Near-Instant Kill

A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Wang Xian's feet, slowly rotating around his body.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master opposite him activated his Martial Soul at the same time.

A layer of black luster spread across his skin, as if coated in oil, turning his already dull complexion even darker.

The nails on his hands grew longer and thicker, turning a grayish-white, resembling the toe pads of a frog.

The most obvious change was his mouth; his lips protruded slightly, and the corners of his mouth split deeper, almost reaching his earlobes.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, slowly rotating around his body.

His eyes turned a deeper, vivid red, like two burning coals, staring fixedly at Wang Xian.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master did not rush to attack, instead crouching slightly like a frog ready to spring. He was waiting, waiting for Wang Xian to make the first move.

Wang Xian was in no hurry; with a thought, his Blue Silver Grass spread silently along the ground.

The speed was not fast, but the coverage was vast, flanking from both the left and right sides simultaneously, like two pale green tides slowly closing in.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master frowned.

He did not retreat, nor did he attempt to stomp on the vines; he knew that Blue Silver Grass of this level could not be easily broken by stepping on it.

He took a deep breath and suddenly opened his mouth.

A black shadow shot out from his mouth with astonishing speed.

It was his tongue.

The tip of the tongue was like a sharp spearhead, shimmering with a dark red luster, heading straight for Wang Xian's face. The air was torn apart, emitting a sharp whistle.

Wang Xian did not dodge.

The Blue Silver Grass instantly converged in front of him, a thick wall of vines rising from the ground to block the tongue's path.

"Thwack!"

The tongue slammed into the vine wall, producing a dull thud. A fist-sized indentation appeared on the wall, and a few vines snapped and flew off, but the overall structure remained intact.

The tip of the tongue pierced half an inch into the vine wall, only to be stuck fast, unable to advance or retreat.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master's pupils constricted, and he tried to retract his tongue, but Wang Xian was faster.

The surface of the vine wall suddenly sprouted a layer of fine, dense barbs, like countless tiny hooks, biting firmly into the tongue.

The barbs pierced the skin of the tongue, and dark red blood began to drip down the vines.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master grunted in pain, channeling his soul power to give a violent tug, finally pulling his tongue free from the vine wall, but the tip had been sliced with several gashes, dripping with blood.

A flash of horror crossed his eyes; his tongue could pierce through iron plates, yet it had been blocked by a mere stalk of Blue Silver Grass?

Wang Xian did not give him a chance to catch his breath.

The Blue Silver Grass surged from all directions simultaneously, moving more than twice as fast as before.

The vines wove and darted through the air like countless agile snakes, closing in on the Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master from different angles.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master dared not use his tongue to attack easily again, retreating repeatedly while waving his hands to swat at the approaching vines.

His palms were covered in a black, horny layer, and his strikes against the vines produced crisp "slap" sounds, capable of knocking the vines off course but unable to break them.

After being swatted away, the vines would sway for a moment before winding back as if nothing had happened.

He gritted his teeth, and the first yellow Soul Ring behind him suddenly lit up.

"First Soul Skill, Split Tongue Strike!"

His mouth opened again, and his tongue shot out nearly twice as fast as before, the dark red tongue shrouded in a faint blood-colored light, carrying a fishy stench as it shot toward Wang Xian.

This time, the target was not Wang Xian's face, but his ankles; he wanted to break Wang Xian's stance.

But Wang Xian's reaction was faster than his.

The Blue Silver Grass instantly converged beneath his feet, forming an arc-shaped shield that completely encased Wang Xian's legs.

The tongue slammed into the shield with a crisp, metallic sound, leaving a shallow crack on the surface, but the shield stood firm.

Wang Xian moved his mind again, and a row of fine, blade-like branches suddenly sprouted on the surface of the shield, hooked backward like shark teeth, slicing along the tongue as it retracted.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master's expression changed drastically, and he pulled back with a violent jerk, finally withdrawing his tongue before the blades could close, but another small piece of his tongue tip was sliced off, causing him to gasp in pain.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and a hint of agitation appeared in his fiery red eyes.

Both of his soul skills were designed around his tongue; Split Tongue Strike was for accelerated ejection and increased penetration.

His second soul skill, Tongue Bind, was meant to wrap around an opponent to restrict 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 so that his tongue couldn't get close at all.

What made him feel even more uneasy was that faint, lingering pressure.

It wasn't a suppression of soul power, but an indescribable suppression on a mental level.

It was as if a pair of invisible eyes were staring at him, making him hesitate every time he attacked, causing his rhythm to be completely off.

The Tiger Might trait was silently taking effect.

Wang Xian saw the opponent's hesitation and stopped dragging it out. The yellow Soul Ring behind him glowed slightly, and the offensive stance of the Blue Silver Grass changed abruptly.

The vines that had been surging in from all directions suddenly accelerated the moment they neared the Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master, moving several times faster than before like streaks of azure lightning flashing past his sides.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master instinctively raised his hands to block, but those vines suddenly dispersed as they approached him, transforming into dozens of thinner branches that flanked him simultaneously from above his head, both sides, and beneath his feet.

His hands only managed to block a portion of the front, leaving his feet and back completely exposed.

A few vines coiled around his ankles and gave a violent tug.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master stumbled, his body pitching forward as he reflexively reached out his hands to brace himself.

At that very instant, even more vines surged upward.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master struggled desperately, his black keratin layer scraping white marks into the vines, but the vines tightened further and further, their barbs digging into his flesh and making him grimace in pain.

He tried to open his mouth to release Tongue Bind once more, but the moment his jaw moved, a vine coiled around his neck—neither too tight nor too loose—just enough to prevent him from opening his mouth wide.

Just like that, this opponent, who had a Soul Power Level eight ranks higher than Wang Xian and possessed one extra Soul Ring, was defeated by him in what was essentially a one-shot victory.

The Snake-Eating Frog Soul Master lay on the ground in a wretched state, ultimately forced to concede in frustration.

Deafening cheers erupted from the spectator stands.

"Sixty-four consecutive wins! Sixty-four consecutive wins!"

"It's Blue Silver Grass again! It's Wang Xian again!"

"That Snake-Eating Frog couldn't even open his mouth, how pathetic, hahahaha!"

The host walked quickly to the center of the Soul Fighting Platform and raised Wang Xian's hand high.

"The match is over! The winner is—Wang Xian! Sixty-four consecutive wins, let us once again congratulate this seven-year-old Blue Silver Grass Soul Master!"

Wang Xian retracted his Blue Silver Grass, turned with a calm expression, and walked off the Soul Fighting Platform, accompanied by the enduring applause and cheers of the entire arena.