Liu Jiayi was startled, his expression turning grave.
He had thought his opponent wouldn't be able to escape, so he hadn't followed up with his second Soul Skill.
But seeing this, it seemed his opponent really did have quite a bit of strength.
"Haha, looks like I underestimated you." Liu Jiayi laughed, and the vines in his hand shifted shape before lunging at Ning Rongrong again.
They were even faster this time. Ning Rongrong dodged several times, but before she could leap away, they finally wrapped around her.
They coiled from her ankles all the way up to her knees. More vines followed, binding her hands as well.
Watching Ning Rongrong struggle in their grasp, Liu Jiayi smiled.
"Second Soul Skill, Parasite!"
"Parasite!"
Tang San shot to his feet, startling the others.
"Why is his Soul Skill so similar to mine? Could all Plant-type Martial Souls attack this way?"
He couldn't help wondering.
"Rongrong!"
Seeing Ning Rongrong struggle, Zhu Zhuqing felt as if the wound were on her body and the pain in her own heart.
The entire arena fell silent. Given the situation, it seemed they could already reach a verdict.
In the end, she was only a little girl. There was no question of anything underhanded...
When all was said and done, she shouldn't have signed up for a one-on-one match.
That was what countless people in the audience were thinking.
By rights, Liu Jiayi should have stopped. Even he thought so.
"You've already lost," he told the girl before him.
"Come on, you haven't even attacked yet."
Ning Rongrong flashed a teasing smile, and it piqued Liu Jiayi's interest.
"Fine, I'll respect your wishes. Third Soul Skill, Poison Thorn Piercing Heart!"
The Ghost Vine directly in front of Ning Rongrong condensed into an enormous thorn, its tip aimed straight at her heart.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Dai Mubai shot to his feet with a smack, grinding his teeth. "This is a competition. How can he use a Soul Skill like that? Dean, do something!"
Flender had somehow gotten himself a cup of tea. After taking a few sips, he said, "Don't rush. Ning Rongrong hasn't conceded, so what are you getting worked up for? Besides, anyone who has a Soul Skill and doesn't use it is an idiot."
He couldn't help feeling a flicker of anticipation himself. Perhaps this would let him see how Ning Rongrong dealt with the Man Faced Demon Spider.
The thorn continued to grow, gradually filling Ning Rongrong's field of vision.
The playful expression slowly vanished from Ning Rongrong's face, replaced by fear. She tried to struggle, but couldn't move at all.
"This is bad. Something's about to happen."
"That little girl... There was clearly time for her to surrender. Why didn't she listen?"
Liu Jiayi couldn't see how Ning Rongrong was faring. When the thorn had grown large enough, he sent it flying forward.
The thorn drew closer and closer to Ning Rongrong. It was about to tear through her clothes—
Ning Rongrong smiled.
"Hehe, I was scared. I was only pretending."
She activated her third Soul Skill. Poison Attribute Amplification spread across her body. The poison from the Ghost Vine's Parasite vanished, and the Ghost Vines binding her were poisoned as well, loosening their hold.
Her second Soul Skill followed. Ning Rongrong retreated, then charged straight at the thorn.
Finally, she used her first Soul Skill.
Of course, it was the reversed version of her first Soul Skill.
Trapped Beast, activate.
In an instant, Ning Rongrong felt a burst of pain in her palm. Her health dropped quite a bit, but the loss was still within acceptable limits. In the end, she seized the thorn and sent it flying back toward Liu Jiayi. A layer of green light coated its surface—her third Soul Skill, Poison Attribute Amplification, was at work.
Strength Amplification couldn't strengthen Trapped Beast, but her third Soul Skill could. That meant her opponent would take 96% of the Soul Skill's damage, while she only had to bear 40%. Over time, she was sure to win against anyone at the same level.
Liu Jiayi watched Ning Rongrong escape with ease and send the thorn back at him. For a moment, he even forgot to dodge. He caught the poisoned thorn with both hands. Pain shot through his palms as the poison spread across his body.
"Ugh!"
He staggered backward before finally coming to a stop. He pulled out the thorn and tossed it aside.
He managed to halt the poison's spread, but Liu Jiayi could feel that his own vital energy and blood had taken a heavy blow.
In just one exchange, it was obvious he had suffered the greater injury.
"Pfft!"
Unable to hold it in, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Oh? After one exchange, our contestant Ning Rongrong has suffered only minor injuries, while contestant Liu Jiayi seems to be badly hurt! Ning Rongrong has the advantage in this round!"
The audience erupted once more.
"Thrilling!"
"I've never seen a support-type Soul Master do anything like that. This has really opened my eyes!"
"Does anyone know what that move she just used—turning her opponent's force against him—is called?"
"Liu Jiayi, you're no match for her. Give up!"
Over on the Shrek side, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"With that move, Ning Rongrong took less than half the damage, while her opponent bore nearly all of it. Brilliant."
Flender praised her.
"Was that the same move she used against Teacher Zhao?"
Dai Mubai recognized it.
"Whoa, so that's how Teacher Zhao was defeated? Even if he was defeated while holding back, it still proves how powerful that move is!"
"And the opponent was poisoned too. I just don't know whether it was an effect of Ning Rongrong's Soul Skill or if his thorn was already poisonous," Tang San added.
"Poison? Was Rongrong poisoned?"
Zhu Zhuqing asked anxiously.
Tang San's heart sank.
No.
He was certain Ning Rongrong showed no signs of having been poisoned at all.
But he refused to accept it.
If Ning Rongrong could purify someone else's poison, she could purify her own poison too. How could that be?
The other man's poison had to be too weak!
"The opponent's poison failed to harm Ning Rongrong."
Tang San gave that answer.
Back on the Soul Fighting Arena.
Liu Jiayi recovered and lifted his head.
Looking at Ning Rongrong's smiling face, he felt a surge of loathing.
But as soon as he came to his senses, he began to wonder.
Why was that...
Why?
Liu Jiayi had been born into an ordinary family. His parents were both ordinary laborers. When he was six, he awakened a Ghost Vine Martial Soul with innate Soul Power of level five.
He had good talent and worked hard. At nine, he reached level ten and obtained his first Soul Ring. At fifteen, he reached level twenty and obtained his second Soul Ring. At twenty-five, he reached level thirty and obtained his third Soul Ring.
He was considered a genius in his family.
But his good fortune didn't last.
When he was thirty-three, both his parents came down with terminal illnesses, one after the other, and became bedridden at home. Liu Jiayi spent all the family's savings and borrowed a great deal more just to keep them alive. At the same time, he had no choice but to earn money through the Great Soul Arena.
His parents' conditions worsened, and Liu Jiayi's earnings at the Great Soul Arena could no longer cover their medical bills. He could only borrow more and more, taking out new loans to pay off the old ones. Finally, after an unexpected defeat, the debt collectors came for him.
From that moment on, he forced himself to grow stronger. Only by winning again and again could he save his parents.
Before you continue