"Teacher, you've got it wrong. I didn't have any lucky encounter. I've simply worked harder than everyone else at cultivating."
Li Han retreated in feigned panic as he spoke.
"Hmph, you won't talk? No matter. I'll make you tell me soon enough!
First Soul Skill: Ghost Hand Bind!"
Mo Hen shouted and sent the ink-black Ghost Hand lunging straight for Li Han.
Li Han had just seen this move.
The eight-hundred-year-old Lone Bamboo had been caught by it and left utterly helpless. How could he hope to fare any better?
He had to dodge!
Smoke-Drifting Steps!
Li Han's gaze sharpened. He tapped the ground, and just before the Ghost Hand could seize him, he shot backward, narrowly evading it.
"Hm?"
Mo Hen stared in shock as Li Han dodged the attack he'd been certain would land.
What incredible speed!
That was no speed a Soul Master who'd just obtained his First Soul Ring should possess.
"Fine footwork! You really are hiding a secret!"
After his initial surprise, Mo Hen was overcome with delight.
He knew he'd guessed right.
And the treasures Li Han possessed were probably even more valuable than he'd imagined.
"Teacher Mo Hen, it seems you really don't plan to let your student go today.
I thought you were a good person."
Li Han landed nearby and spoke softly, his eyes filled with solemnity.
"Hahaha! A good person? What good is being a good person?
For commoners like us, Soul Masters without talent or connections, if we don't seize the few opportunities we get, then we'll never have another chance.
Li Han, you're a man of great fortune. But now, I'm more deserving of this opportunity than you are!
Everything you have will be mine!"
Mo Hen's face twisted with madness as he shouted.
"Second Soul Skill: Ghost Shadow Demon Hand!"
The ink-black Ghost Hand vanished in an instant. Mo Hen's hands turned into black claws, and blood-red light blazed in his eyes.
He stamped down and charged at Li Han in a flash, clawing for his throat.
Li Han immediately raised the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo staff in his hands to block.
Thud!
The black claw struck with tremendous force, sending Li Han flying several meters. He flipped through the air before landing on his feet again.
"What strength. Is this the full force of a level-twenty-five Soul Grandmaster?"
Li Han's hands tightened and loosened around the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo staff as he shook off the impact.
If he hadn't cultivated the Elephant Armor Skill, with its tough skin, powerful build, and great strength, he might not even have been able to keep hold of the staff.
"This broken bamboo's pretty sturdy. I hit it with my claw, but it didn't even crack.
No wonder you've got an almost thousand-year-old Soul Ring. Your Lone Bamboo's defense has improved quite a bit."
Mo Hen thought it was the Soul Ring's enhancement. Little did he know that the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo had been incredibly sturdy to begin with—far beyond what a mere Soul Grandmaster could damage.
Li Han had no intention of correcting him. He was busy figuring out how to deal with Mo Hen.
His enemy was level twenty-five, while he was only level sixteen. The gap in strength was enormous, but not insurmountable.
Because he had trump cards.
The Elephant Armor Skill bolstered his strength and defense, the Azure Essence Sword Art let him fight on, Smoke-Drifting Steps helped him evade and launch surprise attacks, and the Blinking Sword Technique let him kill without warning.
Taken together, even with a nine-level gap between them, he had a chance to fight back.
Most importantly, Li Han knew Mo Hen's Soul Skills, while Mo Hen knew nothing about his trump cards.
Mo Hen had underestimated him, and so hadn't bothered hiding his own abilities along the way.
After all, Li Han had seemed far too weak to matter.
Mo Hen attacked relentlessly. His ghostly claws were far more fearsome than Wang Sheng's tiger claws.
Claw shadows came slashing at Li Han one after another. He had no choice but to push his Smoke-Drifting Steps to the limit just to barely evade them.
After a while, Mo Hen grew increasingly impatient.
"This kid's slippery as an eel!
I can't keep this up. We're in the Soul Hunting Forest, surrounded by Soul Beasts. If I wear myself out, I'll be in danger too."
