On the training field, Qin Ming had entered a Battle Soul Master's ready stance, compressing the Soul Power within his body.
Though he had suppressed his Soul Power to level 30, the aura of a Soul King still bore down on everyone. It hung over the entire training field like an iron net, leaving the watching students feeling tightness in their chests.
Unlike Yu Tianheng's outwardly released, thunderous pressure, this was the aura of a "hunter," forged through life-and-death battles. It seemed as if he might pounce on his prey at any moment.
"Let's confirm the rules once more."
Qin Ming raised his eyes, his yellow wolf pupils locking onto Xing Tian. His voice was even. "If you can force me to use my fourth Soul Skill, you pass!"
Xing Tian set his feet slightly apart and lowered his center of gravity. The starting stance of Nine Deaths Footwork made him look like a mantis crouched in the grass. Even his breathing synchronized with the tremors in the ground and the movement of the air.
"Understood, Teacher Qin Ming."
Before the words had even left his mouth, Qin Ming's figure suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared to Xing Tian's left. His right wolf claw glowed red as his first Soul Skill, Feverish Rending Claws, activated. Flames gathered at his fingertips, forming a blade three inches long that thrust straight toward Xing Tian's waist.
This was Qin Ming's favored tactic: a blind-spot ambush, targeting the weakest points in the body's defenses.
"What a nasty angle!"
Xing Tian's pupils contracted. A faint layer of Haze suddenly spread around him as Nine Deaths Footwork took effect. His body darted sideways to the right, while his left arm swept across in an attempt to block.
But Qin Ming's left wolf claw was already waiting along his evasion route. The flame blade skimmed through Xing Tian's Haze.
The red flames, which should have seared his skin, were silently devoured by the Haze. Only a few weak sparks landed on his clothes before going out at once!
Even when Qin Ming's fingertips brushed Xing Tian's arm, the Haze blocked them. The strike failed to draw the expected streak of blood, leaving only a faint mark.
"Hmm?"
Qin Ming furrowed his brow, a flicker of surprise crossing his mind.
"My flames normally contain sixty percent Hellfire. Even with my Soul Power suppressed to level 30, an ordinary Soul Elder wouldn't be able to withstand them so easily. Yet Xing Tian's Haze can devour them outright."
"And his body is astonishingly strong, too. He hasn't even bled."
The flame blade turned with the motion, darting toward Xing Tian's throat.
Xing Tian was forced to leap back, but Qin Ming's wolf tail suddenly stiffened and lashed toward his knee like a whip. Flames rode the gusting force, leaving him no choice but to bend his knee and dodge.
"Make full use of the bodily changes granted by your Beast Martial Soul!"
Qin Ming had placed his battle with Xing Tian first to teach the other students, so he wasn't about to miss this chance. He raised his voice, making sure everyone could hear.
Then Qin Ming suddenly drove his right knee toward Xing Tian's abdomen. His movement was so quick that no one could follow its path. At the same time, flames gathered once more on his right wolf claw as he tried to use an explosive burst of fire to strike through the Haze.
Xing Tian hurriedly blocked with his right fist. The Haze surged, devouring the flames on the wolf claw once more. He felt only the pure impact of a physical blow.
With a muffled thud, Xing Tian felt a dull ache in his arm, but no burning sensation at all.
Qin Ming suddenly saw the answer. "Direct fire attacks are not only useless, they waste my Soul Power. Looks like I'll have to rely on pure physical attacks."
He devised a new tactic in an instant. Using the force of their collision, his wolf claw hooked around Xing Tian's wrist.
This time, he didn't ignite his flames. Instead, he relied on his Soul King-level physique, spinning sharply as he tried to throw Xing Tian to the ground.
"That's a close-combat Vital Throw. It relies on technique, not brute strength."
Xing Tian reacted swiftly. He pressed one hand toward the ground, and the forelegs of his Dark Evil Spirit Mantis Martial Soul plunged into the dirt.
Then Xing Tian swiftly swept his leg toward Qin Ming.
Qin Ming immediately released Xing Tian and retreated, at the same time slashing his wolf claw toward Xing Tian's back.
But Xing Tian suddenly pulled his forelegs free from the ground, dodged the strike, and spun around, turning his hand into a blade to chop at Qin Ming.
Qin Ming's pupils contracted. With no time to react, he could only wrap his wolf tail around himself to block the blow.
With a thud, Haze collided with wolf tail. There was no burst of flame, only the solid impact of their strength, and both of them were knocked back.
Qin Ming took three steps back, while Xing Tian took six.
The other students watched with shining eyes, cheering nonstop. Only the four of them, including Dugu Yan, watched so tensely that their fists clenched tight.
Qin Ming was no Yu Tianheng. Even if his Martial Soul was slightly inferior to Yu Tianheng's, his battle experience was beyond the reach of ten Yu Tianhengs combined.
Xing Tian thought, As expected, he's no easy opponent. Teacher Qin Ming has far more battle experience than Yu Tianheng. And it seems he's realized that my Haze can devour flames, so he's switched to physical attacks. I can't handle him the way I crushed Yu Tianheng. I can't use Mantis Fist when I haven't mastered it yet.
And although Teacher Qin Ming has suppressed his Soul Power to level 30, his physique is still at the Soul King level, stronger than mine. I'll have to find another way.
Qin Ming's Second Soul Ring suddenly lit up, releasing a long, high-pitched wolf howl. A massive phantom of a Blazing Wolf enveloped him, howling in unison.
His body swelled by a third, and orange-red markings resembling a wolf's face appeared on his face.
Qin Ming launched another Sucker Punch. Xing Tian tried to put distance between them, but Qin Ming always seemed to anticipate his movements.
Whether Xing Tian went left or right, Qin Ming quickly blocked his path, the blades of his claws always less than three inches from his throat.
Xing Tian was rarely so shaken. Teacher Qin Ming's physique is stronger than mine, but in terms of battle experience alone, he definitely can't match me. Even though my cultivation level means I haven't fully mastered Nine Death Steps, I shouldn't be getting completely read like this. Could it be Teacher Qin Ming's second Soul Skill?
Xing Tian had guessed exactly right. Qin Ming's second Soul Skill, Gray Wolf Ambition, was at work.
Besides enhancing Qin Ming's strength and speed, its most important effect was its boost to his spiritual power. It gave Qin Ming the powerful instincts of a wild beast, allowing him to anticipate his opponent's moves.
Though Xing Tian was shaken, Qin Ming was just as surprised. What's with Xing Tian's footwork? I've even used my second Soul Skill to anticipate his moves, yet he keeps getting away.
Qin Ming abruptly stopped circling and clenched both fists.
"This ends now! Third Soul Skill, Fire Wolf Explosive Flame Strike!"
Suddenly, Qin Ming's third Soul Ring lit up. His fists slammed toward the ground with overwhelming force.
The flames didn't erupt beforehand. Instead, they seeped into the ground with the force of his blows, then exploded in a sudden burst!
The compressed flames shattered the ground, then spread through the cracks to form a ring of fire, completely sealing off Xing Tian's escape route and forcing him into Qin Ming's range.
This had originally been a close-combat Soul Skill, but Qin Ming had developed its current extended effect.
Looking at the walls of fire around him, Xing Tian felt a little helpless. "Looks like Teacher Qin Ming has figured it out. The Haze around me can devour his flames, but there's a price. With a wall of fire this intense, charging through would be foolish."
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