Self-Created Soul Skill: Finger Bullet

Because they were standing so close, Xia Liang could clearly see the entire process of Dugu Yan fusing with her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul.

Compared to her normal state, after fusing with the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, not only had Dugu Yan's lower body completely transformed into a snake's body, but her jade-green eyes had narrowed into snake eyes as well. Her purple hair had deepened in color, and her presence had become even more imposing.

Seeing that both sides had summoned their Martial Souls and were ready to fight at any moment, the host quickly moved beneath the Soul Fighting Platform and shouted into the sound-amplifying Soul Tool in his hand, "Then, you two, the soul fight begins!"

The impassioned voice ignited the audience's enthusiasm. Amid the surging cheers and shouts, Dugu Yan merely pulled back twenty meters and did not launch an attack.

She already held the advantage in Soul Power and Soul Rings in this soul fight. If she attacked first as well, she would definitely draw boos from the spectators.

"Master Xia, considering how hard you work for us students every day, I can give you three moves. For three moves, I'll only defend and won't attack. After three moves, I'll let you know the consequences of foolishly trying to challenge me!"

As she spoke the final word, a vicious glint flashed through Dugu Yan's eyes. If it had been anyone else, she would have ended the fight directly with Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison without wasting a single breath.

Killing was permitted in a higher-level soul fight.

But Master Xia's cooking truly had a unique flavor. If she accidentally poisoned him to death, no one in the entire academy would be able to taste such delicious food again.

Xia Liang accepted Dugu Yan's kind concession and immediately changed tactics. After the one-meter-long Iron Bone Blade in his hand vanished, the First Soul Skill, Netherworld Transformation, and the Second Soul Skill, Iron Bone, activated at the same time.

Xia Liang swiftly raised his right hand. The phalanges at the tips of his five fingers shot out like bullets, hurtling toward Dugu Yan with piercing screeches through the air.

Dugu Yan clearly had not expected her opponent to possess a long-range Soul Skill. Facing the five incoming phalanges, she instinctively swung her jade-green snake tail forward in a sweeping motion.

"Yan, don't block them! Dodge!"

Hearing her teammate Yu Feng's urgent cry from the spectator area, Dugu Yan immediately stopped swinging her tail. She rapidly lowered herself against the floor of the Soul Fighting Platform, narrowly avoiding the five speeding phalanges.

At that very moment, the five phalanges flew straight into the wall beneath the audience stands.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

Five crisp hums rang out in succession. They were the sounds of the five phalanges piercing through the wall.

Seeing five pitch-black holes suddenly appear in the wall, not only the audience in the stands, but even Dugu Yan, who had turned to look behind her, froze where she was.

If she had used her snake tail to block those five highly penetrating phalanges just now, wouldn't her tail have been punched through with five holes like that wall?

"Y-You're not a Defense System Soul Master!" Dugu Yan glared at Xia Liang, embarrassed and angry.

By then, all the phalanges Xia Liang had fired from his right hand had already regenerated.

In truth, those five phalanges had not been bones from his actual fingertips. They were part of the Skeleton Martial Soul and came from the Skeleton Right Arm. Even if all five were fired, they could regrow through the expenditure of Soul Power without injuring his flesh.

It was a Self-Created Soul Skill Xia Liang had learned a year ago. He had named it Finger Bullet, a homophone for "bullet."

Using an explosive burst of Soul Power as propulsion, the phalanges at his fingertips could rapidly detach and shoot out, like a lizard shedding its tail.

With the one-hundred-percent strength enhancement of the First Soul Skill, Netherworld Transformation, the hardness reinforcement of the Second Soul Skill, Iron Bone, their sharpened tips for penetration, and the spiraling trajectory created by the burst of Soul Power, Finger Bullet could easily penetrate at least five centimeters into an Iron Crystal Slab.

A Self-Created Soul Skill grew alongside its Soul Master.

In other words, the higher Xia Liang's Soul Power Level became in the future, the more powerful Finger Bullet would become.

Yu Feng's Martial Soul was the Wind Chime Bird and possessed the Wind Attribute. He could judge the strength of Finger Bullet by the wind speed it generated when fired.

