Chapter 203 - A Swift Victory (1/2)

When it came to Ye Xinglan, Tang Wulin believed his efforts toward her were just and acted confidently. To him, bringing up how much he ate was illogical.

Since she looked down on him, why did he have to pay for her? From the beginning, they existed in two different worlds, two parallel lines never meant to touch.

The event grounds were buzzing with activity. Since junior division compet.i.tors in the individual compet.i.tion wielded three soul rings at most, the s.p.a.ce provided wasn't much. Each arena spanned about thirty meters in diameter. Arranged next to each other, the rings of battle showcased dazzling duels between all sorts of martial souls and soul skills.

Tang Wulin watched the battles with the eyes of a hawk, understanding that every partic.i.p.ant was a potential opponent. He possessed a single soul ring; he'd need to grasp every advantage possible to win.

Not long after, the third heat commenced.

Tang Wulin glanced at his number plate. According to the lots drawn yesterday, his first appearance would be in the third heat in arena 16.

A soul barrier encased the circular arena so that the audience wouldn't be harmed by any stray attacks.

Although it was his first time partic.i.p.ating in this sort of compet.i.tion, Tang Wulin carried not an ounce of anxiety on his being. After his adventures in the spirit ascension platform and his real life combat experiences, all he felt was excitement coursing through his veins. Just how far can I go?

His opponent soon arrived. It was a pet.i.te kid shorter than Tang Wulin. His opponent's eyes failed to mask the confusion and anxiety running rampant beneath their outward posturing.

Every arena had a referee and theirs was a middle-aged man.

“The rules are simple. You may use any means to attack without worry. I will interfere if the need arises to ensure your safety and the result will be decided when one side concedes. In the event that partic.i.p.ants cannot or will not concede, I will judge when one side is no longer able to continue fighting. I will also judge if the gap between contenders is too great. You both have thirty seconds to prepare. I will countdown the last five seconds. You may begin preparing now.”

The moment the middle-aged man finished speaking, Tang Wulin's opponent summoned two dazzling yellow soul rings.

Don't we still have thirty seconds? Tang Wulin was baffled by his opponent's actions since unleas.h.i.+ng one's martial soul consumed soul power. Is he trying to show off his martial soul?

His opponent's martial soul was a long, silver staff. A black dragon coiled around its length. It was the Coiling Dragon Staff—an impressive martial soul.

It has dragon in its name, so maybe…

Tang Wulin's heart hammered at the thought, pus.h.i.+ng away his last remnants of fear toward his two-ringed opponent.

His opponent seemed to have realized his mistake and quickly recalled his martial soul. He stared back at Tang Wulin.

“Five, four, three, two, one, begin!”

Following the end of the countdown, Tang Wulin stomped forward with his left foot, launching himself like an artillery sh.e.l.l. He wasn't an agility-type soul master, but in that hairbreadth of a second, he exploded with speed. It took a few swift steps to close the thirty-meter distance between him and his opponent.

Once again hIs opponent released his martial soul. The Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in his hands yet no soul rings lit up; this was a clear sign he had yet to use any soul skills.

This was because he was startled by Tang Wulin's frightening speed, completely forgetting about his soul skills.

The youngster heard a cold snort before a dizzying wave swept through his brain, all while watching as Tang Wulin's fist drew closer. The golden-scaled fist glittered beneath the sun. An indescribable feeling of terror gripped him.

The sudden draconic might coupled with his nervousness caused the boy to fall back onto his b.u.t.t.

Tang Wulin slapped away the Coiling Dragon Staff then, placing his scaled hand on the boy's head. Naturally, he neither grabbed the boy's head nor revealed his Golden Dragon Claw.

“Stop!” The referee appeared in front of them in an instant, blocking Tang Wulin's hand. Of course, the referee could feel the lack of strength circulating through his limb.

“You're too lacking in combat experience! How can you even think of partic.i.p.ating in the compet.i.tion like this?” The referee reprimanded the pale-faced boy on the ground.

“B-but my soul skills are really strong. I thought I could…”

The referee snorted. “Go back and gain some real combat experience first. Even if your soul skills are powerful, you still need to be able to use them. Tell me, did you even get a chance to use them?”

Essentially, Tang Wulin's first match in the knockout round was a victory.

The referee nodded in approval before granting him a new number plate for his second match.

Tang Wulin won his first battle without using his martial soul.

After this match, he was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence since his opponent had been so weak.