In Douluo, All the Goddesses Have Collapsed

Dugu Yan's expression changed slightly. This newcomer seemed rather unimpressed by her. She then said, "Since you were admitted to Heaven Dou Royal Academy as a special exception, you must be quite capable. Want to come up and spar?"

"Spar?" Wu Xing was stunned for a moment. He knew about Dugu Yan's forceful personality, but he had not expected her to challenge him to a spar.

"Yanyan?" Yu Tianheng was somewhat baffled upon hearing Dugu Yan's words. Even her close friend Ye Lingling was a little surprised, unable to guess what she was planning.

If she was merely curious, it did not seem like it. If she was angry at him, that did not seem right either. Dugu Yan was usually somewhat domineering, but she would not go too far.

Dugu Yan waved at the others, her gaze fixed on Wu Xing. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "What, scared?"

"Of course not." Seeing the provocative look in Dugu Yan's eyes, Wu Xing shook his head with an amused smile. "You just finished sparring and have used up a great deal of Soul Power. If I beat you now, it would be an unfair victory."

"Gasp..." Everyone present froze for a moment before drawing sharp breaths. This new student was far too arrogant, wasn't he? Who was Dugu Yan? She was Heaven Dou Royal Academy's favored daughter of heaven and the granddaughter of the Jade Scale Douluo. Even though she had used up quite a bit of Soul Power just now, she was not someone easily dealt with.

Yet this guy before them seemed absolutely certain of himself. How could they not be shocked?

Even Zhan Minghui, standing beside Wu Xing, was startled by his words. He looked at him in disbelief, as if saying, Brother, can you stop being so cocky? Your Spirit Rings may be heaven-defying, but your Soul Power Level is far below Dugu Yan's. How could you possibly win?

"Very good. It seems you're quite confident in your own strength." Dugu Yan was also taken aback by Wu Xing's words. After blanking out for a moment, she smiled. "I just wonder whether your strength matches your looks."

"I was merely telling the truth." Wu Xing spread his hands and replied calmly.

"..." Hearing Wu Xing speak so arrogantly again, the many students watching were dumbfounded. This guy was unbelievably cocky!

One had to know that control-system Soul Masters held a natural advantage in one-on-one fights. Even Yu Tianheng would not dare claim he could defeat Dugu Yan, yet this boy was acting so confident. Could he really be a powerful Soul Master?

On the field, Yu Tianheng and the others exchanged glances. They were also shocked by Wu Xing's arrogance and looked toward Zhan Minghui with doubt in their eyes.

Facing their sharp gazes, Zhan Minghui groaned inwardly as cold sweat slid down his forehead.

"Since you're so confident, I'll recover first. Then you can't say your victory was unfair." At this moment, Dugu Yan's competitive spirit had also been stirred by Wu Xing. After speaking, she took a pill from her Soul Tool and tossed it into her mouth, then sat cross-legged and began recovering her Soul Power.

"Brother Ben Yuan, this..." Seeing Dugu Yan sitting cross-legged at the center of the arena as though preparing for a great battle, Zhan Minghui did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Although he acknowledged Wu Xing's strength, he did not think Wu Xing could defeat Dugu Yan. The main issue was that the gap in their Soul Power Levels was simply too great. That was not something Spirit Rings could make up for. Besides, she also had a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

If they had sparred immediately, he might have had some chance. Now, even that tiny chance was gone.

Before Zhan Minghui could finish, Wu Xing waved a hand to interrupt him. Then, with a light leap, he landed atop the arena.

Ever since his Spirit Awakening, he had not sparred with anyone. His hands had been itching for a fight, and since Dugu Yan had issued the challenge, he gladly accepted it.

Yu Tianheng and the others beside them could only sigh helplessly when they saw Dugu Yan recover her Soul Power on the spot. They knew that once Yanyan set her mind on something, she would not easily give up. After giving Wu Xing a meaningful glance, they stepped down from the arena.

Not much time passed. With the help of the Soul Power-restoring pill, Dugu Yan quickly replenished all the Soul Power she had used earlier. After all, it had only been a spar, and she had not gone all out, so recovering was quite easy.

Dugu Yan opened her eyes and rose from the ground. Staring at Wu Xing with bright eyes, she asked, "I've fully recovered. Can we begin?"

"We can." Wu Xing did not waste words and simply nodded.

