"Tang San, martial soul: Blue Silver Grass, level twenty-nine Control System Soul Grandmaster."
"Lin Kong, martial soul: Dark Blue Silver Grass, level twenty-one Control System Soul Grandmaster."
The two announced their information in turn. Everyone stopped talking, their eyes fixed on the center of the field.
Both had Blue Silver Grass martial souls, though one had mutated, and both were Control System users, yet their soul power levels were worlds apart—Tang San was only a step away from becoming a level-thirty Soul Elder, while Lin Kong had only just crossed the threshold of Soul Grandmaster.
Tang San released his martial soul first. Two brilliant yellow soul rings rose from beneath his feet, circling his body, one above the other. The ground beneath him trembled slightly as Blue Silver Grass broke through the soil and spread in every direction. Its slender leaves swayed gently, surrounding him in a blue ocean brimming with life.
The otherwise ordinary boy now stood amid his martial soul, his bearing suddenly elevated, gaining a steadiness and appeal beyond his years.
On Lin Kong's side, however, the scene was the complete opposite.
As he released his martial soul, there was no flourishing vitality, only a cool, sinister presence quietly spreading. Blue Silver Grass emerged from the ground, its blades entwined with fine black-and-white patterns. Where black and white interwove, there was an indescribable eeriness and chill. The Dark Blue Silver Grass grew extremely quickly, forming a dark patch beneath his feet, its swaying blades devoid of any gentleness.
Lin Kong was already handsome, with clear, sharp features. Now, framed by this sinister Dark Blue Silver Grass, his bearing suddenly became cold and mysterious. That touch of "evil" blending with his martial soul did nothing to spoil his looks; instead, it gave his features greater definition, firmly capturing the attention of everyone beside the field.
Xiao Wu unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes. She had never seen Lin Kong release his martial soul, much less imagined that the once-unremarkable Dark Blue Silver Grass could become so distinctive; Ning Rongrong also set aside her spectator's amusement, her small face full of curiosity. Even the habitually indifferent Zhu Zhuqing could not help giving Lin Kong another glance, a barely perceptible trace of scrutiny flashing through her purple eyes.
"Wait! His soul rings..." Oscar cried out. Pointing at the soul rings beside Lin Kong, his eyes widened into circles. "His first soul ring is a yellow hundred-year one, but his second soul ring... is white!"
"White? Isn't that a ten-year soul ring?" Ma Hongjun rubbed his eyes. After confirming that he had not seen wrong, he clicked his tongue as well. "How could there be a soul ring configuration like that? A hundred-year one first, then a ten-year one? I've never heard of that!"
"Exactly. When soul masters absorb soul rings, aren't the later ones always older? Who does it backward?" Dai Mubai frowned as well, his gaze turning more appraising as he looked at Lin Kong-there were far too many strange things about this fellow.
Seeing everyone's mounting doubts, Flender stepped forward and waved a hand. "Stop making wild guesses. While hunting for his second soul ring, Lin Kong accidentally ate a heavenly treasure, which helped him condense a ten-year soul ring. It was purely an accident."
His words were half true and half false, explaining the unusual soul ring while planting the seed of "just an accident" in everyone's minds, lest someone let their imagination run toward things like soul bones and cause unnecessary trouble.
Only then did everyone understand, and the murmurs gradually subsided.
Dai Mubai glanced at Lin Kong's yellow and white soul rings, then at Tang San's two yellow ones, and immediately called out, "Xiao San, you've got this! Show some strength and beat him in style!"
In his eyes, level twenty-nine against level twenty-one, two hundred-year soul rings against one hundred-year and one ten-year soul ring-the outcome of this match was already decided. Tang San was certain to win.
Xiao Wu called out as well, "Xiao San, you've got this!"
Ma Hongjun shrank back, looking at Dai Mubai, then at Flender. In the end, he did not dare speak-on one side was his captain, and on the other was someone protected by the dean. He dared not take either side and could only remain a quiet spectator.
Oscar folded his arms, wearing a laid-back look that said, "I'm a Food System user; fighting has nothing to do with me." Naturally, he had no need to take sides either.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze was cool, and she clearly had no interest in joining this lively bout of cheering.
Ning Rongrong looked left and right and realized she was the only one present who had yet to declare her position.
Her eyes darted. To appear impartial, and to see just what this "special" Lin Kong was capable of, she immediately called out in a clear voice, "Lin Kong, I have faith in you! You've got this!"
The others saw only the Dark Blue Silver Grass's black-and-white patterns and sinister bearing, but Tang San's gaze was as sharp as a blade, locked firmly on those pitch-black blades-between the black-and-white patterns were barely visible fine golden lines, impossible to notice without close inspection. Stranger still, the edges of some blades had an almost transparent quality, with tiny gleams flickering in and out of sight, as though inlaid with starlike fragments of sapphire.
Tang San's heart sank sharply, and towering waves surged through his mind. Something's wrong! I saw his Dark Blue Silver Grass back at Nuoding Academy. Back then, it was just an ordinary blue, and its neat black-and-white patterns looked normal. Never mind golden lines-it didn't have even a hint of transparency! What fortuitous encounter could he possibly have had in just one month to transform his martial soul so completely?
However hard he racked his brains, he could never have guessed that Lin Kong's fortuitous encounters were far beyond what "one" could encompass.
