Zhang Qiong said, "The Sect Master told me that you've already obtained your first soul ring, Young Sect Master. I'm a level sixty-one Soul King. Today, I'll suppress my soul power to level twenty-one and spar with you."
"Twenty-one? That's far too low." Yu Mingxiao shook his head lightly.
Zhang Qiong failed to grasp his meaning for a moment. Assuming Yu Mingxiao was worried about being thoroughly overpowered, he forced a faint smile and advised, "Young Sect Master, if I lower my soul power too much, I won't be much use as a sparring partner."
"No, I mean you should raise your soul power a little. I want a challenge," Yu Mingxiao said.
"Huh?" Zhang Qiong looked slightly stunned. "Young Sect Master, are you sure you want me to raise my soul power?"
"I'm sure. Come at me," Yu Mingxiao said calmly.
Just then, Yu Xiaogang, who had finished breakfast and come to the front courtyard for a stroll, happened to see the two facing off.
What were my older brother and that sect disciple doing? They looked ready to fight. Was this a sacred duel between soul masters?
Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly and stared at them without blinking, ready to watch the fight closely.
Ever since he had awakened that trash martial soul, Luo Sanpao, his confidence had collapsed.
How he wished he could stand in his older brother's place and spar freely with that disciple.
His older brother, Yu Mingxiao, was living the very life he had dreamed of.
Yet that dream remained forever beyond his reach.
Fortunately, his father had not given up on him completely. Even though he had tricked his older brother into absorbing a hypnosis-type soul beast, his father still sent people to supervise his cultivation and prepared cultivation resources for him every day.
That was the only comfort he had left.
Yu Mingxiao caught sight of Yu Xiaogang watching nearby out of the corner of his eye, and his expression shifted slightly. Even a sparring match brought Yu Xiaogang out of the woodwork. He needed to find time to speak to his father about moving out.
After all, he needed privacy too. It had not mattered when he was little, but things were different now that he was older.
"Young Sect Master, how about I adjust my soul power to level twenty-five?" Zhang Qiong asked tentatively.
"Sure, level twenty-five it is. Let me see what a Soul Grandmaster can do," Yu Mingxiao said.
"Zhang Qiong, martial soul: Fire Lynx. Be careful, Young Sect Master." Zhang Qiong's eyes flashed as he activated Martial Soul Possession. His body swelled, fiery red fur sprouted from his palms, and a mane flared around his neck.
He pushed off with his toes and shot straight at Yu Mingxiao like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"A Fire Lynx?" Yu Mingxiao's pupils turned into golden slits. Fine platinum dragon scales covered his right arm, and his hand transformed into a dragon claw as he met Zhang Qiong head-on.
Their palms collided. A surge of force drove Yu Mingxiao back several steps, leaving his arm slightly numb.
"Young Sect Master, although I'm an agility-type soul master, I'm already a level sixty-one Soul Emperor. Your strength is nowhere near mine," Zhang Qiong said.
"Sacred Dragon Flame Light." Yu Mingxiao inwardly acknowledged how troublesome this was. The first yellow soul ring beneath his feet blazed as he activated his first soul skill. Golden light shone from his eyes, all his attributes surged, and he spat out a golden Radiant Dragon Breath that shot forward like a beam.
Even with his strength deliberately suppressed, Zhang Qiong was far stronger than an ordinary soul master at the same level.
His soul power might have been at level twenty-five, but his strength and speed remained those of an agility-type Soul Emperor.
Faced with this, Yu Mingxiao could only play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.
"A beam? Perfect timing." Zhang Qiong tilted his head back. The second yellow soul ring beneath his feet flashed as he unleashed his second soul skill, Lynx Fire Line, spitting out a thin stream of scorching flame.
As its name suggested, Lynx Fire Line fired a thin, intensely hot beam of flame.
The two streams of energy collided, and the surrounding temperature soared.
Nearby, Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at their exchange, jealousy swelling within him.
His older brother's martial soul was actually so powerful that the beam he spat out could match that sect disciple's attack.
Yet his own martial soul was nothing but a fat pig that could only let out foul-smelling farts.
Remembering the strange looks from the guests on either side of the hall on the day of his martial soul awakening, Elder Yu Luocheng's disdainful gaze, and the disappointment in his father's eyes, Yu Xiaogang felt a stab of pain.
Damn it!
I was the one who had been praised since childhood, while my older brother was practically invisible. Why had I awakened a fat pig that day, while he awakened a true dragon?
Why was fate so unfair?!
Now, his older brother had become the most sought-after figure in the entire sect, while he had become a disgrace who could not hold his head high in the family.
It was all that damned fat pig's fault! If not for it, how could I have fallen this low, my standing in the sect plummeting as everyone looked down on me?
The longer Yu Xiaogang watched, the angrier he became. The more glorious his older brother looked, the more his wounded heart ached. He turned to head back to his room. He was going to summon that big, black-haired pig and beat it mercilessly!
Yu Xiaogang stormed off, and no one paid him any attention.
In the courtyard, Yu Mingxiao's Radiant Dragon Breath had gained the upper hand.
Though Zhang Qiong's soul power was higher, the might of his flames fell far short of Yu Mingxiao's.
The radiant sacred dragon's attributes approached the ultimate level. That overwhelming attribute advantage was not something a difference in levels could erase.
At most, it could only help Zhang Qiong hold out a little longer.
"Not good!"
Seeing that his flames could not win, Zhang Qiong immediately pulled back and retreated, narrowly dodging as Yu Mingxiao's radiant beam roared past his side.
Yu Mingxiao closed in. Radiant power surged over his dragon claw, forming a razor-sharp blade of light that slashed toward Zhang Qiong!
Zhang Qiong did not dare withstand it with his body. His first white soul ring flashed as he hurriedly activated his first soul skill, Claw Shred, unleashing more than a dozen claw shadows in an instant and forcing back Yu Mingxiao's attack.
But before he could celebrate, Yu Mingxiao darted to his side and spat out another searing burst of Radiant Dragon Breath.
So far, his only means of attack were the dragon claw and dragon breath, two innate abilities of his martial soul. But that was already impressive. Ordinary martial souls did not even have such extra abilities.
Some fire-attribute martial souls needed a corresponding soul ring just to breathe fire.
An even more striking example was Ma Hongjun. Despite having an evil fire phoenix martial soul, he only gained the ability to fly after obtaining his third soul ring and acquiring the soul skill Phoenix Wings Skyward.
Perhaps this was the clearest illustration of the difference that martial soul quality made.
Abilities that came naturally to supreme martial souls required ordinary martial souls to obtain soul rings first.
As the flames rushed toward him, Zhang Qiong's pupils contracted. Instinctively, he activated his fourth soul skill, Flame Barrier, blocking the strike.
Yu Mingxiao retreated several steps.
A bitter smile appeared on Zhang Qiong's face. "Young Sect Master, I've used my fourth soul skill. I've lost this match."
He had not used his speed advantage as an agility-type Soul Emperor. Underestimating his opponent and letting his guard down had landed him in this situation.
"Thank you for the match."
Yu Mingxiao cupped his fist lightly and said calmly, "I'll recover my soul power first. For the next round, suppress your soul power to level thirty-one. I want to test my limits."
There was actually little difference between level twenty-five and level twenty-one. Without a third soul skill, it was difficult to achieve a qualitative change.
Zhang Qiong fell silent for a moment before saying, "All right. Then please be careful, Young Sect Master."
After a long while, the two began fighting again...
Before you continue