"Dugu Yan. Martial soul: Jade Scale Snake. Level 40 control-system Battle Spirit Sect. Please advise." Seeing this, Dugu Yan cupped her hands in the formal stance of a spar.

Seeing Dugu Yan make the gesture, Wu Xing copied her and cupped his hands. He said softly, "Ben Yuan. Martial soul: Blue Silver Grass. Level 31 control-system Battle Spirit Venerable."

As soon as Wu Xing finished introducing himself, the crowd below instantly erupted into an uproar.

"L-Level 31 Soul Power?"

"How did this guy dare say he could beat Goddess Yan?"

"I thought he was so confident because he was a Soul Ancestor too. So this was it?"

"Haha, the funniest thing is that his martial soul is actually Blue Silver Grass. Isn't Blue Silver Grass a trash martial soul?"

Aside from the shocked cries of the spectators, Yu Tianheng and the others who heard Wu Xing reveal his information widened their eyes even more, staring fixedly at Wu Xing on the arena. They would never forget that three months ago, during their match at the Spirit Fighting Arena against Shrek Academy, they had lost to Tang San, who possessed the Blue Silver Grass martial soul.

"Boss, this kid has a Blue Silver Grass martial soul too!" Shi Mo's mouth hung open, his face full of shock.

Yu Tianheng waved a hand, his gaze never leaving Wu Xing as though he wanted to see through him completely.

On the arena, Dugu Yan was equally stunned by the martial soul Wu Xing had revealed. After a long while, she asked word by word, "Your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass?"

"That's right. Is there a problem?" Wu Xing smiled calmly.

"N-No!" Thinking of the humiliation from three months ago, Dugu Yan gritted her teeth.

(Is no one reading this genre?)

Clash

The instant her words fell, Dugu Yan struck first. A mass of green light emerged from her palm, and the Jade Scale Snake possessing her opened its enormous fangs. As the purple light of her third Spirit Ring bloomed, it spat toward the green light. In an instant, thick mist rose around her and spread in all directions.

She used her Third Soul Skill right from the start!

"This..." Seeing Dugu Yan use her signature move the moment she attacked, the students below were greatly startled. Shi Mo asked worriedly, "Captain, isn't the vice-captain going too far?"

This was only a spar, yet Dugu Yan's Jade Scale Snake Poison was incredibly toxic. An ordinary Soul Master would die after touching even a little of it. Even the captain did not dare touch it, much less that boy on the arena with only Level 31 Soul Power.

Yu Tianheng also felt awkward. He knew Yanyan must have been provoked by the other side. It seemed she was still brooding over the defeat from three months ago.

As his thoughts raced, Yu Tianheng hurriedly said to Ye Lingling beside him, "Ling Ling, prepare to use Nine Heart Begonia."

"Mm." Ye Lingling had already prepared herself the moment she saw Dugu Yan use Jade Scale Snake Poison. If anything went wrong, she would act immediately. This was merely a spar between students; an accident absolutely could not happen.

However, just as she stared intently at the arena to prevent an accident, Wu Xing also summoned his martial soul. A stalk of Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palm. As Soul Power surged, rings of Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Black, black, black—three Spirit Rings radiating black light, like fireflies in the darkness, so distinct and so dazzling!

"How is that possible?!"

"T-Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, and three of them!"

"This guy actually has three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. H-He isn't a Soul Elder?"

When they saw the three black Spirit Rings rise beneath Wu Xing's feet, everyone watching below widened their eyes as if they had seen a ghost, their faces filled with disbelief.

It was not only them. Even Yu Tianheng and Shi Mo were stunned. If Dugu Yan's fourth Spirit Ring was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, everyone could barely accept it. But Wu Xing's very first Spirit Ring being a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was simply shocking beyond belief.

Ye Lingling in particular felt an enormous storm rise within her heart. Dugu Yan and she had only managed to successfully absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings as their fourth rings because they had encountered the miraculous opportunity of the Diary Instance. But how could the man on the arena also absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings? And all of his rings were Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings!

Within the billowing poisonous mist, Dugu Yan also saw the Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings beneath Wu Xing's feet. Her entire body trembled, and disbelief appeared on her face. Even her intention to control the Jade Scale Snake and attack came to a halt at that moment.

"H-How did you do it?" After a long while, Dugu Yan swallowed and asked.

Hearing the shock in Dugu Yan's voice, a smile appeared on Wu Xing's face. He replied teasingly, "I did it like this."

