"The match is over."
Qin Ming's voice rang out at just the right time.
Ye Lingling walked over to the Shi Mo Brothers to heal them. White light formed a begonia flower that descended onto the two brothers, and color returned visibly to their faces. Their shattered turtle shells were repaired as well.
Nine Heart Begonia could completely heal any physical injury, including damage to flesh, bones, and meridians.
For the Shi Mo Brothers, the turtle shells were like parts of an exoskeleton. If they had truly been Tool Martial Souls, they could not have been healed and the Soul Masters would have had to repair them themselves using Soul Power.
Even so, it was astonishing enough.
As Fang Lin remembered it, his mother's healing could not achieve anything like this. At her clinic, minor injuries were treated, while those with serious injuries had to tough them out. Those who couldn't make it through passed on.
Qin Ming walked over to Fang Lin and checked him for signs of poisoning. Curious, he asked, "You clearly didn't use your Third Soul Skill just now, so how did you withstand Dugu Yan's poison mist? Was it an extra property your Third Soul Ring gave you?"
Fang Lin's actions might have fooled Yu Feng and the others, but they could not fool Qin Ming. Besides, Qin Ming had seen how Fang Lin's Martial Soul changed when he used his Third Soul Skill.
Everyone's eyes turned to him. Dugu Yan's gaze was especially hostile, though it was unclear whether she was holding a grudge over Fang Lin pinching her tail or was genuinely curious.
Fang Lin's expression stalled for a moment, and he took a pill from his pocket. "My Third Soul Ring did give me some poison resistance, but I mainly relied on the antidote pills Senior Dugu gave me before to withstand Dugu Yan's serpent poison."
Only Dugu Bo knew the secret that the Ice and Fire Golden Body could resist Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison. Judging by Dugu Yan's reaction, Dugu Bo did not seem to have told her, so Fang Lin could only keep that hidden too.
"Why would Grandpa give you an antidote specifically for Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison?" Dugu Yan was the first to voice her disbelief. She covered the distance to Fang Lin in a few steps and picked up the pill to examine it, then frowned deeply. "It really is Grandpa's antidote pill... That's strange."
While they were at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Fang Lin had gone out with Dugu Bo to look for seasoning plants. At the time, Dugu Bo had not known Fang Lin was immune to serpent poison and had given him a few antidote pills. Later, Fang Lin accidentally exposed himself by secretly eating a Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flower, and Dugu Bo stopped giving him the pills.
Unlike the skeptical Dugu Yan, the others seemed to find the answer quite reasonable. Only Poison Douluo could make Fang Lin immune to Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison, a poison unrivaled under heaven.
As for why Poison Douluo had given it to Fang Lin...
"All right, Dugu Yan, ask your grandpa about that yourself later." Qin Ming coughed and steered the conversation toward reviewing the match. "Shi Mo and Shi Mo performed adequately. They probed their opponent with their First Soul Skill, then immediately gave it their all with their Second Soul Skill after discovering how powerful he was. The problem was Ye Lingling. Once it was clear the two of them were no match for him, you should have prepared to heal them, rather than waiting until they were injured and their defense had been broken before considering it."
Ye Lingling lowered her head, lost in thought. Beside her, Dugu Yan looked indignant. "Teacher Qin, that was because Fang Lin broke through my Third Soul Skill using my grandpa's antidote pills. Otherwise, Ye Lingling would definitely have made it in time just now."
Qin Ming shot her a sidelong glance. "How do you know your future opponents won't be able to break through your poison? What if the opposing team has a wind-attribute Soul Master? When facing an opponent whose strength far exceeds yours, a Healing System Soul Master needs to anticipate what will happen in advance."
Dugu Yan pouted at Qin Ming's words, while Fang Lin clicked his tongue in amazement. He would never have guessed Qin Ming had a talent for prophecy.
"Shi Mo, Shi Mo, rest and recover your Soul Power. Yu Tianheng, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan, team up and continue the match." This time, Qin Ming did not assign Fang Lin any teammates. Dugu Yan's poison had no effect on Fang Lin, so all she could do was buff Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng had just seen how formidable Fang Lin was. He knew he could not have broken through the Shi Mo Brothers' final combined move. Teamwork would be especially important if they wanted to win this match. Accustomed to attacking head-on, Yu Tianheng had no choice but to pull the two women aside to discuss tactics.
"Lengleng, your healing will be especially important if we want to win. Even with Dugu Yan's buffs, I probably won't be able to hold out against Fang Lin. Our only chance is to trade injuries and wear him down."
Ye Lingling was silent for a while. Then she glanced at Yu Tianheng. "As soon as you start fighting, I'll get ready to heal you."
Uh...
Yu Tianheng opened his mouth, intending to say, "There's no need to go that far," but when he recalled Fang Lin shattering the Shi Mo Brothers' combined move with a single slash, he swallowed the words.
When it came to defense, his dragon scales could not compare to Shi Mo and Shi Mo's Second Soul Skill.
