Chapter 92: A Line Between Life and Death
Two months later.
Soto City, Great Soul Fighting Arena, Life-and-Death Zone, First Division.
The audience seats were surging with crowds; looking out, there was a dense, dark mass of people.
All kinds of roars and shouts blended together, seemingly about to flip the dome over.
On the central arena stage, two figures were engaged in a fierce life-and-death struggle.
The sound of fists and feet colliding rang out continuously, occasionally bringing a flash of blood, making one's blood boil.
One of them wore a mask with a pair of rabbit ears on her head; her body was petite yet incredibly agile, with two yellow Soul Rings revolving around her.
With such an outfit, who else could it be but Xiao Wu?
And Xiao Wu's opponent was a thin, middle-aged man.
Despite his ordinary appearance, his Martial Soul was the extremely troublesome Shadow Cat.
Not only was his speed incredibly fast, but he was also elusive and remarkably eerie.
The audience below could often only vaguely see a blur of an afterimage before another bloody gash appeared on Xiao Wu's body.
Most importantly, he was surrounded by four Soul Rings: one white, one yellow, and two purple.
This was also the reason why tonight's one-on-one life-and-death duel was assigned to the First Division.
"Charming Rabbit," with level twenty-eight Soul Power, was challenging the level forty-one Soul Sect, "Shadow Cat."
Anyone who frequently hung around the Great Soul Fighting Arena basically knew of "Charming Rabbit."
She looked delicate and weak, but her strength was formidable.
What she loved most was challenging those of a higher level.
She held a terrifying record of complete victories in Spirit Battles, fighting two-rings as a first ring, and Three-Rings as a two-ring.
This made "Charming Rabbit" a sensation and a star at the Great Soul Fighting Arena; basically, any Spirit Battle she participated in would be packed to capacity.
But fighting a four-ring as a two-ring—crossing two entire ranks—was something that rarely occurred even in the Great Soul Fighting Arena.
Although no one knew what gave Charming Rabbit such confidence, this was undoubtedly an extremely attractive Spirit Battle for the audience.
Thus, the Great Soul Fighting Arena directly arranged for this Spirit Battle to take place in the First Branch Venue, which had the largest area and the most spectators.
If the Main Martial Soul Arena weren't reserved only for team battles, the people from the Great Soul Fighting Arena would have wanted to put this fight there.
The more people there were, the more money they naturally made.
"Haha, Charming Rabbit, your background has already been seen through."
Shadow Cat's low voice echoed from all directions as he continued to move at high speed.
"Your Self-created Soul Skill is indeed powerful; even I wouldn't dare let you get close. But as long as you can't catch me, your Self-created Soul Skill is completely useless."
Using such a shameless tactic despite being a Soul Sect facing a Two-Ring Great Soul Master.
From this posture of taking pride in it rather than being ashamed, one could see Shadow Cat's wariness of Xiao Wu.
He had studied Charming Rabbit's battles; it could be said that in terms of close-quarters combat alone, even he wouldn't be able to withstand her.
Therefore, he could only rely on speed to win.
Coincidentally, his Fourth Soul Skill was an amplification skill that increased his speed attribute by fifty percent.
Although it lacked powerful attack power, it raised his speed to another level, making him even more elusive.
It could be said that he naturally countered Charming Rabbit's close-combat techniques.
Xiao Wu remained deaf to his words, her gaze cold beneath the mask.
Her arms, back, and thighs were covered in several bloody gashes.
If she hadn't activated her Demon Slayer Mark early on, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold on.
Looking at Shadow Cat, she had only managed to touch him twice since the battle began.
Moreover, those were both counterattacks made in haste, so they hadn't caused any substantial damage to him.
This Shadow Cat wouldn't give her any chance to get close at all; he would retreat immediately after a single strike without lingering, making him the most troublesome opponent she had ever encountered.
As expected... was she still too impatient?
Having an extra Soul Ring didn't just mean having an extra Soul skills; it also meant an overall increase in attributes.
