Chapter 23: Nearly Overturned.
Zhanhu felt the sound of wind breaking behind him. His vast combat experience led him to instinctively unleash his second soul skill. The second ring instantly illuminated, and the Martial Spirit image behind him shone brightly.
"Second soul skill: Tiger Roar!"
A powerful tiger roar instantly resounded throughout the arena. Shi Yi was startled, his head spinning. "It's a sound-transmitted mental attack. Fortunately, the distance wasn't too close."
But Zhu Zhuqing, who was about to reach Zhanhu's back, was in a different situation. The tiger roar, accompanied by a powerful mental shock, sent her vision blacking out, nearly passing out. This state was practically incapacitated.
Shi Yi forced a smile, but ants don't have ears; they rely entirely on their antennae for perception.
Tanlang and Zhanhu worked together with exceptional skill. The moment Zhanhu unleashed his second soul skill, he grasped its purpose and instantly turned to protect Zhanhu. At that moment, the beast soul behind Tanlang seemed to come alive, and Tanlang's second soul ring illuminated.
"Little girl, I'm sorry, that guy's a nuisance. Let's deal with you first! Second Soul Skill: Wolf Attack!"
With a wolfish howl, Tan Lang's azure light radiated, and a wolf-shaped energy instantly rushed towards the dazed Zhu Zhuqing.
"Little Ant!"
Little Ant grasped Shi Yi's intention. With a resounding boom, Little Ant shot forward like a cannonball, directly in front of Zhan Hu. Without hesitation, a pitch-black exoskeleton thigh lashed out at the two men standing back to back.
Shi Yi's words had barely left his mouth when he too moved. With a loud bang, just as the wolf-shaped azure light was about to engulf Zhu Zhuqing, a crater remained where Shi Yi had stood. His immense strength instantly transformed into speed, carrying him in front of Zhu Zhuqing. Shi Yi crouched low, his hands at his waist, as if drawing a sword. The moment the wolf-shaped azure light reached him, a flash of metallic light appeared in his hand.
The sword in his hand glowed brightly with soul power, and he swung it out. A stream of azure sword energy shot out, instantly annihilating the azure wolf-shaped energy. At that moment, Shi Yi retracted his soul guide into his belt. The whole process was swift, everything happened in a flash. Except for Dean Flanders, who saw Shi Yi's operation clearly, no one else could see clearly.
At the same time, Zhan Hu and Tan Lang felt an irresistible force coming at them, and were instantly thrown off the stage by Xiao Yi. If Shi Yi had tried to kill them, Xiao Yi's sudden power would have stabbed them to pieces.
"My debut was really bad. If I hadn't used my soul guide, this little cat would have been hurt," Shi Yi thought to himself.
At this moment, Shi Yi deeply understood why self-created spirit skills were so rare in this era. The reason was simple: humans are inherently lazy. Spirit skills granted by spirit rings are simply too easy to use. Compared to developing one's own, they were clearly faster at killing spirit beasts.
Furthermore, self-developed skills weren't necessarily superior to spirit skills. For example, Zhan Hu's Tiger Roar was extremely effective against low-level spirit masters, who clearly couldn't tap into spiritual realms.
The same was true of Xiao Wu's Charm. Low-level spirit masters were essentially dealt a tsunami by her skills, but masters like Zhao Wuji were largely immune, and might even experience backlash.
Shi Yi, observing Zhu Zhuqing, who was in a state of distress, hurried over to help her up.
"Are you alright?" Shi Yi gently lifted her up and asked softly. Zhu
Zhuqing, enduring a strong sense of dizziness, shook her head slightly. "It's okay... Thank you..."
"The fifth match of the two-on-two competition: Tiger and Wolf versus Yimao. Yimao wins! One win, zero losses. Please leave the stage and register your points," the host announced at a fitting moment.
Shi Yi also supported Zhu Zhuqing as they slowly headed towards the stands.
When they returned, Shi Yi had already separated from Zhu Zhuqing, which made Dai Mubai's eyes less gloomy.
Flanders also said to Shi Yi, "Well done, but you should be more careful with your spirit guide next time. Fortunately, in a small place like Soto City, there aren't many major problems."
Shi Yi nodded and said, "I was careless. I didn't expect the opponent to have such a spirit skill."
Zhu Zhuqing slowly stepped forward and said seriously, "It was my mistake."
