Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

Lin Hanye completed his registration before the Black-Clothed Girl, so naturally, he took the stage before her.

At the staff member's prompt, Lin Hanye slowly stepped onto the Soul Duel Stage.

At the center of the Soul Duel Stage stood a curvaceous Bunny Girl. Holding a cone-shaped loudspeaker, she announced loudly, "Next is the fifth one-on-one match of our Number Sixteen Branch Spirit Arena. The contestants will be two Soul Grandmasters."

"They are Battle Soul Master Haibodong, who possesses the Tool Martial Soul: Ice, versus Battle Soul Master Yu Xiaomen, who has already won four consecutive matches and hails from the Upper Three Sects, possessing the World's Number One Beast Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."

"Will Battle Soul Master Yu Xiaomen continue his glory and claim a fifth consecutive victory, or will the newcomer Battle Soul Master Haibodong emerge victorious? Let us wait and see. Please welcome both Soul Grandmasters to the stage."

It had to be said that the Upper Three Sects and the World's Number One Beast Martial Soul were quite the draw. After hearing the Bunny Girl's introduction, cheers from the audience surged like a tide, with the overwhelming majority shouting Yu Xiaomen's name.

A few people occasionally called out Lin Hanye's alias, but most seemed rather uninterested.

The Black-Clothed Girl alone was an exception. She glared at Yu Xiaomen with an unfriendly expression, seemingly hoping he would lose.

A tall, burly figure soon stepped onto the Soul Duel Stage. He looked fourteen or fifteen years old and was not particularly handsome, but his expression was exceedingly arrogant. Taller than even Lin Hanye, he stood close to 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with fine arcs of blue lightning covering his body.

As he stepped onto the stage, he looked at Lin Hanye across from him and let out an ear-splitting roar, radiating a formidable aura.

Lin Hanye remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, he hardened his resolve. He had not forgotten how the other man had humiliated him after his parents' deaths, before he awakened the memories of his previous life.

Enemies really did meet on a narrow road. I'll consider this collecting some interest in advance.

With an inward sneer, Lin Hanye leaped onto the stage. He stood over 1.8 meters tall and wore a fitted blue outfit. His ice-blue hair fell to his shoulders, and he had a lean build and fair skin. Though his face was hidden behind a mask, the contours of his cheeks beneath it suggested that he certainly could not look bad.

Especially that distinctive aura constantly surrounding him—it drew the eyes of quite a few female spectators. The cries of "Haibodong" gradually grew louder.

"This Haibodong looks like he's probably very handsome. I wonder what he looks like without the mask. Do you think he might be a total heartthrob?"

Similar discussions continuously rang out from the stands. Most women liked handsome men, and Lin Hanye's appearance outclassed Yu Xiaomen's by several dozen streets, immediately earning him the support of most of the women watching.

And that was something Yu Xiaomen, who took pride in his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul and had been accustomed to looking down on others since childhood, could not tolerate.

"Playing mysterious, are you?"

He gave a cold snort and released his Martial Soul.

Two Yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet. A dazzling burst of blue light suddenly flared from between Yu Xiaomen's brows, then spread through his entire body in an instant. Blue-violet electric currents erupted like little snakes, slithering around his body. A blue lightning symbol appeared on his forehead, unlike when Yu Tianheng made his appearance in the original work.

Although Yu Xiaomen had cultivated to Soul Grandmaster at the age of fourteen, his talent was far inferior to Yu Tianheng's. With only two Soul Rings, he was still unable to master Dragon Transformation.

Unlike Yu Xiaomen, Lin Hanye displayed no Soul Rings. Only ice-blue, flame-like energy of chilling cold rose around his body.

This was a technique for concealing Soul Rings that he had learned during the Second Simulation, through Bibi Dong, from Gui Mei.

While he could not maintain peak combat power in Gui Mei's state of "only a ghostly shadow, no Soul Rings," it was enough.

It was not that Lin Hanye was underestimating his opponent. The Thousand-Year Second Ring was simply too shocking, and he did not want to invite trouble because of it.

Besides, even though concealing his Soul Rings prevented his two Soul Skills from displaying their full power, Yu Xiaomen was still no match for him due to the advantage of their excessive age limits.

Looking calmly at Yu Xiaomen, Lin Hanye felt no pressure from him. Ever since his Martial Soul had evolved into Extreme Ice, whether in Martial Soul or Soul Power, he had already surpassed the other man.

Seeing Lin Hanye look down on him so much, Yu Xiaomen felt as though he had been humiliated. His eyes couldn't help but turn red. With a shrill roar, he launched himself into the air and lunged straight at Lin Hanye.

Just as the first three Soul Rings of the Star Luo Empire's royal White Tiger Martial Soul would select Soul Beasts with fixed Soul Skills, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was the same. Its First Soul Skill was almost always Thunder Dragon Claw.

Yu Xiaomen sent out a claw strike of lightning. Lin Hanye merely shifted to the side and easily dodged it.

When Yu Xiaomen's first strike missed, he formed his hands into claws, gathered lightning, and attacked again.

Lin Hanye dodged calmly and unhurriedly. From beginning to end, Yu Xiaomen never so much as touched the corner of his clothes.

"His movements are stiff. His mastery of Soul Skills is insufficient, and he isn't proficient in applying them. His fighting lacks any semblance of structure. Like most Soul Masters, he only knows how to charge in blindly."

After several exchanges, Lin Hanye had already sized Yu Xiaomen up.

In summary: full of openings.

"Damn it! Let's see how you dodge this!"

Seeing that his attacks had achieved no effect whatsoever, Yu Xiaomen was completely enraged. His Second Soul Ring lit up, and the countless serpentine bolts of electricity coiling around him expanded simultaneously, transforming into innumerable Arrows of Lightning that flashed violently in every direction.

But before the Arrows of Lightning could even leave Yu Xiaomen's body, Lin Hanye suddenly appeared before him.

When did he get in front of me?

"Ice Coffin!"

Under Yu Xiaomen's terrified gaze, Lin Hanye crossed his pinky, thumb, and ring finger, held his index and middle fingers together, and formed an unusual hand seal with his right hand.

Rumble—

A sound like clashing thunder rang out. As frigid air surged above Lin Hanye's fingers, a massive cube of ice abruptly rose beneath Yu Xiaomen's feet, sealing him and the Arrows of Lightning within.

Crack—

Lin Hanye slowly turned around. The ice cube shattered, and the lightning around Yu Xiaomen vanished. His Martial Soul automatically withdrew into his body, and as though he had been struck by a thousand blades, he collapsed onto the ground covered in wounds.

The entire one-on-one Soul Duel Stage of the Number Sixteen Branch Spirit Arena fell utterly silent. The surroundings were deathly still. Even the Bunny Girl host and the Black-Clothed Girl stood with their mouths hanging open.

No one had expected this Soul Duel to end in such a manner.

The newcomer, "Haibodong," either did not strike at all—or, once he did, instantly defeated a Direct Descendant Disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the World's Number One Beast Martial Soul.

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