An Epiphany One Breath Short, and the Muscle Apes Arrived Right on Time

Snake Lance Douluo's will was like a fuse set to a powder keg. The moment it touched Tang Shan, his body, energy, and spirit surged into resonance, climbing toward a realm of profound mystery. His will began to transform and take shape.

But when Snake Lance Douluo saw it, worry flashed across his aged face. He saw the problem with Tang Shan's breakthrough almost at once.

This was only a sparring match, after all, not a fight to the death.

Even if Tang Shan had seized the spark of enlightenment and was trying to forge a will of his own, he would lack something at the final moment: the ruthlessness to stake everything, the resolve to charge forward without ever looking back.

Failing this breakthrough would do Tang Shan no real harm. Since he had already reached the threshold of understanding will, a similar opening would be easier to seize next time. But that assumed there would be a next time.

Chances to understand will came by luck, never on demand.

No one knew that better than Snake Lance Douluo.

When he had first understood will, he was already a Seven-Ring Soul Sage. Because his fifth Soul Ring was merely an ordinary purple one, Soul Masters of the same rank had still looked down on him.

Worse, his Martial Soul was the Snake Lance. His self-created Spear Techniques carried the sinister, cunning nature of a snake, a style high-ranking Soul Masters found particularly distasteful.

Orthodox Tool Soul Masters were especially scornful. In their eyes, vicious, underhanded moves belonged to short weapons like daggers. A long weapon like the Snake Lance ought to be wielded openly and boldly. Even if the Martial Soul had a venomous streak, he should have honed it toward the Dragon Lance's forceful style instead of letting