Yao Zi: Who taught you to fight like that as a support-type Soul Master?!

He followed Yao Zi and Jiang Yan into the training grounds.

"Is this where everyone usually trains?"

Jin Yang pointed at the wild, untended woodland and asked in confusion.

There were no man-made facilities anywhere around them, only trees, dead branches, and fallen leaves.

In fact, if he hadn't faintly made out a ring of pine trees deliberately planted to mark the boundary...

He would have thought he had wandered into the Sunset Forest by mistake.

"This is on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest. Powerful soul beasts don't usually come here, and even if any soul beasts do show up, the students can easily handle them. They can even sell the beasts they kill to the academy cafeteria for soul coins. So the academy simply turned this place into training grounds for the students."

"Normally, students only receive permission to enter after becoming two-ring soul masters. Since you already have rank 37 soul power, you can naturally enter without approval from an academy teacher."

Yao Zi smiled.

Jin Yang smiled and nodded, thinking to himself, They really did build their training grounds right inside the Sunset Forest. The dean certainly knows how to pinch pennies.

Just then, Jiang Yan kicked a pebble at his feet and said, "Senior Yao Zi, let's get started. By the way, are Fang Qiong and the others coming?"

"Judging by the time, they should be here soon, right?"

The seven competitors who represented the Plant Academy in the Whole Continent Soul Master Tournament were all women, and all seven were control-type soul masters.

Although Ma Hongjun had swept through all seven with his Phoenix Flame and eliminated the Plant Academy, that might well have been because a hard counter trumped everything else.

Before Ma Hongjun entered the ring, a single Plant Academy competitor had easily defeated Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Tai Long of Shrek Academy.

Control-type soul masters were formidable in one-on-one combat. Although the Plant Academy hadn't reached the finals, that didn't mean it had no strengths worth praising.

"Since they aren't here yet, why don't we warm up first?" Yao Zi stretched and began warming up.

"Who's first?"

Yao Zi asked.

Jiang Yan glanced at Jin Yang, then steeled himself and stepped forward.

"Senior Yao Zi, I'd better go first. Jin Yang is only a support-type soul master. He's delicate and frail-he can't take that kind of punishment."

Jiang Yan walked over to stand opposite Yao Zi and closed his eyes, looking as though he had nothing left to live for.

"All right! You're first, then." Yao Zi looked at Jin Yang and continued, "Jin Yang, don't worry. I use different approaches against support-type soul masters and other soul masters. I definitely won't hurt you."

"Thanks for the effort, Senior. But you don't need to give me special treatment. I'm actually pretty strong." Jin Yang struggled to hold back his laughter.

Jiang Yan kept calling him a support-type soul master, to the point that Jin Yang felt a little embarrassed.

Although he had no intention of playing the pig to eat the tiger, he still found a little mischievous pleasure in it.

"That's right, Senior Yao Zi. I can practice with Jin Yang later." Jiang Yan waved his fist, brimming with confidence.

"My soul power is rank 37, you know. You might not be a match for me." Jin Yang folded his arms, looking equally confident.

"How could I possibly lose to a support-type soul master? Watch out, or your Master Jiang will beat your backside till it blossoms."

Jiang Yan was currently rank 36, only one rank below Jin Yang. Among the Plant Academy's ordinary students, he was considered highly talented.

His martial soul was no weakling, either.

The Man-Eating Flower martial soul was one of the more combat-capable plant martial souls.

It had powerful attacks and great speed.

Its only weakness was its relatively poor defense.

The first match was Yao Zi against Jiang Yan.

As Jin Yang announced the start of the fight...

Flaming, sharp-spiked thorn roots burst out of the ground beneath Jiang Yan first, as though they meant to nail him to the earth.

"Holy crap, Cousin, you're vicious! What if you cut off the Jiang family line?" Jiang Yan cried out as he looked at the thorns he had narrowly dodged, which had scraped past his crotch.

"If I don't fight hard enough, will you take this seriously?" Yao Zi smiled. "You're even calling me Cousin to save your skin now? You really have no backbone."

The thorns slithered beneath Jiang Yan's feet like nimble venomous snakes, ready to strike at any moment.

