Battle Against Huyan Meng

After his first Soul Duel Competition, Yang Xiong returned to the hotel alone to review the details of the battle, since one-on-one matches could only be entered once per day.

Yang Xiong had been a little nervous at the start of the Soul Duel Competition, but his years of training had not been for nothing, nor had the countless resources invested in him gone to waste. Although he had not used any Soul Skills, his strength, speed, agility, and other attributes should have put him among the strongest Soul Grand Masters. He just did not know how he compared to those with truly Top-Grade Martial Souls.

Opportunities to encounter such top-tier Martial Souls in the Soul Duel Arena were rare. After all, few true core disciples of major sects traveled outside.

The next day, Yang Xiong meditated alone at the hotel during the day, then went to the Soul Duel Arena again that night for another match.

When Yang Xiong entered the arena again, his opponent was even larger than the one from yesterday. He appeared to be around 2.2 meters tall, like an enormous fat man, and weighed at least two hundred kilograms. Most of his upper body was still bare, while he wore long trousers below. He looked exceptionally fierce.

Compared to him, the 1.7-meter-tall Yang Xiong looked rather diminutive.

Yang Xiong could not help but complain inwardly, Are there really so many exhibitionists on Douluo Continent? Do they all dislike wearing combat uniforms just to show off their muscles?

However, when the host announced his opponent's Martial Soul, Yang Xiong was taken aback. This man had Soul Power at level twenty-eight, and his Martial Soul was the Diamond Mammoth.

Yang Xiong was startled. The Diamond Mammoth was the inherited Martial Soul of the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the Lower Four Sects. It was known as the Number One Defense Under Heaven Martial Soul and was unquestionably formidable—likely far stronger than yesterday's contestant.

Even more unexpectedly, this man did not use an alias on the stage, instead directly giving his name as Huyan Meng. Moreover, despite being only level twenty-eight, Huyan Meng had a record of nine wins and one loss, which was quite impressive.

After stepping onto the stage, Huyan Meng looked at Yang Xiong's build and record with disdain. "Kid, you should hurry home. This kind of arena match isn't for children like you."

Yang Xiong smiled faintly. "You're only a little older than me. I'd like to see what you're capable of."

Huyan Meng's face immediately darkened. "Since you little brat like talking big, I'll crush your bones and let you learn the true brutality of Soul Duels."

Yang Xiong merely smiled without replying. He did not care to waste words on someone who was only good with his mouth. Everyone in the Elephant Armor Sect seemed to have this same arrogant disposition.

Yet once the match truly began, Yang Xiong discovered that this fellow was not merely hard-mouthed—his body was genuinely hard.

During the preparation period, both sides summoned their Martial Souls and Soul Rings. Huyan Meng also had two yellow Soul Rings, but after the enormous Diamond Mammoth possessed him, his entire body seemed to grow even stronger. At the very least, his presence was far more imposing than yesterday's Wild Bull contestant.

After the host announced the start of the match, Huyan Meng charged at Yang Xiong like a wild bull and immediately threw a punch. It looked brutally simple and direct.

Yang Xiong threw a punch to meet it as well. But when their fists collided, both men actually took a step back. Even Yang Xiong was surprised. He had already used sixty percent of his strength in that punch, yet they had only fought to a draw.

Huyan Meng's fist was especially hard. Yang Xiong felt as though he had punched granite.

Huyan Meng was somewhat surprised as well. "Kid, you're pretty strong. Let's see how your fists break through my defense."

Huyan Meng was extremely fast. Despite his massive frame, his body was astonishingly nimble, and every punch and kick carried immense force.

Yang Xiong did not yield either. He suppressed Huyan Meng in strength, speed, and agility alike, landing several consecutive punches on him and even delivering a heavy kick to his left shoulder.

Yet Huyan Meng was completely unaffected. His entire body was as hard as iron, and even Yang Xiong's barrage of attacks was easily blocked.

After fighting for a full three minutes, Huyan Meng burst into laughter. "Kid, your strength is decent, but you can't break my defense. If this is all the strength you have, you won't be able to beat me."

Huyan Meng's Second Soul Ring flashed, and his already burly body swelled again. His strength was clearly far greater than before. This was his Second Soul Skill: Mammoth Giant Strength.

Yang Xiong still met him with sixty percent of his strength. With just one blow, he felt an immense force slam into him, sending him back two meters, while Huyan Meng did not budge at all.

Yang Xiong could not help but smile. "Now this is getting interesting. Otherwise, this Soul Duel would be rather boring."

When Huyan Meng attacked again, Yang Xiong's speed suddenly increased significantly. He blocked Huyan Meng's attack with a hand chop, and in that instant, his hands changed. His five fingers became like sharp claws as they swiftly raked across Huyan Meng's arm.

Huyan Meng's defense truly was formidable. Even though Yang Xiong was using only sixty percent of his strength, it was still enough to defeat yesterday's opponent. Yet only five faint bloodstains appeared on Huyan Meng's arm.

Before Huyan Meng could react, Yang Xiong swept out with his right leg and struck the joint of Huyan Meng's left leg. Pain shot through Huyan Meng's body, and his stance became unstable for an instant.

Yang Xiong seized that fleeting opening. His clawed hands forcefully gripped Huyan Meng's shoulders, while his elbow slammed into Huyan Meng's head. Finally, he kicked upward with his right foot, sending Huyan Meng flying seven or eight meters away.

After taking Yang Xiong's successive attacks, Huyan Meng looked to be in poor condition. His shoulders seemed to have five bloody holes in them, and blood flowed from the corner of his eye after being struck. It seemed that even for the Elephant Armor Sect, the head was still relatively vulnerable.

Yang Xiong did not press his advantage. He only wanted to temper himself through battle; victory and defeat were not the most important things.

Huyan Meng's body was exceptionally tough. He quickly climbed to his feet and wiped away the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Good kid. This is the first time I've been injured after fighting so many Soul Duel Competitions. Looks like I'll have to show some real strength."

Yang Xiong stretched his limbs. "I hope your strength is a little tougher than your mouth. Otherwise, you won't be able to beat me."

Huyan Meng's First Soul Ring flashed. A layer of earthy-yellow energy seemed to cover his already burly body like a protective shield. This was his First Soul Skill: Mammoth Defense.

Yang Xiong was somewhat surprised. "It's not a purely defensive skill, but a Soul Skill that enhances physical defense. That's rather uncommon."

"But I am curious. With your strength and physical condition, especially your formidable defense combined with two rare enhancement-type Soul Skills, you should have no opponents among Soul Grand Masters. How did you lose that one match?"

Later, he planned to learn Baji Quan. He always felt that this kind of battle lacked a certain artistic conception and was not intense enough.