A Trap Within a Trap

Such a genius probably won't be beaten into depression by me, right? Wang Xiaofeng thought as he looked at the disdainful Fan Wu before him.

"...The match begins." Once the Host saw that both sides were in position, he hurriedly ran off the Soul Battle Stage. Attacks from Soul Elders could cover the entire arena, and he had no desire to be caught in the crossfire.

"Hey, kid over there, I'll give you the chance to make the first move. Otherwise, once I attack, you won't have any chance at all."

Wang Xiaofeng shook his head. "Why do you have so much nonsense to say? Hurry up. Are you done scattering your spores yet?"

Tang San was instantly startled. He subconsciously activated his Purple Demon Eyes and looked toward the ground on the stage. Under the lights, more than half the Soul Battle Stage was indeed covered in tiny green specks.

"When did you discover it?!" Fan Wu's previously arrogant expression immediately turned serious. His right hand unconsciously clenched, concealing the Martial Soul in his palm.

He had defeated many Soul Masters with this move without being discovered. How had it suddenly failed this time?

Wang Xiaofeng disdainfully pointed at the ground. "Brother, read more books. One of Blood Thorns' two major traits is that once it reaches maturity, it continuously releases tiny spores to reproduce. How could I not have been prepared for that? You must have summoned your Martial Soul long ago. All that nonsense was just to stall for time."

"That's right. You guessed correctly." Fan Wu nodded, admitting Wang Xiaofeng was right. "But your biggest mistake was giving me time to set up the field."

Fan Wu's expression changed, and three Soul Rings immediately rose from his body. Two yellow and one purple—clearly the optimal configuration.

"First Soul Skill, Savage Growth!"

As soon as Fan Wu finished speaking, blood-red thorns sprang from the Soul Battle Stage, covering an area more than ten meters in diameter around him. They occupied nearly half the stage and continued spreading toward Wang Xiaofeng.

Wang Xiaofeng began dodging backward, evading thorn after thorn. However, the Soul Battle Stage was only so large, and there were limited places to retreat. From the audience's perspective, Wang Xiaofeng seemed to have been forced into a dead end.

Tang San kept his Purple Demon Eyes active. He noticed that whenever Wang Xiaofeng dodged, he secretly scattered some unknown yellow liquid.

Wang Xiaofeng was gradually forced into a small corner by the blood-red thorns. By then, the Soul Battle Stage was covered in Blood Thorns. The thorns were lined with sharp spikes; no one would want to be struck by one.

Blood Thorns' second major trait was paralysis. Anyone pierced by them would be poisoned. Their wounds would keep bleeding, yet they would feel no pain at all. Before they realized it, the poisoned would bleed to death.

"Hehe, now you can't run, can you?"

Fan Wu laughed happily. So what if Wang Xiaofeng had discovered his methods? He would still lose.

"Second Soul Skill, Thorn Strangulation."

Fan Wu's Second Soul Ring lit up, and a mass of blood-red thorns abruptly surrounded Wang Xiaofeng.

All three Soul Rings on Wang Xiaofeng's body glowed. At the critical moment, he leaped into the air and avoided Fan Wu's attack.

"What's the point of struggling at death's door? You might as well jump off the stage yourself and spare yourself the pain." Fan Wu's expression did not change. He made a grasping motion toward Wang Xiaofeng in the air with his right hand, and even more Blood Thorns grew from the stage, lashing toward Wang Xiaofeng.

Bang! Bang! Bang! A series of sounds rang out beneath Wang Xiaofeng's feet. He immediately moved like a nimble swallow, continuously dodging the thorns binding toward him in midair while charging straight at Fan Wu.

"So this is Xiaofeng's Self-Created Soul Skill, Flash Step! It may be crude, but it truly has the beginnings of martial arts." Tang San watched Wang Xiaofeng's constantly dodging figure with great interest. In some respects, even Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track could not compare to Flash Step.

"I see. The entire Soul Battle Stage is now covered in thorns, and only a small patch of open ground remains around that Control System Soul Master. He's trapped himself in his own cocoon." Dai Mubai finally understood Wang Xiaofeng's setup. This also made it difficult for Fan Wu himself to move, while saving a great deal of Soul Power.

