Are You Looking Down on Me?

The wind carried the scents of grass and tuberose as it swept past. Leaves rustled, and patches of light on the ground swayed with the branches, like scattered bits of gold.

The lawn was broad, a recreational clearing deliberately left in the park. The grass had been trimmed neatly, soft beneath their feet and still carrying a trace of warmth from the sun.

There was hardly anyone around. Sporadic laughter drifted over from the distant amusement rides, separated by the woods until all that remained was the wind and the cicadas.

Xie Xie grabbed Tang Wulin by the arm and rushed all the way to the center of the lawn before abruptly stopping.

He released him and took two large steps back, putting a full five meters between himself and Tang Wulin.

The setting sun fell across his profile, lending his short brown hair a warm glow. Defiant fire burned in his dark green eyes, and even the redness at the tips of his ears had yet to fade.

The new pants he had just changed into had picked up plenty of dirt and dust during the run, but he did not care in the slightest. All he could think about was defeating the person in front of him and venting his frustration.

"This will do."

He flicked his wrist, and his fingers twitched slightly as his knuckles cracked sharply.

"Show me your martial soul, Tang Wulin."

The instant the words fell, two faint lights lit up in his palms.

A yellow dagger and a black dagger appeared out of thin air in his left and right hands.

The yellow one was the Light Dragon Dagger, about a foot and two inches long. It was crystalline yellow throughout, like an entire piece of solidified sunlight.

Fine bright-yellow dragon patterns were carved into its blade, spiraling from the hilt to the tip. When soul power was poured into it, the patterns glowed faintly and released a subtle dragon's might. It felt warm in the hand.

The black one was the Shadow Dragon Dagger, exactly the same length as the Light Dragon Dagger. It was completely black and reflected not the slightest bit of light, as if it had been cut from the thick darkness of night.

Dark silver dragon patterns were etched into the blade, hidden within the black so thoroughly that they were impossible to notice without looking closely. Held in the hand, it could even suppress the aura around its wielder, leaving no sound or trace.

The two daggers spun gracefully around his fingers, their cold gleam sharp. Their blades were as thin as cicada wings and clearly incomparably sharp.

A yellow soul ring slowly rose beneath his feet. One yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring was the standard Soul Master configuration for the children of well-off families.

The ring's glow fell across the grass, dyeing the surrounding blades half yellow and half black. Even the wind seemed to slow by half a beat.

Tang Wulin remained where he was. Only after watching Xie Xie reveal his martial souls did he slowly raise his right hand.

A pure white Ten-Year Soul Ring leisurely rose beneath his feet.

Its glow was faint but steady. It blended into the grass and the sunset, looking utterly unremarkable.

The next instant, countless strands of Blue Silver Grass burst from the soil around his feet.

The stalks were translucent blue-green, laced with large amounts of dark purple patterns and dotted with specks of golden yellow, as though starlight and purple clouds had been woven into the grass.

They were completely different from ordinary tender-green Blue Silver Grass. Every strand was slightly thinner than a finger, its edges glowing faintly purple and radiating an almost imperceptible pressure. They looked exceptionally tough.

Centered around him, the Blue Silver Grass spread outward like a tide.

Each stalk stood upright and swayed gently in the wind. Before long, it covered an area two meters around him, densely packed like a natural wall of vines that not even a mosquito could pass through.

Xie Xie frowned. He stared blankly at the strangely colored Blue Silver Grass for a moment.

He had seen ordinary Blue Silver Grass before. It was tender green, soft, and flattened by the slightest gust of wind. It was universally recognized across the continent as a useless martial soul, with virtually no combat power.

But Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass had the wrong color and the wrong texture. The patterns on its stalks carried an indescribable strangeness. It looked far stronger than ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

"A martial soul mutation?"

He muttered to himself, not taking it too seriously.

Even if it had mutated, Blue Silver Grass was still Blue Silver Grass. Its foundation was what it was. No matter how strong it became, it could not be that strong.

He stayed where he was, waiting for Tang Wulin to summon his second martial soul.

After all, Tang Wulin had Twin Martial Souls. Surely he would not fight using only mutated Blue Silver Grass.

The Golden Sacred Dragon Spear sounded like the martial soul meant for direct combat. Tang Wulin would definitely reveal it.

Xie Xie wanted to see just how capable that seemingly impressive dragon spear really was.

But several seconds passed, and Tang Wulin simply stood quietly amid the Blue Silver Grass, watching him without any intention of summoning a second martial soul.

Forget a spear—there was not even any further increase in his soul power fluctuations. He merely maintained the glow of that Ten-Year Soul Ring and did not even take the initiative to use a soul skill.

Xie Xie's brow instantly furrowed.

What did this mean?

He was going to fight him with only Blue Silver Grass?

Thinking back to that earlier comment about accidentally beating him to death, the fury in Xie Xie's heart flared up again.

So Tang Wulin really was looking down on him!

Did he think Xie Xie was not even qualified to make him reveal his second martial soul?

A mere fifteenth-level Soul Master dared to be this arrogant?

"Fine. Very fine."

