The commotion was considerable, and with two freshmen who had just obtained their First Soul Rings preparing to spar, it quickly drew many nearby students.
"I heard it's two first-year freshmen competing?"
"They both seem to have Innate Full Soul Power."
"Really? Should we go take a look?"
More and more people gathered around.
The disturbance soon alerted the academy teachers as well. From nearby, a somewhat frail figure slowly approached. It was Yu Xiaogang.
Although some of the Mandala Snake venom in his body had been removed, he had yet to fully recover and had originally been resting in his room.
But after hearing the commotion outside, he could not resist coming out to take a look.
"What's going on?" Yu Xiaogang frowned as he squeezed through the crowd. When he saw the two people in the field, he froze for a moment, confusion appearing on his face. "Xiao San, what is this?"
At the same time, Director Su also hurried over after hearing the news and asked in a low voice:
"What are all of you gathered here for?"
When Wang Sheng saw the Grandmaster and Director Su arrive, he quickly explained, "Director Su, Ling and Tang San are preparing to spar, so everyone came over to watch."
"Oh?"
Director Su was slightly taken aback before raising his head to look at Gu Ling and Tang San in the field. He did not stop them. Sparring between ordinary students was perfectly normal, so long as both sides knew their limits and did not strike too heavily.
After hearing this, Yu Xiaogang could not help but snort.
"That brat Gu Ling truly doesn't know his place. He actually dares to spar with Xiao San."
Director Su turned to glance at him.
Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back, confidence appearing on his face.
"Xiao San's First Soul Ring is no ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Ring. He absorbed one from a Mandala Snake with more than four hundred years of cultivation. That is already very close to the limit a First Soul Ring can withstand."
"Moreover, the Mandala Snake is incredibly fast and highly venomous. The First Soul Skill it granted Xiao San far surpasses ordinary Soul Rings in both control and toxicity."
"Although Gu Ling also has Innate Full Soul Power and possesses a top-tier Martial Soul like the Bone Dragon, he has only just obtained his First Soul Ring and is already eager to compete with Xiao San. He is far too confident."
At that point, he could not help shaking his head.
"It is good for young people to be confident, but if they cannot even see the gap between themselves and their opponent, that is arrogance."
In his view, Tang San had the Soul Ring configuration he had personally planned, along with a First Soul Skill granted by a Mandala Snake of more than four hundred years. It would be no easy matter for Gu Ling to win.
This spar was even a perfect opportunity to let Gu Ling understand that his so-called Ultimate Uncanny Offense was nowhere near as impressive as he imagined.
After hearing Yu Xiaogang's remarks, Director Su merely glanced at him, then smiled.
"Is that so, Grandmaster?"
After saying that, he spoke no further.
That reaction instead made Yu Xiaogang frown slightly. Naturally, he had no idea that Gu Ling's First Soul Ring came from a nearly six-hundred-year-old, exceptionally rare spatial-attribute soul beast—the Sky-Splitting Bone Leopard.
Director Su, on the other hand, had personally watched Gu Ling successfully absorb that Soul Ring and had witnessed the uncanny nature of his First Soul Skill.
So in his opinion, it would not be so easy for Tang San to win!
Not far away, Gu Ling and Tang San had already prepared for battle. The two exchanged a glance.
Then Tang San raised his right hand first. Pale blue Soul Power surged from his palm, and stalk after stalk of Blue Silver Grass rapidly grew, slowly spreading along the ground.
At the same time.
A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet, pulsing up and down around his body.
Seeing this, discussions broke out among the crowd. Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as she immediately shouted, "Xiao San, go! I'm rooting for you!"
Meanwhile.
Gu Ling slowly took a step forward. Then, a cold and powerful burst of Soul Power erupted from his body as he shouted in a low voice:
"Bone Dragon Possession!"
Roar!
A deep dragon's roar suddenly rang across the training field.
