Ye Xinglan: Steamed Bun? I Don't Need It, I Want Candy!

Avoiding the spiderwebs, Ye Xinglan and Yu Weinan confronted each other in a clearing to the side.

Nan Liujing, like the other onlookers, stayed more than thirty meters away from the battlefield.

"A two-ring?"

As soon as Ye Xinglan summoned her Soul Ring, Mo Jue's expression changed slightly. She said in a deep voice, "A three-ring fighting a two-ring isn't fair."

Nan Liujing looked at her with surprise.

The others exchanged glances, staring at the two yellow and one purple Soul Rings on Yu Weinan's body, then comparing them to the two yellow Soul Rings on Ye Xinglan's. They subconsciously nodded.

Yu Jiutian said calmly, "Lizhi, make two recovery meat buns and one light spirit steamed bun."

"Yes."

In the crowd, a stout young man quickly complied. The light of his Soul Power emerged, and a faint aroma spread from his palm.

Xu Lizhi?

It was only then that Nan Liujing noticed his presence, his eyebrows slightly raised.

So that's how it was. No wonder Ye Xinglan was also brought along by the Shrek Academy team in the original timeline to the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition. It was likely because of Xu Lizhi and Yu Jiutian.

After all, at that time, Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi were the only ones in the team who were just over ten years old, while everyone else was around fourteen.

"Give it to her." After Xu Lizhi finished making the buns, Yu Jiutian spoke again.

Xu Lizhi trotted forward, handing out the buns with a smile. "This plump bun is a recovery meat bun. Eating it can restore Soul Power, stamina, and heal basic damage. This delicate bun is a light spirit steamed bun. Eating it will make your body lighter and increase your movement speed."

Looking at Ye Xinglan's delicate and heroic face, the little fatty's eyes widened slightly as he spoke, and his heart couldn't help but heat up a bit.

Ye Xinglan merely glanced indifferently at the buns in his hand. "No need for buns, I have something better."

She turned to look at Nan Liujing.

Nan Liujing smiled and, under everyone's astonished gazes, flicked a golden light from his left hand.

Ye Xinglan caught it and said solemnly, "Now, we can begin our spar."

Xu Lizhi wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Yu Weinan, who couldn't wait any longer. "Lizhi, step back."

Xu Lizhi squeezed the buns in his hand and retreated into the crowd with a look of disappointment. For some reason, when he heard this girl say she had something better, a sense of unwillingness inexplicably surged in his heart.

Li Qiankun, as the class monitor of the first year of the Outer Court, had some weight in his words. He stepped forward to act as the referee. "Since both sides are ready, the spar begins!"

"Roar."

Yu Weinan let out a long roar towards the sky, a dragon's cry. Blue arcs of electricity spread from his expanding body, and his arms transformed into sharp dragon claws. They weren't as thick as those of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but were slender like moon blades, covered in fine blue dragon scales, with rippling lightning, exuding a chilling aura.

Although not a top-tier beast soul like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Thunder Claw Dragon had touched the pinnacle of advanced martial souls. Moreover, the Douluo Continent revered dragons above all else, and its combat power far surpassed many beast souls of the same level.

Ye Xinglan casually popped the Golden Dragon Candy into her mouth. The rich liquid flowed down her throat, filling her mouth with a sweet orange fragrance. The Star God Sword in her right hand trembled slightly, as if sensing the surge of power and the special blood essence fluctuations from its owner.

Yu Weinan, who had undergone Martial Soul Avatar, took heavy steps. His spiritual power had already locked onto Ye Xinglan, and his first yellow Soul Ring quietly lit up with a soft glow.

In addition to the dragon claws his arms had already transformed into, another layer of energy dragon claws was added, and rampant currents continuously exploded in the air.

"I'll make you regret what you did that night."

His backside still aching faintly, Yu Weinan's pupils turned vertical. A faint dragon's might surged, and he charged forward like the wind.

Ye Xinglan gripped her sword with both hands, raising it to her eye level. The sword body reflected her cold eyes, with wisps of starlight exceptionally dazzling. Even though it was daytime, it was still brilliant.

An invisible aura spread from beneath her feet. This scene instantly alerted Yu Weinan. His spiritual power locked onto her, only to disappear like sinking into the sea, as if his opponent had merged with the bright yellow longsword in an instant, becoming difficult to track.

"Unity of man and sword?" Mo Jue's eyes lit up.

Despite his alertness, Yu Weinan, who appeared to be a close-combat Soul Master, made an unexpected move.

The energy dragon claw on his right hand suddenly shot out like a hidden weapon. The five dragon claws curved like grappling hooks, and if they hit an enemy, they would firmly clamp down.

Ye Xinglan reacted extremely quickly. She shifted her left foot sideways and activated her first Soul Skill, Sword God Star. The Star God Sword thrust out without any fancy moves. Patches of starlight, as if possessing intelligent life, swirled and flowed around the sword tip.