"..." Dugu Yan's heart lurched violently. She then calmed herself and said, "No wonder you were specially admitted to Heaven Dou Academy. You really do have some skill. But thinking you can defeat me with this alone is nothing but a fool's dream."

Even Spirit Kings had to keep their distance from her Jade Scale Snake Poison. Unless he could break her poison formation, she would remain invincible.

Furthermore, after Tang San had cleverly broken it three months ago, she had sought advice from her grandfather and improved the poison formation of her Third Soul Skill. Trying to exploit a loophole again would be impossible.

That was why she was so confident, sitting as steadily as a fisherman.

"Is that so? Then you may be disappointed." Wu Xing chuckled, and his calm expression faded.

"First Soul Skill: Entanglement."

As Wu Xing gave a soft shout, the first Spirit Ring beneath his feet slowly bloomed with black light. Countless Blue Silver vines rapidly emerged from his palm.

Seeing Wu Xing use his First Soul Skill, Dugu Yan in the poisonous mist instinctively became wary. Once bitten by a snake, one feared ropes for ten years. Though she knew her poison formation had undergone comprehensive improvements under her grandfather's guidance, she still feared being suddenly bound by the Blue Silver Grass vines that might emerge from her opponent.

Although the poisonous mist was extremely toxic, enough to kill or severely injure a Soul Ancestor upon contact, and even Spirit Kings would not fare well, if he merely attacked from afar, her poison formation could not spread without limit. Moreover, the wider it spread, the less toxic the mist became.

As a plant, Blue Silver Grass naturally had some resistance to poison. His Blue Silver Grass enhanced by Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings would be even more resistant. She absolutely could not allow him to catch her off guard with long-range attacks.

Fortunately, unlike other Soul Masters, she could easily see outside through the dense poisonous mist while within her poison formation. Not only that, her perception was increased by several degrees inside the mist.

Yet just as she cautiously guarded against Wu Xing's Blue Silver Grass vines darting into the poisonous mist from some direction to attack her, she was dumbfounded the next second.

Countless Blue Silver Grass vines sprang from his palm, but instead of winding toward her, they tightly bound him layer by layer, resembling a gigantic closed flower bud.

"Huh?" Seeing this, everyone's jaws dropped. This guy had entangled himself?

"Captain, what kind of move is that?" The members of the Imperial Dou Team were also stunned. They had never seen such an absurd move—entangling oneself!

Yu Tianheng could not understand what Wu Xing was doing. His brows furrowed tightly. He did not believe Wu Xing would entangle himself for no reason.

"Look, above!" While everyone was confused, Ye Lingling saw a thick vine shoot out from the enormous bud and soar into the sky, reaching above the poisonous mist.

As the vine spread open like a blooming flower, seeds glowing with blue light fell from above into the poisonous mist.

"Those seeds!" Watching the seeds fall from above, Dugu Yan's pupils contracted within the mist. The scene was familiar to him. It was exactly like when he had fought Tang San before—Tang San's Third Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint.

He could not understand it. It was one thing for this man's First Soul Skill to be the same, but how could his Third Soul Skill also be identical to Tang San's? Even if both had Blue Silver Grass, different absorbed Spirit Rings would result in differences. Being exactly the same was utterly ridiculous!

Though surprised, Dugu Yan knew she absolutely could not let the seeds fall in. If so many seeds erupted at once, she would definitely be wrapped up and unable to move.

Soul Power surged as her fourth Spirit Ring bloomed.

The Jade Scale Snake King let out a hiss toward the sky. Countless snake shadows emerged around it, like ten thousand snakes attacking at once, all rushing toward the falling seeds. They opened their bloody maws and swallowed every seed into their bellies.

"That's Yanyan's Fourth Soul Skill? Isn't it far too powerful?" Looking at the countless Jade Scale Snakes pouring forth, Yu Tianheng swallowed with difficulty.

During their earlier spar, Dugu Yan had never forced him to use it. He had not expected this new Soul Skill to be so terrifying. The sheer number of Jade Scale Snakes was far beyond imagination!

A Scheme

Countless seeds were swallowed by the Jade Scale Snakes, and the intense poison instantly caused them to wither.

As Dugu Yan dealt with the falling seeds, several enormous vines shot out from the Blue Silver Grass that had wrapped around Wu Xing, racing into the mist from multiple directions.

