(Hu Liena fan art)
"Hmph." Yu Tianheng took a sip of tea, the corner of his mouth slowly curling up. "On the Soul Fighting Platform, blades and swords have no eyes. The Electric Arc Duo won't show any mercy."
Yu Feng laughed and chimed in, "Boss, what a brilliant plan! No matter how tough that kid is, can he really beat two level-forty-nine Soul Ancestors?"
Osler rubbed his hands together, watching the Electric Arc Duo step out onto the platform. His eyes brimmed with anticipation.
"Those two from the Electric Arc Duo have never left their opponents alive. Once that kid's been beaten to a pulp, Ye Lingling..."
He let out a couple of snickers and left the rest unsaid.
Yu Tianheng ignored him. He set down his teacup and leaned back in his chair, his gaze passing through the glass window to the entrance of the opposite contestants' passage.
"You want to go against me?"
He chuckled softly.
Below Soul Fighting Platform No. 5.
The host's voice rang out, "Let's welcome the Golden Leaf Duo, who've racked up over ten consecutive victories in just two days!"
The lights came down as Lin Jiang, wearing a mask, led Ye Lingling onto the platform.
A sparse smattering of applause came from the audience, along with a lot more whispered conversation.
"Their opponents are the Electric Arc Duo. This one's looking grim."
"They'll be lucky to last three minutes."
The host's voice suddenly rose. "Next, please welcome the fearsome Electric Arc Duo!"
Two short, skinny middle-aged men walked out.
The same mohawk, the same slanted eyebrows, the same mustaches.
They stopped in the center of the platform and simultaneously reached up to carefully smooth down the tufts of hair on their heads. Only after confirming they were at matching angles did they nod with satisfaction.
The one on the left glanced at Lin Jiang and Ye Lingling, curling his lip.
"Hmph. A team that fights Soul Elders? Another pair of sacrificial lambs because no one else dared to take us on?"
The one on the right said nothing. He only tilted his neck, his bones cracking.
The referee raised his hand. "Let the Soul Fighting begin!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, the Electric Arc Duo moved.
Blue-white arcs of electricity burst beneath both men's feet. In an instant, their figures turned into two streaks of lightning, racing in opposite directions along the edge of the platform!
They were so fast that the audience could only see two blue trails circling the stage.
That was their Martial Soul—the Electric Arc.
It wasn't a Beast or Tool Martial Soul with a lightning attribute. They turned themselves into arcs of electricity.
Their speed, agility, and explosive power were unmatched among those of the same level.
Lin Jiang had just taken a defensive stance when a cry came from behind him.
"Ah!"
Ye Lingling collapsed to the ground. Dust stained her silver miniskirt, and her long blue hair spilled across the floor.
She braced herself on one arm, trying to get back up, but her arm trembled and gave way.
The two arcs of electricity converged where Ye Lingling had fallen, letting out a shrill whine before springing apart again.
"Ha ha ha ha! We've taken out the support type first!"
The laughter came from the streaks of light darting at high speed, broken and choked, as if someone were gripping their throats.
The two men had incredibly seasoned combat experience. In a two-on-two fight, take out the support first, and the rest was just a two-on-one.
Lin Jiang clenched his teeth, staring at the two blue arcs darting wildly through his field of vision.
The audience's gasps hadn't even died down when the arcs crashed into Lin Jiang.
"Bang—!"
One streak swept past his back, leaving a charred mark.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two. Three. Four.
The arcs slammed into him from every direction, each one striking and darting away at once, like two venomous snakes taking turns biting.
Lin Jiang's robe was slashed with more than a dozen cuts, and the smell of burning cloth filled the air.
In the viewing room, Yu Tianheng held his teacup, his grin nearly reaching his ears.
"The Electric Arc Duo is invincible among their peers. They're even more overwhelming when fighting above their level."
He took a sip of tea, leaned back in his chair, and watched the two blue streaks spinning at high speed on the platform.
