Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Donghai Park is not far from the college.

Exiting the side gate of Donghai College and walking along the street for about ten minutes, you will see the park's main gate. It is open to the public free of charge, and many people come here for morning exercise. Once inside, you can see people jogging, practicing martial arts, and taking walks everywhere.

Xie Xie was clearly not a first-timer.

He walked in steadily, his steps familiar, without pausing for a moment. Tang Wulin followed behind, saying nothing, but casually took off the bag from his back. The bag contained clothes and the soul-guided camera that Liu Yuxin had insisted on giving him; if a fight broke out, he couldn't very well fight while carrying all that stuff.

The further you go in, the fewer people there are.

The trees grew taller, and the path narrowed. When Xie Xie stopped in front of a clearing in the woods, it was very quiet all around; the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"This is fine."

Xie Xie turned around and looked at Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin also put his bag down under a tree and looked up at him.

Last night, while meditating, he went over the entire battle in the dormitory many times. He knew very well that he was able to win yesterday because: firstly, the venue was too small, which prevented Xie Xie from fully utilizing his speed; secondly, his opponent underestimated him; and thirdly, his hammer strike did indeed hit the target.

But it's different here.

It's spacious enough for Xie Xie to run around in, and also enough for him to make the most of his agility-based attack style.

The real gap probably only starts to emerge now.

Xie Xie raised his hand and pointed behind him.

"I'll back up fifty meters." His tone was cold. "So you won't accuse me of bullying you."

After saying that, he turned around and walked away, stopping only at the other end of the open space.

Tang Wulin didn't respond to that, but simply exhaled slowly.

He didn't see it as disrespect.

This is Xie Xie's arrogance.

Arrogance can be annoying at times, but it's also undeniable that it reflects a person's strong self-confidence.

"Are you ready?" Xie Xie asked from a distance.

"Alright," Tang Wulin replied.

Xie Xie's gaze immediately turned cold.

"Let's begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed out.

It wasn't brisk walking, nor was it running; it was a true forward sprint. His body was low to the ground, his center of gravity leaning forward, each step short yet incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had covered a large portion of the distance between them.

At the same time, a yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet.

A crystal-yellow dagger appeared in his right hand, its edge faintly emitting a thin, sharp golden light. As he accelerated, a slight cutting sound filled the air.

Tang Wulin released his martial soul immediately.

With a flash of silver light, the Sinking Star Hammer fell into his palm.

White spirit rings rose simultaneously.

Unlike Xie Xie's martial soul, which exudes sharpness at first glance, the Sinking Star Hammer wasn't particularly bright when it appeared; in fact, it seemed somewhat dull. But the moment it landed in Tang Wulin's palm, his entire aura immediately stabilized.

He didn't rush.

They didn't strike first.

Because he knew he couldn't catch up.

Since we can't catch up, we'll just wait.

Xie Xie was getting closer and closer.

Ten meters, eight meters, six meters—

Tang Wulin remained motionless, staring intently at him.

But he soon realized that staring at it was useless.

Once Xie Xie gets going, it's like he's constantly changing direction. It's not random dodging; every step he takes lands in the most unpleasant spots. You think he's on the left, and the next instant, he's already on the right; you raise your hammer to block his path, and he's already grazing past the edge.

For the first time, Tang Wulin truly felt what the oppressive feeling of an agility-based attack type was like.

It wasn't a heavy weight pressing down head-on.

It's not that you know he's coming, but you can't catch him.

His gaze sharpened, and he suddenly stopped staring intently at Xie Xie's upper body. Instead, he looked at the ground, at the change in the line of footsteps, and at the direction in which the grass and pebbles were being trampled.

This was the idea he came up with during his meditation last night.

Judging people too quickly.

Judging by the landing point, it might be possible to catch up half a beat.

Just as Xie Xie changed direction again, Tang Wulin finally struck.

It wasn't a sweep.

Instead, it crashed down.

"Bang!"

The hammer slammed heavily onto the ground, sending grass clippings and mud splattering everywhere, and the ground trembled slightly.

The white spirit ring lit up, and the weight on the hammer suddenly pressed down, causing the air in the area in front of it to seem to sink for a moment.

For the first time, Xie Xie's steps were abruptly halted by half a beat.

His expression changed slightly, clearly not expecting Tang Wulin's hammer blow to be aimed at the ground, not at him.

That half-beat is enough.

Tang Wulin twisted his hands, and the Sinking Star Hammer swept out horizontally using the recoil after landing. The hammerhead skimmed the ground and headed straight for Xie Xie's leg.

If that hammer blow lands, Xie Xie won't be able to stay in the game today.

But Xie Xie is Xie Xie after all.

He reacted almost the instant his feet sank. He bent backward, as if suddenly lifted by a thread, using the strength of his waist and back to pull himself up. A gust of wind swept past his feet, causing his trouser legs to sway.

He dodged it.

But they only managed to dodge it.

Tang Wulin didn't stop.

He knew he wouldn't have a second chance to easily subdue Xie Xie. So after missing with his first blow, he immediately turned around and swung his second blow, still fast and heavy, but this time it was a diagonal strike, blocking Xie Xie's right side.

