A year passed, and Xiao Chenyu was about to graduate. With his father's full support, his Soul Power had risen from level eleven a year ago to level fourteen.
"Tang San is strong, but Su Yun isn't weak either."
Xiao Chenyu's gaze fell on Su Yun's tall, upright figure, straight as a spear. A calm look filled his eyes as he said, "He hasn't shown his Soul Skill once this past year."
"But his spear skills really are impressive. Even without using a Soul Skill, he's easily among the top ten students in the academy."
"I have to admit, he and Tang San are both geniuses."
"Judging from the talk around town lately, it's obvious he's been deliberately hiding his first Soul Skill, waiting for this day when he'd finally face Tang San."
By the end, Xiao Chenyu wore a relieved smile. "Compared to them, I'm just an ordinary person."
Seeing how much his son had grown during his final year at the academy, City Lord Xiao smiled with satisfaction.
For a father, it was a comfort to witness his son's growth firsthand.
He turned his gaze back to the two students in the sparring area.
"Are you ready to begin?"
The referee standing between them turned to look at Su Yun and Tang San in turn.
"Ready."
"Ready."
They answered in unison.
"State your Martial Souls."
The referee spoke again.
Then he turned and left the area, giving Tang San and Su Yun room.
Before a spar, both parties had to state their Martial Souls and Soul Power Levels as a sign of respect.
But in their previous matches, Tang San and Su Yun had both tacitly refrained from announcing their Soul Power Levels.
They had the same aim.
To conceal their strength.
But now, there was no need to hide their Soul Power Levels.
Tang San's expression grew more serious than ever. He spoke first. "Tang San, first-year student. Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Level seventeen, First Ring Tool Soul Master."
Hiss—
The moment Tang San finished speaking, the entire crowd drew a sharp breath.
Every spectator present, teachers included, stared in utter shock!
Level seventeen?!
You
really are only six years old?!
"My god! Wasn't Tang San supposed to have the Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass? How did he reach level seventeen in just one year?"
"Are you stupid? Did you forget he has Innate Full Soul Power? And he's been taught by the Grandmaster..."
"But that's still terrifying progress! His Soul Power Level went up seven whole levels in one year! How are the rest of us supposed to keep up?"
"Isn't that why Notting Academy accepted him? Soul Masters with Innate Full Soul Power cultivate faster than the rest of us. That's just a fact."
"Wait, I remember Su Yun has the same Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power as Tang San—Blue Silver Grass and Innate Full Soul Power, right?"
"Hiss... You mean..."
Just as someone thought of an even more shocking possibility, Su Yun's voice rang out among them.
"Su Yun, first-year student. Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Level seventeen, First Ring Tool Soul Master."
His youthful voice echoed across the sparring area, reaching everyone present.
The entire crowd erupted!
"My god! Two geniuses!"
"This is going to be good!"
"No wonder the Grandmaster wanted Su Yun as his disciple back then. Even without the Grandmaster's guidance, he raised his Soul Power by seven levels in a year. That's terrifying..."
"..."
The spectators were all visibly excited. The Grandmaster, who had been sitting beside the dean, narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard Su Yun's announcement.
This kid reached the same Soul Power Level as Xiao San without my guidance. It seems his Second Martial Soul really does help him cultivate faster.
Yu Xiaogang was still convinced that Su Yun had a Second Martial Soul, and that it gave him a boost in cultivation.
The dean beside him had already been shocked by Tang San's Soul Power Level. Su Yun's announcement made him suck in another breath.
He turned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Xiaogang, are you still confident Tang San can beat Su Yun?"
Yu Xiaogang answered with a faint smile. "Soul Power Level doesn't decide everything. You'll understand once you see Xiao San's true strength."
The dean nodded.
That was true. He had watched Tang San fight Xiao Wu just now, and Tang San had been far more serious than before.
The dean couldn't help looking at Tang San, thinking:
Tang San, you absolutely can't lose today.
Otherwise, Xiaogang's reputation will be ruined for good.
Inside the sparring area.
When Tang San heard that Su Yun's Soul Power Level matched his own, he was startled, but quickly regained his composure.
After all, Su Yun had Innate Full Soul Power just like him. It made sense that their cultivation speeds were about the same.
Tang San had the Mysterious Heaven Skill, while Su Yun's Second Martial Soul helped him cultivate Soul Power.
Compared with that, there was hardly any difference between their Soul Power.
There was no point thinking about it. Tang San took a deep breath and said nothing more, leaving only three words behind.
"Please, teach me!"
The instant his voice fell, a small figure vanished from the spot. In the next moment, everyone saw Blue Silver Grass appear.
"First Soul Skill!"
A yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring rose abruptly, drawing another wave of gasps from the crowd.
Tang San wasted no time. He opened with his first Soul Skill.
He wanted to end the fight quickly!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The next moment, more than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass, each three fingers wide, suddenly surged from beneath him, coiling upward like slender, dark-blue snakes.
"Bind!"
Tang San fixed his gaze on Su Yun, his voice sharp.
The Blue Silver Grass, now transformed into vines, shot mercilessly toward Su Yun!
Tang San absolutely could not lose this fight.
That was the line he had drawn for himself.
This fight wasn't just for himself. He was fighting for his teacher, too.
So he didn't hesitate for an instant. He immediately unleashed his first Soul Skill, Bind.
"Trying to restrict my movement?"
Su Yun had fought Tang San before and lost more often than he'd won. Of course, that was because he hadn't used his Soul Skills.
He could tell at a glance that Tang San's Bind wasn't meant to ensnare him directly. It was just a feint.
Tang San's real killing move was still to come.
Su Yun's gaze shifted. He pushed off with his feet and began moving around the sparring area, just like Tang San.
The sparring area was a stone platform fifty meters long and fifty meters wide—not too big, not too small.
So Su Yun used Wind God Leg to accelerate and dodge out of range of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass vines.
Once Su Yun dodged Tang San's first attack, just as he'd expected, Tang San was already right in front of him, clinging to him like a maggot.
One of the Tang Sect's Six Great Techniques: Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
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