Notting's Number One
On the day of the finals.
The training hall was packed.
The Gale Twins had yet to release their Martial Souls.
Yet faint air currents could already be felt in the arena.
Both were level-fourteen Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Masters.
The twins hardly needed words to communicate.
A glance.
A single step.
And they knew where the other would strike next.
Dong Jian and Li Man's greatest advantage was their long-standing teamwork.
The Gale Twins had the same advantage.
They had even been partners longer.
"Both sides, release your Martial Souls!"
Two cyan shortswords appeared at once.
Two Yellow Soul Rings slowly rose.
Dong Jian's Panda Martial Soul took shape behind him.
Li Man drove her Green Jade Bamboo into the ground.
Yellow Soul Rings lit up on their side as well.
"Begin!"
The Gale Twins vanished at the same time.
It wasn't like Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, which deceived the eye through footwork.
It was a pure speed boost from their First Soul Skill.
"First Soul Skill, Wind Shadow Assault!"
Two afterimages appeared simultaneously, one on each side.
The first headed straight for Li Man.
The second blocked Dong Jian's route to her aid.
They knew how important Green Bamboo Binding Formation was.
As long as Li Man couldn't deploy her Soul Skill,
Dong Jian would have to chase two Agility Attack System Soul Masters on his own.
"Close your eyes."
Li Man spoke suddenly.
Dong Jian didn't hesitate.
He closed his eyes at once.
His eyes couldn't track them.
Instead, the afterimages would deceive him.
The sound of wind rushed in from the left.
Too obvious.
It was a feint.
The real footsteps made no sound on the ground.
When the Gale Twins used their Soul Skill, the wind attribute briefly lifted their bodies.
Listening to the Wind to Discern Position required distinguishing natural air currents from those produced by Martial Souls.
Behind him on the right.
The rustle of clothing was extremely faint.
But there was a brief change in breathing.
Dong Jian turned.
He activated Bear Astral Energy Body Protection.
Clang!
The shortsword struck the black-and-white astral Qi.
The impact spread across his shoulder.
The first twin's attack was blocked.
On the other side.
A shortsword was already less than a foot from Li Man's shoulder.
Green Bamboo Binding Formation hadn't fully risen yet.
It looked too late.
Li Man didn't retreat.
She drove her Green Jade Bamboo straight into a crack in the stone platform.
She summoned only a single bamboo shadow.
The bamboo stalk bent.
Green Bamboo Rebound!
She charged straight into the sword's gleam.
The Gale Twins clearly hadn't expected it.
When faced with a sudden attack from an agility attacker, a control system Soul Master would usually open up some distance.
Li Man, however, closed it.
The shortsword grazed her shoulder.
Her clothes were slashed open.
The tip of the Green Jade Bamboo struck her opponent's ankle at the same time.
The Gale Twins were extremely fast.
But their bodies still depended on their feet for support.
When the sword Soul Master landed, his right foot was half a beat too slow.
Li Man didn't pursue.
Her First Soul Ring lit up completely.
"Green Bamboo Binding Formation!"
Four bamboo shadows rose at once.
They weren't positioned around the Gale Twins.
Instead, they were spread across key landing points throughout the arena.
The bamboo vines didn't chase the afterimages at random.
They simply blocked the best places to change direction.
"You think you can trap us like that?"
The first wind sword Soul Master slipped between two bamboo shadows.
His shortsword went straight for Li Man's back.
The second attacked Dong Jian from the front.
Dong Jian still had his eyes closed.
Bear Astral Energy Body Protection blocked the first blow.
The second attack came at his left ribs.
His body grew lighter, and he moved to the right.
The shortsword grazed his astral Qi.
A third rush of wind descended from above.
Dong Jian was just about to dodge when Li Man suddenly shouted:
"Don't move!"
He stopped immediately.
The wind overhead had been deliberately created by the other twin.
The real attack still came from the front.
Dong Jian crossed his arms.
