The Challenge

Liu Yuxin said, "Teacher Wu is the best teacher at our academy. Not only is he handsome and well-built, but he's also incredibly knowledgeable and especially good at teaching students."

"Besides, he's personally very powerful. Some people say he's the number one expert at the academy."

"Once, I vaguely saw that Teacher Wu seemed to have a full six Soul Rings!"

"He's unquestionably a Soul Emperor Level powerhouse."

A Soul Emperor?

To Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, who had only just become Soul Masters, that was simply far too distant.

With the brothers' current Soul Spirit levels, it was fundamentally impossible for them to cultivate to the Sixth Ring in the future.

For now, leaving aside whether their Soul Power could reach Level 60, their Soul Spirits alone had already determined the answer.

After all, neither of them had the means to buy powerful Soul Spirits.

The number of Soul Spirits a Soul Master could absorb was limited, since Soul Spirit absorption was tied to Spirit Power.

The brothers both had white Ten-Year Soul Spirits, which could only provide each of them with one Soul Ring.

And so far, a Soul Master could generally absorb no more than three Soul Spirits at most.

If a Soul Master possessed three white Soul Spirits, then Three Rings would already be the limit of their cultivation.

It was said that yellow Century Soul Spirits could produce two Soul Skills, meaning they could provide two Soul Rings.

That was also why Century Soul Spirits were so expensive.

As for the higher purple Thousand-year Soul Spirits and the even higher black Ten-thousand-year Soul Spirits, the brothers did not even dare to think about them.

Teacher Wu Changkong was so young, yet he already possessed six Soul Rings.

A Six Ring Soul Emperor was an exceptionally powerful existence!

There were probably only a few people in all of Eastsea City who could attain such cultivation.

"All right, I'm leaving first. Remember to take photos for me!"

What Liu Yuxin stuffed into Tang Wulin's hands was a Soul Guidance Camera.

"Hey, Senior Sister!"

Tang Wulin had wanted to refuse politely, but Liu Yuxin had already run far away. She was also chasing after the direction Teacher Wu Changkong had gone, and she was incredibly fast.

"Brother, what do we do?" Tang Wuyang looked at the Soul Tool in Tang Wulin's hand and asked awkwardly.

Tang Wulin sighed. "Forget it. I'll give it a try. If it really doesn't work, there's nothing I can do."

"All right, there's nothing else now. Let's go." Xie Xie spoke coldly.

The three left the teaching building one after another. Tang Wuyang asked Xie Xie, "Where are we going?"

Xie Xie said, "East Sea Park. There are fewer people there."

"Don't worry. Even if I injure Tang Wuyang, I'll find someone to treat him."

Tang Wuyang snorted. "Then let's wait and see."

East Sea Park was not far from Eastsea Academy.

After leaving the academy and going around through a side street, they saw the park entrance after about ten minutes of walking.

East Sea Park was open to the public free of charge. It was still early, and quite a few people were still finishing up their morning exercises.

Xie Xie clearly had not come here for the first time. Familiar with the way, he headed toward the depths of the park.

Following stone paths one after another, the deeper they went, the taller the trees within the park became.

East Sea Park had a history of nearly a thousand years. This park had already existed when Eastsea City was first established.

Because of that, many rare tree species could be found here.

The fresh scent of plants mixed with floral fragrance and washed over them, refreshing their hearts and minds. Tang Wulin, following behind the other two, immediately felt much more relaxed.

His Blue Silver Grass was a Plant Martial Soul, and Blue Silver Grass grew everywhere here. This kind of environment was his favorite.

Tang Wulin vaguely felt that if he could cultivate through Meditation here, the results would definitely be better than in the dormitory.

He had already verified that back in his home in Aolai City. But compared to the seemingly boundless East Sea Park before him, that little garden was simply worlds apart.

The deeper they went, the better Tang Wulin felt. This sensation of returning to nature even made the Soul Power in his body stir restlessly.

What a wonderful place. I definitely have to come back in the future.

Noticing how content her brother looked, Tang Wuyang naturally understood that an environment filled with plants like this was surely suitable for his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

By the time they reached the depths of the park, there were very few people to be seen. Xie Xie stopped at an open clearing in the woods.

"Here will do." He turned to look at Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin behind him also stopped. Tang Wuyang watched Xie Xie before him warily.

"I'm an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master. I'll give you enough fairness. Before we begin, I'll retreat fifty meters."

"When I say start, you can get ready."

As he spoke, Xie Xie had already walked into the distance. His pride would not allow him to take even the slightest advantage of Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang said nothing, scenes from yesterday's fight with Xie Xie replaying in his mind.