Flanders smiled and nodded with satisfaction. "It's okay. I asked you to come here to hone your combat experience and combat wisdom. If you can learn from your mistakes, it means you're growing."
Flanders could see that Shi Yi hadn't made any mistakes in the previous match. Instead, he had exposed his spirit guide to save Zhu Zhuqing.
Shi Yi did everything well: maintaining distance, leveraging his martial spirit's strengths, and allowing Xiaoyi to test his opponent. However, Zhu Zhuqing was a little anxious. It wasn't a good idea to rush into the opponent's spirit skills when they were unknown.
Soon, the others began their own two-on-two soul battles, and the outcome was clear. The Tang San and Xiao Wu combination was unstoppable. Under Xiao Wu's alluring control, even the slightest moment of distraction would result in Xiao Wu's soft techniques and Tang San's hidden weapons ending the match.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were in dire straits. Ma Hongjun, already of low soul power, was paired with Dai Mubai against two Soul Masters, both at level 39. The outcome was predictable. Although both possessed exceptionally high spirits, the drain on their soul power was a burden. Against the opponent's more robust soul power, they were destined for defeat.
"Where's the dean?" Tang San asked Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai replied helplessly, "Heaven knows where he went. He told us to return after the soul battle."
Shi Yi, of course, knew what Flanders had done. While he had a plan, it would take time to implement. He was clearly seeking an ice-attributed soul master to cool down his beloved disciple, likely seeking a long-term position.
After completing their training, everyone left the soul battle arena.
While Shi Yi couldn't say he benefited greatly from the Soul Fight today, he did encounter many spirits and soul skills he had never seen before, which led him to reflect more on his own spirit. Even though Shi Yi had read many books, words were always abstract.
"You guys should go back first. The dean just asked me to go to his shop," Ma Hongjun suddenly said. A hint of excitement flickered in his small eyes.
Shi Yi and Dai Mubai looked at Ma Hongjun with amusement, and Ma Hongjun also felt a sense of foreboding.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Ma Hongjun asked sheepishly.
Dai Mubai's face flickered with a hint of a smile. "Then we'll go back first. Cherish this, this may be one of the few happy moments you have."
"What do you mean?" Ma Hongjun asked doubtfully.
Dai Mubai didn't say anything, just shook his head. He didn't dare to offend Flender. Seeing that Dai Mubai didn't say anything, Ma Hongjun didn't bother to ask and directly changed the subject, "Dai Boss, are you going?"
"No, stop talking nonsense and let's go." Dai Mubai glared at him unhappily, but his eyes drifted to Zhu Zhuqing.
Ma Hongjun's reaction was obviously a little slow. He didn't understand the meaning of Dai Mubai's eyes. His chubby face flushed with excitement. "Let's go, let's go together."
Dai Mubai finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Get lost! I don't have as bad taste as you."
Shi Yi laughed heartily at this. Ma Hongjun glared at Dai Mubai and left alone.
"What are you laughing at? Where did that fat guy go?" Xiao Wu asked Shi Yi.
Shi Yi smiled at Xiao Wu and said, "Ask my junior brother, and you'll find out."
Tang San blushed at this. Despite having lived two lives, he had only heard of those places. He then quietly explained them to Xiao Wu, who blushed as well.
Zhu Zhuqing spoke up, a rare occasion, "Men are all dirty."
Xiao Wu nodded in agreement, then cast her gaze on Tang San and said, "Except mistresses."
Shi Yi said playfully, "Since mistresses are excluded, then I can be excluded too."
"Why should you be excluded, you bitch!" Xiao Wu glared at Shi Yi.
"Because I don't like playing pet-raising games," Shi Yi chuckled.
"What are pet-raising games?" Xiao Wu asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Like buying a kitten or a bunny and raising them," Shi Yi said with a chuckle.
Tang San's blush, already slightly red, instantly brightened, and even Zhu Zhuqing's cool expression took on a faint blush.
"Isn't that just raising a pet?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
Tang San's face flushed red as he quickly took Xiao Wu's hand and quickened his pace. As a spirit beast, Xiao Wu naturally didn't understand the twists and turns of human behavior.
"Keep going, little junior brother," Shi Yi said with a smile as he watched Tang San's back.
Then, Shi Yi's gaze fell on Zhu Zhuqing, and he chuckled, "Don't become a pet, Zhuqing."
