Challenging the Soul Ancestor Group

After returning from the Soul Fighting Arena, Ning Buhui entered the tower to cultivate that evening as usual.

The Breathing Earth on the third floor was warm and moist as ever, and the Soul Power was so dense it was nearly tangible. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, entering a meditative state. He had fought thirty matches at the Soul Fighting Arena over the past few days, and every one had brought him some improvement, great or small. His Soul Power had also continued to accumulate through those battles and had reached a critical point.

Soul Power flowed slowly through his meridians, heavier and denser than usual. He guided every strand through his limbs and bones, reflecting on each small insight he had gained in battle. Gradually, he felt the thin barrier in his meridians begin to swell, as though something were pushing against it from within.

He did not rush. He continued guiding his Soul Power at his normal cultivation speed, letting it wash over the barrier again and again. Before he knew it, the barrier had broken open, as naturally as water flowing into a completed channel. He opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Level thirty-five.

The next afternoon, he arrived at the Soul Fighting Arena on time.

The Soul Ancestor group fought in a different venue from the Soul Elder group: the central main platform. It was a good deal larger than Platform Three, and its stone railings were taller and thicker. The stands were nearly half full, with considerably more spectators than when he had fought in the Soul Elder group. As soon as he entered the contestants' passage, he heard whispers behind him.

"Is that the gray-haired one? The Silver Soul Fighter who moved up on a thirty-win streak?"

"Thirty wins in a row? Really?"

"It's true. I watched his last few matches. He's Control System, and he handles those chains like they're alive. Wonder if he can hold his own in the Soul Ancestor group."

"A Soul Elder fighting a Soul Ancestor? There's a whole major realm between them. That won't be easy."

"Hard to say. That kid doesn't look like much, but he's vicious when he fights."

Ning Buhui did not look back. He went straight to the backstage waiting area and sat down. He had only one match on today's schedule, against a level forty-three Soul Ancestor whose Martial Soul was a Giant Bear. He glanced over the basic information: two yellow and two purple rings, skilled in close-range assault, possessed of immense strength, with Soul Skills focused on physical enhancement and explosive attacks. As he read, an attendant came over and quietly reminded him, "This is a challenge against a higher level, so there are more spectators than usual. Know your limits. It's a competitive match, so don't strike to kill."

Ning Buhui nodded.

Before long, his name was announced over the loudspeaker. He rose and walked up onto the main platform, one step at a time. The door opposite also opened, and a burly middle-aged man strode out. He stood a full nine feet tall, broad of shoulder and frame, and looked like a wall as he took his place on the platform. He wore close-fitting leather armor, with thick strips of cloth wrapped around both fists. His brown hair was shaved very short, revealing a square, rugged face. When he saw Ning Buhui, he showed no contempt. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked him up and down twice.

"Silver Soul Fighter, A Hui," the referee said from the edge of the platform, his voice carrying throughout the arena. "Against Bronze Soul Fighter, Xiong Kuohai. Competitive match, begin."

Xiong Kuohai attacked at once. His First Soul Ring lit up, an earthen-yellow light rose over his fists, and he strode toward Ning Buhui. Ning Buhui did not retreat. His Second Soul Ring lit up. Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions. A chain shot from the tower and slithered along the ground toward his opponent's ankle. The instant it wrapped around him, Xiong Kuohai's Second Soul Ring also lit up. Bear Paw Strike. His right palm slammed down, shaking the ground and sending an earthen-yellow shock wave outward. The wave swept the chain aside, and it closed on empty air.

The level forty-three Soul Ancestor was clearly more experienced than the level thirty-nine Soul Elder. Rather than dodge, he had first used an area skill to probe the chain.

Ning Buhui withdrew the chain and fired it again from another direction. This time it circled around from the side, aiming for Xiong Kuohai's waist. Xiong Kuohai ignored it and continued charging forward. At the same time, his Third Soul Ring lit up. Giant Bear Tyrant Body. Earthen-yellow Soul Power surged around him, and rocklike patterns appeared on his skin. The moment the chain wrapped around his waist, Ning Buhui felt at once that something was wrong. It was like the chain had wrapped around stone. Xiong Kuohai thrust his torso outward and snapped it outright, shattering it into fragments of Soul Power.

Another Tyrant Body. And one that could snap Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions.

Ning Buhui's pupils contracted slightly. The level thirty-nine Tyrant Body Soul Elder in the Soul Elder group had barely managed to break one of his chains. This man's Tyrant Body was clearly stronger, and the suppressive force a Soul Ancestor held over a Soul Elder was on full display at that moment. Xiong Kuohai did not stop after breaking the chain. His First Soul Ring lit up again. Giant Bear's Strength. His fists wreathed in earthen-yellow Soul Power, he threw a punch straight at Ning Buhui's face. The wind from the punch was fierce, pressing down on the very air.

