"Next up! The Legendary Lollipop duo, made up of the level 16 Soul Master Phoenix Legend and the level 19 Soul Master Super Lollipop!"
At the host's excited introduction, the bloodthirsty spectators watching from their seats burst into applause. They didn't care how much Soul Power the fighters had. They wanted a fight to the death, something worth watching, damn it! They had spent copper coins on tickets and silver coins on bets, not to watch amateurs trade feeble blows. Now they wanted to see blood flow!
"Legendary Lollipop currently has five wins and seven losses in the Soul Master division. They may have lost more than they've won, but their tenacious fighting style makes every match impossible to call until the final moment. They've even pulled off several astonishing comebacks! Spectators! Do you love them?" the host shouted.
"Hell yeah! You've got this, Lollipop!"
"Yeah! Phoenix Legend, beat the hell out of them!"
Listening to Ma Hongjun's and Oscar's aliases, Jodio wanted to cover his face and run. Those two brats had quite the sense of humor. He had casually told them a few stories from his childhood, and they had shamelessly borrowed the names, just like Ziyan next door. Damn it, why did Ma Hongjun and Oscar have to be like this?
"And their opponents! The brothers who call themselves Super-B: Divine Wood Monkey and Stone-Armored Bear! Let's welcome these two Soul Masters, with Soul Power at levels 18 and 19 respectively! Please welcome Legendary Lollipop and Super-B!"
Jodio felt a powerful urge to cover his face and flee, but he took a couple of deep breaths and sat down on a sofa. He was curious whether Ma Hongjun could beat those two. They were two levels above him. It probably wouldn't be easy.
"Hey, fat boy, you'd better scurry home and suckle. With that body of yours, I doubt you could even catch my Divine Wood Monkey's ass. And you, pretty boy, you belong at Takamagahara—the famous host club in Suotuo City—not in the manly Great Soul Arena!"
As the cheers grew louder, the skinny Soul Master from Super-B came over to talk trash. Ma Hongjun refused to be outdone and fired right back.
"What, are you two dressed up as Big-Headed Son and Small-Headed Dad? One of you is so pumped up he looks ready to ascend to the steroid planet, and the other's so skinny he looks one second away from playing an australopithecine on the Prehistoric Humans set. This is a tournament for people of Douluo. We don't let other species fight here," Ma Hongjun said, hands on his hips.
"No. I definitely didn't teach him that." Jodio looked innocently at the other healing-type Soul Masters as he explained. They all knew the two kids below had some connection to him, but they hadn't expected them to be quite this vicious. Their pre-match trash talk was remarkably good.
"Match, begin!"
"Phoenix Legend!"
"Divine Wood Monkey!"
The two formidable beast Martial Souls clashed immediately. Wait. Jodio's eyes went round. Why is an agility-type fighter charging straight at someone who looks like an attack-type Soul Master? He's even fire-aligned, and you're wood-aligned!
"Phoenix... Fist!"
With agility that belied his size, Ma Hongjun easily dodged the skinny monkey's swipe. He rolled, planted a foot, rose, and drove a side kick into his opponent in one fluid motion, sending him flying three meters. To be fair, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix really did pack enough power to make up for a lot. Without the problem of his evil fire, it would probably have been a top-tier Martial Soul. In fact, it was much better than the Martial Souls of several of the other little monsters.
"That's cheating! Didn't you say it was a punch?!" the skinny Soul Master demanded, clutching his nose in shock. When he heard Ma Hongjun call out "Phoenix Fist," he had instinctively watched his hands, only to take a side kick instead. That kick had nearly knocked his kidneys loose. Only then did the skinny Soul Master realize something was wrong. What kind of Martial Soul is that? How is it so absurdly strong?
"I don't want my enemies controlling my corpse after I die. Is that explanation good enough?" Ma Hongjun said, taking up his stance again. Why did I say punch and throw a kick? Isn't it obvious? I'm one attack-type Soul Master against the two of you. How am I supposed to win without fighting dirty? Let that bear get past me and smash my buddy Oscar to a pulp?
"Hmph. My turn!" The Soul Master with the Stone-Armored Bear Martial Soul thundered forward, looking ready to tear Ma Hongjun apart. Ma Hongjun grew serious too. His first Spirit Ring lit up, activating his first Spirit Skill. Phoenix Scorching Flame Protective Shield!
An instant before their fists met, Ma Hongjun rolled sideways again, avoiding the heavy blow. Then he accelerated to top speed and went after the skinny monkey running toward Oscar. Who fights head-on these days? I specialize in speed and defense. What's the point if I don't use my strengths against your weaknesses?
"Phoenix Nebula Split!"
Purple-red flames roared around Ma Hongjun as he charged toward the skinny monkey, looking almost as though he were stumbling. His run appeared clumsy, but he was closing the distance fast. With his Martial Soul fully unleashed, Ma Hongjun's speed had risen noticeably. At the very least, he could catch his opponent in a burst.
"Hongjun!"
Oscar wasn't idle either. According to the combat principles Jodio had taught him, a support-type Soul Master naturally drew twice as much enemy attention as other Soul Masters. He was the obvious target in any team fight. If he didn't learn to move, he might as well wait for the Sky Azure Bull Python to blast him into a dead sausage and turn him into reeking python dung a week later. Run. Yes, run. Keep moving at all times and be ready to regroup with Ma Hongjun!
Three sausages flew from Oscar's hand into Ma Hongjun's mouth. Ma Hongjun perked up at once and burned through his Soul Power almost recklessly to accelerate further. Jodio saw his lips moving as though he were muttering something. A moment later, he could no longer keep a straight face. Watching even one more second would take superhuman endurance.
"Super. Big. Sausage!"
Jodio's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted. He resolved to borrow Zhao Wuji's belt tonight and give those two little bastards a thorough whipping. What kind of person came up with a line like that? Those two were destroying every shred of dignity he had!
Ma Hongjun unleashed everything he had. A sweeping kick forced the skinny monkey to leap high, and Ma Hongjun sprang after him with even greater force. He brought his hand down like a dunk, nearly slapping the monkey's head into his chest and turning him into Tom Cat. Then Ma Hongjun tossed him toward Oscar without even looking and ran to intercept Stone-Armored Bear. He trusted Oscar to kick the guy out of the arena like a ball. Then it really would be two against one.
"How is that possible? Divine Wood Monkey went down so easily!" Stone-Armored Bear said in shock.
"This is my Phoenix Legend!" Ma Hongjun leaped up again, turned, and drew back his fist for a heavy blow.
"Die, you stinking bear!"
Currently available information: Martial Soul: Evil Phoenix (level 16) Wielder: Ma Hongjun Spirit Ring: Yellow (210-year-old Flame Bull) Destructive power: B, speed: D, range: D, endurance: D, precision: E, growth potential: B Martial Soul ability: Summons roaring flames and the phantom of a phoenix to envelop the wielder, increasing his attack power and speed. This Martial Soul cannot be sustained for long and is better suited to hit-and-run combat. Flame Scorching Guard halves the impact of attacks against him and increases the range of his flames. Combined with his high attack power and fairly high speed, it produces excellent results. As his Soul Power rises, his speed has improved noticeably too.
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