While Yu Tianheng and the two women huddled together to discuss tactics, Fang Lin had nothing to do and struck up a conversation with Qin Ming.
"Teacher Qin, where do I collect my credit allowance for the past six-plus months? No one even told me about it. That's fourteen hundred credits."
Qin Ming looked at him in amusement. "You've been here seven months in total and took six months off. You've still got the nerve to ask for an allowance?"
"Hey, you can't put it that way." Fang Lin grew anxious. "You know my situation. Those were all circumstances beyond my control. Surely I should get a base salary at least? I won't even ask for all of it. Half will do."
Qin Ming chuckled. "If you can defeat them before Ye Lingling gets a chance to use her healing, I'll give you the full amount."
Fang Lin looked over at the three, who had finished discussing their tactics. After Qin Ming's earlier instruction, Ye Lingling would definitely be on guard. If he wanted to defeat Yu Tianheng and the others, he could not hold back as he had before.
He might only have a few brief chances.
Fang Lin silently said a few words to Yu Tianheng in his heart.
Hengzi, don't blame me for being ruthless. Teacher Qin is offering too much. Besides, with Lingling here, she can heal anything that doesn't kill you.
When the match began, Yu Feng and the Shi Mo Brothers all retreated a long way back, leaving a large open space on the bluestone grounds for the four combatants.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
Electric arcs burst around Yu Tianheng, and blue-violet dragon scales covered the skin of his chest and arms. The scales on his right arm were especially dark, and the beast transformation of his dragon claw had drawn even closer to that of a dragon-type Soul Beast, with thick finger bones and large joints.
Looks like Dragon Transformation is starting.
Fang Lin murmured to himself. Unlike the pseudo-Tool Soul Avatar effect of his Third Soul Skill, members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon would gradually undergo Dragon Transformation after level thirty, gaining the power of a Martial Soul Avatar ahead of time, until they could truly transform into dragons after level seventy.
"First Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Red Poison!"
"Second Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Blue Poison!"
As two Soul Rings beneath Dugu Yan's feet lit up, Yu Tianheng's presence grew even more imposing. Both his defense and strength were enhanced, and some of his pain was suppressed. With Ye Lingling's healing added to the mix, he was practically the perfect fighting machine.
At the same time, behind him, Ye Lingling cupped the Nine Heart Begonia in her hands, its petals already beginning to open.
Damn, healing right from the start? Fang Lin cursed inwardly. In that case, she couldn't blame him for fighting dirty.
"First Soul Skill, Hell Power!"
"Third Soul Skill, Profound Nether Overlord Body Saber!"
Fang Lin let out a low shout as surging Soul Power stimulated the muscles in his legs. To increase his speed and explosive power, he even used the Soul Power technique from his consecutive slashes. Golden light blazed from the long saber in his hand, and his presence surged like a rainbow. Both he and his saber entered the Overlord Body state.
"Damn, Brother Lin's going all out! He's even using a Thousand-Year Soul Skill. Brother Tian's getting the full treatment." Yu Feng clicked his tongue in amazement from outside the arena.
Beside him, the Shi Mo Brothers stared intently at the long saber in Fang Lin's hand. His Second Soul Skill had just broken through their combined defense. How powerful would his Third Soul Skill be?
The moment the Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath Fang Lin's feet lit up, Yu Tianheng's heart tightened. He instinctively looked back at where Ye Lingling stood. Seeing that she had already raised her hands, he immediately composed himself and met Fang Lin with equal vigor.
"Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Might!"
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Several streams of plasma converged into a thick electric arc, which followed the illusory dragon claw around Yu Tianheng's arm and slammed into Fang Lin's long saber.
The golden light and blue-violet plasma collided with a tremendous crash. The explosive shock wave scattered dust in every direction, obscuring everyone's vision for a moment. Then two figures flew out at the same time.
One, however, was sent flying backward, while the other shot toward Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling of his own accord. Yu Tianheng, who had been sent flying, was actually a little faster than the advancing Fang Lin.
"Brother Tian was sent flying with one slash? And he's still spouting blood." Yu Feng stared in shock. He had witnessed all of Yu Tianheng's training over the past six months: the weighted training and medicinal baths, as well as the many precious herbs and exotic fruits he had eaten.
If training his physique had not taken up so much time, Yu Tianheng might already have reached Soul Elder by now.
"Ah, Brother Tian, what did you even do all that for?" Yu Feng sighed, his eyes full of wistfulness.
As Yu Tianheng was defeated in an instant, Fang Lin also knocked Ye Lingling to the ground with the back of his saber. For the full credit allowance Qin Ming had promised, Fang Lin had not even managed to hold back his blow. The girl fainted on the spot, and her half-released Soul Skill dissolved into white light.
Dugu Yan was next, eliminated in the same way.
Only then did everyone realize Fang Lin had been holding back in his previous fights. Even the younger brother, Shi Mo, who was usually silent, could not help exclaiming.
"That's monstrous. I don't think even a two-thousand-year Soul Beast would have such formidable strength."