Tang San confidently used his Mysterious Jade Hand to block Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Slash. Although his spirit power level was currently lower than Zhu Zhuqing's, he trusted in the durability of his technique.
Bang!
The moment Tang San intercepted Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Slash, his brow furrowed slightly, and a cold sweat appeared on his face as if he'd taken some damage, leaving him staring at Zhu Zhuqing in shock.
Tang San was bewildered. He looked down at his hands and found no visible cracks in his Mysterious Jade Hand. Why, then, was he hurt? Could this be an innate effect of Zhu Zhuqing's third spirit skill, perhaps one that ignores defenses?
Seeing Tang San's expression, Zhu Zhuqing knew her attack had worked. However, repeatedly using her spirit skills had consumed a substantial amount of her spirit power. She quietly activated the Nine Yin Manual to recover her energy.
Not giving Tang San time to think, Zhu Zhuqing maximized her speed and unleashed a relentless series of Netherworld Slashes against him.
This time, Tang San didn't dare to meet her attacks head-on. Frowning, he tried to widen the distance between them, using Blue Silver Grass as a barrier. But Zhu Zhuqing didn't allow him the chance to regain control, slashing through the grass and closing in on him.
From the sidelines, Su Ming looked puzzled. "Strange. Why is Tang San avoiding Zhuqing after taking one of her Netherworld Slashes? Why doesn't he keep fighting her up close? That's not like him."
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong exchanged glances, both having a guess. They nodded slightly, suspecting that this was the 'true damage' Zhu Zhuqing had acquired earlier, which could bypass defenses.
Tang San, unprepared, found himself unable to evade her attacks, and his arm was cut open, blood pouring out.
Zhu Zhuqing smiled slightly. Her Netherworld Slash had finally injured Tang San!
Tang San looked at his wound, initially dismissing it as minor. But he soon noticed that the bleeding wouldn't stop and was actually worsening. The wound was getting larger. Could this also be an effect of Zhu Zhuqing's skill?
Seeing the opportunity, Zhu Zhuqing spoke coolly, "Tang San, you should concede. My third spirit skill, Netherworld Slash, has a bleeding effect. Even the smallest wound will grow worse over time. If you keep this up, even healing afterward will leave you weakened for some time. You might even delay obtaining your third spirit ring."
Tang San was stunned, realizing he had underestimated her. He hadn't anticipated Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Slash would have such a powerful effect.
In his previous bout against Teacher Zhao, her attacks hadn't broken through his defenses, so her ability's effect hadn't taken hold.
After weighing his options, Tang San reluctantly surrendered. A wave of frustration washed over him—despite his Tang Sect skills, he couldn't even secure a victory in a cross-level fight. Was he too weak, or were his opponents simply too strong?
Su Ming was unbeatable, he couldn't best Xiao Wu, and now even Zhu Zhuqing, a speed-type spirit master supposedly countered by his abilities, had defeated him. Tang San's confidence was shaken.
As for using hidden weapons against Zhu Zhuqing? He hadn't considered it. Zhu Zhuqing was his classmate now, so he wanted to keep things friendly. Moreover, he wasn't ready to reveal his hidden weapons in such a public venue. That would need careful planning.
Facing the referee, Tang San said, "I concede."
The referee took a moment to react before announcing, "Thousand-Handed Shura concedes! Netherworld Spirit Cat wins!"
Cheers erupted from the audience. "Netherworld Spirit Cat! Netherworld Spirit Cat!" they chanted.
Some spectators, however, were confused. From their perspective, Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing were evenly matched. Why had he suddenly given up? If he'd stalled and spread his Blue Silver Grass across the stage, Zhu Zhuqing's speed advantage would've been nullified. Victory would have been his.
What they didn't realize was that Tang San could no longer stall. The wound on his arm had split open, bleeding heavily, though hidden beneath his clothes.
Once they were offstage, Zhu Zhuqing turned to Oscar. "Oscar, a recovery sausage, please. Tang San needs treatment."
Tang San then removed the torn sleeve from his injured arm, exposing the wound. The others were taken aback.
