Dugu Xin opened his mouth, and a cloud of jade-green poison mist gushed out, sweeping toward Yu Hong.
The poison mist spread in a wide fan, sealing off nearly every escape route in front of Yu Hong.
However, Yu Hong reacted much faster than he had expected.
Just as the poison mist was about to engulf him, Yu Hong's body abruptly darted to the side, slipping clear of its reach at an incredibly tricky angle.
"What?!" Dugu Xin cried in shock.
His Jade Phosphorous Breath covered an extremely wide area. Ordinary people couldn't possibly dodge it.
Yet Yu Hong had actually evaded it?
And judging by his movements, he seemed to have done so effortlessly!
Yu Hong gave Dugu Xin no time to think. After dodging the poison mist, he shot toward him like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
His speed was astonishing!
Dugu Xin's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly retreated.
But Yu Hong was even faster. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.
He threw a punch!
The wind howled around his fist, carrying a fierce, cutting force.
Dugu Xin hurriedly raised both arms to block.
Bang!
Fist met forearms with a muffled thud.
Dugu Xin felt an enormous force crash into him, sending him staggering backward. His arms went numb, and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger throbbed with pain.
"Such strength!" Dugu Xin thought, stunned.
That punch had packed enough power to seem impossible for an eleventh-level Soul Master!
Yu Hong didn't stop. After gaining the upper hand with one punch, he immediately followed with another.
Every punch whipped up a gust of wind, each strike fierce and precise.
Dugu Xin was driven back step by step, unable to find an opening to counterattack.
"Damn it!" Dugu Xin gritted his teeth. "Second Soul Skill, Serpent Shadow Entanglement!"
Two jade-green serpent-shaped phantoms shot out from his body and lunged toward Yu Hong.
The serpent shadows were incredibly fast, and their paths were erratic. They attacked Yu Hong simultaneously from two different directions.
Yu Hong narrowed his eyes slightly, then abruptly ducked low, slipping through the two serpent shadows' pincer attack.
At the same time, he kicked off the ground, his body shooting toward Dugu Xin like a cannonball.
Dugu Xin was horrified. He tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
Bang!
Yu Hong's shoulder slammed into Dugu Xin's chest.
Dugu Xin grunted. His body flew backward, rolling several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
"Cough, cough..." Dugu Xin clutched his chest and coughed violently, his face paling.
That collision had nearly broken his ribs!
"Do you want to keep going?" Yu Hong asked calmly, standing where he was.
Dugu Xin got up from the ground and stared at Yu Hong, his eyes full of disbelief.
He had lost?
He was a twenty-second-level Soul Master, yet he had lost to an eleventh-level Soul Master?
And his opponent hadn't even used his Martial Soul or any Soul Skills!
How was that possible?!
"I refuse to accept this!" Dugu Xin shouted. "Again!"
He charged at Yu Hong once more. This time, he'd learned his lesson and didn't rashly use a Soul Skill. Instead, he chose to fight at close range.
His Martial Soul was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, whose close-combat ability was already formidable. With the agility boost granted by Martial Soul Possession, he was confident he could defeat Yu Hong in hand-to-hand combat.
However, reality dealt him another crushing blow.
Yu Hong's close-combat ability was even stronger than he'd imagined!
Every punch and kick carried astonishing force and landed at a precise angle.
Dugu Xin's attacks were either dodged or blocked. He couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on Yu Hong.
By contrast, Yu Hong's attacks struck Dugu Xin again and again.
One punch to the shoulder left Dugu Xin's entire arm numb.
One kick to the tail nearly knocked him off balance.
One elbow to the chest sent him stumbling back several steps.
"This... This is impossible!" Dugu Xin was filled with shock and confusion.
He was ten levels higher than Yu Hong. Why was he completely outmatched in close combat?
Was this guy made of iron?
Dugu Xin gritted his teeth and decided to give it everything he had.
"Jade Phosphorous Breath!"
He spewed out another cloud of poison mist, leaping backward at the same time to put distance between himself and Yu Hong.
"Serpent Shadow Entanglement!"
Two more serpent shadows shot out. Together with the poison mist, they formed a three-dimensional web of attacks.
This time, he was going to leave Yu Hong nowhere to run!
Yet again, Yu Hong's reaction was beyond his expectations.
Faced with the poison mist and the serpent shadows attacking from both sides, Yu Hong didn't try to dodge. He charged straight at them.
His speed was pushed to the limit. Before the poison mist had fully spread, he had already crossed its edge.
The two serpent shadows wound toward him, but he turned sideways and slipped through the gap between them.
The next instant, he was right in front of Dugu Xin.
Dugu Xin's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to retreat, but it was already too late.
Yu Hong's fist had stopped in front of his throat, less than an inch from his skin.
"You've lost," Yu Hong said calmly.
Dugu Xin stood frozen in place, cold sweat running down his forehead.
If that punch had landed, his throat would probably have hurt for days.
"I... I've lost," Dugu Xin managed to say, his voice hoarse.
Yu Hong withdrew his fist and stepped back a few paces.
"Thank you for the match."
Dugu Xin stood where he was, his expression shifting between shock, unwillingness, and a trace of respect.
Ever since he was young, people had praised his outstanding talent. He was one of the finest among the younger generation of the Dugu Family.
But today, he had been defeated by a boy a year younger than himself and eleven levels below him.
And his opponent hadn't even used his Martial Soul or any Soul Skills!
The gap between them left him deeply frustrated.
"Little Brother Yu Hong..." Dugu Xin's voice was a little hoarse. "How exactly did you train your body?"
"Daily exercise," Yu Hong replied briefly.
"Daily exercise?" Dugu Xin was taken aback. "It's that simple?"
"It's that simple." Yu Hong nodded. "Four years without missing a day."
Dugu Xin fell silent.
Four years without missing a day.
It sounded simple, but how many people could truly manage it?
He knew he couldn't.
"I'm convinced." Dugu Xin sighed. "Little Brother Yu Hong, you're stronger than me."
Yu Hong said nothing, only giving a slight nod.
Dugu Bo, standing at the edge of the arena, flashed a look of surprise.
He had originally thought his son would win this spar easily.
After all, a twenty-second-level Soul Master against an eleventh-level one—a difference of ten whole levels. By all appearances, it should have been a crushing victory.
But the result?
His son had been completely unable to fight back.
And Yu Hong hadn't used his Martial Soul or any Soul Skills. He had subdued Dugu Xin through nothing but hand-to-hand combat.
The boy's physical abilities were absurdly powerful.
Dugu Bo couldn't help admiring Yu Hong.
"Yu Hong," Dugu Bo said, "you've trained your body in some special way, haven't you?"
Yu Hong looked at Dugu Bo and shook his head. "No, Senior Dugu."
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