Xiao Wu frowned, "Why should I team up with you? I'm already at level thirty-nine, and before long, I'll reach level forty. Tang San, I don't mean to put you down, but teaming up with you lowers the chance of winning. Even if we did win, it'd be really hard, and I don't want that!"
Tang San was left speechless by Xiao Wu's bluntness. It was true; Xiao Wu was already level thirty-nine and would likely reach level forty soon. Even after he absorbed his third spirit ring and gained a qualitative improvement, he still wouldn't come close to level forty. Competing would indeed make it hard to win.
Taking a moment to calm himself, Tang San replied, "You're right, Xiao Wu. I didn't consider it carefully."
Su Ming raised an eyebrow, smirking, "Tang San, you're not trying to steal my partner, are you?"
Xiao Wu's face turned red as her bunny ears twitched with embarrassment.
Su Ming stared directly at Tang San, who felt the pressure but remained calm, shaking his head slightly. "Su Ming, you're overthinking it. Here's what I mean: the opponents you'll likely face will be Spirit Masters close to level fifty. Xiao Wu is only level thirty-nine; teaming up with you would put her at a disadvantage. Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, would be much more suitable. With her support abilities and your control, it'd be easier to take on two opponents."
Tang San wasn't about to admit that he simply didn't want Xiao Wu to team up with Su Ming. He wasn't sure why, but the thought just bothered him, so he came up with a reasonable excuse.
Xiao Wu immediately snapped, "Tang San, just shut up!"
Tang San fell silent at once.
While Ning Rongrong found Tang San's explanation annoyingly convenient, it wasn't without merit—under normal circumstances. But in reality, Xiao Wu's abilities were far from ordinary.
Listening to Tang San's reasoning, Su Ming turned his gaze toward Ning Rongrong, making both Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong tense.
Su Ming flashed Ning Rongrong an apologetic look and said, "Sorry, Rongrong, I've decided to team up with Xiao Wu. While Tang San makes some valid points, I'm confident in Xiao Wu's strength. With her spirit skills, she can definitely fight beyond her level."
Hearing Su Ming's choice, Xiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief, excitedly hugging his arm.
Ning Rongrong had suspected Su Ming would likely choose Xiao Wu. After all, he and Xiao Wu had shared six years of friendship, while she and Su Ming had just met.
Even if he had some fondness for her, he probably still saw her as the spoiled, willful little troublemaker she once was.
Su Ming then informed Dai Mubai of his decision to team up with Xiao Wu. Dai Mubai, of course, didn't object, as it would speed up their point-gaining efforts.
Dai Mubai then turned to Zhu Zhuqing, asking, "Zhuqing, how about the two of us form a team?"
Zhu Zhuqing shot him a disdainful look, her expression icy, clearly uninterested in responding.
Seeing her reaction, Dai Mubai felt a surge of anger rise but suppressed it, reminding himself repeatedly not to rush things. He had been the one to leave her, so now that she was here, it showed he still had a chance; he just needed to prove himself.
What he didn't know was that Zhu Zhuqing's frustration stemmed not from him leaving for Heaven Dou Empire alone, but from her own disillusionment. She felt foolish for once thinking Dai Mubai came here to make a clean break, only to witness the truth.
Added to this were Su Ming's notes from his journal, which had shed further light on the situation. Zhu Zhuqing resolved that she'd never forgive Dai Mubai and had no intention of being a submissive follower!
Ning Rongrong hugged Zhu Zhuqing and giggled, "Zhuqing, why don't you team up with me instead? Ignore these lousy guys!"
Zhu Zhuqing gave a slight smile, nodding.
Dai Mubai's face darkened further. While Ning Rongrong likely didn't have any ulterior motives, she wasn't about to team up with any other guy besides Su Ming, so Zhu Zhuqing was her only choice—and they were dormmates, too. Despite only knowing each other for a short time, they seemed to be getting along well.
But to Dai Mubai, this was a slap in the face. First, Zhu Zhuqing rejected him, then Ning Rongrong stepped in, and Zhu Zhuqing readily accepted. This made him deeply uncomfortable.
