Tang Shuo's lips curled slightly upon hearing that.
"Then I won't hold back."
The moment he spoke, he was already moving!
No Spirit Rings lit up, and no Martial Soul appeared.
Tang Shuo shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bow, instantly leaving behind a blurred afterimage as he lunged straight at Dugu Yan's face!
Fast!
Too fast!
Ye Lingling's pupils abruptly contracted from the side.
She only saw a blur before Tang Shuo had already crossed more than ten meters!
This speed... could a level twenty-five Soul Master really possess it?
No wonder he had the confidence to challenge Yan!
A flicker of realization passed through Ye Lingling's heart, but she immediately shook her head.
Speed alone wasn't enough. If he wanted to defeat Yan, he still had a long way to go!
In the arena, the smile on Dugu Yan's face froze instantly.
She clearly hadn't expected Tang Shuo's assault to be so fierce!
The sharp gust of wind rushing toward her set off alarm bells in her heart!
Daring not to underestimate him any further, Dugu Yan pushed off with her feet and rapidly retreated. At the same time, she crossed her arms before her body.
She was getting serious!
Yet Tang Shuo's attacks followed her like a shadow, giving her no chance to catch her breath.
A punch, a kick, an elbow, a knee!
Every one of Tang Shuo's attacks was simple and direct, yet crafty and vicious, each strike aimed at Dugu Yan's vital points.
Dugu Yan was driven back step by step beneath the storm of attacks, able only to block and evade in disarray.
To her horror, she discovered that her speed, which she had always taken pride in, held no advantage whatsoever before him!
If this continued, she might really lose!
The thought flashed through Dugu Yan's mind, filling her with unprecedented humiliation.
"You're courting death!"
Dugu Yan let out an angry shout and stopped hesitating.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
In an instant, a surge of dark green Soul Power erupted from within her!
A massive phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor emerged behind her, its cold vertical pupils locked firmly onto Tang Shuo.
Yellow, yellow, purple.
Three Spirit Rings rose one after another beneath her feet, radiating powerful Soul Power fluctuations.
"First Soul Skill, Jade Phosphor Red Poison!"
"Second Soul Skill, Jade Phosphor Blue Poison!"
As Dugu Yan's words fell, the first and second Spirit Rings shining around her flared brilliantly.
A faint red glow and a deep blue glow simultaneously enveloped her entire body.
Jade Phosphor Red Poison, also known as Exhilaration Poison, could stimulate the nerves and instantly increase her attack power and speed by twenty percent!
Jade Phosphor Blue Poison, or Paralysis Poison, could eliminate pain while increasing her defense by thirty percent!
With her full state unleashed, Dugu Yan's aura was completely different from before!
Facing an opponent whose aura had surged so dramatically, Tang Shuo's offense finally paused. He lightly leaped backward and opened the distance.
He looked at Dugu Yan as she was now, his expression still calm.
"Finally willing to use your Martial Soul?"
He spoke softly and slowly raised his right hand.
Bzz—!
An ancient, distant bell chime rang out in everyone's hearts.
An ancient bronze mirror gleaming with golden light slowly emerged above his palm. It was his Martial Soul—the Eastern Emperor Bell!
"First Soul Skill, Solar Corona Divine Wheel!"
Tang Shuo shouted in a low voice.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up with dazzling black light!
The next moment, a gigantic divine wheel radiating brilliant golden light burst into existence behind him!
Blazing golden flames burned along the wheel's edge, every flicker seeming capable of incinerating all things!
The instant the divine wheel appeared, the temperature throughout the courtyard began to rise sharply!
Then, before Dugu Yan's horrified gaze, golden fireballs shot forth from the massive Solar Corona Divine Wheel, trailing long flames behind them as they hurtled toward her with unerring precision!
The fireballs were so fast that there was almost no time to react!
Scorching!
Terrifyingly scorching!
Before the fireballs even reached her, the blistering wave of heat had already surged toward her. Dugu Yan felt her skin begin to sting, and even breathing became difficult.
The defensive boost granted by the Jade Phosphor Blue Poison she had always been proud of seemed so fragile before these pure, tyrannical golden flames.
I'm going to lose!
The thought exploded in Dugu Yan's mind.
She couldn't accept it!
She was the proud daughter of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, her Soul Power Level a full ten levels above his. How could she possibly lose to an obscure junior from the auxiliary system!
Intense humiliation and unwillingness instantly overwhelmed her reason.
Dugu Yan abruptly flicked her wrist.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!
Dozens of tiny silver gleams shot from her sleeve, tearing through the air with piercing whistles as they flew toward Tang Shuo in a dense barrage!
They were hidden weapons tempered countless times with her own snake venom—Jade Phosphor Needles!
The attack had been swift and urgent, entirely an instinctive reaction.
Only after the silver needles left her hand did Dugu Yan freeze.
She... she hadn't truly meant to kill him!
"Watch out!"
Ye Lingling witnessed the scene from the side, her face draining of color as a cry escaped her lips!
She knew the poison on those silver needles all too well!
Let alone dozens of them, even getting struck by a single needle would be disastrous for Tang Shuo at his Soul Power Level.
It wasn't just Ye Lingling. Even Dugu Yan's own heart clenched sharply, panic and regret flashing through her eyes.
Yet, facing the unavoidable barrage of silver needles, Tang Shuo in the arena did not so much as blink.
Bzz—!
The light of the Solar Corona Divine Wheel floating behind him suddenly withdrew.
In its place, the true body of the ancient Eastern Emperor Bell shone with brilliant golden light!
The Ancient Mirror, originally only palm-sized, expanded in an instant, transforming into a phantom of a golden bell as tall as a person that completely enveloped Tang Shuo.
Upon the bell's body, patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and vegetation were clearly visible, emanating a vast aura that seemed capable of suppressing eternity.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid series of crisp metallic clashes rang out!
The dozens of Jade Phosphor Needles, capable of piercing steel plates, struck the golden bell as though they had crashed into an impregnable wall!
Every single silver needle was sent flying away!
And that wasn't all!
At an even greater speed than before, they traced strange arcs through the air, changed direction, and shot back toward their owner—Dugu Yan!
This sudden turn of events left everyone dumbfounded.
Dugu Yan's pupils contracted sharply, all color draining from her face.
Watching those silver needles flashing with eerie green light shoot toward her, her mind went blank. Her body stiffened in place, and she even forgot to dodge.
It's over!
At that very instant!
A figure appeared before Dugu Yan without warning, as though he had teleported.
It was Tang Shuo!
He raised his right leg and kicked Dugu Yan in the side of her waist.
Carried by the force of that kick, Dugu Yan's body toppled uncontrollably to the side.
Sss! Sss! Sss!
Almost at the exact moment she fell, the dozens of Jade Phosphor Needles grazed past her body by a hair's breadth, finally embedding themselves deeply into the ground behind her and releasing streams of corrosive green smoke.
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