Only he truly knew Oscar's strength. He'd happened to see Oscar fighting an Evil Soul Master outside Suotuo City once... It was unbelievable...
Soon, they reached the outskirts of town. Perhaps the five Spirit Rings on Ye Zhiqiu were too eye-catching, because their group had attracted quite a few spectators from the town.
The walk out of town had given Ye Zhiqiu time to calm down a little. He eyed the three young men who had come out with him and said in a low voice,
"I'll give you one more chance. It's not too late to admit you were wrong."
Dai Mubai grinned wickedly and replied nonchalantly,
"Wrong? What's wrong, and what's right? The one with the bigger fists is right. Beat us first, then we'll talk."
By now, Ye Zhiqiu could no longer hold back from attacking. He snorted angrily.
"Come at me together. I'll teach you brats how to behave, on behalf of your academy."
Oscar stood facing Ye Zhiqiu. Dai Mubai was a little worried and wanted to help, but Ma Hongjun stopped him.
"Trust Senior Brother. It's been a long time since I've seen him fight seriously, too."
Ma Hongjun was unusually serious, his eyes fixed on Oscar without blinking.
"You're young, so you can make the first move."
Ye Zhiqiu studied the extraordinary young man in white before him, already weighing things over in his mind.
No one with such an air about him at such a young age could be ordinary!
He'd already decided to spar with the boy, but he absolutely couldn't use too much force. If the boy admitted defeat, then the matter would be over.
Oscar didn't refuse. He took a Refined Iron Longsword from his storage pouch, then tossed the pouch to Ma Hongjun.
He straightened slightly, lifting his heels and then his toes in turn as he stepped half a pace to the left. The Refined Iron Longsword shifted slightly behind him.
A tremendous force surged within the sword. In just an instant, a faint light shone across its blade.
It was the first move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Wind-Sweeping Dust-Clearing!
In a flash, Oscar charged forward amid a burst of fierce sword light!
Facing Oscar's attack, Ye Zhiqiu's body blazed with black light. He let out a low growl as the first and second Spirit Rings on his body lit up at once. He spun halfway around, exposing the Turtle Shell on his back, while a stream of black light, carrying a bone-chilling cold, surged out.
The moment the battle began, Ye Zhiqiu used two of his Spirit Ring skills: Mystic Turtle Body Protection and Mystic Water Ice Seal.
His goal was simple: take down the young man in white as quickly as possible and teach him a harsh lesson. That would let him vent his anger while showing off Canghui Academy's strength.
The boy might look extraordinary, but he was still young, and there was a huge gap between their Soul Power levels.
Ye Zhiqiu was sure his Mystic Water Ice Seal, unleashed with fifty-three levels of Soul Power, would freeze the boy solid.
The sword light from Wind-Sweeping Dust-Clearing exploded in front of Ye Zhiqiu. Just as Dai Mubai had said, his opponent's defense was incredibly strong!
With the gap in Soul Power between them, Oscar's move had no effect at all. Ye Zhiqiu hadn't even moved.
By then, Oscar was already very close to Ye Zhiqiu. He felt a wave of frigid air rush toward him, as though the blood throughout his body were about to freeze.
The sensation was unpleasant, but Oscar had been prepared for it. His first move, Wind-Sweeping Dust-Clearing, had only been meant to close the distance between them.
With the difference in their Soul Power, breaking through his opponent's defense so quickly was out of the question. Oscar intended to attack the weakest points in his defenses: the neck or the vulnerable spot below the waist. Those were also the weakest points in a turtle's defense!
He moved his longsword, tracing a mysterious arc through the air as he struck the oncoming frigid current. Then, following the current's force, he spun sharply around.
This was the second move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Pushing the Boat Along the Current!
As Oscar used the move to evade the icy current, his longsword was already sweeping toward his opponent's vulnerable spot below the waist!
The third move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Scooping the Moon from the Seabed!
Seeing the fierce sword light slashing toward his lower body, Ye Zhiqiu's heart lurched. He quickly channeled his Soul Power and raised both hands to shield himself.
