Lu Chen's fingers flowed as gently as water, lightly brushing along the inside of Wu Gang's forearm.
With only a slight sidestep and flick, Wu Gang felt an irresistible force strike him.
The full-body momentum he had poured into his charge was forcibly diverted by Lu Chen's ingenious technique of using a small force to redirect a great one!
"What?!"
Wu Gang's eyes bulged as he watched his heavy fist graze past Lu Chen's afterimage.
Inertia threw his center of gravity completely out of control, sending him stumbling forward without any defense.
His wide-open back and exposed ribs lay completely bare before Lu Chen.
Lu Chen's gaze turned icy in an instant, and his offensive abruptly changed.
If his defense just now had been a soft, flowing stream, then this counterattack was a roaring tidal wave.
Borrowing Wu Gang's forward momentum, he seized the web between the man's thumb and forefinger, then sharply twisted his body around his Spine Martial Soul as the axis.
Twin fists followed like shadows, turning into a sky full of afterimages the instant Wu Gang lost his balance.
They struck his chest, abdomen, and joints in a dense barrage like raindrops.
Not a single punch carried outward pushing force.
Instead, they used the impact of Wu Gang's own charge along with Lu Chen's strength, forcing it through vibrations directly into his body.
"Crack!"
A series of bone-chilling fractures rang out.
Wu Gang's prized Iron Armor Soul Power Layer shattered inch by inch beneath that relentless, wave-like barrage, as fragile as porcelain.
Lu Chen stepped forward into Wu Gang's guard, his right fist suddenly snapping upward from his waist.
At a distance of less than three inches, it unleashed thunderous force.
At that instant, the air seemed to be sucked dry.
"Boom!!"
A dull, massive impact exploded across the silent Soul Arena.
Wu Gang's two-hundred-pound body was like a target struck head-on by a heavy hammer.
His chest caved in with a grotesque dent, the bones inside shattering inch by inch.
His entire body spun as it flew into the air, tracing a miserable arc.
Amid a spray of blood mist, he smashed heavily into the defensive barrier fifty meters away.
Then he slid limply to the ground, no longer making the slightest sound.
Silence!
Deathly silence!
The host, Lele, stood with her mouth agape, her pretty face filled with horror.
Everything had happened far too quickly.
From the start of their battle to its end, fewer than ten breaths had passed.
"What an exquisite combat technique!"
Du Busi's emerald eyes shone brilliantly. He abruptly rose to his feet, unable to suppress the excitement in his voice.
"It isn't merely using softness to overcome hardness. It senses the flow of the opponent's power through the body in advance, guides it, dismantles it, and then returns it with doubled force!
This sort of combat technique—reflecting damage and using the opponent's strength against them—is something this old man has never seen before."
With just one look, Du Busi had roughly grasped the attacking method of the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist.
Yet precisely because of that, he was even more astonished.
"If this old man used this combat technique, I could definitely battle a Level 99 Limit Douluo for hundreds of rounds!"
Princess Vina sat at the edge of the sofa, her silver-gray eyes fixed tightly on Lu Chen's retreating figure.
In her spiritual vision, not a single movement Lu Chen had made just now had been wasted.
Every ounce of strength had been used with perfect precision.
"What terrifying talent!"
She parted her red lips slightly, deep interest appearing in her eyes.
On the arena, Lu Chen slowly withdrew his stance and let out a long breath. The faint blue glow around him quietly faded away.
He looked toward the distant corpse, his gaze still calm.
He had long since grown accustomed to death.
Only then did the referee snap back to his senses and announce in a trembling voice.
"The winner of the second death match—Lu Chen!"
The next second, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the entire arena.
Tang Ya wildly waved her betting slip inside the private room, her shriek nearly lifting the roof.
"Lu Chen! You won! Gold Soul Coins! My Gold Soul Coins are here!"
Bei Yuxuan snapped his folding fan shut, excitement written all over his face. "Brother Lu's strength has exceeded my expectations. As expected of a genius from the Body Sect!"
Behind him, Old Chen nodded slightly, his eyes full of amazement. "Using softness to overcome hardness. What a marvelous combat technique."