Forcing down his frustration, he turned to Su Ming, saying, "Su Ming, you take them to the registration for the two-on-two. The matches here should still go on for a while."
Su Ming nodded, then took Xiao Wu and the others to register in the two-on-two combat area.
"Registration fee is ten gold spirit coins. Winning a match earns you ten coins, but if you lose, you'll have to register again. Please come up with a name for your team."
Su Ming and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance as the staff explained that the team name would help the announcer introduce them.
After a brief thought, Su Ming said, "Let's go with Thousand-Handed Enchanting Rabbit."
He had based the name on both of their spirits. It was just a codename anyway; they'd leave once they earned the Silver Spirit Fighting Badge, so it didn't matter too much.
"All right, the Thousand-Handed Enchanting Rabbit team is registered."
Then Su Ming turned to the other two, asking, "Rongrong, Zhuqing, what do you want to call your team?"
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a smile. "We'll be the Seven Treasure Spirit Cat team. Sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Xiao Wu nodded with a grin.
After registering, Su Ming turned to Xiao Wu and said seriously, "Xiao Wu, I just thought of something important."
Seeing his serious expression, Xiao Wu asked, "What is it, big brother?"
Su Ming explained, "Xiao Wu, time is tight. Use your third spirit ability to teleport to the nearest store and buy eight masks for us. We have to be cautious—at our young age, we already have this much power, which might attract unwanted attention."
The others understood immediately. At only twelve years old and already possessing such strength, they could indeed become targets, so taking precautions was wise.
Xiao Wu nodded firmly, then used her teleport ability and slipped away quickly; she had to hurry since their first one-on-one match was about to start.
After a few minutes, Dai Mubai called out, "Zhuqing, your first fight is starting!"
Just then, Xiao Wu returned with the masks, handing them out to everyone.
The four of them headed back to the waiting area for one-on-one matches and looked up at the screen. To their surprise, Zhu Zhuqing's first opponent was none other than Tang San!
It wasn't entirely unexpected; after all, they were both in the same level range and had registered at the same time.
Zhu Zhuqing stared coldly at Tang San, saying calmly, "I hope you'll give it your all. I want to see the gap between us."
Zhu Zhuqing's notion of "going all out" naturally included allowing Tang San to use his hidden weapons; otherwise, with Tang San only at the thirtieth rank, even with his strange Tang Sect techniques, she felt confident she wouldn't lose. After all, she was five ranks higher than him!
Tang San nodded solemnly, "Understood."
Zhu Zhuqing had great confidence in her speed—even if Tang San had superb evasion skills, so what?
Since Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San were the first to face off, Su Ming and the others naturally chose to observe the match.
Following a staff member's guidance, they reached a spot below the stands where they had a perfect view of the entire arena.
In the center of the arena, a middle-aged man in a tailcoat cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Up next, we'll begin the first one-on-one match of the Fourteenth Soul Arena! Our contestants today are both Soul Elders: on one side, we have the plant-type Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master, known as 'Thousand-Hand Shura'; and on the other, the Beast Spirit Ghost Shadow Cat Master, going by 'Ghost Shadow Cat'!"
"This is the first time for both of them here at the Grand Soul Arena. Let's all watch closely to see what these two are capable of! Now, let's welcome both Soul Elders onto the stage!"
Soon, Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing arrived at opposite ends of the arena. Since both wore masks, the audience couldn't see their faces or even know their names.
The aliases had been suggested by Su Ming on the spot.
Although the audience couldn't see their faces, it was evident that both Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing were quite young. Many spectators sighed in amazement, wondering if they were the children of some noble family, given that they had reached the Soul Elder rank at such a young age.
However, most of the audience's attention was drawn to Zhu Zhuqing. Although her face was covered, her shapely figure in tight leather caught many eyes. Some of the less restrained onlookers couldn't help but drool, thinking she must be beautiful to match her striking figure.
"Go, Ghost Shadow Cat! Go!" some spectators shouted, utterly enchanted by her appearance.