"But that Control System Soul Master should still have Soul Power left. At the very least, he should be able to use his Third Soul Skill." Ma Hongjun looked worried. A Control System Soul Master with a Plant Martial Soul had an overwhelming terrain advantage on a Soul Battle Stage unless they encountered a fire-type Soul Master.

The battle onstage changed in an instant. Fan Wu had not expected Wang Xiaofeng to be able to move through the air, but he still had his Third Soul Skill. At that speed, Wang Xiaofeng could not avoid it. The Purple Soul Ring on Fan Wu's body shone with a dazzling light.

"Third Soul Skill, Thorns—"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Suddenly, the thorns across the stage erupted into fierce flames, and the Soul Battle Stage instantly became a sea of fire.

As his thorn Martial Soul was burned away, Fan Wu's Soul Power immediately fell into chaos. With his Third Soul Skill abruptly interrupted as well, he could not help coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Well? Are you satisfied with the grand gift I prepared for you?" Wang Xiaofeng landed in front of Fan Wu and cracked his knuckles. "Are you going to admit defeat yourself, or do you want me to send you down?"

"How did you make my Martial Soul catch fire?" Fan Wu asked dully as he lay on the ground.

"That's a secret." Wang Xiaofeng had no intention of falling into the cliché where villains died from talking too much, so he charged at Fan Wu.

"It's not over yet." Fan Wu picked up a Blood Thorn from the ground and swung it at Wang Xiaofeng's face.

Bang. Wang Xiaofeng threw a backhand punch, shattering the thorn in Fan Wu's hand. Without losing momentum, his fist smashed heavily into Fan Wu's face.

Still not feeling satisfied, Wang Xiaofeng followed up with several more punches to his face. Fan Wu's eyes rolled back from the beating, and with a tilt of his head, he passed out.

"Don't hit people in the face. Why are you so vicious?" Wang Xiaofeng grabbed the unconscious Fan Wu and threw him off the Soul Battle Stage.

"Th-this... Let us congratulate Wang Xiaofeng on his victory." The Host hurriedly announced Wang Xiaofeng's win, then had the Soul Masters responsible for repairing the stage quickly put out the blaze.

The one-on-one Soul Battle Stage at the Twenty-Second Branch Soul Arena immediately grew lively, filled with thunderous applause. This unusual match had opened everyone's eyes, and some spectators began cheering Wang Xiaofeng's name.

"Well? Did this match give you any inspiration?" After stepping down from the Soul Battle Stage, Wang Xiaofeng grinned as he reunited with Dai Mubai and the others.

"Brother Feng, that was incredible!" Oscar and Ma Hongjun excitedly rushed forward and hugged Wang Xiaofeng tightly.

They all knew that during this fight, Wang Xiaofeng had clearly used only Flash Step. He had not used any Soul Skills at all; the glowing Soul Rings had merely been to conceal Flash Step. He had won the entire match purely through his own intelligence.

"Brother Feng, how did you set the thorns on fire?" Tang San asked curiously.

Wang Xiaofeng took a bottle filled with yellow liquid from his Soul Tool. "You'll know once you smell it."

Tang San took the bottle and opened it. A distinctive scent slowly wafted out.

"Oil?!" everyone said in unison.

"That's right. It's pine oil. It took five Gold Soul Coins' worth just to barely cover half the arena. If I'd lost, the money I spent on pine oil and fire starters would have gone down the drain." Wang Xiaofeng put the pine oil back into his Soul Tool and began explaining his battle strategy.

"Most Control System Soul Masters have Plant Martial Souls, like Tang San. At the same level, Mubai would not be his match, but Fatty's evil fire has a strong restraining effect on him. On the other hand, Ma Hongjun cannot defeat Mubai. Martial Souls always restrain one another, so no ability is without a counter. You just need to use your brain."

"All right, my battle is over. Now it's up to you." Wang Xiaofeng's unusual fighting style opened a new door for the others, making them understand that while Soul Rings and Soul Skills were powerful, it was always the Soul Master themself who truly mattered.

PS: The inspiration came from Starting from Douluo, Checking In. Zhu Zhuqing's match against Tang San was truly astonishing.