He clearly remembered that when Xie Xie released his Martial Soul, a yellow Soul Ring had appeared around him.

Although he had not seen Xie Xie's Soul Spirit, yellow represented a century!

Possessing a Century Soul Ring meant that his Soul Skill was also a century-old one. Who knew how powerful it was?

Tang Wulin, having retreated to the side, also watched the two men fifty meters apart with some concern.

"Are you ready?" Xie Xie's voice came from afar.

Tang Wuyang took a deep breath, and his gaze instantly became focused. "Begin."

Xie Xie snorted coldly. "I'll show you what a gap truly is. I'll definitely reclaim yesterday's humiliation."

"Start!"

The moment his words fell, Xie Xie shot toward Tang Wuyang like a fired arrow.

As he burst forward, Xie Xie lowered his body as though he were skimming across the ground. Yellow light flashed beneath his feet, and a Century Soul Ring emerged.

In his right hand, he held a crystalline yellow dagger about one foot and two inches long. As it moved at high speed with him, it was accompanied by faint Dragon Roars.

Tang Wuyang also released his Martial Soul immediately. Dragon Horns appeared atop his head, a small number of dragon scales covered both sides of his cheeks, a dragon tail emerged behind him, and a small snow-white beast rested on his shoulder.

With a wave of his hand, he released his First Soul Skill. A Water Curtain surrounded his body.

Just as Xie Xie passed through the Water Curtain and was about to close in, four Ice Shields appeared and blocked his path.

Xie Xie accelerated again, nimbly weaving around them.

Watching Xie Xie draw closer and closer, Tang Wuyang moved his thoughts and controlled the Ice Shields to shift constantly, forcing Xie Xie to slow down in order to change direction.

Although Tang Wuyang's First Soul Skill had strong practical applications, it was ultimately provided by a weak Ten-Year Soul Spirit. The extremely low-age Soul Ring meant that he could only mobilize a small amount of Water Element when using his First Soul Skill.

Maintaining a Water Curtain and four Ice Shields at the same time, as he was doing now, was already Tang Wuyang's limit.

Facing an Ice Shield he could not avoid, the Light Dragon Dagger in Xie Xie's hand suddenly transformed into a burst of light.

Strands of golden light slashed outward, each one striking the Ice Shields in front of and around him with perfect accuracy.

Only now did Tang Wuyang understand just how vast the gap was between himself and Xie Xie, who possessed a Century Soul Ring.

Though his Ice Shields had not been shattered by Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger, cracks continuously spread across them as they were relentlessly forced backward.

Tang Wuyang had no choice but to remove the Water Curtain from before and convert it into Ice Element to repair the cracked Ice Shields.

Furthermore, continuously using his First Soul Skill caused his Soul Power to plummet. In just a short while, ten percent of his Soul Power had already been depleted.

Another Ice Shield was knocked back, leaving Tang Wuyang completely exposed. Xie Xie arrived before him almost instantly.

The Ice Shields could no longer stop him. Tang Wuyang decisively changed tactics.

His white Soul Ring flickered faintly, and a thin layer of Ice Boxing Gloves covered the fists and forearms he threw directly at Xie Xie.

Facing those fists, which carried faint explosive bursts of air, Xie Xie did not panic in the slightest.

After all, he was an Agile Attack System fighter!

And what the Agile Attack System excelled at most was speed and the ability to kill with a single strike.

With a slight twist of his body, Xie Xie easily dodged Tang Wuyang's fierce incoming fists. He spun sideways through the air and, in a flash, arrived at Tang Wuyang's side.

At that moment, Tang Wuyang no longer had any ability to resist.

If this had been a battlefield, if Xie Xie wanted to kill Tang Wuyang, he could have slit his throat with a single stroke.

However, Xie Xie hesitated slightly at that moment. He only wanted to defeat Tang Wuyang; he had no intention of truly doing anything serious to him.

The thrusting Light Dragon Dagger turned from blade to hilt, aimed directly at Tang Wuyang's cheek.

Since you swelled my face yesterday, I'll return the favor today!

Tang Wulin, watching from the side, had already clenched his fists nervously.

At that critical instant, Tang Wuyang suddenly raised his left arm and slammed it toward the incoming dagger hilt.

Xie Xie's reaction was incredibly fast. The highest realm of the Agile Attack System was never to clash head-on with an enemy; once a strike landed, it had to leave the opponent unable to resist.

Though Xie Xie was arrogant, his judgment of Tang Wuyang was also extremely accurate.

He knew that Tang Wuyang's strength was far beyond what he could contend with.

