Bout

Liu Yuxin said, "Teacher Wu is our academy's greatest teacher. Not only is he handsome and in great shape, but he's also extremely knowledgeable and teaches students really well."

"And his personal strength is also formidable. Some people say he's the number one expert in the academy."

"Once, I faintly saw that Teacher Wu seemed to have a full six soul rings!"

"He's a Soul Emperor level powerhouse, worthy of the name."

A Soul Emperor?

This felt far too distant for Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, who had just stepped onto the path of soul masters.

Given the current soul spirit levels of the two brothers, cultivating to six rings in the future was simply impossible.

Putting aside whether their soul power could ever reach level 60, a final conclusion had already been reached purely from the aspect of soul spirits.

After all, the two of them simply lacked the means to purchase powerful soul spirits.

The number of soul spirits a soul master could absorb was limited. After all, absorbing soul spirits was tied to one's spirit power!

The brothers both possessed white ten-year soul spirits, which could only provide them with a single soul ring.

Up to now, the maximum number of soul spirits a soul master could generally absorb was no more than three.

If a soul master possessed three white soul spirits, reaching three rings was already their limit.

It was said that a yellow century soul spirit could generate two soul skills, meaning it could provide two soul rings.

This was precisely why century soul spirits commanded such high prices.

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 dream of them.

Teacher Wu Changkong was still so young, yet he actually possessed six rings.

A six-ring Soul Emperor—this was an extremely powerful existence!

Probably only a few people in the entire Eastsea City could attain such a realm of cultivation.

"Alright, I'm off first. Remember to help me take pictures!"

The object Liu Yuxin stuffed into Tang Wulin's hands was none other than a soul guidance camera.

"Hey, Senior Sister!"

Tang Wulin wanted to decline, but Liu Yuxin had already sprinted far away, chasing in the direction Teacher Wu Changkong had taken, her speed exceedingly fast.

"Ge, what should we do?" Tang Wuyang asked, looking at the soul tool in Tang Wulin's hand with some dilemma.

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

"All right, everything's fine now. Let's go," Xie Xie said coldly.

The three of them walked out of the teaching building one after another, and Tang Wuyang asked Xie Xie, "Where are we going?"

Xie Xie said, "We're going to Eastsea Park. There are fewer people over there."

"Don't worry, even if I beat Tang Wuyang up, I'll find someone to treat him."

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

Eastsea Park was located not far from Eastsea Academy.

Leaving the academy and bypassing it via a side street, after about ten minutes of walking, the park gates came into view.

Eastsea Park was open to the public free of charge. The hour was still early, and quite a few citizens were still carrying out their unfinished morning exercises here.

Xie Xie clearly was not here for the first time, walking familiarly deep into the park.

Following one gravel path after another, the deeper they went, the taller the trees within the park became.

Eastsea Park had a history of nearly a thousand years; the park had already existed when Eastsea City was first founded.

Consequently, many rare tree species could be seen here.

The fresh fragrance of plants mingled with floral scents rushing toward them, refreshing the heart and lungs. Tang Wulin, following closely behind the other two, immediately felt much more relaxed.

His Blue Silver Grass was a plant Martial Soul, and moreover, Blue Silver Grass could be found everywhere here. This kind of environment was his favorite.

Tang Wulin faintly sensed that if he could meditate and cultivate here, the effect would definitely be much better than in the dormitory.

He had already verified this when he was at home in Aolai City, and that small garden was simply incomparable to the seemingly boundless Eastsea Park before him.

The deeper they went, the better Tang Wulin felt. This sensation of returning to the embrace of nature even caused the soul power inside his body to stir eagerly.

What a wonderful place! He definitely had to come back here again in the future.

Noting his older brother's relaxed expression, Tang Wuyang naturally understood that an environment brimming with plants like this must be very well-suited for his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Arriving deep within the park where people were rarely seen, Xie Xie halted his steps in a clearing amidst the woods.

"Right here will do." He turned to look at Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin behind him also stopped in their tracks, Tang Wuyang's gaze cautious as he regarded Xie Xie before him.

"I am an Agile Attack System Battle Soul Master, and I will grant you ample fairness. Before we begin, I'll back up fifty meters."

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

As he spoke, Xie Xie had already walked off into the distance. His inner pride prevented him from taking even the slightest advantage of Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang made no sound, his mind echoing with the scene of his battle against Xie Xie yesterday.

He clearly remembered that when Xie Xie released his Martial Soul, the soul ring that emerged on his body was yellow.

