Heaven Dou City Soul Fighting Arena.
Fang Lin emerged from the contestants' passage, his clothes scorched black and his face disheveled, his breathing utterly ragged.
The lightning attack manifested from Soul Power wasn't nearly as terrifying as I imagined. It's still different from natural lightning. That makes sense-otherwise, a hundred thousand volts would have turned even Brother Niu into a skewer.
He had just finished a one-on-one Soul Fight against a level 29 Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster whose Martial Soul was the Thunder Demon Wolf.
This opponent hadn't originally been assigned to Fang Lin. A month ago, he had put in a request to be matched against lightning-attribute Soul Grandmasters in one-on-one Soul Fights whenever possible, even if their points and win rates didn't match.
Lightning-attribute Soul Masters were scarce among the many attributes, and they were almost never born with ordinary-quality Martial Souls. On top of that, each person could only participate in one Soul Fight of any kind per day. Fang Lin had fought twenty-nine matches this month and, including today's, had only encountered three.
From what I've seen, lightning-attribute Soul Masters have two paths: one strengthens attack and speed, while the other strengthens energy blasts and paralysis control. The first is manageable, but the second is troublesome...
If Fang Lin remembered correctly, Yu Tianheng should lean toward the second type. But it was also possible that Yu Tianheng had chosen that direction for his Soul Skills because his body was strong enough.
Too bad I can't afford thousand-year whale rubber right now...
Fang Lin let out a long sigh, checked out of the hotel he had rented short-term near the arena, and returned to the academy.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy's annual academy tournament was about to begin.
The bluestone grounds of the training field had been divided into eight square arenas, with simple barriers set up around their edges.
This was the venue for the preliminary rounds. A teacher stood at each arena to explain the rules.
"The preliminaries are divided into eight groups. Each person will fight four matches. Winners receive one point, and losers receive none. The top two scorers in each group will advance to the round of sixteen. Students with the same score will be matched against each other first."
Fang Lin glanced at the roster for his arena. There were a full twenty people on it. He didn't see the names of Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, or the other original members of the Imperial Fighting Team, but he did see Niu Heng.
With eight arenas, the chances of running into each other were neither particularly high nor particularly low.
Fang Lin looked around. Nearly two hundred students were taking part in the preliminaries. Besides those at the Heavenly Supreme Level, there were also a great many Heavenly Minor Level students. Apparently, every student at Heaven Dou Academy who was a Soul Grandmaster or above had entered. Most of the Heavenly Minor Level students were just above level twenty. Fang Lin won three matches with ease, only running into Niu Heng in his fourth.
When the teacher acting as referee called their names, the two stepped onto the arena and took their stances.
Niu Heng scratched his head, looking relieved. "Good thing we ran into each other in the fourth match. Even if one of us loses, we can both advance."
Fang Lin grinned. "Go easy on me, Brother Niu. Don't let me chop my blade blunt."
Niu Heng rolled his eyes. "For you to chop your blade blunt on me, I'd have to be at least level forty. You're as strong as an ox. I'm starting to wonder which of us is the Beast Soul Master."
He had a round face, small eyes, and thick eyebrows, and the expression looked oddly comical on him.
As they spoke, both completed their Martial Soul Possession.
Fang Lin held his long saber in hand, while a layer of dark black keratin grew over Niu Heng's skin. Hard armor like iron plates covered his chest and abdomen, and a rhinoceros horn rose from the center of his forehead. Two Yellow Soul Rings circled beneath his feet.
The Plate Armor Giant Rhinoceros was a top-tier defensive Beast Martial Soul. In defense alone, not even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could match it.
Niu Heng was already a head taller than Fang Lin. After Martial Soul Possession, he grew another half a foot, making him look even more imposing.
"I'm coming!"
Niu Heng gave a low shout, and a metallic sheen covered the skin of his entire body.
"First Soul Skill, Iron Armor Charge!"
The first Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up. Like a war chariot, Niu Heng charged straight at Fang Lin in the blink of an eye, his massive feet even leaving deep craters in the ground.
Fang Lin dodged to the side. At the same time, his arm muscles bulged, and he swung his saber down at Niu Heng's back with the force to cleave Mount Hua.
The Plate Armor Giant Rhinoceros's defenses were all concentrated in its skin. With the First Soul Skill strengthening it as well, Fang Lin's mighty blow produced nothing but the clang of metal striking metal.
"Brother Niu, that hide of yours really is thick and tough."
Fang Lin couldn't help complaining. Even without a Soul Skill, the same blow would have decided the match if it had landed on Yu Feng. Against Niu Heng, it had merely dented his skin.
"Second Soul Skill, War Stomp."
Niu Heng roared, raised his foot high, and slammed it into the ground. An invisible shock wave spread out from him, and the thick blue bricks beneath his foot were crushed into stone fragments.
But Fang Lin had been prepared. The moment Niu Heng raised his foot, his First Soul Ring lit up, and he accelerated, springing away.
Once the shock wave dissipated, he closed in again, swinging his saber at the relatively weak points in Niu Heng's defenses, such as his neck, elbows, and knees.
The two fought for a while. Niu Heng used his Soul Skills several times in succession, but none of them paid off. The metallic sheen on his body dimmed somewhat from excessive Soul Power consumption, and his movements as he parried the long saber grew sluggish.
Fang Lin's gaze sharpened. He knew this was his chance to strike, and the two Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up in succession.
"First Soul Skill, Hell Power!"
