Breath of Softness

Soon, it was Xiao Wu's turn to enter the arena.

Despite the shock Lin Yang had just delivered, an uproar still swept through the stands when Xiao Wu's petite figure appeared on the platform.

Even with her mask on, it was clear that she was an exceptionally adorable girl.

Yet this little girl, who ought to have been cradled in someone's palms, now stood on a life-and-death fighting platform steeped in blood and violence, with lingering bloodstains beneath her feet.

Like a little white rabbit willingly walking into a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, it defied common sense however one looked at it.

Even the host visibly paused and could not help asking her one more question.

After receiving Xiao Wu's clear and definite answer, the host said no more.

The Great Soul Arena had its own rules, and what he had just done already counted as breaking them.

The Soul Fighting began immediately afterward.

Xiao Wu's opponent was an extremely burly man.

His height alone reached an astonishing two meters or so.

Broad-waisted and wide-backed, his coiling, dragonlike muscles slowly rippled all over his body, exuding an oppressive presence.

His Soul Power was at level nineteen, and his Martial Soul was the Great Strength Bear, a lesser Soul Beast beneath the Great Strength Vajra Bear.

Its name alone made its astonishing strength obvious, and its defenses were also quite impressive; only its speed was relatively lacking.

Standing before him, Xiao Wu looked as delicate as a figurine, the kind that would burst into tears on the spot if struck by a fist.

"Hey, little girl, your Martial Soul's a rabbit?"

Xiong Li grinned, the flesh on his face trembling as his gaping maw revealed a hint of a savage smile.

"My favorite thing to eat is rabbit."

Xiao Wu's expression turned cold. "Then I'll make you tremble with fear whenever you see a rabbit from now on."

With that, Xiao Wu lowered her body slightly and assumed a fighting stance.

Xiong Li let out a thunderous shout.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

The phantom of a giant bear flashed behind him and vanished, and his already exaggerated muscles swelled even further.

A Yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet as well.

The battle began!

Xiao Wu took the initiative, darting forward like an arrow released from its bow.

The dozen or so meters vanished in an instant. With a light push from her toes, she left the ground and kicked toward Xiong Li's neck.

Whether for Soul Beasts or Soul Masters, the neck was always relatively weakly defended.

But just as Xiao Wu was about to land her blow, a crafty gleam of success flashed through Xiong Li's vicious eyes, and the Soul Ring beside him rapidly lit up.

"Hahaha! Little rabbit, you've delivered yourself right to my door!"

"First Soul Skill, Frenzy!"

In an instant, Xiong Li's ferocious presence surged, gaining an even more frenzied edge.

Sharp, bladelike claws sprang from his two fan-sized palms as he slammed them together toward the center.

At first glance, it looked as though Xiao Wu had thrown herself straight into his embrace.

In the stands, Lin Yang raised an eyebrow. This hulking fellow looked simple-minded, but everything he had done since stepping onto the platform had been full of cunning.

He knew speed was not his strength, while a rabbit sounded like something that would excel at it.

To avoid being kept in check, he had opened with a provocation.

He had deliberately angered Xiao Wu and lured her close before suddenly unleashing his power, hoping to win with a single blow.

"Unfortunately..." Lin Yang shook his head lightly.

"A good idea, but the gap in strength is too great!"

At that moment, Xiao Wu also noticed Xiong Li's intentions. With a soft snort, she twisted her slender waist in midair, used her momentum to grip his shoulders with both hands, and spun sharply.

"Breath of Softness, Fifth Form: Gale, Wheel Dance!"

As she spun, the shapeless wind abruptly became invisible blades, slicing across Xiong Li's body again and again.

Swish, swish, swish-!

Carrying the force of her rotation, the wind blades instantly left countless fine, dense trails of blood across Xiong Li's body.

Blood sprayed, making him look as though he had been soaked in it.

Breath of Softness was a derivative Breathing Style Xiao Wu had created with her own grappling techniques as its foundation, incorporating the high speed and cutting power of Wind Breathing.

