Beat Down

Tang San's Purple Demon Eye stared fixedly at Huang Tian's movements, simultaneously activating Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to close in rapidly from the flank.

If it were any other martial soul, he might still harbor doubts, but Blue Silver Grass...

Both Grandmaster and that awakening official from Martial Soul Hall had stated that Blue Silver Grass was an utterly useless martial soul, possessing neither offensive capabilities nor defensive or control powers.

As long as he was fast enough that his opponent couldn't react in time, this soul duel would be over.

However, even so, Tang San did not rashly expend all his internal energy, always keeping some in reserve so he could change his route and retreat if the situation turned sour.

The distance between the two was not great, roughly ten meters or so.

Huang Tian's start was already a step slow, and summoning a martial soul required time; by the time the Blue Silver Grass appeared in his hand, Tang San had already lunged to a position two meters away on the left.

He chose the left side because the opponent's martial soul was in his right hand, meaning his reaction to the left might be slightly slower.

"Whoosh!"

Charging forward two more steps, the distance narrowed to just one meter. Tang San's feet flickered once more, and he blinked directly from the left side to behind his opponent.

His legs bent slightly into a horse stance, a faint jade-colored glow lit up on both his hands, and he pushed them straight forward.

Huang Tian's casual standing posture would lead to an unstable base; a little force would be enough to send him toppling over.

It's done.

Just as he was secretly rejoicing in his heart, thinking he was about to secure victory, his heart suddenly tightened.

Through his peripheral vision, he saw two azure vines erupt from the ground beneath his feet. They were crystal clear, with a texture akin to some kind of glaze or gemstone, and the gold and silver patterns entwined upon them were magnificent.

The moment the vines appeared, they lashed toward his ankles, attempting to bind him, while the back that had been within reach suddenly leaped forward, becoming impossible to touch.

Judging purely by his instincts, he knew that once bound, it would not be easy to break free.

Tang San was instantly shocked.

How is his Blue Silver Grass so different from mine?

Fortunately, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was best at maneuvering and dodging in tight spaces, and his Purple Demon Eye's insight was fast enough.

He hurriedly exerted his maximum speed, flashing a step backward, which allowed him to narrowly avoid the vines.

Had it been anyone else, they would likely have already lost by now.

Retreating to a distance from his opponent, Tang San looked at Huang Tian with suspicion and uncertainty.

He had already realized that the apparent opening from just a moment ago was actually a trap; the other party had intentionally been a step slow to lure him into close quarters.

Just then, Huang Tian suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahaha, good! Tang San, you are indeed a worthy opponent. That kind of speed isn't something just anyone can pull off. It seems this academy isn't as bad as I imagined. Since that's the case, I'll have to bring out the real deal. First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Saint Emperor Spear."

As he spoke, an illusory and faint white ring of light instantly condensed at knee-level, slowly pulsing and rotating.

This was Ah Yin's masterpiece—a pure soul power projection, not a true soul ring. The skill would be activated by her, requiring no summoning or passing through a soul ring.

Nourished by the Gold of Life, even after her sacrifice, Ah Yin's soul remained in a waking state. This first soul ring was, in reality, no different from a variant Soul Spirit ring.

In Gu Yuena's dream, it was precisely through studying sacrificed soul rings and the soul consciousness retained within soul bones that he had researched the existence of Soul Spirits.

This was another reason Gu Yuena had brought Ah Yin to him, hoping that Soul Spirits could be unveiled as soon as possible.

After Huang Tian shouted the name of his first soul skill, everyone's eyes in the arena focused on him, and Tang San didn't even dare to blink.

Under the gaze of over a dozen pairs of eyes, a deep blue long spear, roughly two meters in length, suddenly appeared out of thin air.

The spearhead was long, flashing with a chilling glint; it accounted for nearly a third to a quarter of the total length. It looked like a short sword mounted on a shaft—though called a spear, its appearance was closer to a horse lance.

On the surface of the shaft, gold and silver patterns intertwined like two long dragons coiling around it.

Huang Tian gripped the Blue Silver Saint Emperor Spear with both hands and was about to step forward, but he suddenly paused, then reversed the spearhead to point backward, using the shaft to point forward as he launched his attack.

This completely suppressed the thought of "maybe I should just concede" that had just sprouted in Tang San's heart.

The opponent had already stated that he wouldn't cause serious injury or maiming, and by holding back and pointing the shaft at him, it would be a bit cowardly to back down now.

If the long spear had no other abilities beyond being summoned, he might still be able to fight using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.

Huang Tian acted as if he knew nothing of spear techniques, charging forward while making strange "huff-hah" noises, swinging the weapon wildly like a club.

He mimicked perfectly the way he used to wield a straight wooden stick in waist-high grass as a child.

This made Tang San feel even more contemptuous. The movements were wide open, the force was excessive, and there was no technique whatsoever; dodging such things with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was simply too easy.

The opponent couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

The moment Huang Tian's momentum was spent and he could no longer recover or change his move, just as the long spear came crashing down from above, Tang San moved instantly, flashing to the front-left.

He clenched his fist, exerting his strength, and was just about to smash it into the opponent's wide-open chest and abdomen when his pupils suddenly contracted, his expression changing drastically.

The spear had indeed missed, but directly in his field of vision, a large foot came hurtling toward his face, expanding rapidly until it slammed solidly into his head.

The immense force sent him rolling four or five times before he could fully dissipate the momentum and scramble up from the ground.

Tang San, who had previously been thinking that since his opponent's soul skill capabilities were unknown, he might as well concede for the time being, felt the throbbing pain in his forehead and a dull ache in his back.

Anger surged from his heart, his face turned icy, and his eyes flushed crimson.

"Another feint; the opening was left on purpose."

"We are only sparring for exchange, yet you are so insidious. You have already invited your own death."

He made up his mind to defeat Huang Tian head-on and teach him a small lesson.

"Hmm, there's no need to be too serious between classmates; just breaking a few bones will suffice."

Xiao Wu, never one to shy away from excitement, leaped into the air, cheering in surprise and clapping her hands vigorously.

"Good, well fought!"

This only made Sanzi more incensed, and he became determined to teach Huang Tian a lesson.

This time, Tang San took the initiative to launch an attack.

Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he moved in a Z-shaped zigzag, flickering so rapidly it looked like teleportation; to anyone without sharp enough vision, it appeared as though at least three afterimages were left in his wake.

He was confident that with his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track at full burst, the average person could never track his movements, let alone block or counterattack.

Seeing this, Huang Tian leveled his spear shaft and swung it in a semicircle parallel to the ground with a Sweep the Thousand Armies.

"Indiscriminate area-of-effect attack?"

"Quite clever."

"Unfortunately, it's useless in front of me."

Tang San's Purple Demon Eye flared with intense purple light, accurately judging the spear's reach. He paused his movement, intending to close in once Huang Tian's swing had passed.

In this way, the opponent's move would be spent, and in their haste, they would have no chance to react or make any effective defense.

However, at the very second he stopped, the spear shaft suddenly extended by a large margin, slamming solidly into his right leg.

He stumbled, The piercing pain made his eyes widen instantly, and it was only through sheer willpower that he refrained from screaming out in a humiliating display.