At the same time, in another private room.
"Damn it!"
Luo Du crushed the wineglass in his hand. "My five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins are just gone like that!"
He glared fiercely at Lu Chen's departing figure. "Did this Wu Gang grow up eating shit? He couldn't even beat a Soul Scholar!"
"Young Master, that little fellow is not weak. Ordinary Soul Masters are no match for him."
Wang Ou's aged voice sounded from behind him at just the right moment. "And... he still hasn't released his Martial Soul."
At those words, the veins on Luo Du's forehead twitched faintly.
His sinister eyes suddenly swept toward the black-clad young woman standing nearby.
"Meiying, are you confident you can defeat him?"
Meiying frowned slightly. "His close-combat strength is formidable. I..."
"I don't care what method you use. You must kill him, even if you have to take pills."
Luo Du gave Meiying no chance to explain.
Meiying's expression changed slightly, but she ultimately nodded respectfully. "As you command!"
"Little Chen, we're rich!"
The moment Lu Chen returned to the private room, a figure pounced on him.
Tang Ya wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her face filled with uncontrollable excitement, her voice trembling.
"We earned ten Gold Soul Coins from that bet alone! Adding the reward for winning the match, we now have twenty Gold Soul Coins!
No wonder those Soul Masters love coming to the Great Soul Arena. Getting rich overnight is way too easy!"
Lu Chen spread his hands helplessly. "Sister Xiao Ya, you're going to strangle me."
Hearing that, Tang Ya immediately loosened her arms, though the smile on her face had yet to fade.
But a trace of shyness flashed quickly through her eyes.
"Brother Lu, congratulations on your opening victory." Bei Yuxuan raised his wineglass with a smile.
"Thank you."
Lu Chen picked up his glass and lightly clinked it against Bei Yuxuan's.
The matches outside continued in full swing.
Lu Chen sat on the sofa and began reviewing the battle he had just fought.
Though the battle had been brief, he had clearly felt the difference between Soul Masters and martial artists.
Martial artists placed greater emphasis on techniques and skill, while ordinary Soul Masters relied heavily on Soul Skills.
To be honest, Wu Gang's talent was not weak. Otherwise, his first Soul Ring would not have been a hundred-year one.
But his method of attack was far too simple—he used his Soul Skill to open the way, then relied on his Martial Soul's traits to force a head-on clash.
"This kind of fighting style suits ordinary Soul Masters, but not a Body Martial Soul, and even less so me."
Lu Chen lowered his head in thought. "I already have three fist techniques as offensive methods, so absorbing another skill-type Soul Skill probably wouldn't be very useful.
I should instead seek Soul Skills that provide percentage-based enhancements and thoroughly strengthen my body.
Long Aotian's Demonic Ape Transformation, Heaven and Earth Transformation, and Dark Gold Power would all be excellent choices.
Or I could fuse a Soul Bone skill similar to [Golden God's Wrath].
Changing my body's form and diversifying my combat methods would allow me to perfectly bring out the traits of Super Recovery."
After some thought, Lu Chen had a rough plan for his future cultivation path.
"Little Chen, what are you thinking about? It'll be your turn again soon!"
Tang Ya leaned close to him and curiously poked his arm.
Lu Chen froze. "So soon?"
He looked up at the screen and discovered that seven matches had already ended.
At that moment, host Lele's voice spread throughout the arena through a Soul Tool, announcing the next match.
"The ninth match, a death match! Buck, the Level 19 assault-type Soul Master known as 'Explosive Bear,' who has won ten consecutive matches, versus Meiying, the Level 19 assault-type Soul Master known as 'Shadow Cat,' who has won six consecutive matches!"
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, his gaze locking onto the sexy black-clad young woman on the screen.
He had seen her before.
Bei Yuxuan's eyes narrowed as he said gravely, "Brother Lu, this Meiying is the person who made a wager with you.
Her Martial Soul is the Spectral Shadow Cat. Her speed is unbelievably fast, and her strength rivals that of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster.
Moreover, her first Soul Skill is the extremely rare [Phasing]!"
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