Chapter 29: The First Soul Battle
After Yang Xiong and his opponent entered the preparation area for the arena, his opponent was a very burly middle-aged man. Standing at over two meters tall, his body was entirely muscular, and he even carried a massive hammer on his back.
In contrast, Yang Xiong looked much smaller, almost like a normal person facing a giant.
The host began to introduce the match: "Hello everyone, welcome to this Great Soul Master-level soul battle. The two contestants today are the 'Xiong Ba Tian Xia' contestant and the 'Earth Bull' contestant."
"'Xiong Ba Tian Xia' is participating in his first soul battle, with a record of zero victories, his martial soul is his body, and his soul power level is at level 24."
"'Earth Bull's' martial soul is the Mighty Bull, with a soul power level of 29 and a battle record of 7 wins and 2 losses, having recently achieved three consecutive victories."
"Will the first-time participant 'Xiong Ba Tian Xia' achieve victory, or will 'Earth Bull' extend his winning streak to four? Please stay tuned. Now, both great soul masters, please step onto the stage."
The two contestants, who had been in the preparation area, walked toward the center of the arena.
When they stood together, the difference in their sizes became even more apparent, especially with 'Earth Bull' having his upper body bare, showing off his muscles, even slapping his chest, which caused the whole arena to erupt with excitement.
Yang Xiong felt a bit nervous. It was obvious that 'Earth Bull' was a pure strength-type soul master, and the giant hammer on his back was no small weapon. Normally, weapons were allowed in soul battles, but it was rare for someone to bring such a large weapon onto the stage.
'Earth Bull' looked at Yang Xiong with disdain. "Kid, you're still young. This brutal soul master competition isn't something you should be participating in. Go back home."
Yang Xiong, who had been nervous, suddenly became calm. "Once you're on the stage, you won't know the outcome until you fight. I want to see just how strong you really are with your three consecutive wins."
The host continued, "Both great soul masters have one minute to prepare. Please summon your martial souls and soul rings."
'Earth Bull' roared loudly, and a giant shadow of a bull appeared around him, accompanied by two yellow soul rings.
Yang Xiong didn't hesitate. A faint glow radiated from his body as two yellow soul rings appeared.
After the minute, the host continued, "Both great soul masters are ready, and the soul battle begins!"
As the battle began, 'Earth Bull' charged straight at Yang Xiong. His massive fist came swinging toward him, exuding a tremendous amount of power.
Yang Xiong, however, moved with incredible speed, striking the incoming fist with his hand, causing the force to go slightly off course.
Seeing that his punch missed, 'Earth Bull' threw several more punches in quick succession, each one filled with immense strength.
But in Yang Xiong's eyes, 'Earth Bull' had plenty of power but lacked speed. There was no agility, and his punches had no technique; he likely hadn't practiced any formal martial arts.
The two exchanged blows for half a minute, and Yang Xiong, relying on his agility and lightning-fast speed, dodged every punch.
This was Yang Xiong's first time participating in a soul battle. Real combat was vastly different from training with sandbags or wooden dummies. His opponent was unpredictable, and even though Yang Xiong was able to handle it initially, he focused more on dodging due to the pressure.
'Earth Bull' seemed increasingly angry. "Can't you just fight properly? Why are you only dodging attacks? What's the point of a soul battle if you're not fighting?"
Yang Xiong smiled slightly. "I'll see what kind of strength you have before making any judgments."
Now that Yang Xiong had adjusted to the rhythm of the fight, he was no longer just dodging. When 'Earth Bull' threw another punch, Yang Xiong threw one of his own. The two fists collided in the air, with Yang Xiong standing firm, while 'Earth Bull' was pushed back two steps. Clearly, Yang Xiong's strength was much greater.
'Earth Bull' was taken aback. This was the first time in a Great Soul Master-level battle that his strength had been outmatched, and his opponent looked much weaker than him.
'Earth Bull' roared, and his first soul ring lit up. His body suddenly surged with power, like a massive bull charging. This was his first soul skill: Bull Charge.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but think to himself, How did such a brute manage to get three consecutive wins? With such a large stage, dodging his attacks should be easy.
But Yang Xiong wanted to test his own limits. Soul power gathered in his fist, and he swung it with full force.
The collision between Yang Xiong's soul-powered fist and the giant bull shadow created a huge crash sound, accompanied by the sound of something cracking, possibly a bone.
When the arena settled again, Yang Xiong was calmly standing in place, while 'Earth Bull' was sent flying, blood trickling from his hands. It was clear that he had been seriously injured by the strike.
'Earth Bull' looked terrified. He never expected someone five levels below him to shatter his soul skill with pure strength. If his opponent could do this with just physical power, how strong would they be if they used a soul skill?
However, this fear only lasted a moment. Gritting his teeth, 'Earth Bull' activated his second soul ring. His already powerful body seemed even more imposing. This was his second soul skill: Bull Power, a strength-boosting soul skill.
Seeing 'Earth Bull' charging again, Yang Xiong clenched his fists and prepared for another clash. This seemed like a pure test of strength and physical prowess, with neither of them gaining a clear advantage.
But everyone watching understood that 'Earth Bull' had now used two soul skills, while Yang Xiong hadn't used any, making the difference in soul power consumption significant.
After a full minute of intense clashes, 'Earth Bull' realized the difference in their strength. He retrieved the massive hammer from his back and hurled it toward Yang Xiong, unwilling to give up so easily.
Yang Xiong had only been testing his strength, but now that his opponent was using a weapon, it was clear that 'Earth Bull' had no intention of holding back. Yang Xiong decided it was time to end it.
With a swift motion, Yang Xiong's five fingers curled like claws, and he grabbed the hammer's handle, stopping it dead in its tracks.
Then, with a fast turn, Yang Xiong kicked 'Earth Bull' hard in the abdomen. The force sent him flying several meters through the air.
Before 'Earth Bull' could react, Yang Xiong dashed toward him at a speed several times faster than before, appearing like a shadow in front of his opponent. With a single punch, he struck him directly in the chest.
'Earth Bull' felt a devastating force in the punch, as if his bones were about to shatter. He spat out blood and collapsed onto the arena floor, clearly badly hurt.
The audience was initially stunned, but then erupted into deafening cheers. They hadn't expected the three-time winner to be so easily defeated by an opponent who was five levels below him. The entire process was so quick that 'Xiong Ba Tian Xia' hadn't even used a soul skill.
Yang Xiong smiled bitterly. He seemed to have overestimated the intensity of the soul battles.
Yang Xiong had been training diligently from a young age, pushing his strength, speed, reaction time, and even his defense to the limit. His opponent had decent strength for someone at his level, but was severely lacking in other areas, especially speed and agility.
With all the expensive medicinal baths and painful body tempering he had gone through, Yang Xiong's physical strength was undoubtedly among the strongest of any Great Soul Master.
The most significant difference, however, lay in their martial souls. The Mighty Bull was just a basic strength-type beast martial soul, whereas top-tier martial souls were on an entirely different level.
(END CHAPTER)
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