Douro Continent

Chapter 396 Haotian Hammer, Chaotic Cloak (Part 1)

The two entered the arena at a measured pace, their eyes fixed on their opponent. Although the match hadn't started yet, they were already searching for weaknesses in their opponent. Despite their soul power being only in the forties, these young people already displayed the demeanor of masters.

Their eyes met, and both felt a chill run down their spines. As outstanding young Soul Masters, they both saw elements they themselves possessed in their opponent. They both understood that this match would be anything but easy.

The referee signaled to both sides that they could release their martial spirits.

Tang San raised his right palm, and a familiar blue light emerged from his palm. He remained as unassuming and indifferent as ever, with a calm expression.

Feng Xiaotian let out a sharp cry, and a faint blue light surged from his body. As the light rippled, his body underwent a noticeable change. Accompanied by cracking sounds from his bones, his muscles and bones expanded simultaneously, making him significantly larger. His long hair was also dyed blue, and most peculiarly, a wolf's head emerged from his left shoulder.

The blue wolf's head stared at Tang San with a chilling gaze, emanating a constant chill.

The Gale Two-Headed Wolf is a mutated form of the Gale Demon Wolf. Originally a mid-to-high-level martial soul, its mutation into a two-headed wolf elevates it to near-top-tier status.

It was precisely because of this powerful mutated martial soul that Feng Xiaotian achieved his current success. At twenty-four years old and level forty-four, he was truly a genius among geniuses. If Tang San hadn't had so many opportunities, grown rapidly with the help of immortal herbs, and hadn't used the authentic Taoist internal energy cultivation method of the Xuan Tian Gong to enhance his strength, he might not have been much more talented than him.

The impulsiveness of yesterday was gone from Feng Xiaotian's face, and he looked as calm as Tang San.

"Tang San".

"Feng Xiaotian".

The two addressed each other by their first names.

Feng Xiaotian stared at Tang San. "I am twenty-four years old this year. When I awakened my martial soul at the age of six, I was born with full innate soul power. All my achievements today are the result of my hard work and accumulation. I admire your strength. But today I must defeat you. Whether it is for our Shenfeng Academy team or for Huo Wu, I cannot lose."

Tang San smiled calmly, looking at his opponent with an ambiguous expression, but the resolute look in his eyes told Feng Xiaotian that he, too, would not give up on this match. He, too, carried the glory of Shrek Academy.

"The match begins," the referee announced. The two players on the field moved almost simultaneously.

Feng Xiaotian's body accelerated almost instantly, rushing straight towards Tang San. A long trail of light, blue, stretched behind him, and his speed was incredibly fast.

Tang San was startled. According to the information he had obtained, Feng Xiaotian should be a power-attack type Soul Master. However, at this moment, the speed that Feng Xiaotian was showing was by no means inferior to that of a level 40 or higher agility-attack type Battle Soul Master.

What's going on?

Time was of the essence for Tang San. The moment Feng Xiaotian lunged forward, his first spirit ring lit up, and sharp wolf claws shot out from his palms. His ruthless gaze locked onto Tang San. Before he even arrived, his wolf claws had already struck out, and ten semi-circular wind blades, accompanied by a piercing sound, blocked all of Tang San's possible escape routes.

The first soul skill of the Gale Wolf Martial Soul is usually a wind blade, but Feng Xiaotian, who possesses the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf Martial Soul, uses a wind blade array. The tenfold increase in number demonstrates how much stronger his first soul skill is compared to that of an ordinary Gale Wolf Martial Soul. This is the inherent advantage of a high-level martial soul.

Was all possible routes truly blocked? Tang San answered that question with his actions.

With a light step, he lunged forward while his body moved swiftly, making it impossible for anyone to see Tang San's footsteps clearly. In the instant he swayed, Feng Xiaotian was surprised to find that he could not lock onto Tang San's aura.

With a slight sway and twist, Tang San effortlessly passed through the ten wind blades that seemed impossible to dodge, without sustaining a single injury.

Feng Xiaotian's gaze sharpened. The two of them were now less than five meters apart, a distance that was only enough for them to make a single movement.

Tang San didn't unleash his Blue Silver Grass; instead, he slashed out with both hands simultaneously, aiming straight for Feng Xiaotian. Feng Xiaotian, however, didn't use any more spirit skills, instead meeting Tang San's hands with his wolf claws. They had both chosen to fight using their own spirit power instead of spirit skills.

