"You were acting pretty arrogant just now. What happened? Afraid to take my lightning?"
Yu Tianheng's provocation didn't work on Xing Tian. He continued dodging with Nine Deaths Footwork.
Seeing that, Yu Tianheng immediately used his second Soul Skill, Thunderous Force. "Let's see where you can run this time!"
The countless strands of lightning coiling around Yu Tianheng's body swelled all at once. The next instant, they transformed into countless bolts of lightning that flashed in every direction.
Rumble—
The blue-violet bolts slammed into the arena floor, instantly blasting out charred craters three inches deep. Shattered stone flew amid the sparks, and the acrid smell of ozone filled the air as cries of alarm rose and fell among the watching students.
If the Soul Fighting Arena hadn't been sealed off by a protective barrier, the students in the front rows would already have been caught in the attack. No one had expected a duel between two Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters to turn so intense right from the start.
Xing Tian wove through the lightning with Nine Deaths Footwork.
Though his mental strength and physical constitution far surpassed those of Soul Masters at the same level, Yu Tianheng's second Soul Skill was an area attack. Combined with the formidable Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, its strikes formed an impenetrable net. Even so, the lightning's residual force burned several small holes in Xing Tian's black robes.
"All you can do is run, you coward!"
Yu Tianheng roared as the lightning around him surged again. Blue-violet currents coiled around his arms like living snakes.
"If you've got the guts, take my Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Yu Tianheng shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string. His dragon claw crackled as he swung it straight at Xing Tian's face.
"I have a rough idea of your strength now. You'll do nicely for a little practice..."
Xing Tian's body began to sway, seeming on the verge of falling but never quite toppling over. His hands shifted into the uncanny posture of a mantis's forelegs, while a ghostly green Yama Force instantly covered them and flowed along his arms. The air around him grew colder and more fetid.
"What kind of move is that?"
"What a strange stance!"
"It's not quite a fist, and it's not quite a claw."
"Why's he swaying around like that?"
The people around them watched Xing Tian's strange movements and whispered among themselves.
Meng Shenji, a Soul Douluo, saw through it at a glance. He turned to Zhilin and said, "It looks like Xing Tian is imitating a mantis."
Zhilin agreed. "Yes, and look at his body. He seems to sway from side to side, but his waist and upper body are nimble while everything below his hips remains steady. The branches sway, but the roots hold firm. Marvelous, marvelous, marvelous."
Xing Tian's hand shot out like a pair of pincers, snapping precisely toward Yu Tianheng's wrist like a mantis catching a cicada.
Bang—
Yama Force and lightning burst forth on impact, blue-violet and green-black light interweaving. It was like a mantis resisting a giant dragon head-on, and the arena floor trembled beneath them.
Yu Tianheng felt a cold force travel through his dragon claw, forcibly draining three-tenths of its power. The pincering grip on his wrist made his bones ache.
"What kind of power is this?"
Yu Tianheng was stunned. His pupils shook like the ground in an earthquake.
The True Dragon's greatest pride lay in possessing the strongest physique of any race. Only Soul Beasts with strength to match, such as the Titan Giant Ape, Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, Diamond Baboon, and Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, could rival it.
Yet now, Xing Tian—a Soul Master with an insect-type Martial Soul, even while using Martial Soul Semi-Mimicry—had overpowered Yu Tianheng with sheer strength.
Yu Tianheng panicked and hurriedly circulated his Soul Power, hoping the brute force granted by his True Dragon Martial Soul Possession would let him wrench free of Xing Tian's grip.
But Mantis Fist was all about striking with the opponent's momentum, exploiting their openings, attacking wherever there was space, striking on the advance and the retreat alike—defense through offense, with solid, forceful blows.
Even though Xing Tian had modified this style of Mantis Fist from the Evil Fist Path and it differed in some ways, they still shared certain principles. How could he possibly give Yu Tianheng an opening?
Xing Tian immediately used the momentum to close in. His other hand shot out with Yama Force, its fingertips glowing green-black as they drove straight for Yu Tianheng's chest!
Clang—
A sharp, metallic ring echoed across the arena. Yama Force erupted on impact, denting the dragon scales on Yu Tianheng's chest. A trace of blood even seeped through the gaps between them.
He grunted and staggered back several steps. A cold force seeped into his body, churning his blood and leaving him struggling to breathe.
Yu Tianheng stared in disbelief. "How is this possible?!"
He wasn't a Soul Elder yet and couldn't use the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. Still, with Martial Soul Possession alone, he could withstand a full-powered second Soul Skill from an ordinary Soul Grandmaster with his body. Yet Xing Tian had injured him with a single punch.
Before Yu Tianheng could steady himself, Xing Tian suddenly drove off with both legs.
He used his legs in place of his hands, kicking in a rapid chain of tricky strikes like the limbs of a mantis. Yama Force covered his legs, and every kick broke the air with a sharp whistle. The strikes fell as densely as a sudden downpour, their force like spring thunder.
This was the Mantis Fist move, Tricky Leg Awakening-of-Insects Style.
Yu Tianheng was driven backward again and again. If he hadn't used Thunder Dragon Claw to block, along with his formidable physique, Xing Tian would have kicked him to pieces already.
He hadn't suffered any serious injuries, but waves of cold, stinging pain pulsed through his body, as if chill were seeping through his pores and into his bones.
Dugu Yan exclaimed in admiration, "What a powerful fighting style! Yu Tianheng is completely outmatched by Xiao Tian in close combat! But when did Xiao Tian learn that?"
"Damn it!"
Driven into a rage, Yu Tianheng roared as lightning surged wildly around him. "Let's see you dodge this! Thunderous Force!"
Countless blue-violet bolts erupted from his body, denser and more violent than before.
"It's over! There's no way Xiao Tian can dodge lightning that dense!"
Just as everyone thought Xing Tian was done for, he suddenly stopped kicking and began spinning rapidly around his own axis. Yama Force surged wildly through him.
A green-black vortex quickly formed around his body. The incoming bolts struck it and were forcibly reflected back, most of them rebounding toward Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng's pupils contracted. He had never seen anyone reflect his lightning Soul Skill with physical technique alone.
How could Yu Tianheng know the intricacies of Xing Tian's Mantis Fist? This move was called Spinning Rejection Yellow Sparrow, and it was designed specifically for defense and counterattack.
Xing Tian didn't give him time to recover from his shock. Spinning like a top, he charged at Yu Tianheng, alternating punches in a flurry. Green-black fist shadows poured down like a swarm of mantises hunting their prey.
The two men's footwork battered the arena floor into a pockmarked mess, and the sounds of their collisions rang out without pause.
Though Yu Tianheng had the True Dragon Martial Soul bolstering him, the flurry of punches left him flailing. Even his thunderous power faltered for a moment.
He roared and swung his dragon claws in retaliation, but Xing Tian's tricky punches always knocked them aside. The Yama Force, infused with the Darkness Attribute of Xing Tian's Soul Power, even seeped through the gaps between their clashes, steadily eroding Yu Tianheng's Soul Power.
"Xing Tian's fighting style is exceptionally tricky. Every move lands right on one of Yu Tianheng's openings."
Meng Shenji stroked his beard, his eyes filled with amazement. "The green-black aura around his hands is cold and domineering. It can even erode lightning—ordinary dark elements shouldn't be capable of that."
Meng Shenji still had some doubts. "And why is it green-black? Could his second Soul Ring have granted him some additional attribute?"
Zhilin said solemnly, "It probably did. But more remarkable still, his Soul Power is five levels lower than Yu Tianheng's, yet he can overcome a stronger opponent."
Before you continue