Thinking this, Mo Hen unleashed all his level-twenty-five Soul Power, and his speed surged!
In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance between them.
"First Soul Skill: Ghost Hand Bind!"
Mo Hen used his First Soul Skill again. The ink-black Ghost Hand appeared and lunged for Li Han.
"First Soul Skill: As-You-Will!"
This time, Li Han didn't dodge. He activated his First Soul Skill.
He planted the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo staff in the ground. It suddenly stretched five meters, and Li Han grabbed it as his body shot upward with the lengthening bamboo.
The sudden change left the Ghost Hand grasping at empty air. Instead, it clutched the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.
In the next instant, white lightning flickered across the bamboo.
Evil-Warding White Lightning!
The Ghost Hand was struck by the white lightning, and black smoke instantly poured from it.
"Argh!"
Mo Hen let out a cry of agony. His chest went numb, and he nearly spat blood.
Martial Soul backlash!
"How can this Lone Bamboo Martial Soul wield lightning too?"
Mo Hen was stunned.
At that moment, Li Han planted one foot on the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo and drove both legs down hard!
The bamboo bent beneath his foot, then snapped straight in an instant!
Using the bamboo's spring, Li Han launched himself forward at incredible speed. In almost the blink of an eye, he was in front of Mo Hen.
A dagger flashed in Li Han's hand.
It was the very dagger Mo Hen had just given him to hunt Soul Beasts!
Blinking Sword Technique!
Use every advantage at your disposal to slay your enemy!
A cold glint flashed in Li Han's eyes. Seizing the moment when Mo Hen was stunned by his injuries, he drove the dagger straight into Mo Hen's chest!
Mo Hen saw Li Han charging at him, and his face changed dramatically.
By the time he reacted, the dagger had already pierced his chest.
"Argh!"
Mo Hen screamed again, then flew into a rage.
"You little bastard!"
Soul Power surged as Mo Hen slapped Li Han away with his right hand!
At the last moment, Li Han raised his right arm to block. But the tremendous force sent him flying several meters, leaving him dazed and battered when he hit the ground.
He gritted his teeth through the pain, rolled over, and looked at Mo Hen.
The dagger had pierced three centimeters into his chest. It was a wound, but not a fatal one.
"Still not enough."
Li Han forced his Soul Power to surge. The Heavenly Thunder staff in the distance vanished, and the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo appeared in his right hand.
Whoosh!
Li Han leapt up and hurled the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo at Mo Hen.
"Brat! I'll kill you!"
Wounded again and again, Mo Hen had completely lost his composure. He no longer cared about any supposed opportunity; all he wanted was to kill Li Han and vent his hatred.
Facing the incoming Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, he channeled his Soul Power and summoned the Ghost Hand once more.
"First Soul Skill: As-You-Will!"
Li Han shouted as Soul Power poured out of him. The Heavenly Thunder Bamboo instantly grew longer, thicker, larger, and heavier!
The bamboo, originally only twenty centimeters long and two fingers wide, transformed into a ten-meter giant, thick as a bowl, and crashed down with tremendous force.
The Ghost Hand had just formed and tried to block it, but the white lightning clinging to the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo made it dissipate in an instant.
"What?!"
Mo Hen was aghast.
The next moment, the enormous Heavenly Thunder Bamboo came crashing down!
Mo Hen hurriedly raised both arms to block. An immense force slammed into them, and his arms collapsed beneath the blow.
The giant bamboo vanished. When Mo Hen looked up, Li Han had already used Smoke-Drifting Steps to reach him. Li Han thrust his Heavenly Thunder Bamboo staff forward!
The staff struck without deviation, hitting the dagger lodged in Mo Hen's chest.
The dagger sank all the way into his chest!
A fatal wound!
"You..."
Mo Hen stared in disbelief at Li Han, who had landed in front of him. He couldn't believe that a seven-year-old child could possess such combat skill.
"It's over, Teacher Mo Hen."
Before you continue