From this alone, Tang San saw Feng Xiaotian's confidence and strength. A Soul Master's Soul Power is limited; regardless of the number of Soul Skills used, a certain amount of Soul Power will be consumed. However, in melee combat, the Soul Power consumption is much less. Before understanding the opponent's attack, whoever uses their Soul Skill first will be at a disadvantage. Their not using Soul Skills at this moment doesn't mean they aren't prepared. Once the opponent's Soul Skill is activated, they will inevitably be able to launch their own Soul Skill to counterattack immediately.

Tang San's right hand slashed at Feng Xiaotian's right hand. Feng Xiaotian flicked his wrist, and his sharp wolf claws gripped Tang San's palm. He possessed a beast spirit, whose enhancement was clearly far greater than that of Tang San, a weapon spirit master. Even Feng Xiaotian himself was somewhat surprised when his wolf claws seized Tang San's right hand. He firmly believed that, given their similar levels, if Tang San's hand were injured by him, he would have no chance.

However, when their palms actually touched, Feng Xiaotian realized something was wrong.

Tang San's hands were as white and smooth as jade; even the most beautiful girl couldn't possess such hands. Yet, these jade-like hands were harder than steel. The wolf's claws pierced Tang San's palms, sending sparks flying, but failed to leave a single mark.

The pain from the wolf claw's recoil made Feng Xiaotian's heart tremble. With his extremely rich combat experience, he immediately and without hesitation activated his first soul skill again.

As it turned out, Feng Xiaotian's choice was correct. Tang San's Xuan Yu Hand had already reached for his pulse point. If Feng Xiaotian had reacted even a fraction slower, his hand would have fallen into Tang San's Xuan Yu Hand, and the outcome of the match would have been decided immediately.

Five wind blades erupted, the distance between the two was simply too close. The wind blades that erupted in Tang San's palm caused a series of crisp clanging sounds to come from his Xuan Jade hand.

Their bodies separated instantly, and Tang San and Feng Xiaotian retreated simultaneously. Just then, a strand of Blue Silver Grass silently spread past Feng Xiaotian's feet.

The moment Tang San's feet touched the ground, his body sprang up again. He had no intention of giving Feng Xiaotian any time to recover. Relying on his incredibly hard Xuan Yu Hand and aided by the Ghost Shadow Clone Technique, he closed in once more. This time, he charged straight into Feng Xiaotian's arms.

Feng Xiaotian was indescribably shocked. He never expected that Tang San's hand-to-hand combat ability would be so strong. He had a strong premonition that once Tang San got close enough to attack him, he would have no chance at all.

In the face of danger, Feng Xiaotian reacted with incredible speed, leaping backward to instantly create distance between them. He not only dodged Tang San's attack but also narrowly avoided the Blue Silver Grass's upward entanglement.

"Such speed!" Tang San's eyes narrowed. From Feng Xiaotian's speed, he understood a great deal. As a disciple of Grandmaster, Tang San knew a lot about mutated martial souls. What Feng Xiaotian was currently displaying seemed to be the abilities expected of an agility-type soul master. Was his title of power-type soul master fake? No, of course not.

Judging from Feng Xiaotian's speed, Tang San had already vaguely deduced that the advantage of possessing the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf spirit was likely a balance between powerful and agile attacks. The combined offensive and defensive capabilities of a power-type spirit master, along with the speed of an agile-type spirit master, explained why he was so strong.

Since understanding the true meaning of Martial Souls and resolving his inner doubts, Tang San's attack methods have undergone a significant change. As a control-type Soul Master, his Soul Skills are almost entirely used to control enemies. However, he is also a disciple of the Tang Sect. Are the Tang Sect's martial arts inferior to his Soul Skills? No, of course not. Although he can no longer use hidden weapons and poisons, greatly weakening the strength of Tang San's Tang Sect martial arts, the Tang Sect's abilities are far more practical. As for his control Soul Skills, he uses them sparingly, never using them unnecessarily, but when he does, they must be targeted and deliver the heaviest blow to his opponent.

As Feng Xiaotian retreated, he no longer hesitated. After a brief probing, he had discovered that, despite being a dual-elemental Soul Master specializing in both strength and agility, he found it difficult to gain the upper hand against Tang San in hand-to-hand combat. Now was not the time to ponder why Tang San's hands were so hard; it was time to secure victory in this match.

Therefore, as Feng Xiaotian retreated, his second and third spirit rings lit up simultaneously.

A pair of enormous azure wings unfurled from Feng Xiaotian's back. At the same time, azure light and shadow coalesced behind him, forming the shape of the Gale Two-Headed Wolf. Against the backdrop of this massive and dazzling light and shadow, Feng Xiaotian soared into the air. With a single flap of his wings, aided by the wind, his body rose straight up, reaching a height of fifty meters above the ground. That was a distance that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass could not reach.

(End of this chapter)