"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement!"
Tang San shouted in a low voice, and his first hundred-year soul ring abruptly lit up. As soul power surged, several stalks of Blue Silver Grass shot out of the ground, reaching roughly a meter high in the blink of an eye. Their blades shed their softness and became tough, powerful vines. With a sharp whistle through the air, they crossed several meters and shot toward vital points all over Lin Kong's body like darting snakes.
Once these vines caught him, they would bind him in layer upon layer, leaving him at another's mercy.
Lin Kong's gaze shifted slightly, and he clicked his tongue inwardly. Blue Silver Entanglement. This soul skill really is troublesome at lower levels.
His dark Blue Silver Grass could likewise produce an entangling effect, but that required growing the grass blades close to the target first, then channeling soul power to make them shoot up one or two meters before they could bind them. It was nowhere near as swift and clean as Tang San's soul skill, which could readily launch attacks from a distance.
Still, however formidable a soul skill was, there was always a way to break it.
As the Blue Silver vines hurtled toward him, Lin Kong neither dodged nor retreated. He merely raised a hand and lightly swept it through the air. In an instant, the dark Blue Silver before him received an invisible command and grew wildly, its blades weaving together in layer upon layer. In the blink of an eye, they formed a "black wall" nearly two meters tall, shielding his entire body without a gap.
Whoosh-
The Blue Silver vines slammed into the barrier formed by the dark Blue Silver Grass, yet failed to budge it in the slightest. Instead, as though they had plunged into a mire, they were caught fast by the blades streaked with fine golden lines. No matter how Tang San channeled his soul power, they could not advance another inch.
Tang San's first soul skill had failed!
"Holy shit! You can block Blue Silver Entanglement like that?!" Dai Mubai could not help swearing, his eyes as round as saucers. This truly opened his eyes.
His Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul had always excelled in physical toughness and explosive power. Against a control skill like Blue Silver Entanglement, he either relied on his sharp claws to forcibly sever the vines or unleashed all his soul power and endured them with brute strength. But once the number of vines grew overwhelming, he could only break free using his third soul skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
He had never even considered doing what Lin Kong had done-using his martial soul to erect a barrier and block them head-on.
At the sidelines, Xiao Wu's and Zhu Zhuqing's eyes also flickered, shining with interest.
Xiao Wu excelled at aggressive close-range attacks. Against long-range control skills like Blue Silver Entanglement, she had always been forced to dodge. Seeing Lin Kong's response now, she felt as though the blockage in her mind had suddenly cleared. The same went for Zhu Zhuqing. Her Hell Spirit Cat emphasized speed and surprise attacks, and being caught by a control skill was what she feared most. Lin Kong's move had undoubtedly given her a reminder.
Tang San's expression, however, grew uglier at that moment. The first soul skill he took such pride in had actually been broken so effortlessly!
Unwilling to accept it, he channeled his soul power, trying to make the Blue Silver vines break free and breach that black wall. Yet the instant his soul power flowed in, it seemed to be devoured by something and vanished without a trace. Not only did it fail to help, it instead made the dark Blue Silver Grass grow even more vigorously.
"Second Soul Skill, Parasite!"
Tang San gritted his teeth and shouted again in a low voice. Refusing to believe it, he wanted to try the trump card he had kept up his sleeve.
Blue Silver Grass's second soul skill, Parasite, was sinister and troublesome. When activated, it scattered countless tiny seeds that were difficult to discern with the naked eye, letting them land silently on the opponent. Once stimulated by soul power, the seeds would draw on the opponent's soul power to grow wildly, ultimately binding them fast. This soul skill was exceedingly stealthy and could often catch opponents off guard and subdue them.
This time, however, it was once again like a stone sinking into the sea.
The drifting Blue Silver seeds had barely touched Lin Kong's clothes when they seemed to meet their nemesis. Drawn by an invisible force, they fell into the dark Blue Silver Grass beneath his feet. Without even the slightest chance to take root and sprout, they were completely devoured.
Tang San's second soul skill was equally ineffective!
At that moment, Tang San felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. The two great soul skills he took such pride in were utterly useless against Lin Kong.
