At Tang San's words, everyone on the Imperial Fighting Team except Dugu Yan looked furious.
"Kid, aren't you a little too arrogant?"
"One against seven? Do you think you're a Soul King?"
The boy standing second in the lineup spoke with a slight frown.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Yu Tianheng, and my martial soul is the top-tier beast martial soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. I'm not like those ordinary people."
"My soul power is level thirty-nine. With my powerful martial soul, I can fight a Soul Ancestor."
"Unlike you, I don't fight unaffiliated Soul Masters in the Soul Fighting Arena. My opponents are all children of prominent families!"
Pride seeped through every word. He was clearly warning Tang San not to underestimate them.
Dugu Yan stood to one side, her eyes fixed on Tang San.
With the abundant medicinal resources Li Sen had supplied, Tang San had developed well compared to his original counterpart, and his complexion was good too.
Martial Soul Evolution also brought a second round of refinement to the body.
Although it was not the Blue Silver King from the original story, it still gave Tang San an aura of vitality that made everyone who saw him feel drawn to him.
For Dugu Yan, who was deeply afflicted by deadly poison, such powerful vitality made her instinctively want to approach him, longing for her body to be healed.
It was much like her relationship with Ye Lingling.
Out of consideration for her boyfriend, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan merely offered a gentle warning.
"Handsome boy, my name is Dugu Yan. I'm a level thirty-eight control system Soul Master.
"And I specialize in poison. One careless mistake could get someone killed."
"Let's just fight one-on-one."
The members of the Imperial Fighting Team froze, staring at Dugu Yan in bewilderment.
She seemed utterly unfamiliar to them, like a completely different person from her usual haughty self.
Thinking of the immortal herbs he could obtain through Dugu Yan, Tang San softened his tone and smiled sincerely.
"Sister Yan, either way works for me."
He considered both his recent promise to the Soul Fighting Arena not to compete and the dignity of Dugu Yan and her companions.
Tang San turned to the arena's senior official. "Senior, do you have a private, enclosed venue? We won't use the public stage for this match."
The senior official hurriedly replied, "Yes!"
He truly had no words for these youngsters from Heaven Dou City's Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
They had been offered an opportunity and refused it, insisting on a duel instead.
Their opponent was level forty and simply had not absorbed his soul ring yet. Their cultivation was lower, yet they still dared to act so arrogantly.
Fortunately, this would not be a public wagered match, or the Soul Fighting Arena would lose money again.
Once both sides agreed, they went to an empty fighting stage on the arena's underground level.
Qin Ming introduced them. "The Imperial Fighting Team's captain, Yu Tianheng, level thirty-nine, martial soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"Vice-captain Dugu Yan, level thirty-eight, martial soul: Jade Phosphorous Serpent.
"Shi Mo, level thirty-eight, and Shi Mo, level thirty-seven, martial soul: Black Tortoise.
"Agility attackers: Osler, level thirty-six, martial soul: Ghost Leopard; Yu Feng, level thirty-six, martial soul: Wind Chime Bird.
"And our support, Ye Lingling, level thirty-six, whose martial soul is the continent's strongest healing martial soul, the Nine Heart Begonia."
After finishing the introductions, Qin Ming spoke haughtily.
"As far as I know, your soul power is level forty, but you don't have a fourth soul ring."
"To keep things fair and avoid bullying you, you can choose either Tian Heng or Dugu Yan for a one-on-one match. If you choose anyone else, you'll have to fight two."
He looked at Tang San provocatively.
Before coming here, he had received a letter from his alma mater's headmaster. Apparently, the boy before him had actually turned down an invitation to join his old school.
He truly had eyes but could not see!
Today, he would show him that a genius was nothing without proper training!
Tang San looked at Qin Ming, a little puzzled.
Apart from his introduction when they first met, the Imperial Fighting Team's instructor seemed rather provocative.
It was as though he had some minor grudge against him.
Tang San ignored it and stepped onto the stage, speaking coolly.
"You're the challengers. Anyone who disagrees can come up. All seven at once is fine too."
