Night. The bright moon hung overhead.
The playground at Nuoding Academy was silent. Though the moonlight left the surrounding area dim, everything was still clearly visible.
Dean Ding stood outside the dueling grounds, watching. Yu Xiaogang and Ye Chen stood inside, preparing for a match that would decide whether they became master and disciple.
Just as Ye Chen had said, he was willing to take Yu Xiaogang as his master, provided Yu Xiaogang had enough strength to make him bow in admiration.
Yu Xiaogang was brimming with confidence. No matter how powerful Torchic's Martial Soul was, it had no Soul Ring to strengthen it, and no Soul Skills to use.
If he couldn't beat a Soul Scholar with no Soul Skills, he really would become the poster child for the saying, "There are no trash Martial Souls, only trash Soul Masters."
No, this didn't count as a spar. It was simply the first hands-on lesson in combat that he, as a master, was giving his disciple!
Thinking this, Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back and looked calmly at Ye Chen. "I'll keep my promise from earlier. I won't use any Soul Skills, and I'll only use thirty percent of my Soul Power against you. We'll begin when you're ready."
"All right. Come on out, Torchic!" As he spoke, Ye Chen tossed his right hand forward. A red light flew from his hand, then took the shape of Torchic as it landed on the ground.
Immediately afterward, a golden light spun around Torchic, making it look as if it were glittering.
At the same time, Yu Xiaogang summoned his External Martial Soul. A streak of purple light fell in front of him and transformed into Luo Sanpao.
Ye Chen and Yu Xiaogang stood twenty meters apart. Their External Martial Souls, Torchic and Luo Sanpao, stood before them, staring into each other's eyes. The air between them was thick with tension.
In terms of size, Luo Sanpao was over a meter and a half long and around at the waist, while Torchic was small and delicate. As they faced off, they looked rather like a grown pig standing beside a chick. It was obvious at a glance which one was stronger.
As a spectator, Dean Ding looked at Luo Sanpao, then at Torchic, and couldn't help shaking his head with amusement.
He simply couldn't imagine how Torchic could possibly beat Luo Sanpao, much less what kind of Soul Ring Torchic could acquire in the future to become powerful.
" Torchic, use Focus Energy!" Ye Chen's command broke the silence of the night.
Torchic took a deep breath. A ring of yellow light gathered around its head as the Focus Energy skill activated, greatly increasing its chances of landing a critical hit.
Seeing this, Dean Ding and Yu Xiaogang both froze. Had that fleeting flash of light around Torchic just been a Soul Skill?
But Torchic hadn't even obtained its First Soul Ring yet. How could it possibly have a Soul Skill?
"Focus Energy? Could it be an innate ability?" Yu Xiaogang murmured. The calm expression on his face turned grave. He swept his hand forward and said in a low voice, "Sanpao, use Tackle to test it out first!"
At the command, Luo Sanpao dug in with all four legs. Its round body charged toward Torchic with a rush of air. It wasn't very fast, but its attack was especially fierce.
As Luo Sanpao charged, Ye Chen remained calm and ordered without a hint of panic, "Torchic, don't dodge. Attack with Ember!"
"Chamo!" Torchic gave an excited cry, its eyes turning sharp. It tensed its belly, and a dense spray of tiny flames shot from its pointed beak, streaking toward Luo Sanpao with red light and a sharp whistle.
"Is that a fire-type Soul Skill?" Dean Ding blurted out in surprise.
He hadn't expected Torchic to use not only a skill called Focus Energy, but a fire-type skill as well.
Yu Xiaogang was just as surprised. He had guessed from the start that Torchic's Focus Energy was an innate ability rather than a Soul Skill.
But he had never imagined that this little Torchic would possess two innate abilities.
"Xiaogang, what are you standing there for? Give an order!" Dean Ding's voice abruptly jolted Yu Xiaogang from his thoughts.
He snapped back to his senses and was shocked to see Luo Sanpao on the verge of colliding with the tiny flames Torchic had sprayed. It was already too late to dodge.
If the flames hit, the damage Luo Sanpao suffered would rebound onto him as well!
Realizing this, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly ordered, "Sanpao, come back!"
As his voice faded, Luo Sanpao, which had been charging toward Torchic, turned into a streak of purple light and vanished.
Torchic's Ember therefore missed its target, and the heated air around them quickly returned to normal.
Although recalling his Martial Soul was a little unsportsmanlike, Soul Masters could indeed recall their Martial Souls during a fight, and it was a valid tactic.
So Yu Xiaogang didn't feel guilty. Instead, he wiped away a bead of cold sweat, his face full of relief.
"Grandmaster, it seems your strength isn't as great as I imagined."
Ye Chen changed tack and suggested, "You should use your Soul Skills and all your Soul Power to fight me. You don't need to hold back anymore."
"But remember, from here on, you can't recall Luo Sanpao into your body again. Otherwise, this spar will be pointless, and there'll be no way to decide who wins."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang stiffened as if Ye Chen had struck a nerve in his pride.
He had meant to hold back and show off his strength. Instead, he'd botched it: not only had he failed to show how powerful he was as a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, he'd been looked down on by a six-year-old—and even warned.
Steadying his bruised pride, Yu Xiaogang was no longer his usual dejected self. His eyes sharpened. "Fine. I won't recall my Martial Soul again, and I'll use my Soul Skills against you. If Torchic gets hurt, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two Yellow Soul Rings lit up beneath Yu Xiaogang's feet, and a dense aura of Soul Power spread across the grounds.
"Sanpao, come out!"
At Yu Xiaogang's shout, Luo Sanpao appeared once more. Its eyes and aura were several times fiercer than before.
The Second Soul Ring flew from Yu Xiaogang and settled around Luo Sanpao.
Luo Sanpao opened its mouth and sucked in air wildly. Its belly swelled at an astonishing rate, making it look like a purple balloon growing larger by the second.
At the same time, Yu Xiaogang pressed his palms together, then thrust his right hand forward. With a solemn expression, he shouted, "A fart like smoke, Second Soul Skill, Hypnotic Sleep Luo Sanpao—"
At the command, Luo Sanpao let out a low growl. The Second Soul Ring around it seemed to turn into a Yellow curtain of light. Its round body leaped into the air and spun around mid-flight before a thunderous boom suddenly rang out.
Boom—
After the deafening blast, a cloud of light-blue, foul-smelling gas twenty meters across billowed toward Torchic. The stench of the fart instantly filled the air, making anyone who smelled it drowsy.
"Chamo, chamo—" Torchic paused for a moment, but didn't panic at all. Its sharp eyes fixed on the approaching cloud of light-blue gas as it waited for Ye Chen's command.
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