Had it been before he obtained his first Soul Ring, Tang San might not have been so confident. But ever since acquiring that first ring, his speed, strength, and reflexes had all undergone a qualitative leap. Tang Sect disciples were sharpest in perception and reaction, and speed was very much one of their advantages. In a contest of speed, who would he have to fear?
Ling Feng shifted his body mid-air, relying on the element of surprise. Seeing that Tang San was merely a first or second-year student, he held a certain degree of contempt and planned to end things with a single blow, forcing Xiao Wu to act.
But just as his palms came chopping down to close around Tang San's neck, Tang San moved.
A dip of the head — the Phoenix Nod — let him slip past Ling Feng's hands. Then, pitching his torso forward, his right leg whipped up behind him as though it had been broken at the knee. Throughout the entire motion, he never once looked back.
Still as a maiden, swift as a rabbit — Tang San had brought this principle to a flawless level. The explosive burst of speed was so fast that almost no one on either side could follow it with their eyes.
Tang San's heel made intimate contact with Ling Feng's chin. Ling Feng executed a third mid-air somersault — two consecutive backflips — then crashed heavily to the ground several meters away, following in Liu Long's footsteps and knocking himself out cold. His jaw had been kicked into dislocation. And this was without Tang San channeling any internal energy; had he done so, this single kick could easily have shattered the bone.
The Reverse Folding Single Flying Kick — a basic technique in martial arts. Paired with Tang San's keen perception, it achieved an instant one-hit knockout.
The upperclassmen on Xiao Chenyu's side nearly all widened their eyes at the same time, unable to believe what they had just witnessed was real.
Ling Feng was second only to Boss Xiao in strength among their group. Yet against what looked like a first or second-year student, he had been knocked out with a single kick, never even getting to unleash his own most practiced attack.
Boss Xiao muttered under his breath, "Damn it, is the world turning upside down? How are all these youngsters so strong nowadays?"
Only after hearing the sound of Ling Feng's body hitting the ground did Tang San slowly lower his right leg from its raised position. He said calmly, "Next."
Boss Xiao was shocked, and on the work-study side, Xiao Wu was equally surprised. She had sparred with Tang San more than once, and watching him now, she could clearly see that he had improved significantly. Moreover, she noticed that Tang San in battle seemed different from his usual self. Normally, he appeared to be just a mild-mannered child, but the moment combat began, his strikes became extraordinarily fierce and decisive.
Wang Sheng, disregarding the pain from his injuries, watched Ling Feng get sent flying by Tang San's kick and immediately burst into gleeful laughter. "How about that, Boss Xiao? Convinced yet? Our Tang San didn't even use any Soul Power. I suggest you just concede. Spare yourselves the beating."
Boss Xiao stepped forward with a dark expression. After losing two rounds in a row, he had reached the point where he had no choice but to fight personally. He knew that among his people, no one surpassed Ling Feng. If he didn't reverse their plummeting morale right now, there would be no point in continuing the remaining duels. He had to crush this kid with overwhelming force, then defeat Xiao Wu as well, in order to salvage his pride.
Boss Xiao stared coldly at Tang San. The contempt and disdain that had been on his face were gone, replaced by a look of gravity.
"Xiao Chenyu, sixth-year student. Martial Soul: Wolf. Level eleven, single-ring Battle Soul Master."
Announcing one's Martial Soul and level was a sign of respect toward one's opponent.
As he spoke, a layer of green light emanated from Xiao Chenyu's body. Amid its flickering glow, his muscles began to swell, his eyes gradually shifted to a pale green, and his arms rose slowly with claws thrust forward, nails sharpening to points. A white Soul Ring ascended from beneath his feet — this was the image of Martial Soul Possession.
As the student leader, Xiao Chenyu showed his cunning here. What his Martial Soul was, hardly anyone in the entire Nuoding Academy didn't know. But the Tang San he faced was a different matter entirely — to him, Tang San's Martial Soul was still a mystery. By announcing his own first, he was hoping to learn what Tang San's Martial Soul was before the fight began. That way, he could prepare at least somewhat.
Tang San had heard the Great Master explain this rule of announcing one's Martial Soul. Unless you held your opponent in complete disdain and didn't mind making a lifelong enemy, when an opponent declared their Martial Soul, you generally returned the declaration as a show of mutual respect in the exchange of skills.
"Tang San, first-year work-study student. Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Level eleven, single-ring Tool Soul Master."
When Tang San announced that his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, the upperclassmen behind Xiao Chenyu burst into uproarious laughter almost simultaneously, the tension on their faces vanishing in an instant. They didn't even hear the level he announced afterward.
Blue Silver Grass was a trash Martial Soul — this was universally recognized across the entire continent. Even if Tang San's actual strength wasn't weak, the gap in their Martial Souls meant they had absolutely no need to worry about the higher-ranked Boss Xiao losing.
"You said — what level are you again?" Xiao Chenyu was not as careless as his subordinates. The noise behind him had made him miss the level Tang San had announced.
"Level eleven. Single-ring Tool Soul Master." As he spoke, a faint white light shone from Tang San's body. He raised his right hand, and from his palm, slender stalks of Blue Silver Grass grew forth. With a wave of his right hand, the grass scattered at his feet. A bright yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Tang San's feet, orbiting his body with a steady pulse.
The appearance of the yellow Soul Ring was like a resounding slap across the faces of those upperclassmen. Their laughter froze instantly, and a few stood with mouths still hanging open, staring at Tang San as though he were a monster.
"A Hundred-Year Soul Ring." Xiao Chenyu drew in a sharp breath.
(End of Chapter)