Seeing Chen Ci standing in front of Ning Rongrong the whole time, Yu Tianheng spoke with a hint of disdain:
"We're all in our thirties in level. What makes you think you can stop us?"
Chen Ci snorted coldly:
"Then go ahead and try."
Yu Tianheng's gaze sharpened. The innermost yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, and his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul possessed his body in an instant.
It granted him a powerful boost.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Yu Tianheng raised his right hand, and an illusory blue dragon claw rose with it, wreathed in terrifying blue lightning.
The move was fast, but Chen Ci did not use Once to reverse time. Instead, he wanted to compare himself with Yu Tianheng, this representative of Power Attack System Soul Masters, and see how great the gap in strength between him and a Power Attack System Soul Master was.
Yet just as Chen Ci settled into a defensive stance, the corner of Yu Tianheng's mouth curled upward, and he shot Dugu Yan a meaningful glance.
Then Yu Tianheng twisted, using his momentum to skirt around Chen Ci and charge straight at Ning Rongrong behind him.
At the same time, Dugu Yan activated her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul possession. A yellow Soul Ring lit up around her, and her clear voice rang across the training grounds:
"First Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Mist Formation!"
Her lips turned an eerie deep purple, and she sent out a cloud of pale purple poison mist, propelling it toward Chen Ci with her Soul Power.
At the sight, Chen Ci did not panic. Instead, he sighed.
He had not intended to launch a dimensional-reduction strike. He had wanted to compete with Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan as an ordinary person.
But if they insisted on attacking Rongrong, they could not blame Chen Ci.
Two purple Thousand-Year Soul Rings lit up around Chen Ci in succession.
He unleashed his First Soul Skill, Once, and his Second Soul Skill, Sincerity, respectively.
The First Soul Skill targeted Yu Tianheng, and the Second Soul Skill targeted Dugu Yan.
At the same time, Chen Ci used the first form of the Passionate Sword Technique, strengthening the Passionate Sword's Soul Skills' control over emotions.
In an instant, Yu Tianheng sank into some wonderful memory, and all his movements rewound to two and a half seconds earlier.
Indeed, with the amplification of the Passionate Sword Technique, the rewind duration of Chen Ci's First Soul Skill, Once, had increased from two seconds to two and a half. Once he perfected his Passionate Sword Technique and advanced his Passionate Sword Intent in the future-
Chen Ci might be able to control the Passionate Sword's rewind duration at will, choosing to rewind one second, three seconds, or perhaps even five or ten seconds.
The gleaming blue Thunder Dragon Claw dissipated, and his Martial Soul returned to his body.
Ning Rongrong was more than capable of defending against a Power Attack System Soul Master with no ability to attack.
As for Dugu Yan, a flush suddenly rose to her face, and her gaze filled with love as she looked at Chen Ci.
Amplified by the Passionate Sword Technique, the Second Soul Skill, Sincerity, had already made Dugu Yan regard Chen Ci as the love of her life.
How could I unleash a Soul Skill on the person I love?
Dugu Yan immediately withdrew the Soul Power sustaining her First Soul Skill, and the poison mist with its numbing effect dispersed in an instant.
Chen Ci glanced at the somewhat strange Dugu Yan and thought:
Could the Passionate Sword Technique have caused some kind of mutation in my Second Soul Skill, Sincerity?
But this was a sparring match. With Dugu Yan no longer a threat to him, Chen Ci paid her no further attention and left her off to the side.
He unleashed his Third Soul Skill, Remorse, on Yu Tianheng, who had just escaped Once's influence.
A powerful mental fluctuation struck Yu Tianheng's sea of consciousness, and he involuntarily clutched his head.
However, the effect did not last long. Yu Tianheng had grown up in silks and finery, wanting for nothing. He came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and after entering Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he had quickly become a core member of the Imperial Fighting Team. He was a true favored son of heaven.
He soon shook off Remorse's influence.
Seeing Yu Tianheng's reaction, Chen Ci froze briefly.
He had found a drawback to his Third Soul Skill, Remorse: it had little effect on people who had grown up in happy families.
Still, when the most painful memories erupted with hundreds or thousands of times their intensity, it was enough to interrupt a Soul Master's flow of Soul Power.
The time he had controlled Yu Tianheng was short, but it was enough.
When Yu Tianheng came back to his senses, he found a sword's edge pressed against his throat.
Given how sharp the sword was, it could behead him before he could spring into action.
Yu Tianheng looked at Chen Ci with a bitter smile:
"I... lost."
I lost utterly. I didn't even get to use my Second or Third Soul Skill before I lost...
But what about Yanyan?
Has Chen Ci already dealt with Yanyan?
Puzzled, Yu Tianheng looked toward Dugu Yan.
He happened to see Chen Ci walking toward Dugu Yan, while Dugu Yan stood with her arms open, waiting for Chen Ci's embrace.
Yu Tianheng's eyes widened at the sight.
Yanyan was his girlfriend. Why would she make such a gesture toward Chen Ci?
Pain instantly filled Yu Tianheng's eyes, and tears of disbelief even spilled from their corners as he shouted at Dugu Yan:
"Yanzi, no!"
Perhaps her lover's anguished cry awakened Dugu Yan, allowing her to break free of Sincerity's influence, but the seed born of Sincerity had already been planted deep in her heart.
Dugu Yan regained her clarity and immediately realized that the person she had just loved was merely a stranger she had only met once-a very handsome stranger.
The flush on Dugu Yan's face had not faded. Amid Yu Tianheng's repeated cries, she fully regained her reason and prepared to face Chen Ci one-on-one.
Chen Ci unleashed his Second Soul Skill, Sincerity, again, but this time he did not amplify it with the Passionate Sword Technique.
Dugu Yan fell under Sincerity's influence once more. Having only just regained her clarity, she sank back into the dreamlike illusion Sincerity wove.
This time, however, Chen Ci did not become the person Dugu Yan loved, but merely someone she regarded as family or a close friend.
Chen Ci did not know whether this was due to the Passionate Sword Technique or because Dugu Yan had developed resistance after being subjected to Sincerity repeatedly within a short period.
If only I'd controlled the variables.
Why not try again?
Chen Ci looked at Dugu Yan, eager to give it a try.
Seeing the look in Chen Ci's eyes, Dugu Yan did not know what he wanted to do, but in her current state, she was still willing to cooperate with him, provided it did not cross her bottom line.
Qin Ming, who had been watching the entire time, could barely keep his composure when he saw Chen Ci's eagerness.
He hurriedly called for Chen Ci to stop.
"Chen Ci, you and Ning Rongrong have already won a resounding victory in today's sparring match.
"The battle is over."
Chen Ci caught Qin Ming's unspoken meaning: he wanted him to quit while he was ahead.
Chen Ci could only reluctantly let Dugu Yan off. If he were to switch to someone else, there was no suitable target available for the moment.
Besides, he did not want other men looking at him that way.
Another day, then.
Chen Ci snapped his fingers, withdrawing Sincerity's mental influence.
Dugu Yan regained her clarity once more. The scenes of what had just happened flashed through her mind, leaving her utterly ashamed.
At the same time, she was filled with shock. How could Chen Ci's Soul Skills be so bizarre and so powerful?
She also felt some curiosity about Chen Ci.
Looking back at Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan suddenly felt that he was so weak, so trash...