the two were about to collide, the tip of the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella had somehow already come to rest against Yan's chest.

With a thought from Zhou You, a Qi Needle silently formed, using penetrating force to pierce through the layers of armor and reach its target inside Yan's body.

Yan's body suddenly went rigid.