With a nimble flick of his wrist, he flipped the dagger, brushed past Tang Wuyang's forearm protected by Ice Element, and drove it directly into Tang Wuyang's shoulder.

Xie Xie had held back on that strike.

In his view, if he had attacked with full force, he could have severed Tang Wuyang's arm outright. But the two had no deep grudge between them, so teaching him a lesson was enough.

Yet what surprised him was that Tang Wuyang's shoulder muscles were extraordinarily tough. Even with the sharpness of the Light Dragon Dagger, it only pierced one inch deep.

Though this was the result of Xie Xie holding back, it was still shocking enough.

Blood burst forth. The intense pain instantly caused the Ice Boxing Gloves around Tang Wuyang's forearms to lose control and melt into water that fell to the ground.

The Light Dragon Dagger pressed downward, and Tang Wuyang nearly dropped to his knees. He staggered, but still forced himself to remain standing, trying to swing a punch at Xie Xie.

Xie Xie suddenly circled around and was already behind him. The Light Dragon Dagger turned slightly in his shoulder, and pain immediately made Tang Wuyang's entire body go weak.

In particular, the sharp aura flowing in from the Light Dragon Dagger brutally suppressed his Soul Power.

"Do you admit defeat?" Xie Xie's voice carried a touch more smugness. At last, I've avenged that punch from yesterday.

Tang Wuyang clenched his teeth. The stubbornness in his heart refused to let him yield like this.

Just then, the intense stabbing pain in his shoulder seemed to ignite his body. Waves of scorching heat surged from deep within him, instantly spreading throughout his entire body.

He wanted to say something, only to discover that he could not speak at all.

"I asked you, do you admit defeat?" Xie Xie pressed the dagger downward and said viciously.

"No!" Tang Wuyang roared hoarsely, but his voice had clearly changed somewhat.

Hearing her brother's roar, Tang Wulin could no longer care about their match and hurried forward.

Xie Xie froze for a moment. He knew he had not stabbed too deeply, so why was Tang Wuyang reacting so hysterically?

Instinctively, he wanted to pull out the Light Dragon Dagger.

But at that moment, something completely unexpected happened.

The Light Dragon Dagger embedded in Tang Wuyang's shoulder suddenly let out a somewhat piercing Dragon Roar.

Xie Xie felt a sudden palpitation spread throughout his body, as though he had abruptly encountered something that terrified him beyond measure.

At that moment, Tang Wulin, who was only a step away from Tang Wuyang and Xie Xie, violently shuddered upon hearing that Dragon Roar. The Holy Dragon Spear in his left hand suddenly conveyed a similar emotion of fear.

The blood at the place where the Light Dragon Dagger had pierced abruptly stopped flowing. Golden light spilled from the wound in streams, and amid the surging golden radiance, the Light Dragon Dagger was slowly forced out bit by bit.

Faced with this unknown situation, Xie Xie's first thought was to stop and retreat.

But to his horror, he found that the Light Dragon Dagger seemed to have been glued in place. Even if he wanted to pull it back, he could no longer do so.

"Ah!" A roar that shook the surrounding wilderness erupted from Tang Wuyang's mouth, and the Light Dragon Dagger was instantly blasted out of the wound.

The last thing Xie Xie saw was a mass of golden light.

The next instant, he felt as though he had been struck head-on by a high-speed Soul Guidance Train. His vision went black, and he knew nothing more.

Bang!

Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, who had just arrived before the two of them, were instantly blasted away by a ball of golden light. They crashed into a large tree in the distance and slowly slid down.

Tang Wuyang knelt on one knee, his eyes still blood-red as his entire body trembled violently.

At that moment, he felt like a piece of metal being forged. The unceasing heat surging from within made his body shake violently.

Though his body was in such a state, his consciousness remained clear. At least when he threw that punch just now, he had pulled back at the last moment.

Otherwise, he suspected that Xie Xie and his brother would have been beaten into a state where they could no longer care for themselves.

Lowering his head, Tang Wuyang was shocked to see that his right hand had somehow become covered in dense scales.

The scales were golden and generally diamond-shaped. Each one protruded slightly, giving them a sharp and distinct appearance.

His fingertips had narrowed, his nails had grown longer and sharper, resembling claws.

Xing Yu, the Little Baize Soul Spirit that had originally been lying on his shoulder, was now faintly flickering with golden light as well.

Moreover, its body, which had previously been only slightly larger than a palm, had expanded by a full circle at this moment.

Its pale green eyes now carried a deep red glow in their depths.

Did it bring this about? But wasn't it a weak Soul Spirit, practically no different from a defective product?

What exactly is going on?