The Despairing Gap (Three)

The Despairing Gap (Three)

An opponent with principles was far more trustworthy than a teammate shrouded in suspicion.

Even trusting an opponent was a major taboo in battle.

"Unaffiliated people, please leave the training ground." Ye Qingcang had lost interest in communicating with Tang San. The prejudice in a person's heart was like a mountain; no matter how hard one tried, it could never be moved. Not to mention Tang San, who was determined to repay every slight—even a normal person standing in Tang San's shoes would find it nearly impossible to let go of their prejudice against him. Since he knew that, there was no need to make meaningless efforts. "One at a time. Who's first?"

"Little San, I'll go first!" Dai Mubai rubbed his fists and assigned the task. His gaze swept over Flender, Qin Ming, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and the others who had retreated outside the training ground, but he suddenly saw a golden-haired girl who should never have been standing near the training ground. Her beauty was breathtaking, and even from a distance, one could sense her pure, spotless aura. The rest of his words caught in his throat. "Let me test his strength and see just how many... how many... how many pounds and ounces he has?"

Dai Mubai's extremely obvious stammer drew attention not only from Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing beside him, but also from Flender and the others standing over a hundred meters away at the edge of the training ground. They followed Dai Mubai's gaze and finally noticed the golden-haired girl standing twenty meters away like a ghost. Everyone's heart tightened instinctively.

Twenty meters.

An extremely sensitive distance.

For an Agility Attack System Soul Master, twenty meters was the standard distance for a thrust. Within fifteen meters, there was not enough acceleration to reach maximum killing power; beyond twenty-five meters, most Soul Masters could react in time.

If Dai Mubai's gaze had not alerted them—

If this peerlessly beautiful golden-haired girl had harbored murderous intent toward them—

They dared not say anything else, but at least one of them would certainly have been killed.

A Soul Master who had not activated Spirit Possession was still human.

Their bodies remained fragile.

That was precisely why, even though this golden-haired girl with her exceptionally pure aura harbored no murderous intent toward them and had not even looked at them, seemingly treating them as air, every Soul Master present—including Flender, a Soul Saint—still felt their hearts tighten and their backs turn cold.

"This is Violet Evergarden, twenty-fourth on the Heaven Ranking, with the title God Servant..." This was Flender and the others' first time meeting Violet, so it was normal that they did not recognize her. Qin Ming, however, was seeing her for the second time. Though he did not know whether Violet remembered the Royal Fight Team, which had lost to her over a year ago, as its leader, he still had a deep impression of the peerless genius who had defeated the Royal Fight Team within thirty seconds. He introduced her to Flender and the others. "The students on the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings of Blue Tyrant Academy all have their own titles. Some chose them themselves, while others were invented by students and gained widespread recognition. God Servant means an attendant of a god—in other words, the maid of the Child of God. She was also the student who defeated the Royal Fight Team within thirty seconds!"

Mentioning the old incident again still brought tremendous shock.

An expert revealed their skill with a single move.

"Those who live up to their fame are no ordinary people..." Ning Rongrong looked enviously at Violet, whose appearance was no worse than hers. In terms of looks, they were at most a forty-sixty split—forty for her and sixty for Violet. But Violet possessed a pure aura that Ning Rongrong lacked, as well as the strength to defeat the Royal Fight Team within thirty seconds. The greatest pain of a Support Type Soul Master was their lack of self-protection. "Is she our age too?"

"The same age, but not the same month."

Qin Ming gave the precise answer.

Violet's age was no secret.

Like Ye Qingcang, she had locked in first and twenty-fourth place on the Heaven Ranking on the day she entered the academy at twelve. The twenty-two people ranked between them had also locked in their positions on the day they enrolled. Those rankings had remained unchanged until today, over two years later. The gap between twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth was equivalent to the combined gap from twenty-fifth to fiftieth—and even that might not be enough to make up for it.

Alchemy was simply too overpowered!

Magnetic Field Martial Arts was also too overpowered!

These two secret arts had already disregarded Soul Power levels, as well as the attached Soul Skills of Soul Rings and Soul Bones. When the level-thirty-nine Violet, ranked twenty-fourth on the Heaven Ranking, fought the level-forty-nine person ranked twenty-fifth, other Heaven Ranking students described it as being as easy as a father beating his son. What she relied on was the knowledge of a level-seven Soul Tool Master and Alchemy.

Thinking of this, Qin Ming instinctively put on a pained expression.

While one flower bloomed, another branch was described.

The commotion outside the training ground could not be heard by Dai Mubai and the others across the hundred-meter distance. Inside the training ground, leaving aside Xiao Wu's disdainful gaze and Zhu Zhuqing's suddenly icy expression, Tang San, burning with rage, could not allow Dai Mubai to be the first one to go up, even if Dai Mubai meant well.

He stepped forward and rejected Dai Mubai's earlier offer. "Boss Dai, take a break first. Our opportunities are precious, and my margin for error is greater than yours. I'll go first to be safest. Xiao Wu will go last. Let's figure out his abilities first!"

