At last, Tang San had used up more than half his Soul Power, and the sound of his rapid breathing quietly rose.
Keeping the Mysterious Heaven Skill running at high intensity while attacking without pause was still a little too much for a six-year-old. He could clearly feel that his body had reached its limit.
If he wanted to win, he had to settle it with one decisive blow. His all-encompassing assault abruptly faltered, and the onslaught like a raging storm suddenly stopped.
Tang San flashed backward, putting several meters between himself and Han Qiu. His chest rose and fell slightly, and the ease he had shown at the start had vanished from his eyes, leaving only gravity and shock.
In either his past life or this one, this was the first time he had encountered such a bizarre opponent.
Without overwhelming him with speed or meeting force with force, Han Qiu had completely suppressed him using only his Martial Soul's special ability. Was this really a Trash Martial Soul?
"Can that eye see through things...? That's far too terrifying," Tang San said in a low voice, a trace of disbelief in his tone. "I deliberately disrupted my rhythm and varied my moves, yet you could still dodge in advance."
Han Qiu slowly straightened up, a faint smile on his lips. His breathing was steady, and he showed no sign of fatigue.
With the physical foundation he had forged through days of near-death body training, plus the constant self-healing and endurance provided by Qi-State Origin-Flow, an exchange at this level was child's play to him.
"You're strong!" Tang San took a deep breath, his tone solemn.
"I know I'm strong. You're not bad yourself," Han Qiu said with a smile.
"Well, look at you, showing off." Tang San laughed in exasperation. "Now I'm getting serious!"
"I'm guessing you've got stones hidden in your clothes, and you're planning to throw them at me."
The moment the words left his mouth, Tang San's face stiffened.
What's going on?
He predicted what I was going to do.
Still, it's not a big problem.
Tang San didn't rush into another frontal assault. His figure suddenly became a blur as he darted and shifted rapidly around Han Qiu!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sharp, rapid whistles sounded one after another as objects sliced through the air.
Taking advantage of the changing angles created by his swift movements, Tang San flicked his fingertips repeatedly, sending all the gravel he had taken from his clothes shooting toward Han Qiu!
Dozens of stones, compact as pellets, came from treacherous angles, sealing off every landing spot. They converged from all directions, forming an airtight net of stone that crashed down around him!
Flying stones blocked every path, front, back, left, and right. Every route of retreat and every opening to turn aside or dodge was completely sealed off.
In the space of an instant, Han Qiu was trapped by the lethal assault, seemingly caught with nowhere to dodge and no way to retreat!
The stones hurtled through the air, and the situation looked perilous, but Han Qiu remained motionless. Relying solely on his Heavenly Eye, he tracked Tang San's movements and distinguished the trajectory of each stone flying through the air.
Han Qiu thought to himself, This must be Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, recorded in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
Little San hasn't made any suitable Hidden Weapons yet. Using ordinary stones, he can bring out at most a tenth of this technique's power.
But if an ordinary child took that hit, he'd be black and blue.
As someone who knew the story of Douluo, he recognized it at a glance as Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, a basic Hidden Weapon technique from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
But Tang San was only six, and his Mysterious Heaven Skill was merely at the first level. Naturally, he couldn't possibly use the various secret techniques in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record with complete ease.
Meanwhile, Tang San watched Han Qiu standing motionless. Seeing that his opponent seemed stunned by the sight, he quietly allowed a faint smile to curl his lips.
Since being reborn on the Douluo Continent, he had spent most of his time diligently cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Purple Demon Eye, Mysterious Jade Hand, and other skills from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
His age had limited him to practicing Hidden Weapon techniques in his spare time, but in his view, they ought to be enough to deal with the situation before him.
Tang San had long since mastered these Hidden Weapon techniques.
As his Mysterious Heaven Skill and Mysterious Jade Hand improved, their power would continue to increase when paired with Hidden Weapons made from different materials.
It's been a long time since I practiced. The result isn't bad, considering I used stones to perform Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, Tang San calculated.
However wondrous Han Qiu's Heavenly Eye was, and even if he had guessed that Tang San would use Hidden Weapons, he would never have expected that these stones weren't thrown at random, but launched together using the Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers technique!
I've got this match won!
At that thought, even with the memories of two lives, Tang San couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement that was hard to contain.
Perhaps the pressure Han Qiu had brought him lately had simply been too intense. He had always been the child other people's parents held up as an example, but Han Qiu had made him feel what it was like to face such a child. If he could defeat him, it would be a sense of accomplishment he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Tang San thought to himself, Han Qiu really is formidable, far stronger than I expected.
Unfortunately, I still have plenty of trump cards hidden up my sleeve. Recalling the skills Han Qiu had displayed during their exchange, Tang San still felt a lingering apprehension.
Han Qiu had forced him to run the Mysterious Heaven Skill at full power, and now he had even been forced to use Hidden Weapons, even if it was only the basic Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers technique.
Tang San watched Han Qiu standing still, already picturing his opponent's face battered black and blue by the stones.
He even took out the medicinal ointment he had prepared ahead of time, intending to step forward and apply it to Han Qiu's injuries as soon as he admitted defeat. In his eyes, Han Qiu was a good opponent.
But at that very moment!
Just as the dozens of stones were about to hit Han Qiu!
Han Qiu moved.
He raised both hands, his expression somewhat grave, and waved them ceaselessly through the air. His hands moved at incredible speed, layer upon layer of afterimages appearing before him!
Swish, swish, swish!
Each time a hand swept lightly through the air, a stone was caught securely between his fingers. The whole process took no more than an instant.
Tang San's eyes widened in disbelief. His whole body froze, his heart filled with astonishment.
Han Qiu was still standing in the same spot, having done nothing more than raise his hands. Yet the gaps between the fingers of those seemingly slender, youthful hands were packed with dozens of stones!
Every stone he had just sent flying had been stopped by Han Qiu's bare hands!
What shook Tang San even more was that the technique Han Qiu had used was none other than Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers!
What was more, his execution was actually better than Tang San's.
Which of us is the Tang Sect disciple here?
Could I be a fake Tang Sect disciple?
Does this make any sense?
At this point, Tang San had begun questioning his life.
"Su Yuntao, Grandmaster Su, you call this a Trash Martial Soul? Are you blind?!"
"Haha! Little San, take this self-created secret technique of mine: Torrential Pear Blossom!"
Han Qiu laughed aloud and leaped into the air, sending all the stones in his palms shooting toward Tang San.
Han Qiu didn't know how to use Torrential Pear Blossom Needles at all. He had merely memorized Tang San's Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers technique and made a few alterations before launching the stones. Yet the speed and force of this attack were no weaker than Tang San's previous one.
Tang San's heart jolted at the sight, and he thought instinctively, Torrential Pear Blossom? Does Han Qiu know the Tang Sect Secret Arts too? Could he have transmigrated from another world, just like me?
But keeping his eyes fixed on the incoming stones, he soon noticed something and understood. So it was a false alarm!
As a Hidden Weapon grandmaster from the Tang Sect, Tang San saw through it at once: Han Qiu's move was only an imitation of his Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers. Yet this volley of stones was even faster and more forceful than his own!
Horrified, Tang San dared not be careless and hurriedly dodged to the side.