Whoosh-
The din in the Soul Fighting Arena was abruptly cut off, as though an enormous invisible hand had strangled it.
The stands, which had been boiling with excitement, fell deathly silent in an instant. Every gaze was fixed on Lu Yu.
Two glowing white Ten-Year Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, each circulating with a faint white light. Set against the five Yellow Soul Rings on the stage, they were especially glaring.
The earlier cheers and applause vanished, replaced by gasps rising and falling throughout the crowd.
"Two... two Ten-Year Soul Rings?!"
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? A two-ring Soul Master, and both rings are white!"
"Great Sage Equal to Heaven? His Second Soul Ring is actually a ten-year ring? How is that possible?!"
Niu Da and Niu Er also froze on the stage. Niu Da clenched his fists, a trace of astonishment appearing on his previously tense face, followed by a rush of incredulous delight.
"Two Ten-Year Soul Rings?!" Niu Er lowered his voice and elbowed Niu Da beside him.
"Big brother, is this kid here to make a fool of himself? Both his rings are ten-year rings. He's an idiot!"
Much of the wariness in Niu Da's eyes faded, and a vicious grin curled his lips. He had been wary of Lin Tian's terrifying record of 48 victories, but the sight of Lu Yu's two glaringly white Ten-Year Soul Rings made more than half his fear vanish.
"Hmph, looks like his great reputation exceeds the reality. No matter how many consecutive solo Soul Fighting victories he has, what waves can he stir up with two Ten-Year Soul Rings?"
"Niu Er, don't hold back. Take down this Great Sage Equal to Heaven first!" Niu Da said in a low voice.
"Understood!"
Niu Er answered as the Soul Rings beneath his feet flickered with light, his yellow First Soul Ring lighting up.
"First Soul Skill, Berserk Bull Charge!"
A deep bull's roar resounded across the Soul Fighting stage. Niu Er's muscles swelled, and his body seemed to grow a size larger. A cold gleam flashed across the horns on his head as he charged fiercely at Lu Yu like a Berserk Bull out of control, his pounding feet making the ground tremble slightly.
"Hey, looks like they've got their eyes on me. You or me?" Lu Yu was in no hurry, and even had the leisure to joke with Lin Tian.
"You go! I want to see your staff techniques!" Lin Tian said, tossing the Thunder Pattern Staff to him.
Lu Yu caught it with a backhand grip, spun it in a flourish, and hefted it a few times, estimating its weight at around three hundred jin.
After giving Lu Yu the Thunder Pattern Staff, Lin Tian withdrew to open up a safe distance. Niu Er, charging in front, was momentarily stunned at the sight of Lin Tian throwing away his Martial Soul. Then he was even more delighted.
He had thought the two men with such terrifying solo Soul Fighting records would be troublesome opponents. Who would have guessed they were two good-for-nothings!
A Soul Master's Martial Soul was the most important thing he had, yet Lin Tian had actually given his to someone else.
Niu Da, hiding behind Niu Er, had not seen this. The two commonly attacked this way: Niu Er took the lead while Niu Da hid behind him.
Once Niu Er had charged forward, Niu Da would rush out from the blind spot.
Watching Niu Er charge toward him, Lu Yu smiled contemptuously and gathered strength where he stood, preparing to unleash the first tremor of Flowing Cloud Seven Tremors.
Just as Niu Er came within a meter of Lu Yu, Niu Da suddenly burst out from behind Niu Er's right side, giving a low shout.
"Second Soul Power-Berserk Bull's Great Strength!"
The Second Soul Ring merged into Niu Da's body. His arms abruptly swelled, growing even thicker, and he raised his right hand high before smashing it toward Lu Yu's face.
Lu Yu was just about to strike Niu Er on the head with his staff when he saw Niu Da suddenly rush out. He glanced at Niu Da and instantly used his Second Soul Skill-Nitrogen Acceleration.
Lu Yu's speed abruptly increased by one hundred percent. He pushed off with both legs and dodged diagonally to the right, evading both Niu Er's Berserk Bull Charge and Niu Da's fist in a single movement.
