The thin cat girl clearly hadn't expected to defeat her opponent with her first attack. The instant
On the other side,
The fat rat's physique would throw any opponent off guard. In fact, Tang San's initial assessment hadn't been wrong — he, like the thin cat girl, was an Agility Attack Type Soul Master. The thin cat's first Soul Ring skill was a speed boost from a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, while his speed boost came from his second Soul Ring skill.
The enhancement from a Hundred-Year Soul Ring was naturally far beyond what a Ten-Year Soul Ring could compare to. In truth, the fat rat's speed was greater than the thin cat's — he was simply weaker than her in raw offensive power when it came to the first two rings. Both he and the thin cat were Level 37 Soul Venerables. Among two-person Soul Venerable-tier teams, they were a formidable pair.
Both clashes erupted simultaneously, and the fire of the Soul Duel blazed to its fullest.
As the thin cat closed in on Tang San, her third Soul Ring had already fully unleashed its skill. Her goal was to crush Tang San with an overwhelming, thunderous assault and then rush to the fat rat's aid.
Having seen that Tang San and Xiao Wu's Soul Rings were superior to their own, the battle-hardened thin cat had already decided on this near-desperate course of attack. In a typical Soul Duel, both sides would probe each other first, trying to learn as much about the opponent's Soul Skills as possible before committing to a full assault. But she had been pushed into this by the intimidating Soul Rings of Tang San and Xiao Wu. If it succeeded, the two-on-two victory would still be theirs. Four consecutive wins didn't come easy, and they weren't about to give up a shot at five. At that point, both points and prize money would be multiplied tenfold.
"Meow—" A piercing cat screech rang out. The thin cat girl's body transformed in midair — her claws suddenly elongated tenfold, turning into ten sword-like blades stabbing toward Tang San. The Soul Power trailing from her claws made whooshing sounds as it cut through the air, warping it in waves wherever it passed.
This was clearly no longer her own strength but an ability granted by her third Soul Skill. She had already arrived right in front of Tang San, and the suddenly extended claws drove straight toward every vital point on his body. Her offensive power, amplified by her Thousand-Year Soul Ring, had doubled. It was far beyond what a Soul Master of the same level could withstand.
If she had been facing a different Soul Master, they might very well have been cowed by her relentless, all-or-nothing momentum and crumbled. With the front completely sealed off, the only option would be to retreat — and that might be the only way to dodge the thin cat's attack. Tang San had already stepped back somewhat while evading her earlier claw strikes, putting him not far from the edge of the arena. One more step backward, and she was confident she could force him off the stage before his Martial Soul had any chance to show its power.
Unfortunately, the thin cat's clever plan fell through. The Tang San she faced had walked through the razor's edge between life and death — did she really think he would be so easily driven back?
As the blades were about to pierce through his body, Tang San's upper torso suddenly vanished into thin air, disappearing without the slightest warning.
The thin cat girl was momentarily stunned. Her movements had been so fast that even she hadn't caught how Tang San pulled it off.
In reality, it was simple — Tang San had executed a perfect Iron Bridge, arching his upper body completely backward. He didn't have Xiao Wu's boneless flexibility, but pulling off that maneuver was no problem for him. However, since he was standing right in front of the thin cat girl, an Iron Bridge in that position essentially exposed his entire chest and torso to his opponent. The thin cat girl was startled for only an instant before she spotted what looked like a fatal blunder on Tang San's part. All she needed to do now was flip her wrist downward and drive the cat claws straight into him — victory would be hers.
Victory was right before her eyes, and the thin cat girl was elated. Flipping her wrist was child's play. She thought to herself, this masked guy might have decent Soul Rings, but his combat experience was terrible — using this kind of move that left all his vitals wide open to deflect her assault. But she had forgotten one thing: she had overlooked the opponent's Martial Soul.
The thin cat girl's elation lasted only a heartbeat. The very next moment, she realized her body wouldn't move. Even the simplest wrist flick was beyond her now.
Long before Xiao Wu had launched herself from his shoulder, Tang San had already released his
Without the Blue Silver Grass binding her, no matter how fast the opponent was, would Tang San have ever willingly exposed his vitals?
