"This Lu Yuan cultivated soul power far faster than ordinary people, and he apparently had self-created soul skills, too. But his soul power was only at half a rank the day before yesterday. I'm afraid he won't be able to keep pace with Xiao Xue in the future. What will happen if Xiao Xue becomes a god?"
Watching from the shadows, Qian Daoliu could not help sighing.
The battle continued on the arena platform.
Just as the spectators were marveling at how Lu Yuan could rise into the air by catching empty space with a soul power Grappling Hook, an even more astonishing sight appeared.
Lu Yuan released Grappling Hook several times in succession in midair, remaining aloft the entire time.
Luckily, Xie Yue can't fly. Otherwise, this trick really wouldn't be enough against him.
Lu Yuan recalled that flight had been an exceedingly rare ability in the original story.
In the first Douluo Continent story, only Titled Douluos could hover unaided. In the cultivation systems that were a dime a dozen, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could already achieve a similar effect.
By Douluo Continent II: Peerless Tang Sect, perhaps because Soul Masters had developed their techniques for using soul power, or perhaps because the author had decided to patch up a world mocked as the gutter of fantasy settings...
It had been changed so that Soul Saints could hover and fly, though this soul power and Soul Ring cultivation system still seemed decidedly low-end.
No wonder, in the original timeline, the Shrek group had been so excited after securing the Soul Beast needed for Oscar's third Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest and gaining Flying Sausages that could let everyone fly for one minute.
Flight truly was a rare and useful ability on the Douluo Continent.
Watching Lu Yuan repeatedly release Grappling Hook to keep himself more or less suspended above the platform, Xie Yue showed no sign of anxiety, even though neither his second Soul Skill, Assault, nor his Self-Created Soul Skill, Full Moon, could reach Lu Yuan.
"Lu Yuan, if I'm not mistaken, after using Grappling Hook continuously for a while, you have to rest, don't you?" Xie Yue said smugly.
Lu Yuan's brows twitched, and Xie Yue instantly caught that fleeting reaction.
Looks like I guessed right, Xie Yue thought with secret delight.
As long as he found the right position the instant Lu Yuan exhausted himself and landed, Xie Yue could use Full Moon to deliver a killing blow.
A trace of gravity appeared on Lu Yuan's face. He had not expected Xie Yue to see through him so easily. As far as he remembered, he had only demonstrated his stamina-based abilities in front of Xie Yue during his duel with Yan half a year ago. To think Xie Yue could discover his weakness from that brief glimpse.
The captain of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation really is no simple opponent.
Xie Yue had guessed correctly. Lu Yuan's Stamina System came from Locke Rian. Although Sprint and Grappling Hook now consumed both soul power and stamina, he still could not release them indefinitely.
Back in Locke Rian, using Grappling Hook a few times would exhaust his stamina, forcing him to stop and recover before he could use it again.
The only reason he could release Grappling Hook so many times in succession on the Douluo Continent was that his Photosynthesis Mark continuously restored his soul power. The combined support of stamina and soul power made it possible.
"But Xie Yue, you forgot something. You're not the only one who can attack! Meowmeow!"
"Meow!" (I'm ready, meow!)
Clinging to Lu Yuan's back, Meowmeow poked out a large head and meowed fiercely at Xie Yue.
"Use Vine Strangle!"
Meowmeow used Vine Strangle in the direction Lu Yuan pointed, and countless thorny vines appeared around Xie Yue, seeking to bind him.
"You think these frail vines can stop the slashes of my steel blades?"
Xie Yue whirled his Moon Blades through several rotations, instantly severing every vine coiling around him.
"A piece of cake. Wait!"
After easily breaking through Lu Yuan's first Soul Skill, Vine Strangle, Xie Yue was feeling smug when a sudden sense of unease struck him. He looked up above the platform, but Lu Yuan was nowhere to be seen.
He immediately assumed a defensive stance, afraid Lu Yuan might launch a surprise attack from some direction, only to see him standing on the ground, bent slightly at the waist as he rested.
