The First Soul Duel

After Yang Xiong and his opponent entered the staging area, it became clear that his opponent was an incredibly brawny middle-aged man. He stood over two meters tall, his body seemingly packed with muscles, and he even carried an enormous hammer on his back.

In comparison, Yang Xiong looked much smaller, like an ordinary person standing before a giant.

The host began the introductions. "Hello, everyone. Welcome to this Soul Grandmaster-level Soul Duel Competition. The contestants are Hegemon of the World and Earth Wild Bull."

"Today is Hegemon of the World's first Soul Duel Competition. His Soul Duel Arena record is zero wins and zero losses. His Martial Soul is his body, and his Soul Power Level is twenty-four."

"Earth Wild Bull's Martial Soul is the Wild Bull. His Soul Power Level is twenty-nine, with seven wins and two losses in the Soul Duel Arena. He has also achieved a three-match winning streak."

"Will Hegemon of the World, competing in a Soul Duel Competition for the first time, claim his first victory? Or will Earth Wild Bull achieve the remarkable feat of four consecutive wins? Let us wait and see. Now, please have the two Soul Grandmasters step onto the stage."

The two had been in the staging area and now gradually walked toward the center of the arena.

Once they truly stood together, the difference in their builds became even more obvious. Earth Wild Bull was bare-chested, displaying his muscles as he pounded his chest, and the entire Soul Duel Arena seemed to erupt with excitement.

Yang Xiong was somewhat nervous as well. Earth Wild Bull was clearly a pure strength-type Soul Master, and the massive hammer on his back was obviously no lightweight. Weapons were allowed in normal Soul Duel Competitions, but few people carried a heavy weapon straight onto the stage.

Earth Wild Bull looked at Yang Xiong with disdain. "Kid, you're still young. You don't belong in a brutal Soul Master Competition like this. Hurry home."

Yang Xiong, who had initially been a little nervous, instead calmed down. "You won't know until we fight. I'd also like to see just how strong a three-match winner like you really is."

The host continued, "The two Soul Grandmasters have one minute to prepare. Please summon your Martial Souls and Soul Rings."

Earth Wild Bull suddenly let out a roar. A massive Wild Bull phantom instantly appeared around him, accompanied by two yellow Soul Rings.

Yang Xiong did not hesitate either. A faint glow spread from his body, and two yellow Soul Rings appeared as well.

When the minute was over, the host spoke again. "Both Soul Grandmasters are ready. The Soul Duel Competition officially begins."

As the match began, Earth Wild Bull charged straight at Yang Xiong at high speed. His enormous fist smashed toward him, brimming with power.

Yang Xiong moved extremely quickly, striking the side of the fist with a hand chop and knocking its force slightly off course.

Seeing that his first strike had missed, Earth Wild Bull threw punch after punch, each one packed with tremendous strength.

But in Yang Xiong's eyes, Earth Wild Bull had plenty of power but lacked speed, much less agility. Furthermore, there was no technique at all between his punches. He probably had never systematically trained in boxing.

After exchanging moves for half a minute, Yang Xiong relied on his nimble body and incredible speed to evade every punch.

This was Yang Xiong's first Soul Duel Competition. Actual combat was completely different from training by punching sandbags and Wooden Dummies. An opponent was far more unpredictable, and even Yang Xiong found himself struggling to cope at first, which was why he focused more on evasion.

Earth Wild Bull seemed exceptionally angry. "Can't you, kid, fight fair and square? Why do you only think about dodging attacks? What's the point of a Soul Duel like that?"

A faint smile appeared on Yang Xiong's face. "Then let me see what gives you the nerve to talk so big."

Yang Xiong had now adapted to the rhythm of battle. Faced with Earth Wild Bull's fist, he threw a punch of his own. The two fists collided in midair. Yang Xiong's body did not move an inch, while Earth Wild Bull staggered back two steps. Clearly, Yang Xiong was far stronger in terms of pure strength.

Earth Wild Bull was stunned. This was the first time he had lost to an opponent in a contest of strength during a Soul Grandmaster Soul Duel Competition—and his opponent even looked much smaller than him.

Earth Wild Bull let out a roar, and his First Soul Ring flashed. His entire body charged forward like a massive wild bull. It was his first Soul Skill: Wild Bull Charge.

Watching the attack approach, Yang Xiong could not help but complain inwardly, How did a brute like this manage to get three consecutive wins? The arena is so large that dodging this would be absurdly easy.

But Yang Xiong also wanted to test the limits of his own strength. Countless strands of soul power gathered in his fist as he punched forward with all his might.

Yang Xiong's soul-power-infused fist collided with the enormous Wild Bull phantom. A deafening crash rang throughout the arena, accompanied by the faint sound of bones cracking.

When the arena fell quiet again, Yang Xiong was still standing calmly where he had been. Earth Wild Bull, on the other hand, had been sent flying. Blood was even seeping from his hand, showing that he had suffered a serious injury from that blow.

A trace of fear appeared on Earth Wild Bull's face. He had never expected that his opponent, whose Soul Power Level was a full five levels lower than his, could defeat his Soul Skill with pure strength. If this opponent used Soul Skills, how powerful would he become?

However, that fear flashed by in an instant. He gritted his teeth, and his Second Soul Ring lit up. His already brawny body seemed to become even more imposing. This was his Second Soul Skill: Wild Bull Strength, clearly a strength-type Amplification Soul Skill.

Seeing him charge over again, Yang Xiong still clenched both fists and met him head-on. Their clash seemed to be a pure contest of strength and physical bodies, with neither side appearing to gain an advantage.

But everyone understood that Earth Wild Bull had already used two Soul Skills, while Yang Xiong had yet to use any. The difference in soul power consumption was enormous.

After competing for a full minute, Earth Wild Bull had already recognized the gap in their strength. He actually pulled the huge hammer from his back and swung it down at Yang Xiong, clearly unwilling to admit defeat so easily.

Yang Xiong had only wanted to test his strength. Since his opponent had begun using a weapon, it meant he was no longer holding back. There was no need for Yang Xiong to keep playing around either.

Yang Xiong's five fingers curved into claws as he forcibly grabbed the hammer's handle. The enormous hammer immediately came to a complete stop.

Then Yang Xiong spun and kicked Earth Wild Bull hard in the abdomen, sending him flying several meters away.

Before he could react, Yang Xiong dashed toward him. He was several times faster than before, appearing in front of Earth Wild Bull like a shadow. This time, he drove a punch directly into his chest.

Earth Wild Bull only felt boundless force in the incoming fist, as though his bones were about to shatter. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the stage, clearly badly injured.

The audience was stunned at first, then thunderous cheers erupted. No one had expected a contestant with three straight wins to lose so easily to an opponent whose Soul Power Level was five levels lower—and the entire battle had been extremely brief. Hegemon of the World had not even used a single Soul Skill.

Yang Xiong, however, wore a bitter smile. He seemed to have overestimated the intensity of Soul Duel Competitions.

Yang Xiong had trained diligently since childhood, pushing his strength, speed, and reaction ability to their limits without neglecting his defense. His opponent's strength was clearly quite good among Soul Masters of the same level, but in every other aspect, he was simply far too inferior to Yang Xiong, especially in speed and agility.

Moreover, after all those expensive Medicinal Baths and painful Body Forging sessions, Yang Xiong's physical strength alone was unquestionably among the strongest of all Soul Grandmasters.

Most fundamentally, there was the strength of their Martial Souls. The Wild Bull was, after all, merely an ordinary strength-type Beast Martial Soul. The gap between it and a truly top-tier Martial Soul was simply far too great.