A towering wave surged in Tang San's heart.
He had thought that after absorbing the four-hundred-year Mandala Snake's Soul Ring, he had been reborn, nearly invincible among those of the same rank. Even if he faced Han Qiu and lost, he would surely be able to hold his own against him.
But reality had taught him a harsh lesson.
"That strange Martial Soul's ability is way too overpowered." Tang San couldn't help giving a wry smile.
It had unquestionably transcended the bounds of ordinary Martial Souls. It was practically a heaven-defying BUG!
Han Qiu smiled faintly, offering no comment, and his figure flickered into motion once more.
He pushed the replica Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limits. His figure was phantasmal and swift as lightning, afterimages crisscrossing as he closed in on Tang San in an instant!
The force of his high-fidelity imitation Mysterious Jade Hand was condensed to the utmost, its fierce palm wind bearing straight down on Tang San's face!
Tang San didn't dare be careless. He circulated his Soul Power at full speed, and his Hundred-Year Soul Ring blazed with light. Blue Silver Grass burst madly from the earth, weaving together in layer upon layer to form a wall of grass that guarded his entire body!
He planned to use Blue Silver Grass's incredible toughness to withstand the assault, then seize the chance to entangle and bind Han Qiu, turning the battle around.
Unfortunately, under Heavenly Eye's foresight, all of Tang San's little moves came to nothing.
Han Qiu's gaze sharpened slightly. The growth paths of every strand of Blue Silver Grass, the flow of Soul Power, and even the gaps in the defense were all laid bare before him.
The longer Tang San fought, the more stifled he felt.
The longer he fought, the worse he felt.
It was downright unbearable.
Han Qiu's figure suddenly twisted sideways at a strange angle, avoiding the grass wall head-on. His palm chopped out like a blade, striking precisely at a weak point in the seams between the layers of Blue Silver Grass!
Crack!
Layer upon layer of Blue Silver Grass snapped!
A gap was torn in the seemingly airtight defensive formation in an instant!
As if something had occurred to him, Han Qiu suddenly withdrew the fist he was about to throw and let the Blue Silver Grass wrap around him.
The Blue Silver Grass that remained all around him converged like a tide, swiftly winding around his limbs and tightening, gripping his body and holding him firmly in place.
A faint, eerie green sheen of poison flowed over the grass stems, and a paralyzing force rapidly seeped through his skin.
"It's over!"
Tang San felt a little more at ease. Though he didn't know why Han Qiu had suddenly abandoned his attack, he was highly confident in the paralyzing effect of his Blue Silver Grass.
The paralytic toxin inherent in Blue Silver Entanglement would instantly make the limbs of even a Soul Master of the same rank go weak and sluggishly impede their Soul Power, leaving them unable to fight on.
As he saw it, no matter how heaven-defying Han Qiu's movement technique or how great his strength, being restrained at close quarters would surely leave him helpless.
"He's trapped! Tang San actually trapped Boss Han with Blue Silver Grass!"
"As expected, a Hundred-Year Soul Skill really is formidable! No matter how strong your movement technique is, it's useless once you're tied up!"
Xiao Chenyu clenched his fists and stared intently at the arena, secretly tense. With his level of strength, he naturally couldn't tell that Han Qiu had deliberately held back just now.
Only Xiao Wu frowned slightly, a trace of hesitation in her clear eyes. She had a feeling things weren't as simple as they appeared; Han Qiu would never be subdued so easily.
In the arena, Han Qiu remained calm and composed despite being tightly bound by the Blue Silver Grass, without the slightest trace of panic.
He deliberately made no attempt to break free, quietly sensing the stiffness spreading through his limbs.
That should be about enough. This is a good chance to test my Martial Soul's purification effect.
Ever since awakening his Martial Soul, he had known it could purify negative effects, but he had never had a chance to test it in actual combat. Tang San's Mandala Snake venom was the perfect touchstone.
The next instant, Han Qiu stirred his thoughts!
Within his still body, wisps of pure white light quietly arose, slowly flowing out through his meridians, flesh, and skin.
