Contest

"Support System?"

Chao Tianxiang thought she had misheard and hesitantly asked again.

"That's right, and Food System at that." Zhao Wuji wore an embarrassed expression.

"Food System?"

Chao Tianxiang's heart tightened. Food System Soul Masters were already harder to cultivate than ordinary Soul Masters, yet this boy had broken through level thirty at just fourteen or fifteen.

Chao Tianxiang's eyes lit up. Wouldn't it be a huge gain if she could recruit such a gifted Food System Soul Master into her sect?

Zhao Wuji seemed to see through Chao Tianxiang's intentions. He coughed twice. "Sister Chao, how about this? A few of my disciples are also level twenty-nine. Why not let them fight in Oscar's place?"

The Snake Dowager had already lost count of how many times she had been stunned. If Zhao Wuji had not been here, she would have guaranteed that she'd pack up every one of these boys and girls and bring them back to her sect! Once they grew up, they might even be able to challenge the Upper Three Sects.

But with Zhao Wuji standing nearby, she could only bury that thought deep in her heart and say enviously, "Your academy is truly fortunate."

"Haha, so-so, so-so." Zhao Wuji grinned brightly.

"Then which one of you will come out to fight?"

Ignoring Zhao Wuji, who had already become unbearably smug, Chao Tianxiang addressed the Shrek group.

Only two people at Shrek Academy currently had Soul Power at level twenty-nine: Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was inexplicably feeling low, so Tang San had no choice but to step forward.

"I'll do it." Tang San stepped out and spoke steadily.

Zhao Wuji nodded. Among all these little monsters, there was no one he trusted more than Tang San, though this kid...

Remembering the lumps all over his body at the start of the term, Zhao Wuji could not help feeling lingering fear. This little fellow was ruthless, and that... Mm, trouble came from the mouth, trouble came from the mouth...

Though Chao Tianxiang was old, her eyesight was still sharp. She looked Tang San up and down, then nodded. "All right. Yiran, do you have any objections?"

Naturally, Chao Tianxiang had no reason to object. Tang San's Soul Power was only level twenty-nine; by all rights, her granddaughter had the advantage.

"No."

The girl answered coldly. Although the talent of these boys and girls had dealt her a heavy blow, what angered her even more was the trouble over the Soul Ring that had practically been hers.

After all, her martial soul was the Snake Head Staff. A good snake-type Spirit Beast was not easy to find.

The two took their positions and announced themselves.

"Meng Yiran, martial soul Snake Staff, level thirty, two-ring Battle Soul Master."

"Tang San, martial soul Blue Silver Grass, level twenty-nine Battle Soul Master."

"Your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass? And you're level twenty-nine?" Meng Yiran frowned. What was this? Blue Silver Grass could be cultivated?

"Is there a problem?" Tang San asked casually. This was not the first time he had encountered such a reaction.

Chao Tianxiang was also somewhat surprised and instinctively looked toward Zhao Wuji. "Blue Silver Grass can be cultivated?"

Zhao Xuan could not help curling his lip. "What's so strange about that? As long as a martial soul has Soul Power, it can be cultivated, right? Besides, Xiao San has Innate Full Soul Power."

"Innate Full Soul Power?" Chao Tianxiang's eyes nearly turned red. Damn it, what kind of place was this Shrek Academy? How did it have so many little monsters?

The Shrek group all shot Chao Tianxiang disdainful looks. What was so strange about that?

In fact, quite a few of Shrek's nine had Innate Full Soul Power: Zhao Xuan, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar, more than half of them. The rest had at least Innate Soul Power of level eight!

Meanwhile, a breeze rustled through the leaves, and sunlight filtered through the uneven, swaying shadows of the trees, forming bright paths of light.

Tang San gently raised his right hand. "Please!"

Meng Yiran was already furious, so naturally she would not be polite. Besides, with a Soul Emperor and a Soul Sage nearby, she did not have to worry about being unable to hold back.

Raising her more than two-meter-long Snake Head Staff, Meng Yiran smashed it viciously toward Tang San. She looked delicate, but her methods were exceptionally domineering.

Zhao Xuan and Zhao Wuji were both on guard as well, afraid that Tang San might suffer an accident.

Tang San remained unhurried. A weapon gained strength with length, but it had one fatal weakness: inflexibility. Tang San, who had mastered Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, happened to excel at movement techniques.