Naturally, Jiang Yan refused to be outdone. His martial soul rose from beneath his feet: a Man-Eating Flower the size of an adult, green all over. Its bud opened to reveal thick, sharp barbs packed together like rows upon rows of teeth.

The mucus spilling from the opening of its bud gave off waves of foul stench.

Even though Jin Yang stood far from the Man-Eating Flower, he could still clearly smell its overpowering reek, like a mixture of socks left unwashed for a week and sewage.

Jiang Yan kept dodging the thorns while the Man-Eating Flower opened its enormous bud, aimed the barbed inner surfaces of its petals at Yao Zi, and charged straight at her.

Yao Zi didn't dare take it lightly and hurriedly directed the thorns to block the path in front of her.

Perhaps she could accept getting injured.

But being disfigured was absolutely out of the question.

"Thorn City!"

The thorns wove themselves into an enormous wall that stood firmly before her.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan also used his third soul skill. "Iron Teeth and Copper Fangs!"

In an instant, the teeth lining the Man-Eating Flower's petals became sharper and harder, with intense fluctuations of soul power rippling over them.

With one bite, it tore a gap in the enormous wall of thorns.

"Not bad, kid. You've picked up a little skill. But you're still a long way from beating me."

"Thorn Bind."

"Thorn Spikes."

Burning thorns burst out of the ground and bound the Man-Eating Flower tightly. Their flames continuously scorched its body, and the pain from the damage to his martial soul left Jiang Yan unable to dodge the spikes erupting beneath his feet.

Shhk! Shhk!

The spikes pierced Jiang Yan's school uniform, brushing against his skin before instantly closing into a tight cage that trapped him, leaving him unable to move.

For a moment, Jin Yang almost saw the Blue Silver Thorn Array and the Blue Silver Cage.

"I lost!" Jiang Yan hurriedly conceded, and Yao Zi immediately directed the thorns to release his Man-Eating Flower martial soul.

Exasperated by his failure to improve, Yao Zi scolded Jiang Yan. "I've told you countless times not to attack with your martial soul's actual body. It's far too dangerous, but you just won't listen! You deserve a lesson you won't forget."

"I know. I'm hopelessly bad." Jiang Yan hugged his arms and crouched on the ground pitifully.

The memory of that searing pain seemed to linger in his body, making him shudder now and then.

Seeing him like that, Yao Zi no longer had the heart to scold him.

She sighed helplessly. "Looks like we can't count on you for the Whole Continent Soul Master Tournament."

Yao Zi and Jin Yang helped Jiang Yan to the side. Once he was seated, they returned to the center of the training grounds.

"Are you ready, Junior? I'll go a little easier on you. This time, we'll mainly work on your ability to dodge."

Yao Zi smiled.

The next second, a thorn vine extended toward him from beneath Yao Zi's feet.

Although it was still fast, it lacked the ferocity and sharpness of her attacks against Jiang Yan.

Clearly, she wasn't merely holding back-she was letting an entire ocean through for Jin Yang's sake as a support-type soul master.

"Senior, I really am not weak. Believe me, we can fight normally."

Yao Zi assumed he was simply putting on a brave front to preserve his dignity. The academy had plenty of younger support-type students like that.

She smiled faintly, paid it no mind, and maintained her gentle offensive.

But instead of dodging the thorns reaching toward him, Jin Yang glowed with golden light from head to toe and charged straight toward Yao Zi.

"What?!"

Yao Zi's expression changed drastically as she watched Jin Yang charge at her, and she hurriedly steered the thorns away from his path.

"Stop!" Yao Zi shouted.

Jin Yang stopped.

"Who taught you to fight like that as a support-type soul master?!" Yao Zi snapped. "You don't take your own life seriously at all!"

Yao Zi's fury blazed three feet high.

"What if I'd accidentally injured you badly just now?" Yao Zi demanded.

"Senior, I really am not weak," Jin Yang explained.

Seeing that Yao Zi still looked unconvinced, Jin Yang had no choice but to walk over to a tree as thick as the rim of a bowl and throw a powerful punch.

A crisp crack rang out.

The tree snapped at the sound and fell to the ground.

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