One Strike to Break Through!

"Y-you, hello!" As they walked, Zhu Ganglie timidly greeted Qin Ze in a low voice, looking utterly innocent.

"Hello." Qin Ze replied softly without turning his head.

"Brother, can you go easy on me later? I'm really weak. If my dad hadn't forced me to come, I never would've signed up." Zhu Ganglie revealed a fearful expression, giving off the illusion of frailty. Combined with his hefty weight of over a hundred kilos, the contrast was especially striking.

"No problem!" Qin Ze agreed with a smile.

"Really?" Zhu Ganglie looked excited, but beneath that excitement, a sly glint flashed through his eyes.

"Truer than gold." Qin Ze glanced at him, then climbed the steps onto the Battle Platform.

Below the steps, a trace of disdain crossed Zhu Ganglie's lips, but the next second, he returned to that harmless, timid appearance.

Once the two stepped onto the Battle Platform, the referee looked toward them. At the same time, the crowd around the combat area erupted into cheers.

Qin Ze did not understand how these people had been shouting all day without getting sore throats.

"Come here." The referee looked at them and said, "I'll explain the rules."

Qin Ze and Zhu Ganglie walked up to the referee and listened respectfully.

The referee took a drink of water to wet his throat, then said, "This is a preliminary match. The winner will proceed to the Soul Fighting Arena for the following advancement matches, while the loser goes home. Also, during the match, you are not allowed to use anything other than your martial soul, including hidden weapons and Soul Tools! If you do, you'll be eliminated immediately. Understood?"

"Understood!" Both nodded.

Seeing that, the referee said nothing more. He had been standing all day, and his feet had gone numb. The sooner this ended, the sooner he could go home and sleep with his wife.

"Keep fifteen meters between you. You start only when I say so." The referee stepped aside.

At that, Qin Ze glanced at Zhu Ganglie and took several steps back. Zhu Ganglie did the same.

The two faced each other, while Zhu Ganglie still wore that timid expression.

"Begin!"

As they stared each other down, the referee's voice rang out.

Zhu Ganglie's expression did not change. He immediately summoned his martial soul, Soul Power surging through him. His ears instantly transformed into huge pig ears, black bristles sprouted across his skin, a pair of tusks emerged from his mouth, and his body grew several sizes larger.

A Yellow Soul Ring slowly rose beneath his feet.

"Zhu Ganglie, Level 13 defense-type Soul Master. Martial soul: Iron Armor Pig. Please enlighten me."

"Iron Armor Pig." Qin Ze nodded lightly, then summoned his own martial soul. Of course, it was not the Demon Armor, but that blade.

Whoosh!

Aqua-blue Soul Power surged outward. A blade condensed in Qin Ze's right hand and stabbed into the ground, while a Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet and floated at his waist.

"Qin Ze, Level 12 attack-type Soul Master. Martial soul: Demon Armor. Please enlighten me!"

"Demon Armor? Where's your armor?" Zhu Ganglie froze for a moment.

"Don't worry about the details. My blade is a weapon paired with my martial soul, so it counts as part of it." Qin Ze explained.

Hearing that, Zhu Ganglie's mouth twitched, but he still murmured, "Brother, go easy on me when you hit me. I'm kind of afraid of pain."

"No problem. Leave it to me." Qin Ze patted his chest.

The referee glanced at the two of them. What are they dawdling for? I'm waiting to get off work.

Buzz!

The Yellow Soul Ring lit up. Arcs of electricity flickered in Qin Ze's eyes as he gripped the blade in his right hand. With a whoosh, he kicked off the ground and charged toward Zhu Ganglie at incredible speed. Yet the aura he gave off did not seem particularly powerful; it simply looked as though he was very fast.

The watching crowd did not care about that and continued shouting loudly.

Only the referee revealed a strange expression.

"First Soul Skill, Iron Armor Shield!"

A cunning glint flashed through Zhu Ganglie's tiny eyes. He gave a low shout, and the Yellow Soul Ring around him lit up. The black bristles that had appeared after he activated his martial soul instantly fused together, forming a sturdy black iron shield over his chest.

"His First Soul Skill seems to boost his speed. Heh, I like Soul Masters like this." Zhu Ganglie smiled easily, failing to notice the indifference in Qin Ze's eyes.

He stepped forward and directly blocked Qin Ze's path. The iron armor on his chest glimmered with a black sheen. He waited for Qin Ze to slash at him so he could block it with the armor, then counterattack.

"Slash!" Before Zhu Ganglie could think further, Qin Ze pushed off with his rear leg and leaped several meters in an instant. The blade in his hand spun several times, drawing cheers from the crowd below. This little acrobatic act was not bad.

Zhu Ganglie remained calm and reached out to remove the Iron Armor Shield from his chest.

Then he stomped down hard, taking a stance to exert force as he gathered all the strength in his body.

Bang!

In a flash, the blade slammed viciously into the Iron Armor Shield, instantly sending out a burst of Soul Power Fluctuation.

The moment he was struck, Zhu Ganglie was shocked. His face reddened. "What terrifying strength."

Zhu Ganglie's knees buckled, lowering his entire body. Before he could recover, something even more terrifying happened. Lightning continuously flashed across the blade that had struck him, crackling and exploding.

Iron conducted electricity. Zhu Ganglie was instantly paralyzed by the current, and all the hair on his body stood on end.

Qin Ze withdrew his blade. Taking advantage of the instant his opponent was paralyzed, he turned the blade and swung it directly at Zhu Ganglie's neck.

"Stop!" The referee rushed over in time. Qin Ze knew when to stop, and the blade halted in front of Zhu Ganglie's neck.

The blade's sharp aura seemed to slice into Zhu Ganglie, and a line of blood slowly appeared. His lips trembled, and all color drained from his face. For the first time, he had felt death looming over him.

"Brother, I went easy enough on you, right?" Qin Ze withdrew his blade, stepped back several paces, and smiled faintly.

The referee walked over to Zhu Ganglie and examined him carefully, surprise appearing in his eyes.

The iron armor in Zhu Ganglie's hand was already cracked. Clearly, that slash had nearly shattered the Iron Armor Shield.

A Level 12 Soul Master possessed such terrifying attack power. The referee gave Qin Ze a deep look. He could guess that the reason Qin Ze's strength had surged so greatly was likely that Soul Skill. Finally, the referee announced, "Preliminary match: Qin Ze wins and advances to the advancement matches."

Whoosh!

The referee patted Zhu Ganglie, dispelling the paralysis affecting him. Soon, Zhu Ganglie could move again. He looked at Qin Ze as though he had seen a ghost.

Before entering the preliminary matches, he had tested the iron armor's defensive power with his friends, and the results had satisfied him. Yet he had never expected to encounter a monster today.

The blade was powerful and carried lightning. More importantly, it seemed that the opponent's strongest martial soul was actually the armor, not the blade at all.

What Zhu Ganglie did not know was that Qin Ze had been able to crack the Iron Armor Shield in one strike because of the special effect of his First Soul Skill, Asura's Soul, which dealt an additional twenty percent damage.

That additional damage was armor-piercing damage!