Mentor Pang Dahai

Ye Xunhuan had no idea that someone had already set their sights on him.

After lunch, he and Xu Qingqing returned to the dormitory to rest and prepare for the afternoon's practical combat class.

At two in the afternoon, Ye Xunhuan stood at the eastern corner of the outdoor training grounds.

The mentor before him was rather different from what Ye Xunhuan had imagined.

He was not some burly, muscular man, but a potbellied middle-aged man.

With a round face, a double chin, eyes narrowed into slits, and a kindly smile permanently hanging from the corners of his mouth, he looked just like the Laughing Buddha.

"So you're Ye Xunhuan?" The plump mentor smiled warmly, his voice gentle. "My surname is Pang, Pang Dahai. I'll be your practical combat mentor. You can call me Teacher Pang from now on."

Ye Xunhuan glanced at his belly, then at the badge pinned to his chest.

Level fifty-five, an agility-attack Battle Soul King.

"Hello, Teacher Pang." Ye Xunhuan nodded politely, though doubts filled his mind.

With that build, he's an agility-attack type?

He looked more like a cook.

Pang Dahai seemed to see through his thoughts. Rather than getting angry, he chuckled. "Don't let my weight fool you. Once I start running, you won't be able to catch me. Come on, possess your Martial Soul. Let me see how I should tailor your lessons."

Ye Xunhuan nodded. With a thought, the Behemoth Martial Soul possessed him.

Dark-gold mane covered his entire body, his muscles swelled by another size, and a deep yellow Spirit Ring rose from beneath his feet.

Surging soul power spread outward, carrying vigorous blood and vitality with it, instantly drawing the attention of most of the students and mentors on the training grounds.

The Behemoth Martial Soul, enhanced through bloodline evolution, was even more imposing than before. His body stood over two meters tall like a small mountain, while beneath the dark-gold mane lay rounded, powerful muscles.

A flicker of surprise passed through Pang Dahai's eyes before they narrowed again.

His Gale Demon Ape Martial Soul had been suppressed.

"Not bad. A power-type beast Martial Soul, solid foundation, powerful bloodline." Pang Dahai nodded, then took two steps back and clasped his hands behind his back. "My Martial Soul is the Gale Ape Demon, with dark and wind dual attributes."

Before his words had even faded, a dark-green phantom burst forth from his body.

The phantom of an ape-like Martial Soul rose behind him, with long arms and a savage face.

Five Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—rose from beneath his feet.

The purple Spirit Ring in the middle lit up.

"Third Soul Skill, Wind at My Side."

The next second, Pang Dahai vanished from before Ye Xunhuan.

Whoosh!

Ye Xunhuan's pupils contracted, and he instinctively retreated.

"Too slow."

The voice came from behind him.

Ye Xunhuan spun around sharply. Pang Dahai was already standing two steps behind him, smiling with narrowed eyes. Not even the flesh on his belly had trembled.

Ye Xunhuan's heart skipped a beat.

Fast. Too fast.

"Your task is simple." Pang Dahai returned to his original position. "Use every method you can think of to touch me once, and you'll pass. Any method is allowed—Soul Skills, physical attacks, whatever you like."

Ye Xunhuan rubbed his chin.

Not simple at all.

Thoughts aside, Ye Xunhuan did not hesitate. He suddenly pushed off the ground and charged forward.

His powerful stride cracked the ground beneath him, and his speed was by no means slow.

But Pang Dahai was as slippery as an eel.

When Ye Xunhuan lunged left, he slipped right.

When Ye Xunhuan turned right, he was already on the left.

Every time, Ye Xunhuan missed by the smallest margin.

Even more outrageous, Pang Dahai kept his hands behind his back the entire time. His steps looked leisurely, as though he were merely taking a stroll.

Ye Xunhuan felt rather frustrated. This was plainly an old man teasing a child, a cat playing with a mouse.

After chasing him for five minutes, Ye Xunhuan had not merely failed to touch him—he had not even brushed the edge of Pang Dahai's clothes.

And he discovered a very contradictory problem.

If he activated his first Soul Skill, Berserk Blood Battle Physique, his strength and defense would indeed soar, but his speed would noticeably decline, and his soul power would drain faster.