The next second, an enormous, bone-white Bone Dragon Phantom abruptly emerged behind Gu Ling!
Its massive dragon head was held high, two curved bone horns extending backward. Eerie pale flames burned within its hollow eye sockets, while a pair of huge skeletal wings slowly spread open.
Crack! Crack!
Pale bone armor swiftly covered Gu Ling's arms. The ends of his fingers transformed into sharp bone claws, while a bone-white dragon tail formed of vertebrae slowly extended from behind him.
The next moment.
A yellow Soul Ring, distinctly deeper in color, slowly rose beneath Gu Ling's feet.
The instant he saw that Soul Ring, the corners of Director Su's mouth unconsciously lifted slightly. Yet for some reason, Yu Xiaogang's brows furrowed faintly.
"First Soul Skill, Entangling!"
With a low shout, Tang San's gaze sharpened, and the yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
As Soul Power poured into it, the Blue Silver Grass scattered around his feet began growing wildly. Then, stalk after stalk of noticeably thicker Blue Silver Grass slithered rapidly across the ground like spirit snakes, winding toward Gu Ling from different directions.
Compared to before it had been enhanced by a Soul Ring, the Blue Silver Grass had clearly improved in length, toughness, and growth speed.
In the blink of an eye, the Blue Silver Grass had reached Gu Ling.
"It's coming!"
The work-study students around them immediately widened their eyes.
Xiao Wu looked even more expectant as she said:
"Xiao San, tie him up already!"
However.
Faced with the Blue Silver Grass flooding in from every direction, Gu Ling did not dodge at all. He merely raised his right hand, the white bone claw formed after Martial Soul Possession gleaming with chilling light beneath the sun.
Whoosh!
The next moment, Gu Ling suddenly slashed with his claw.
Rip! The first few stalks of Blue Silver Grass that wrapped around him were instantly torn into several pieces by the sharp bone claws, as easily as ordinary weeds!
Before Tang San could react, Gu Ling swung his other hand as well.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Stalk after stalk of Blue Silver Grass attempting to bind his arms, waist, and legs snapped apart in succession.
In only a few breaths, a large section of the Blue Silver Grass created by Tang San's First Soul Skill had been forcibly shredded by Gu Ling!
"What?!"
Tang San's expression abruptly changed as he stared at the scene before him, his face full of disbelief.
"How... how is this possible? Didn't Teacher say that after my Blue Silver Grass absorbed its First Soul Ring, its toughness and hardness would improve greatly? How was it torn apart so easily?"
This was the First Soul Skill he had obtained after absorbing the Soul Ring of a Mandala Snake with more than four hundred years of cultivation! The Blue Silver Grass was far tougher than before, yet before Gu Ling's bone claws, it was still so fragile? It could not even truly restrain him!
Only now did Tang San finally realize something.
When Gu Ling had said the Bone Dragon Martial Soul possessed incredibly powerful offensive ability, he had not been exaggerating. The sharpness of those bone claws seemed to have far exceeded Tang San's expectations.
In fact, this outcome was hardly surprising. After Tang San absorbed the Soul Ring of a Mandala Snake with more than four hundred years of cultivation, his Soul Power Level had risen to around level thirteen.
Gu Ling, however, had absorbed a Sky-Splitting Bone Leopard with more than six hundred years of cultivation. A Soul Ring of higher age naturally provided a far more noticeable enhancement to his Martial Soul.
Gu Ling's Soul Power had now reached around level fifteen.
There was already roughly a two-level gap in Soul Power between them.
Not to mention.
One was the Blue Silver Grass found everywhere.
The other was the top-tier beast Martial Soul, the Bone Dragon!
Even though Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had been strengthened by its Soul Ring, there was still an enormous gap between the two in terms of Martial Soul quality.
Therefore, it was perfectly normal for the bone claws to tear through the Blue Silver Grass.
Not far away, Yu Xiaogang, who had been full of confidence moments ago, was now completely stunned.
Before you continue