With that, Shi Yi left on his own.
Dai Mubai's face darkened upon hearing this. He turned to Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhuqing, don't listen to that brat. What does he know?"
Zhu Zhuqing watched Dai Mubai ponder Shi Yi's words and said calmly, "He knows much more than you do. At least he understands that if we don't resist, we'll die." Zhu Zhuqing paused, looking at Dai Mubai with a look of disdain and contempt in her eyes. She continued, "You're fifteen? You disgust me."
With that, she slowly departed towards the academy.
Zhu Zhuqing's words struck a chord with Dai Mubai, who could no longer suppress his rage. "What does he know? Does he know what we're about to face? Stop right there!"
Zhu Zhuqing ignored him. Instead of stopping, she quickened her pace.
When Shi Yi and his group returned to the academy, he saw Ning Rongrong. Oscar's comfort had restored her composure, a gentle smile once again plastered on her pretty face. She sat on a large rock at the academy's entrance, swinging her legs, a look of deep thought.
Oscar's expression was grim, his brows furrowed. He occasionally stole glances at Ning Rongrong, a hint of resentment in his eyes.
Zhu Zhuqing, acting as if she hadn't noticed them, walked straight into the academy, heading for her dorm without a backward glance.
Shi Yi chuckled, "Miss Ning, were you waiting for us?"
"Of course I would have. How could I have seen such a wonderful show if I hadn't been waiting here?" Ning Rongrong chuckled, watching Zhu Zhuqing's back.
Dai Mubai frowned at this, the chill in his evil eyes growing even stronger.
Shi Yi smiled, said nothing more, and headed for his house.
Seeing Shi Yi gone, Ning Rongrong called out to Shi Yi's back, "Hey, Shi Yi, let's discuss this morning's conditions."
Shi Yi simply waved with his back to the others, and his figure quickly vanished.
...
The next day, early in the morning.
Shi Yi awoke from his training, recorded his training time as usual, washed up, and began running around the village.
Soon, Shi Yi spotted Tang San on the roof of a house and waved to him.
"Good morning, Junior Brother." "Good morning, Senior Brother."
With a simple greeting, Shi Yi continued running forward, pondering his research route as he ran. After yesterday's battle in the Great Soul Fighting Arena, Shi Yi had gained some new insights and reflections on his own development.
While spirit tools offer a significant boost in power, they can't be used arbitrarily. At least in the current environment, such tools are easily targeted. However, Tang San's unique skills, along with his own self-created spirit abilities, offer no such limitations. Not only can they be used freely, but they're also highly concealed, making it easy to catch opponents off guard with punches and kicks.
After all, once a spirit tool is displayed, opponents know you're about to use it. Self-created spirit abilities, however, don't have this drawback, and their unique effects are undeniable.
Over the years, Shi Yi has also conducted research on the Tang Sect's unique skills. He believes that describing them as "self-created spirit abilities" is incomplete, as the essence of martial arts lies in tapping into one's inherent strength. These skills aren't simply skills, but rather a means of unlocking the potential of the human body.
These include the internal cultivation techniques of Xuantian Gong, the hand-training technique of Xuanyu Hands, the eye-training technique of Ziji Demon Eye, the grappling technique of Controlling Cranes and Capturing Dragons, the light-body technique of Ghost Shadow Mitsuko, and the techniques for using hidden weapons, including "A Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons."
Simply put, all of the Tang Sect's unique skills revolve around the use of hidden weapons, constantly tapping into the body's potential.
This reminded Shi Yi of a powerful sect ten thousand years in the future, the Body Sect. In reality, there's not much difference between spirit masters possessing a Body Martial Soul and Tang San. Both constantly tap into the body's power, though the methods differ. With a Body Martial Soul, one can use spirit rings to enhance or extend other abilities, while Tang San, through specialized training, can similarly tap into the body's special abilities.
"I'm about old enough now, and it's certainly time to try some physical training. Considering physical development during training doesn't seem to conflict with developing spirit tools. When forging iron, I need to think carefully and maintain the development of my core formations. This can also be considered a way to continuously hone my vision and mental strength," Shi Yi thought to himself as he ran.
Shi Yi understood that everything ultimately stems from life, just as the chaotic cloak was both a hammering technique and a forging method. He believed he would find similar paths in his future life.
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