With Berserk Blood Battle Physique activated, Ye Xunhuan had even less chance of touching Pang Dahai. The man simply ran around directly in front of him, leaving him no time even to turn around.

But if he did not activate his first Soul Skill, things were even worse.

Pang Dahai would occasionally dart close and flick him on the forehead.

Smack!

Another forehead flick.

Ye Xunhuan had been gathering soul power to launch a surprise attack, but that flick directly disrupted his rhythm.

"Think carefully. If you can't even deal with an agility-attack Soul Master of my level, then when you encounter stronger opponents in the future, they'll just lead you around like a dog." Pang Dahai smiled as he spoke, his finger still held in the pose of a forehead flick.

Ye Xunhuan rubbed his forehead, baring his teeth in pain.

This was not a lesson. This was a beating.

And the completely one-sided kind.

Ye Xunhuan took two steps back, panting heavily as his mind raced.

Chasing him head-on would not work.

Using a Soul Skill would not work either.

Then what would?

Very quickly, Ye Xunhuan thought of something.

Mighty Dragon.

That was right. Ye Xunhuan intended to use Mighty Dragon.

Mighty Dragon possessed an absolute suppressive effect against beast Martial Souls. Although the gap between their soul power levels was enormous, it would still have some effect. Perhaps it could only slow Pang Dahai by a fraction of a second.

But a fraction of a second was enough.

When Pang Dahai approached, he would rely on the explosive power of Berserk Blood Battle Physique to instantly close the distance, then use Mighty Dragon to suppress him. In that single instant, he would have a chance to complete his surprise attack.

To be safe, he would also reveal another trump card: the Bloodcrazed War Bear Right Palm Bone. With the palm bone's absurd length, he could catch Pang Dahai off guard.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Xunhuan withdrew his first Soul Skill.

"Giving up?" Pang Dahai asked with a smile.

Ye Xunhuan did not answer. He suddenly charged at Pang Dahai.

Pang Dahai leaned back slightly, prepared to evade him as before.

But Ye Xunhuan did not charge straight ahead as he had before. Instead, he abruptly changed direction and cut in from the side.

Close enough.

"First Soul Skill, Berserk Blood Battle Physique!"

"Mighty Dragon!"

Just as Pang Dahai prepared to dodge, Ye Xunhuan suddenly unleashed his Soul Skills.

Dark-gold light flared brilliantly as soul power erupted in an instant. Ye Xunhuan stomped the ground and accelerated, while the bloodline pressure of Mighty Dragon rapidly spread.

The Gale Ape Demon behind Pang Dahai visibly stiffened.

In that fraction of a second of hesitation—

Ye Xunhuan thrust out his right hand. The External Spirit Bone activated, and dark-gold claws shot half a foot out from his five fingers.

Rip.

His fingertips brushed Pang Dahai's sleeve, tearing open a gash.

Pang Dahai flashed three meters away. His narrowed eyes opened completely, filled with surprise.

"You..." He lowered his head to look at his torn sleeve, then looked back at Ye Xunhuan. The kindly smile on his face turned into sincere approval.

"Good lad."

Pang Dahai patted Ye Xunhuan on the shoulder, unable to conceal his satisfaction. "You're the only student who has ever touched me during their first spar with me. And you only have one Spirit Ring. You did better than any of your senior brothers and sisters."

Ye Xunhuan panted heavily. The prolonged expenditure of soul power had left his legs somewhat weak, but the corners of his mouth still rose uncontrollably.

"You flatter me, Teacher Pang."

"It's not flattery. It's the truth." Pang Dahai narrowed his eyes again, and his smile returned to its kindly appearance. "Your foundation is good, your mind works well, and you have some special abilities I can't quite explain. You're outstanding."

After a pause, Pang Dahai clasped his hands behind his back. "All right, that's enough training for today. Come on, I'll take you slacking off."

Ye Xunhuan froze. "Slacking off?"

"With such nice weather, why train?" Pang Dahai sat down on the stone steps beside the training grounds and pulled out a packet of sunflower seeds from his robes. "Come, come, sit down. Watching other people train is much more interesting."

Ye Xunhuan was momentarily speechless.

Fine, then.

A master could show you the door, but slacking off was up to you.