Doubles Match

Seeing the Torchic charging toward him, Tang San finally snapped out of his daze. Fortunately, the Torchic's acceleration ability had not triggered, allowing his Purple Demon Eye to pierce through its movement trajectory, while his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track kept pace with its speed.

With a faint smile curling his lips, Tang San stepped into his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his figure trailing a series of phantoms as he bypassed the Torchic and bore down directly on Ye Chen, who was directing the battle.

Just as Ye Chen prepared to defend, he saw Tang San flick his right hand. Aided by the Tang Sect's supreme skill, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, several Blue Silver Vines shot from his hand, instantly binding him in place.

After tearing through the Blue Silver Vines, Ye Chen found Tang San already before him, his left arm bent as he slammed an elbow fiercely into Ye Chen's chest.

Struck by the sudden elbow, Ye Chen was sent flying ten meters back before crashing to the ground.

The Torchic sprinted at full speed, immediately shielding the fallen Ye Chen behind it, its sharp gaze glaring at Tang San.

Seeing this, Tang San was somewhat surprised. Ye Chen had been knocked unconscious, so why hadn't the Torchic, his Martial Soul, dissipated?

Could the Torchic Martial Soul exist independently of its host, capable of fighting on its own even if the host was knocked out?

Just as Tang San felt puzzled by this, Ye Chen stood up from the ground as if nothing had happened.

"How is this possible?" A flash of surprise crossed Tang San's eyes.

A six-year-old child, unable to defend against his binding control, had been struck by a full-force elbow—how was he not unconscious?

He hadn't even suffered the slightest injury?

Was this the level of physical toughness a six-year-old should possess?

Looking back at Tang San's astonished gaze, Ye Chen rubbed his chest where he had been struck, feeling fortunate.

It was a blessing that his Body Martial Soul granted a Spirit Master exceptional physical strength and control.

His chest was part of his Body Martial Soul, so when he channeled his spirit power into the muscles and bones of his chest, his overall defensive capability had instantly surged.

Combined with a month of physical training that had strengthened his Body Martial Soul alongside his body, how could a mere elbow break through his defense?

What Ye Chen hadn't expected was that although Tang San had not yet acquired his first spirit skill, Blue Silver Entanglement, as he had in the original story, he had already learned to use Blue Silver Vines for binding.

It seemed that after a month of training, Tang San's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

The way he had used the Blue Silver Vines to bind him before delivering a full-force elbow was truly impossible to guard against.

Had he not thought to channel his spirit power to reinforce his chest in time, he likely would have been knocked unconscious by that blow.

Seeing Ye Chen unharmed, Tang San was only surprised for a moment before stepping into his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to begin the next wave of attacks.

At this moment, Ye Chen attempted to channel his spirit power into his eyes and brain, enhancing his vision and mental energy.

He was surprised to find that he could vaguely perceive the movement of Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, so he said calmly, "Torchic, stand behind me."

Receiving the instruction, the Torchic ran behind Ye Chen, its sharp eyes tracking every movement in the rear.

Ye Chen kept his eyes fixed on the front, ensuring that no matter which position Tang San moved to using his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he could detect it and counterattack immediately.

Tang San was worthy of being a Tang Sect disciple in his past life; he had the habit of carrying small hidden weapons. As he moved with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he pulled stone projectiles from his waist and flicked them out.

With the insight of the Purple Demon Eye and the precision of his hidden weapon techniques, every stone Tang San flicked flew in different trajectories—straight, slanted, or curving—but they all shared one target: Ye Chen's body.

The Torchic was not within Tang San's attack range, because if he attacked the Torchic and missed, it would be equivalent to helping it stack its speed.

Once the Torchic's speed was fully stacked, he would surely be the one to lose.

Realizing this, Tang San intentionally avoided engaging the Torchic, aiming to knock out Ye Chen, who was directing the fight; once the host was defeated, the Torchic, as a Martial Soul, would naturally dissipate.

After all ten stone projectiles were launched, Tang San immediately channeled his spirit power to drive his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Large quantities of Blue Silver Grass transformed into ten-meter-long Blue Silver Vines, whistling through the air as they shot out, instantly binding Ye Chen tightly and rendering his body and limbs immobile.

At the same time, the stone projectiles flying from all directions struck Ye Chen's shoulders, back, abdomen, forehead, and legs, causing his entire body to go numb and forcing him to his knees.

To prevent Ye Chen from speaking to direct the Torchic, Tang San even controlled several Blue Silver Vines to bind Ye Chen's mouth, so he couldn't even let out a grunt when struck by the stones.

Undoubtedly, compared to their last spar, Tang San's strength had improved significantly.

If it were anyone else, they would likely have suffered a crushing defeat under this barrage of attacks.

At first, Ye Chen also felt that he was doomed to lose.

But when he realized that after being hit by the stones, he only felt a tingling numbness rather than any substantial damage, Ye Chen realized that his own strength had also improved greatly over the past month.

Especially in terms of physical toughness.

Because his Body Martial Soul was his entire body, every day of rigorous physical training over the past month was effectively adding points to his Body Martial Soul's attack, defense, and speed attributes!

