Battle of Attrition

Dugu Yan was taken aback by the question. A faint blush flashed across her face, and she immediately put on a calm front.

"Of course not! I just don't want Yu Tianheng pestering me. You know how it is. He's driving me to death."

Dugu Yan turned her gaze back to the Soul Fighting Platform and changed the subject, her voice softening in a rare moment. "But this Cyberpunk really isn't bad. He reached level twenty-five at eleven, and he's even trained his Blue Silver Grass to this level. He's much better than those other guys. If he really beats Yu Tianheng, it means he's worthy of me. I suppose I could accept him."

Ye Lingling didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Looking at Dugu Yan's carefully composed face, she felt a jumble of emotions. It was almost as if someone had robbed her home.

The moment the thought popped into Ye Lingling's head, she startled herself. What passed between him and me was nothing more than a joke between children, that's all.

But why did she feel so miserable when she heard Dugu Yan say she wanted to pursue him?

Ye Lingling's fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt again.

On the Soul Fighting Platform, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

Yu Tianheng had attacked for a long time without success, and the impatience in his heart was gradually showing on his face.

He had thought that with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's attack power, he could finish off a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master in three moves at most.

But now they had exchanged nearly a hundred blows, and not only had his opponent avoided defeat, he had grown steadier as the fight went on, like a piece of taffy that couldn't be chewed through or smashed apart.

"Is dodging all you know how to do?" Yu Tianheng roared, crossing his claws in front of him. Blue arcs of lightning gathered at their tips, forming two crescent-shaped blades of lightning.

Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Might.

The lightning around Yu Tianheng swelled in an instant, turning into countless arrows of lightning that flashed outward in every direction. This was an area-of-effect Soul Skill, meant for coverage rather than precision. At this distance, there was precious little room to dodge.

The arrows of lightning howled toward Tang San, tearing through the air with piercing cracks. Every arrow carried destructive power.

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly.

This move was several times more powerful than the Thunder Dragon Claw he had used earlier. If Tang San took it head-on, his Blue Silver Grass shield probably wouldn't hold.

Tang San threw himself backward. Blue Silver Grass surged out and wrapped around a nearby stone pillar. His whole body bent like a fully drawn bow, and the vine's pull catapulted him away at an incredible angle, letting him narrowly evade several lightning arrows coming straight at him.

His body flipped in midair, and he landed steadily on the other side of the Soul Fighting Platform.

Yu Tianheng's breathing had already begun to grow ragged.

His continuous, high-intensity attacks had consumed a tremendous amount of Soul Power.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul possessed formidable attack power, but its Soul Power consumption was just as astonishing. If Yu Tianheng couldn't end the fight quickly, his position would only grow more unfavorable.

Tang San, meanwhile, remained calm and composed.

Evergreen Body continued to take effect, restoring his Soul Power several times faster than usual and cutting his physical exertion in half. Although Blue Silver Grass was at a considerable disadvantage against the lightning attribute, Tang San's recovery could keep up with his rate of consumption.

As one waned, the other waxed.

Tang San seized the moment Yu Tianheng's breathing fell out of rhythm and whipped his right hand forward.

Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground, four vines emerging at once to attack Yu Tianheng from four directions, some stabbing, others coiling.

In the VIP room, a trace of surprise flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes at the sight. Heart Separation Control. This child had actually learned Heart Separation Control and had already practiced it to the third level.

Heart Separation Control had five levels: Three-Aperture Controlling Heart, Four-Aperture Constant Heart, Five-Aperture Scattered Heart, Six-Aperture Wishful Heart, and Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart. These five levels allowed one to split one's attention to control one, two, four, six, and seven things respectively.

On the stage, Yu Tianheng snorted coldly and shook his arms. Lightning burst from his body, blasting the first batch of approaching vines into charcoal.

But the second batch came right on their heels.

Yu Tianheng unleashed lightning again, shattering the second batch.

Then came the third.

And each batch of vines attacked from increasingly tricky angles. Some came from the front, some circled around from the sides, some struck from beneath his feet, and others descended straight from the sky.

Yu Tianheng's lightning could counter Blue Silver Grass, but every release drained his already dwindling Soul Power faster. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, on the other hand, seemed endless: impossible to cut down, impossible to kill off.

That was Tang San's strategy.

He wouldn't compete with Yu Tianheng in attack power, but in attrition.

Blue Silver Grass was indeed at a disadvantage against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's overbearing lightning attribute, but Tang San had Evergreen Body's recovery to fall back on. Destroy ten of mine, and I'll grow a hundred; destroy a hundred, and I'll grow a thousand.

Let's see whose Soul Power runs out first.

Yu Tianheng had evidently realized this as well.

His expression grew uglier, his breathing more ragged, and veins bulged on his forehead. His lightning began to dim, and its bursts grew less frequent.

This couldn't go on.

Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth and drew on all his remaining Soul Power. He brought his arms sharply together in front of him, condensing a massive ball of lightning over half a meter across.

This was the final blow he could deliver.

The ball of lightning flew from his hands, trailing a long blue tail of flame as it blasted toward Tang San.

Tang San stood where he was and didn't dodge. He pressed both hands to the ground at once, pouring his Soul Power into it without reservation.

Blue Silver Grass surged madly from the ground before him, piling up layer upon layer to raise a massive wall of vines over a meter thick in front of Tang San.

The ball of lightning struck the wall.

"Boom!!!"

The tremendous blast shook the entire Soul Fighting Platform. Blue lightning exploded outward, engulfing the whole wall in a web of electricity. Under the lightning strike, layer after layer of vines charred, shattered, and scattered.

But the wall was too thick.

After piercing more than a dozen layers of vines, the ball of lightning finally spent its power and dissolved into specks of blue light.

The explosion tore a huge hole in the wall, scattering charred fragments of vine across the ground. But Tang San stood behind it, completely unharmed.

Yu Tianheng's legs gave way, and he dropped to one knee.

His Soul Power was exhausted.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's possession of Yu Tianheng began to fade.

Without hesitation, Tang San sent Blue Silver Grass flying from his palm. It wrapped around Yu Tianheng, binding him from head to foot in a purple-green cocoon.

Yu Tianheng struggled a couple of times, but without Soul Power to support him, he couldn't break even a single vine.

Tang San swung his arm and used the vines to throw Yu Tianheng off the stage.

The entire venue fell silent.

Then cheers erupted like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing.

"Cyberpunk! Cyberpunk! Cyberpunk!"

Tens of thousands of spectators chanted the name at once, wave after wave of sound rising higher, nearly lifting the dome off the Soul Fighting Arena.

The host took a deep breath and raised his right hand, his voice ringing out. "Congratulations to Cyberpunk! With Blue Silver Grass, he has defeated the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, won this Soul Fight, and successfully advanced to Gold Soul Fighting!"

Tang San's information updated on the four enormous crystal screens, and his badge changed from silver to gold.

Tang San stood in the center of the Soul Fighting Platform and calmly swept his gaze over the audience, then turned and walked toward the contestants' passage.

In the stands, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling finally let out long breaths.

Dugu Yan gritted her teeth, a glimmer of resolve flashing in her eyes. "Lingling, I've decided," she said meaningfully. "Take me to meet him in a little while."

"Mm." Ye Lingling lowered her head, lost in thought. Her feelings were a complete mess now.

Dugu Yan kept her gaze fixed on the contestants' passage, her eyes full of curiosity. She wasn't looking at Ye Lingling and didn't notice that anything was amiss with her.