Nine Against Me: I Made Them Fight Each Other

"I'll give you one last night."

Dong Shan stood outside Dong Jian's room, his voice low.

"If your Martial Soul still loses control before dawn, I'll take you to the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City even if I have to tie you up."

Dong Jian sat cross-legged on the bed and did not argue.

When the Panda Martial Soul had lost control earlier, it would likely have caught Zhao Hu if Dong Jian had not suppressed it in time.

That had been no ordinary fight.

What the Panda Martial Soul had wanted to do was tear Zhao Hu apart.

If he kept putting it off, he really could hurt the people around him.

"I'll resolve it."

Dong Jian closed his eyes.

Just as his consciousness was about to sink into the Divine Dragon Secret Realm, Li Man's voice came from outside the room.

"Wait."

She pushed the door open and walked in, carrying the Soul-Revealing Liquid and several slender silver needles.

Dong Shan followed her, his face dark.

"What other tests do you want to perform on Jian'er?"

"This isn't a test."

Li Man walked over to the bed.

"After Dong Jian enters that special cultivation state, his body doesn't move, but the Soul Power inside him keeps changing."

"If the black and white powers fall out of balance again, he'll need someone to help protect his meridians, at the very least."

"How do you intend to do that?"

"With my Martial Soul."

Dong Jian opened his eyes.

Ever since he had met Li Man, she had always appeared in the role of a researcher.

Recording data, analyzing medicinal properties, and speculating about the structure of Soul Power.

But she had never actually shown him her Martial Soul.

Li Man took half a step back and raised her right hand.

A pale cyan light poured from her palm.

A stalk of emerald bamboo, only half as tall as a person, slowly grew out of it.

Its stalk was translucent like jade and had nine sections. Its leaves were long and narrow, their edges giving off a faint glow.

It had no sharp branches, nor did it exude a strong offensive presence.

Yet the moment it appeared, a fresh scent of plants filled the room.

The restless emerald-colored power inside Dong Jian actually calmed a little.

"Green Jade Bamboo."

Li Man said:

"Level-seven Innate Soul Power."

"I haven't obtained my First Soul Ring yet."

Dong Jian looked at the emerald bamboo.

"Did you awaken yours this year too?"

"Two months before you."

"Why didn't you ever say so?"

"You didn't ask."

Dong Jian had no answer to that.

Li Man raised a hand and touched the Green Jade Bamboo.

A bamboo leaf fell off and landed on Dong Jian's wrist.

Pale cyan light entered his body through his skin.

The power was weak, nowhere near the level of a healing Soul Skill, but it made the flow of Soul Power through his meridians clearer.

"Green Jade Bamboo is naturally sensitive to life energy."

Li Man explained:

"Without a Soul Ring, I can't heal injuries or truly control someone else's Soul Power."

"But I can sense changes in your powers and temporarily slow their conflict if the imbalance worsens."

Dong Shan's expression softened slightly.

"Will it affect you?"

"Maintaining it for too long will consume Soul Power."

Li Man sat down beside the bed.

"But I have level-seven Soul Power. I can keep it up for a night without a problem."

"You don't have to-"

Before Dong Jian could finish, Li Man cut him off.

"I was the one who brought the Purple Leaf Root."

"I told you, this isn't your responsibility."

"You don't get to decide whether it's my responsibility."

Li Man placed the Green Jade Bamboo between them.

"That's what cooperation means. When one person has a problem, the other finds a way to solve it."

Dong Jian glanced at her.

He did not refuse again.

"Then sorry for the trouble."

"Talk less."

Li Man picked up her notebook.

"Save time."

Dong Jian closed his eyes again.

His consciousness sank rapidly.

Inside the Body Refining Hall, nine wooden figures were already standing around the black-and-white circle.

Their eyes glowed red.

The gears inside their wooden bodies whirred in rapid succession.

As soon as Dong Jian appeared, the Panda Martial Soul emerged of its own accord behind him.

Unlike before, traces of dark red still lingered in its golden eyes.

Its claws sprang out.

Low growls rumbled continuously from its throat.

Killing intent surged into Dong Jian's consciousness through his link to the Martial Soul.

Charge at them.

Smash them apart.

Tear apart everything standing in front of me.

Dong Jian did not immediately use Martial Soul Possession.

He turned to look at the panda.

"Are you angry?"

The panda growled and slammed a forepaw hard against the ground.

Several shallow cracks appeared in the stone platform.

"Because you were suppressed?"

"Or because that life energy made you uncomfortable?"

The panda, of course, did not answer.