I'm not a Soul Master who specializes in close combat. Getting into a bloody melee with a blade-wielding Soul Master like Xie Yue is hardly a good tactic.
This is bad. Lu Yuan is resting so he can use that strange Self-Created Soul Skill again-the one that hooks onto thin air to move him around.
Having deduced Lu Yuan's intention, Xie Yue immediately concluded that Lu Yuan was inferior to him in physical combat. He brandished his Moon Blades and unleashed his Self-Created Soul Skill, Full Moon, once more, charging at Lu Yuan with spiraling blade edges.
"See you later!"
Taking advantage of the brief moments Xie Yue spent cutting through Vine Strangle and then freezing in surprise, Lu Yuan successfully recovered a little stamina on the ground. He fired Grappling Hook again and rose into the air, making Xie Yue miss once more.
"Xie Yue, you can either pinpoint where I'll land or dodge Vine Strangle. You only get to choose one."
Lu Yuan could not help taunting Xie Yue. After all, he held the high ground and had an advantage when it came to observing him.
With the arena so open, why couldn't Lu Yuan simply target Xie Yue with attacks and distract him?
In an actual battle amid complicated terrain, if Xie Yue could find somewhere concealed to hide, keeping Lu Yuan from spotting him and unleashing Vine Strangle, his plan might really have worked.
"Damn it..."
Having failed to hurt Lu Yuan yet again, Xie Yue's embarrassment turned to fury. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his expression twisting with loathing.
"Lu Yuan, is dodging all you can do?"
Lu Yuan puffed his cheeks slightly, then broke into a beaming smile at the sight of Xie Yue losing his composure.
Xie Yue, you're older, your soul power is higher, and both your attack power and close-combat skills are better than mine. If I don't use my flexible, varied skills to fight a guerrilla battle, am I supposed to pit my weaknesses against your strengths and clash with you head-on?
After all, not every Soul Master was like the one currently watching the battle, whose Martial Soul was divine-grade: someone who could ignore her superior speed and the healing ability of her divine-grade Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul rather than wear her opponent down.
Just to win her beloved's affection, despite her relatively weak attack power, she had insisted on pitting her weakness directly against the Clear Sky Hammer. In the end, she had lost and could only withdraw, lonely and forlorn, from this love triangle among the continent's mightiest.
That's right. I'm talking about Qian Renxue.
Seeing that he could not defeat Lu Yuan even after exhausting every trick at his disposal, Xie Yue hung his head dejectedly. He stopped where he stood without even guarding against a surprise Vine Strangle attack, as though he had given up.
Huh? What is Xie Yue... playing at?
"Lu Yuan." Xie Yue's voice was low.
"I'm not as good as you. I've lost this match."
"Brother."
Below the platform, Hu Liena looked bewildered. This was her first time seeing Xie Yue so downcast. It seemed he truly had been outmatched, and his pride had taken a blow.
After all, Hu Liena held the most exalted position in the Spirit Hall Golden Generation and was the most doted upon.
But Xie Yue was the strongest and most talented. Both Yan and Hu Liena acknowledged that and accepted him wholeheartedly as their captain.
With his head lowered, Xie Yue walked toward the edge of the platform.
"Grandpa, does that mean Lu Yuan won?"
Seeing Lu Yuan defeat the current number one of Spirit Hall's younger generation, Qian Renxue's face brimmed with excitement.
"Well..." A trace of hesitation crossed Qian Daoliu's face, while Bibi Dong shook her head helplessly.
Thud!
Lu Yuan landed and walked toward Xie Yue's retreating figure with a relaxed expression.
"Xie Yue, actually, you..."
"Lu Yuan."
Suddenly, Xie Yue stopped in his tracks.
"I haven't admitted defeat yet!"
Xie Yue's voice thundered as he whipped his head around. The Moon Blades in his hands and the third Soul Ring beneath his feet erupted with dazzling light at the same time.
"Third Soul Skill, Tremor!"