That was why he had been able to warn Dugu Yan in time.

However, even without Yu Feng's warning, those five Finger Bullets would not have truly harmed Dugu Yan.

Because when he activated the skill, Xia Liang had already reduced his Soul Power expenditure and weakened Finger Bullet's overall power in advance. Injuries of that degree could be healed by a healing Soul Master's Soul Skill.

Before Dugu Yan could react, Xia Liang's right hand had already formed a pistol gesture and pointed forward. As the Soul Power concentrated at his fingertip suddenly erupted, a Finger Bullet the size of a bean shot from his finger, so fast it was like a flash of cold light.

Dugu Yan felt a tremor between her brows and immediately twisted her snake body to dodge toward the front left.

After narrowly evading the Finger Bullet, she had yet to steady herself before another incoming Finger Bullet forced her back several meters.

The Skeleton Right Arm had five fingers, which meant it could fire five Finger Bullets in rapid succession within a short period.

Just before those five Finger Bullets forced Dugu Yan back to the edge of the Soul Fighting Platform, Xia Liang moved. As he accelerated forward, the Black-Purple Ribs covering the right half of his body rapidly grew into a Giant Bone Hand brimming with a Flesh and Blood Sensation.

Under the control of his mind, the ten-meter-long Giant Bone Hand violently thrust forward. Its palm bone, fully two meters wide, slammed into Dugu Yan at high speed.

The domineering palm force stirred up a gale. Dugu Yan first took the blow from the Giant Bone Hand, then was sent flying by the fierce wind and crashed heavily off the Soul Fighting Platform.

This higher-level soul fight challenge ended just that abruptly.

Not only Dugu Yan herself, but all the spectators present failed to react.

Everything had happened too suddenly. It was so sudden that Dugu Yan had been eliminated before she could even use a single Soul Skill.

Sitting blankly on the floor beneath the Soul Fighting Platform, Dugu Yan watched Xia Liang walk to its edge, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Looking down at Dugu Yan, Xia Liang smiled. "Exactly three moves. Thank you for letting me have them. You lost this higher-level soul fight."

It was a very calm statement, yet when it reached Dugu Yan's ears, her entire body trembled.

You lost. That declaration was even more aggressive than the Finger Bullets just now.

What Dugu Yan felt most deeply was humiliation.

She had confidently offered him three moves, intending to end the battle after those three moves.

Yet she had only outsmarted herself and become the loser instead. Who would be willing to accept such a fact?

After staring at Dugu Yan sitting below the platform for several seconds, the host finally came to his senses and loudly announced through the sound-amplifying Soul Tool in his hand, "Congratulations to Bone King for successfully challenging above his level. His record is now eleven wins and zero losses. Dugu Yan has lost, bringing her record to twenty-five wins and one loss. Mr. Bone King, you may register your points at the front desk shortly. Thank you for bringing the audience this higher-level soul fight challenge."

The Great Soul Arena's main hall, at the front desk.

After showing his Soul Fighting Badge to the receptionist and registering his points, Xia Liang received not only a large bag of Gold Soul Coins as a reward for winning the soul fight, but also the ten thousand Gold Soul Coins Dugu Yan had put up as the wager for the higher-level soul fight.

Added to that were the thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins he had bet in the higher-level soul fight gambling pool, at odds of one to three.

This soul fight victory had earned him a total profit of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

The Great Soul Arena truly deserved its reputation as the largest casino on Douluo Continent. Making money here was far more profitable than working in the mercenary group industry.

With this money, he could do another Whale Rubber deal with the Shui Family of Skywater City.

After storing one-third of the Gold Soul Coins in the Silver Bracelet, Xia Liang stored the remaining two-thirds in the red compartment of the Three-colored Ring. By keeping them in two separate Soul Tools, even if he lost one, he would not be left penniless.

Just as he was about to leave the front desk, Dugu Yan suddenly ran out from the direction of the Soul Arena entrance.

Xia Liang tucked the Three-colored Ring into his belt and was about to leave, but Dugu Yan quickly spread her arms and blocked his path.

"Master Xia, you think you can run after beating me?"