It simply stared at the nine wooden figures, its body growing tenser and tenser.

Dong Jian walked in front of it.

"You can fight if you want."

"But I decide how."

He held out his hand.

The dark red in the panda's eyes fluctuated violently.

A moment later, it raised a paw and pressed it against Dong Jian's palm.

Black-and-white light erupted.

Martial Soul Possession.

As the heavy power descended upon him, violent emotions also rushed into Dong Jian's mind.

This time, he did not forcibly suppress them.

Anger itself was not wrong.

When facing an enemy, killing intent was not entirely useless either.

The real danger was letting emotions choose his targets for him.

Dong Jian stepped into the black-and-white circle.

"Begin."

The nine wooden figures charged at him together.

The first wooden staff thrust straight at his chest.

Dong Jian did not retreat.

He grabbed the staff with his right hand and, following the wooden figure's force, pulled it to the side.

The second wooden figure happened to be charging in from the right.

Bang!

The staff smashed into the second wooden figure's shoulder.

Its body tilted to the side and collided with the third wooden figure.

Before Dong Jian could adjust his position, the fourth wooden figure kicked at his lower back.

Violent emotion surged up again.

Smash it head-on!

But Dong Jian did not turn around to attack.

He moved forward with the kick, his feet tracing a semicircle across the ground.

The fourth wooden figure's force did not kick him out of the circle.

Instead, it became a push that sent him moving faster.

Dong Jian moved behind the first wooden figure, grabbed its arm, and sent it thrusting forward.

The punch the first wooden figure threw struck the fifth wooden figure squarely in the face.

Bang!

Wood chips flew.

One.

Dong Jian counted silently.

He did not need to actually destroy the wooden figures.

He only needed to make their formation collapse.

The nine wooden figures' greatest advantage was their number.

But as long as their positions were thrown into disarray, their number would become a weakness too.

Two wooden figures on the left swung their staffs at the same time.

Dong Jian bent backward, and the staffs collided above his head.

He grabbed a staff in each hand and used the force of the wooden figures pulling their weapons back to launch himself into the air.

His body flipped in midair.

Both feet landed on another wooden figure's shoulders.

The wooden figure lost its balance and fell forward, knocking over two of its companions.

The nine wooden figures attacked faster and faster.

Dong Jian's breathing gradually grew more rapid as well.

The Panda Martial Soul's anger had not disappeared.

It was still urging Dong Jian to attack.

But that emotion no longer controlled him.

Instead, it sharpened his senses and made his movements more decisive.

A wooden figure locked his arms from behind.

Three other wooden figures swung their staffs at once.

If they hit him head-on, he would certainly be knocked out of the circle.

Dong Jian did not struggle.

He deliberately fell backward.

The wooden figure holding him was forced off balance with him.

The first wooden staff came down.

Dong Jian twisted his shoulders, using the wooden figure behind him as a shield.

Bang!

The wooden staff struck its companion.

The grip restraining him loosened instantly.

Dong Jian seized the chance to break free, grabbed the falling staff, and turned it sideways.

A second and third staff collided with it in succession.

All three wooden figures lost their balance at once.

Half an incense stick of time passed.

Eight wooden figures lay on the ground.

Only the last one remained.

It did not attack immediately.

Instead, it suddenly dropped its staff, spread its arms, and lunged straight at Dong Jian.

It meant to push him out of the circle.

Dong Jian planted both feet firmly.

The wooden figure slammed into him head-on.

The tremendous force sent his feet sliding backward across the ground.

He was only half a step from the edge of the circle.

The Panda Martial Soul roared.

Ram it back!

Dong Jian did not listen.

He wrapped his arms around the wooden figure's shoulders and deliberately shifted his center of gravity to the side.

The wooden figure's charge changed direction with him.

Pivoting on his right foot, Dong Jian spun around once with the wooden figure.

At last, he let go.

The wooden figure flew out along the path of its own charge.

Bang!

It crashed into the eight wooden figures on the ground.

All nine wooden figures rolled out of the circle at once.

Dong Jian stood in the center. From beginning to end, he had never truly thrown a punch.

The Body Refining Hall fell silent.

He looked at the wooden figures sprawled across the ground and slowly let out a breath.

"Truly using an opponent's force against them doesn't mean blocking their force and sending it back."

"It means making them hit the wrong person from the very start."

Bong-

A bell rang.

The red warnings on the stone stele all vanished.

The second trial was complete.

Basic technique obtained: Circular Force Redirection.

Life energy reorganized.

Two beams of light, one black and one white, descended from above the Body Refining Hall.

The violent emerald energy was enveloped within them.