Yu Feng and Osler stood on either side of him, grinning even more broadly than their master.
Below, Dugu Yan clenched her fists, her nails nearly digging into her flesh.
On the platform, Ye Lingling lay face-down on the ground, already unconscious.
The two arcs continued spinning at high speed, crashing into Lin Jiang from every direction, again and again.
Lin Jiang stood where he was, arms raised to shield his head and face as he endured every impact.
The arcs were too fast. He couldn't catch their trajectories at all.
Another arc struck his back, tearing a hole in his robe.
Lin Jiang frowned.
He couldn't see them.
They were too fast.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Behind him, a golden dragon's shadow shot into the sky—
The Golden Dragon King Martial Soul had appeared!
The entire arena fell silent.
Not the silence that followed a burst of gasps, but the kind in which everyone forgot to breathe.
Golden dragon scales burst into dazzling light beneath the lamps, and dragon might swept down like a tangible force. The flags around the platform fluttered despite the still air.
Then—
The arena erupted.
"What kind of Martial Soul is that?!"
"A dragon! It's a dragon!"
"No, that pressure... My Martial Soul is trembling!"
In the audience, every Soul Master with a Beast Martial Soul paled at once.
Some went weak in the knees, some retreated, and others broke out in a cold sweat.
A middle-aged Battle Soul Master gripped the railing, his knees knocking together. "I'm over level forty, but my Martial Soul is telling me to run..."
In the VIP room, a white-haired old man abruptly stood up.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
He stared at the golden dragon's shadow on the platform, one hand gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
"Uncle Bone?" The middle-aged man beside him was startled by his reaction. "What's wrong?"
Gu Rong didn't answer.
He could feel his Martial Soul stirring inside him. His Bone Dragon—the Martial Soul of a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo—was trembling.
It wasn't fear. It was submission.
An irresistible submission, engraved in the very origin of his Martial Soul.
He slowly sat back down, his voice hoarse. "This boy's Martial Soul... is of a higher order than my Bone Dragon."
Across from him, Ning Fengzhi held his teacup, his gaze fixed on the masked young man on the platform, burning with interest.
"Golden Scale?" he murmured, the corner of his mouth slowly curling up. "How interesting. This boy is no ordinary talent."
Gu Rong nodded. "If he can withstand the Electric Arc Duo, he'll be a talent worth cultivating."
Ning Fengzhi said nothing. He simply watched the platform, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
On the platform.
The two arcs continued spinning at high speed, crashing into Lin Jiang from every direction.
The moment the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul was released, the Electric Arc Duo's movements visibly faltered. It was the instinctive fear of their Martial Souls.
But they quickly forced it down.
"Don't be afraid! How old is he? No matter how powerful his Martial Soul is, his Soul Power must be limited!" one of them shouted, accelerating instead of slowing down.
The arcs crashed into Lin Jiang. Bang! Bang! Bang!
But this time, Lin Jiang didn't even sway.
With the Golden Dragon King possessing his body, his physical strength had soared to another level.
The arcs struck him like mosquitoes biting an iron plate, leaving only tiny scorch marks without even breaking his skin.
Lin Jiang lowered his head to glance at the scorch marks on his arm, then looked up at the two blue streaks darting wildly through his field of vision.
"Pesky mosquitoes."
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, golden light burst from his pupils.
It wasn't the domineering, blazing gold of the Golden Dragon King. This gold was more subdued, more profound.
Like ancient stars, like sunlight frozen in time.
The light slowly swirled in his eyes, as if something were beginning to awaken.
His Second Martial Soul: the Eye of Time and Space.
The two arcs spinning at high speed, in his field of vision...
Slowed down.
They hadn't really slowed down. He could simply see them clearly now.
Every arc's trajectory, every angle of each turn, every path they were about to take—all of it was crystal clear.
The corner of Lin Jiang's mouth lifted slightly.
"So this is my Eye of Time and Space?"
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