Two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings rose from beneath Xiao Hongchen's feet. A flash of golden light later, an extra leg had inexplicably appeared behind him. Golden markings covered his skin, and golden bulges pushed against his clothes.
"A Martial Soul with the bloodline of a divine beast—the Three-legged Golden Toad." Qian Renxue's eyes widened. The ancient records of Spirit Hall mentioned the divine beast, the Three-eyed Golden Toad.
"What is a Three-legged Golden Toad?" Ye Guyi asked curiously.
"Three-legged Golden Toads are naturally close to metal and can control it with ease. Now I understand why Xiao Hongchen is called a once-in-a-century genius of the Sun Moon Empire. His Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul is exceptionally well suited to cultivating Soul Tools."
On the field, Xiao Hongchen finished summoning his Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul, and everyone's attention turned to Qin Chuan.
The two Soul Rings at Qin Chuan's feet lit up.
The appearance of a yellow and a purple Soul Ring stirred the hearts of countless spectators.
Black armor covered Qin Chuan's chest and face. A pair of scarlet eyes fixed on Xiao Hongchen, while four smaller eyes had grown beneath them.
Qin Chuan's legs disappeared. Below his abdomen, his body transformed into a huge, round sphere, from which eight thick, long legs sprouted. Coarse green fur covered them, along with revolting slime that dripped to the ground with a constant splattering sound. The slime was highly corrosive.
"Death Spider Emperor, Possession!"
In an instant, Qin Chuan transformed into a humanoid demon spider. The sight left many students horrified and sent shivers down their spines.
"This is... a demon spider-type Martial Soul!"
Jing Hongchen furrowed his brow, then darted back to his office at lightning speed. He returned just as quickly.
He had a thick book tucked under his arm. Without a word, Jing Hongchen flipped straight to the section on demon spiders in the Complete Guide to Martial Souls of the Douluo Continent.
After comparing the information several times, Jing Hongchen's expression turned grave.
"Hall Master, what's wrong? You look a little worried. Is there a problem with Qin Chuan's Martial Soul?" Lin Jiayi asked anxiously.
Jing Hongchen closed the book and slowly shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with Qin Chuan's Martial Soul, but it has quite a history."
"Do you know about Spirit Hall, the powerful organization that once dominated the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago?"
"Of course. But wasn't it dismantled by Tang San, the first sect master of the Tang Sect?"
"Ten thousand years ago, Spirit Hall's pope was called Bibi Dong. She was a once-in-a-century genius with Twin Martial Souls, and Qin Chuan's Death Spider Emperor was her First Martial Soul."
"What?!" Lin Jiayi was stunned. He had never imagined Qin Chuan's Martial Soul had such a history.
"Hall Master, are you suggesting Qin Chuan is a descendant of Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago?"
"It's possible, but there's no proof. Spirit Hall fell ten thousand years ago. The world has changed beyond recognition since then. That battle was a clash between gods. I thought it was only a legend, but now that the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul has appeared again, perhaps the tale was true."
"Gods—the supreme, omnipotent gods."
A smile returned to Jing Hongchen's face. "It's a good thing that kid chose my Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. If someone with his Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul appeared on the Douluo Continent and the three great empires or Shrek Academy accused him of being a remnant of Spirit Hall without evidence, that would be trouble. After all, Spirit Hall once established an empire and nearly unified the Douluo Continent."
Witnessing Qin Chuan complete Martial Soul Possession in an instant, Xiao Hongchen's composure faltered.
"The Death Spider Emperor? That's interesting."
After hearing his grandfather's telepathic message, Xiao Hongchen's first and second Soul Rings lit up one after the other.
"First Soul Skill: Metal Control."
"Second Soul Skill: Gold Boil."
Xiao Hongchen suddenly tossed the Soul Tool Condensing Cannon in his hand into the air. What happened next was completely unexpected.
The Soul Tool Condensing Cannon hung suspended in midair, its dark muzzle aimed at Qin Chuan.
This was Xiao Hongchen's Metal Control—the Three-legged Golden Toad's absolute control over metal.
The muzzle didn't charge up. Instead, it fired a straight, ghastly white beam in an instant.
Gold Boil absorbed the metal elements in the air, rapidly charging the cannon.
A cannon worked by compressing Soul Power and then releasing it. This attack packed enough power to rival that of a Soul Elder.
Qin Chuan said nothing. He put on the oversized Right Claw Glove, and golden dragon scales replaced the barbs covering his right arm. The glove fit the Golden Dragon King's Claw perfectly.
"Whoosh!"
The sound of rushing air rang out.
Qin Chuan raised his right fist, pouring an unending stream of Soul Power into the glove. Backed by the Golden Dragon King's terrifying strength, his fist met the oncoming ghastly white beam head-on and smashed it apart.
The Soul Tool Ray had been shattered with a single punch. The shocking sight stunned everyone present, including Xiao Hongchen.
"I refuse to believe it!"
Xiao Hongchen controlled the cannon, firing a series of ghastly white beams.
Three beams shot toward Qin Chuan almost simultaneously.
Qin Chuan crouched. His eight barbed spider legs propelled him upward, and as he soared into the air, the First Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed.
"First Soul Skill: Demon Spider Surge."
A wisp of strange purple-black mist drifted across the ground. When it cleared, hundreds of tiny Death Demon Spiders had appeared. Anyone with a fear of clustered patterns would have been left with their scalp tingling.
Hundreds of Death Demon Spiders surrounded Xiao Hongchen and surged toward him like a rising tide.
Xiao Hongchen felt his scalp prickle. The Soul Tool Condensing Cannon fired at full force, sweeping a straight beam of ghastly white light across the field. The dozen or so Death Spider Emperors in the front row instantly dissolved into smoke.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan used his powerful leap to reach Xiao Hongchen. His fist, as big as a sandbag and covered in scale armor, struck the Level Two Soul Tool Condensing Cannon Xiao Hongchen had made and sent it flying.
The cannon exploded in midair, then fell to the ground as a heap of scrap metal.
The gust from Qin Chuan's punch ruffled Xiao Hongchen's hair. The match was already decided.
"Qin Chuan wins this Soul Engineer competition," Xuan Ziwen announced.
Xiao Hongchen fell silent for a moment, experiencing defeat for the first time. Then he let out a long sigh. "I lost. But don't get too pleased with yourself. One day, I'll beat you."
"I'll be waiting." Qin Chuan ended his Death Spider Emperor Possession and landed on both feet.
The match was over, and the lunch break was already more than halfway gone.
Only Xiao Hongchen and his sister, along with Qin Chuan and his two companions, remained on the field.
"By the way, I still haven't asked what you said to my sister just now."
"I still haven't collected my spoils. Hand them over."
"A bet's a bet."
Xiao Hongchen took it in stride. He reached out and placed the Red Dust Kinship in Qin Chuan's hand.
The Level Five Soul Tool Red Dust Kinship was a metal badge the size of a single Gold Soul Coin, thin as a cicada's wing. It could be activated once a day to withstand an attack from a Soul Emperor, and it took a day to recharge.
Qin Chuan nodded in satisfaction. "I'm off. See you this afternoon."
Qin Chuan, Qian Renxue, and Ye Guyi left.
Only after the three had gone far away did Xiao Hongchen slap his forehead. "I almost forgot. I still haven't asked what he said to Meng."
Xiao Hongchen turned to ask his sister, Meng Hongchen. She gave him a single reply: "He said I was pretty."
Xiao Hongchen's face went deathly pale, as if facing a great enemy.
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