But at that moment, he saw the smile at the corner of the young man's mouth. A sudden sense of foreboding rose in him.
Oscar tapped the sword with his hand. The fifth move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Dragonfly Skimming the Water!
Using the force of the sword tapping his opponent's hand to propel himself upward, Oscar launched the fourth move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Parting the Clouds to See the Sun!
A fan-shaped arc of light, like the rays of the rising sun streaking across the sky, slashed straight toward Ye Zhiqiu's neck!
Ye Zhiqiu reacted quickly, tucking his neck in. Then a bizarre sight unfolded: his entire head sank into his chest, narrowly evading Oscar's terrifying sword strike.
His third Spirit Ring lit up. A mouthful of water mist sprayed from his lips toward Oscar, forcing him to retreat through the air.
Though he'd temporarily escaped danger, Ye Zhiqiu's unease only grew stronger.
He realized that the young man in white was controlling the rhythm of the fight, leaving him no chance to counterattack!
Put simply... a boy was beating him down!
He was a Soul King with fifty-three levels of Soul Power! Even as a defensive-type soul master, he shouldn't be getting beaten down like this!
Just how many battles had this boy been through?
Unfortunately, before he could think further, Oscar's longsword came at him again. This time, Ye Zhiqiu felt as though he wouldn't be able to block it!
Oscar was soaring through the air, his sword seemingly one with him. Vast sword light blotted out the moon above.
A powerful sense of crisis made every hair on Ye Zhiqiu's body stand on end. He hurriedly activated his strongest defensive skill!
But it was already too late. Oscar's sword had struck his lower body, and Ye Zhiqiu felt blood spraying out.
Oscar gave him a sympathetic look and twirled his sword.
This was the sixth move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Immortal Points the Way. It automatically sought out an opponent's weak point before attacking.
Oscar had chosen this move because he knew how strong Ye Zhiqiu's defense was. Even if the attack had struck Ye Zhiqiu's neck, it wouldn't have killed him. At most, it would have left him badly hurt.
But he hadn't expected Ye Zhiqiu to pull his head back in. That meant he'd taken the sword strike with that spot instead.
Zhao Wuji watched from the rooftop, grinning from ear to ear. He'd seen Oscar use this very sword strike to slice off an Evil Soul Master's head!
That Evil Soul Master had also been a Soul King!
Ye Zhiqiu looked at the vulnerable spot below his waist, then at Oscar. His eyes instantly turned red.
Chilling air surged up once more. This time, he wasn't going to hold back. Even if he really was hunted down and killed in the future, he'd kill this brat here and now!
Oscar saw the killing intent in his opponent's eyes and swiftly retreated. But he was already too late. In that instant, the oncoming chill froze the hand gripping his sword stiff.
Ye Zhiqiu charged forward. He opened his mouth and spat a stream of black, freezing water straight at Oscar.
Third Spirit Ring Skill: Mystic Water Surge.
The intense chill made Oscar shiver all over, but the fighting spirit in his eyes only grew stronger. He pointed his sword forward, then brought his other hand into a sword-finger gesture and ran it along the back of the blade toward its tip.
The seventh move of the Taiji Sword Technique: Ten Thousand Peaks Bow to the Ancestor!
A powerful sword light, as solid as a mountain, burst out and thrust toward Ye Zhiqiu as he charged at full speed!
A bloody hole appeared in Ye Zhiqiu's body. He stared at Oscar in disbelief.
But only Oscar knew that this was as much as the Taiji Sword Technique could do.
This strike was powerful, but unlike Immortal Points the Way, it was easy to miss. He'd aimed for Ye Zhiqiu's neck, but the sword had struck his body instead.
After that strike, Oscar could no longer keep fighting. Ma Hongjun rushed over and caught him in his arms.
"Stop!"
Flames blazed in Ma Hongjun's eyes. A Phoenix pattern appeared behind him, and a fiery mark flared once more between his brows. The aura he released was far beyond that of an eighteen-level soul master, and it made Ye Zhiqiu freeze in his tracks.
Just then, a lazy voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the fight. "It's late at night. Why aren't you resting? What are you doing out here?"
Before you continue