In a head-on clash, his Blue Silver Grass was suppressed on every front by the dark Blue Silver Grass; Blue Silver Entanglement was easily neutralized by a martial soul barrier; and the Parasite soul skill had not managed to achieve even the slightest effect.
He had exhausted his methods!
Lin Kong slowly lowered his hand. Looking at Tang San's livid face across from him, he slowly curled his lips into a faint smile. He lifted his foot and walked toward Tang San one step at a time. With every footfall, the dark Blue Silver Grass beneath him spread a little farther, pressing toward Tang San step by step with a faint, cold presence.
The scales of victory had long since tipped completely to one side.
In everyone's eyes, Tang San was already utterly powerless to fight back against Lin Kong.
Lin Kong remained as leisurely as ever, advancing toward Tang San at an unhurried pace. With every step, the dark Blue Silver Grass beneath his feet spread a little farther forward. Its blades gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and the oppressive weight of its steady advance almost took solid form.
Tang San's face had long since turned as dark as ink. Veins throbbed at his temples, and his hands were clenched tight. He poured soul power into the Blue Silver Grass before him as though it cost nothing. At that moment, his entire attention was devoted to maintaining that tottering blue defensive line, afraid that the slightest lapse would see him completely swallowed by that strange sea of dark grass.
Retreat? It was not as though he could not retreat.
There was plenty of room beneath his feet. As long as he turned and stepped back, he could temporarily escape this suffocating suppression.
But he could not!
Tang San's pride would never permit him to retreat even half a step!
This was Lin Kong! That "trash" with innate level-one soul power whom he had scorned in his heart for six whole years! That work-study student who had once only been able to trail behind him and Xiao Wu!
They had only gone a month without seeing each other. How had he suddenly become so strong? Strong enough to crush him with such abandon?
That enormous disparity was like a poisoned dagger plunging viciously into Tang San's heart, making all the blood in his body boil. Yet he remained pinned down, unable to move.
"Xiao San!" Xiao Wu's heart tightened at the sight, and she could not help calling out, her voice full of worry.
Tang San abruptly clenched his teeth, even steeling himself to bite the tip of his tongue hard. The sharp pain spread through every limb and bone, clearing his head somewhat.
In the clash between their Blue Silver Grass martial souls, he had fallen completely behind.
But he, Tang San, had never been merely a soul master!
He still had the Tang Sect Secret Arts at his disposal!
Tang San's hand quietly moved to his waist, his fingertips touching the cold surface of his Storage Soul Tool. His gaze sharpened. Since my martial soul is no match, I'll use hidden weapons. By catching him off guard, I can definitely turn the battle around!
Just as he was about to channel soul power into the soul tool and take out his hidden weapons, a light cough abruptly rang out.
"Ahem."
Flender's voice came, sounding almost amused yet carrying a measure of unquestionable authority. "Tang San, put away all that miscellaneous stuff of yours. Lin Kong isn't your enemy. He's your classmate. From now on, you'll both be members of Shrek."
At those words, everyone on the sidelines immediately nodded in instinctive agreement.
That was indeed reasonable.
A sparring match between classmates was supposed to stop short of serious harm. What business did hidden weapons have in it?
Even Dai Mubai, who had always sided with Tang San, frowned and urged him, "Xiao San, don't use those unorthodox things. Your soul power level is so much higher than his. Even without hidden weapons, you must have some other ultimate move that can beat him!"
Dai Mubai understood it as clearly as a polished mirror-if Tang San defeated Lin Kong with hidden weapons today, then whenever anyone else sparred within Shrek in the future, could Tang San pull out hidden weapons whenever he could not win?
Tang San's heart abruptly sank, and bitterness spread across the tip of his tongue.
He had never imagined that the hidden weapons he was counting on to reverse his defeat would actually be banned by everyone in unspoken agreement.
His fingers trembled slightly around the Storage Soul Tool. After a moment, however, he slowly loosened them. A stubborn glint flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself:
"It's fine... Even without hidden weapons, I can still win with the Tang Sect Secret Arts."