Therefore, the further one progressed, the larger the gap between each level would become.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the audience seats, two middle-aged men sat side by side, their expressions uglier than the other's.
Zhao Wuji gripped the guardrail in front of him tightly with both hands, his face tense and his eyes filled with annoyance and nervousness.
The iron bars creaked under his grip, becoming directly deformed.
"This little brat is truly outrageous."
Zhao Wuji's voice sounded as if it were squeezed through his teeth, full of irritation. "We told her not to come, yet she insisted on sneaking here, and even had the audacity to challenge a Soul Sect. Is she tired of living?"
"Old Zhao, quiet!"
Flender's voice was very low, the glasses on the bridge of his nose reflecting white light, making it impossible to see his expression. "Things have already reached this point; now we can only trust that Xiao Wu has her own trump cards."
"She has jack shit for trump cards," Old Zhao spat. "I'm her teacher; don't I know exactly how much she's worth?"
He became angrier as he spoke. "I've finally realized it—this little brat is a damn lunatic."
"With her talent, she could have reached Titled Douluo by Cultivating steadily, but instead, she seeks out whatever is most dangerous. Does she think her life is made of iron?"
He paused here, his voice rising a few more notches. "If I find out who taught her these things, I'll beat the crap out of him until he's clean!"
Lin Yang, who was sitting behind the two of them:
"..."
"..."
Although filled with anger, the concern in Zhao Wuji's words was genuine.
Despite the two of them calling each other "Big Blind Bear" and "Little Brat" at the academy, constantly bickering and fighting every few days.
It had to be said that Xiao Wu's explosive temper, which would ignite at the slightest touch, really suited Zhao Wuji's taste.
If one were to ask who was most worried about the Little Rabbit's safety right now, it would definitely be Zhao Wuji.
On the arena stage, in just a few short minutes, several more wounds were added to Xiao Wu's body.
Under the amplification of the fourth thousand-year spirit ring, Shadow Cat's speed was too fast—so fast that she could only barely dodge by relying on the instincts honed through life and death.
Every flash of blood represented her moving one step closer to death.
Was this her limit?
Thoughts churned in Xiao Wu's mind, and scenes from the past flashed through her head like a slideshow.
Da Ming, Er Ming, the Big Blind Bear, Dean Flender, and finally, the image settled on Lin Yang's face.
Lin Yang's words vaguely echoed in her ears: "A great Enlightenment occurs between life and death. If you don't push yourself, how can you Breakthrough your limits?"
Gradually, her dodging seemed to slow down, and finally, as if she had given up resistance, she just stood there in a daze.
"Giving up?"
Shadow Cat's voice was full of mockery and triumph. "Fine then, I'll send you on your way."
With that, Shadow Cat's second Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
Second soul skill, Shadow Raid!
His body transformed into a straight black shadow, the sharp claws at his fingertips flickering with a deep, eerie light as they slashed toward Xiao Wu's neck.
"You brat, you dare!"
Zhao Wuji suddenly stood up, his massive voice instantly drowning out a large wave of gasps.
Behind him, Lin Yang also stood up abruptly, about to take action, but then he suddenly froze and slowly sat back down.
Shua!
A flash of black light.
Shadow Cat zipped past Xiao Wu's side in an instant.
Xiao Wu remained motionless.
The entire venue fell into complete silence at this moment; everyone widened their eyes, waiting for the final outcome.
Some were gloating, some were sorrowful, and some held the purest fanaticism and excitement.
Was the sensational "Charming Rabbit" going to meet her end today?
Meanwhile, Shadow Cat looked at his own palm, frowning, a trace of suspicion and surprise flashing across his face.
Just now, it seemed like he... missed?
Was it an illusion?
No, something was wrong.
Very wrong!
Shadow Cat whipped his head around; Charming Rabbit was still standing in the same spot.
But in his perception, her aura had completely vanished.
If she were a dead person, she naturally wouldn't have any aura.
But an aura that existed a second ago had vanished into thin air the next, as if the person had been erased by the World itself.
This was very abnormal.
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