You Really Are Incredibly Sharp

Though shocked, Kong You remained perfectly at ease as he attacked Oscar with his sickle. This unusual weapon was even harder to read than a sword, and it gave Oscar a little trouble.

Of course... the trouble was trivial. Oscar was enjoying the process, learning about Kong You's combat abilities while trying to master the basics of swordsmanship without relying on the forms of the Taiji Sword Technique, and find a path of his own.

That was what he had truly gained from participating in Soul Fighting matches over the past year!

With an upward flick, Oscar once again blocked Kong You's attack. At the same time, he thrust toward Kong You's heart, and the fierce flash of his sword forced Kong You back in an instant.

"Not bad."

Oscar stepped forward lightly, holding his sword in his right hand as he attacked Kong You's tailbone again.

Kong You wasn't slow to react. Though he had been on the back foot the whole time, he still swung his sickle with impressive force. After blocking the longsword with the haft, he once again slashed the blade toward Oscar's butt.

At the same time, he kicked up with one foot, aiming for Oscar's lower body. Oscar raised his knee to defend and coordinated it with a backward parry from his sword, blocking the attack perfectly.

Oscar shot him a glance. Everything was understood without a word.

Kong You smiled. Though that attack had failed, his third Soul Skill had already lit up. A sickle glimmering with a blood-red light swung toward Oscar, its blade seeming capable of cleaving through space itself.

At the same time, his clone unleashed the same attack. Now, whether Oscar moved forward, backward, left, or right, Kong You's attacks were waiting for him!

"Kong You, you fight dirty!"

Oscar snorted. Hiding one trick up his sleeve could be explained away as something he'd saved for their match, but with so many secrets, what exactly was Kong You after?!

With Kong You's abilities, he should have challenged for the Gold Spirit Fighter rank long ago! What was he doing here?!

How had Kong You known he would definitely face Oscar, a Gold Spirit Fighter, in the regional division while still ranked as a Silver Spirit Fighter?

Could he be connected to the power behind the Soto Grand Spirit Fighting Arena?

Oscar couldn't be certain, but someone who could keep the Sky Net in the dark and spend so long with him without revealing anything clearly had a far more complicated background than he'd imagined!

Kong You had revealed everything so suddenly today. He was probably planning to come clean with Oscar, too.

Thinking this, Oscar stopped holding back. He tapped his foot, and a deep-blue formation disk, visible only to him, appeared. The Four Disks of Heaven Earth Man and God unfolded at once!

"Chaos Gold Lock!"

The instant the sickle's blade flashed toward him, Oscar had already rolled behind Kong You. By the time Kong You realized what had happened, it was too late—a longsword was already pressed against his throat!

Kong You swallowed, tapped the sword with his hand, and said,

"Is that really necessary, Yuanzhen? Put it away. You're scaring me..."

"It may not be necessary, but I want you to explain what all this is about."

Oscar put away his sword, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Kong You.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's not like I wanted to keep it from you. Let's talk in a bit. You were bound to find out today anyway."

Kong You sighed, then waved at the referee.

"I lost. Announce the result."

After saying that, he turned and jumped off the fighting platform, heading toward the area where Ma Hongjun and the others were resting.

Only then did the arena erupt in deafening cheers once more. The two had fought so quickly that several exchanges had happened in the blink of an eye. The audience hadn't dared spare even a moment to blink!

Today's match had also given them a truly extravagant spectacle, and they were all curious about the ability Yuanzhen had used to dodge the attack at the end...

If that was a Self-Created Soul Skill, it was downright outrageous...

Oscar paid no attention to the cheers. After the referee announced the result, he turned and left the platform, stopping Kong You in front of the rest area.

"Don't get worked up. I just wanted to meet our junior brother and future sister-in-law."

Kong You scratched his head, not looking the least bit embarrassed.

"Fine, fine. I really am from one of the families behind the Great Soul Arena..."

Kong You glanced at Oscar and sighed before continuing,

"All right, I'm the heir apparent to one of those families. I approached you because the other families were planning to move against the organization you're part of.

You know how strange Martial Souls in this world can be. Some even grant the ability to predict the future. The ancestor of one of those families is the person in charge of organizing this operation..."

Kong You explained everything he knew to Oscar, including the Sky Net's current predicament.

"As the heir apparent, you can't have such a simple motive. Don't tell me it's because you think I'm a good person. I've heard that one plenty of times."

Oscar believed about seventy or eighty percent of what Kong You had said. After all, the Sky Net had an extensive presence in Suotuo City. He had sensed the looming crisis in the air, like a storm about to break.

The only thing he couldn't understand was why Kong You had chosen to betray his own organization and help someone he hadn't known for very long.

"Of course I have a motive. You have no idea how troublesome it is when a bunch of families gather together, especially families with long histories.

"Families like ours aren't what they used to be. There's plenty of infighting, and some families even assassinate the heirs of other families.

"My eldest, second, and third brothers are all dead. I don't want to be the next sacrifice.

"But my family doesn't have the strength to uncover the truth behind this, so I want your help."

Kong You had none of his usual clownish air now. His words were utterly sincere and serious.

"Of course, I can offer you plenty in return. Soul Coins, Spirit Bones, and all sorts of other things—I'll try to get them from my family. But you know how it is when two factions form an alliance. Negotiating all the details could take a long time.

"I'll do my best to get you some benefits, but I'm only an heir. I can't take part in many important decisions.

"Like... the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

At that, Oscar was already tempted. He had a decent Spirit Bone now, and he planned to see if he could get his hands on Tang San's mother's Spirit Bone someday. But a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was still extremely appealing to him.

The Sky Net's members needed one, and so did his junior brother, Ma Hongjun.

"We can talk about that later. What I want to know now is whether anyone will ask me and my junior brother to enter a Soul Fighting match tonight—or whether this match is a trap."

Oscar stared intently at Kong You as he circulated his Spirit Bone's power and activated Mirror Flower Water Moon.

In a situation like this, he believed that even a Soul Douluo would have trouble hiding the truth from him!

That was the greatest use and benefit Mirror Flower Water Moon offered him!

"You really are incredibly sharp. They were the ones who arranged for you to fight in the regional division today. They don't want you to see how strong those people are, and they plan to kill you on the fighting platform."