"The wager is... if I win, you have to come with me when I get my second soul ring, Brother."
When Kong Ling obtained her first soul ring, Kong Xuan had not gone with her.
This had been arranged after Kong Deming and Kong Xuan discussed it. Back then, Kong Ling had been far too dependent on her brother, and the two of them had had little choice. It had been a way of putting Kong Ling through her paces.
Clearly, Kong Ling was still being kept in the dark!
Looking at the bright, poised Kong Ling before him, Kong Xuan knew that, barring special circumstances, he would probably never miss another of his sister's soul hunts.
So whether they made this wager or not would not change the outcome.
Yet Kong Xuan asked, "What if I win?"
"If you win, Brother, you can set the stakes!"
Kong Xuan smiled. "If I win, your punishment will be to take me along when you get your second soul ring. How about that?"
At this answer, Kong Ling suddenly froze, her little mouth falling slightly open in surprise.
Clearly, Kong Ling had not expected her brother to say that either.
"Brother, you're not joking, are you?"
"Of course not!"
Kong Xuan reached out and stroked Kong Ling's head, smoothing down the stray tuft the wind had blown up.
Feeling his touch on her head, Kong Ling suddenly lunged at Kong Xuan, throwing her arms around his neck and barreling into her brother's embrace.
"Brother, you're the best!"
"All right! All right!"
Kong Xuan patted his sister's back. "The match down below has already started. Come on, let's see who wins."
In the Soul Fighting Arena, both sides charged forward almost simultaneously.
The yellow soul rings at their feet had already risen. The dragon-claw features on Xu Tianyi's right arm were distinct, and his purple, slit pupils gleamed dangerously.
Xu Wei, meanwhile, looked no different from usual. There were no obvious signs of a beast martial soul on his body, but he held no tool martial soul either.
Just what was Xu Wei's martial soul?
The question rose in Xu Tianyi's mind, but the battle had already begun. There was no time to think it through. He would find out once they exchanged blows!
Up above, Kong Xuan was also watching Xu Wei closely, wondering whether he had a body martial soul.
However, he soon dismissed that thought. He had already noticed something unusual about his roommate and had a guess as to his martial soul.
Soon, Xu Wei and Xu Tianyi had reached the center of the Soul Fighting Arena. Battle was a hair's breadth away.
Xu Tianyi stepped forward, making the ground tremble, and drove his right fist straight at Xu Wei's face amid a violent rush of wind.
Just as Kong Xuan had said, Xu Tianyi was still somewhat overconfident. He did not immediately unleash his soul skill as he had against Ye Lingtong.
Xu Wei's response caught Xu Tianyi off guard. With a shift of his feet, he slipped aside like a swimming fish.
At the same time, he brought his right index and middle fingers together into a sword finger and jabbed beneath Xu Tianyi's ribs.
"Hmm?" Xu Tianyi was slightly startled, but soon sneered. "Petty tricks!"
He swept his arm across, forcibly blocking the blow, while his left leg lashed like a whip toward Xu Wei's waist.
Bang!
The kick sent Xu Wei flying several meters, but he landed with extraordinary lightness, even rolling with the momentum to shed most of the force.
A trace of surprise flashed through Xu Tianyi's eyes. This guy's footwork is actually this nimble?
Amid his surprise, Xu Tianyi suddenly noticed something wrong.
Because Xu Wei had been bare-handed just now, he had used his left arm to block the attack.
Now, however, a tingling numbness spread through his left arm. His fingers kept trembling, and he could no longer muster any strength in it.
He glanced at it. His arm was completely uninjured, but that force had already surged into his body and was running rampant through his arm.
He had not expected to come off worse after a single exchange.
He put aside his contempt for Xu Wei, his gaze sharpening. "Your martial soul has something to do with lightning?"
Xu Wei snorted. "Looks like you're not stupid after all!"
"Don't think disabling my left arm means you can win!"
A cold fighting spirit flashed through Xu Tianyi's dragon eyes. His voice was low, and purple-gold soul power rose like flames around his right arm.