Although it was not as effective for cultivation as Sun Breathing, it pushed the lethality of her grappling techniques to the limit and suited her fighting style exceptionally well.

At least within the three-ring stage, once she closed in, it was very difficult to escape her combat rhythm.

Originally, Lin Yang had wanted to name it "Beast Breathing" or "Rabbit Breathing," but Xiao Wu thought those sounded awful, so it had ultimately become "Breath of Softness."

Still, the name did sound fitting!

"Roar-!"

In pain, Xiong Li roared, and the surging Soul Power around him erupted instantly.

"Big stupid bear, you're too slow!"

Xiao Wu snorted softly, used the momentum to flip over, and planted a kick squarely in his chest.

Breath of Softness, Third Form: Bone Shatter, Single Strike!

Bam!

With a dull thud, a soft yet bone-piercing force carried her Soul Power through his skin and flesh, driving straight into his bones.

Soft force could shatter steel too!

"Aaargh-!"

Xiong Li's chest visibly caved in, and a short, stifled cry of pain escaped his throat.

His Soul Power scattered, and his Martial Soul Possession came undone with it.

His eyes widened. With bewilderment and unwillingness written across his face, he swayed twice before crashing backward.

Bam!

A dull thud rang out across the platform, accompanied by the shouting and roaring of the spectators.

The host froze for a moment, then stepped forward to confirm that Xiong Li had passed out before asking,

"Contestant Charming Rabbit, do you wish to continue the match?"

If she continued, Xiao Wu would have to finish Xiong Li with her own hands before the match could end.

Xiao Wu shook her head. "No."

The host nodded slightly, then announced loudly,

"The winner-Charming Rabbit!"

His announcement rang throughout the arena, followed by an even louder wave of cheers.

Returning to the stands, Xiao Wu found Lin Yang.

Before she could speak, Lin Yang began clapping softly. "Well done!"

"Of course." Xiao Wu smiled smugly.

"He was just a One-Ring Soul Master. Wasn't that a piece of cake for me?"

"Since you're so confident, I'm sure you can handle the two-on-two fight by yourself in a little while."

Xiao Wu's eyes went perfectly round as she looked at Lin Yang in disbelief.

How could this man say something so cold in such a calm tone?

"Lin Yang, you... you're joking, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Lin Yang asked in return.

Two-on-two matchmaking was based on the person with the highest Soul Power Level on the team.

If a Soul Master teamed up with a Soul Grandmaster, their opponents would inevitably be a team that also had a Soul Grandmaster.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, two people who teamed up for Soul Fighting would not have Soul Power Levels too far apart.

In other words, if Lin Yang did not act, Xiao Wu would have to face the combined assault of two Soul Grandmasters alone.

At that thought, the little rabbit stamped her foot, somewhat exasperated.

"You're using public affairs to settle a private grudge! This is personal revenge!"

"You're overthinking it," Lin Yang said, his tone as calm as ever.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Let's go!"

With that, he stood and walked toward the exit.

Xiao Wu followed behind him dejectedly, muttering under her breath.

"Stingy jerk, scheming man... all I did was make you eat one sour hawthorn."

Walking ahead, Lin Yang paused, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"I can hear you."

"Hmph." Xiao Wu turned her little face away.

"I said it for you to hear. Stingy jerk, scheming man."

With that, she swung her scorpion braid and angrily strode ahead toward the exit.

As she passed him, she also stomped hard on Lin Yang's foot.

The two first went to register their points. With one victory each, they each received five points and one hundred Gold Soul Coins.

Winning a match in the sparring section earned one point and ten Gold Soul Coins.

The life-and-death section was more dangerous, so its rewards were naturally more generous.

After earning one hundred points, they could upgrade their Iron Soul Badges to Bronze Soul Fighter badges.

A winning streak awarded even more points at a time.

After registering their points, the two went to the Eighth Branch Arena for their two-on-two Soul Fighting match.

After drawing lots, Xiao Wu made the most of their brief wait to meditate and restore her Soul Power. After all, a tough battle was certainly coming shortly.