Make Your Move, A-Zu
"Yan Zu, stand up." Tang San's voice carried a barely perceptible glint of gritted teeth. "Today, we Soul Fighting to determine the victor."
Yan Zu slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils calm and unwavering. He glanced at him, then slowly stood up, his tone indifferent. "Boring. I have no interest in fighting with you."
In his view, Soul Fighting a narrow-minded person like Tang San was a complete waste of time, especially since the great god Tang Hao was lurking in the shadows, preventing him from going all out. Otherwise? Heh, he wouldn't know why the flowers were so red until he beat Tang San until his face was covered in bruises (Does anyone know where these two sentences come from?).
Besides, the two are on different paths and will soon part ways, so there's no need to create further entanglement.
But his indifference was interpreted as blatant contempt by Tang San. Tang San's face instantly darkened, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms. "You don't dare? Or are you afraid of losing to me? Afraid that everyone will know that you're only stronger than me because of good luck?"
Yan Zu turned to leave, too lazy to respond. This kind of provocation was meaningless to him.
Seeing that Yan Zu remained unmoved and was about to leave, Tang San's anger finally erupted. He was convinced that Yan Zu was afraid, and only by defeating Yan Zu could he regain his attention and make Xiao Wu look at him with new eyes.
"Stop!" Tang San shouted, his pace suddenly accelerating as he unleashed the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his figure elusive, his right hand forming a claw as he aimed straight for Yan Zu's shoulder—he actually attacked directly!
Yan Zu frowned slightly, his body remaining still. He subtly shifted his feet, his Wind God Legs technique flowing naturally, allowing him to dodge the grab at the last second. Tang San's attack missed, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before his offensive intensified. He unleashed the Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track Steps in turn, each move pressing relentlessly.
However, Yan Zu remained calm and composed. His footwork was mysterious, and his figure was like a willow catkin in the wind. He dodged Tang San's attacks perfectly every time, without even releasing his Martial Soul. Tang San's attacks seemed fierce, but they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
"I told you, I don't want to fight you." Yan Zu dodged another palm strike, his tone remaining calm.
Tang San gritted his teeth, his anger intensifying. He suddenly activated his Soul Power, his First Soul Ring lit up, and Blue Silver Grass shot out from the ground like a venomous snake, coiling towards Yan Zu's ankle—he had finally used his Martial Soul.
"Stubborn to the end." A hint of impatience flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. Without moving, Little Jade on his shoulder suddenly let out a low hum, and silver-blue starlight instantly enveloped his body— his Second Soul Skill, "Jade Blessing," was activated, and a layer of warm azure shield firmly protected him.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle--" The Blue Silver Grass fiercely wrapped around the shield, but was repelled by the starlight on the shield, unable to get even a fraction closer to Yan Zu.
Tang San's pupils contracted, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He then activated his Second Soul Skill without hesitation. "Second Soul Skill, Parasite!"
Tiny Blue Silver Grass quietly landed on the shield, attempting to penetrate it Parasite Yan Zu, but they were still crushed and turned to ashes upon contact.
Yan Zu slightly moved his feet, unleashing the Nine Spiral Shadows Body Technique. His figure flashed like Gui Mei, instantly appearing in front of Tang San. His right hand formed a sword shape with his fingers together, and a wisp of condensed Nine Yin Qi energy pointed towards Tang San's wrist.
"Ugh!" Tang San felt a numbness in his wrist, and the Soul Power he used to activate the Blue Silver Grass instantly stalled, causing the Blue Silver Grass around him to wither. He subconsciously retreated, his heart filled with shock— Yan Zu had actually suppressed him so easily?
Yan Zu stood still, his tone remaining indifferent. "I've said it before, I have no interest in fighting you. Stop now, and don't humiliate yourself any further."
These words shattered Tang San's pride. Looking at Yan Zu's composed demeanor, he thought of missing out on the Star Dou Soul Hunting event, and the embarrassment of being easily suppressed. Jealousy and anger intertwined in his heart, and his reason was instantly consumed by rage.
"You're courting death!" A sinister glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. His left hand slid silently to his waist, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, a jet-black Sleeve Arrow was launched out without a sound. The internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill was instantly injected into it, and the dart gleamed with a ghostly blue light—this was a modified version of the original Silent Sleeve Arrow, incorporating the venom of the Mandala Snake, designed to kill instantly upon contact with blood.
Just as Yan Zu was about to turn and leave, he suddenly caught a very faint sound of something cutting through the air—
"Hmph." Yan Zu's lips curled into a cold sneer. Without even raising his eyelids, he casually flicked his right hand to his side. The pebbles on the ground were enveloped by the Nine Yin internal force, turning into a blur that precisely struck the end of the Sleeve Arrow.
With a soft "ding," the trajectory of the Sleeve Arrow was instantly disrupted. It flew out obliquely with a piercing tremor and heavily embedded itself in an old locust tree not far away. The arrow's fletching trembled on its own, and the pale blue venom left a thin black spot on the tree bark.
Yan Zu's dark eyes had lost all their calmness, leaving only a chilling coldness. He looked at Tang San, who was still holding a small metal crossbow in his hand, clearly having failed in his sneak attack and had no time to hide it.
"Tang San, you truly are a shameless scoundrel." Yan Zu's eyes were cold, his tone filled with undisguised contempt. "When your Soul Fighting is no match, you resort to poisoned Hidden Weapon to ambush and kill. What a vicious mind you have."
He asked himself if he had ever provoked Tang San. He never expected that Tang San would resort to such unscrupulous means in what was merely a youthful squabble and verbal exchange.
But then he thought back to his past life, in his memories, this person had only had a minor argument with the gatekeeper of the Nuoding Academy before he decided to kill him. Now that he had lost the Soul Fighting, he secretly tried to kill him, which was consistent with his vengeful, ruthless, and cold-blooded nature.
Tang San paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, clearly not expecting his sneak attack to be so easily neutralized. But he quickly regained his composure, his tone as calm as if he had merely done something insignificant:
"I just wanted to test your strength." Tang San raised his chin, forcing himself to meet Yan Zu's gaze. "It seems you do have some skill."
"A test?" Yan Zu lightly brushed away the grass clippings from his sleeve, a gesture that made Tang San's pupils contract sharply—it was blatant contempt. "A test with Sleeve Arrow coated with Mandala Snake? Tang San, do you know that if I had reacted even a fraction slower, I would already be a corpse."
He took a step forward, and the temperature on the training ground suddenly dropped. Tang San felt a chill run down his spine and straight to the top of his head, as if he had been locked onto by a predator at the top of the food chain, and subconsciously took a half step back.
The commotion on the sidelines finally alerted the others. Xiao Wu was the first to rush over, her pink scorpion braid arcing through the air. Seeing the Sleeve Arrow on the old locust tree and the crossbow in Tang San's hand, she instantly bristled. "Tang San! You actually ambushed A-Zu! That's too much!"
Ning Rongrong followed closely behind, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda instantly appearing in her palm. Her tone was filled with intense anger. "Tang San, have you gone mad? You lost the Soul Fighting, so you resort to dirty tricks, even using poisoned Hidden Weapon. Are you trying to kill your A-Zu?"
Zhu Zhuqing emerged last, her aura Hell Spirit Cat subtly released. Her eyes were cold as she stared at Tang San, her Soul Power subtly surging, clearly indicating that she too was enraged.