When the sword tip struck the palm of the suddenly flying energy dragon claw, the expected scene of lightning exploding and crushing Ye Xinglan's defense did not occur. Instead, the swirling, brilliant starlight, every strand of which was frantically decomposing the energy within the dragon claw, even converting it for her own use.

Anyone could see that the energy fluctuations of the dragon claw had weakened considerably.

Yu Weinan's heart suddenly jolted. How could a weapon-type martial soul suppress his beast soul in terms of its fundamental attributes? This was impossible!

He quickly reacted.

The energy dragon claw rapidly closed, clamping the Star God Sword tightly, providing Yu Weinan with extra time to close the distance.

The surging lightning power erupted violently as it clamped onto the Star God Sword, surging towards Ye Xinglan like a tide. However, the dragon claw had already been weakened, and coupled with Ye Xinglan, who had consumed the Golden Dragon Candy, the faint dragon scales on her skin directly gave her the capital to ignore the corrosive effects of the lightning from the Dragon Martial Soul. She was not affected by the electric shock at all.

In the next moment, the energy dragon claw exploded without warning. The electric arrows, originally as thin as long snakes, had transformed into starlight filling the sky, flying back towards Yu Weinan.

Yu Weinan only felt a blur before his eyes. Sword light appeared in front of him, layered one after another, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

Yu Jiutian, Xu Cang, Mo Jue, Li Qiankun, and the others' expressions suddenly tensed. Even with their sharp eyesight, they couldn't discern how the subsequent move was executed.

At this point, the few of them began to take Ye Xinglan, a two-ring Soul Master, seriously.

The only one who truly understood the scene was Nan Liujing.

The Star God Sword martial soul had a talent called Star God Power, which possessed astonishing penetration and could even cause explosions.

The dragon claw was broken from the outside in by the Star God Power. Coupled with the Golden Dragon Candy giving Ye Xinglan a sufficient boost in attack power, it forcibly smoothed over the gap of one tier. The subsequent starlight filling the sky, mixed with Star God Power and the Thunder Claw Dragon's Soul Power suppressed by her bloodline power, created the illusion of being unavoidable and flying everywhere due to their sheer number.

Ye Xinglan, not yet at the level of sword intent, had nonetheless found a unique way to use her sword techniques by relying on the characteristics of her Martial Soul and the sensations she felt after consuming the Golden Dragon Candy.

In this moment, Yu Weinan felt as if he had stepped into Ye Xinglan's sword domain. Sharp starlight sword energy, mixed with incredibly destructive Star God power and Lightning power, enveloped an area within ten meters.

Yu Weinan's internal alarm bells rang. He immediately activated his second Soul Skill, Lightning Scale Protection, and swung forward. The Energy Dragon Claw on his left arm shot out fiercely, attempting to force Ye Xinglan, who was attacking from the front, to back down. This would buy him time to dodge the incoming Rain of Sword Light from the sky.

As the sword energy rained down like a fine mist, threatening to pierce his heart with ten thousand swords, large amounts of deep blue Dragon Scales rapidly emerged on Yu Weinan's body. His aura was heavy, and it was clear his defense was formidable.

Ye Xinglan, without any flashy moves, thrust her sword like lightning. Her Soul Power and surging Bloodline Power intertwined within her. On her Star God Sword, faint Dragon Marks actually appeared. The sword tip was like a sharp edge piercing the heavens. That Energy Dragon Claw was as fragile as thin paper, shattering in an instant.

Ye Xinglan's assault didn't stop. She leaped forward, arriving before Yu Weinan. With a movement as light as a dragonfly touching water, the Star God Sword merely brushed against Yu Weinan's chest, which was covered in scales, before she swiftly retreated. At this moment, the remaining starlight sword energy fell upon him like a gentle rain, the process soft and without any ripples.

The previous sword energy had been layered, giving an invincible sense of pressure, but when it actually fell, it was light and effortless, as light as a feather.

Most of the spectators frowned.

Yu Weinan didn't even feel much force land on him. He couldn't help but feel confused. As he was surprised, a strong sense of dread erupted from within his heavy scales, as if countless strange energies had drilled into his flesh and blood.

Under the gaze of those around him, bright spots of light appeared on multiple parts of Yu Weinan's body, clear like punctuation marks.

Yu Weinan's expression turned panicked.

As a Lightning Attribute Soul Master, his body was actually slightly paralyzed by lightning power, making it impossible for him to use his Soul Power and Bloodline Power to protect his internal body.

"Boom boom boom!"

In an instant, the spots of light detonated collectively like timed bombs.

Yu Weinan's entire body exploded like fireworks, creating countless bloody holes. Each one was cleverly located at a connection point of his meridians.

Intense pain consumed his consciousness. His physical aura visibly declined to its extreme, and his Martial Soul Avatar was forcibly dispelled.

Yu Jiutian reacted quickly, stepping forward and slapping the distress signal device on Yu Weinan's right hand. Yu Weinan immediately turned into a beam of light and vanished.