Xie Xie gritted his teeth, and the fighting spirit in his eyes completely ignited. A cold glint even surfaced in his dark green pupils.

You will not use your second martial soul, huh?

Then I'll beat you until you have no choice but to use it!

When I force you into a miserable state, let's see if you can still say such big words.

The next instant, the Hundred-Year Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed brightly.

His figure vanished from the spot.

He was too fast.

A yellow-and-black afterimage darted swiftly across the lawn, constantly circling Tang Wulin's defensive perimeter.

His feet made almost no sound against the grass. He was like an elusive gust of wind, bending even the blades of grass by only the slightest amount.

His figure shifted and darted, appearing on the left one moment, sweeping to the right the next, then circling behind Tang Wulin. He was so fast that only a blurred shadow could be seen; his actual form was impossible to make out.

The Hundred-Year Soul Ring flashed repeatedly, its light flickering along the afterimages like two intertwined bands of light.

"Light Dragon Blade!"

A low shout came from the left, carrying the crisp sharpness of youth.

A golden blade of light half a foot long erupted from the tip of the Light Dragon Dagger. With a piercing whistle, it slashed directly at the Blue Silver Grass defense on Tang Wulin's left.

The light blade was extremely hot. As it cut through the air, even the light around it distorted slightly, and a faint scorched smell lingered at its edges.

With a thought from Tang Wulin, the Blue Silver Grass on his left instantly intertwined layer upon layer.

His first soul skill, Hardening, was pushed to its limit. The previously flexible stalks instantly became as hard as refined iron, their surfaces taking on a faint bamboo-green sheen as they blocked the light blade.

"Clang—"

A crisp collision rang out.

The golden light blade struck the Blue Silver Grass and scattered a few golden sparks. It severed only two or three of the outermost stalks before exhausting its force and dissolving into motes of golden light in the wind.

It had not even broken through a tenth of the defensive layer.

Immediately afterward, an extremely faint sound of air tearing came from behind him.

"Shadow Dragon Blade."

Xie Xie's voice sounded almost right behind him, carrying a hint of triumph.

A pitch-black blade of light attacked without a sound. It gave off no glow, and even its whistle through the air had been suppressed to the minimum. It aimed specifically for a gap in the Blue Silver Grass defense.

That was the Shadow Dragon Dagger's specialty: exceptional concealment. It excelled at exploiting weaknesses and was nearly impossible to guard against.

Tang Wulin's first soul skill, Hardening, had just finished dispersing force on the left. There was a brief moment of sluggishness at the transition, leaving an extremely short opening in his defense.

The black light blade slipped perfectly into that gap and crashed hard against the defensive layer.

A muffled hum sounded.

The hardening effect on the Blue Silver Grass was interrupted for an instant. Several stalks immediately softened, and a hair-thin crack appeared in the defensive circle.

But it lasted only an instant.

Before Xie Xie could use the chance to rush in, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass immediately filled the gap, weaving itself back into an airtight wall.

Most of the Shadow Dragon Blade's force had also been dispersed. It vanished among the grass leaves without even touching the corner of Tang Wulin's clothes.

Xie Xie landed on the grass, his brow knotting even tighter.

This defense was a little too strange.

He did not lose heart. His feet kept moving as his figure circled faster and faster.

He refused to believe Tang Wulin's defense could last forever.

As long as someone was human, their soul power would eventually run out.

Since a frontal assault did not work, he would change angles.

With a tap of his toe against the ground, he leaped into the air. He stepped off the thick trunk of a nearby tree for leverage, then dove down from above.

The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger lit up simultaneously. One gold and one black blade of light slashed down side by side, targeting the undefended area above Tang Wulin's head.

"Light Dragon Blade! Shadow Dragon Blade!"

The two soul skills were released at the same time, their power stacking to more than double that of either one alone.

The light blades sliced through the air with a shrill howl, even splitting the wind in two.

Tang Wulin looked up, and the soul ring beneath his feet blazed brightly.

The Blue Silver Grass above his head grew wildly, instantly weaving into a thick vine dome, layer upon layer, with seven or eight layers stacked together.

"Boom—!"

The two light blades struck the dome simultaneously with a deep, thunderous crash.

Grass fragments scattered everywhere. More than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass were severed and fell to the ground, their cuts smooth and even.

But the dome did not move in the slightest. It did not even tremble.

Xie Xie used the momentum to land on a tree branch, crouching in the fork as his brow twisted into a knot.

Was this turtle shell really that thick?

How could a Ten-Year soul skill possibly have such powerful defense?

This was definitely not ordinary mutated Blue Silver Grass.

Its toughness was almost on par with a Hundred-Year defensive soul skill.

For the next minute, the woods contained only the faint sounds of soul power colliding and leaves rustling.

Like a ghost, Xie Xie constantly changed positions around Tang Wulin.

He tried every possible attack angle: frontal assaults, sneak attacks from the side, circling behind, and dives from midair.

The Light Dragon Blade smashed head-on, the Shadow Dragon Blade slipped through gaps, both daggers attacked together to stack their power, and he even deliberately used feints to lure Tang Wulin into making a mistake with his defense.