Now, empowered by his Body Martial Soul, his physical toughness was sufficient to minimize the damage from Tang San's stones, even without spirit power reinforcement.

At this very moment, Ye Chen truly understood what it meant for hard work to pay off.

Throughout this month, he hadn't just persisted in physical training; he had also been training with the Torchic to sense each other's aura and build tacit coordination, all to lay the foundation for a "Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Although there was still no sign of a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they had developed a high degree of tacit understanding.

Even without speaking to direct the battle, a single glance was enough for the Torchic to know what to do.

Receiving Ye Chen's signal, the Torchic let out a strange cry toward the sky. The fire-attribute origin within its body erupted instantly, and scorching spirit power radiated from its round body, immediately incinerating the Blue Silver Vines binding Ye Chen.

Seeing this, Tang San remained calm despite his surprise, keeping his attack target locked on Ye Chen.

He firmly believed that after the previous elbow strike and the ten stone projectiles, even if Ye Chen wasn't knocked out, he must have been severely injured. One more punch would surely decide the outcome!

With his target clear, Tang San took a quick step forward, his figure trailing a series of phantoms as he arrived before the Torchic.

Suddenly, Tang San shifted his stance, using his proximity to Torchic as a feint before appearing silently at Ye Chen's right side. At that exact moment, Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand clenched into a fist, slamming toward Ye Chen's right cheek with full force.

With the aid of enhanced vision and spiritual power, Ye Chen quickly tracked the incoming fist. Maintaining his half-kneeling position, he raised his left hand and caught Tang San's fist with pinpoint precision.

With his first strike missing, Tang San's other fist followed immediately, driving toward the center of Ye Chen's face.

Miraculously, Ye Chen's free right hand extended instinctively, intercepting Tang San's fist well in advance.

At this point, Tang San's fists were crossed and held firmly by Ye Chen's hands. He tried to break free, only to discover that Ye Chen's strength was evenly matched with his own, leaving them both deadlocked in place, unable to move as they pitted their power against one another.

"Tang San, you've lost this spar. If you concede now, you can avoid physical pain; otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Ye Chen warned.

Hearing this, Tang San smiled dismissively. "Ye Chen, although I cannot break free from your grip, don't think you can attack me easily either. This spar isn't necessarily my loss!"

"I may not be able to attack you, but don't forget—I am not alone. This spar has always been a tag-team match."

Having said that, Ye Chen commanded, "Torchic, use Double Kick combined with Scratch!"

Receiving the instruction, Torchic's feet glowed with white light. Taking advantage of the fact that Tang San and Ye Chen were locked in a stalemate, it leaped into the air and kicked Tang San heavily in the abdomen with its left foot.

Tang San felt his internal energy churn violently, nearly causing him to retch.

However, Torchic's assault was not over. After striking Tang San's abdomen with its left foot, it used the momentum to spring onto Ye Chen's shoulder, then pushed off to launch a flying kick directly at Tang San's face.

"Torchic—"

"Argh—"

The sound of Torchic's cry was accompanied by Tang San's muffled groan.

Both kicks had been enhanced by the Scratch skill, and with the added boost from Focus Energy, they struck Tang San's vital points with devastating effect, dealing significant damage.

Tang San was already in agony after the first blow, his consciousness fading. The second kick, landing squarely on his face and rattling his brain, sent him into a complete blackout.

As Ye Chen released his grip, Tang San's body flew backward, landing face-up on the ground, unconscious.

Looking closely, one could see a deep imprint of a chicken foot on Tang San's face, a testament to the power of Torchic's flying kick. It had utilized the technique of Inch Punch, delivering an explosive burst of force.

Never mind an unprepared Tang San; even a one-ring Spirit Master would have been knocked out cold by those two blows.

Seeing Tang San collapsed on the ground, Torchic cheered and danced about, clearly elated at having vented its frustration.

Ye Chen felt a surge of excitement as well, for after Torchic defeated Tang San, he received the expected feedback of combat experience.

As his internal spirit power surged, Ye Chen realized that the combat experience gained from defeating Tang San this time was far greater than before.

He surmised that after a month of training, not only had Tang San learned to use Blue Silver Vine binding in advance, but his overall strength had also reached a new level. Thus, defeating a stronger Tang San yielded more combat experience.

Under the influence of this combat experience, the boost to his spirit power was far more effective than months of meditation; he had jumped two levels, rising directly from level twelve to level fourteen.

Only two more levels of spirit power, and Torchic would meet the requirements for evolution.

Coming back to his senses, Ye Chen noticed that the spirit power he had exhausted had fully recovered, likely a benefit of his level-up.

He walked over to Tang San and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that he possessed a Body Martial Soul and had persisted in physical training, giving him a physique far superior to his peers; otherwise, he might not have been able to defeat Tang San.

Tang San remained unconscious, showing no signs of waking up anytime soon.

After a moment of thought, Ye Chen decided to carry Tang San back to the blacksmith shop. If Tang Hao had been watching the spar from the shadows, this gesture would undoubtedly reduce any hostility he might harbor.

And if Tang Hao had not been watching, then after returning Tang San to the shop, he could truthfully explain that Tang San had initiated the challenge and had been accidentally knocked out by the Torchic martial soul during the spar.