Yu Aotian froze for a moment, then sneered.
"You've got guts!"
He hadn't expected Yan Qing to actually dare accept his challenge.
They were both Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters, but he possessed two Thousand-Year Soul Rings. His total Soul Power alone was who knew how many times greater than Yan Qing's.
At the podium, Lin Xue sighed softly. Seeing that she couldn't stop their match, she spoke.
"A spar between new students cannot decide class assignments. Those aren't child's play, and the outcome of a match cannot serve as the basis for assessment. If you insist on sparring, come with me to the arena."
"Remember, stop short of injury. Serious injuries and permanent disabilities are forbidden. Anyone who violates this rule will be expelled!"
Seeing both of them nod in agreement, Lin Xue said nothing further and led them to the academy's testing arena.
As he stepped onto the platform, a sharp gleam flashed through Yu Aotian's eyes, and his Martial Soul activated in an instant.
Two purple rings of light rose beneath his feet, putting his strength as a Soul Grandmaster on full display.
Yan Qing stood where he was without moving and even crooked a finger at Yu Aotian.
Yu Aotian was already proud and arrogant; now, the slightest spark set him off.
As he released his Martial Soul, brilliant purple lightning coiled around his entire body, and his presence surged instantly.
Yu Aotian shouted in a low voice.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Lightning gathered in his left hand, solidifying into a sharp dragon claw of electricity.
Yu Aotian lunged forward, his dragon claw reaching straight for Yan Qing's shoulder.
Only then did Yan Qing take a step back, creating distance while revealing his Martial Soul.
A long brush fell into his hand, the two white rings circling it particularly conspicuous.
Compared with Yu Aotian's pair of Thousand-Year Soul Rings, they looked rather shabby.
Yan Qing's way of dealing with Yu Aotian's dragon claw was simple too. His white Ten-Year Soul Ring lit up as well.
First Soul Skill, Toilet Brush Pole Vault!
This Soul Skill came from Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo. Yan Qing had managed to get his hands on the peerless Soul Ring that Tang San had failed to absorb back then.
The long pole abruptly extended. Gripping the wooden handle at its end, Yan Qing planted it against the ground and shot skyward like a scallion plucked from dry earth.
It also left Yu Aotian's charged strike hitting empty air.
Yu Aotian's face flushed crimson with anger.
"I don't believe you can stay up there forever!"
Is that so? Yan Qing looked down at Yu Aotian on the ground with a faint, ambiguous smile.
The words Grandmaster had once spoken to Tang San echoed in his ears.
"This is Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo. Its distinguishing trait is toughness. It's something you can only encounter by chance, not seek out."
Second Soul Skill, Toilet Brush Stilt Walking!
The long brush instantly split into two, forming a pair of stilts, one on either side.
Yan Qing stood firmly atop them, looking down at Yu Aotian from above.
"What about now?"
No wonder Grandmaster had wanted Tang San to absorb this Martial Soul. It really was too underhanded.
Yu Aotian was thoroughly enraged.
"Get down here!"
"Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Might!"
He grabbed the two bamboo stilts and poured out his Soul Power without reserve, spraying fine threads of electricity from his mouth.
They wove into a vast net of blue lightning that swept straight toward Yan Qing in midair.
If this strike hit Yan Qing, the consequences would be unthinkable with the physical constitution granted by just two white rings.
At the edge of the arena, Lin Xue gathered Soul Power at her fingertips, ready to intervene at any moment.
Up in the air, Yan Qing folded his arms across his chest. The two Lone Bamboo stilts beneath his feet extended automatically, carrying him even higher.
Unable to hit its target, the lightning net could only attack the nearby Lone Bamboo stilts.
The Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo's toughness actually came into play. The bamboo poles were scorched black by the electricity, but they stubbornly withstood the Soul Skill without breaking.
Grandmaster truly didn't deceive me, Yan Qing thought.
He had more or less had his fun. High in the air, Yan Qing let go of one stilt and dropped.
During his descent, he withdrew the stilts of his second Soul Skill, and his Martial Soul turned back into a toilet brush in his hand.
