First Soul Battle

"Kid, the Soul Battle Arena isn't a playground. Don't let big brother beat you until you cry later."

Han Ya's hoarse voice came through his mask, carrying undisguised mockery toward Lin Wan.

Lin Wan ignored the provocation and merely stood there calmly, coolly observing his opponent.

Han Ya, a level 13 Ice Wolf Martial Spirit. The same level as him.

Ice Wolf Martial Spirits generally possessed decent close-combat abilities, ice-element attacks, and considerable speed.

"Soul battle, begin!" the referee announced!

"Ice Wolf, possess me."

Han Ya let out a low growl, and his Martial Spirit instantly possessed him. His body swelled slightly, his muscles became more pronounced, and a thin layer of ice crystals covered his exposed skin. His fingernails sharpened into wolf claws, radiating a chilling aura.

"Martial Spirit, possess me."

Lin Wan's voice remained calm and even as his Martial Spirit possessed him as well.

His appearance did not change much, except for a fluffy fox tail that appeared behind him.

Han Ya clearly did not take Lin Wan seriously and launched an attack immediately.

In his eyes, they were the same level. A wolf was obviously stronger than a fox.

He stomped off the ground, shooting toward Lin Wan like an arrow released from a bow. His ice-covered wolf claws tore through the air, carrying bone-piercing cold and a fierce howl of wind as they struck straight for Lin Wan's face.

He was incredibly fast!

Several gasps rose from the audience, as though they had already foreseen the miserable sight of Lin Wan being sent flying by a single claw.

Lin Wan's gaze sharpened, and the rapidly enlarging wolf claw reflected in his sea-blue eyes.

He did not meet it head-on, instead twisting aside to evade.

The Ice Wolf claw swept past the edge of Lin Wan's clothes with a shrill whistle, tearing only a few scraps of fabric lifted by the icy wind.

"What?!"

Han Ya's strike missed, and a flicker of astonishment passed through his eyes. He's so fast.

Although Lin Wan had disguised his Martial Spirit, the physical qualities enhanced by his 675-year soul ring and the supreme agility granted by the Nine-Heavens Beauty Fox had not been weakened in the slightest.

After missing with his attack, Han Ya prepared to continue his assault.

But Lin Wan clearly would not give him that chance.

He closed in swiftly, moving as fast as lightning.

His right hand formed a blade with two fingers, carrying a sharp gust of force as it stabbed directly toward the gap beneath Han Ya's ribs exposed by his attack.

"Hmph!"

Han Ya had fought many matches in the Soul Battle Arena after all, and his combat experience far surpassed that of the academy's rookies.

He forcibly twisted his body and raised his ice-crystal-covered left arm across his ribs.

Bang!

Lin Wan's hand blade struck Han Ya's ice-crystal arm heavily, producing a dull impact.

Han Ya felt a force far beyond his expectations crash into him. Several ice crystals on his arm shattered with a crack, and he staggered back two steps, his arm numb and aching.

What tremendous strength! Han Ya was horrified. The contempt in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by gravity and disbelief.

This kid called White Fox possessed strength and speed far beyond his estimates.

How was that possible? How could an ordinary fox Martial Spirit be stronger than his Ice Wolf?

In Douluo Continent, the stronger a Martial Spirit was, the greater the enhancement it provided to its soul master.

Among soul masters of the same level, beast Martial Spirits generally enhanced their soul masters more than tool Martial Spirits.

And among beast Martial Spirits, the more powerful the Martial Spirit, the stronger the enhancement it granted its soul master.

Apart from the enhancement of the Martial Spirit itself, soul rings also enhanced the soul master's body. The stronger the soul ring, the greater that enhancement.

Han Ya was deeply shocked, but then he felt that he had guessed the answer.

White Fox's first soul ring definitely had something to do with strength.

A wave of surprised murmurs also rose from the audience.

This guy codenamed White Fox seemed to have some skill.

"Kid, I underestimated you!"

Han Ya's eyes turned vicious. "But this ends here. Taste my soul skill, Icebound Path!"

The yellow soul ring around Han Ya lit up. He abruptly bent down and slammed both palms onto the floor of the Soul Battle platform.

Crack! Crack!

Bone-chilling cold erupted instantly. Centered on Han Ya's palms, a thick sheet of ice radiating frigid air spread rapidly like a living creature. It covered nearly half the Soul Battle platform in an instant and continued rushing toward Lin Wan's feet without slowing.

Wherever the ice passed, tiny ice crystals condensed in the air.

This was an area-control skill. Once caught by the Icebound Path, one's movements would be severely restricted, and one might even be frozen in place.

This first soul skill was Han Ya's greatest source of pride. No one would have expected a close-combat assault-type soul master like him to possess an area-control skill.

It was precisely because of this large-scale soul skill that he had won several consecutive matches in the Soul Battle Arena.

Lin Wan's eyes narrowed. Han Ya's move was indeed troublesome.

He pushed off with his feet and retreated rapidly! Yet the ice spread incredibly fast and was about to catch up with him.

Now.

Seeing Han Ya's focused expression, a glint flashed through Lin Wan's eyes.

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Using an area soul skill would inevitably require his opponent to concentrate, leaving him in a relatively fixed position.

Lin Wan stopped avoiding the spreading ice. Instead, he stomped down hard and charged straight toward the Icebound Path like a phantom.

Limited by his soul power, Han Ya's ice path could not completely cover the ground.

Lin Wan tapped the tip of his foot on an uncovered spot and leaped fiercely toward Han Ya.

At the same time, the fingers of his right hand opened slightly. An extremely faint silver glimmer seemed to flash across his fingertips, his target pointing directly at Han Ya, whose movements had slowed slightly while using his soul skill.

When Han Ya saw Lin Wan actually charge toward the Icebound Path, a savage grin had just appeared on his face. But in the next instant, he saw Lin Wan pounce straight at him from midair.

"What?!"

Han Ya hurriedly raised an arm to block, but Lin Wan's hand had already touched his arm.

At that moment, the yellow soul ring around Lin Wan lit up.

Buzzz—!

An indescribable mental wave, carrying extreme allure and irresistible compulsion to sink into it, crashed viciously into Han Ya's mind like an invisible sledgehammer.

The savage grin on Han Ya's face froze instantly, and his pupils immediately turned vacant.

Like a puppet whose soul had been pulled away, he stood rigidly in place with hollow eyes and a blank expression. Even the Icebound Path beneath his feet, which he had been sustaining, instantly stopped spreading when his soul power was interrupted.

Forced Bewitchment took effect.

One second. In a battle between soul masters, one second was enough to decide life or death.

The soul skill's effect was exceptional.

Lin Wan did not use the accompanying Heart-Eating Essence Theft, nor did he even truly manifest his fox claws.

He lowered his body slightly. His left fist, which had long been gathering force, whistled through the air and slammed without any flourish into Han Ya's completely unguarded lower abdomen.

Bang!!!

A dull, thunderous impact rang out.

Han Ya's body was like someone hit by a charging wild bull. He bent double like a shrimp, spat out a mouthful of sour fluid, and flew backward uncontrollably. He crashed heavily into the protective barrier at the edge of the Soul Battle platform with a pained groan, then slid limply to the floor. Curled up on the ground, he would not be getting back up anytime soon.

The Forced Bewitchment ended at exactly that moment, and Han Ya regained consciousness. All he felt was searing pain in his lower abdomen, leaving him utterly unable to continue fighting. He could only groan in agony.