Xia Yan walked in,
and happened to see everyone registering. Flender wasn't there; he was probably seated in the spectator area.
When they saw Xia Yan arrive,
Oscar suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, seeing Xia Yan wasn't with Ning Rongrong made him feel oddly relieved,
and he also instinctively avoided Xia Yan's gaze.
Tang San and Dai Mubai pretended not to notice,
and went on with their own business.
Seeing Xia Yan, Zhu Zhuqing wondered how many victories he had at the Great Soul Arena, given how powerful he was,
and whether he had already reached the graduation requirement Flender had mentioned: Silver Soul Fighting rank.
But Tang San had already finished registering, and it was her turn,
so she had to take care of that first.
Tang San held his Iron Soul Badge, but couldn't help glancing at Xiao Wu. He'd originally planned to team up with her,
Xiao Wu, don't worry. I'll protect you!
But Xiao Wu had no desire to team up with him.
Xiao Wu, please don't! If we fight separately, how am I supposed to protect you?
Once everyone was done, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dai Mubai all went to wait at the one-on-one arena. Xia Yan went to a higher-tier rest area,
while Ma Hongjun and Oscar went to the two-on-two waiting area.
There was no choice,
Oscar was a support-type Soul Master and could only find a partner. He'd chosen Ma Hongjun at first, and the two had kept fighting as a team ever since.
Soon, Xiao Wu was the first to take the stage.
Her opponent was randomly assigned: a Soul Master with a Leopard Martial Soul.
He was level twenty-eight, one level below Xiao Wu, and she won with ease.
Tang San hurried over, brimming with excitement. "Xiao Wu, you were amazing!"
Xiao Wu merely gave him a polite reply.
Unless they chose a different format, everyone could only fight once a day. After her match, Xiao Wu went to the spectator area,
a perk for Battle Soul Masters: they could watch the matches for free on the day they fought.
Next up was Dai Mubai.
The matches were between Soul Masters of the same rank: two rings against two rings, three rings against three rings.
This gave higher-level Soul Masters within each rank a greater advantage.
Once Dai Mubai advanced, he went from being a powerful peak two-ring Soul Master to a weak beginner three-ring Soul Master among those of his rank.
The result was twenty-nine wins and twenty-seven losses.
After fifty-six matches, he'd earned only two points.
This time, however, his opponent was only level thirty-one, with a Big Tail Rat Martial Soul whose defining feature was a tail as thick as a python.
After a fierce battle, Dai Mubai won.
Third was Zhu Zhuqing, who faced an agility-type Soul Master with a Sword Martial Soul and won.
Only Tang San remained.
The Great Soul Arena's battle grounds were divided into numerous platforms for different match formats,
with spectator areas interspersed between them
to ensure a good viewing experience.
On one of the platforms, twenty meters in diameter,
a middle-aged man in a tailcoat stood at the center. He cleared his throat and announced in a loud voice:
"Next up is the fifteenth one-on-one Soul Fighting match in Arena 14.
"The two contestants are both Soul Grandmasters. They are:
"Battle Soul Master Tang San, who possesses the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul,
"versus Qing Bao, a Battle Soul Master who has already won two matches in a row and possesses the Iron Horn Ox Beast Martial Soul.
"Will Soul Grandmaster Qing Bao continue his winning streak and claim a third victory, or will newcomer Battle Soul Master Tang San win?
"Let's wait and see."
"Now, please welcome the two Soul Grandmasters to the arena."
The audience below was nearly full. When they heard of a Soul Grandmaster with Blue Silver Grass, they all looked at one another, thinking they must have misheard.
What?
A Blue Silver Grass Soul Grandmaster?
The Trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass could be cultivated to the Soul Grandmaster level?!
Could that be true?!
Under the lights, Tang San held his chest high as he walked step by step onto the platform.
The audience's murmurs grew louder.
"He's so young!"
"I've never heard of him before..."
Across from Tang San, a Soul Master far taller and more muscular than him slowly walked onto the platform.
He stood an astonishing two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back. His entire body was covered in muscles like granite.
Beneath skin darker than Tang San's, corded veins bulged like countless dark green snakes across his bare upper body.
He looked down at his short opponent, Tang San.
Fierce light flashed in his bell-like eyes as he threw his head back and let out a deafening roar, releasing a powerful aura.
"Qing Bao! Qing Bao! Qing Bao!"
Some audience members cheered.
The contrast in their builds was too stark. On top of that, Blue Silver Grass was the most fragile of plant Martial Souls and could be snapped easily.
It might fare better against an agility-type Soul Master, but it would be in trouble against a defensive powerhouse like Qing Bao.
No one really thought Tang San could win.
As a Soul Master, Tang San had excellent hearing, so of course he heard the audience's discussion. The corner of his mouth curved upward in a smug smile.
That's right!
Go ahead and doubt me. The more you doubt me, the harder I'll slap you in the face!
I'm going to win!
The middle-aged man retreated to the edge of the arena. "The match—begins!"
"Roar!"
Qing Bao bellowed,
and charged straight at Tang San without even activating his Martial Soul.
Naturally, Tang San was displeased at being underestimated. He summoned his dark purple Blue Silver Grass, and two yellow Century Soul Rings rippled into view around him. "Blue Silver Bind!"
To everyone's astonishment,
countless vine-like strands of Blue Silver Grass sprang out of thin air and attacked Qing Bao.
At first, he managed to snap a few vines, but soon he was wrapped up in layer upon layer of them.
The audience was stunned. Were these dark purple vines really Blue Silver Grass?!
"Roar!"
A battle cry suddenly erupted from within the mass of Blue Silver Grass. Qing Bao broke free and burst out.
He had completed his Martial Soul Possession.
Black horns, each as long as an arm, had sprouted from either side of his forehead.
His already burly body had nearly doubled in size, his skin had grown even rougher, and his eyes had turned earthy yellow.
Qing Bao confidently turned his head from side to side, loosening his joints.
He didn't take Tang San seriously at all.
But a few spectators suddenly froze. They leaned forward, looking astonished, even shocked.
Qing Bao didn't quite understand their reaction.
Why were they surprised that he'd broken free? Wouldn't it be surprising if he hadn't?
He looked at Tang San, who still wore a confident expression.
Suddenly,
he felt something strange all over. His entire body was burning, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed some white, murky liquid on his arms.
He instinctively looked down.
His pupils quaked!
His arms, chest, legs, even his feet were all covered in white, murky liquid!
It clung to his body and slowly slid downward!
It also gave off a sharp, sour, rotten stench.
In an instant, the sensation on his skin changed from burning to stinging.
Th-this is...!
A rush of blood surged to his head. Qing Bao's face suddenly flushed red, and he panted like an ox. Dark red blood suffused even his thick neck.
Humiliation!!
He dared humiliate me!
"Roar!"
He charged at once. "Iron Horn Bull Armor!" "Earth Power!"
He unleashed his first and second Soul Skills at the same time. A layer of brown armor covered his skin, and his strength surged,
boosting both his defense and his power.
He was going to knock Tang San flying!
Of course, Tang San wasn't going to just stand there and wait.
He flicked a finger. "Blue Silver Bind!" "Venom Secretion!"
In an instant,
countless strands of Blue Silver Grass, reflected in Qing Bao's earthy yellow pupils, surged toward him like a Snake Swarm, winding around him.
But
all the Blue Silver Grass had turned dark purple and white, its colors mixing together!
They even rubbed against one another, frothing up white bubbles!
No!
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