The emerald-green poisonous mist churned and expanded like a living thing! Wherever it went, the air was filled with a strange sweet, fishy scent. Even the soul power barrier in front of Qin Ming was corroded, emitting "sizzling" sounds.
The poison had become stronger!
A hint of astonishment flashed in Qin Ming's eyes. It seemed that after her martial soul evolved, Yan'er's poison had also become much more formidable.
With the activation of his second yellow soul ring, a fierce flame erupted like a volcanic explosion, instantly burning away the surrounding emerald-green poisonous mist. In just three or four breaths, the poisonous mist was completely cleared.
Dugu Yan's face turned slightly pale as she retreated half a step. Her third soul skill was indeed very powerful and could be activated instantly. But it consumed a lot of soul power. Even at her peak, she couldn't use it many times.
Qin Ming retracted his soul power barrier and praised, "Not bad, Yan'er. Your third soul skill still has room for development. You can try strengthening your control over soul power."
Dugu Yan pouted, not entirely satisfied with her performance, but still nodded. "Understood, Teacher Qin!"
She then retreated, yielding the field.
"Then, only you are left… Lin Yang."
Qin Ming's gaze fell on Lin Yang—the one he was looking forward to the most among the four. He wanted to see if this genius, whom the three education committee members had fought over, could bring him some surprises.
Lin Yang walked forward. During his walk, "Hizama" had already appeared in his hand.
Clang—!
A crisp metallic ring echoed across the training ground. The moment the long blade was unsheathed, everyone present felt an inexplicable chill in their hearts. Even though the blade edge wasn't pointed at them, they had the illusion of having a knife pressed against their necks.
"What a sharp blade!"
Qin Ming's expression gradually grew solemn. He had put away all underestimation and contempt. The instincts honed over many years told him that whether it was the person or the blade, both had to be taken seriously.
"Martial soul, possess!"
Qin Ming let out a low roar. Accompanied by a faint wolf howl, a cluster of yellow flames suddenly ignited on his body. The muscles under his clothes swelled abruptly, stretching his originally loose clothing tight. His pupils simultaneously turned bright yellow, like two small suns burning fiercely. Five soul rings revolved around him, slowly pulsing.
Dugu Yan instinctively covered her mouth, her face full of shock. "Teacher Qin actually used his martial soul."
In the past, when Teacher Qin trained with them, he had only ever used soul power to fight—at most his first and second soul skills. He had never used his martial soul. But now, before the fight had even begun, he had already activated his martial soul.
This was no longer a teacher guiding students—it was a real battle between soul masters.
Thinking of this, Dugu Yan leaned over and whispered something into Ye Lingling's ear. Ye Lingling's eyes flickered, and she nodded slightly.
Beside them, Yu Tianheng couldn't help but clench his fists. His face looked frighteningly dark. Was the gap between him and Lin Yang… really this big?
At this moment, on the rooftop of the education committee building, the gazes of the three education committee members—Dream God Machine, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—also fell on this training ground.
Zhi Lin stroked his snow-white beard and said softly, "This is the first time a student has made Little Qin treat them so seriously."
Dream God Machine nodded. "Let's watch and see what kind of surprise this kid can bring us."
After martial soul possession, Qin Ming's voice carried a slightly rough edge. "Come!"
"Teacher Qin, be careful."
The moment his words fell, Lin Yang stomped on the ground and shot forward like a cannonball. The Nichirin Blade in his hand slashed downward from above, drawing a cold arc of light.
Just this one slash caused Qin Ming's pupils to shrink abruptly. Danger—cannot take it head-on!
The thought flashed through his mind, and his body had already reacted first, shifting horizontally three feet.
Swish!
The blade edge brushed past the hem of his clothes and slashed into empty air, yet it emitted a sharp cry that tore through the air. A faint golden blade aura shot out from the blade edge, leaving a cut more than three feet long on the hard basalt ground. The cut surface was as smooth as a mirror!
