Evil Spirit Cat

The man was older than the other bishops, his hair already streaked with gray, but his back was perfectly straight. His gaze swept over Lin Qing and settled for a moment on the bamboo that was still receding, then moved away.

Lin Qing did not notice. He was walking toward the edge of the arena as the bamboo from Bamboo Sea Emergence withdrew into the cracks between the stones, stalk by stalk, as though it had never appeared.

He came to a stop by the wall and glanced down at the iron token in his hand.

He had won one match, but the opponents ahead would only grow stronger.

He put away the iron token and swept his gaze across the arena. Some people were already facing off, while others were preparing for their next matches.

Twelve would be whittled down to six, six to three, and the winners would be decided in the final three matches. Spirit City's selection never showed mercy.

The next match had already begun. Lin Qing watched no longer.

Watching too much could unsettle the mind instead. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and let his bamboo breath slowly circulate once through his body.

The ice and fire crystals pulsed quietly, like two pebbles sunk to the bottom of a pool, calm and steady.

About an incense stick's time later, a black-robed deacon came up to him with a list in hand. Looking down at the paper, he said, "Number seventeen, your next match is against number five."

Lin Qing opened his eyes and nodded. Number five... among the people he had sensed with Bamboo Soul earlier, number five had kept his presence suppressed to the faintest trace, so faint that Lin Qing had thought the room was empty.

He had not appeared all morning, like something hidden beneath the surface of the water, silent and unnoticed, yet there all along.

The deacon turned and left. Lin Qing stayed where he was, not moving immediately.

Bamboo Soul lay dormant in the depths of his sea of consciousness, ready to be released at any time. He loosened his wrists and walked into the arena.

Someone was already standing across from him. The man wore a dark gray robe, with a lean build and plain features. He stood in a relaxed posture, as though he had just returned from a stroll somewhere.

There was no excess expression on his face, no curiosity, excitement, or nervousness in his eyes, only a faint look that was almost observational.

He simply looked at Lin Qing, his gaze as still as a leaf resting on water, neither sinking nor drifting away.

"Number five," the man said. "Seventeen," Lin Qing gave his own number as well.

The man said nothing more. He simply drew his hands from his sleeves. His fingers were long and slender, his knuckles distinct-the hands of someone who had not done rough work for years.

Lin Qing could sense no obvious fluctuations of Soul Power from him, no sign that he was deliberately suppressing his presence, and no oppressive presence radiating outward.

He simply stood there like a block of ice, giving off more of a sinister chill that made people uncomfortable.

The bishop at the edge of the arena struck the bronze bell in his hand, and the selection continued.

Number five did not move. He simply stood where he was, watching Lin Qing, as though waiting for him to reveal all his trump cards first.

Lin Qing did not hesitate. He slapped his left hand against the ground, activating his third Soul Skill, Bamboo Sea Emergence.

Bamboo shot out of the cracks in the stone. Green-gold light flowed between the slabs, quickly spreading across half the training ground.

A dozen, then dozens of bamboo stalks sprang from the ground, their joints unfolding in the air and their leaves trembling faintly in the morning light.

Number five did not dodge. He stood where he was and let the bamboo grow around his feet.

Suddenly, black Qi poured from number five across from him. It was the Evil Spirit Cat Demon Martial Soul!

The Evil Spirit Cat was a feline Mutated Martial Soul, its whole body shrouded in an evil spirit's presence. It was extremely fast and had formidable attack power. He was a Soul Ancestor with the top-tier configuration of two yellow and two purple rings.

Another stalk emerged from his right. He shifted slightly to the side, and it missed him as well.

It was as though he knew in advance where every stalk would grow. His body adjusted only slightly along the direction of their growth, stopping each time precisely in the gaps between them.

Lin Qing did not stop. Bamboo Sea Emergence continued to expand, more stalks crowding in, growing denser and denser until they had nearly surrounded number five.

Number five's figure darted left and right through the bamboo grove like a shadow left by wind passing through it, without weight or a trace of its path.

Lin Qing used the bamboo for leverage, stepping on a branch and springing into the air. The power of ice surged from his right palm and formed a thin frost, which spread toward number five through the gaps between the bamboo leaves.

Number five's figure flickered amid the bamboo shadows, then suddenly vanished.

Lin Qing's perception spread out in response. Bamboo Soul covered the entire grove like an invisible net.

He could sense the position of every stalk of bamboo, as well as the subtle changes in the airflow between them.

He sensed him: number five was three zhang to his rear left, gliding low along the ground, winding around the bamboo roots like a snake without a single wasted movement. He was like a stream that had memorized every path and was simply flowing along the terrain, taking no detours and never hesitating.

Against an agility-attack-type Soul Master, a control-type held a slight advantage.

Wide-area control was just right for controlling him. Without turning around, Lin Qing spread both hands, drawing on the extreme cold he had absorbed from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and cold Qi spread ahead of him.

A thin layer of frost formed on the ground and extended along the cracks in the stone, spreading silently toward number five like a widening river.

No matter how fast he was, faced with group-wide area control, he had nowhere to evade.

When number five's foot landed on the frost, it slipped. His sole slid about two inches across the ice, and his body swayed slightly, taking him off the path he had been maintaining.

The instant was so brief that no one would have noticed unless they had been watching with complete concentration. But Lin Qing used Bamboo Soul to lock onto him instantly.

He sprang off a bamboo branch and shot toward him, cold Qi gathering in his right palm as he struck at number five's chest.

In that half a breath, number five adjusted his position and raised his left hand to block. Lin Qing's palm pressed against his arm, releasing cold Qi instantly at the point of contact. Thin frost rapidly spread along his sleeve.

Number five's movements slowed by half a beat. His brows twitched slightly, and he glanced at the layer of frost spreading over his arm. Light shone from Lin Qing's right hand, and taking advantage of the momentary stiffness of his opponent, he activated Bamboo Heart. A bamboo net instantly wove around number five's entire body, restraining him.

With Bamboo Shadow Startling Swan, Lin Qing flashed behind him. Two golden bamboo leaves formed in his palm and stabbed into his back from behind, sealing his meridians. With that, he was no longer capable of fighting.

The battle had flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, ending in a victory with an almost overwhelming advantage.

At the edge of the arena, some people spoke in low voices, while others watched in silence.

Seeing this, the referee declared number seventeen the winner.

Lin Qing's bamboo was still growing, its leaves swaying quietly in the faint light.

Bamboo Sea Emergence was fading stalk by stalk, its leaves turning into tiny motes of light that slowly dispersed into the air.

All that remained on the arena floor were the boundary lines drawn in white stone powder and several faint traces of frost on the ground.

Lin Qing glanced down at the hand he had just used to release the cold Qi. The mark on his palm was glowing faintly, and it too was slowly fading.

He lowered his hand and put the iron token back inside his robes.

As Lin Qing walked off the arena, someone among the row of red-robed bishops gave him an extra glance.