Inside Spirit Hall.
At this very moment, a completely unequal battle was taking place.
On one side stood the young and talented Cao Mengyun, already a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster despite his age.
On the other was a mere six-year-old child who had unexpectedly awakened Dual Martial Souls, possessed Innate Full Soul Power, and was a level ten Soul Scholar.
Cao Mengyun's attacks were exceptionally fierce. He unleashed ten claw strikes per second, weaving an impenetrable web of wolf claws before him. Once the small Yang Ming fell into it, he would be like a fragile butterfly caught in a storm, instantly torn to pieces!
Old Jack's heart pounded wildly, his heart rising to his throat. He feared that Yang Ming might suffer an accident and could not help worrying for him.
Tang San, standing beside him, patted Old Jack's hand, signaling him to stay calm. His eyes held three parts curiosity, four parts astonishment, and five parts fighting spirit as he watched Yang Ming.
After three months, Yang Ming had thoroughly mastered the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track he had secretly learned. He was so proficient that he could use it even with his eyes closed, nearly making Tang San cry out in surprise.
Yang Ming was like a madman dancing on a blade's edge. Faced with Cao Mengyun's Frenzy-like assault, he did not retreat—he advanced instead!
The Three-Tomoe in Yang Ming's pupils spun rapidly. Cao Mengyun's claw strikes reflected on his retinas, as though someone had pressed pause on a film, separating them into detailed frame after detailed frame.
After three months of weighted training, carrying a fifty-pound tortoise shell every day, Yang Ming had long since become exceptionally nimble. Coupled with the red fruits Old Jack gave him daily, Yang Ming was no longer the boy Cao Mengyun could easily knock down before!
His toes lightly tapped the ground like dragonflies skimming water. Yang Ming's figure slipped about like a slick mudfish, always sliding away just before Cao Mengyun's wolf claws could strike him, brushing past them by a hair's breadth.
If once was luck and twice was an accident—
Then Yang Ming's repeated evasions proved that he had already seen through Cao Mengyun's attacks!
"Hiss!"
Everyone inside Spirit Hall sucked in a breath again.
Awakening Dual Martial Souls and possessing Innate Full Soul Power only meant that Yang Ming was a genius seen once in a century. But if he also possessed such outstanding combat talent, then he was a peerless genius seen once in a thousand years!
Martial Souls were divided into two types: Weapon Martial Souls and Beast Martial Souls.
Weapon Martial Souls, in turn, had many branches. Many Spirit Masters were not necessarily skilled in combat, with quite a few leaning toward support and control.
That was because there was a type of Spirit Master who specialized in battle: a Battle Spirit Master!
Why did Cao Mengyun have such a voice in this Spirit Hall? Was it not because he was a Battle Spirit Master with decent talent?
Yet now, this powerful Battle Spirit Master could not even touch the corner of a six-year-old child's clothes. Was that not utterly absurd?
"No!"
Ma Xiunuo, also a Soul Grandmaster, wore a stunned expression as he exclaimed:
"It is not that Cao Mengyun is too weak. In fact, the Lion King Martial Soul he awakened is exceptionally suited for battle! The reason Cao Mengyun appears so powerless is precisely because of this child—this child's talent is simply too terrifying!"
As soon as he said this, the other staff members nodded one after another, agreeing with Ma Xiunuo's assessment.
Although Ma Xiunuo had accepted Cao Mengyun's money, he had long been disgusted by Cao Mengyun bullying the weak and mistreating an old man. His voice was anything but quiet, and every word reached Cao Mengyun's ears, making him so furious his lungs nearly burst!
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Cao Mengyun was driven mad with rage. A green glimmer shone in his eyes as the speed and force of his hands abruptly rose another level. He reached fifteen claw strikes per second, making the web of attacks before him even denser and further restricting Yang Ming's room to maneuver.
However, Yang Ming always relied on his smaller stature, nimbler footwork, and more ghostly movement technique to narrowly evade Cao Mengyun's attacks. The closest call was when his trousers were sliced open by a lion claw, barely missing his skin.
Though advancing was incomparably difficult, Yang Ming relied on his unyielding nature to reach a spot less than a meter from Cao Mengyun despite the latter's storm-like offensive!
At this distance, it would be extremely difficult for Cao Mengyun to flee!
Yang Ming spread open his right palm. Golden light gathered into a small weapon, neither quite a blade nor quite a sword. When he flicked its body with a finger, a soft hum seemed to rise.
This was the Killing Blade, a murderous weapon thirsting for blood!
Yang Ming's eyes reflected the icy sword light. Amid the stunned gazes of everyone in Spirit Hall, his body suddenly transformed into sword qi, and sword qi swept in all directions!
Green Lotus Sword Song!
In Cao Mengyun's horrified eyes, five streaks of sword qi passed through layers upon layers of wolf-claw Afterimages, leaving deep, long sword wounds across his arms, calves, and abdomen!
The sword light vanished in a flash. Yang Ming appeared behind Cao Mengyun, one knee touching the ground as he crouched low and restrained his momentum.
His earlier forbearance and patience had all been meant to numb Cao Mengyun and lower his guard. Then, at the final crucial moment, Yang Ming used the Green Lotus Sword Song to decide the battle in one stroke!
Sure enough,
Cao Mengyun had never imagined Yang Ming still had such a move in reserve. Blood sprayed from the wounds on his arms, calves, and abdomen, leaving splattered stains across the bluestone floor!
"Hiss!"
Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, also a Soul Grandmaster, had already lost count of how many times he had sucked in a breath today, yet even now, he could not stop his scalp from tingling.
"A... a soul skill? And judging from it, it is no ordinary soul skill either. This is comparable to a soul skill obtained from a Soul Ring gained by killing a Millennium Soul Beast!"
"But how... how is that possible? He is only a child from the countryside, and he has not even obtained a Soul Ring yet!"
Generally speaking, aside from acquiring soul skills through Soul Rings, ordinary commoners who became Spirit Masters and had not surpassed level thirty almost never possessed soul skills of their own—so-called self-created skills, such as Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. However, certain families with ancient inheritances possessed unique soul-skill legacies, allowing their clansmen to begin practicing soul skills at a young age.
"Holy Soul Village... that is it. That was the village that once produced a Soul Saint. Could it be that this child has some connection to that Soul Saint?"
Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo could not help letting his imagination run wild, automatically filling in an explanation for Yang Ming's unbelievable abilities.
And surprisingly, after such a disastrous bout of speculation... it actually sounded rather plausible.
Yang Ming sheathed the Killing Blade and slowly turned around. Looking at Cao Mengyun, who was bleeding all over the ground, he said coldly:
"It seems I won."
"Heh... hehehe... hahahaha!"
Cao Mengyun's wolf head tilted toward the sky, one lion claw covering his wolf face. Only his chilling wolf eyes showed through the gaps between his fingers, filled with bloodthirsty brutality!
Cao Mengyun lowered his lion claw. Green light gleamed in his eyes as he looked down at Yang Ming and sneered:
"You think that little toy sword of yours can actually hurt me?"
As he spoke, the wounds Yang Ming had cut into Cao Mengyun's body healed at a visible rate, returning to normal in the blink of an eye!
Cao Mengyun pointed his thumb at himself, pride in his gaze as he said:
"I am not one of those useless Spirit Masters who only know support and control. I am a Battle Spirit Master who specializes in combat!"
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