With several graceful dodges, Tang San effortlessly evaded Meng Yiran's attacks. After dodging several times, he seized an opportunity.

First Soul Skill, Binding, activate!

Blue-black Blue Silver Grass suddenly burst from the ground and grew wildly. This most inconspicuous grass on Douluo Continent instantly displayed its might, wrapping Meng Yiran into a dumpling.

Tang San smiled faintly. "I think this match can end now, right?"

Tang San was quite confident in his First Soul Skill, especially the paralytic toxin that came from the Mandala Snake.

Frost covered Meng Yiran's pretty face. "Arrogant!"

The wrapped Meng Yiran snorted coldly, and both Soul Rings on her body lit up at once. Like a snake shedding its skin, she slipped free from the layers of Blue Silver Grass binding her.

Seeing that things were going badly, Tang San quickly retreated. His eyes remained fixed on Meng Yiran. "You weren't poisoned?"

Zhao Xuan said in realization, "How many things can surpass a snake when it comes to poison? She must be immune to some of it."

"Damn, Zhao Xuan, that's all you're paying attention to?" Ma Hongjun's excited voice came from beside him.

"What?"

Zhao Xuan turned to look and saw that Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Dai Mubai had eyes shining like lightbulbs, their breathing even a little heavy, while the girls' expressions had clearly worsened.

A thought struck Zhao Xuan, and he turned back toward the battlefield. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Damn, Xiao San, when did your Soul Skill become so awesome?

He had not noticed the details at first glance. Because Tang San's First Soul Skill used thorns to inject paralytic toxin, even though Meng Yiran had not been poisoned, her tight outfit had been punctured with small holes, exposing fleeting glimpses of what lay beneath.

"You pervert!"

Humiliated and furious, Meng Yiran swung her Snake Head Staff even more fiercely than before.

Tang San could not explain himself no matter what he said and could only dodge helplessly. There was a snake blade in the mouth of the Snake Head Staff, and ordinary Blue Silver Grass vines were cut apart by it as easily as chopping vegetables.

Meng Yiran's Snake Staff pressed forward relentlessly. After activating Purple Demon Eye, Tang San struck the snake's vital point. The Snake Staff trembled, and Meng Yiran's heart jumped. She controlled the snake blade to slide down from the top of the staff, targeting Tang San's hand.

But Tang San cultivated a strange hand-training technique. Once activated, his hand became like white jade, indestructible, and he seized the snake blade in one grasp.

The two remained locked in this stalemate, gradually turning it into a contest of Soul Power.

"This won't end well." Zhao Wuji muttered.

"What do you mean?" Zhao Xuan asked.

"A contest of Soul Power is an extremely dangerous duel. One mistake can result in serious injuries."

"Xiao San won't be all right, will he?" Although Xiao Wu had been absent-minded, she had been watching Tang San all along. Seeing this, she could not help asking worriedly.

"I don't know." Zhao Wuji stared intently at the two.

Logically, Meng Yiran's Soul Power should have been deeper than Tang San's. But she had been too eager to attack, and in the early stages, her Soul Power occupied two-thirds of the Snake Staff. Tang San's Soul Power, however, was highly resilient. He had held his ground without advancing, and once Meng Yiran's Soul Power began to weaken, he gradually fought her to a standstill and slowly gained the upper hand.

"Let's intervene together. The Soul Ring will be yours." The Snake Dowager, Chao Tianxiang, shook her head. It was not worth going this far over a Soul Ring.

Zhao Wuji smiled as well. "That would be for the best."

The two acted almost simultaneously, helping them withdraw from the Soul Power clash.

Meng Yiran's face turned pale, and she spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wah," looking unbearably fragile.

Tang San did not fare much better either. He only felt Soul Power churning through his internal organs.

Even so, it was now clear who had the upper hand.

Oscar hurried over to curry favor, holding a pile of sausages with a broad smile. "Xiao San, you worked hard, you worked hard."

Tang San shook his head and did not take them for the moment. He cupped his hands toward Meng Yiran across from him. "You let me win."

Naturally, Meng Yiran had no pleasant expression for him. After glaring at Tang San through gritted teeth, she stormed away. "Grandma, let's go!"

Afraid that Meng Yiran might suffer an accident, Chao Tianxiang did not say much and hurried after her.