We'll Fight Again Next Time!

"Are you all right?"

After the referee announced the result, Qin Ze asked Sun Qinian, whom he had sent flying with a single punch.

Sun Qinian knelt on one knee, his face pale. The outcome was obvious.

Sun Qinian glanced at Qin Ze, the corner of his mouth twitching. You nearly punched me into spitting blood, and you're asking if I'm all right?

The referee glanced at Qin Ze and nodded to himself. He greatly appreciated Qin Ze's grasp of the battle. A Soul Master could never lack judgment.

Qin Ze had no idea what the referee was thinking. He was now waiting for contestant number fifty-four to take the stage.

As for Sun Qinian, he was temporarily carried away. Fortunately, a Healing Type Soul Master treated him, and he would recover shortly.

"Go!"

"Go!"

As Sun Qinian was taken away, all the members of Group Five below cheered for Qin Ze. They were all around eight years old and had few complicated thoughts. Naturally, they admired Qin Ze for crushing his opponent so decisively.

Qin Ze smiled but said nothing.

Soon, another little boy stood up from the spectators' platform and silently walked toward the arena.

He looked thin and frail, as though a gust of wind could knock him over. Yet his eyes inspired fear. They were cold and sinister, like those of a venomous snake lying in wait.

As he passed by, some of the children shrank back at the sight of his eyes.

Qin Ze noticed this as well. This guy looked difficult to deal with.

The little boy stopped fifteen meters across from Qin Ze and said, "My name is Du She!"

Qin Ze had not expected him to introduce himself, so he replied, "My name is Qin Ze!"

"Begin!" the referee ordered.

Du She stared at Qin Ze and said quietly, "Your speed and attack power are both strong, but can you withstand poison?"

As his voice fell, Soul Power surged through Du She's body. Several dark green scales appeared on his face, while his pupils became Vertical Pupils, changing from brownish yellow to blood red.

Buzz!

A Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet. "Hiss!" Du She let out a series of hisses like a venomous snake.

His Martial Soul was a powerful serpent Martial Soul known as the Mandala Snake!

It was the very Mandala Snake Du Busi had previously grabbed and flung around like a spicy strip.

However, Qin Ze could not see the Martial Soul's true form, so he could not recognize what Martial Soul Du She possessed.

Still, since it involved poison, its methods of attack were surely varied. He became more cautious.

Whoosh!

A blade appeared in Qin Ze's hand. His body tensed as he kept constant watch on Du She's movements.

Du She did not make many moves. He simply ran straight at Qin Ze. Though the Mandala Snake Martial Soul was powerful, it had a major weakness: at low levels, it had far too few available methods of attack.

Unlike a tiger-type Martial Soul, which could transform the user's palms into tiger claws with Martial Soul Possession and fight directly without even using soul skills.

Naturally, Qin Ze knew this. In a team battle, he would indeed be wary, but in a one-on-one duel, when both were still Soul Masters, overwhelming power was the best solution.

Seeing Du She charge over, Qin Ze guarded against an attack while gripping his blade, ready to slash at him at any moment.

Du She pushed off with his rear heel and leaped over two meters into the air. Looking down at Qin Ze, his first Soul Ring flashed the next second. He opened his mouth and violently sprayed out a cloud of dark green poisonous gas.

The poisonous gas radiated a terrifying aura. There was no doubt that if someone took a direct hit, the consequences would be severe.

The gas spread, filling the air with a faint fishy stench. It also blocked Qin Ze's view. Through the haze, he caught sight of Du She's figure seemingly disappearing. But with the poison coming at him, Qin Ze did not dare be careless. He retreated, moving toward a safer position.

After backing away several meters, before Qin Ze could make another move, a figure burst out of the poisonous gas at high speed. A leg like a long whip lashed viciously toward him.

It was a feint! Qin Ze instantly understood Du She's intention.

Du She's powerful sweeping kick flew toward Qin Ze's head. He knew his own shortcomings, so he had practiced close-combat techniques long ago.

A fierce gust swept in. Qin Ze reacted quickly, bending his back downward as the sweeping kick passed over his head.

"You fell for it!" Du She was not disappointed that his sneak attack had been dodged. Instead, his face was full of excitement. He opened his mouth again, gathering Soul Power within it as he prepared to spray poisonous gas once more.

At less than two meters away, he was absolutely confident that he could hit his opponent with the poisonous gas.

But was a distance of two meters not also an opportunity for Qin Ze? As he dodged the sweeping kick, his speed abruptly surged. His body snapped from its backward bend to an upright stance in an instant, so fast it was astonishing.

With a whoosh, Qin Ze flashed to Du She's side. The blade in his reverse grip swept out in a slash. If it landed, Du She would likely be beheaded.

"Impossible! How could your speed—!!!"

Seeing the blade slash toward him, Du She was instantly shocked. Even the Soul Power he was controlling slowed by half a beat. He had clearly held control of the battle all along.

"Who would reveal all their strength?" Qin Ze watched as the referee caught his blade, a faint smile appearing on his lips before he finally lowered it.

The referee had not expected the match to end this way either. He had admired Du She's setup, but although Qin Ze had seemed passive, he had actually held the initiative all along.

Though Du She knew fighting techniques, his main method of attack was ultimately still his soul skills. He had forced Qin Ze back with a chain of moves so that he could unexpectedly unleash a soul skill and end the battle.

But no one had expected Qin Ze's reaction to be so fast.

He had hidden his speed and burst it forth at the crucial moment. At the same time, his waiting blade struck out like a venomous snake hunting its prey.

"Number One wins!" the referee announced loudly, looking at Qin Ze.

"Beautiful!"

The end of the second match immediately ignited the spectators' platform. Battles at the Soul Master level were usually ordinary—one person used a soul skill, then the other used one; one plotted against the other, then the other plotted back. Battles that employed so many techniques like this were truly rare.

In the distance, Qin Xue, who had remained silent the entire time, revealed a faint smile. She saw Du She's defeat clearly. He had lost because his current Soul Power Level was too low. Once he became a Soul Elder, that would be when the Mandala Snake Martial Soul truly displayed its power.

As for Qin Ze, she still could not see much. He gave her an extremely mysterious feeling.

His records clearly listed the Demon Armor Martial Soul, yet what he summoned was a blade.

Du She sighed. In the end, he left after throwing Qin Ze a parting challenge.

"We'll fight again next time!"

The pacing of the following plot will speed up a little.