Although he hadn't seen his soul spirit, that yellow color represented a century!

Possessing a century soul ring meant that his soul skill was also a century-old one, and its might was an unknown quantity!

Tang Wulin, who had retreated to the side, also watched the two figures standing fifty meters apart with a hint of worry.

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

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

Xie Xie gave a cold snort. "I'll let you know what a gap truly is. I will definitely settle the score for yesterday's humiliation."

"Start!"

The moment the words fell, Xie Xie shot forward like a launched arrow, charging toward Tang Wuyang's position.

During the charge, Xie Xie kept his body low, advancing as if skimming the ground. Yellow light flashed beneath his feet as his century soul ring manifested.

Clutched in his right hand was a crystal-yellow dagger roughly a foot and two inches long, accompanied by faint traces of dragon roars as it moved at high speed.

Tang Wuyang released his Martial Soul at the very first moment. Dragon horns appeared on his head, a small amount of dragon scales covered both sides of his cheeks, a dragon tail materialized behind him, and a pristine white little beast rested upon his shoulder.

He raised his hand in a wave, unleashing his first soul skill. A water curtain coiled around his body.

Just as Xie Xie pierced through the water curtain and closed in, four ice shields materialized, blocking his path.

Xie Xie accelerated once more, nimbly circling around them.

Watching Xie Xie draw closer and closer, Tang Wuyang shifted his intent, controlling the ice shields to constantly maneuver, forcing Xie Xie to slow down in order to change directions.

Although Tang Wuyang's first soul skill possessed formidable versatility, it was provided by a weak ten-year soul spirit after all. The extremely low age of the soul ring meant that when he cast his first soul skill, he could only mobilize a meager amount of water elements.

Executing a water curtain and four ice shields simultaneously like this was already Tang Wuyang's limit.

Seeing the unavoidable ice shields right before him, the light dragon dagger in Xie Xie's hand suddenly transformed into a burst of exploding light balls.

Streaks of golden light slashed outward, every single one landing precisely on the ice shields blocking his front and surrounding him.

Only at this moment did Tang Wuyang realize just how massive the gap was between himself and Xie Xie, who possessed a century soul ring.

Although his ice shields were not shattered by Xie Xie's light dragon dagger, they constantly fractured while being relentlessly pushed back.

This forced Tang Wuyang to dismiss the earlier water curtain, converting it into ice elements to repair the cracking ice shields.

Furthermore, continuously utilizing his first soul skill caused his own soul power to plummet rapidly. In just a brief moment, his soul power had already dropped by ten percent.

Another ice shield was beaten back, leaving Tang Wuyang's front completely wide open as Xie Xie reached him almost instantly.

The ice shields could no longer block him, so Tang Wuyang decisively altered his strategy.

A white soul ring on his body flickered faintly as his fists and forearms, punching straight toward Xie Xie, became enveloped in a thin layer of ice boxing gloves.

Faced with those fists accompanied by faint air explosion sounds, Xie Xie showed not a shred of panic.

After all, his positioning was that of an Agile Attack System master!

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

Leaning his body slightly, Xie Xie effortlessly evaded Tang Wuyang's aggressive fists. Banking sideways and flying off to the side in a single flash, he arrived at Tang Wuyang's flank.

By this time, Tang Wuyang possessed no remaining capacity for resistance whatsoever.

If this were a battlefield and Xie Xie wanted him dead, a single blade strike would have slit Tang Wuyang's throat.

However, right at that moment, Xie Xie hesitated slightly. He only wanted to defeat Tang Wuyang and didn't actually want to do him any real harm.

The thrusting light dragon dagger shifted from a blade edge to a hilt, aimed straight at Tang Wuyang's cheek.

Since you bruised my face yesterday, I'll pay you back in kind today!

Tang Wulin, watching the battle from the sidelines, had already clenched his fists tightly in tension.

At this critical juncture, Tang Wuyang suddenly raised his left arm, colliding with the stabbing hilt.

Xie Xie's reaction was extremely fast. The highest realm of the Agile Attack System was never to clash head-on with an enemy, but rather to strip the opponent of any ability to resist the moment a hit landed.

Proud though Xie Xie was, his assessment of Tang Wuyang was entirely accurate.

He knew clearly that Tang Wuyang's physical strength was far beyond what he could contest.

With a nimble flick of his wrist, he turned his blade, brushed past the forearm protected by Tang Wuyang's ice elements, and drove straight into Tang Wuyang's shoulder.

Xie Xie had held back his strength with this blow.