Ning Rongrong gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "Zhuqing, how did this happen? I remember your Netherworld Slash only made a small cut on Tang San. Why does it look so severe now?"
Su Ming also looked at Zhu Zhuqing and then at Tang San's deep wound. Such damage couldn't have come from a single strike—was it a spirit skill effect? He didn't recall Netherworld Slash having any special effects.
Zhu Zhuqing, seeing the curious looks from everyone, explained, "My third spirit skill, Netherworld Slash, has a bleeding effect. If left untreated, the wound will worsen and could even become fatal."
She added, a bit awkwardly, "I wanted to try it out against Teacher Zhao, but my attack couldn't break his defenses, so the effect didn't activate."
Oscar handed Tang San a freshly prepared sausage.
Tang San hesitated, a bit reluctant to eat it, but knowing they'd be together as classmates, he knew he'd have to get used to it sooner or later. He quickly downed the sausage.
Standing nearby, Dai Mubai suggested, "Su Ming, maybe you could help heal Tang San too. It'd speed up his recovery."
Xiao Wu chimed in, "But Su Ming's fourth spirit skill uses a lot of spirit power. His match is coming up—how will he manage?"
Realizing he'd put Su Ming in a difficult position, Dai Mubai fell silent. After all, Su Ming's fourth skill took a significant amount of energy at his level.
Su Ming simply laughed. "It's fine. Rongrong can help me restore my spirit power afterward."
Su Ming's fourth spirit ring glowed, and a soft green light enveloped Tang San, quickly healing him and even leaving him feeling energized.
However, Tang San's current appearance was unintentionally amusing. Dai Mubai's mouth twitched as he suppressed a laugh, nearly forgetting that Su Ming's healing skill made people glow green—a detail Su Ming might have included on purpose.
In reality, Su Ming didn't need Rongrong's help. His natural recovery speed was fast enough, but he played along.
Looking at the green-glowing Tang San, Su Ming couldn't help but smile. The green hue suited him right now.
Seeing Su Ming heal Tang San, Xiao Wu didn't object further.
She then remembered something and asked, "Brother, what code name did you pick for your one-on-one matches?"
Su Ming thought for a moment. "Let's go with 'True Thousand Hands'."
Xiao Wu frowned and shook her head, saying, "Brother, your code name isn't as cool as Tang San's. They both have 'Thousand Hands' in them, but Tang San's 'Thousand Hands Asura' sounds way more powerful!"
Ning Rongrong chimed in from the side, "Xiao Wu is right. Su Ming, how about you come up with a new one?"
Su Ming chuckled. "It's just a code name; what's the use of sounding powerful? Strength is what truly matters. Once you show your true abilities, who would dare say your code name isn't impressive? Besides, you'll see in time whether this name sounds powerful or not."
He left them a bit of suspense. When they finally saw the true form of his Thousand Real Hands in action, who could say it wasn't impressive?
Hearing Su Ming's words, Tang San felt a little jabbed, sensing that Su Ming was subtly mocking him. His code name might be "Asura," but he hadn't exactly lived up to its imposing nature, especially since he'd lost, and his fighting style hadn't felt that powerful.
At this moment, the announcer in the arena called out, "The second match is about to begin. In this round, we have Soul Sovereigns Soft-Boned Charming Rabbit and Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Let's welcome our two Soul Sovereigns to the stage!"
Everyone immediately looked toward Xiao Wu and Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai's heart sank—how could he be so unlucky to get matched up with Xiao Wu? Now he'd be humiliated for sure. Just thinking of Xiao Wu's Charm ability, her teleportation, and her fierce Eight-Stage Throw move made him lose all hope of winning.
With a resigned expression, Dai Mubai turned to Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu, we already fought before. How about we just make it look good, and I'll surrender afterward?"
Xiao Wu readily agreed—it would save her some spirit power, and she'd still need it for the two-on-two match coming up.
Soon, both of them stepped onto the stage.
Their appearance on the platform immediately sparked heated discussion among the audience. Though Xiao Wu wore a mask, it was still clear she was young and, compared to Dai Mubai, quite petite.