The gentle, sacred power of light's origin spread throughout his body, warm and silent, yet possessing an incomparably powerful purifying property.
In an instant, it completely cleansed the paralytic toxin Tang San had injected into him.
Han Qiu abruptly exerted his strength.
Crack! Crack!
A succession of crisp snaps rang out!
The Blue Silver Grass tightly wrapped around Han Qiu could no longer withstand the tremendous force. It all burst and broke, fluttering down in fine fragments that scattered across the ground.
Xiao Wu gazed at Han Qiu's upright figure, her eyes shining and her heart full of amazement.
He could break free of Tang San's Blue Silver Entanglement in an instant without using the slightest bit of Soul Power. Even a Soul Grandmaster above level twenty would probably struggle to pull that off!
The gathered students erupted in an uproar, their faces full of shock.
"Boss Han is way too overpowered!"
Xiao Chenyu couldn't help crying out in amazement, a towering wave surging in his heart. "He didn't use a Soul Skill the whole time, yet he broke through the restraints of a Hundred-Year Soul Skill in an instant using nothing but his body and his Martial Soul's properties! If it were me, even at level twenty, I could never do that!"
At that moment, the same enormous question arose in everyone's minds.
Just what was the origin of Han Qiu's Martial Soul?
And what level had his true Soul Power Level reached?
For such a heaven-defying person to appear among their peers-the gap in talent between people was truly difficult to imagine.
With a single flickering step, Han Qiu arrived in front of Tang San.
It all happened in the space of an instant!
"Little San, looks like you lost again!"
"Yes, I lost again." Tang San was a little dejected. "But I'll work even harder. I'll definitely be able to beat you someday."
"All right, Little San, I'll be waiting," Han Qiu said with a smile.
"How about this? You and Xiao Wu can try fighting me together."
Everyone present froze at his words.
One against two?
And one of his opponents was a level-twelve Battle Soul Master!
But on second thought, they had just seen Han Qiu defeat Tang San with ease. It seemed he wasn't without a chance of winning.
Soul Masters placed great importance on coordination to begin with. When a team joined forces, one plus one was far greater than two.
Tang San was a Control System Soul Master, while Xiao Wu was a Power Attack System Soul Master. One controlling and one attacking was the most complementary combination for a duo.
"Xiao Wu, what do you think?" Tang San turned to the girl beside him.
He knew he could no longer defeat Han Qiu on his own. If he used Hidden Weapons, their power was too dangerous; a moment's carelessness could leave Han Qiu gravely injured.
Though Han Qiu liked to tease him in everyday life, he was one of Tang San's few friends, so Tang San naturally wouldn't strike to kill.
Having watched Han Qiu's fight just now, Xiao Wu also knew it would be extremely difficult to beat him on her own.
"All right! Han Qiu, you'd better be careful!"
Xiao Wu stepped forward, and a Yellow Soul Ring suddenly lit up around her as her Martial Soul instantly possessed her.
Two against one seemed unfair.
But against a powerhouse like Han Qiu, two against one was fairer.
Besides, Han Qiu had taken up the challenge of his own accord.
"Come on." Han Qiu smiled slightly and raised a hand, beckoning them both to attack.
Truth be told, Han Qiu was genuinely curious what sort of teamwork the two could display.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a pink figure suddenly charged at him!
She was extremely fast, even faster than Tang San!
"Take this!"
The rabbit ears atop Xiao Wu's head trembled slightly as she drove a fist straight at Han Qiu's face.
Han Qiu raised a hand and met it head-on with his palm.
Bang!
The impact against his palm was even stronger than Tang San's. As expected of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit that has taken human form to cultivate anew. Even at only level twelve, her physical strength is still not to be underestimated, Han Qiu thought.
Her punch blocked, Xiao Wu didn't slow in the slightest. Her other hand seized Han Qiu's wrist, and she used the force to climb directly onto him. Her body was as supple as if it had no bones, and her moves were tricky and unpredictable, coming from unexpected angles.
Han Qiu raised an eyebrow slightly. This was the Soft Skill Xiao Wu was famous for.