His Luo Sanpao was chubby and looked more like a bloated pig. Apart from farting, he had no other means of attack whatsoever.
By contrast, Lin Mo's Charmander looked far more spirited. Judging by the presence he exuded, he ranked among the finest even among fire-attribute Martial Souls.
Strong! Far too strong!
Although they had yet to actually fight, judging by their presence alone, Yu Xiaogang reached a conclusion that left him feeling rather sour and dejected-
The strength of Lin Mo's Charmander Martial Soul absolutely far surpassed his own Luo Sanpao Martial Soul, and by far more than a single notch!
"As expected... he really is an external beast Martial Soul like Luo Sanpao..." Yu Xiaogang muttered, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
"But this strength... sigh..."
In truth, he had long since prepared himself-the outcome had already been decided by the difference in their innate Soul Power alone.
Lin Mo's innate Soul Power was rank six, while his was a pitiful half a rank.
The strength of a Martial Soul was closely tied to innate Soul Power. The gap in innate Soul Power often directly reflected whether a Martial Soul was fundamentally powerful.
His Luo Sanpao Martial Soul had become what it was now through a failed mutation from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, which also prevented his Soul Power level from ever breaking past rank thirty.
Lin Mo's Charmander, on the other hand, was clearly a powerful Martial Soul born of a successful mutation.
After seeing Charmander with his own eyes, Yu Xiaogang no longer doubted that.
Dean Wang Zongchang understood when he saw Yu Xiaogang's complicated, unreadable expression, but he did not point it out. He merely smiled and addressed the two in the center of the grounds:
"All right, both sides, get ready. Stop short of causing harm. The spar ends when either side concedes or loses the ability to fight, or when I judge that one side cannot continue. Understood?"
Lin Mo and Tang San nodded at the same time.
"Then," Wang Zongchang raised his voice, "begin!"
As the dean's words fell, Tang San's gaze instantly sharpened. He declared in a low voice, "Tang San, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass, rank-fifteen one-ring Tool Soul Master!"
Blue Silver Grass surged from his palm, giving off a faint rank smell. At the same time, a bright yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet and pulsed up and down around his body.
Lin Mo remained where he was, showing no intention of moving. He merely said calmly, "Lin Mo, Martial Soul: Charmander, rank-ten Soul Scholar."
Sensing his master's fighting spirit, Charmander stepped forward and gave an even more intimidating growl in Tang San's direction. The flame on his tail blazed more fiercely.
Tang San did not underestimate him in the slightest. He knew that Lin Mo's Charmander Martial Soul was anything but simple. With his Blue Silver Grass clearly countered by fire, he dared not let down his guard.
His footwork changed, and his figure became elusive, roaming the grounds like a phantom. This was none other than the Tang Sect secret art-Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!
He attempted to use his agile movement technique to close the distance or find an opening in Charmander's defenses.
At the same time, his yellow hundred-year Soul Ring suddenly shone.
"First Soul Skill, Entanglement!"
Thick Blue Silver Grass shot from Tang San's hands as though it had come alive. Like venomous snakes brought to life, the strands swept toward Charmander in the center of the grounds from several different directions, seeking to entangle him.
After gaining the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring, this Blue Silver Grass had become exceptionally tough and also carried a certain amount of paralyzing toxin.
Once entangled, even a strength-type beast Martial Soul Soul Master would struggle to break free anytime soon.
And once the paralyzing toxin took effect, this match would all but declare his victory!
Yet facing the Blue Silver Grass swarming toward them, Lin Mo could not even be bothered to give a spoken command.
Charmander suddenly drew in a breath, his chest swelling slightly, then opened his mouth-
"Whoosh-!"
A broad swath of orange-red flame instantly spewed forth to meet the Blue Silver Grass attempting to entangle him.
Fire countered grass. This was the most basic of elemental counters!
The moment the searing flames touched the Blue Silver Grass, a series of sizzling sounds erupted.
The Blue Silver Grass, made exceptionally tough by Tang San's Soul Power, proved unable to withstand even a single blow from the Ember Charmander unleashed.
In the blink of an eye, the Blue Silver Grass at the very front was scorched black and curled up before turning to drifting ash in the roasting flames!
Although the Blue Silver Grass behind it advanced wave after wave, under the continuous scorching flames, it could not cross the forbidden line by even a step, unable to get anywhere near Charmander.
Tang San's expression changed drastically.
Although he had expected the fire attribute to counter his Blue Silver Grass, he had never imagined the effect would be so pronounced!
His Blue Silver Grass, strengthened by a hundred-year Soul Ring, was actually this helpless before Charmander's flames!
The temperature and power of these flames far exceeded his imagination!
His Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track footwork never stopped as he attempted to attack from other angles.
But Charmander needed no direction from Lin Mo at all. He turned nimbly, continuously spewing Ember from his mouth, always intercepting Tang San's Entanglement attacks from every direction with precision.
For a time, Tang San's figure flitted about the grounds as Blue Silver Grass surged forth without cease, while Charmander held firm in the center, breathing flames that burned every incoming strand to nothing.
Sparks flew everywhere, and the smell of scorching spread.
Watching from the sidelines, Yu Xiaogang knitted his brows tightly.
The situation seemed somewhat beyond his expectations. Lin Mo's Charmander had extremely strong control over his flames, and their power also seemed considerably greater than ordinary fire Soul Skills granted by ten-year Soul Rings.
Is it because of the quality of the Martial Soul itself...? he wondered.
After several fruitless attempts, Tang San could not help growing somewhat agitated.
He had never imagined that he, a full-fledged one-ring Soul Master, would be unable to do anything even to the Martial Soul of an opponent without a Soul Ring.
He gritted his teeth and changed his strategy.
Driving Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limit, he abruptly accelerated. Rather than attempting to entangle his opponent from a distance, he sought to close in directly.
He would use Mysterious Jade Hand and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to attack Charmander directly, or bypass Charmander and attack Lin Mo himself!
Because he studied under Yu Xiaogang, Tang San knew very well that although external beast Martial Souls had many advantages, their weaknesses were equally obvious.
Without the possession available to other beast Martial Souls, Soul Masters with external beast Martial Souls had exceptionally fragile physiques and greatly needed others to protect them.
In other words, once someone closed in on a Soul Master like this, victory and defeat were already decided.
In his view, Lin Mo himself remaining motionless in the same spot might be an opening. As long as he subdued Lin Mo, Charmander would collapse without needing to be attacked.
Seeing Tang San suddenly change direction and charge toward him, the corners of Lin Mo's mouth lifted slightly. Trying to capture the king first to catch the bandits? A good idea, but unfortunately...
Just as Tang San was about to break through Charmander's intercepting flames and draw near Lin Mo.
Charmander abruptly stopped spewing Ember and instead opened his mouth to release a great cloud of thick, pitch-black smoke!
"Smokescreen!"
This was one of the skills Charmander had mastered!
The dense black smoke instantly spread, not only enveloping a large area in front of Charmander himself, but also swallowing Tang San as he charged over.
Tang San felt everything go black before his eyes, his vision instantly robbed from him!
The thick smoke not only obstructed his sight but also carried an acrid smell that made him cough involuntarily.