In his view, had he attacked with full force, he could have directly severed Tang Wuyang's arm. Yet the two had no deep-seated enmity; teaching him a lesson was quite enough.

To his astonishment, however, the muscle on Tang Wuyang's shoulder proved exceptionally tough, and for all the sharpness of the light dragon dagger, it only penetrated an inch.

While this was the result of him holding back, it was still enough to shock someone.

Blood splattered outward, the intense pain causing the ice boxing gloves on Tang Wuyang's forearm to instantly slip out of control, melting into water that dripped onto the ground.

The light dragon dagger pressed down, nearly causing Tang Wuyang to drop to his knees. He staggered, yet stubbornly kept standing, attempting to swing a fist at Xie Xie.

Xie Xie suddenly circled around behind him, twisting the light dragon dagger half an inch in Tang Wuyang's shoulder. The pain instantly left Tang Wuyang's entire body weak and sore.

In particular, the piercing intent transmitted through the light dragon dagger wantonly suppressed his soul power.

"Do you surrender or not?" A trace of triumph crept into Xie Xie's voice as he thought, Finally, I've avenged yesterday's punch.

Tang Wuyang clenched his teeth tightly, his inner stubbornness refusing to let him yield just like that.

Right at that moment, the piercing agony in his shoulder abruptly seemed to ignite his body, and streams of intense heat surged forth from deep within his body, instantly spreading warmth throughout his entire frame.

He wanted to say something, only to discover that he couldn't force any words out at all.

"I asked you, do you surrender or not!" Xie Xie pressed his dagger down, speaking fiercely.

"No!" Tang Wuyang let out a roar that was practically a scream, though his voice had already visibly distorted.

Hearing his younger brother's scream-like cry, Tang Wulin could no longer care about the duel between the two and rushed forward in quick strides.

Xie Xie froze for a moment. He was certain he hadn't stabbed very deeply; why was the other's reaction so agonizingly intense?

Unconsciously, he wanted to pull the light dragon dagger back out.

Yet at that exact instant, an unexpected development occurred.

The light dragon dagger embedded in Tang Wuyang's shoulder suddenly emitted a piercing dragon roar.

Xie Xie felt a sudden wave of palpitations surge through his entire body—a sensation akin to suddenly encountering something that filled him with sheer terror.

At this moment, standing merely a step away from Tang Wuyang and Xie Xie, Tang Wulin's body violently shook upon hearing that dragon roar, and the holy dragon spear in his left hand abruptly transmitted a sensation akin to terror toward him.

The blood at the spot where the light dragon dagger was impaled abruptly halted, and streaks of golden light overflowed from the wound. Amidst the churning golden radiance, the light dragon dagger was pushed bit by bit out of the flesh.

Faced with this unknown situation, Xie Xie's first instinct was to withdraw and retreat.

To his horror, however, the light dragon dagger felt as though it had been glued in place; even wanting to pull it back had become impossible.

"Ah—!" A roar that shook the surrounding fields erupted from Tang Wuyang's mouth, and the light dragon dagger was instantly blasted out from the wound.

The last thing Xie Xie saw was a blur of golden light and shadow.

The next moment, he felt as though he had been hit head-on by a high-speed soul guidance train. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness entirely.

"Bang!"

Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, who had just reached the two of them, were instantly sent flying by a burst of golden light, crashing hard into a distant tree before sliding slowly to the ground.

Tang Wuyang knelt on one knee, his eyes still bloodshot, his entire body trembling violently.

At this moment, he felt as though he were a piece of metal being forged in a furnace; the intense heat continuously surging from within caused his frame to shake violently.

Though his body was in such a state, his consciousness remained lucid—at least he had managed to temporarily hold back his strength at the very last second when throwing that punch earlier.

Otherwise, he strongly suspected that Xie Xie and his older brother would have been beaten to the point of complete disability by a single punch of his.

Lowering his head, Tang Wuyang watched in shock as his right hand had become covered in fine scales at some unknown point.

The scales were golden, diamond-shaped overall, each piece slightly raised and sharply defined.

The tips of his fingers tapered, his nails lengthening and sharpening until they resembled deadly claws.

The little Baize soul spirit Xing Yu, which had originally rested on his shoulder, now flickered with intermittent golden light across its body.

Furthermore, its size—originally just a bit larger than a palm—had swelled by a full circle at this moment.

A pair of pale green eyes possessed pupils tinged with a profound, deep red.

Did it bring this about? Yet wasn't it a weak soul spirit comparable to a defective product?

Just what on earth was going on here?