Using the momentum of the Iron Bridge, Tang San flipped his body backward and kicked out with both feet in alternating strikes, slamming into her wrists.
The thin cat girl suddenly found herself entangled by the Blue Silver Grass, unable to move, and was desperately trying to break free. Tang San's incoming kicks left her no way to block. The tremendous force from his feet sent her body flying backward, and at the same time, the barbs on the Blue Silver Grass had already jutted out. A numbing sensation surged through her entire body instantly, forcing her to pour all her Soul Power into resisting the paralysis.
In a real combat scenario, the true advantage of Tang San enduring immense pain to claim the Man-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring became evident. Not only was the Blue Silver Grass itself extraordinarily tough, but its attached toxicity had also been dramatically enhanced. Binding might appear to be only his first Soul Ring skill, but the Blue Silver Grass was the very essence of his Martial Soul — with every new Soul Ring he acquired, the Blue Silver Grass itself grew stronger. This was the advantage a Tool Soul Master held over a Beast Soul Master. While a Tool Soul Master's own body couldn't be enhanced by the Martial Soul, the Martial Soul's physical body itself grew more powerful, making every subsequent Soul Skill cast from it all the more formidable.
Despite the thin cat girl's desperate struggles, her Soul Power didn't even rival
Tang San activated his Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail and arrived at the thin cat girl's side in a single step. With a light flick of his toes, he sent her body sailing off the arena. By the rules of the Soul Duel, once a combatant fell off the stage, it meant defeat.
At the same moment the thin cat girl dropped below the platform, the fat rat was also sent flying — hurled off the opposite side.
It turned out that in midair, when Xiao Wu saw the fat rat charging toward her at startling speed, she had activated her third Soul Ring skill — Instant Transmission — without a moment's hesitation. Her figure flickered, and she appeared behind the fat rat. Her scorpion braid lashed out, coiling around his neck, and with a sharp push of her right foot, she flung him away.
If this had been a life-or-death battle, the thrown fat rat would clearly still have had the strength to fight on. Although Xiao Wu had activated her Waist Bow skill, it wasn't enough to deal a serious blow — after all, Beast Soul Masters had extremely tough bodies, and the fat rat had been prepared, unlike that sleazy uncle Lei from a few days ago who had been ambushed and sent crashing to the ground before he could even release his Soul Power.
But this was a Soul Duel, and the fat rat's Martial Soul wasn't the flying type. How could he control his body in midair? He was sent flying off the stage, landing almost simultaneously with the thin cat.
The battle had started fast and ended even faster. In the time it took to blink a few times, the outcome had been decided.
On the spectator stands, the audience who had been cheering for the Cat-Rat team fell deathly silent in an instant. Tang San and Xiao Wu landed steadily on the arena and exchanged a smile.
They hadn't expected today's Soul Duel to be so easy. In their minds, it came down to the natural counter of their Martial Souls. Whether it was Tang San's Control Type abilities or Xiao Wu's close-range power, both had a strong restraining effect on Agility Attack Type Soul Masters. Xiao Wu should have originally been countered by an Agility Attack Type, but with Instant Transmission now in her arsenal, it had more than compensated for her weakness. Caught completely off guard, the fat rat hadn't even been able to unleash his Thousand-Year Soul Ring skill before she had sent him flying.
On the spectator stands, the Great Master nodded slightly, well satisfied with Tang San and Xiao Wu's performance. As an observer, he saw things all the more clearly. In those brief moments of combat, the two had demonstrated adaptability and synergy with their Martial Souls that were nothing short of perfect. Defeating a team whose Soul Power exceeded theirs wasn't merely about the counter of Martial Souls — the months of combat training under his guidance had quietly begun to pay off.
Under the announcer's declaration, the 3-5 Team had earned a second consecutive victory in the two-on-two Soul Duel, and both of their points had risen to three.
Only now did the spectators erupt in cheers once more. Though the duel had been unusually brief, whether it was Tang San's Blue Silver Grass or Xiao Wu's Instant Transmission, both had opened the eyes of these ordinary citizens. The audience was fair and never stingy with their applause. The 3-5 Team quietly exited the stage amid a wave of roaring cheers. What awaited them still were their respective one-on-one duels.
(End of chapter)