Qin Ming glanced at it, the corner of his mouth twitching. He quickly recalled in his mind—he didn't seem to have any grudge against Lin Yang. If he had been a little slower in dodging…
"Teacher Qin, you got distracted!"
Lin Yang's voice pulled Qin Ming back. Qin Ming's heart tightened. His third soul ring suddenly lit up.
Accompanied by soul power vibrations, a massive flaming wolf claw condensed out of thin air and descended from the sky. The wolf claw was the size of three millstones, burning with bright yellow flames. Even the surrounding air was distorted by the heat. The scorching wave that hit their faces could be felt from far away.
Lin Yang neither dodged nor retreated. A soft hiss escaped between his lips and teeth as the Nichirin Blade slashed upward diagonally.
Sun Breathing · Tenth Form · Radiant Grace Light!
Boom!
The black Nichirin Blade stirred up a massive flame tornado, like a soaring dragon rising into the sky!
"Self-created soul skill!"
A flash of shock appeared on Qin Ming's face.
Boom!
The flame tornado collided fiercely with the wolf claw. After an instant of silence came a deafening explosion. Fierce waves of fire splashed in all directions like ripples spreading outward, sweeping across more than half of the training ground.
Yu Tianheng and the others couldn't help but retreat several steps to avoid the oncoming scorching waves. Ye Lingling raised her hand to shield her face. The corner of her veil was lifted by the hot wave, revealing the appearance beneath. Cold and aloof, like an orchid standing in a secluded valley amid the noisy mortal world.
Yu Tianheng's face flickered between light and dark under the firelight. His expression was complicated—impossible to tell whether it was shock, jealousy, or something else.
Dugu Yan stared fixedly at Lin Yang. At this moment, her emotions churned like undercurrents in the deep sea. So this was Lin Yang's true strength—using three-ring power to force Teacher Qin to take him seriously. She had thought she understood Lin Yang, but now it seemed she had only seen the tip of the iceberg.
A man like this was really hard not to be fascinated by.
On the training ground, the battle between Qin Ming and Lin Yang grew increasingly intense. The two went back and forth. Various soul skills dazzled the onlookers. Qin Ming's flaming claw shadows danced across the sky, each strike carrying enough force to shatter monuments and crack stones. Lin Yang's Nichirin Blade turned into streaks of firelight. Parrying, slashing—especially those dazzling self-created soul skills—could truly be called "art on the edge of a blade"!
Boom!
Accompanied by a violent explosion, Lin Yang used the impact to flip backward through the air and finally landed steadily on the ground.
Just as Qin Ming wanted to continue attacking, Lin Yang raised his hand to stop him. "Teacher Qin, I concede. My soul power consumption is too high."
Qin Ming was stunned. His competitive spirit, which had just been aroused, instantly cleared.
This wasn't a soul battle. This was supposed to be a teacher giving guidance to students.
Qin Ming looked deeply at Lin Yang, then retracted his martial soul and said in a deep voice, "Your strength is very strong. I can't give you much help here."
He spoke very directly, without any concealment. "If you need it, you can try the simulated cultivation area at No. 21 in District A. You should like it there."
Lin Yang nodded slightly. "Thank you, Teacher Qin."
Looking at the young boy in front of him, the shock in Qin Ming's heart at this moment could not be expressed in words. As Lin Yang's opponent, only he himself could deeply understand that the one fighting him… wasn't a person at all, but a monster wearing human skin.
A powerful physique possessing strength and speed not inferior to his own. An extremely sharp martial soul, combined with those self-created soul skills—any fancy moves would only be hammered into the ground. Even he would get injured under that blade if he wasn't careful.
The most terrifying thing was that from beginning to end, the soul rings around Lin Yang had never lit up—not even once. That meant this kid had not used his full strength yet. The so-called "soul power exhaustion" was nothing more than an excuse.