Yan: Why Am I Always the One Getting Hurt?

Before long, Hu Liena brought Xie Yue and Yan to the Training Field.

"Your Majesty the Pope." *2

After Xie Yue and Yan paid their respects to Bibi Dong, they stood to one side and waited for instructions.

"Teacher, I'd like to spar with Brother Yan," Ye Kai said after considering the circumstances of Hu Liena's group of three.

All three of them had already obtained their Second Soul Rings. However, Hu Liena was Control-type, so damage output was not her strength. As for Xie Yue, he was his future brother-in-law—if Ye Kai beat him black and blue, it would be hard to explain to Little Fox. Besides, Ye Kai wanted to test the suppressive power of an Ultimate Attribute against non-Ultimate Attributes, and Yan's Flame Lord was the perfect reference target.

The two stood on opposite sides of the Training Field.

"Ye Kai, Level 10 healing-type Soul Scholar. Martial Soul: Tree of Life."

"Yan, Level 23 assault-type battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Flame Lord."

"Martial Soul Possession!" Yan was the first to summon his Martial Soul. Flames enveloped his fists as he charged at Ye Kai. "My Flame Lord greatly restrains your Tree of Life. I don't know why you wanted to spar with me. Wouldn't Xie Yue have been a better choice?"

"Not necessarily. Wooden Wall!" Although he currently had no Soul Skills, Ye Kai had been influenced by Naruto in his previous life, and Wood Release suited him perfectly. He simply brought his hands together and shouted, and it came at once.

If the use of energy in the two worlds was truly compared, the Naruto world completely outclassed Douluo Continent. Over there, they had developed Chakra into countless variations, while the applications of Martial Souls and Soul Power on Douluo Continent were far too crude. Soul Skills basically relied on Soul Rings and Soul Bones. Even something as fundamental as vines, a basic plant trait, required a Soul Skill to be released.

A row of connected wooden stakes surged up from the ground, blocking Yan's path forward.

"First Soul Skill, Hell Lava Surge!" Yan's First Soul Ring lit up. Large amounts of lava and rocks appeared from the ground and smashed toward the Wooden Wall.

To everyone present's surprise, the lava and rocks failed to break through the Wooden Wall. Even when the lava clung to it and ignited a blazing fire, the flames could not spread to areas not covered by lava.

Although it isn't completely immune to fire, even the Flame Lord's quality can't break through it. It seems only Huo Wu's Fire Shadow can damage the wood summoned by the Tree of Life. Feeling the damage to the Wooden Wall, Ye Kai gained a clearer understanding of Ultimate Attributes.

The first objective of the spar had been achieved. Now it was time to test his physique.

Ye Kai moved his foot, and he was already at Yan's right side. He lashed out with a kick aimed directly at Yan's head.

"So fast!" Hu Liena and Xie Yue, standing at the edge of the field, could see Ye Kai's movements with their eyes, but their minds simply could not keep up.

Bang!

Just as Ye Kai's kick was about to land on Yan, Yan finally reacted and swung his fist to meet it. Though he blocked the attack, he had been unable to gather enough strength in such haste and was still knocked back.

Ye Kai pressed his advantage, closing in and continuing to fight Yan at close range.

After several exchanges, Yan was beginning to struggle. This kid was not only fast, but strong as well. Every time their fists and legs collided, Yan was suppressed. If this continued, things would only get worse for him. He had to create some distance.

Having made up his mind, Yan took one of Ye Kai's punches head-on and used the force to retreat. Then he unleashed Hell Lava Surge again.

However, relying on his speed, Ye Kai darted and weaved between the lava and rocks, avoiding all the lava. Any rocks he could not evade were shattered with a punch as he continued charging toward the retreating Yan.

Yan had not expected Ye Kai's reckless charge. His plan had failed, leaving him no choice but to clash head-on again.

"Second Soul Skill, Granite Rock!"

Yan's arms began to petrify and thicken as they smashed toward Ye Kai.

Ye Kai twisted aside to evade the whistling stone pillars, then kicked down from above onto one of them. With Soul Power protecting his body, he actually shattered the stone pillar with a single kick.

"How is that possible?" Xie Yue, who sparred with Yan more than anyone else, found it unbelievable. Even his Moon Blades could not leave a mark on Granite Rock without using Soul Skills, yet this defensive Soul Skill had been shattered by a single kick?

Yan only felt a sharp pain shoot through his arm. At the same time, the tremendous force drove his body forward. Before he could regain his balance, a fierce gust of wind struck his face, and Ye Kai's fist had already stopped before his eyes.

"You let me win." Ye Kai did not give Yan panda eyes. After all, they would be colleagues in the future, and making things too tense between them would not be good for future cooperation.

Though Ye Kai did not think Yan could be of much help to him, he could still handle errands and miscellaneous tasks.

Surely, once Ye Kai became the top man of Spirit Hall, he would not need to personally deal with every Soul Saint and Soul Douluo.

Then a green light emerged from Ye Kai's hand and slowly settled over the spot Yan had just been kicked. Yan immediately felt the sharp pain in his arm lessen considerably.

Ding! Completed one healing action. Obtained 6,000 Healer Points.

Ye Kai suppressed his urge to inquire further. He could check the reward when he returned that night.

"You're pretty good, kid. You beat me so badly I couldn't fight back at all." Yan was not someone who could not accept defeat. Though he was dissatisfied that Ye Kai had taken away his goddess, he still possessed the responsibility a man should have.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. I'll treat you to a meal another day, Brother Yan." Showing off in front of outsiders was one thing, but there was no need for it among their own people. Showing off also depended on the occasion and the audience.

"Xiao Kai, you did very well." Bibi Dong had not expected her disciple to defeat Yan across two major ranks without even having a Soul Ring.

"Teacher," Ye Kai said, looking at Bibi Dong as she approached, "perhaps because my Martial Soul is of relatively high quality, certain Martial Soul traits had already appeared in my body before my Martial Soul awakened. I can challenge my physical limits without restraint every day. Over four years, that brought me to where I am now."

"I have a suggestion: Spirit Academy should offer body-tempering classes, especially for the junior and intermediate classes. If they build a foundation from childhood and undergo scientific, effective body tempering, then even if their talent is insufficient and they cannot make the snowball grow especially large, it can still strengthen our lower-level combat power. The expense may be substantial, though, because without accompanying medicinal baths, it could easily damage their bodies. They would also need simulated cultivation so their Soul Power could keep up."

Ye Kai felt that the weighted runs Yu Xiaogang had used at Shrek in the original story had some effect after all. Strengthening one's physique allowed one to obtain Soul Rings with higher year counts, but the method had been too crude and lacked supporting measures, so the results had not been obvious. It was only after they went to Heaven Dou that the effects became apparent.

Otherwise, even though Zhu Zhuqing had the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, as a woman, her innate physical constitution was weaker than a man's. On top of that, she was Agility attack-type, which put her another step below assault-type Soul Masters. It would have been difficult for her to attach a Ghost Tiger Soul Ring over four thousand years old as her Fourth Soul Ring.

"Let's not discuss the academy for now. What are your plans for the future?" Bibi Dong was more concerned with what her disciple intended to do.