The second Soul Ring skill of a tool-type Martial Soul — and a full-power attack at that. Though Tang San believed his Soul Power surpassed that of the Iron Brothers, he didn't dare rashly take their desperate final strike head-on.
But then something happened that made Tang San's face go pale. The two hurtling iron hammers suddenly split apart in midair — one tracking Xiao Wu's leaping silhouette, the other curving through the arc straight toward him. The Iron Brothers' second Soul Ring skill actually had a homing effect.
By now, the Iron Brothers' bodies were tightly ensnared by Blue Silver Grass, thorns piercing their flesh, toxins taking hold. They clearly couldn't move anymore. Yet a gleam of hope burned in their eyes — they were praying that this final attack would do the trick. As long as Tang San went down, the bindings would unravel on their own.
What to do? In the span of a heartbeat, Tang San had already made his decision. A strand of Blue Silver Grass without thorns shot skyward, wrapping precisely around Xiao Wu's slender waist. With a forceful tug, he flung her sideways out of the way.
Just as Tang San had judged, the Iron Brothers' hammers could only track their targets within a limited angle. The tracking wasn't infinite. By sending Xiao Wu in the opposite direction from the hammer, she slipped cleanly beyond its reach.
However, precisely because Tang San had focused his attention on Xiao Wu, he no longer had time to react to his own threat. The other hammer had already arrived in front of him the instant he cast Xiao Wu aside.
In that moment of mortal danger, the Tang Sect's martial techniques shone with devastating precision. The hammer was practically upon him, its fierce wind engulfing his entire body. Tang San's palms activated the Mysterious Jade Hand as his body spun rapidly. Channeling every last shred of internal force through Crane Control Dragon Catch, he pivoted and struck in nearly the same instant — seven consecutive palms slamming into the hammer's head almost simultaneously.
Under the influence of Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill internal force, the hammer was finally deflected a full foot off course by Crane Control Dragon Catch. Tang San's body was sent tumbling through the air, but at least he hadn't taken the blow head-on.
With a thunderous boom, the hammer crashed into the ground. Tang San's body rolled through the air, and before he even landed, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Up in the air, Xiao Wu saw Tang San injured and coughing blood. Fury erupted across her face. "Bastards — you're asking for death!"
Both hands shot up simultaneously. Without a whisper of sound, four dark streaks of shadow burst from her sleeves — aimed directly at Tie Long and Tie Hu. The targets were their eyes.
Though Xiao Wu couldn't learn the Tang Sect's hidden weapon techniques, mechanical hidden weapons were another matter entirely. Whatever Tang San carried, she had virtually the same set on her person. In her blind rage, consequences be damned, she used the Silent Sleeve Arrows.
Crafted by Tang San's own mechanisms, these Silent Sleeve Arrows possessed terrifying piercing power. Tie Long and Tie Hu were sturdy, yes, but if an arrow struck their eyes, the result would be far worse than mere blindness — the force was enough to punch straight through to their brains.
Right now, Tie Long and Tie Hu were completely restrained by Tang San's Blue Silver Grass. After using their Desperate Strike skill, their Soul Power had plummeted, and the paralytic toxin had seized the opportunity to invade further. Moving a single finger was already a luxury, let alone dodging Xiao Wu's sleeve arrows. Before the arrows even arrived, the wind they stirred up sent a numbing shiver through their eyes. Terror gripped their hearts as they silently cried out — *this is the end*.
"Xiao Wu, don't!" Tang San shouted urgently. His right hand snapped to his waist in the same instant, and four glints of cold light sliced diagonally through the air.
*Ting, ting, ting, ting* — four soft chimes rang out as four sleeve arrows were knocked flying just one inch from Tie Long and Tie Hu's eyes.
In that razor-thin moment, Tang San had drawn four willow-leaf throwing knives from the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night and flung them. Flying needles were faster, but their weight was far too little compared to the sleeve arrows to actually block the attack — throwing knives were significantly heavier.
Of course, this was only possible because Tang San possessed the Purple Extreme Demon Eye, giving him extraordinary vision, and because he knew the exact speed of the sleeve arrows he had crafted himself. Without both, there would have been no saving the Iron Brothers.
Xiao Wu flipped in midair and landed on the ground. "Xiao San, what are you doing?!" Her pretty face was flushed crimson with anger, and she glared viciously at the two Iron Brothers.
Tang San shook his head at Xiao Wu. "They were targeting what I had to defend — my injuries aren't serious." He turned his gaze to Tie Long and Tie Hu, whose faces had gone deathly pale. "Gentlemen — this Soul Duel would be our victory, wouldn't you say?"
What else could Tie Long and Tie Hu say? They nodded hastily. Tie Long spoke up: "We thank you, little brother, for saving our lives. We admit defeat."
Tang San recalled his Blue Silver Grass and drew a deep breath. Inside his body, his meridians throbbed with a burning pain. Still, he hadn't taken the attack head-on, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill was an orthodox Daoist internal art of the highest caliber — excellent at protecting the body. Years of cultivation had essentially been a continuous nourishment of his internal organs. He only needed to rest and circulate his energy for a while, and he would be fine.
When Tang San and Xiao Wu walked out of the two-on-two Soul Duel arena, Dai Mubai and the others had already finished their own duels. Today could be called a resounding success for everyone — with the sole exception of Zhu Zhuqing's loss to Tang San, every one of them had won their match. Through two rounds of Soul Duels, Tang San and Xiao Wu had each earned two points and twenty gold coins in earnings.
"Where's the Headmaster?" Tang San asked Dai Mubai.