"What?!" Niu Da's eyes widened. This tactic had worked every time, yet it had failed the very first time they used it against Lu Yu.
Niu Da's fist smashed into the Soul Fighting stage, scattering several chunks of stone.
After dodging, Lu Yu hurriedly turned to counterattack, sending the Flowing Cloud Seven Tremors he had already charged straight at Niu Er's back.
Boom-
Niu Er pitched forward, pain showing on his face, but that was not the end of it. At first, there was only the pain of the Thunder Pattern Staff striking his back.
Then the shaking force of Flowing Cloud Seven Tremors drove from Niu Er's back straight toward his heart and lungs. His body shuddered, and he spat out a mouthful of bloody froth.
"How is this possible..."
"He made Niu Er cough up blood with one strike? No, Lu Yu must have used that strange shaking force."
Watching from a distance, the fervor in Lin Tian's eyes grew even stronger. This was Lu Yu's staff technique: a single strike could severely injure a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.
And that was against a Berserk Bull Martial Soul known for its defense. Against a support- or control-type Soul Master, that strike from Lu Yu could have completely incapacitated the opponent.
"Niu Er, are you all right?!" Niu Da hurriedly caught Niu Er, keeping him from falling straight to the ground.
"I'm fine. There's something strange about him. Let's deal with the other one first." Niu Er shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked up at Lin Tian, who no longer had his Martial Soul.
Noticing their gazes, Lin Tian inwardly cried out that things were bad. He immediately circulated his Soul Power and began running around the Soul Fighting stage.
"Kid, without your Martial Soul, let's see how you block this!"
"First Soul Skill-Berserk Bull Ground Stomp!"
Niu Da let out an angry roar. The White Soul Ring on his body flashed and merged into him. He raised his right foot and stomped down hard, violently shaking the Soul Fighting stage within a five-meter radius.
Lin Tian lost his footing and fell straight forward. At the same time, he felt a pang of regret. He should never have given Lu Yu the Thunder Pattern Staff.
Without his Martial Soul, his combat strength had been cut by eighty percent.
But Niu Da and Niu Er seemed to have forgotten Lu Yu behind them, charging recklessly toward Lin Tian, who had fallen to the ground.
Boom-
The Thunder Pattern Staff descended from above and plunged into the Soul Fighting stage, kicking up a great cloud of dust. Then Lu Yu's voice came from behind them.
The instant Lin Tian fell, Lu Yu had thrown the Thunder Pattern Staff at the ground in front of him.
At the same time, he used the tenth palm of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, Twin Dragons Fetch Water.
When Lu Yu reached Niu Da and Niu Er from behind, he shouted in a low voice, "Twin Dragons Fetch Water!"
Two enormous dragons coiled around Lu Yu's arms, their fearsome heads enveloping his palms. He thrust both palms out, one to the left and one to the right, striking the two men hard in the back.
By the time the dragon's roar faded, Niu Da and Niu Er had crashed into the wall. With two thuds, they slid down and lost consciousness.
Several seconds passed before deafening cheers erupted throughout the Soul Fighting stage.
"Unbelievable! Great Sage Equal to Heaven took on two opponents and defeated them in two moves!"
"The winners are the Flower-Fruit Mountain Duo!"
The host's impassioned voice rang out!
With his level of perception, the host naturally could not tell that Lu Yu had used the first tremor of Flowing Cloud Seven Tremors in his first staff strike.
He had only seen Lu Yu's Second Soul Ring merge into his body and the two dragons on his arms when he unleashed Twin Dragons Fetch Water.
Thus, he concluded that Lu Yu had used only two moves!
Lin Tian climbed to his feet, put away his Martial Soul, and walked over to Lu Yu, looking at him with a resentful expression.
"You really put me through it!"
Lu Yu smiled apologetically. What Lin Tian said was true: if Lin Tian had still had his Martial Soul in hand, he would not have needed to run, and he would not have fallen afterward.
"We won, didn't we?"