This was Tang San's first time facing Huo Wu in a one-on-one duel. He had been contemplating how she, as a Control Type soul master, would attack. Consequently, he remained stationary, choosing to let her make the first move so he could counter-attack.
The moment the referee announced the start, Huo Wu gave her answer: running. Her method was direct and simple; her long, powerful legs moved in a rapid rhythm as she charged straight at Tang San. While her speed couldn't compare to an Agility Attack Type, a Rank 40 soul master's physique—bolstered by soul rings and soul power—was already far beyond that of an ordinary human. Her full-force charge was impressively fast, closing the gap between them in an instant.
Tang San's eyes narrowed. He instantly activated his first soul skill, lashing out with a strand of Blue Silver Grass aimed directly at Huo Wu's slender yet powerful waist.
Watching from the sidelines, Gu Xuan thought to himself, 'Ah, the classic "Mother's Entwinement"?'
Tang San chose a defensive counter-attack strategy because his Blue Silver Grass was too heavily countered by fire. However, he still wanted to see if he could win while his Martial Soul was at a disadvantage. If he could, it would prove his Blue Silver Grass wasn't useless.
Facing the sweeping grass, Huo Wu didn't dodge. Instead, she accelerated. The thirty-meter gap shrank to ten meters in the blink of an eye. Her large eyes brightened, and her third soul ring began to glow with a purple hue, adding a touch of radiance to her appearance.
Suddenly, a flash of realization hit Tang San. He seemed to grasp her intent. While his grass continued its sweep, his body blurred into motion. He moved neither forward nor backward, but horizontally, shifting with extreme speed.
Huo Wu had anticipated this. Her straight charge adjusted into a diagonal thrust, still bearing down on him. Just as the Blue Silver Grass was about to touch her, she activated her third soul skill: Defying Flame Ring.
A dazzling orange-red halo erupted. This non-offensive skill instantly blasted the incoming grass away. Furthermore, the intense heat withered the vines. If Tang San hadn't reached Rank 49, his Martial Soul would have been charred instantly. The ring's coverage reached a terrifying sixty-meter diameter. Since Tang San was only ten meters away, the force sent him flying toward the edge of the arena.
In a competition, stepping out of bounds meant defeat. Huo Wu intended to use the rules to force him out. The most terrifying aspect of the Defying Flame Ring was its ability to ignore all skills and defenses, repelling everything within its range—as long as the opponent's power didn't exceed hers by more than ten ranks.
Huo Wu didn't stop. As Tang San reached the edge, she triggered a second ring. Her execution was flawless, a testament to her absolute control over her soul power.
'She looks hot-tempered, but she's incredibly smart,' Tang San sighed inwardly. However, the ring had a weakness: its height was only three meters. As long as he took to the air, he could evade it. Tang San leaped, soaring over the second halo.
A cold sneer appeared on Huo Wu's face. Although using the skill twice in a row was taxing, she had successfully forced Tang San into the air, where he couldn't maneuver. Suddenly, a bizarre scene unfolded. All four of Huo Wu's soul rings lit up simultaneously, and the Fire Shadow behind her turned a brilliant incandescent white.
"Ring Fusion?" Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up from the VIP stands.
Gu Xuan smiled as he watched. Without fire immunity, Tang San would be in serious trouble if hit by this, Rank 49 or not. Of course, that was assuming he didn't use the hammer.
Ring Fusion wasn't just a technique; it was a rare talent. It allowed a soul master to output the soul power of multiple rings into a single skill, resulting in massive explosive power.
Incandescent flames condensed in Huo Wu's palms. The temperature rose so sharply that it affected those outside the hundred-meter stage. This wasn't just heat; it was the core power of fire—explosion.
"Brilliant Sun!" she cried out.
A white orb of light, one meter in diameter, drifted toward the airborne Tang San. As it left her hands, Huo Wu's face turned deathly pale. She had used everything.
As the orb approached, Tang San felt his body grow sluggish, as if the small ball possessed an infinite gravitational pull. Stuck in the air, he could only meet it head-on. But Tang San chose the most dramatic way to do so.
In the instant the orb was released, Tang San retracted his Blue Silver Grass. In its place, a massive, pitch-black hammer appeared in his left hand. It was two meters long, with a head half a meter in diameter. Compared to Tang San's 1.8-meter frame, the weapon looked gargantuan, yet he held it as if it weighed nothing.
The arena seemed to freeze. Every soul master over Rank 60 or over the age of forty wore a look of utter disbelief. That wasn't a weapon pulled from a soul tool—weapons were strictly forbidden. That was a Martial Soul. The pinnacle of tool martial souls. The symbol of a clan.
The Clear Sky Hammer.
The world's number one tool martial soul, equal in fame to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. But Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer were worlds apart; for both to appear on one person meant only one thing: Twin Martial Souls.
The crowd was thunderstruck. This was a legend made flesh. Furthermore, Tang San's body was now circled by four terrifying rings: Purple, Purple, Purple, Black. Such a logic-defying configuration was even more shocking than the twin martial souls themselves.
Tang San's third purple ring flared. The already majestic hammer grew even larger.
"Third Soul Skill: Splendid Explosion!"
This ring came from a 9,000-year-old Crypt Demon Spider, making its power far superior to an average third skill.
BOOM!
The collision between the hammer and the white sun created a deafening explosion. A scorching shockwave rippled across the entire field. The referee, a Soul Saint, had to act instantly, deploying his fifth skill to shield Emperor Xue Ye from the heat.
Tang San was blown back by the force, falling toward the edge of the stage, but his eyes were bright with excitement. 'So this is the Clear Sky Hammer?' he thought. Even though his third ring was nearly 10,000 years old, the base power of the hammer was undeniable.
As he fell, he retracted the hammer and summoned his Blue Silver Grass in his right hand. His rings reverted to two yellow and two purple. He used his first skill, anchoring a vine to the edge of the stage and pulling himself back to safety.
Tang San stood tall on the stage, looking down at the exhausted Huo Wu with newfound arrogance and confidence. At this moment, he truly understood what Gu Xuan meant. The spotlight and the power felt intoxicating.
In this moment, Tang San reached a new level of enlightenment.
(End of Chapter)
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