Both were One-Ring Soul Masters; the difference was that one belonged to the control system, while the other belonged to the power attack system.
Normally, a control system Soul Master was practically guaranteed to defeat a power attack system Soul Master of the same level, provided they were not countered.
Just like Tang San in the original story, who could completely restrain Dai Mubai, whose Soul Power was seven or eight levels above his, using only his third Soul Skill without needing hidden weapons.
That showed just how terrifying control system Soul Masters were.
After all, control system Soul Masters were the most troublesome opponents among Soul Masters of the same rank.
That was also why Hu Liena still dared to challenge Tian Chen despite having personally witnessed him tear apart a hundred-year Diamond Tiger with his bare hands.
The spectators around them instinctively stepped back a few paces when they saw the two release their Martial Souls, clearing a large open space for them.
They did not want to suffer an undeserved calamity. They only wanted to eat melon.
After all, neither Tian Chen nor Hu Liena was someone they could afford to provoke.
"Li Kai, you step back too."
Under everyone's gaze, Tian Chen calmly looked around, first telling Li Kai to retreat before driving forward with both legs and his crocodile tail, charging straight at Hu Liena.
There was no point thinking any further now. Whether he could withstand her charm was something he would only know after trying.
There was no other way to deal with this type of Soul Master. He was not Tang San, who had the Purple Demon Eye and could remain unaffected by charm.
Besides, if he did not teach her a harsh lesson this time, this little girl Hu Liena would probably keep pestering him.
Hu Liena watched Tian Chen charge toward her without the slightest panic.
A captivating smile curved across her fair, lovely face, and her clear eyes shone with an intense purple light.
At some point, her first Soul Skill had already lit up.
Battles between One-Ring Soul Masters were that simple. With only one skill each, there was no such thing as skill combinations.
Tian Chen instinctively grew wary and averted his gaze to avoid meeting Hu Liena's eyes.
He had read the original story, and although he did not know Hu Liena's specific skills, it had emphasized her ability to charm.
"You think it won't work just because you aren't looking?"
Watching Tian Chen's little maneuver, Hu Liena still looked as though victory was firmly in her grasp.
She had great confidence in her first Soul Skill. Whether against Soul Masters or Soul Beasts of the same rank, it had never failed.
She certainly did not think Tian Chen would be spared.
"Isn't this fucking Huo Yuhao's Soul Shock?"
Although Tian Chen had done his best to avoid Hu Liena's eyes, he had still underestimated the abilities of her Demon Fox Martial Soul.
He had not expected her Soul Skill to be instantaneous, let alone capable of affecting a Soul Master without relying on any of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell.
If his guess was right, Hu Liena should be a rare Mental Attribute Soul Master.
No wonder she had become Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden and been accepted as Bibi Dong's direct disciple.
Waves of stabbing pain in his mind brought a sheen of cold sweat to Tian Chen's forehead, and he instinctively bent over, bracing one hand against the ground.
His footing already felt unsteady, his vision blurred, and his head felt as though needles were stabbing into it.
Fortunately, having lived two lives, his spiritual power far surpassed that of ordinary people, so he did not lose consciousness on the spot.
I can't drag this out any longer.
Circulating his Soul Power to settle the chaotic Soul Power within him, Tian Chen endured the intense pain in his mind and slammed his crocodile tail down with all his might. Like an arrow, he instantly shot in front of Hu Liena.
A control system Soul Master whose Soul Skill had failed could not withstand the attacks of a power attack system Soul Master.
"Impossible!"
Hu Liena, who had been wearing a smug expression, had practically already pictured the embarrassing sight of Tian Chen passing out on the spot.
Yet who could have known that reality would not unfold as she had expected?
Horrified beyond measure, she stared at Tian Chen, who had instantly appeared less than a meter in front of her with a cold smile on his face.
She hastily retreated and activated her first Soul Skill again.
By then, she had completely lost her composure. In the end, she was only a little girl not yet seven years old. When it came to actual combat experience, she might have had even less than Tian Chen.
At least Tian Chen had fought a pack of Gale Demon Wolves and a Diamond Tiger with two hundred years of cultivation alone.
In the past, she had always succeeded whenever she used her first Soul Skill. When had she ever encountered a situation like this?
In her panic, she forgot the greatest weakness of her first Soul Skill: its windup.
With Tian Chen's explosive burst of speed, the two-meter gap vanished in an instant, leaving her insufficient time to activate her Soul Skill again.
Watching the enormous golden claws grow steadily larger in her pupils, Hu Liena gave up resisting.
Am I going to die here?
That was Hu Liena's first thought at the time, and an intense fear surged into her heart.
A full three seconds passed before the pale-faced Hu Liena realized that the attack she had expected had not arrived. Only then did she open her eyes, the fear in them still lingering.
After briefly examining her completely unharmed body, she let out a deep breath and sank weakly to the ground.
Xie Yue, who had remained nearby all along, immediately walked over to Hu Liena and helped his younger sister up.
"Little sister, don't take it to heart. I'll help you vent your anger at the end-of-term tournament."
Although Xie Yue already had a very high opinion of Tian Chen, he still did not believe Tian Chen would be his match. After all, as he saw it, Tian Chen was only level eleven, while he himself was already approaching level seventeen.
"That's right, Nana. By then, we'll definitely be able to break through level twenty. Once we've obtained our second Soul Rings, we'll help you really vent your anger."
The simp A Yan followed right behind.
Their words of comfort did nothing to help.
Hu Liena raised her delicate hand and removed the hair tie from her golden ponytail. With dull, lifeless eyes and disheveled hair, she left the cafeteria's first floor under the strange gazes of the surrounding spectators.
"Brother, I'm a little tired. I'll go ahead."