Yu Xiaogang's gaze fell on Bibi Dong, and he couldn't help but pause.
He had seen plenty of beauties, and there was no shortage of striking women in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but this was the first time he had met a girl with an air as unique as Bibi Dong's.
Her cold, distant manner only made her more captivating, making people want to draw near—and conquer her.
"Miss Bibi Dong, please." Yu Xiaogang gave what he considered a suave smile, bowed slightly, and gestured for her to go ahead.
Bibi Dong didn't return his smile or even spare him another glance. She simply raised her hand calmly and released her Martial Soul.
A strange light gathered in her palm—a spider, purple-black all over, with golden markings across its back and an unsettling aura. The Death Spider Emperor, her First Martial Soul.
Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings circled around her.
Then she raised her other hand as well. A flash of light passed, and the phantom of a spider emperor appeared behind her, purple-black all over and glowing with an eerie light.
The Soul-Eater Spider Emperor, her Second Martial Soul.
Though it had no Soul Rings attached, the pressure of that top-tier Martial Soul was still impossible to underestimate.
Twin Martial Souls!
Although they had long heard that the Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden had Twin Martial Souls, seeing them with their own eyes was an entirely different kind of shock. Even Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but let go of some of his disdain, his gaze turning serious.
"Sanpao, be careful," he said quietly to Golden Luo Sanpao beside him.
Golden Luo Sanpao growled softly, its blood-red vertical pupils fixed on Bibi Dong. Saliva dripped from its mouth, and it looked somewhat excited.
"Begin!"
At the referee's command, Bibi Dong struck first. She swept her right hand, and a purple-black web shot from her palm, spreading toward Yu Xiaogang and Golden Luo Sanpao.
The web was coated in potent poison. As it passed, the air sizzled with a corrosive hiss.
Yu Xiaogang didn't dare be careless and hurriedly directed Golden Luo Sanpao to dodge. With a flap of its wings, the enormous creature rose into the air with astonishing agility, evading the web.
The web landed on the arena and instantly corroded a huge hole in the hard bluestone floor.
"What a poisonous web!" Yu Xiaogang was startled. He immediately launched a counterattack. "Sanpao, First Soul Skill, Golden Impact!"
Golden Luo Sanpao let out a roar, its body blazing with golden light. Like a golden meteor, it charged straight at Bibi Dong!
It was incredibly fast, carrying the force of a thousand jun, as if it would smash to pieces anything in its path.
Bibi Dong's expression didn't change. She formed a hand seal, and a purple-black barrier appeared before her. Her Second Soul Skill, Death Barrier!
"BOOM!!!"
Golden Luo Sanpao slammed into the barrier with a thunderous crash. It shuddered violently, cracks spreading across its surface, but it held firm. Golden Luo Sanpao's charge was also brought to a dead stop.
"It blocked it?" Yu Xiaogang was a little surprised. Even a Spirit King of the same rank wouldn't dare take his Golden Impact head-on, yet a level forty-four Soul Ancestor had managed to stop it?
But he quickly regained his composure and continued his relentless assault. Second Soul Skill, Golden Roar!
Third Soul Skill, Golden Dragon Breath! Golden Luo Sanpao opened its mouth and spewed out a thick golden beam, its aura destructive as it shot straight toward Bibi Dong!
Bibi Dong dodged again and again, while constantly releasing webs and poison to disrupt and restrain her opponent.
Her combat techniques were exceptionally refined, and she wielded her Soul Skills with consummate skill. Even when facing an opponent eleven levels above her, she remained completely composed. Still, the gap in levels was an undeniable fact.
Under Yu Xiaogang's unceasing assault, Bibi Dong's Soul Power dwindled, and the space available for her to dodge grew narrower and narrower.
In the end, forced into a corner by a precisely aimed blast of Golden Dragon Breath, she had no choice but to take Yu Xiaogang's palm head-on. The blow sent her stumbling back several meters, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"I lost." Bibi Dong wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and spoke expressionlessly. Her voice remained calm, as if losing the match were no great matter to her.
The entire arena erupted once more in deafening cheers. Though Bibi Dong had lost, her performance had won everyone's respect.
With the strength of a level forty-four Soul Ancestor, she had forced Yu Xiaogang to use his first three Soul Skills. That level of fighting prowess was enough to put her above her peers.
"You were gracious." Yu Xiaogang recalled Golden Luo Sanpao and gave Bibi Dong a smile and a nod, his gaze burning with intensity,
"Miss Bibi Dong's strength has earned my admiration. I hope I'll have the chance to spar with you again someday."
Bibi Dong didn't answer or even look at him. She simply turned and walked silently off the arena.
Her back remained straight, as if her defeat had been nothing more than an insignificant experience.
Yu Xiaogang watched her leave, a complicated emotion flashing through his eyes.
He didn't know why he cared so much about this cold girl, but he was certain of one thing: he wanted to have her. Not just her strength, but her too.
On the high platform, Yu Yuanzhen smiled at Qian Xunji and cupped his hands. "Your Holiness the Pope, you were gracious."
Qian Xunji's expression was calm, giving nothing away. He merely replied, "Clan Leader Yu, you've raised your son well. I'm impressed." His tone was so flat that it was impossible to tell whether he meant it or was only being polite.
Yu Yuanzhen didn't mind. He smiled and turned his gaze back to his son on the arena, pride filling his eyes. Today, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had stolen the show.
First, Yu Xiaogang had defeated a core disciple of the Clear Sky Sect, and then he had defeated the Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden. From this day on, his name would ring across the entire continent.
Meanwhile, in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's camp, the youth wearing a bronze mask still stood quietly in the corner, watching it all.
His gaze lingered on Yu Xiaogang for a moment, then shifted to the cold girl walking off the arena. A thoughtful glimmer flickered in his eyes.
"Bibi Dong..." he murmured inwardly. "Just like in the original story, she's a pitiful yet admirable person."...
Having won two matches in a row, Yu Xiaogang was riding high. He stood on the arena, sweeping his gaze across the crowd with an air of looking down on the world.
Defeating a core disciple of the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden—those results were enough to make any peer take notice. But he knew the real challenge was only just beginning.
In the Clear Sky Sect's camp, a tall, sturdy young man slowly rose to his feet.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with a resolute face and a steady gaze. An imposing aura radiated from him, though he wasn't angry.
He didn't have Tang Hao's sharp, overbearing presence, but possessed a steadiness and weight like a mountain.
Tang Xiao, one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars, a level fifty-five Power Attack System Battle Soul King.
"I'll go face him," Tang Xiao said calmly, then strode toward the arena.
His steps were steady and powerful, each one seeming to fall in time with the crowd's heartbeat, making their breathing rise and fall with his rhythm.