Clang!
The shortsword struck again.
The impacts Bear Astral Energy Body Protection had accumulated were gradually approaching its limit.
"They're taking turns attacking."
Li Man sensed the air currents in the arena through the bamboo shadows.
"One creates the sound of wind."
"The other makes the real sword strike."
"Is there a pause when they switch?"
Dong Jian asked.
"Yes."
"But only half a breath."
"That's enough."
Dong Jian continued taking their attacks.
The spectators outside the arena couldn't understand.
He seemed to be under constant attack from two surrounding afterimages.
He couldn't fight back at all.
The black-and-white astral Qi grew thinner and thinner.
The Gale Twins also believed their tactic had succeeded.
As long as they kept wearing him down.
Bear Astral Energy Body Protection was bound to break.
Li Man's Green Bamboo Binding Formation hadn't truly trapped anyone either.
The four bamboo shadows looked more like useless decorations.
"Third step to your right."
Li Man spoke suddenly.
Dong Jian couldn't see anyone there.
Yet his body immediately grew lighter.
He rushed to the right.
The spectators began murmuring.
There was no one there.
The Gale Twins were startled too.
One of them was just about to land at the spot of the third step.
He couldn't change his Soul Skill's path in midair.
He could only force his body to twist.
His speed dropped as a result.
Dong Jian's shoulder grew heavier.
Mountain-Leaning Collision!
The wind sword Soul Master raised his shortsword to block.
All the impacts Bear Astral Energy Body Protection had accumulated burst forth at once.
Bang!
The shortsword was knocked back against his chest.
The Soul Master was sent flying backward.
The other twin came to his aid immediately.
He attacked Dong Jian from behind.
Li Man bent the first bamboo shadow.
A bamboo vine wrapped around Dong Jian's waist.
Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum!
He wasn't pulled back.
Instead, he was sent sideways.
The shortsword missed.
Dong Jian spun in midair.
Both feet landed on the second bent bamboo shadow.
Li Man released it immediately.
Second rebound!
Dong Jian was like a boulder that had changed direction.
He slammed from the side into the first wind sword Soul Master again, just as the man landed.
His opponent didn't have time to activate his Soul Skill again.
He was struck head-on and sent flying out of the arena.
The first fighter was out.
The remaining member of the Gale Twins did not panic.
The twins' coordination had been disrupted.
But his individual speed still surpassed Dong Jian's and Li Man's.
He changed targets.
He stopped attacking Dong Jian.
He concentrated all his Soul Power.
Wind Shadow Assault headed straight for Li Man.
As long as he took out the one controlling the formation, he still had a chance to win.
Li Man was already injured.
The four bamboo shadows of Green Bamboo Binding Formation had also rebounded many times.
Her Soul Power was close to exhaustion.
"It's over!"
The short sword stabbed at her head-on.
Li Man did not dodge.
She voluntarily released the third and fourth bamboo shadows.
She concentrated all her remaining Soul Power into the first.
Just as the short sword was about to hit her.
Li Man stepped onto the Green Jade Bamboo.
She leaped upward.
The wind sword Soul Master immediately changed direction.
He followed her into the air.
He had already seen Li Man's aerial attack in the semifinals.
He would not be hit by the same method again.
But Li Man did not swing the Green Jade Bamboo.
She released her Martial Soul in midair.
The last bamboo vine rose from below.
It did not entangle the wind sword Soul Master.
Instead, it wrapped around Dong Jian's arm.
"Now!"
Dong Jian's legs grew lighter.
He leaped of his own accord.
The bamboo shadow bent to its limit.
Its rebound sent him into the air.
The wind sword Soul Master was pursuing Li Man.
He paid no attention to the ground at all.
Dong Jian appeared from below.
Bear Astral Energy Body Protection lit up again.
Although he had already released the accumulated impact.
He could still concentrate his body weight.
The wind sword Soul Master forced himself to turn around.
His short sword stabbed at Dong Jian's shoulder.
