A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Wang Xian's feet, slowly circling his body.
At the same time, the Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master opposite him released his martial soul.
A layer of black sheen surfaced on his skin, as though he had been coated in oil. His already dark complexion became even deeper.
The nails on both hands grew longer and thicker, turning grayish-white like a frog's toe pads.
The most obvious change was his mouth. His lips protruded slightly, and the slits at the corners of his mouth deepened, nearly reaching his ears.
Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, slowly circling his body.
His eyes turned an even brighter red, like two burning coals, fixed firmly on Wang Xian.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master did not rush to attack. He crouched slightly, like a frog poised to spring. He was waiting for Wang Xian to move first.
Wang Xian was in no hurry either. With a thought, Blue Silver Grass silently spread out along the ground.
It was not particularly fast, but it covered an extremely wide area, encircling from both sides at once like two waves of deep blue-green water slowly closing in.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master frowned.
He neither retreated nor tried to stomp the vines apart. He knew Blue Silver Grass of this level could not be easily crushed underfoot.
He drew a deep breath and abruptly opened his mouth.
A black shadow shot out from his mouth at astonishing speed.
It was his tongue.
The tip of his tongue was like a sharp spearhead, gleaming dark red as it shot straight for Wang Xian's face. The air tore apart with a piercing shriek.
Wang Xian did not dodge.
Blue Silver Grass instantly gathered before him, and a thick wall of vines rose from the ground, blocking the tongue's path.
"Pfft!"
The tongue slammed into the vine wall with a dull thud. A fist-sized dent appeared in the wall, and several vines snapped and flew away, but its overall structure remained intact.
The tongue's tip pierced half an inch into the vine wall before being firmly wedged in place, unable to advance or retreat.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master's pupils contracted. He tried to pull his tongue back, but Wang Xian moved faster.
A dense layer of barbs suddenly grew across the vine wall's surface, like countless tiny hooks biting firmly into the tongue.
The barbs pierced the tongue's skin, and dark red blood streamed down the vines.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master grunted in pain and violently yanked with his Soul Power. He finally tore his tongue free from the vine wall, but several cuts had already been carved into its tip, leaving it drenched in blood.
A flicker of horror crossed his eyes. His tongue could pierce even iron plates, yet it had been stopped by a single strand of Blue Silver Grass?
Wang Xian gave him no chance to catch his breath.
Blue Silver Grass surged out from every direction at once, more than twice as fast as before.
The vines intertwined and weaved through the air like countless spirit snakes, closing in on the Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master from every angle.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master no longer dared to attack carelessly with his tongue. He retreated again and again, swinging his hands to strike away the approaching vines.
His palms were covered in a black callused layer. Each slap against the vines produced sharp pops, knocking the approaching vines off course, but he could not break them.
After being slapped aside, the vines swayed twice before casually coiling back toward him.
He gritted his teeth, and the first yellow Soul Ring behind him abruptly lit up.
"First Soul Skill, Split Tongue Strike!"
His mouth opened again, and his tongue shot out at nearly twice its previous speed. A faint bloody glow shrouded the dark red tongue as it streaked toward Wang Xian on a foul wind.
This time, it was not aimed at Wang Xian's face, but at his ankle. He wanted to cripple Wang Xian's footing.
But Wang Xian reacted even faster.
Blue Silver Grass instantly gathered beneath his feet, forming an arched shield that tightly enclosed Wang Xian's legs.
The tongue struck the shield with a crisp metallic clang. A shallow crack appeared on its surface, but it remained firmly in place.
With another thought from Wang Xian, a row of dense blade-like branches suddenly grew across the shield's surface. They hooked inward like shark teeth, slicing back along the tongue.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master's expression changed drastically. He yanked hard and barely managed to pull his tongue back before the blades closed, but another small piece had been shaved from its tip, making him suck in a sharp breath from the pain.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and a trace of agitation appeared in his fiery red eyes.
Both of his soul skills had been designed around his tongue. Split Tongue Strike accelerated its launch and increased its piercing power.
His second soul skill, Tongue Bind, used his tongue to wrap around an opponent and restrict their movement.
But the prerequisite was that his tongue had to touch the opponent, and Wang Xian's Blue Silver Grass was like an airtight wall, sealing off every angle. His tongue could not get anywhere near him.
What unsettled him even more was that faint, indistinct pressure.
It was not oppression from Soul Power, but an indescribable suppression on a spiritual level.
It was as if a pair of invisible eyes were watching him, making him hesitate slightly with every move and throwing his attack rhythm completely off.
The Tiger Might trait was silently taking effect.
Wang Xian noticed his opponent's hesitation and stopped dragging things out. The yellow Soul Ring behind him flickered, and Blue Silver Grass's offensive suddenly changed.
The vines that had been surging in from all directions abruptly accelerated the instant they neared the Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master. They became several times faster than before, streaking past his sides like deep blue-green lightning.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master instinctively raised his hands to block, but the vines suddenly split apart as they neared him, becoming dozens of thinner branches that encircled him from above, both sides, and below at once.
His hands blocked only part of the attack in front of him, leaving his feet and back completely exposed.
Several vines wrapped around his ankles and gave a fierce tug.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master stumbled, his body pitching forward as his hands instinctively reached out to brace himself.
At that instant, even more vines surged forward.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master struggled desperately. The black callused layer scraped white marks across the vines, but they tightened more and more. Barbs pierced into his flesh, making him bare his teeth in pain.
He tried to open his mouth and use Tongue Bind again, but the moment his jaw moved, a vine curled around his neck—not too tight, not too loose, just enough to keep him from opening his mouth wide.
Just like that, an opponent whose Soul Power Level was eight levels higher than Wang Xian's and who possessed one more Soul Ring than him—
Was defeated in a near-instant kill.
The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master lay on the ground in utter disarray and could only concede unwillingly in the end.
Deafening cheers erupted from the audience stands.
"Sixty-four consecutive victories! Sixty-four consecutive victories!"
"Blue Silver Grass again! Wang Xian again!"
"That Snake-Eating Frog couldn't even open his mouth. That was miserable, hahaha!"
The host hurried to the center of the Soul Fighting Platform and raised Wang Xian's hand high.
"The match is over! The winner—Wang Xian! Sixty-four consecutive victories! Let us congratulate this seven-year-old Blue Silver Grass Soul Master once again!"
Wang Xian withdrew his Blue Silver Grass and calmly turned to leave the Soul Fighting Platform, accompanied by the enduring applause and cheers of the entire arena.
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