"Trying to use the seeds in the sky to distract me? You're underestimating me!" Sensing the vines attacking from all directions, Dugu Yan smiled faintly.

Her perception was greatly enhanced within the poison formation, so ambushing her was impossible. Furthermore, he could not see what was happening within the poisonous mist and could only attack blindly with his vines. In contrast, her vision was unaffected. With several leaps, she easily dodged the vines.

After continuously evading the incoming large vines, it seemed her opponent had noticed the problem. No more vines emerged from the flower bud, and she stopped moving, stepping onto a withered vine.

"Your Soul Power should be nearly depleted by now. It's my turn." Seeing the vines stop attacking, Dugu Yan's gaze pierced through the poisonous mist and settled on Wu Xing, who was wrapped up inside. A smile curled across her lips. Her eyes had never left that spot.

Still, she had to admit that he was exceptional. Knowing she would use poison, he had immediately wrapped himself up to avoid being tainted by the deadly toxin. It was a fine idea, but reality was cruel.

Although doing so could effectively block her Jade Scale Snake Poison, it also restricted him. So long as he could not effectively restrain her and his follow-up attacks could not keep up, he would become a living target for her.

"Second Soul Skill: Twin Snakes..."

Dugu Yan raised her hands slightly. Just as she was about to use her Second Soul Skill to attack the enormous flower bud, a voice sounded behind her, making her entire body shudder.

"You lost."

At some unknown moment, Wu Xing had already appeared behind her, a dagger held against her throat.

"When?" Dugu Yan turned around with difficulty and looked at the man with a smile across his face. She could not understand when he had gotten behind her, nor how he had escaped her perception.

Wu Xing did not answer Dugu Yan. Instead, he said lightly, "Withdraw your poisonous mist first. I don't want to be exposed to it for too long."

Although Jade Scale Snake Poison had no effect on him—after all, he could use Dugu Yan's Soul Skills and even Dugu Bo's first three Soul Skills—outsiders did not know that. He did not intend to reveal too many trump cards.

Hearing this, Dugu Yan did not think much of it. She retracted her Soul Power, and the entire poisonous mist dispersed with it.

As the poisonous mist cleared, everyone beneath the arena could finally see the situation before them. Seeing the dagger Wu Xing held to Dugu Yan's neck, they all looked at one another.

They looked at the flower bud covered in Blue Silver Grass, then at Wu Xing standing behind Dugu Yan. Countless question marks rose in their minds. When had this guy approached the goddess? From beginning to end, they had never seen him leave the flower bud!

"Now you can tell me, right?" Only after withdrawing her Soul Power did Dugu Yan turn around and stare at Wu Xing as she asked.

Although she had lost, and lost completely, losing in such an inexplicable manner left her deeply shaken. She had to find out how he had done it, or she would never be able to rest easy.

Imagine if this had not been a spar but a real battle. Being ambushed from behind and having her throat slit within her own territory would make anyone's scalp tingle.

Wu Xing lowered the dagger and pointed at the huge vine beneath his feet that he had yet to retract. "See for yourself."

Following where Wu Xing pointed, Dugu Yan looked toward the thick vine behind her. There was a ruptured hollow within it. At that sight, she instantly understood, and her heart shook violently.

No wonder she had not detected him. He had traveled through the vine! Who would ever think such a thing was possible?

Wait, then him wrapping himself up and scattering seeds from the sky had all been feints. His ultimate goal had been to get close to her and deliver a killing blow?

As Dugu Yan was shocked by Wu Xing's wild ingenuity, she suddenly thought of something else. Her eyes widened instantly as she stared at Wu Xing like he was a monster.

If that was really the case, then this guy was far too terrifying!

Transporting himself through vines was already outrageous enough, but by entangling himself, he had first made everyone believe he had remained within the flower bud. Then he had created huge vines to scatter seeds from the sky, making her grow accustomed to such thick vines while also distracting her. Finally, when she focused on releasing a Soul Skill at "him," he emerged from behind and killed her in one strike.

This guy's scheming was terrifying. He was simply impossible to guard against!

"I didn't lose unfairly." Only after calming down did Dugu Yan speak slowly.

When she had faced Tang San before, she had been very unconvinced and believed he had merely exploited a trick. But against Wu Xing, she was completely convinced.

"You let me win." Wu Xing smiled and cupped his hands.

"The goddess lost?"

"The vice-captain admitted defeat?"