Kung Fu Torchic

"Mm." Ye Chen said, hiding something, "I've heard my parents talk about some Soul Master-related knowledge before. They say that only those who possess a Martial Soul, Soul Power, and a Soul Ring are qualified to call themselves Soul Masters."

"A Soul Ring?" A glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. "What's a Soul Ring? How can someone obtain one?"

"A Soul Ring is the halo glowing around Grandmaster Su. Soul Rings of different ranks have different colors." Ye Chen played dumb. "It seems Soul Masters have to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings. That's dangerous. Only powerful Soul Masters have the strength to hunt Soul Beasts."

"What's a Soul Beast?" Tang San pressed.

Ye Chen shook his head. "I don't know either. To learn about Soul Masters and Soul Beasts, you have to go to a specialized Soul Master Academy."

"So that's how it is." Muttering to himself, Tang San fell into thought. Could his Mysterious Heaven Skill's inability to break through the first bottleneck have something to do with Soul Rings and Soul Beasts?

To obtain a Soul Ring, you had to hunt a Soul Beast. And to hunt a Soul Beast, you needed enough strength.

With his current strength, could he hunt a Soul Beast?

After considering it for a while, Tang San asked, "Ye Chen, I remember Grandmaster Su Yuntao said your chicken Martial Soul is a Beast Martial Soul, right? Are there any beasts among Soul Beasts that are like chicken Martial Souls?"

"Possibly. They say many Beast Martial Souls have corresponding Soul Beast clans on the continent. Maybe my chicken Martial Soul came from some kind of Soul Beast."

"If that's the case, why don't we spar?" Tang San suggested.

"Spar?" A thoughtful look appeared in Ye Chen's eyes.

According to the original story, Tang San had already learned the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Mysterious Jade Hand, the Purple Demon Eye, and other Tang Sect Secret Arts.

If they really sparred, Ye Chen had his Body Martial Soul to rely on, along with the foundation in kung fu he'd brought from Blue Star. He could definitely protect himself.

But his Torchic Martial Soul hadn't gained a Soul Ring yet. It only had two skills, Scratch and Growl, so it would probably have a hard time beating Tang San.

Still, if he won, he'd gain a wealth of combat experience.

With all that combat experience feeding back into him, perhaps he could directly increase his Soul Power by a level!

"Well? Are we sparring?" Tang San's voice broke Ye Chen's train of thought.

After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Chen nodded. "All right. Let's spar. But I want to make one thing clear first. No matter the outcome, for the next three months, the loser can challenge the winner, and the winner has to accept. What do you think?"

"Sure, no problem. Let's begin." As he spoke, Tang San extended his right hand in a gesture inviting Ye Chen to make the first move.

Seeing this, Old Jack hurriedly tried to stop them. "Xiao Chen, Xiao San, you're not allowed to fight!"

"Grandpa Jack, we're not fighting. We're Soul Masters sparring. It'll help us improve our combat skills. Don't worry. Tang San and I will use False Swipe. We won't ambush each other or attack any vital spots."

After hearing Ye Chen's words, Old Jack looked at Tang San. Tang San nodded to show he wouldn't hurt anyone.

"All right. You'll be Soul Masters in the future, after all, so getting familiar with how they fight ahead of time is a good idea. Children, let's step aside and watch. Don't get caught in the crossfire."

With that, Old Jack led the other seven children farther back, clearing a thirty-meter-wide patch of ground for Ye Chen and Tang San.

Looking at Ye Chen across from him, Tang San felt a rush of emotion. Six years had passed. He'd been away from the Tang Sect for six whole years, and at last the techniques he'd brought from the Tang Sect into this world were about to come in handy.

Tang Sect, if I get the chance, I'll make you flourish in this world!

Silently resolving himself, Tang San's eyes glimmered with purple light as both his hands turned to jade. These were the Tang Sect's eye-training method, the Purple Demon Eye, and hand-training method, the Mysterious Jade Hand.

"Come out, Torchic."

With a flick of Ye Chen's right hand, a red flash shot out with a bang.

When the red light landed, the Torchic Martial Soul appeared before everyone. It was the same one that had previously been no bigger than an adult's palm.

Next, a golden light circled around Torchic, making it seem to shimmer brilliantly.

"Chamo, chamo, Piplup!"

Torchic let out an excited cry, then began bouncing from side to side on its little chicken feet, its eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

This sight left Tang San and the onlooking Old Jack and the others dumbfounded. Even Ye Chen, its owner, couldn't help but pause in surprise.

He stared at Torchic, which was bouncing from side to side. It looked as if Torchic were dancing.

But in reality, those side-to-side bounces were a complex movement style that combined the Pendulum Step, sliding steps, the butterfly step, and fencing.

The movements were not only light and graceful, but also rhythmic and fluid, greatly improving the efficiency of switching between offense and defense.

Unlike Tang San, Old Jack, and the others, Ye Chen was astonished because the footwork Torchic was using combined various moves from Blue Star.

All the kung fu movies he'd watched on Blue Star, the concepts of kung fu he'd encountered, and the modern fighting styles he'd studied—Wing Chun, boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and the like—every last thing related to kung fu in his memories had been passed down to the source of his Torchic Martial Soul when it awakened.

The Torchic standing before Tang San now was a Torchic that had watched kung fu movies and possessed a wealth of fighting concepts and martial arts philosophy.

As it happened, Torchic currently had only the Fire type. But once it evolved into Combusken, it would have both Fire and Fighting types.

This Kung Fu Torchic was undoubtedly a born fighting genius. It was hard to even imagine how strong it would become once it developed the Fighting type!

"Can we start?" Tang San had already recovered from his surprise and asked calmly.

Ye Chen nodded. "Let's begin. Torchic, strike first. Use Scratch!"

At the command, white light shone from Torchic's two claws. At the same time, a wave of Soul Power surged from Ye Chen.

Tang San narrowed his eyes slightly. Using the Purple Demon Eye's keen vision, he saw through Torchic's attack trajectory. He dodged to the side, easily avoiding the Scratch as Torchic leaped in to kick him.

Then Tang San used the Tang Sect Secret Art, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. He spun around and reached out with his right hand. The Mysterious Jade Hand suddenly pulled, drawing Torchic, who was just within arm's reach, toward him.

"You've lost!" Tang San said, his Mysterious Jade Hand gripping Torchic by the neck. Then he turned to face Ye Chen and said with some disappointment, "It seems your chicken Martial Soul isn't as strong as I imagined."

Ye Chen smiled at that. "Tang San, you think you've won just because you caught my Torchic? Too bad. My Torchic can be recalled at any time, just like a Tool Martial Soul, making attacks like grabbing it completely ineffective."