Seeing Tang San's hand resting on the Storage Soul Tool known as "Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moon Night," Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu all understood what Tang San meant by "margin for error." Recalling how Zhao Wuji had been reduced to that miserable state by Tang San during the entrance examination for Shrek Academy over a year ago, they shuddered involuntarily, nodded knowingly, looked around, and walked toward the opposite side of the training ground.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing followed them.

The training ground was rectangular.

Ye Qingcang's position served as the horizontal line.

Flender and the others stood on the left.

Dai Mubai and the other two stood on the right.

The training ground once again became a one-on-one battlefield.

Tang San slowly retreated.

He opened a distance of roughly fifty meters from Ye Qingcang.

This was the comfort zone of most Control Type Soul Masters.

Between forty and seventy meters, a Control Type Soul Master possessed the greatest killing power, flexibility, defense, and reaction speed. If the distance was less than forty meters, the opponent might suddenly explode forward and rush into close combat. If it exceeded seventy meters, the battle would become a war of attrition. The Control Type Soul Master would occupy the center and instead fall into the predicament of being attacked from all sides.

Fifty meters was just right.

"Tang San..." Tang San raised his hand. Deep-blue Blue Silver Vines spiraled upward from his palm. Two Hundred-Year Soul Rings and one Thousand-Year Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet in the form of halos and stopped at his waist. Fortunately, there were relatively few of them; otherwise, the light pollution would have been unimaginable. "A level-thirty-four Control Type Battle Soul Elder, Spirit: Blue Silver Grass. Please advise me!"

"I am Ye Qingcang..." To everyone's surprise, Ye Qingcang did not report his Soul Power level or Spirit. He did not even summon his Spirit. Standing in place with one hand behind his back, he raised the other and gestured almost perfectly. "Please."

In a Soul Master duel, not introducing one's Soul Power level and Spirit was disrespectful to one's opponent. Not introducing one's name was contemptuous. Not summoning one's Spirit was less offensive than the first two actions, but its taunting power was completely maxed out. In short, it was an act of seeking death!

"Arrogant!"

Tang San shouted coldly as his first Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

Whether Ye Qingcang released his Spirit was Ye Qingcang's own problem.

That did not mean Tang San could not attack simply because Ye Qingcang had not released his Spirit.

"First Soul Skill, Entanglement!"

Dozens of fragile Blue Silver Vines twisted together, forming several thick and tough Blue Silver Vines. Like agile, ever-changing snakes, they shot toward Ye Qingcang, who remained calm fifty meters away.

However, what awaited those vines was not Ye Qingcang.

It was Ye Qingcang's raised finger—and the line of fire he spat out!

Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!

At first glance, the line of fire was as thin as a strand of silk.

After crossing ten meters, it rapidly expanded.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a sea of fire a hundred meters long and five meters high. Under Tang San's stunned gaze, it crashed toward him!

"A Self-Created Soul Skill?"

"A fire-type Self-Created Soul Skill?"

Tang San, who had studied under Yu Xiaogang, naturally knew what this was. His expression darkened. His original plan to probe Ye Qingcang with Blue Silver Grass immediately collapsed. At this stage, Blue Silver Grass had no fire resistance. Charging through would only ignite it and make the flames even stronger!

After cursing Blue Silver Grass twice in his heart for its lack of fire resistance, Tang San was forced to use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. He wove a Blue Silver shield before him and relied on his speed to rush out of the sea of fire before the shield was completely burned away. He quickly threw aside the burning shield. Without time to consider the principle behind the Self-Created Soul Skill, he knew perfectly well that if he took it a second time, he might not escape as merely battered and uninjured as he was now. His probe had failed, and he had been forced to reveal a trump card. The frustration of suffering losses on both sides left Tang San furious.

Since the trump card of the Clear Sky Hammer had already been exposed, and that damned Ye Qingcang had publicly revealed that his father was Hao Tian Douluo, Tang San immediately summoned his Second Spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer.

He stopped pretending.

Carrying the Clear Sky Hammer wrapped in lightning, he rushed toward Ye Qingcang in three strides. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the fifty-meter distance and brought the Clear Sky Hammer crashing down on Ye Qingcang's head!

"Hold back!"

Flender, controlled by habitual thinking, realized something was wrong the moment he saw Tang San take out the Clear Sky Hammer. When he saw Ye Qingcang still standing in place without even summoning his Spirit, his expression changed drastically, and he instinctively shouted toward Tang San inside the training ground.

However, he had forgotten that Tang San was someone who repaid every slight.

First, Ye Qingcang had to die!

For no other reason than making Xiao Wu kneel, he had to die!

Second, Flender's words were useless!

For no other reason than Tang San wanted to represent his teacher Yu Xiaogang and tell Flender: Your idea is wrong. You're the one who changed!