To be specific, he held the toilet brush in midair and smashed it toward Yu Aotian on the ground.
The parabola of his fall was quite clearly defined.
Anyone down there who was human could have dodged it.
Except Yu Aotian had no intention of dodging.
Yu Aotian crossed his hands in front of his chest, preparing to unleash a combination of Thunder Dragon Claw and Thunderous Might the instant Yan Qing landed.
One second before the toilet brush struck, both of Yu Aotian's Soul Skills lit up simultaneously, electric light blazing!
A glimmer also flashed silently across Yan Qing's left hand.
[Once]
Time reversed by one second!
Yu Aotian, who had been releasing his Soul Skills, suddenly reverted to gathering Soul Power, failing to unleash either skill.
The result was that he took Yan Qing's heavy, forceful brush strike squarely in the face.
Bang!
A muffled grunt rang out, and Yu Aotian crashed to the ground. Yan Qing had actually knocked him unconscious with a toilet brush.
All several dozen students of Class One stared wide-eyed.
From their perspective, Yu Aotian had suddenly changed his move, and they had thought it was a new kind of Soul Skill.
Instead, he had used his face to receive the attack. That had certainly opened all their eyes.
"Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings couldn't beat two Ten-Year Soul Rings? What's going on?"
"Maybe Yu Aotian's the one who got in through connections. Did you know there's a kind of Soul Skill that can change the color of Soul Rings..."
Watching from a corner of the crowd, Lin San couldn't help clenching his fists. His Martial Soul had started from a very low point too. Could hard work let him reach Yan Qing's level of strength?
Light gradually kindled in his eyes, and his gaze gained a little more brightness as he looked at Yan Qing.
At the edge of the arena, Lin Xue was also slightly puzzled. She had caught a faint ripple of spiritual power just now, but she hadn't seen the specifics clearly either.
It was probably a spiritual-type Soul Skill. Her gaze toward Yan Qing couldn't help taking on a little more regard.
Unfortunately, his Martial Soul's limitations were too great. If his first Soul Spirit Contract had been appropriate, he really might have had a chance to aim for Monster Academy in the future.
Without time to investigate further, Lin Xue first stepped onto the platform and had someone take Yu Aotian to the infirmary. She also used this match to give the entire class a brief admonition.
Afterward, she dismissed everyone to go back and rest.
Soon, the second day of the new students' enrollment arrived.
As soon as Yan Qing entered the classroom, he saw Yu Aotian sitting upright in his seat, head held high and chest out, traces of arrogance still lingering between his brows.
Although their homeroom teacher, Lin Xue, had said before yesterday's match that the result wouldn't count, so Yu Aotian didn't have to get out of Class One.
Yet he looked as though nothing had happened, turning a deaf ear to the whispers around him.
Yan Qing had to admit that Yu Aotian really was quite thick-skinned.
When Yan Qing walked up beside him, he spoke coldly:
"Yan Qing, don't get cocky! I was careless yesterday. In another two days, I'll be able to kick you around like a ball."
Yan Qing considered this privately. Yu Aotian had only just had his Dao heart shattered by yesterday's beating, so why did he seem as though he'd been injected with chicken blood today?
Did I hit him too hard yesterday and beat him stupid?
Yan Qing had to look him over again.
Sure enough, he noticed that Yu Aotian's gaze kept wandering back to the gilded envelope in his hand.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's exclusive dragon pattern was easy to spot on it.
Was this his trump card, or what he was relying on?
Seeing Yan Qing look over, Yu Aotian's smug expression grew even more pronounced.
"I'll tell you straight. Our sect's ancestor is coming out of seclusion tomorrow, and all direct-line disciples can receive a Soul Power infusion. When that happens, heh heh..."
Did I hear that right? Yan Qing was a little startled.
Since when did the Douluo Continent have power infusions? And there'd been no mention in the original story of some powerhouse emerging from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
Yan Qing's gaze fell once again on the precious treasure in Yu Longaotian's hand.
The postmark on it was pitch-black, shaped like an upturned round bell, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, covered in eerie green runes.
Yan Qing's pupils abruptly contracted.
This was-
"Dark Bell"