Chapter 176: Yu Tianheng: I'll Fight Him One-on-One!
Zhu Zhuqing stood where she was, her fingertips still trembling slightly.
A faint warmth from the Blue Silver Grass lingered around her waist. The lingering palpitations from having her Martial Soul forcibly stirred still hadn't fully faded.
That feeling of her body and soul power being out of control was like a cold snake coiling around her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She took two deep breaths before barely suppressing the discomfort.
She raised her head and looked toward Lin Qingmo, not far away.
Those cat-like eyes, which always carried a distant coldness, were now filled with genuine gratitude.
Her lips parted slightly, and with undisguised sincerity she said, "Ah Qing, thank you for helping me just now."
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong quickly gathered around as well.
Xiao Wu gently patted Zhu Zhuqing's back, her face still showing lingering fear.
"Zhuqing, what just happened?"
They could only tell that Zhu Zhuqing had encountered something she strongly resisted.
Zhu Zhuqing said quietly, "Dai Mubai was trying to forcibly use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill just now."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong puffed her cheeks in anger. "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill is something between two people. What he did is no different from forcing it. Good thing Ah Qing reacted quickly."
"It was just a small effort."
Lin Qingmo smiled, his tone casual and gentle.
His gaze swept over Zhu Zhuqing's still slightly pale face.
"I couldn't just watch someone force you to do something you didn't want to do."
As soon as he finished speaking—
"Why did you concede?"
A voice filled with a heavy lecturing tone abruptly cut in.
Yu Xiaogang frowned and strode over quickly, his face drawn long, full of disappointment and frustration.
His burning gaze fixed on Zhu Zhuqing, and his opening words were blunt and accusatory.
"Zhu Zhuqing, what exactly are you doing?"
"You and Dai Mubai can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, which should be the only trump card on the field capable of instantly turning the tide of battle!"
"Why would you rather concede on the spot than cooperate with him to release it?"
If he had known earlier that the two could use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he should have studied it in advance!
His tone carried a sense of entitlement.
As if Zhu Zhuqing's refusal to cooperate were some unforgivable mistake, betraying everyone's efforts.
The gratitude on Zhu Zhuqing's face instantly vanished.
The warmth in her eyes dropped sharply, turning ice-cold.
She looked straight at Yu Xiaogang.
"I didn't want to use it. It's that simple."
Her tone carried undisguised anger and sharpness, like a wild cat baring its claws after being provoked.
"Whether I fight this soul battle, what soul skills I use in the arena, or whether I cooperate with others is my own business. What does it have to do with you?"
Xiao Wu and the others were stunned.
This was the first time they had seen Zhu Zhuqing show such undisguised anger.
"You!"
Yu Xiaogang was choked into silence, his face darkening as it flushed red.
He never expected his student to openly contradict him like this, leaving him unable to save face.
He immediately tried to assume the authority of a team leader, raising his voice.
"Do you realize that your concession just now directly destroyed Shrek's chance to turn things around?"
"Do you know how important this match is to us?"
"I am your leading teacher. I naturally have the right to question your battle decisions!"
Halfway through his words, he suddenly met Lin Qingmo's gaze.
"!!!"
The young man who had just been smiling gently now had completely lost that smile.
His deep eyes were as cold as ice tempered over a thousand years, calmly sweeping over him without a single word.
Yet that overwhelming pressure of soul power locked onto him precisely.
In an instant, Yu Xiaogang's breathing stalled; his chest felt as if it were blocked by a massive stone, and he couldn't even breathe properly.
All the words he wanted to say were choked back by a sense of terror, not a single word escaping his throat.
His head instinctively shrank.
All the momentum he had to question others vanished completely, and cold sweat broke out across his back.
At this moment, Flender stepped forward and patted Yu Xiaogang's shoulder, smoothing things over.
"Xiaogang, this is their own matter. It's not something we can handle."
He knew very well the fundamental conflict between Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai.
Even as a teacher, there were limits to how much he could interfere.
With a way out presented, Yu Xiaogang shut his mouth resentfully.
He turned and walked away in embarrassment, not daring to say another word.
Flender originally wanted to say more.
But seeing Lin Qingmo's cold expression, he ultimately said nothing.
The situation in the Soul Arena collapsed faster than anyone expected.
Without Zhu Zhuqing restraining Osler,
Dai Mubai, whose soul power was already nearly exhausted, simply couldn't withstand the fierce assault from the opposing team.
Burning with anger from what had just happened, his mind was unstable.
Facing their joint attacks, he exposed flaws again and again.
Yu Tianheng's dragon claw, carrying a roaring force that split the air, slammed heavily into his body.
Dai Mubai barely raised the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier, but the pale golden light only lasted for a moment before being shattered.
"Ugh!"
He let out a muffled groan, a mouthful of blood spraying out.
Dai Mubai was sent flying off the Soul Arena like a kite with a broken string.
When he hit the ground, he slid several meters across the hard surface before crashing into the railing.
"Damn it!"
He slammed his fist against the ground.
His face was full of unwillingness and gloom, rage churning in Dai Mubai's eyes.
In the vast circular arena, only Tang San remained from the Shrek Team.
Opposite him, the Royal Fighting Team still stood with all five members intact—Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Yu Feng, Osler, and Ye Lingling.
Their soul power reserves were still relatively sufficient.
They formed an encirclement, calmly staring at Tang San like prey caught in a trap.
The audience erupted once more, the cheers for the Royal Fighting Team shaking the entire venue.
All eyes were focused on Tang San in the arena.
Everyone wanted to see whether this Soul Grandmaster with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul could create a miracle and turn the tide in such a desperate situation.
Even though no one believed it was possible.
Cold sweat slid down Tang San's forehead along his cheeks.
His Blue Silver Grass had already spread densely across the arena floor.
Like a massive net, it shimmered with a dark green toxic glow, writhing slightly.
But his heart kept sinking.
Relying solely on the paralyzing toxin within Blue Silver Grass, the effect on these soul masters whose levels far exceeded his expectations was minimal.
He quickly calculated every trump card he could use in his mind.
Only to realize that aside from his second martial soul and hidden weapons, he had no means to counter the current situation.
He had promised his father not to use his second martial soul.
As for hidden weapons… among those he had refined, the only one worthy of use was the Dragon Beard Needle.
Even with hidden weapons, facing five opponents made it clearly insufficient.
"You all stay out of this."
Yu Tianheng suddenly stepped forward and raised his hand to stop the three people behind him who were about to move.
The ferocious phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had already begun to emerge behind him.
Crackling blue lightning wildly danced along his dragonized right arm, producing sharp sizzling sounds.
There was pride in his eyes, the arrogance of a noble family descendant.
Staring straight at Tang San, Yu Tianheng spoke loudly, "I'll fight him one-on-one."
"I want to see just how capable this so-called genius, personally accepted as a disciple by my uncle and praised to the heavens, really is."
End of Chapter