Ning Buhui turned sideways to dodge and pushed off with one foot, drifting two steps diagonally backward. The wind from the punch swept past his ear and struck the platform, cracking a stone slab. A chorus of startled cries rose from the spectators below.

"Fight him head-on! What are you dodging for?"

"Yeah! If your chains can't hold him, meet him blow for blow!"

"He's Control System. What do you lot know?"

Shouts rose and fell below the platform. Ning Buhui ignored them. He moved around the edge of the platform, opening the distance and repeatedly trying to harass Xiong Kuohai with his chains. But Xiong Kuohai's Tyrant Body was active almost without interruption. Every time a chain wrapped around him, he snapped it with a burst of strength. The chains shattered before Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions' mana-draining effect could even take hold.

Ning Buhui knew this would not work. Tyrant Body consumed Soul Power, but with his opponent's Soul Ancestor-level reserves, he could keep it up long enough to wear Ning Buhui down completely. Ning Buhui had to try a different approach.

He suddenly remembered a skill he had learned in the Soul Elder group that day. Chains did not have to be thick; sometimes thinner ones were harder to guard against.

He slowed his steps and let Xiong Kuohai catch up. Sure enough, his opponent strode in and threw a punch. This time, Ning Buhui did not dodge it completely. He turned sideways past the fist and held the tower in his left hand across his body, taking part of the residual force head-on. The impact drove him back two steps, but in that instant at close quarters, he quietly flicked his right hand. A pitch-black chain as fine as a hair shot from the tower and slipped through a gap between the armor plates at Xiong Kuohai's waist.

It was so thin and so close to his body that Xiong Kuohai did not notice it at all.

Ning Buhui continued circling, harassing him with ordinary chains. Xiong Kuohai chased and attacked him, every punch heavy with force, but Ning Buhui moved nimbly as a loach, and Xiong Kuohai could never catch him. The shouting below grew louder. Some spectators began to jeer, while others cursed him for being a coward. Ning Buhui turned a deaf ear.

He was waiting.

The threadlike chain kept draining. It was slow, drawing only a tiny bit of Soul Power each second, but it never stopped. Every time Xiong Kuohai activated his Tyrant Body, every explosive punch he threw, consumed Soul Power. Meanwhile, Ning Buhui's fine thread continuously drew that Soul Power away and fed it back to him. As one diminished, the other grew.

One incense stick burned down.

Then a second.

At last, a slight weakness appeared in Xiong Kuohai's Tyrant Body. His punches slowed somewhat, and the luster of his earthen-yellow Soul Power dimmed. He sensed that something was wrong, but could not say what. His opponent had plainly been dodging and taking hits on the defensive all along, yet he himself was growing more exhausted the longer he fought.

This was the moment Ning Buhui had been waiting for.

He suddenly stopped retreating. When Xiong Kuohai threw a punch, Ning Buhui turned sideways to avoid it and clenched his right hand. The hair-thin chain abruptly tightened. The instant it emerged from the gap in the armor plates at Xiong Kuohai's waist, Ning Buhui flicked his wrist, and three ordinary chains shot out at once, wrapping around Xiong Kuohai's left leg, right arm, and neck.

Xiong Kuohai roared and tried to activate his Tyrant Body to snap them again. But when he circulated his Soul Power, he discovered he had far less than he had expected. He barely managed to raise his Tyrant Body. Although he was not restrained and his movements were unaffected, the chains did not break either. Ning Buhui began drawing on what little Soul Power Xiong Kuohai had left with all his strength. Xiong Kuohai found himself increasingly unable to keep up. He wanted to use a Soul Skill, but lacked the Soul Power, leaving him no choice but to admit defeat.

"Stop! Blue side wins!"

The stands fell silent for a moment, then erupted in noisy discussion. Some spectators slapped their tables, some stood and cheered, and others cursed that fighting as a Control System was cheap.

Ning Buhui withdrew his chains, nodded to Xiong Kuohai, and turned to leave the platform. His chest heaved, and his back was already soaked through. This was the most exhausting match he had ever fought. He had dodged from beginning to end, relying entirely on patience and calculation to wear down his opponent and win. He also knew that if Xiong Kuohai had been a little more cautious, discovered earlier that his chains could not only bind but also drain Soul Power, and taken precautions, the outcome might have been different.

Backstage, he leaned against a wall and caught his breath for a while. Only one thought went round and round in his head. He needed a way to inflict a negative status that was not control. However strong Tyrant Body was, it only granted immunity to control, not to negative effects. If he had a Soul Skill that suppressed his opponent through a negative effect rather than relying on control, a situation like today's would not be so difficult to fight through.

He closed his eyes and silently made note of that direction. He would have to take his time considering what the exact effect should be. But today's battle had at least shown him that he truly was still lacking.