"Are you from the Ye Family in Heaven Dou City?" Yu Jiutian asked subconsciously after completing these actions.

Ye Xinglan performed a sword flourish, and starlight fell around her delicate body, illuminating her heroic and beautiful face.

"So what if I am?"

Yu Jiutian's eyes flickered.

The Ye Family in Heaven Dou City was unfamiliar to ordinary people, but for Soul Masters from decent backgrounds, it was well-known.

Their family's inherited Martial Soul, the Star Saint Sword, was a top-tier weapon Martial Soul. Although it was considered a defensive type, it possessed an innate counter effect against Soul Masters with strong defenses due to its characteristics.

But what surprised Yu Jiutian even more was that this girl's Martial Soul was likely the Star God Sword, a rare find in a century. The explosion had made that clear.

With the emergence of the Star God Sword, the Ye Family would likely rise again.

"Although it might be a bit improper, I'd like to test how strong the Ye Family's ancestral Star Saint Sword, which counters defensive Martial Souls, truly is."

A voice came from the crowd. Looking over, they saw it was Mystic Turtle Xu Cang.

Mo Jue frowned. "Why are you joining the fun?"

Xu Cang looked no older than Yu Jiutian, around thirteen years old, but he was tall, reaching 1.8 meters. Dressed in a black shirt, he appeared sharp and capable.

He said with a chuckle, "The Spirit Ascension Platform during the Riot Period has long since become a place for Soul Masters to spar. Otherwise, the Spirit Pagoda wouldn't gather the Soul Masters who enter it. I estimate that the intermediate and even advanced Spirit Ascension Platforms have already descended into utter chaos."

"Moreover, I've finally encountered someone whose Martial Soul openly counters mine. If I don't fight, I won't be able to sleep soundly."

"Little sister Ye, what do you say?"

Xu Cang appeared carefree, but the sharp glint in his eyes betrayed his true nature.

His status was comparable to Yu Jiutian's; he was also one of the candidates for Young Sect Master of the Xuan Ming Sect. Seeing that Ye Xinglan's Martial Soul was unusual, he naturally wanted to step forward and test it. If he could defeat the Star God Sword, the Spirit Pagoda would report the battle details to his family, which would earn him points.

As for the disparity in cultivation, making the victory seem unfair, he had the Martial Soul counter as an excuse. He was also at a disadvantage.

"Let someone rest first. I'll spar with you."

A hearty laugh came from not far away, drawing everyone's attention once again.

Xu Cang was taken aback. He hadn't expected the person who had just given Ye Xinglan Soul Power food to speak up. He asked subconsciously, "Friend, are you sure you, a Food System Soul Master, want to get involved?"

Nan Liujing smiled. "In ancient times, Oscar, and in primeval times, He Caitou, were both Food System Soul Masters, and they both made a name for themselves. What, are you looking down on Food System Soul Masters?"

"I'm not looking down on Food System Soul Masters. I'm just reminding you, after all, the Spirit Ascension Platform strictly prohibits carrying offensive Soul Tools." Xu Cang wasn't foolish. The status of Food System Soul Masters was very high on the Douluo Continent. Shrek Academy had a Soul Douluo-level elder who was a Food System Soul Master, so one couldn't speak carelessly.

Nan Liujing said calmly, "If I dare to challenge, I naturally have the means to use in combat. It depends on whether you dare to accept."

Xu Cang found it troublesome and wanted to finish quickly to challenge Ye Xinglan. "Since you insist, let's try."

The positions shifted. Ye Xinglan took over the task of guarding Wu Sidao, while Nan Liujing moved to where she had just stood.

With the mindset of watching a show, everyone remained quiet.

Food System Soul Masters were indeed rare, and their contribution to a team was no less than that of Support System Soul Masters. However, in terms of combat power, the difference was too great, especially since the Spirit Ascension Platform did not allow the use of powerful Soul Tools. They were very curious about where Nan Liujing got the courage to proactively issue a challenge.

Xu Lizhi stared at Nan Liujing, lost in thought.

Xu Cang said calmly, "Let's stop before we hurt our friendship. A point is enough."

Nan Liujing nodded slightly.

Li Qiankun once again acted as the referee.

"Begin!"

As the words fell, Xu Cang almost immediately summoned his Martial Soul. A heavy Mystic Turtle Shell Shield was held in his hand. Influenced by the Martial Soul's attributes, the light and space within two meters of him dimmed, and the water element became extremely active.

"Second Soul Skill, Mystic Nether Shield Formation."

Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings rose from beneath him. As the second Soul Ring flashed, the heavy shield rapidly decomposed, transforming into dozens of palm-sized circular shell blades that whistled towards Nan Liujing.

Is this guy a descendant of Xu Sanshi?

Nan Liujing mused inwardly, his Divine Power already activating his Demon Body.

Combat was the best way to test the Demon Body.

Actually, I should have set the protagonist's second Martial Soul as a gourd of wine. That would have perfectly matched Black Myth Wukong, haha, what a shame.