Lan Xue Wins

Qing Bao had only just formed that thought when, in the next instant, the duel was already over.

Lan Xue kicked Qing Bao in the stomach. Qing Bao suddenly felt a tremendous force strike his chest. His face drained of color, but it was too late to resist. Sent flying by Lan Xue's strength, he landed squarely beneath the Spirit Duel Arena with a muffled bang.

The area around the one-on-one Spirit Duel Stage in the fourteenth division fell completely silent. Not only the audience, but even the host from earlier stood there with his mouth hanging open.

No one had expected the duel to end so quickly, and the victor was actually that little girl who looked barely more than a teenager. The entire process had been not only swift, but elegant—Lan Xue's kick looked so graceful when used against such a massive opponent. Qing Bao, built like a savage bull, had not even had time to summon his martial soul before the duel was over.

Because Qing Bao had been polite, Lan Xue had not put much strength into her attack. Combined with his fairly impressive defense, he was already wobbling as he climbed back to his feet.

"Little sis, you're really amazing. I lost." Qing Bao was an honest man, but he was not foolish. The instant Lan Xue exerted her strength, he had realized that she was far stronger than he was. Qing Bao's Soul Power was at level twenty-five. With the gap in Soul Power, coupled with this little girl's strange techniques, he knew that even if he went all out, he could not win.

Lan Xue said irritably, "What do you mean, little sis? Call me Big Sister Little Xue. Don't you know the capable are the elders?"

"Oh, Big Sister Little Xue." Qing Bao obediently called out, then walked away with a bright red face.

In the Soul Master stands, Tang San could not help but smile when he heard Lan Xue's words. This girl's big-sister attitude was coming out again.

Only then did the cheers suddenly erupt. A pretty little girl who was also so strong immediately captured everyone's attention. Thunderous applause filled the arena.

Lan Xue smiled and waved at the stands.

The host finally came to his senses and hurried onto the Spirit Duel Stage, loudly announcing, "Battle Soul Master Lan Xue wins! Record: one win, zero losses. Qing Bao's record: twenty-one wins, fourteen losses. Master Lan Xue, please register your points after leaving the stage."

The matches proceeded at a rapid pace. Perhaps because Lan Xue and Qing Bao's fight had briefly displayed such excitement, the spectators in the stands had become interested.

But what Tang San and the others had not expected was that the Soul Masters in the second duel would be fighting an internal battle from Shrek Academy. The two opponents were Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing merely glanced at Tang San before heading for the duel passage. Tang San was about to follow when Dai Mubai grabbed him by the shoulder.

A hint of awkwardness appeared on Dai Mubai's face as he said quietly, "Brother, go easy on her."

Tang San smiled faintly and nodded at him before walking through the duel passage and onto the stage.

They were two more unfamiliar faces, and one of them was a beautiful little girl whose looks were no worse than Lan Xue's. Before the duel even began, a wave of cheers had already risen from the stands.

After briefly introducing their names and martial souls, the host indicated that their duel could begin.

"Please." Tang San politely made a gesture inviting Zhu Zhuqing to go first.

Zhu Zhuqing said coldly, "Please go all out. Let me see the gap between us."

She had been present for Tang San's battle with Zhao Wuji, so she naturally understood that she could not possibly be Tang San's match. Yet she wanted even more to know just how great the difference between herself and Tang San was, despite both of them being Soul Grand Masters.

Unlike the previous match, both combatants summoned their martial souls as soon as this duel began. Zhu Zhuqing's eyes changed color at the same time—her left eye dark green and her right eye clear blue. A pair of cute cat ears stood slightly erect. With a flick of her ten fingers, sharp claws sprang from her palms. She crouched low, staring coldly at Tang San as though he were her prey. Two yellow Soul Rings appeared around her body, and the icy, razor-sharp aura they gave off made it hard to breathe.

Soul Rings of the same color appeared around Tang San as well. Blue-black vines spread across the ground like massive blue-black snakes silently writhing, covering an area more than ten meters in diameter around Tang San and occupying nearly half the Spirit Duel Stage.

Tang San watched Zhu Zhuqing calmly. He was in no hurry at all. Even though their match had not yet begun, Tang San already knew that he had won.

As a control-type Battle Soul Master, he naturally countered Zhu Zhuqing's agility attack type. Especially on a stage, Zhu Zhuqing's agility could not be brought to its fullest extent. There had been no suspense in this battle from the start.

Watching the Blue Silver Grass spread toward her, Zhu Zhuqing knew she could not wait any longer. Her body suddenly sprang into the air, leaving behind a string of afterimages as she lunged straight at Tang San.