Spirit Binding Lock

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang was overcome with excitement. He stomped his foot hard, pointed at the two on the arena, and shouted at Principal Fuqi and the others, "The opponent has exhausted all his tricks! The outcome is decided!"

Several Spirit Masters of the Spirit Ancestor and Spirit King ranks stirred, ready to step in and end the duel, yet they all hesitated, waiting for something.

Principal Fuqi, in particular, frowned deeply upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's words and shot him a sidelong glance.

Has the Grandmaster lost his mind?

What a nuisance!

Naruto clicked his tongue, looking slightly pained.

Blood was seeping from his hands, and Tang San was charging toward him like a cannonball. In the corner of his eye, he could see Xiao Wu jumping for joy in the spectator stands.

But this duel was already over; it had been over from the very beginning.

Naruto raised his hand, and several Chains of Heaven whistled through the air, piercing toward Tang San.

Tang San did not slow down, moving like a streak of black lightning. His Purple Demon Eye, radiating a violet glow, spun rapidly, locking onto the black chains in mid-air in an instant. His hands were quickly dyed with a jade-like hue.

In a duel over half a year ago, Tang San had briefly fallen behind. During that time, he had quietly set aside his arrogance, calmed his heart, and studied in detail how to deal with this person.

However, given the massive gap in innate spirit power between them, Tang San never believed the other could catch up to him, so his preparations naturally fell short of Naruto's.

Yet, the results of his contemplation were not non-existent.

The massive amount of Blue Silver Grass from before was one such result, and the specially reinforced Blue Silver Grass that had just consumed a vast amount of spirit power was another.

At the low-rank Spirit Master stage, hidden weapons were Tang San's strongest tools! Plucked flowers and flying leaves were hidden weapons, too!

It's over!

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Tang San's mouth. His Mysterious Jade Hand swatted away the interfering Chains of Heaven. The unstable bastard before him was now within reach, and he raised his fist!

But just then, Tang San's pupils shrank, and his movements faltered.

There was no look of defeat on this man's face—only a smug, mocking triumph!

The moment Tang San sensed something was wrong, his body's internal alarm system screamed to his brain. His eyes darted to his Mysterious Jade Hand, which was currently parrying the surrounding black chains.

Among the chains he was blocking, one stood out. It lacked the metallic luster of the others; it was a pitch-black that seemed to swallow all light.

His Mysterious Jade Hand made light contact with this strange chain. There was no sensation of metal; instead, the black chain clung to his hand like a parasite, instantly crawling beneath his jade-like skin and forming unsettling black patterns.

Before Tang San could react or stop it, he pulled his hand back, but the black chain was like a drop of ink falling into a pool of water, spreading across his entire body in the blink of an eye!

Click!

Tang San's eyes widened in terror, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks. Beneath his skin, dense black chains tightened and locked into place. That inexplicable clicking sound echoed in his mind!

As the chains locked, the spirit power within Tang San's body fell into a state of absolute, dead silence. It wasn't being suppressed or struggling to move—it had completely ceased to flow!

The purple glow in his eyes vanished, his jade-colored fingers faded back to their original state, and his once-light body became heavy.

Tang San was now no different from an ordinary person!

"Right, according to the unwritten rules, I should call out the name..." Seeing the shock on Tang San's face, Naruto raised his fist and explained with eerie calm, "First Spirit Skill, Spirit Binding Lock."

Once touched by the Spirit Binding Lock, one's entire spirit power would be sealed and imprisoned. The duration of the seal depended on the gap in strength between the two parties and the spirit power consumed to forcibly break through.

Even if Tang San fought with all his might, it would still take him several seconds.

However, None of that mattered anymore. Bruce Lee could throw nine punches in a second, and Usain Bolt could run ten meters in a second. And now, for Naruto to beat the Tang San before him...

It would only take a second, too!

Bang!

Bang!!

Bang!!!

Countless fists whipped up a gale! They landed with a rhythmic thud!

The result of this duel had been determined from the start. Naruto had long known of the various methods Tang San possessed, while Tang San only had a partial understanding, relying on guesses from their previous duel.

Throughout the entire fight, victory was never something Naruto had to worry about; how to reveal as little as possible was his only concern.

Damn it!

Tang San roared internally. He stumbled and fell to the ground, seeing stars, his molars grinding together as the fists rained down like a storm.