"Second Soul Skill, Shadow Blade!"
When the second Soul Ring lit up, the long saber in Fang Lin's hand changed shape, growing longer and sharper. Its blade turned from bright silver to pitch-black, as though shrouded in shadow.
Fang Lin's second Soul Skill provided a hundred percent armor-breaking boost and carried an armor-corroding property. It came from a rare, advanced Soul Beast, a 780-year-old Shadow Poison Bee.
The Shadow Poison Bee's stinger was hard and sharp, with tremendous penetrating power. But it was better known for its ability to corrode Soul Power. When it encountered a target it couldn't pierce in one strike, its attacks would take on an armor-corroding property, wearing down the enemy's defenses until it could break through in a single blow.
"Well done!"
A sharp light flashed in Niu Heng's eyes. He knew Fang Lin was about to unleash his strongest attack. If he could block it, he would have a chance to counterattack before his opponent could muster his strength again.
The long saber sliced through the air with a faint crack, carrying the force of the wind as it slammed into Niu Heng's raised arms.
Niu Heng grunted. His mountain-like body staggered sharply backward, his hands trembling as red blood ran down his arms.
He sucked in a breath. If that blow had struck one of his weaker spots, it could have cut deep enough to expose bone.
Niu Heng clutched his arm and shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"No more, no more. I'm starting to suspect you chose your second Soul Skill just to counter me. A pure armor-breaking boost? Aside from the Soul Breaking Spear, I've never seen a Tool Soul Master choose a Soul Skill like that."
Niu Heng sounded glum. Armor-breaking Soul Skills were a particularly strong counter to Defense System Soul Masters, but Tool Soul Masters who devoted a Soul Skill to countering a particular type of Soul Master were rare, and he had just happened to run into one.
"Of course not, Brother Niu. I didn't even know you before."
Fang Lin put away his Martial Soul and steadied his breathing. He knew Niu Heng was probably thinking about the knockout rounds still to come and didn't want to risk injury by continuing the fight. Otherwise, Fang Lin would have had to put in more effort to win.
After his four matches, bouts were still underway in the other arenas. As he passed one of them, Fang Lin stopped.
A young woman stood facing her opponent in the arena. She had purple hair, green eyes, fair skin, and red lips, and wore a purple banner dress. The corners of her lips curled up, and her voice was sweet and gentle.
"Dugu Yan, Martial Soul Jade Phosphorus Snake, level 26 Control System Soul Grandmaster. Be careful, senior."
When the young woman announced her Soul Power Level, Fang Lin thought, Just as I expected.
Dugu Yan's opponent was a young man with a spear, a level 29 Power Attack System Tool Soul Master. As soon as the fight began, he turned into a shadow and pounced on her.
When a Power Attack System Soul Master fought a Control System opponent, closing the distance was the first priority. Otherwise, the opponent's control methods would keep wearing them down and restricting them.
Faced with the young man's charge, Dugu Yan showed no sign of panic.
"Second Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorus Blue Poison."
She spat a cloud of blue poisonous mist from her mouth. It spread rapidly, enveloping the space before her.
Standing a little too close, Fang Lin caught a faint, fishy-sweet scent in the air and felt slightly dizzy. Alarmed, he hurriedly backed away several steps.
The original book had said that anyone who touched Dugu Yan's third Soul Skill would turn into a puddle of pus. Her second Soul Skill looked just as unfriendly.
The young man on the arena reacted far more strongly than Fang Lin. An unnatural flush appeared on his face, and his charge came to a halt. He retreated again and again until he was near the edge of the arena.
From the center of the arena came Dugu Yan's soft laugh. "Senior, if you back up any farther, you'll fall out of the arena. Why not come over and give it a try? What if it isn't poisonous?"
The young man looked at the eerie green color before him, his face twitching.
He then tried charging in from other directions, but every attempt was met with a cloud of poisonous mist. The mist continued spreading outward, frightening the watching students into retreating one after another.
The young man gripped his spear and looked around in bewilderment, holding it aloft, with nowhere to put his skills to use. In the end, he had no choice but to jump off the arena.
"Dugu Yan wins."
The teacher serving as referee announced the result, but the poisonous mist covering the arena was still spreading. He looked at Dugu Yan awkwardly.
"Don't worry, teacher."
Dugu Yan pursed her lips in a smile, and purple Soul Power rippled to life around her. All the blue poisonous mist filling the air was drawn into her mouth as though siphoned in. Beneath her dress, the young woman's lower belly bulged slightly before flattening again a moment later. Combined with Dugu Yan's smiling expression, the sight gave Fang Lin goosebumps.
She's practically a walking poison jar!
The fight between the two had lasted less than half a quarter of an hour from beginning to end.
Unlike those of traditional Control System Soul Masters, Dugu Yan's Soul Skills seemed made for team battles, or even the battlefield.
Fang Lin thought to himself that, if he were in her opponent's place and ran into Dugu Yan in the confined space of an arena, he wouldn't have much choice but to obediently step down. If he had a choice, he would rather face Yu Tianheng later than run into Dugu Yan.
No, better to be prepared.
Fang Lin left the training field and went down to the foot of the mountain. He found a shop, bought ten jin of realgar and ten jin of strong liquor, and soaked the realgar in the liquor in a jar, which he put into his Storage Soul Tool.
The best outcome would still be not running into her. Dugu Bo is behind Dugu Yan, too. If I really did neutralize her Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison in public... Tsk.