"Rumble—"
A deafening boom burst from Luo Sanpao's backside, like thunder rolling across the horizon.
At the same time, a yellow sphere of light burst from Luo Sanpao's body, spreading downward with thunderous might and hurtling straight toward Yu Hong.
The sphere covered an enormous area, spanning a full ten meters in every direction. There was nowhere to dodge.
Even worse, the sphere came with a nauseating stench.
The smell was so overpowering it was as though rotten eggs, stinky tofu, a cesspit, and a rotting corpse had all been mixed together and left to ferment for a hundred years.
An ordinary person who caught a whiff would probably pass out on the spot.
"Hahaha!" Yu Xiaogang laughed smugly. "Yu Hong, you're finished! My Soul Skill attacks over a wide area. There's no way you can dodge it! Once you're knocked out by the stench, I'll—"
He hadn't finished speaking when he saw something that left him dumbstruck.
Yu Hong hadn't dodged at all.
He hadn't even moved an inch.
Yu Hong took a deep breath, then... held it.
That's right. He simply held his breath, plain and simple.
Then he shot forward like a phantom.
Yu Hong was astonishingly fast.
For the past four years, he had trained his body intensely every day. Combined with the nourishment from Whale Rubber, his physical condition had long surpassed that of his peers.
The yellow sphere hadn't even finished descending when he had already dashed beyond its reach.
"What?!" Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in disbelief.
How could he be so fast?!
Yu Hong arced through the air like a leopard pouncing on its prey.
His target was Luo Sanpao, hovering in midair.
Luo Sanpao was still releasing its Soul Skill and had no time to react.
A flicker of confusion passed through its clear blue eyes.
Then it saw a foot.
A foot speeding toward it.
"Thud!"
Yu Hong kicked Luo Sanpao's round body.
The kick landed with tremendous force, sending Luo Sanpao flying.
Luo Sanpao let out a piercing shriek, tumbling through the air like a purple ball before crashing hard to the ground.
"Boom!"
The impact left a small crater in the earth.
Luo Sanpao lay in the crater with all four legs in the air, stars spinning in its eyes. It had completely lost the ability to fight.
"Luo Sanpao!" Yu Xiaogang cried out in terror.
His Martial Soul had been attacked, and he suffered the backlash too. A sharp pain stabbed through his chest, and he nearly spat out blood.
But what terrified him even more was that Yu Hong was already charging toward him.
"Wait! I surren—"
Yu Xiaogang tried to surrender, but Yu Hong gave him no chance.
"Smack!"
A loud slap cracked across Yu Xiaogang's face.
His head whipped to one side, leaving him completely dazed.
"You—"
"Smack!"
Another slap, this one from the opposite side.
Yu Xiaogang's head whipped the other way, and both cheeks quickly swelled.
"Yu Hong! You dare—"
"Thud!"
A punch slammed into Yu Xiaogang's stomach.
His body doubled over. His mouth gaped open, but no sound came out.
The punch had landed with such force that it squeezed all the air from his lungs.
He felt his internal organs churning, and the contents of his stomach nearly came up.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Yu Xiaogang coughed violently, tears and snot streaming down his face.
But Yu Hong didn't stop.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
A flurry of slaps landed across Yu Xiaogang's face, left and right, with a steady rhythm.
Yu Xiaogang's head bobbed back and forth like a rattle drum. He couldn't fight back at all.
"Stop... stop hitting me..." Yu Xiaogang wailed. "I surrender! I surrender!"
"Surrender?" Yu Hong sneered. "Didn't you just say you wouldn't hold back? What, surrendering already?"
"Thud!"
Another punch, this time to Yu Xiaogang's chest.
Yu Xiaogang flew backward and hit the ground hard.
He lay there, his whole body aching. He couldn't even get up.
Yu Hong walked over and looked down at him.
"Yu Xiaogang, do you know where you went wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth to speak, but only a muffled whimper came from his throat.
"You lost because you're stupid," Yu Hong said coolly. "You thought having a Soul Skill meant you could beat me? You thought Luo Sanpao's farts were invincible?"
He crouched down and looked at Yu Xiaogang's swollen, pig-like face.
"Here's a basic fact: no matter how bad a fart stinks, you can't smell it if you hold your breath. And your Soul Skill takes too long to release, which gave me plenty of time to charge in."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in disbelief.
I-it was that simple?
All he had to do was hold his breath?
He'd spent so much time figuring out how to make Luo Sanpao's farts stink even worse, and all his opponent had to do was hold his breath to counter them?
What a rip-off!
"And another thing." Yu Hong stood up. "Your Martial Soul is Luo Sanpao, and its way of attacking is by farting. But have you ever considered that while it's farting, Luo Sanpao itself is completely exposed?"
"As long as someone takes Luo Sanpao out, your Soul Skill is useless. And you yourself have no fighting ability at all."
Yu Hong shook his head, disappointment filling his eyes.
"Yu Xiaogang, you're really weak. It's not your Martial Soul that's weak; it's you. You only know how to rely on your Martial Soul, but you never train your body. You think having a Soul Skill means you can swagger around unchecked, but you don't know that a Soul Skill is only support. True combat strength comes from your own ability."
"You..." Yu Xiaogang tried to argue, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the movement tugged at his injuries and made him grimace in pain.
"Make sure you're ready for our match in two years." Yu Hong turned and walked away. "Otherwise, the beating you got today will only be an appetizer."
His figure gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving Yu Xiaogang lying alone on the ground.
Yu Xiaogang watched Yu Hong walk away, humiliation and fury filling his eyes.
But even more than that, he felt fear.
For the first time, he realized that the gap between himself and Yu Hong was far greater than he had imagined.
It wasn't just the difference in Soul Ring age. It was a gap in strength, willpower, and even intelligence.
"Yu Hong..." Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and mouthed the name. "I won't let you get away with this..."
But his voice was weak and feeble. Even he didn't believe what he was saying.
Elsewhere, Yu Hong returned to his courtyard.
He sat on a stone stool and thought back over the fight, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Yu Xiaogang was as stupid as ever.
He thought having a Soul Skill made him invincible. Yu Hong had beaten him with ease without even using a Soul Skill.
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