Technique after technique came in rapid succession, so varied that they dazzled the eye.

Yet no matter how he attacked, Tang Wulin stood still as a mountain.

The Blue Silver Grass defensive circle was like an airtight iron barrel. No matter which direction Xie Xie came from, it blocked him steadily.

Even when the Shadow Dragon Blade briefly interrupted Hardening, the defense was instantly restored, leaving no chance at all for him to break through.

Xie Xie's breathing gradually became hurried.

Controlling two martial souls at once, maintaining maximum-speed movement, and repeatedly releasing soul skills consumed soul power far too quickly.

It drained away like water through an open floodgate.

His soul power reserves were not particularly abundant to begin with. At this level of intense exertion, one minute was already his absolute limit.

Sweat ran down his cheeks and into his collar, darkening the fabric around his neck.

His arms began to ache faintly as well, and the fingers gripping his daggers were growing stiff.

Even the once-sharp daggers seemed to have become heavier. Swinging them took more and more effort.

After another Light Dragon Blade dissipated against the Blue Silver Grass, Xie Xie suddenly leaped backward, pulling more than ten meters away.

The two daggers in his hands dissolved into faint light. His arms hung at his sides, trembling slightly, and his knuckles had gone pale.

He bent over with his hands on his knees, gulping down breaths.

His chest heaved violently. Every breath came with a burning pain, as if his lungs were on fire.

The loose hair on his forehead had been soaked with sweat and stuck to his skin. His formerly neat hairstyle was mostly disheveled, and bits of grass clung to his face, making him look far more bedraggled than before.

He raised his sleeve and wiped away sweat. His dark green eyes were filled with gravity and a trace of disbelief.

He had never expected that one minute of full-force attacks would fail to break even Tang Wulin's defense.

He had not even been able to make Tang Wulin take a single step.

This was too absurd.

How could Blue Silver Grass with a Ten-Year Soul Ring be this strong?

It simply defied common sense.

On the other side, Tang Wulin was not exactly relaxed either.

He withdrew part of the Blue Silver Grass, leaving only the outermost layer on guard.

His breathing was also rougher than usual. A thin sheen of sweat covered his temples, and a patch of his shirt was damp across the back.

In theory, his first soul skill, Hardening, could be maintained for twelve minutes outside combat.

But this kind of high-intensity defense consumed a tremendous amount of soul power every second.

And spreading the Blue Silver Grass over such a wide range doubled the consumption.

With his current fifteenth-level soul power reserves, he could sustain this state for three minutes at most.

In terms of total soul power alone, he was actually inferior to Xie Xie.

After all, Xie Xie was an eighteenth-level Soul Master, a full three levels above him, with a much more solid foundation of soul power.

But Tang Wulin had the Golden Dragon King's blood essence as his foundation.

Warm blood essence flowed slowly through his meridians like a current of heat, constantly nourishing them and replenishing the soul power he had expended.

His soul power recovery rate was more than twice as fast as Xie Xie's.

After standing still for less than half a minute, he had already recovered nearly half the soul power he had spent.

By the time Xie Xie had barely caught half a breath, Tang Wulin's soul power had recovered to seventy or eighty percent. He was not far from his peak condition.

Warmth filled his meridians, and even the muscles that had tensed during his defense relaxed.

Tang Wulin raised his eyes toward Xie Xie in the distance, knowing he could not keep dragging this out.

If he kept going, then once Xie Xie's soul power recovered, they would have to fight for another long while.

He took a deep breath and moved with a thought.

The Blue Silver Grass around him that had been serving as defense instantly withdrew like the receding tide, shrinking back to his feet and burrowing into the soil until it disappeared.

The defensive circle was completely gone. He stood fully exposed on the lawn, without any weapon in his hands and seemingly without the slightest guard.

Xie Xie had just barely caught half a breath when he looked up and saw Tang Wulin withdraw his defense. He froze.

What was going on?

He wasn't defending?

Had his soul power been exhausted?

Or was he finally planning to reveal his second martial soul?

He straightened up, clenched his fists, and watched Tang Wulin warily. Every muscle in his body tensed as he prepared to deal with the next attack at any moment.

Before he could figure it out, the white soul ring beneath Tang Wulin's feet lit up again.

This time, the light was even brighter than before, tinting even the surrounding blades of grass a faint bluish-purple.

Then the entire patch of grass trembled slightly.

Countless stalks of Blue Silver Grass burst wildly from the soil around Xie Xie.

It wasn't just around Tang Wulin.

Blue Silver Grass sprang up from every direction—beneath Xie Xie's feet, at his sides, behind him, and even dangled from the branches overhead.

The blue-green stalks were marked with dark purple patterns. Like countless nimble vines, they swept toward Xie Xie from all directions.

The rustling of grass slicing through the air merged into one continuous sound. There was so much of it that nearly every direction of escape had been sealed off.

Some grass tips were pulled taut and straight, like steel needles; some stalks curved into arcs, like ropes; others intertwined into nets that descended from above.

The setting sun filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows over the dense Blue Silver Grass. An irresistible pressure instantly enveloped Xie Xie.