Dong Jian did not dodge.
The sword tip pierced his protective Qi.
Blood appeared.
But he had also succeeded in closing to grappling range.
He wrapped both arms around his opponent's waist.
His body spun in midair.
Circular Force Redirection!
The wind sword Soul Master's own charging speed became the force behind the throw.
Dong Jian hurled him out of the arena from the air.
Bang!
His opponent landed in the cushioning sand.
Dong Jian and Li Man landed at the same time.
Li Man staggered.
Dong Jian's shoulder was bleeding.
Yet both of them were still standing inside the arena.
After checking the boundary, the referee announced loudly:
"Nuoding Academy wins!"
"First place in this year's junior division two-Soul-Master combat tournament-"
"Dong Jian!"
"Li Man!"
The entire training hall erupted in thunderous cheers.
Two level-thirteen Soul Masters.
They had defeated two level-fourteen Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Masters.
They had not relied on superior Soul Power.
Nor had they relied on some unbeatable Soul Skill.
Instead, they had relied on Listening to the Wind to Discern Position, bamboo blocking the way, Bear Astral Energy absorbing damage, and Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum.
Every training session.
Every defeat.
All of it had turned into victory at this moment.
On the awards podium.
The medals representing Nuoding Academy were presented to the two of them.
Li Man did not stand behind Dong Jian.
She stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Without her judging where the Gale Twins would land, Dong Jian could not have hit them.
Without Dong Jian bearing the continuous attacks, Li Man would not have had time to complete her formation.
They were not a protagonist and an accessory.
They were partners who could truly make up for each other's shortcomings and grow together.
After they returned to the academy.
Tang San was already waiting at the training ground.
His Soul Power had reached level fourteen.
Xiao Wu was also level fourteen.
"Did you win?"
Tang San saw the medals.
"First place."
Dong Jian answered.
Xiao Wu walked up to Li Man.
"I heard you trapped two agility attack types?"
"I didn't really trap them."
"I only restricted where they could land."
Li Man said.
"Use that move when you fight me next time, too."
"You'd better think about how to counter it first."
The competition among the four of them was not over.
First place in Nuoding City was only one victory during their time at a junior academy.
That night.
Dong Jian entered the Divine Dragon Secret Realm.
Deep within the first floor of the Hundred Battles Hall, the second great door slowly opened.
New words appeared on the stone stele.
Second-stage objective: level twenty. Unlock condition: complete one hundred valid battles within one year. Recommended location for the Second Soul Ring: Dragon Spine Valley.
At the same time.
Li Man was meditating in the real world.
Her Green Jade Bamboo Martial Soul appeared on its own.
Her First Soul Ring had not been summoned, yet it trembled gently.
Among the bamboo leaves, an extremely faint golden pattern slowly formed.
Li Man reached out to touch it.
A blurry map appeared in her mind.
The map passed through the northern part of Nuoding City.
It crossed the Soul Hunting Forest.
And finally pointed toward a long, narrow valley.
The same three characters were written at the map's destination.
Dragon Spine Valley.
Li Man opened her eyes.
Early the next morning.
She took the map she had drawn and went to find Dong Jian.
Dong Jian, in turn, took out his record of the directions provided by the Divine Dragon Secret Realm.
They placed the two maps together.
The routes were identical.
"Your Martial Soul is guiding you there too."
Dong Jian said.
"It's not a coincidence."
Li Man looked at the destination on the map.
"There may be Soul Beasts in Dragon Spine Valley that are suitable for both our Second Soul Rings."
"There may also be something connected to both our Martial Souls."
The two of them were only level thirteen at present.
They still had a long road to level twenty.
But a new goal had already appeared.
A hundred combat matches.
Level twenty.
The Second Soul Ring.
And the opportunity awaiting them both, hidden in Dragon Spine Valley.
Their first year at Nuoding Academy had ended.
The true road to becoming a powerhouse-
Had only just begun.