The three forces that had been constantly clashing began to circulate slowly along the same path.

The black force sank into his bones.

The white force flowed along his meridians.

The emerald Qi passed through his muscles and internal organs, reconnecting the two.

The dark red in the Panda Martial Soul's eyes gradually faded.

It sat beside Dong Jian and looked down at its paws.

Then it returned to its lazy demeanor.

Dong Jian had just breathed a sigh of relief when it reached out a paw.

It gave his shoulder a pat, neither too hard nor too soft.

As if blaming Dong Jian for taking so long.

"You sure know how to act like it was easy."

Before Dong Jian could say anything else, the Soul Power inside him suddenly began to grow.

Peak of level six.

Breakthrough.

Level seven.

Only after the Soul Power in his outer meridians officially reached level seven did its growth gradually stop.

Dong Jian could sense that the total energy hidden deep within his body had not decreased.

The three forces had merely become more stable.

Deep within the Body Refining Hall, a third stone stele slowly rose.

This time, there was no new wooden figure trial on it.

Instead, three different images appeared.

On the left was a giant bear roaring at the sky.

Strength.

On the right was a bear beast clad in rock armor.

Defense.

In the center was a bear standing within a black-and-white ring.

Balance.

New text appeared below.

Please choose a direction for the First Soul Ring.

Dong Jian barely hesitated.

He pressed his palm against the central image.

He could continue to cultivate strength.

He could also make up for defense with Soul Skills.

But what made the Panda Martial Soul truly special was precisely the balance between its black and white forces and emerald Qi.

The stone stele shook.

The other two images slowly disappeared.

The central image turned into a beam of light, revealing the figure of a massive brownish-yellow bear.

Its limbs were thick, and its back was covered with a rocklike layer of hardened skin. When its paws struck the ground, the surrounding earth and stones trembled.

Recommended target for the First Soul Ring: Earth Savage Bear.

Recommended age: four hundred years or more.

Dong Jian's gaze sharpened slightly.

The limit for an ordinary Soul Master's First Soul Ring was generally considered to be around four hundred and twenty-three years.

The Divine Dragon Secret Realm's recommendation was already close to the generally accepted limit.

Obtaining this Soul Ring would be anything but easy.

In the real world.

Dong Jian opened his eyes.

The Green Jade Bamboo in Li Man's hand had grown somewhat dim.

Her face was slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.

Dong Shan had remained by his side the whole time.

Seeing his son wake up, he immediately stepped forward.

"How is it?"

Dong Jian released his Panda Martial Soul.

The black-and-white panda reappeared.

It sat beside the bed and raised a paw to rub its eyes.

Its golden eyes had returned to normal.

There was no longer any trace of dark red killing intent.

Dong Shan's body, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed.

"You've got it under control?"

"Mm."

Dong Jian got out of bed.

His body did not sway at all when his feet touched the ground.

"And my Soul Power has risen to level seven."

Li Man immediately raised her head.

"Only your outer Soul Power increased?"

"I think so."

She took out the Soul-Revealing Liquid again.

The test showed that the Soul Power Dong Jian could freely draw upon had reached level seven.

The energy hidden within his body remained above level nine.

"The balance has been restored."

Li Man withdrew the Green Jade Bamboo.

The emerald-green light entered her palm.

"I'll count this as a success."

"But if this happens again, you must tell me beforehand."

"The same goes for you."

Dong Jian said:

"If you have a Martial Soul, use it sooner."

"Don't just stand to the side holding a record book every time."

Li Man glanced at him.

"Martial Souls aren't for show."

"When it's needed, I'll release it."

An urgent knock came from outside the door.

The old village chief's voice followed.

"Dong Shan!"

"There's news from Holy Soul Village."

"That child named Tang San is going to Nuoding Academy in three days."

"Old Jack, who's taking him there, will be passing through Iron Bamboo Village."

"If you want Dong Jian to go with them, you'd better prepare in advance!"

Dong Shan opened the door.

The old village chief continued:

"There's one more thing."

"The academy in Nuoding City doesn't officially start classes for another half month."

"If you're planning to hunt for his First Soul Ring, you need to set out now."

Dong Shan turned to look at Dong Jian.

"Dad knows a few kinds of bear Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest."

"We can look for a hundred-year Rock Armor Bear."

But Dong Jian slowly shook his head.

"I don't want a Rock Armor Bear."

"Then what do you want?"

"An Earth Savage Bear."

The smile vanished from Dong Shan's face instantly.

"How many years?"

Dong Jian paused for a moment.

"Four hundred years or more."