The moment Xie Xie landed, looking at the massive hammer that was swinging horizontally towards him, a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes for the first time.

He suffered a loss in yesterday's battle in the dormitory and was resentful.

But now he understands—Tang Wulin, although lacking in skill and experience, isn't completely incapable of fighting. He's learning, and learning very quickly.

This hammer blow was much more impressive than yesterday's.

Xie Xie did not block it.

He flipped the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand, sliding out along the edge of the hammer's momentum. The dagger left a golden line in mid-air, slicing straight at Tang Wulin's wrist holding the hammer.

This is the approach that agility-based attackers excel at.

I won't fight you head-on; I'll just look for the opening when you're exhausted and shifting your momentum.

Tang Wulin's reaction wasn't slow; he tightened his left hand and pulled the Sinking Star Hammer back sharply. However, since he wasn't specifically trained in combat, his retraction was still a fraction of a second too slow.

"laugh--"

The dagger grazed the cuff, and the fabric immediately ripped open.

Tang Wulin tightened his grip and took a step back.

No flesh was injured.

But he knew that with that last move, he had already lost half the battle.

Xie Xie missed his first attack, but did not linger. He quickly retreated, creating distance once more. His movements were clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Tang Wulin's chest rose and fell slightly.

For the first time, he truly felt that the difference between him and Xie Xie was not only in soul power, but also in their understanding of the rhythm of battle.

Each of my hammer blows was very heavy.

Being heavy does not guarantee a hit.

Xie Xie had already regained his footing, his gaze coldly fixed on him.

"You're a little better than yesterday," he said, "but only a little better."

Tang Wulin didn't reply.

He simply gripped the Star Hammer tighter, his gaze gradually darkening.

Xie Xie is right.

I understand how to play better than yesterday, but it's still far from enough.

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin was no longer in a hurry.

He stopped pressing forward and simply stood firmly, holding the hammer horizontally in front of him, his center of gravity low. He began to retract, not in terms of power, but in terms of movement. Since he couldn't keep up, he would minimize unnecessary movements and save each strike for when he was truly confident.

Xie Xie frowned slightly as he observed the change in him.

Because he suddenly realized that Tang Wulin was no longer flustered.

At least, it's not as chaotic as it was at the beginning.

This speed of adjustment made him feel inexplicably more uncomfortable.

So he moved again.

The yellow spirit ring lit up, and the golden light on the Light Dragon Dagger became noticeably brighter. Xie Xie gave Tang Wulin no more time to probe, and his entire body almost transformed into a straight line as he charged forward to attack.

This time, it's even faster.

Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly.

He still couldn't see Xie Xie's complete movements clearly, and could only barely catch a glimpse of the golden light that was constantly approaching.

He did not back down.

He didn't swing the hammer to chase after them.

Instead, he poured all his soul power into the sinking star hammer in his hand, and when that golden light was three meters in front of him, he suddenly raised the hammer and smashed it forward!

This hammer blow was completely unpredictable.

It's straightforward.

It's heavy.

The air in the open space felt stifling, as if compressed by the hammer.

Xie Xie clearly hadn't expected Tang Wulin to make such a direct judgment at this moment, and his forward-rushing figure managed to veer to the side at the last second. Although he avoided the hammer's head, his movements were still forced to pause for a moment.

At that very instant, Tang Wulin exerted force with his feet and took a step forward.

It was a short but ruthless step.

He ignored Xie Xie's dagger and instead thrust his shoulder and back against it, as if he wanted to smash himself into it.

This is the kind of play Xie Xie least wants to see.

This style of play doesn't focus on elegance or technique; it's just brute force.

But what Tang Wulin has in abundance is precisely this kind of brute force.

Xie Xie's dagger changed direction almost simultaneously.

The blade, which was originally aimed at the ribs, turned into a downward spine and hilt, pressing directly against Tang Wulin's shoulder.

He didn't intend to kill him.

But they would never give Tang Wulin a second chance to engage in close combat.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Tang Wulin's shoulder shuddered violently, the blow sending him swaying to the side and abruptly halting his forward momentum. But just before losing his balance, he managed to pull the hammer head along, grazing Xie Xie's side.

It wasn't hammered properly.

But this forced Xie Xie to take half a step outward.

The two of them stepped back at the same time.

The open space fell silent again.

Tang Wulin raised his hand and pressed his shoulder, which was already numb, and his entire arm felt heavy. Xie Xie's move was very accurate, so accurate that Tang Wulin could hardly find any fault with it.

Xie Xie stood opposite, his breathing heavier than before.

He looked down at the spot on his side where he had been grazed; his clothes were slightly wrinkled from the impact, and his skin was a little sore.

Although this wasn't a true hit, it was enough to illustrate the point.

The problem with Tang Wulin isn't his skills.

It would be really dangerous if he got close.

Xie Xie raised his head, his face even colder.

Tang Wulin was also looking at him, his gaze even more steady than before.

This battle truly begins here.