Proposing a Soul Duel

"Ah..." Master Yu Xiaogang swallowed hard and turned to look at his genius disciple, Tang San. The two stared at each other, and in the instant their eyes met, it seemed they had countless things to say, yet none of them could be spoken. When Yu Xiaogang turned back again, his lips parted slightly as though he wanted to defend his disciple, but in the end, he said nothing.

As for Tang San, he kept his head lowered, his hands clenched tightly behind his back as if he wanted to crush all his anger in his grip. His eyes burned with raging fury, as though they could set the very air around him ablaze. If the flames in his gaze could take physical form, this place would likely have become a blazing mountain of fire.

Damn Gu Hengzhi! How dare he make me lose face? You... you have chosen death! Tang San stared fixedly at his worn cloth shoes, cursing inwardly. His fists were tightly clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms, as if that were the only way to ease the hatred in his heart.

Seeing that Yu Xiaogang and Tang San had fallen silent, Gu Hengzhi knew there was no point in keeping this deadlock going. After thinking for a moment, the corners of his lips curled into a sly smile. "From what I know about the two of you, there probably aren't many of those herbs left. Given Tang San's current situation, he definitely can't afford compensation. How about we make a wager instead?"

"A wager?" Principal Wu looked at Gu Hengzhi curiously, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.

"That's right, a wager!" Gu Hengzhi's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's as he pointed directly at Tang San. "As long as you, Tang San, are willing to have a soul duel with me, I won't ask for compensation regardless of who wins. But if you lose, you must write a ten-thousand-word apology letter and post it on the teaching building!"

A glimmer suddenly flashed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes. Without hesitation, he asked, "Then what if you lose? What price will you pay?"

"Heh! A price? Are you mistaken? The one in the wrong is your disciple Tang San, not me!" Gu Hengzhi sneered, his tone dripping with contempt. "As for Tang San winning this soul duel, that's absolutely impossible!"

Seeing the situation grow increasingly tense, Principal Wu hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "Enough, Master! Student Gu Hengzhi has already made the greatest concession possible! If you keep arguing, I'll have no choice but to hand this matter over to Spirit Hall!"

In the end, Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath. His gaze was firm and resolute, as though he had made a difficult decision. He stepped forward and secured this soul duel for his disciple. It was set for this afternoon after school, at the open area of the academy grounds.

"Little San, I believe you have a very good chance of winning this afternoon's soul duel." In Yu Xiaogang's office, master and disciple sat around the desk and discussed the matter at length. On the desk lay a mountain-like pile of information Yu Xiaogang had obtained through connections regarding Gu Hengzhi.

"According to the information we have, one of the crucial reasons Gu Hengzhi cultivates so quickly is that he relies on spiritual herbs. That means his soul power definitely isn't pure enough. In that regard, you are superior." As Yu Xiaogang spoke, he laid out a document as if displaying a precious treasure.

"But... but he was actually able to fight a Mandala Snake alone." Tang San spoke hesitantly, a trace of worry in his eyes.

"There's no need to worry. That Mandala Snake looked to be only around three meters long, and it was so slow. It might have been seriously injured as well." Yu Xiaogang took a light sip of tea and said leisurely, "Besides, I observed the wounded python you absorbed. There was already a patch of golden color on its head, so it was very likely a mutated soul beast."

"A mutated soul beast? Is it like a mutated martial soul among us humans?" Tang San's curiosity was fully aroused, and he hurriedly pressed for an answer.

"You can understand it that way. That python was a soul beast in the process of mutating. If it succeeded, it would become the legendary Golden Python!" Yu Xiaogang stared at the Golden Python's information, utterly absorbed. "You must have felt it too. That strange bloodline power should be transforming your Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Such an advantage is far beyond what an ordinary Earth Azure Bull can compare with!"

"Now, let's talk about Gu Hengzhi's soul skills. From what we observed at the time, his skills should be raising an earthen wall and strengthening his own defense. They are decent defensive soul skills, but unfortunately, they are far inferior to yours..."

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the bell signaling the end of the school day had rung. Gu Hengzhi had long since been waiting impatiently in the open area of the academy grounds. Upon hearing that there would be a soul duel, the students and dormmates all rushed over, packing the entire open space until it was impenetrable.

After quite some time, Tang San finally appeared slowly. Xiao Wu and his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, followed behind him.

"I will be the referee for this soul duel." An academy teacher stepped forward, three Soul Rings shining around him—white, yellow, and purple, their colors reflecting one another. "This soul duel is a sparring match. It will determine only victory and defeat, and you will stop when appropriate. Life and death are up to fate. Next, both sides will have one minute to release your martial souls and prepare. One minute later, the soul duel will officially begin!"

Before his words had even faded, a stalk of Blue Silver Grass slowly rose from Tang San's right hand. It was full of vitality, thicker and sturdier than those by the roadside, with fine golden patterns decorating it. Without close inspection, they would have been difficult to notice. At the sight, the crowd immediately burst into laughter.

"Pfft! What kind of continent-standard trash martial soul is this? It can actually become a Soul Master? Hahaha!"

"Hahaha! Blue Silver Grass? This trash martial soul still has the nerve to come out for a soul duel!"

Amid the crowd's mockery, Tang San's expression became exceptionally ugly. Yet he was not shaken by their ridicule. Immediately afterward, he resolutely revealed the Century Soul Ring he took such pride in. In an instant, the crowd's laughter came to an abrupt halt, with more than half of it disappearing.

While everyone was discussing it animatedly, Gu Hengzhi released his martial soul as well. A Stone Statue stood behind him, carved with the Earth Deity and his mount, Xiao Qing. Above and behind the Stone Statue, a phantom flickered in and out of sight—it was the Earth Deity's figure. At the same time, a yellow Soul Ring appeared.

At that moment, it was as if an invisible hand had tightly gripped the crowd's noise, bringing it to a sudden halt for a moment. Then, like a surging flood, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers that rang through the sky.

"What kind of martial soul is that? It looks so powerful!"

"Who knows! As long as it looks imposing, that's enough. It's way stronger than that lousy Blue Silver Grass!"

"Yeah, yeah..."