Let's turn the clock back a little, to many days ago.
In a shadowy corner of Suotuo City, Liu Jiayi was cornered by debt collectors in a dead-end alley.
There was no way forward, and pursuers were closing in behind him. With all the debts he owed, Liu Jiayi had no idea what to do.
"Damn it, couldn't you give me a few more days? It's all because yesterday's opponent was too strong. I lost because of him."
Liu Jiayi cursed, panting heavily. He was level 37, while his pursuers were mostly above level 40.
The footsteps behind him grew quicker and quicker. A thought struck Liu Jiayi, and he ducked into a garbage pile.
He knew this trick inside out. Whenever debt collectors chased him, this was how he dealt with it. As far as he knew, they didn't want to get their hands dirty, and before long they'd give up and let him go.
But this time seemed different.
"Hm? That trash has hidden again? Heh, we've been told to hurry this time. We can't let him get away."
Hearing their footsteps draw closer, Liu Jiayi's heart sank.
They were going to dig through the garbage.
Before long, he heard them rummaging through it.
This was bad. They were serious.
Liu Jiayi's heart pounded, but he didn't dare move in the garbage pile, afraid they'd find him sooner.
As long as they didn't find him, maybe they'd give up halfway.
Liu Jiayi thought naively, and, as it happened, that seemed to be exactly what they did.
Before long, Liu Jiayi could no longer hear the sound of them searching through the garbage.
Had they left?
He cautiously pushed the garbage aside, clearing a little hole. But when he peered out, he froze.
He saw an eye—pitch-black, without a trace of white. It shifted a few times, as if to say that he was still alive.
"Have these debt collectors gotten that tough?"
Seeing that he'd been found, Liu Jiayi resigned himself to his fate and pushed the garbage aside.
"Fine, you win this time. I'll go with you—"
Then Liu Jiayi was shocked for a second time.
The person wasn't a debt collector. At least, not one he recognized.
The debt collectors he knew were sprawled across the ground nearby, their bodies covered in strange wounds, black smoke rising from them.
That only confirmed that the person in front of him wasn't a debt collector.
Looking more closely, black smoke poured endlessly from the wounds on the person before him—more than the combined amount rising from all the debt collectors.
Was the person in front of him even human?
Liu Jiayi didn't dare think about it.
The figure had messy black hair and wore a black robe. He hunched over and looked up at him.
"Let's talk this out..."
Liu Jiayi backed away half a step, frightened.
"Heh heh heh... I can smell your longing." The figure let out a strange laugh. "You want power, don't you?"
Liu Jiayi hesitated.
Of course he did. With power, he could shine in the Great Soul Arena, earn Gold Soul Coins, and save his elderly parents back home.
"I do!"
He spoke with unwavering determination.
"I can give you power. So, what are you willing to give in return?"
"Anything but money. You can have my life!"
"Is that so... Heh heh heh. I don't believe you. Prove it to me."
-
"I don't believe it."
Hearing those familiar words, Liu Jiayi's fighting spirit flared once more.
"Fine, then I'll prove it to you. But let's get one thing straight: you're the one giving up this opportunity. Don't come crying to me later."
Ning Rongrong noticed the subtle change in her opponent's expression and felt a little puzzled.
She'd actually wanted to see how he'd react to finding out she was a support-type Soul Master. She hadn't had her fill of that yet.
Unfortunately, she was disappointed.
But she didn't dwell on it and took up a battle stance.
"The match—begins!"
Liu Jiayi revealed his Martial Soul: a plant, pitch-black all over, its surface covered in thorns and giving off a faint fishy smell.
Tang San spotted it from the spectator stands and recognized it at once.
"Ghost Vine!"
He couldn't help exclaiming. As the source of his Second Soul Ring, he knew exactly what a Ghost Vine looked like.
He just hadn't expected to encounter someone with a Ghost Vine Martial Soul so soon.
He decided to watch the match closely, study how the Ghost Vine Martial Soul was used, and then apply what he learned to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
"Ghost Vine? Xiao San, what's that? Is it powerful?"
Xiao Wu looked curious.
"Of course. Ghost Vine is not only highly poisonous, it can also parasitize its targets." Tang San nodded. "My Second Soul Ring came from a Ghost Vine."
"Rongrong..."
Beside them, Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists a little tighter.
"She's a level 33 support-type Soul Master facing a level 38 Control-Type Battle Spirit Master. Can Rongrong win?"
Oscar also looked worried.
"It'll be difficult." Tang San reached a conclusion in an instant. "Judging by my Blue Silver Grass, Ghost Vine should have a few of the same weaknesses. First, it works best when it makes contact with its target, and Rongrong's a support-type Soul Master, so it'll be easy to get close to her. Second, it's weak to fire, and Rongrong clearly can't use fire. Third, it consumes a lot of Soul Power, but as long as the fight ends quickly, that won't be a problem. Overall, Rongrong probably can't win. Fortunately, this is only a sparring match, so there's no danger of death... Huh? What did Rongrong just sign up for?"
He'd been focused on himself, and only now remembered that Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai had signed up at a different time. He didn't know what kind of match they'd entered. After recalling that he'd vaguely heard someone mention "serious injury or death," he suddenly wasn't so sure.
"A sparring match. I know where to draw the line." Dai Mubai hesitated, then added, "But accidents can happen in a match."
"That won't do. We have to get Rongrong out of there."
Zhu Zhuqing panicked at once and started to head down, but Flender stopped her.
"What's the rush? I don't think Ning Rongrong will necessarily lose. Besides, with a Soul Saint like me here, she won't die."
Flender had his own reasons.
No matter how poisonous a Ghost Vine was, could it compare to a Man Faced Demon Spider? Since Ning Rongrong could handle a Man Faced Demon Spider, a mere Ghost Vine was nothing to worry about.
Even so, he felt a faint unease in his heart.
Hearing him say that, Zhu Zhuqing calmed down, though her hands continued to tremble. The others also grew a little curious when Flender said Ning Rongrong might not lose.
Flender was the one who knew Ning Rongrong's abilities best. If even he said that, could the support-type Ning Rongrong really have some special move?
While they were discussing, Liu Jiayi paid no heed to the fact that Ning Rongrong was a little girl and seized the initiative.
He rushed at Ning Rongrong in an instant. The Ghost Vine in his hand began to grow, its vines reaching to ensnare her.
"Little girl, don't say I didn't warn you. My first Soul Skill is Entanglement."
The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand was still glowing, but she hadn't used a single Soul Skill. She just kept leaping and dodging, and the longer she did, the more she felt how low her physical level was.
She couldn't jump clear in time. Her right foot was caught.
She quickly used Strength Amplification on herself, and only then managed to break free.
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