Making an Example

A twelve-year-old Soul Elder?

The seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team, Yu Tianheng included, stared in disbelief.

"Teacher, you must be joking! Breaking through to Soul Elder at twelve? How is that possible?" Dugu Yan waved her jade-white hand and pressed him for an answer.

Except for Ye Lingling, the other five members of the Imperial Fighting Team furrowed their brows.

Geniuses always had their pride. Though they were all Soul Elders, with Soul Power above level thirty-five, everyone except Ye Lingling was already close to twenty. Now a twelve-year-old Soul Elder stood before them, and they felt their pride shatter in an instant.

Taking in their expressions, Qin Ming smiled faintly without explaining further. He turned to Lan Si, nodded, and said with a smile, "Lan Si, release your Martial Soul and show them."

That was exactly the effect he wanted. He knew his students were all arrogant, relying on their powerful Martial Souls. They had never lost a team battle in the Soul Fighting Arena, and went around acting as though Heaven was first, Earth second, and they were third. They should have known that what was too hard would break.

Lan Si nodded and raised his right hand. Blue-white light poured from his body, and a cyan lotus wreathed in pale, bone-white flames appeared in the palm of his hand.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, their dazzling light circling up around him. This was the defining mark of a Soul Elder.

"Lan Si, Martial Soul, Cyan Fire Lotus, level thirty-two." Lan Si paused, then added, "Control-Type Battle Soul Elder."

At the sight, everyone on the Imperial Fighting Team except Ye Lingling swallowed hard. Ye Lingling, meanwhile, studied Lan Si's Martial Soul pensively. From time to time, her gaze drifted to the bracer on his left wrist, and she sank into thought. No one knew what was on her mind.

Just then, Dugu Yan spoke again. "Teacher, I admit he's exceptionally talented, but talent alone isn't enough to join the Imperial Fighting Team. He needs to prove he has the strength to back it up."

"She's right." Qin Ming knew Lan Si would need to show his strength to convince these students. After all, two years from now, they would represent the Heaven Dou Empire in the Soul Master Tournament. He turned to Lan Si and asked, "What do you say?"

"I don't mind." Lan Si shrugged.

"Very well. Osler, spar with Lan Si. Remember, stop once you've made your point. Osler's Soul Power is level thirty-five, three levels higher than Lan Si's. If Lan Si can hold his own against Osler for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he'll officially become a member of the Imperial Fighting Team. Does anyone object?"

"No objections." The Imperial Fighting Team brimmed with confidence. Osler might have been the weakest fighter among their Battle Soul Masters, but that was only by comparison. He was still a formidable fighter.

Since neither side objected, the Soul Fight began. They chose the plaza beside the pavilion as their arena.

Soul Fights were always a major draw for Soul Masters, especially when the fighters were both geniuses.

Some students passing by the pavilion heard that Osler of the Imperial Fighting Team was about to fight Lan Si, the new student who had beaten up Prince Xue Beng. They hurried over, and before long, the plaza was packed with onlookers.

The two stood in the middle of the plaza, thirty paces apart.

"Osler, Martial Soul, Ghost Leopard, level thirty-five, Agility-Attack Battle Soul Master. Please give me your guidance."

Osler didn't underestimate Lan Si. He took his stance and summoned his Martial Soul at once. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, shining brilliantly.

"Lan Si, Martial Soul, Cyan Lotus, level thirty-two, Control-Type Battle Soul Master. Please give me your guidance."

Lan Si summoned his Martial Soul as well, and found himself looking forward to the fight. Setting aside the worthless lackeys of Xue Beng he had dealt with, this was his first proper battle against a Soul Elder—and an Agility-Attack Soul Elder, at that. He wanted to see how the fourth level of his Supreme Universe Art compared with the speed of an Agility-Attack Soul Elder from the Douluo Continent.

"Remember, this is a friendly spar. Make your point, but don't try to kill each other." Qin Ming gave them a reminder, then signaled Yu Feng to light an incense stick before stepping aside to watch.

No sooner had Qin Ming finished speaking than Osler made the first move. His first Soul Ring lit up, and he shot toward Lan Si in an S-shaped pattern, his body a blur. Control types naturally countered agility-attack types; that was common knowledge on the Douluo Continent. Osler's Soul Power was higher than Lan Si's, but only by a few levels. If he wanted to end the fight quickly, he had to take Lan Si down before he could use a control-type Soul Skill. Otherwise, the two might end up locked in a stalemate.

Perhaps because he had fought the Soul-Eater Demon Spider and witnessed its incredible speed, Lan Si couldn't help feeling disappointed as he watched Osler, an Agility-Attack Soul Master, charge at him. He wanted to say just two words: That's it?

Osler's speed didn't seem much greater than Little Kitten's, even though she was only level twenty-seven. At most, his eight-level advantage in Soul Power made him a little faster.

Blue-white flames curled up in Lan Si's eyes. Relying on his extraordinary dynamic vision, he casually leaned aside to dodge Osler's attack, then raised his right fist and unhurriedly swung it toward Osler's cheek.

Osler didn't have time to react. By the time he noticed, a fist was already waiting right in front of him.

To everyone's astonishment, it looked as if Osler had thrust his face straight into Lan Si's fist.

With a loud thud, Osler flew backward like a kite with its string cut and crashed heavily to the ground.

He was dazed, seeing stars. The whole plaza fell utterly silent.

Osler had lost far too quickly. Was Lan Si simply too strong, or was Osler too weak?

"Haha! Leopard, were you taking it easy on him? I get that you want to be nice to the new student, but you didn't have to stick your face right into his fist!" Seeing Osler take a beating, Yu Feng—who had been teased earlier—immediately gloated.

Yu Feng's taunt made Osler's face burn, but he had no way to refute him. He touched his swollen left cheek, and his second Soul Ring lit up. A cloud of black energy surged around him as he rushed at Lan Si.

Lan Si raised his hand. His first Soul Ring lit up, and the Cyan Lotus in his hand split into eight sharp blades that lined up before him and shot toward Osler.

The blades fanned out toward Osler from Lan Si's position. Under the control of the Supreme Universe Art, they moved so fast that Osler couldn't dodge them in his normal state. With no other choice, Osler unleashed the second Soul Skill he had already readied. His body twisted into a spiral in midair as he charged into the oncoming blades and knocked them aside, using the opening to close in on Lan Si again. He raised his claws and slashed.

The outcome was obvious. Once again, it looked as if he had thrust his face forward, only to be sent flying by Lan Si's fist.

This time, though, it was his right cheek instead of his left. With the two sides now matching, Osler went from a handsome young man to a bloated-faced fatso.