Xu Wei did not answer. He merely lowered his body slightly, seemingly waiting for Xu Tianyi to make his move.
He already knew Xu Tianyi's soul skill. It was indeed very powerful, and he would have to handle it carefully.
The first soul ring beneath Xu Tianyi's feet flashed as he activated his first soul skill, Dragon Brilliant Flash!
His figure abruptly blurred, purple-gold dragon flames trailing dazzling afterimages.
His right fist drove straight toward Xu Wei's chest with terrifying explosive force.
If this blow landed, it would be enough to instantly put Xu Wei out of the fight!
Yet, just as his fist was about to touch Xu Wei...
Boom!
Xu Tianyi's fist passed through Xu Wei's body, but it felt like striking empty air, offering no resistance at all!
Xu Wei's figure had actually transformed into a dazzling streak of lightning in an instant. What Xu Tianyi had attacked was merely an afterimage.
Then Xu Wei circled behind Xu Tianyi at lightning speed.
"What?!"
Xu Tianyi's pupils contracted slightly. Clearly, he had not expected Xu Wei to possess such speed!
Crackle!
Xu Wei reappeared, his fist wrapped in azure lightning as he struck straight at the center of Xu Tianyi's back!
At the critical instant, Xu Tianyi forcibly twisted around, blocking the blow head-on with his dragon-scaled right arm.
Xu Wei's lightning-wreathed fist slammed into the arm covered in dragon scales. This time, it was Xu Tianyi who was driven back several steps.
Even with the protection of his dragon scales, he could still feel a wave of numbness, though it was not as severe as in his left arm.
Above the Soul Fighting Arena, Kong Ling widened her eyes and could not help saying, "What's going on? Xu Tianyi is actually at a disadvantage?!"
The strength Xu Wei displayed confirmed the guess Kong Xuan had made from his earlier observations.
"Xu Tianyi's Dragon Brilliant Flash is not only fast but also powerful. It's quite well-rounded!"
"But Xu Wei's martial soul is related to lightning. His first soul skill seems to turn his entire body into lightning, making him even faster."
Kong Xuan's analysis was correct. Xu Wei's first soul skill was called "Lightning Flash." While it was active, his entire body transformed into lightning, granting him lightning-like speed and immunity to physical damage!
Shaking out his right arm, Xu Tianyi's gaze grew much graver, and he shouted, "Again!"
With both of them unleashing soul skills in the Soul Fighting Arena, their speed was beyond anything ordinary one-ring soul masters could match. Even Kong Ling was struggling to make out the details of their exchanges.
However, having suffered for it, Xu Tianyi was now much more cautious. It was no longer so easy for Xu Wei to land a hit.
In moments, the two had exchanged several rounds using their soul skills, neither gaining an advantage.
A dozen or so meters apart, they tacitly refrained from attacking again, watching each other as they panted heavily.
Clearly, using their soul skills repeatedly placed a considerable burden on them both.
"Phew... you're certainly fast, but I've already found your soul skill's weakness!"
Xu Tianyi exhaled, his eyes gleaming as he said, "When you attack, you have to deactivate the soul skill that turns you into lightning. That's the best moment to attack you!"
"That's right!" Xu Wei readily admitted this "flaw" and smiled. "So what if you know? Your first soul skill may be fast, but it's not as fast as mine!"
Xu Tianyi straightened, loosened his muscles and joints, and carefully sized up his opponent.
"Your flaw isn't just a matter of timing. Your attack power is... too weak!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Xu Tianyi charged at Xu Wei again, but this time he did not use his soul skill!
They had not been far apart to begin with, and Xu Tianyi reached Xu Wei in the blink of an eye.
With his body enhanced by his beast martial soul, his speed surpassed that of many agility-type soul masters of the same level even without using a soul skill.
Xu Wei's expression grew grave, and he transformed into lightning again.
This time, however, he did not take the opportunity to attack. He merely put distance between himself and Xu Tianyi.
Locking onto Xu Wei's position once more, Xu Tianyi changed direction and charged at him again.
"Let's see how long your soul power lasts!"