Most of them thought Xiao Wu was bound to lose and started heckling her, telling her to go home and drink milk. This infuriated Xiao Wu.
The screen then displayed their information:
Evil-Eyed White Tiger: Level 37 Assault-Type Soul Master, Martial Soul: White Tiger.
Soft-Boned Charming Rabbit: Level 39 Assault-Type Soul Master, Martial Soul: Soft-Boned Rabbit.
The crowd, who'd just been jeering at Xiao Wu, were now stunned. Another young prodigy?
They also began to wonder if she might be from some noble family, to have achieved so much at such a young age.
Dai Mubai mentally groaned when he heard the crowd insulting Xiao Wu. If she got riled up, he'd be the one to suffer!
"Let the match begin!"
Xiao Wu immediately used her third spirit skill, teleporting right next to Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai's heart skipped a beat. He whispered, "Xiao Wu, don't let what they're saying get to you. We agreed to just put on a show, so don't take it too seriously!"
Xiao Wu huffed. "No way! I'll show them what I can do. Besides, don't worry—I won't use Charm on you this time. At worst, you'll get a few scrapes. You can go see Oscar or my brother afterward to patch up in no time."
Xiao Wu's fiery temper only seemed tame when she was around Su Ming, where she acted sweet and adorable. But if anyone made her mad, it was a different story—she was Sister Xiao Wu, after all.
Dai Mubai realized she was upset and that she wouldn't change her mind. All he could do was go all out; he wasn't just going to stand there and take a beating.
But he'd underestimated Xiao Wu. He couldn't even touch her. Although Xiao Wu was an assault-type Soul Master, she was incredibly fast and had teleportation skills. Dai Mubai's White Tiger was similar to Zhao Wuji's Great Strength Vajra Bear—both had balanced attack and defense but lacked speed. Xiao Wu danced circles around him, leaving him feeling furious and frustrated.
The audience began to realize that this young girl wasn't just any ordinary talent. They'd clearly underestimated her.
Rongrong turned to Su Ming. "Su Ming, didn't they say they'd just put on a show? What happened?"
Su Ming sighed. "It must be the crowd's taunts that annoyed Xiao Wu. Now she needs to blow off steam, so Dai Mubai's in for it."
He added, "Xiao Wu was the top student at the academy and earned the nickname 'Sister Xiao Wu.' Don't let her sweet demeanor fool you; she's got a bit of a temper too."
Ning Rongrong giggled. "Only you can handle her and keep her in line."
Then Su Ming called out to Oscar, "Little Ao, start prepping your sausages. Dai Mubai's probably going to need them soon."
On the platform, Dai Mubai growled, "Xiao Wu, what are you even doing? Dodging back and forth—is that all you've got?"
Xiao Wu smirked. "Getting angry already? Fine, I won't dodge. Let's see if you can handle it!"
A bad feeling crept over Dai Mubai. Why did he have to mouth off just now? He was in trouble.
Not taking any chances, Dai Mubai activated his White Tiger Barrier and White Tiger Diamond Transformation to enhance his defense and offense. Since Xiao Wu wouldn't be using her Charm ability, he didn't believe her small frame could do much against him!
"First Spirit Skill—Waist Bow!"
"Third Spirit Skill—Teleport!"
With her Waist Bow skill, Xiao Wu's flexibility shot up significantly. She instantly teleported behind Dai Mubai, bent slightly, and kicked him into the air.
"You wanted me to attack? I'll oblige—it's what you asked for!"
"Explosive Throw—Eight-Stage Drop!"
Dai Mubai had been keeping a close watch on Xiao Wu's movements, and as she teleported behind him, he tried to turn and block, but he was just a moment too slow. It was over!
Xiao Wu teleported into the air and unleashed a flurry of attacks on Dai Mubai. She held back, of course—it was just a match—so there was no serious damage, only some scrapes and bruises.
The rapid series of moves left the announcer and the audience stunned. She was powerful and so fierce!
The announcer shouted excitedly, "The winner of the second match—Soft-Boned Charming Rabbit! Let's give a round of applause to this young, formidable Soul Sovereign!"
[T/N:
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