First, he had absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor right leg soul bone left behind by Ah Yin; second, when Ah Yin sacrificed herself, the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline had also merged into Lin Kong's body, quietly transforming his martial soul from "Dark Blue Silver Grass" toward "Dark Blue Silver Emperor."
This bloodline happened to exert an indescribable suppression and restraint upon the still-unawakened Blue Silver Emperor bloodline within Tang San.
The outcome of this contest, with its seemingly vast disparity in soul power, had actually been decided from the very beginning.
"Begin!" Flender's voice rang out.
Tang San and Lin Kong moved almost simultaneously!
With a thought from Tang San, his Blue Silver Grass surged in an instant, its blue blades rushing toward Lin Kong, its roots darting madly through the soil in an attempt to seize the entire field first. On the other side, Lin Kong's Dark Blue Silver Grass refused to be outdone. Its blue blades, marked with black-and-white patterns, spread forward like shadows, their speed no slower than Tang San's Blue Silver Grass.
The next second, the blue and black "oceans" crashed together!
There was no earth-shaking boom, only blades rubbing against blades and roots tangling with roots. The Blue Silver Grass tried to bind the Dark Blue Silver Grass, only to be firmly blocked by its blades; the Dark Blue Silver Grass tried to encroach farther, only to be stopped by the Blue Silver Grass's dense roots. The two distinctly colored "tides" met in the center of the field, their sharply defined dividing line shifting back and forth as the two sides wrestled. For a moment, they were evenly matched.
"So this is what it looks like when Blue Silver Grass faces Dark Blue Silver Grass?" Ma Hongjun stared, transfixed. It was his first time seeing martial souls of the same type clash so "gently" yet fiercely, like two tides pitting their strength against each other. It was novel and interesting.
Oscar abandoned his laid-back attitude as well, watching with relish, his arms folded. Even Ning Rongrong forgot to cheer, her small face full of concentration.
But only Tang San himself knew how badly he was struggling.
Something's wrong! Tang San was horrified, a sense of helplessness welling up within him-his Blue Silver Grass appeared to be locked in a stalemate with his opponent, but in truth, it was being suppressed by the Dark Blue Silver Grass with every clash! Whenever his Blue Silver Grass touched those strange blades, a cold, sinister force came through, not only weakening the blades' toughness but faintly traveling back along them to eat into his own soul power. Like ice and snow meeting a blazing sun, there was a feeling of melting away that was almost impossible to resist.
Dark Blue Silver Grass had two major traits: life and healing, and death and devouring.
The trait of life and healing had been activated and strengthened through the absorption of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor right leg soul bone and the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline.
Although the trait of death and devouring had evolved somewhat after the absorption of the Ghost-Faced Netherworld Bamboo Soul Ring, that was only a hundred-year soul ring, after all, and very weak. Its greatest use now was devouring severed blades to recover soul power.
Unfortunately, Tang San's martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, and an unawakened Blue Silver Emperor at that, placing it within the Dark Blue Silver Grass's sphere of advantage. Thus, Tang San discovered that his soul power was being devoured.
He was level twenty-nine, a full eight levels above Lin Kong! His soul rings were both hundred-year ones, too. How could he be at a disadvantage in a basic clash of martial souls?
Before Tang San could think further, the situation on the field abruptly reversed!
The Dark Blue Silver Grass, already holding the upper hand, suddenly grew faster. The fine golden lines and transparent flecks of light on its blades flashed for an instant, and then it lunged at the Blue Silver Grass like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey!
"It swallowed it?!" Dai Mubai abruptly straightened, his eyes widening into circles.
The Dark Blue Silver Grass wrapped directly around the Blue Silver Grass's blades, "enveloping" and "devouring" the emerald-green leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye. The previously deadlocked dividing line rolled toward Tang San, the ink-black tide unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, it breached the Blue Silver Grass's defenses and spread toward Tang San's feet!
Everyone beside the field was stunned. They exchanged looks, their faces full of disbelief.
Didn't Tang San's soul rings give him the greater advantage? Two hundred-year rings against one yellow and one white-however they looked at it, Tang San should have had victory in the bag!
Wasn't Tang San's soul power higher? With a gap of eight levels, even if his martial soul was countered, he should not have crumbled so quickly, should he?
How long had the stalemate even lasted? In a mere three to five seconds, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had collapsed across the board? Where exactly was that "advantage" they had spoken of earlier?
Was Tang San too much of a noob, or was Lin Kong absurdly strong?
"Hah!"
Tang San's face flushed crimson. With no time left for shock, he abruptly took a large step forward. The two yellow soul rings around him suddenly erupted with brilliant light, and soul power poured from his body, all of it flooding into the Blue Silver Grass beneath his feet!
Bolstered by that immense soul power, the already faltering Blue Silver Grass barely managed to regain its footing. Its blades grew tough again, finally stopping the Dark Blue Silver Grass from encroaching farther.
Yet even so, as everyone beside the field looked at Tang San, their gazes grew more complicated. What their eyes conveyed was practically written on their faces: Xiao San, what's going on with you? You're level twenty-nine fighting a level twenty-one, and you've been forced to unleash your soul power at full strength? Isn't that a bit pathetic?
Feeling the gazes around him and looking at the Dark Blue Silver Grass still pressing relentlessly forward, Tang San felt his throat tighten-for the first time, he realized with such clarity that the gap between himself and Lin Kong might extend far beyond something as simple as soul power levels.