As his internal energy circulated at high speed, the characteristics of the Blue Silver Grass merged completely with it.
As the pressure he released grew ever stronger, the Sky Blue Vine Soul Douluo Zhilin found his astonishment deepening—was the person before him really just a thirteen-year-old child? How could he not see that Tang San was using willpower combined with his own strength to resist the Soul Power pressure he was applying? And yet, even now, he still hadn't managed to force this child to release his Martial Soul. Tang San's performance had far exceeded Zhilin's expectations.
Everyone had a competitive streak—even a Soul Douluo was no exception. Competitive instincts combined with curiosity meant that, facing the prodigious youth before him, Zhilin couldn't help but want to see just how far this child's limits could go.
Seeing Tang San give a slight nod, the long robe on Zhilin's body ceased rippling with Soul Power and quietly returned to normal. When the other two Soul Douluo beside him saw this, they couldn't help but show their surprise. The three of them had been together for a long time, and they naturally understood just how much Soul Power Zhilin was outputting at this moment.
A look of concern appeared in both Soul Douluo's eyes. Though they knew Zhilin would certainly exercise restraint, it would still be bad if he ended up hurting the child.
But soon, the worry in their eyes turned to shock. Tang San's body stood there like a towering mountain—though the pressure had increased once more, he hadn't moved a single inch, his expression simply growing slightly tauter.
He still hadn't been forced to release his Martial Soul? That was the thought that simultaneously flashed through all three Soul Douluo's minds.
How is this possible? Zhilin's heart trembled slightly. He knew better than anyone just how much Soul Power he was outputting. Even a Soul Venerable above the thirty-fifth level would certainly have been forced to use their Martial Soul under this kind of Soul Pressure—let alone as composed as the youth before him.
If an unchanging expression was simply a sign of iron will, then once pressure reached a certain level, willpower alone could no longer dictate the outcome.
Generally speaking, when a lower-level Soul Master withstood direct Soul Power pressure from a higher-level Soul Master, being able to endure up to roughly two-thirds of one's own level was already considered quite impressive. And if one could endure up to a level equal to one's own Soul Power, then that meant one's willpower was extraordinarily resolute. But all of these benchmarks required the person to have released their Martial Soul.
And that was assuming one was a Beast Soul Master.
Beast Martial Souls provided far greater assistance to a Soul Master than Tool Martial Souls did—the advantage of Tool Martial Souls was that they could be used as weapons.
From Qin Ming's earlier introduction, all three Soul Douluo knew that Tang San was actually a Tool Soul Master. But how could a mere Tool Soul Master endure pressure exceeding his own Soul Power by ten percent—without even releasing his Martial Soul? It was simply unbelievable.
As the fluctuations of Soul Power in the air grew increasingly intense, Flandre, Zhao Wuji, and the others gradually tensed up, straightening in their seats and fixing their gazes on Tang San, afraid that something might go wrong.
Only the Great Master remained relaxed in his chair, sipping his tea, watching the scene unfold with an air of calm composure, without a trace of worry.
No one understood Tang San's true strength better than the Great Master. He could calculate precisely what level Tang San's limit was at in the current situation. The fact that Tang San hadn't even released his Martial Soul meant he was nowhere near his limit.
One could even say there was still quite a distance to go. The Great Master knew better still that Tang San's Soul Power was unique—much like his Blue Silver Grass, it was full of resilience. This quality wasn't particularly obvious in combat, since resilience primarily enhanced sustained fighting ability. But when facing continuously escalating pressure, the value of this resilience in his Soul Power became unmistakably apparent.
The Soul Pressure Zhilin had released had already climbed from the thirty-fifth level to the thirty-sixth, then the thirty-seventh, thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth. When his pressure finally reached roughly the level of a fortieth-level Soul Master, a flicker of pain finally appeared on Tang San's face. His expression shifted slightly, and with some effort, he raised his right hand.
Blue light flickered. Blue Silver Grass surged from Tang San's palm like blooming flowers, drifting through the air to form an enormous cage that enveloped his body. A blue-violet luminescence radiated outward as every strand of Blue Silver Grass swayed of its own accord in the air. With each sway, they produced a peculiar sensation—as though the very air was pulsing in rhythm with them.
Soul Douluo Zhilin felt it most acutely. The moment Tang San released his Blue Silver Grass, he experienced a wave of relief and was just about to withdraw his Soul Power and bring the test to an end when Tang San's Blue Silver Grass arranged themselves into the extraordinary sight before him.
The circular cage enclosed Tang San's body completely, each strand of Blue Silver Grass separated from the next by only the narrowest of gaps. With every gentle sway, Zhilin discovered with surprise that the pressure he was exerting felt as though it was being applied to a mass of springy, elastic material. As the Blue Silver Grass rippled softly, the pressure he was bringing to bear on Tang San was being significantly diminished.
To be precise—the pressure was being redirected away from Tang San.