Plagiarizing Tang San's Tactics

"Martial Soul Possession—Jade Phosphorous Serpent." Dugu Yan was the first to activate her Martial Soul.

A layer of faint purple light covered Dugu Yan's body. Her originally emerald-green eyes turned completely purple, while her lower body transformed entirely into a snake's tail. The green scales on it shone brilliantly under the sunlight. Yellow, yellow, purple—three Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet. With a flick of her snake tail, she charged at Zu Zong at incredible speed.

"Damn, why does she look so much like Orochimaru?" Seeing Dugu Yan's Martial Soul Possession for the first time, Zu Zong could not help but mutter.

"Martial Soul, activate—Blue Silver Emperor," Zu Zong silently chanted.

As he spoke, Zu Zong raised his right hand. A faint white glow appeared over his skin, followed by deep blue, nearly black Blue Silver Emperor vines covered in strange patterns surging from his palm. Yellow, yellow, purple—three distinct rings rose from beneath his feet and spiraled around his body.

Dozens of dark-blue Blue Silver Emperor Vines shot from Zu Zong's right hand and plunged into the ground. The earth beneath them cracked open as the vines burst forth from below, rapidly pouncing toward the charging Dugu Yan. They swept out in spirals, covering an area dozens of square meters wide. Anyone within that range would find it nearly impossible to evade them.

Dugu Yan was startled. "Is this really the useless Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass?"

But she was, after all, a level thirty-eight Soul Elder with plenty of combat experience. She had encountered similar plant-type Soul Masters in the Soul Fighting Arena before.

Relying on a snake's agility, Dugu Yan avoided the incoming vines without much difficulty. However, she could not get any closer to Zu Zong and was practically running in place.

"Damn it!" With a sweep of her snake tail, Dugu Yan attacked Zu Zong once more.

At the same time, Dugu Yan's First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring lit up.

"First Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Red Poison."

"Second Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Blue Poison."

Humiliated and enraged, Dugu Yan directly used her first two Soul Skills.

With the boost from her Soul Skills, Dugu Yan's offensive power surged. Fighting more fiercely with every moment, she actually dodged most of the Blue Silver Emperor Vines Zu Zong had unleashed. As for those she could not evade, she simply swept them apart with her snake tail.

Watching Dugu Yan draw closer and closer, Zu Zong smiled and murmured, "Excitement Poison, which stimulates the nerves and raises attack power and speed by twenty percent, and Paralysis Poison, which removes pain and raises defense by thirty percent?"

"Then I'll put in a little more effort."

Up until now, Zu Zong had only been using Blue Silver Range Entanglement, a skill attached to the Blue Silver Domain. Of course, it was an extremely limited version of the range entanglement, and he had not even used his First Soul Skill. If he truly went all out, Dugu Yan would likely have no chance to retaliate at all. But Zu Zong had his own plan: to use Dugu Yan to lure out the big fish, Dugu Bo. He had coveted the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the kind that could completely transform a person, for a long time.

As for a countermeasure? You were asking about a countermeasure? Could he not just copy Tang San's approach? His System Space had long been stocked with two large bags of Realgar Wine. Even without the Realgar Wine, Zu Zong possessed the Nine Yang Manual and was immune to all poisons. He had nothing to fear from Dugu Yan's snake venom.

Zu Zong believed in one principle: walk the protagonist's path and leave the protagonist with nowhere to go.

"Then I'll add a little more pressure and force out her Third Soul Skill first!"

The number of Blue Silver Vines suddenly doubled, rising from dozens to nearly a hundred. They also grew from arm-thick to as thick as bowls. Their speed increased considerably as well, leaving the previously unruffled Dugu Yan pale with shock.

"Damn it! You've gone too far!" Dugu Yan cursed furiously. From the beginning until now, her opponent had not even moved from his spot. Meanwhile, aside from her Third Soul Skill, she had practically used every trick she had.

The members of the Imperial Fight Team watching from outside the arena were dumbfounded. What kind of Martial Soul was this? It was so troublesome that it was practically the nemesis of most beast-type Martial Souls!

Nearby, the Wind Bell Bird Soul Master Yu Feng frowned. He had a good relationship with both Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng, and seeing Dugu Yan fight so frustratingly made him uncomfortable as well. After holding it in for a long time, he finally said to Yu Tianheng beside him, "Boss, this guy is truly cunning."

Yu Tianheng, however, was fully focused, staring intently at the two fighters. More precisely, he was staring at Zu Zong. Although the strength Zu Zong had displayed so far was troublesome, it was not enough to injure Dugu Yan, much less withstand his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

The key point was that Zu Zong had not used a single Soul Skill from the beginning until now. In other words, all this was merely Zu Zong's ordinary means. How could Yu Tianheng not be shaken?

Yu Tianheng replied calmly, "Don't worry. Yan Yan still hasn't used her Third Soul Skill. There's still a chance."

Even Yu Tianheng himself was not certain when he said that. He could not help wondering, Will my girlfriend's Third Soul Skill really work?

"Right, right. Yan Zi's Third Soul Skill is famously difficult to deal with. If even a little touches you, no matter how strong you are, defeat is almost guaranteed." Recalling Dugu Yan's Third Soul Skill—Blue Phosphorus Purple Poison—Yu Feng could not help breaking out in a cold sweat. That was something that could truly kill people. If the poison was not neutralized in time, one's life would be in danger.

Zu Zong's Blue Silver Range Entanglement had nearly surrounded Dugu Yan without leaving any gaps. Yet under Zu Zong's deliberate control, whenever Dugu Yan was about to be entangled, she somehow managed to evade safely.

Seeing that he had played enough, Zu Zong thought, Fine. I'll deliberately show you an opening first.

Dugu Yan was secretly growing anxious. Damn it, just a little more. Just a little more and that blue-haired brat will enter the range of my Third Soul Skill. Then I'll beat him until he calls me granny.

Crack! Another Blue Silver Emperor Vine was swept apart. This time, the vine was clearly much tougher than before, and Dugu Yan had nearly been caught.

Suddenly, Dugu Yan's eyes lit up. Among the vines Zu Zong had released, one area had obviously become much less active. The vines spread much more slowly there and had lost their earlier flexibility. "There's an opening!"

Without hesitation, Dugu Yan attacked the weak point in the Blue Silver Emperor Vines.

Sure enough, Dugu Yan smoothly closed the distance between them. "Now!"

"Third Soul Skill—Blue Phosphorus Purple Poison!"

At this moment, she had completely forgotten that this was only a spar. Amid a shrill cry, her Third Soul Ring suddenly blazed brightly.

Her originally emerald-green eyes turned completely purple. Even the green scales on her snake tail were covered with a faint purple glow. Opening her mouth, she spat out a dense cloud of purple mist. It rapidly spread through the air and surged toward Zu Zong.

Zu Zong watched the approaching purple mist with a grave expression. By now, it had formed a barrier separating him from Dugu Yan and was slowly pressing closer.

Before the poisonous mist even arrived, a foul stench rushed at him, enough to make one retch and grow dizzy.

Zu Zong circulated the Nine Yang Manual and easily neutralized the trace amounts of poison he had inhaled.

Hiding his hands inside his sleeves, Zu Zong pondered briefly before saying calmly, "So this is Blue Phosphorus Purple Poison? Watch me break your snake venom." He raised both hands, each now holding a large waterskin. Zu Zong had prepared these back in Nuoding City, and they were filled entirely with Realgar Wine. Ever since he had decided to join Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he had begun making plans.