Chapter 31: Copper Soul Arena Badge
As Yang Xiong had said, it was rare for soul masters to have their first two soul skills be amplification-type. These enhancement soul skills could easily provide an advantage in the Soul Arena, especially since Hu Yan Meng, who was at level 28, lacked group attack or defensive skills that would provide explosive power in team battles.
Hu Yan Meng's face darkened. "What do you know? That guy only relied on his ability to fly. Otherwise, he's not as good as me in every aspect."
Yang Xiong nodded. "I understand now. He probably just exhausted you, no wonder you lost."
Hu Yan Meng growled in anger, "Stop talking nonsense, I'll see just how strong you really are."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "Your weaknesses are too obvious. Even if you try to compensate, your massive body is too unwieldy, and you lack flexibility. I could tire you out, but I'd rather see how strong you truly are."
Suddenly, Hu Yan Meng laughed. "You shouldn't waste time talking to me. Although my soul skills do drain my soul power, the Diamond Mammoth is not only extremely defensive but also has the best recovery ability among all soul masters."
Yang Xiong focused his gaze. To his surprise, the five bloodstains on Hu Yan Meng's shoulder had stopped bleeding, and the wounds seemed to be healing.
Yang Xiong smiled. "Just playing around. Did you forget I haven't used any soul skills yet? My soul power and physical consumption are much lower than yours. And who said what you saw earlier was all I'm capable of?"
Hu Yan Meng looked surprised, but before he could react, Yang Xiong pounced on him like a fierce tiger. No matter how hard Hu Yan Meng tried to resist, his speed and agility were too far behind Yang Xiong's.
After a few continuous punches, Yang Xiong suddenly blocked Hu Yan Meng's punch with his elbow and then delivered a heavy blow to the wound on Hu Yan Meng's shoulder. Despite his defensive enhancement soul skill, the original wound started to crack open again.
Hu Yan Meng winced in pain and gritted his teeth as he tried to punch Yang Xiong's head with both fists.
But Yang Xiong wore a strange smile and quickly grabbed Hu Yan Meng's right arm, using his own force to spin around, throwing Hu Yan Meng with a powerful shoulder throw.
Hu Yan Meng was slammed into the ground with a loud crash, shaking the entire arena. The full force of his attack seemed to have turned against him, and he was left dazed from the impact.
Before he could react, Yang Xiong had already grabbed his neck, and blood began to seep from the wound. It was clear that with a simple twist, Yang Xiong could snap his neck.
At this moment, the referee finally reacted. "Congratulations to the 'Xiong Ba Tian Xia' contestant for winning this soul battle!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, as the dramatic reversal, where the apparent difference in strength was overcome so swiftly, made the victory even more thrilling.
Yang Xiong merely shook his head and left the arena.
Initially, Yang Xiong had participated in the soul battles to hone his skills, to improve his combat awareness through fighting different opponents. However, the Great Soul Masters in the Soul Arena hadn't been able to provide him with much pressure.
Take Hu Yan Meng, for example. Despite his outstanding strength and combat experience, and his body having some agility, his massive size still limited his ability to fight. His speed and flexibility were far too lacking compared to Yang Xiong, and even in terms of strength, he couldn't match up. If Yang Xiong had just been aiming to win, he could have defeated Hu Yan Meng in less than a minute, possibly even killed him.
...
Over the next period, Yang Xiong participated in several more battles, but each one was easy for him to win without expending much effort.
He even encountered the opponent who had previously defeated Hu Yan Meng, a level 29 Great Soul Master with the Fire Eagle martial soul. This opponent could fly, was incredibly fast, and had some fire attribute power, making him almost invincible among Great Soul Masters.
However, Yang Xiong remained as still as a mountain, only countering when his opponent attacked. Especially since Yang Xiong's counterattacks were faster, the Fire Eagle soul master's flying consumed soul power, which ended up causing him to exhaust himself while Yang Xiong conserved his energy.
This was the longest battle Yang Xiong had in all his matches, lasting nearly an hour, but Yang Xiong wanted to experience fighting against a flying soul master. If not for that, he could have easily won with just a single counterattack.
After thirteen days of continuous soul battles, Yang Xiong achieved thirteen victories and earned the Copper Soul Arena Badge.
However, Yang Xiong had no intention of continuing to participate in soul battles. The pressure from these battles was too low to truly improve his combat experience.
Moreover, Yang Xiong had already obtained the information he needed in Heaven Dou City. The next phase of his training would be the real deal—true blood-pumping training.
Early one morning, Yang Xiong left Heaven Dou City alone, heading towards the Sunset Forest.
The Sunset Forest was only about 100 kilometers away from Heaven Dou City. It was one of the most famous soul beast forests on the Douluo Continent, home to all kinds of soul beasts, including many that were thousands of years old. It was the perfect place for Yang Xiong to undergo true training and would certainly provide him with enough pressure.
Yang Xiong knew very well that without experiencing danger, bloodshed, and pressure, the growth of a soul master would always be limited.
As for safety, Yang Xiong wasn't worried. On one hand, he was an inner disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and ordinary people wouldn't dare to provoke him easily.
On the other hand, he had two life-saving soul skills, allowing him to escape quickly even from relatively advanced soul masters.
Moreover, soul masters were typically cautious about their lives. There was no reason to provoke the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect unless they wanted to bring disaster upon their own families and sects. This was the deterrence of the top three sects, especially in Heaven Dou City.
After walking for half the day, Yang Xiong arrived at the Soul Hunter Town on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
Here, there were various merchants selling items needed for living in the forest, and there were also many mercenaries who helped people hunt soul rings.
Yang Xiong had already prepared most of what he needed, with several soul guides packed full. After all, he had studied these things for years, and the books he read detailed the survival rules of soul beast forests.
A mercenary saw Yang Xiong walking alone and seemed ready to approach him, but he was quickly stopped by a stern glare from someone nearby.
Yang Xiong paid no mind and walked straight into the Sunset Forest.
The man who had intended to approach was confused. "Boss, it's just one person. Maybe he'll give us a big job?"
The middle-aged boss looked extremely serious. "Don't get involved. Judging by his attire, he's from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. No wonder he's so young, yet he dares to enter the Sunset Forest."
The surrounding people were filled with fear upon hearing this. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was an insurmountable mountain in the world of soul masters.
(END CHAPTER)
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