Just then, Naruto's fists suddenly stopped.

An opportunity!

Seize this chance!

Tang San mobilized all his spirit power, shattering the seal in an instant.

With a crack, the black chains beneath his skin shattered inch by inch and vanished, and his spirit power began to circulate once more. Just as he was about to rise and counterattack, Tang San froze in place.

Before him, Principal Fuqi and his old friends had already stepped in between the two.

Principal Fuqi first glanced at Jiang Naruto, who was being held back by several people while still maintaining his punching stance, then looked at Tang San lying on the ground, merely shaking his head in silence.

"Wait... wait! I... haven't..."

The disheveled Tang San tried to stand up to prove it wasn't over yet, but as soon as he rose, he collapsed back to the ground in agonizing pain.

"San!"

"Brother San!"

Behind him came the shouts of his teacher and Xiao Wu. Tang San gritted his teeth and struggled to prop himself up. Principal Fuqi couldn't help but let out a long sigh before speaking softly.

"Tang San, it is over."

He was supported by the rushing Xiao Wu and his teacher.

Tang San could not hear their concerned voices; his gaze remained fixed ahead, staring as the portly principal raised Naruto's hand to announce to everyone:

"The outcome is decided. The winner is Jiang Naruto."

The arena was bustling and noisy. The academy students were enjoying the spectacle, and several old friends invited by Principal Fuqi cupped their hands in congratulations, their words filled with praise for both of them.

Unfortunately, Tang San heard none of this; his world seemed to have fallen into silence.

Seeing Tang San looking dejected and doll-like, Yu Xiaogang and Xiao Wu became increasingly anxious.

"San? How are you?"

"Teacher, hurry and take Brother San for treatment!"

Just as they lifted Tang San, Naruto slowly walked forward. The doll-like Tang San suddenly showed a human reaction, the unconcealed unwillingness and fury in his eyes nearly overflowing.

Ignoring the wariness in the eyes of the three, Naruto crossed his arms.

"Do you know why you lost?"

Tang San was stunned.

He had never expected the other party to say such a thing.

Naruto paid him no mind, scratched his head, and continued on his own: "You use those self-created soul skills better than I do, and your soul fighting experience is likely richer than mine, yet you still lost!"

"Your Martial Soul is too weak! The binding that comes with a Long Whip Martial Soul requires a soul ring to acquire. How many soul rings would you need to make up for the gap in quality?"

"Besides, can't other Martial Souls also improve their quality through soul rings? The gap in Martial Soul quality remains!"

"The biggest reason for your failure is this Blue Silver Grass of yours!"

These words struck Tang San's heart like a heavy hammer.

Blood spilled from Tang San's nose and mouth. Unable to hold on any longer, his vision went black, and he fainted.

Late at night, The entire Notting Academy had fallen into silence and darkness, yet one solitary light remained bright—the academy's infirmary.

Lying on the hospital bed, Tang San slowly opened his eyes. At first, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling, but as he struggled to turn his head, he spotted a kerosene lantern placed at the head of the bed and, in the flickering firelight, the Master keeping watch by his side.

"Teacher?"

Tang San's voice was hoarse as he struggled to speak, but it was clear enough in the silent infirmary.

The drowsy Yu Xiaogang suddenly opened his eyes wide and slowly turned his head.

"San, you're awake!?"

Yu Xiaogang's face was full of surprise, but as if suddenly realizing something, he immediately lowered his voice. Seeing Tang San's puzzled expression, the Master pointed toward the foot of the bed.

With the Master's help, Tang San managed to prop up his upper body and looked closely, only then understanding the reason: Xiao Wu was curled up at the foot of the bed, fast asleep.

"She has been keeping watch for half the day and only just fell asleep recently."

Yu Xiaogang said with a faint smile.

Tang San managed a forced smile, but it lasted only a moment before vanishing. He buried his head and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, Teacher, I lost..."

"It's fine, it's fine. It was just a soul fight." Yu Xiaogang reached out to pat Tang San's back, trying his best to comfort him, but being poor with words, he could only repeat the same platitudes.

Tang San listened, his hands subconsciously gripping the bedsheets. After a long silence, he raised his head, his gaze firm.

"Teacher, I want to change my Martial Soul..."