I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
As the sun sets, the afterglow shines through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.
Xue Tianxing and his group rode fast horses and after half a day's journey, they finally arrived at a small forest outside the city of Soto.
The horses' hooves made a slight rustling sound as they stepped on the ground covered with fallen leaves. The faces of the few people showed some fatigue, but they could not hide their anticipation for the upcoming competition.
"We're finally almost at Soto Castle. Let's rest for a while before heading into the city."
Shuiyue'er pulled the reins, stretched herself, and spoke with a hint of relief.
Even for a soul master, it would be a bit exhausting to travel for half a day.
Xue Tianxing nodded and was about to open his mouth to agree when the sound of fierce fighting suddenly came from not far ahead, mixed with the "clang clang" sound of weapons colliding and the young man's groan.
"Hmm? Someone's fighting?"
Oscar frowned, looked in the direction of the voice in confusion, and then said:
"Why are people fighting here in the middle of nowhere?"
A trace of vigilance flashed in Dugu Yan's eyes:
"Could it be someone from the Spirit Hall, or an ambush from some other force?"
Ever since she learned from Dugu Bo that Liu Tianfeng and her grandfather had kidnapped Xiao Wu, she has always been on guard, fearing that she would be attacked by other forces.
Xue Tianxing waved his hand and said calmly:
"Let's go and see the situation first, don't jump to conclusions."
After saying that, he dismounted and quietly moved towards the direction where the fighting sound came from. Shui Bing'er and the others followed closely behind him, exerting their soul power to the extreme, ready to fight at any time.
Several people approached cautiously, hid behind a thick old tree, and looked out.
In the open space ahead, two middle-aged men in black tights were besieging a boy who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.
The two middle-aged men had a calm aura and obvious fluctuations in their soul power. They were actually two soul masters at the Soul King level!
The besieged boy looked a little disheveled, his clothes were covered with dust and blood, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth, obviously he was injured.
"These two Soul Kings actually bullied a young boy. This is outrageous!"
Shui Yue'er couldn't help but curse under her breath, her eyes full of anger.
Xue Tianxing shook his head, signaling her not to be impulsive:
"Let's take a look at the situation first. There might be some grudge. This kind of thing is very common in Douluo Continent. There's no need for us to intervene rashly."
After saying that, he prepared to leave with a few people - their top priority now was to go to Soto City to prepare for the competition, and there was no need to get into trouble for a strange boy.
But at this moment, the young man was forced in front of a big tree and had nowhere to retreat.
One of the black-clothed soul kings grinned, raised the long sword in his hand, and slashed fiercely at the boy's chest:
"Boy, hand over what's on you, and I can leave you with an intact body!"
A trace of determination flashed in the boy's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he suddenly shouted:
"Martial Spirit Possession!"
As his soul power surged, a pitch-black shield covered with hideous patterns suddenly appeared in his hand.
This shield looks extremely thick, with sharp edges and complex defensive runes engraved on the surface. Just holding it in the hand gives people a feeling of being indestructible.
"clang!"
The long sword slashed hard on the shield, making a loud noise.
What was shocking was that the young man actually blocked the Soul King's attack, his body only took two steps back, but the shield in his hand was intact!
Xue Tianxing and the others who were hiding in the dark suddenly widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.
"This shield spirit...what a strong defense!"
Shui Bing'er said subconsciously that as a control-type soul master, she had a keen sense of the characteristics of various martial souls. The defensive aura emitted by this shield was even stronger than the defensive martial souls of some Soul Sect and Soul King levels.
Xue Tianxing's gaze was fixed on the young man, with a hint of surprise in his eyes - he clearly saw that the young man was surrounded by three soul rings, yellow, yellow, and purple, a standard soul master configuration, and the soul power fluctuation was only level thirty-eight!
A level 38 Soul Master can actually block the full force attack of a Soul King. This defensive ability is beyond imagination!
"Isn't this exactly the defensive spirit master our team needs?"
Xue Tianxing was instantly filled with excitement. He had previously been worried about not being able to find a defensive spirit master, but he had never expected to meet such a talented young man here!
With this young man's defensive ability, if he joins the team, he will definitely become the team's strongest backing and perfectly fill the gap in the defense system.
The two black-clothed Soul Kings were also stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting that a Soul Master could actually block their attacks.
Another black-clothed soul king snorted coldly:
"Interesting, but with this little ability, you still want to fight us?"
After saying that, he also activated his soul skill, and a huge axe appeared in his hand. With a fierce gust of wind, he smashed towards the boy's shield.
The boy gritted his teeth, gripped the shield tightly with both hands, and blocked the attack again.
But this time, he could no longer hold on. He spat out a mouthful of blood and his body hit the tree heavily. His face turned pale in an instant.
But he still did not give up. He held the shield tightly and looked at the two black-clothed soul kings with firm eyes.
Xue Tianxing saw this and stopped hesitating. He winked at the people behind him:
"Get started!"
Before he finished speaking, he rushed out first, soul power surged around his body, the first soul ring lit up instantly, and an ice arrow shot towards one of the black-clothed soul kings.
Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan also immediately activated their soul skills, and the ice element and poisonous fog enveloped the two black-clothed soul kings at the same time; Shui Yue'er flashed and circled behind the black-clothed soul king like a ghost, with a short blade in her hand, going straight for the soul king's vitals; Oscar and Ning Rongrong quickly released auxiliary soul skills, adding speed, strength and defense to Xue Tianxing and others.
The two black-clothed soul kings' faces changed suddenly when they saw this. They didn't expect that so many powerful soul masters would suddenly appear.
They looked at each other, no longer wanted to fight, made a feint, turned around and fled into the distance.
Xue Tianxing did not chase after him. Instead, he quickly walked up to the young man, squatted down, and asked in a gentle tone:
"Are you okay?"
The young man raised his head and looked at Xue Tianxing and the others warily, without answering immediately.
It was not until he saw that there was no malice in Xue Tianxing and the others' eyes that he slowly loosened his grip on the shield and shook his head weakly:
"I'm fine, thank you for your help."
Xue Tianxing squatted down, his eyes fell on Cao Qing's pale face, his tone gentle but with a hint of inquiry:
"Who are you? Why are you being hunted by those two Soul Kings? They just asked you to hand over something. What is it?"
Cao Qing raised his head, with fear still in his eyes. He subconsciously clenched the things in his arms and shrank back slightly.
The people in front of him were all dressed in bright clothes and had extraordinary temperaments. It was obvious that they were not ordinary people. However, after experiencing the tragic death of his parents and being hunted by the Soul King, he no longer dared to trust anyone easily.