When Ning Rongrong saw Tang San raise the Clear Sky Hammer into the air like a god-king commanding Thunderclap, bringing down the might of the heavens upon Ye Qingcang, her glazed eyes contracted uncontrollably. She summoned her Spirit and, without needing a reason, sent an enhancement toward Ye Qingcang, wanting only to keep him alive. She never expected that the instant the light left her hand—before it had even crossed the boundary between the inside and outside of the training ground—a small, fair hand would seize it and crush it before her eyes!

Everything happened in an instant!

Before Ning Rongrong could react, the ferocious Tang San inside the training ground had already brought the Clear Sky Hammer into an intimate collision with Ye Qingcang's raised palm!

Flender shut his eyes in pain.

Ning Rongrong shut her eyes in pain.

Zhao Wuji, Oscar, Qin Ming, and the others also lowered their heads, unable to bear looking.

If Ye Qingcang had summoned his Spirit, this battle might still have been worth watching. But Ye Qingcang had not only failed to summon his Spirit—he had not even dodged. He had foolishly raised his palm and tried to catch the Clear Sky Hammer, the greatest Weapon Spirit under heaven, head-on. Surely what came next would be a crisp series of breaking bones?

Boom!!!

It sounded like an iron hammer striking a sandbag!

Wait!

A sandbag?

Everyone inside and outside the training ground who heard the sound opened their eyes in confusion. Realizing that something was wrong, they stared incredulously toward the training ground.

A scene of tremendous visual impact brutally filled everyone's vision, understanding, and thoughts. Even Ning Rongrong, who had received an excellent upbringing, opened her little mouth in utter shock. The Clear Sky Hammer, known as the greatest Weapon Spirit under heaven, wrapped in crackling lightning and descending from above... had been caught with one hand!

What had been caught was even the hammerhead!

The hammerhead, which possessed the greatest weight, explosive force, and killing power!

Not the handle, which could have been used to redirect a thousand pounds with four ounces!

Even as lightning exploded and the handle of the Clear Sky Hammer bent into an obvious arc, the veins on Tang San's forehead bulged. Ye Qingcang stood there holding up the hammer with one hand, completely unharmed. Even the clothing beneath the palm pressing against the hammerhead had not suffered the slightest damage!

Without using his Spirit...

Catching the Clear Sky Hammer with one hand...

Completely unharmed, clothes undamaged...

Ning Rongrong felt dizzy. Her legs went weak, and before she could cry out and fall, Violet—who had just crushed the flowing light and would not allow anyone to interfere with the battle—caught her. As both spectator and referee, Violet then helped her stand upright.

Compared with the special treatment Ning Rongrong received, no one bothered with Flender and the others. They staggered and supported one another before finally recovering from the shattering of their worldview. Looking at Ye Qingcang, whose expression remained calm, and Tang San, who seemed to be using every ounce of strength he possessed, they could only smile bitterly.

Before this, if someone had told them, "I can catch the Clear Sky Hammer of a Soul Master in the same realm with one hand without using my Spirit," they would have ordered a cup of wine and slowly listened to that ignorant Soul Master boast.

Now, if someone told them the same thing, they could only say the boast was too modest. Catching the Clear Sky Hammer with one hand was no longer worth bragging about. Being completely unharmed, with undamaged clothes and an unchanged expression—that was the new standard for measuring the upper limit of strength. Even though that standard sounded even more absurd than catching the Clear Sky Hammer with one hand!

As for the two people involved inside the training ground—

"What incredible strength!" Tang San's face flushed red as his blood surged. He gritted his teeth and tried to use his roar to push his strength even higher. "Die!"

Only after Tang San had finished roaring like a clown did Ye Qingcang, who had been pressing down on the hammerhead with one hand, turn his palm into a claw.

He tightened his grip!

He swung!

Tang San was thrown flying!

He crashed heavily into the ground scorched by the sea of fire!

He rolled through the charred soil and staggered to his feet in a sorry state!

Before he could even stand firm, however, he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood. As if realizing something, he looked toward Ye Qingcang in disbelief. "You..."

"Sorry..." Ye Qingcang hooked his fingers around the hammerhead and lifted the Clear Sky Hammer. Fragments fell piece by piece, each like a boulder smashing the minds of everyone inside and outside the training ground to pieces. "The hammerhead of the Clear Sky Hammer is too flat, so it's difficult to apply force. To throw you out while you were holding the handle, I had to grip the Clear Sky Hammer first. I didn't expect it to be so fragile. It shattered from a light grasp. As expected, without attached Soul Rings, the quality of the Clear Sky Hammer is only average. Truly disappointing. Do you have any other methods?"

That was right!

The Clear Sky Hammer, known as the greatest Weapon Spirit under heaven!

"It shattered..." Flender, Qin Ming, Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai, and the others stared blankly as the shattered Clear Sky Hammer turned into specks of light and returned to Tang San's body. Tang San coughed blood as though struck by lightning, his Spirit damaged. They felt as if their entire worldview had shattered together with the Clear Sky Hammer.