"Y-you, hello!" Walking along the road, Zhu Ganglie timidly greeted Qin Ze, looking utterly innocent.
"Hello." Qin Ze replied softly without turning his head.
"Brother, could you go a little 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 showed a faintly timid expression, creating the illusion that he was fragile. Combined with his plump weight of well over a hundred kilograms, the contrast was especially striking.
"No problem!" Qin Ze agreed with a smile.
"Really?" Zhu Ganglie seemed excited, but amid that excitement, a hint of cunning 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, frail appearance.
Once the two stepped onto the Battle Platform, the referee looked at them. At the same time, the crowd beside the fighting area began shouting loudly.
Qin Ze could not understand it. They had been yelling all day—weren't their throats sore?
"You two, come here." The referee looked at them and said, "I'll explain the rules of the match."
Qin Ze and Zhu Ganglie walked up to the referee and listened respectfully.
The referee took a drink of water and cleared his throat. "The match you're taking part in now is the Preliminary Tournament. The winner can proceed to the Soul Fighting Arena for the following Promotion Tournament, while the loser goes home. Also, during the match, you are not allowed to use any items other than your Martial Soul, including hidden weapons and Soul Tools! If you do, you'll be eliminated immediately. Understand?"
"Understood!" The two nodded.
Seeing this, the referee did not say anything else. 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.
"Stand fifteen meters apart. You start only when I say so." The referee stepped aside.
Hearing that, Qin Ze glanced at Zhu Ganglie and took several steps back. Zhu Ganglie also retreated several steps.
The two stared at each other. Zhu Ganglie still wore that timid expression.
"Begin!"
As the two faced off, the referee's voice rang out.
Zhu Ganglie's expression did not change. He directly summoned his Martial Soul, and Soul Power surged forth. One of his ears instantly transformed into a huge pig ear, while thick black hair sprouted across his skin. A pair of tusks emerged from his mouth, and his body grew somewhat larger.
A Yellow Soul Ring slowly rose beneath his feet.
"Zhu Ganglie, Level 13 Defensive System Soul Master. Martial Soul: Iron Armor Pig. Please advise."
"Iron Armor Pig." Qin Ze nodded lightly, then summoned his own Martial Soul. Of course, it was not Demon Armor, but that blade.
Whoosh!
Watery blue Soul Power surged outward. A blade condensed in Qin Ze's right hand and stabbed into the ground. At the same time, a Yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet and hovered at his waist.
"Qin Ze, Level 12 Attack-type Soul Master. Martial Soul: Demon Armor. Please advise!"
"Demon Armor? Where's your armor?" Zhu Ganglie froze for a moment.
"Don't worry about those details. My blade is a weapon that comes with my Martial Soul, so it counts as part of my Martial Soul too." Qin Ze explained.
Hearing this, Zhu Ganglie's mouth twitched, but he still said quietly, "Brother, go easy on me when you hit me. I'm a little afraid of pain."
"No problem. Leave it to me." Qin Ze patted his chest.
The referee glanced at the two of them. Why were they dragging this out? I was still waiting to get off work.
Buzz!
The Yellow Soul Ring lit up. Arcs of lightning flickered in Qin Ze's eyes as he gripped the blade in his right hand. With a whoosh, he moved his feet and charged straight at Zhu Ganglie. His speed was astonishing, but the aura he gave off did not seem particularly powerful. It merely looked as though he was much faster than usual.
The spectators did not care about that and continued cheering loudly.
Only the referee revealed a strange look on his face.
First Soul Skill, Iron Armor Shield!
A crafty glint flashed through Zhu Ganglie's tiny eyes. He shouted lowly, and the Yellow Soul Ring on his body lit up. The black fur that had grown after he activated his Martial Soul instantly fused together, forming a sturdy black suit of iron armor over his chest.
This guy's First Soul Skill seems to boost his speed. Hehe, I like Soul Masters like this. Zhu Ganglie smiled easily, failing to notice the indifference in Qin Ze's eyes.
He stepped forward a few paces and blocked Qin Ze's path. The iron armor over his chest gleamed with a black luster. He waited for Qin Ze to slash at him so he could block with the armor and launch a counterattack.
"Slash!" Before Zhu Ganglie could think further, Qin Ze pushed off with his rear leg. His figure instantly leaped several meters, and the blade in his hand spun several times, drawing a burst of cheers from the crowd below. That trick was pretty impressive.
Zhu Ganglie's expression remained calm as he reached out and removed the Iron Armor Shield from his chest.
Then he planted his feet firmly on the ground and assumed a stance to exert force, gathering all his strength.
Bang!
In that split second, the blade struck the Iron Armor Shield viciously, instantly kicking up a burst of Soul Power Fluctuation.
The moment he was hit, Zhu Ganglie was startled. His face flushed red. "What terrifying strength."
Zhu Ganglie's knees buckled, lowering his entire body by several inches. Before he could recover, something even more terrifying happened. Lightning continuously flickered across the blade that had struck him, crackling and exploding.
Iron conducted electricity. Zhu Ganglie was instantly paralyzed by the current, and every hair on his body stood on end.
Qin Ze withdrew his blade. Taking advantage of the instant his opponent was paralyzed, he spun the blade and slashed directly toward Zhu Ganglie's neck.
"Stop!" The referee rushed over in time. Qin Ze was sensible enough to halt the blade in front of Zhu Ganglie's neck.
The blade's sharp aura seemed to be cutting into Zhu Ganglie. A line of blood slowly appeared, and his lips trembled as all color drained from his face. For the first time, he had just experienced the feeling of death.
"Brother, I went easy enough on you, right?" Qin Ze withdrew his blade, stepped back several paces, and smiled faintly.
The referee came to Zhu Ganglie's side and examined him carefully, immediately revealing a trace of astonishment in his eyes.
The iron armor shield in Zhu Ganglie's hand had cracked slightly. 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 dramatically was likely that Soul Skill. Finally, the referee announced, "Preliminary Tournament: Qin Ze wins and advances to the Promotion Tournament."
Whoosh!
The referee patted Zhu Ganglie's body, 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 Tournament, he had tested the iron armor's defensive strength with his friends, and the results had satisfied him greatly. Yet today, he had unexpectedly encountered a monster.
The blade was powerful and carried lightning. More importantly, it seemed that the opponent's Martial Soul was strongest in its armor, not the blade at all.
What Zhu Ganglie did not know was that the reason Qin Ze had been able to crack the Iron Armor Shield with one strike was the special effect of his First Soul Skill, Asura's Soul: an additional twenty percent damage.
That extra damage was armor-piercing damage!
Before you continue