Before long, the Great Soul Arena had Wang Xian's match ready.
Wang Xian was now a popular contender at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
Only seven years old, with fourteen levels of Soul Power, able to defeat opponents five levels above him, and with the universally acknowledged Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass.
Any one of those traits would have been enough to draw attention, let alone all of them appearing in one person.
What audiences loved most was a young genius defeating stronger foes. Whenever it was Wang Xian's turn to fight, the Soul Fighting Arena's stands were practically full.
Even when his matches were scheduled during the less crowded daytime hours, it was still the same.
A staff member pushed open the door and called Wang Xian's name.
Wang Xian stood, brushed at the hem of his clothes, and unhurriedly left the waiting room.
When he arrived at the arena, his opponent was already in position on the platform.
He was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth dressed in a blue-purple combat uniform. Tall and powerfully built, he stood there like half a wall.
His short dark-blue hair stood upright strand by strand. His face was cold, his arms crossed over his chest, and his chin was slightly raised. As his gaze fell on Wang Xian, it carried traces of scrutiny and disdain.
The host stood in the middle of the Soul Fighting Platform, cleared his throat, and spoke through a Soul Tool amplifier, his voice spreading throughout the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next is the most anticipated one-on-one Soul Fight of today's daytime matches!"
Applause and whistles rose from the stands.
"First, let us welcome the challenger: the seven-year-old Blue Silver Grass Soul Master, Wang Xian, who has already achieved three consecutive victories!"
Wang Xian emerged from the passageway, and the cheers from the stands were noticeably more enthusiastic than before.
His expression calm, he walked onto the Soul Fighting Platform and took his place on the left.
"Our other contestant possesses the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul: Yu Yunlei, an eighteenth-level Power Attack System Battle Soul Master!"
A tall figure strode out from the passageway opposite him.
Yu Yunlei reached the right side of the Soul Fighting Platform, sprang up, flipped directly over the railing, and landed on it. The impact was deep and forceful, making the platform tremble slightly.
He undid the buttons of his outer coat and casually flung it aside, revealing the blue-purple combat uniform beneath. The lines of muscle on his arms were faintly visible through the fabric.
The host retreated to the edge of the Soul Fighting Platform and raised his right hand high.
"The rules are simple. The match ends when one side concedes or loses the ability to fight. Contestants, prepare yourselves."
Yu Yunlei turned his head and looked down at Wang Xian. The corner of his mouth curled upward. "So you're Wang Xian? I heard you've been making quite a name for yourself lately. Today, I'll be the one to end your winning streak."
Wang Xian looked up at him, his expression unchanged. "Whether you can end my winning streak depends on whether you have the strength."
Yu Yunlei snorted coldly and said no more.
"Begin!"
The host's right hand slashed downward.
Yu Yunlei shook both arms, and dark-blue light burst from his body, crackling through the air with explosive pops of electricity.
His hands changed first. His fingers thickened, and his nails gleamed with a metallic chill.
A dense layer of blue scales emerged across his skin. Each was the size of a fingernail, with faint lightning flickering along its edges.
The blue scales spread from the backs of his hands to his forearms, then to his shoulders, until they covered both arms entirely.
His eyes turned dark blue, his pupils becoming vertical slits like flashes of lightning within storm clouds.
A pale-blue mass of lightning gathered and dispersed in his palm, then gathered again, releasing low rumbles one after another.
A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet and slowly revolved around his body. Fine currents of electricity could faintly be seen dancing along its surface.
Wang Xian looked at the blue scales glowing with lightning across his opponent's body. Rather than becoming solemn, his eyes flashed with delight.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the number one beast Martial Soul in the world. Another one delivering himself up.
He spread his right hand, and a deep azure light poured from his palm. Blades of Blue Silver Grass extended one after another, swaying lightly before him.
A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet, facing Yu Yunlei's Soul Ring from afar.
Yu Yunlei looked at the Blue Silver Grass, and the contempt at the corner of his mouth deepened.
He had heard of Wang Xian's exploits and knew that this child's Blue Silver Grass differed from ordinary Blue Silver Grass, but he had never truly taken it seriously.
The others had been caught by Blue Silver Grass because their Martial Souls were simply too weak.
His Martial Soul was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the number one beast Martial Soul in the world. Could a few lousy weeds possibly trap him?
"Come on." Yu Yunlei gave a low shout, kicked off the ground, and shot toward Wang Xian like a blue bolt of lightning.
With a thought from Wang Xian, Blue Silver Grass surged from his palm. Dozens of vines raced across the ground, closing in on Yu Yunlei from every direction.
Yu Yunlei neither dodged nor retreated. With a sweep of his left hand, he grabbed the first vine that reached him.
He tried to tear it apart with a hard pull, as though it were an ordinary rope, but it would not budge.
The vine did not move in the slightest. Instead, it suddenly tightened around his palm.
Its dense barbs instantly hooked into the gaps between his scales, and a sharp pain shot through his palm.
Yu Yunlei lowered his head and saw that the barbs had already embedded themselves in the soft flesh between his scales. Blood trickled down his fingers.
His expression changed.
"What the hell is this?!"
Before he could finish speaking, more vines surged toward him, wrapping around his wrist and forearm, coiling around him layer upon layer.
The silver patterns on the vines' surfaces glimmered faintly under the sunlight. As he struggled, the fine serrated edges dug deeper and deeper, cutting open his scales and making beads of blood emerge one after another.
Alarmed, Yu Yunlei hurriedly activated his Soul Power. Blue-purple lightning erupted from within him with a burst of crackling, scorching the Blue Silver Grass around his arm black and snapping it into several pieces that fell to the ground.
He took the chance to leap back two steps and open the distance. Looking down at the cuts on his arm, his face turned livid.
This Blue Silver Grass was far more troublesome than he had imagined. It was not merely a matter of Toughness and Sharpness.
Those vines seemed alive. They could seek out gaps on their own and wrap around him from unexpected angles.
Every bind locked precisely onto the points where he exerted force, leaving him unable to use his full strength at all.
Wang Xian gave him no chance to catch his breath.
Blue Silver Grass surged forth again. This time, it was no longer a simple entanglement. Several vines shot in from the left at extreme speed, tracing deep-azure arcs through the air.
Yu Yunlei twisted aside to evade them and reached out to grab them, but the instant those vines neared him, they suddenly spread apart. Like blooming petals, they split from the middle into more than ten thinner branches that attacked him simultaneously from different directions.
Yu Yunlei had no time to dodge.
He crossed his arms before his body and activated his lightning, forming a protective barrier over his skin.
When the Blue Silver Grass branches struck the lightning barrier, they were knocked slightly aside. But they were only knocked aside. They were neither electrocuted apart nor sent flying, merely deflected a little before continuing to coil around him.
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