What a joke. His master could fight a Title Douluo with six rings; he was not about to embarrass himself either.
He could already crush Soul Ancestors and hold his own against Soul Kings.
Once he acquired more hidden weapons, broke through, and strengthened himself again, he would be able to crush Soul Kings too!
Tang San's confident words immediately made Qin Ming frown.
Just as the headmaster said, this Tang San really does look down on everyone. He even dares to claim he can fight seven at once.
Fine. I'll teach him a lesson this time!
Qin Ming turned to Yu Tianheng. "Tian Heng, Dugu Yan, since the Thousand-Hand Asura has said so, the two of you should go together."
"This isn't bullying him. It's helping him understand humility."
Yu Tianheng stepped forward without hesitation. "Rest assured, Instructor. I'll show him what I'm capable of."
"Even if his Blue Silver Grass evolved, it's still only a plant martial soul. His so-called strength is no greater than mine, and his soul power is only one level higher."
As a young genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, he was confident he was no weaker than anyone else!
Dugu Yan hesitated. "Teacher Qin Ming, we're already older than Tang San, and there's barely any difference in our levels. Is it really right to gang up on him?"
Qin Ming was pleased with Yu Tianheng's answer, but displeased with Dugu Yan's.
There was nothing he could do, however. Poison Douluo Dugu Bo stood behind Dugu Yan, and he could not afford to offend him.
Qin Ming said gently, "Dugu Yan, Tang San said he wanted to fight seven at once. Sending just the two of you isn't bullying him. It's fulfilling his wishes."
Yu Tianheng frowned, displeased that his girlfriend was being considerate toward another man.
But he did not dare scold her directly either.
He could not afford to offend Dugu Bo either.
Besides, he was dating Dugu Yan because his family had asked him to, hoping to win over Poison Douluo Dugu Bo. He did not feel a particularly deep bond with her.
At the very least, though Dugu Yan was beautiful, she was too conservative. They had only ever held hands, and he did not dare raise his voice at her.
Of course, Yu Tianheng was also confident he could win. He said gently, "Yanyan, let's go together. You can watch from the side at first. That way, we won't be bullying the Thousand-Hand Asura, right?"
"If I really can't beat him, you can join in. Wouldn't that also be a perfect chance to see the limits of his strength?"
Dugu Yan sighed.
With everyone watching, she did not want to embarrass her boyfriend, Yu Tianheng, so she stepped onto the stage anyway.
Both sides exchanged a glance and shouted at the same time.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
The Blue Silver King, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and Jade Phosphorous Serpent appeared on the stage simultaneously.
Yellow, purple, and purple soul rings emerged, but no one on the Imperial Fighting Team was surprised.
They had already known before coming that Tang San's second soul ring was a thousand-year ring.
Tang San poured in his soul power, and the Blue Silver King began stretching outward, its dense growth spreading across the stage.
Yu Tianheng's martial soul possessed his body, making his frame bulk up as his right hand underwent Dragon Transformation.
Dragon Transformation was a secret technique of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, developed through martial soul cultivation and bloodline stimulation. It could greatly enhance a Soul Master's strength, but its consumption was enormous.
Normally, members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect could only learn Dragon Transformation after reaching level thirty—that is, after absorbing their fourth soul ring.
Yu Tianheng, however, was exceptionally gifted and could use Dragon Transformation with only three rings.
Despite his confident words, he actually took Tang San extremely seriously, using Dragon Transformation the moment he stepped onto the stage.
Dugu Yan, meanwhile, took a step back and stood to the side.
This left the other members of the Imperial Fighting Team completely dumbfounded.
Sister, this is a two-on-one soul fight! You're supposed to watch for an opening, not literally stand there and watch!
Even they were not foolish enough to miss that Dugu Yan seemed to treat Tang San a little differently.
As Dugu Yan's close friend, Ye Lingling hurried to explain when she saw everyone's strange expressions.
"Sister Yan just doesn't want to bully someone younger. Besides, she's a bit of a sucker for handsome faces, that's all."
No one said anything.
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