Sparring with Dugu Xin

Seven-Star Begonia?

Yu Hong's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew this poisonous herb. It was said to be so deadly that it could kill a person without them noticing, and leave them smiling after death, with no sign of poisoning.

Dugu Bo was probably looking for it to make poison.

But that had nothing to do with him.

"Seven-Star Begonia?" Yu Hong pretended not to know. "What's that?"

"A poisonous herb," Dugu Bo replied curtly, without offering any further explanation.

Yu Hong didn't press him and continued eating the roasted meat in his hand.

After they finished eating, the three of them sat around the fire and chatted.

Dugu Xin was very curious about Yu Hong and asked him all sorts of questions.

"Little Brother Yu Hong, what's your Martial Soul?"

"An egg," Yu Hong replied.

"An egg?" Dugu Xin froze. "What kind of egg?"

"I don't know." Yu Hong shrugged. "It's just an egg. I don't know what's inside, either."

Dugu Xin stared at him, completely at a loss for words.

A Martial Soul that was an egg? What kind of bizarre Martial Soul was that?

Dugu Bo, on the other hand, grew interested. "Can I take a look?"

Yu Hong thought about it, then nodded.

He held out his hand, and the White Stone of the Ancients Martial Soul appeared.

Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the Martial Soul closely.

"Interesting," Dugu Bo murmured. "I've never seen this kind of Martial Soul before."

"Father, can you tell anything about it?" Dugu Xin asked curiously.

Dugu Bo shook his head. "I can't tell. Still, this Martial Soul gives me a very unusual feeling, as though it contains some kind of powerful force."

"Little Brother Yu Hong, your Martial Soul is very special," Dugu Bo said earnestly. "Cultivate it well, and you'll surely make a great name for yourself one day."

"Thank you for your kind words, senior." Yu Hong put away his Martial Soul and replied politely.

Dugu Xin listened, utterly bewildered and unable to get a word in.

His Martial Soul was a Jade Phosphorous Serpent, inherited from his father. It was pretty good, but compared with Yu Hong's mysterious Martial Soul, it seemed to pale in comparison.

"By the way, Little Brother Yu Hong, how long are you planning to stay in this forest?" Dugu Bo asked.

"A few more days," Yu Hong said. "I'll head back when I've had enough."

"That's perfect." Dugu Bo nodded. "We'll be staying in this forest for a while, too. If you don't mind, we can travel together for the next few days."

Yu Hong thought it over, then nodded in agreement.

With a powerful expert like Dugu Bo by his side, he could venture deeper into the forest and encounter stronger Soul Beasts.

That would be good for his training.

"Great!" Dugu Xin cheered. "Little Brother Yu Hong, we're friends from now on!"

"Mm." Yu Hong nodded.

Dugu Xin was a bit of a chatterbox, but he seemed like a decent guy.

There was no harm in making a friend.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through gaps in the canopy, scattering dappled shadows across the ground.

The three of them sat around the fire, eating a simple breakfast.

Breakfast was a century-old Groundhog that Yu Hong had hunted the night before. Its meat wasn't as good as Fire-Tailed Pheasant, but it tasted pretty good roasted and sprinkled with seasoning.

Dugu Xin gnawed on the roasted meat while sneaking glances at Yu Hong.

The night before, he had tossed and turned in the tree hollow, unable to sleep. His mind had been filled with thoughts of Yu Hong.

This boy, a year younger than him, dared to train alone in the forest—and seemed to handle it with ease.

Meanwhile, he was a twenty-two-level Soul Master who still needed his father to accompany him whenever he went out.

Wasn't the gap between them just too great?

"Little Brother Yu Hong," Dugu Xin suddenly said, his eyes shining as he looked at Yu Hong. "I've got a suggestion. What do you think?"

"What suggestion?" Yu Hong asked casually, taking a bite of roasted meat.

"Let's spar!" Dugu Xin said excitedly. "I want to see just how strong you are!"

Yu Hong stopped chewing and glanced at Dugu Xin.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Dugu Xin thumped his chest. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. I won't hurt you."

Yu Hong's mouth twitched slightly.

The way he put it, you'd think Yu Hong was bound to lose.

"All right." Yu Hong nodded. "We'll spar after breakfast."

"Great!" Dugu Xin cheered and hurriedly wolfed down his food.

Dugu Bo sat off to the side without saying a word.

He was curious to see just how capable this boy, who dared to train alone in the forest, really was.

After breakfast, the three of them went to a relatively open clearing.

The clearing was about twenty meters across. Grass covered the ground, and tall trees surrounded it, forming a natural arena.

"What are the rules?" Yu Hong asked.

"Let's just stop before anyone gets hurt." Dugu Xin rolled his wrists. "Whoever gives up first or loses the ability to fight loses."

"Sounds good." Yu Hong nodded.

The two of them took their positions, about ten meters apart.

Dugu Bo stood at the edge of the clearing with his arms crossed, watching with interest.

"Little Brother Yu Hong, I'm coming at you!" Dugu Xin shouted. Soul Power surged around him, and two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Both rings were yellow—two Hundred-Year Soul Rings.

At the same time, his body began to change.

Faint green scales surfaced on his skin, his pupils became vertical, and his tongue grew long and thin, flicking out now and then with a hissing sound.

Dugu Xin's legs fused together into a thick snake tail. He was now almost indistinguishable from a snake-person.

This was the effect of Martial Soul Possession.

Dugu Xin's Martial Soul was a Jade Phosphorous Serpent. It wasn't as good as his father's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, but it was still a fine Martial Soul.

"Come on!" Dugu Xin took up a fighting stance, confidence in his eyes.

He was a twenty-two-level Soul Master, a full eleven levels above Yu Hong!

He was sure to win this spar!

Yu Hong stood where he was without summoning his Martial Soul or Soul Rings. He simply watched Dugu Xin in silence.

"Little Brother Yu Hong, why aren't you summoning your Martial Soul?" Dugu Xin asked, puzzled.

"I don't need to," Yu Hong said calmly.

"What?" Dugu Xin froze, then grew annoyed. "Are you looking down on me?"

"I'm not looking down on you." Yu Hong shook his head. "I just want to see if I can fight you without using my Martial Soul."

Dugu Xin's expression darkened.

He thought he could fight him without using his Martial Soul?

If that wasn't looking down on him, what was?

"Fine! Since you're so confident, I'll show you what I can do!"

Dugu Xin shouted and sprang forward, charging at Yu Hong.

He was fast. With the boost from Martial Soul Possession, he reached Yu Hong in almost the blink of an eye.

"First Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Breath!"