Su Ming chuckled from the sidelines, "Looks like Zhuqing has quite the fan base—just look at how excited the audience is!"
Ning Rongrong pouted, "They're just a bunch of perverts!"
Saying this, she glanced down at her own less pronounced figure, feeling a bit disheartened.
Su Ming teased her, "No need to feel envious, Rongrong. You'll have a great figure in the future too!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes brightened. "Really?"
Su Ming nodded with conviction, "Of course! After all, you're only twelve; you're still growing. As for Zhuqing, well, her genetics are just exceptional—hard to compete with."
Ning Rongrong could only sigh in resignation, hoping she would indeed grow as Su Ming promised.
In the arena, the host's call for the match to begin spurred Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing to activate their martial spirits and soul rings.
Their information appeared on the large screen:
Thousand-Hand Shura, Rank 30 Control-Type Tool Soul Master, Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Grass.
Ghost Shadow Cat, Rank 35 Agility-Type Battle Soul Master, Martial Spirit: Ghost Shadow Cat.
Upon seeing their ranks, the audience collectively gasped—Soul Elders, indeed!
"Hey, look at that Thousand-Hand Shura guy! Why does he only have two soul rings?"
"Yeah, and his martial spirit really is Blue Silver Grass, the so-called trash spirit. How did he cultivate so fast with that?"
"Are you dense? He probably just reached the thirtieth rank and hasn't had time to get a third ring yet!"
"But how he got that far with Blue Silver Grass, I have no idea…"
An intense discussion erupted among the crowd, with most betting on Zhu Zhuqing to win.
Tang San smiled at Zhu Zhuqing, "Shall we begin?"
"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Bind!"
Tang San activated his opening move, and thick strands of Blue Silver Grass surged across the arena toward Zhu Zhuqing!
Zhu Zhuqing swiftly evaded, using her speed to dodge as she searched for an opening in Tang San's defenses.
"First Soul Skill, Ghostly Stab!"
Finding a gap between the Blue Silver Grass strands, Zhu Zhuqing launched an assault straight at Tang San, but he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dodge her attack with ease.
Xiao Wu, watching anxiously from below, asked, "Brother Su Ming, do you think Zhuqing can win?"
Su Ming shook his head with a frown, "Although Zhuqing's speed is impressive, Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track is highly evasive. Her linear acceleration isn't likely to hit him."
"Moreover, the longer this battle drags on, the worse it'll be for Zhuqing. The arena's limited space will soon be filled with Blue Silver Grass, leaving her with no room to maneuver."
"Unless Zhuqing can reach a speed that even Tang San can't react to in a short burst, victory will be difficult."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned, realizing her first soul skill wasn't enough to land a hit. Recalling the reward she received yesterday, she thought, Since Tang San is so adept at dodging, I'll just keep pressing him with continuous attacks. I refuse to believe he's untouchable. As long as I make contact, I have a chance to win!
Activating her third soul skill, Ghostly Slash, she used her first skill's burst of speed to close the gap quickly, aiming for a decisive strike to end the fight before exhausting herself.
Tang San was taken aback by her tactics; typically, agility-types strike from a distance before moving in. Close-combat is rare among them, as it's usually the domain of power-attack types. Agility-types like Zhu Zhuqing are better suited for assassination; this environment actually puts her at a disadvantage against him. However, given his lower rank, it's fair game for both.
Since Zhu Zhuqing wanted close combat, he had no intention of backing down. Confident in his hand-to-hand abilities, he activated his Tang Sect techniques.
Mysterious Jade Hands and Purple Demon Eye activated.
As Zhu Zhuqing closed in, she called out coldly, "Tang San, dare you take me on?"
Zhu Zhuqing realized hitting Tang San wouldn't be easy, so she decided to taunt him into engagement!
Then, she unleashed Ghostly Slash straight at Tang San.
Confident in his abilities, Tang San didn't back down and countered with his Mysterious Jade Hands, ready to catch her blade barehanded!
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing smirked—he'd fallen for her trap. She knew that, with his confidence in the Tang Sect's techniques, there was a good chance he would accept her challenge!
[T/N:
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