Sparring

The Soul Power Control class was followed by Basic Combat.

This was the class Lu Mingfei dreaded most, but today, Combat Instructor Jin Hu did not start a fight as usual. Instead, he had everyone pair up for sparring practice.

Lu Mingfei looked around. He had intended to find Chen Xiaolu as his partner, but Wang Teng got there first. His tall body cast a shadow that completely enveloped Lu Mingfei.

"You're Lu Mingfei?"

Wang Teng looked down at him from above. His voice was not loud, but he deliberately made sure everyone nearby could hear him.

"I need someone to spar with. You're with me."

Lu Mingfei looked up at him.

Wang Teng was a full two heads taller than him and built like a wall. His eyes held an obvious provocative glint, and several nearby trainees stopped what they were doing, waiting for a show.

Chen Xiaolu was anxiously stamping his feet in the distance, frantically signaling to Lu Mingfei to refuse.

Lu Mingfei was silent for two seconds, then smiled. "Sure. It's my good fortune that Senior Wang is willing to guide me."

Wang Teng raised an eyebrow. He clearly had not expected Lu Mingfei to agree so readily.

The few taunting remarks he had prepared were suddenly useless. Surprise flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a combative gleam.

He walked to the open space in the middle of the training ground and beckoned to Lu Mingfei. "Come on. Let me see just how tough this genius with Innate Level 20 Soul Power really is."

Instructor Jin Hu stood to one side with his arms crossed, watching without intervening.

That was simply how things worked in the beginner camp. As long as no one was beaten to death or crippled during sparring practice, everything was permitted.

Fighting among the trainees could sometimes help them grow more than an instructor's lessons.

Jin Hu merely offered a mild reminder. "Stop once the outcome is clear. Don't kill anyone."

Lu Mingfei walked to stand opposite Wang Teng and took a deep breath.

He knew the gap between himself and Wang Teng.

Wang Teng was already a Soul Grandmaster, with two Soul Rings supporting him. His physical attributes, speed, strength, and Soul Power output all surpassed Lu Mingfei's.

The only things he could rely on were the special properties of the Black Dragon King Martial Soul and his reasonably quick mind.

"Begin." Jin Hu gave the order.

"Giant Elephant Possession!"

Wang Teng shouted and released his Martial Soul. It was a Giant Elephant, and two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Wang Teng suddenly planted one foot forward. He became like a tiger charging out of its cage, his right fist wrapped in yellow Soul Power as it smashed straight toward Lu Mingfei's face.

The punch kicked up a roaring wind and carried tremendous force. If it landed cleanly, Lu Mingfei's nose would probably break.

Lu Mingfei did not meet it head-on.

His advantage was his agility, something he had developed through the physical training over the past few days.

He sidestepped to the left, barely avoiding the punch, while sweeping his right leg toward Wang Teng's calf.

Wang Teng sneered and raised a hand to block. Lu Mingfei's shin struck his forearm, feeling as if it had hit an iron plate. His entire leg went numb from the impact.

"Too weak."

Wang Teng's first strike missed, and he immediately followed with an elbow strike.

Lu Mingfei had no time to dodge. He could only cross his arms in front of his chest. The elbow sent him flying backward, and he rolled twice across the ground before coming to a stop.

Both his arms hurt as if they were about to break. The web between his thumb and index finger had split, and a trace of blood seeped out.

Wang Teng did not pursue him. He stood where he was and looked down at him with a victor's smile. "So this is all a genius amounts to? So what if you have Innate Level 20 Soul Power? Without a Soul Ring, you're just a paper tiger."

Several approving laughs sounded from the surroundings.

Lu Mingfei climbed to his feet and dusted himself off, then glanced down at his right hand.

The Black Dragon King tattoo was faintly hot, as if responding to his anger.

He knew Wang Teng had held back in that last strike. Otherwise, with the strength of a Soul Grandmaster, that elbow could have broken his bones.

Even so, the pain was still real and vivid, like a fire burning through his bones.

He raised his head, looked Wang Teng in the eye, and slowly spoke. "Senior Wang, may I use my Martial Soul?"

Wang Teng froze, then grinned. "Of course. Release your Martial Soul and let everyone broaden their horizons."

Lu Mingfei did not hesitate again.

With a thought, the Black Dragon King tattoo suddenly became scorching hot. Black Soul Power erupted and gathered around him, forming a black dragon phantom more than three meters long.

Dragon might spread through the area. Everyone present felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them, as though a genuine Ferocious Beast were growling right in front of them.

The smile on Wang Teng's face stiffened for an instant. His Martial Soul instinctively trembled within his body.

Now.

Lu Mingfei bent his knees and lowered his body, concentrating all his Soul Power into his right fist.

The black dragon phantom let out a silent roar. Black light gathered over his fist, forming a dark sphere of light compressed to the extreme.

He suddenly drove off with both legs, shooting toward Wang Teng like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Wang Teng's expression shifted. He hurriedly circulated his Soul Power and released his second Soul Skill, condensing a yellow barrier in front of him.

But Lu Mingfei was far faster than before. It was the explosive force produced by channeling Soul Power through his entire body.

His fist, wrapped in dark corrosive power, slammed violently into the barrier.

Boom...

The yellow barrier shook violently, and crack after crack spread outward from its center.

The corrosive power seeped into the barrier along the cracks, spreading rapidly like ink soaking into rice paper.

Wang Teng's pupils contracted sharply. He felt his Soul Power barrier being corroded and dismantled by some strange force, as if something were gnawing at his defenses.

But the barrier ultimately held.

Wang Teng grunted, then swung his right arm fiercely. His Soul Power transformed into a streak of yellow light that forced Lu Mingfei back two steps.

Lu Mingfei's blood churned, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

That strike had nearly exhausted all his Soul Power. His arms were now weak and sore, his legs trembling. His body had reached the end of its strength.

Wang Teng's expression was not much better than Lu Mingfei's.

His right arm trembled faintly. A trace of the corrosive power had seeped through the barrier and was now spreading upward along his meridians, bringing a searing pain with it.

Wang Teng lowered his head and glanced at his forearm. A spot the size of a fingernail had appeared there, and the surface of his skin looked as though it had been burned.

Wang Teng's expression changed completely.

He looked up at Lu Mingfei. Most of the contempt in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an expression mingling shock and apprehension.

He had cultivated for many years and seen plenty of strange and unusual Martial Souls, but this was the first time he had encountered one with an attribute that could directly corrode another person's Soul Power.

If Lu Mingfei had two Soul Rings as well, the power of that strike would have multiplied several times over. His barrier probably would not have lasted even half a breath.

Instructor Jin Hu clapped at just the right moment, interrupting the spar.