"Tch, Third Brother's still pretending to be weak."
Outside the Soul Arena, Xiao Wu pouted unhappily.
"What!? That's impossible!"
Qin Ming couldn't hold it in anymore when he heard Xiao Wu's words and exclaimed loudly.
He was already shocked by Tang San's performance. Now, hearing Xiao Wu say that Tang San hadn't even used his full strength yet?
Qin Ming had to admit, Tang San was incredibly versatile—he was fast, could grab Dugu Yan by the throat and lift her up. That Blue Silver Grass armor also seemed pretty durable. If Tang San used his grass to entangle Dugu Yan, that would mean he had both control and offense.
And even if his offense wasn't strong enough, Tang San could always carry a blade.
Yet such a powerful Tang San—Xiao Wu claimed he was still holding back?
That was hard to believe.
Unless… Tang San hadn't even used his third soul skill?
Could that really be the case?
Qin Ming glanced deeply at Tang San, then looked again at Xiao Wu and Xiao Lin.
If even Tang San and Xiao Wu were this formidable, what about Xiao Lin, the one leading the trio? Just how terrifying could he be?
Actually, Qin Ming wasn't far off. Tang San hadn't used his third soul skill yet, nor any of his soul tools or hidden weapons—but otherwise, he was already fighting at nearly full strength.
As for his Blue Silver Grass armor not corroding quickly—besides its strong regenerative properties, the key was that it was made from Tang San's own martial soul.
This was the super-resilient Blue Silver Grass Tang San had cultivated over six years, constantly destroyed and regrown by Xiao Lin—a literal weed-type martial soul refined through hardship.
Its strength and toughness could rival that of whip-type tool martial souls.
That's why Tang San could essentially ignore Dugu Yan's poison.
"This match goes to Tang San. Yufeng, go clean up the stage."
Qin Ming furrowed his brow deeply—this outcome was a bit of a slap in the face for him.
If even Yu Tianheng lost next, wouldn't that mean he himself wasn't even as good as three kids trained by someone else?
What was the point of him being an elite teacher, then?
Qin Ming secretly made up his mind—Yu Tianheng must go all out in the next match.
As for whether his fourth soul skill might get exposed, Qin Ming planned to have other students guard the outside—no one else would be allowed in.
On the Soul Arena platform, knowing the area needed cleaning, Tang San looked a bit embarrassed.
The whole arena was now covered in lush, thriving Blue Silver Grass.
In the next second, Tang San activated his third soul skill:
"Third Soul Skill – Soul Gathering Art!"
With a flash of purple soul ring, the life force and soul power of the Blue Silver Grass on the platform were quickly absorbed back into Tang San's body.
Soon, the once-vibrant grass turned limp and dull—much easier for Yufeng to clean.
This move stunned everyone watching.
So Tang San could retrieve his soul power?
Could he even forcibly take soul power from his enemies?
This terrifying soul skill could only be rated S-tier on any martial soul panel!
Even if Dugu Yan had a rematch, they now believed Tang San would win—with a 100% win rate.
Looking at Tang San's refreshed face, which looked even more energized now than before, Qin Ming couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"Monster…"
Among the onlookers, Zhilin, one of the academy teachers, felt like her heart was bleeding.
Such a promising plant-type soul master, and no wonder he wouldn't acknowledge her as his teacher—Tang San clearly had his own path and powerful soul skills.
Once the platform was cleaned, Qin Ming had already stationed others outside to block access and ensure Yu Tianheng's fourth soul skill wouldn't be seen.
Now, only a few remained present: Xiao Lin and his two companions, the three instructors, Qin Ming, Yu Tianheng, and Miss Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong stared at Xiao Lin's trio with shining eyes.
"So strong… Are these people really the same age as me?"
If she introduced them to her clan, Ning Rongrong was already imagining what kind of impression the leader, Xiao Lin, would make.
Could he even defeat Yu Tianheng?
As Xiao Lin and Yu Tianheng stepped onto the Soul Arena platform, everyone became laser-focused.
"Finally, we get to see Brother Lin's real strength!"
Xiao Wu called out excitedly, making Qin Ming and the others tense up.
Even Xiao Wu and Tang San didn't know the full extent of Xiao Lin's power?
"Yu Tianheng, martial soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, soul power level: 44, power attack–type battle soul master!"
Yu Tianheng proudly announced his martial soul and rank on the stage.
Xiao Lin frowned slightly.
"What the… Why is everyone so strong?"
"Did they all absorb soul rings beyond their limits and gain artificially boosted levels?"
"Did people in the original timeline have spirit power levels this high?"
Thoughts raced through Xiao Lin's mind—but he soon declared his own:
"Xiao Lin, martial soul: Coiled Dragon Rod, soul power level: 39, power attack–type battle soul master."
After Xiao Lin finished, Qin Ming immediately announced:
"Begin!"
"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—Strike!"
With Yu Tianheng's martial soul possession, a dazzling blue bolt of lightning flared at the center of his brow. Immediately, crackling blue-violet lightning surged all over his body.
But unlike most beast-type martial souls, Yu Tianheng's transformation was minimal.
Instead of dragon scales spreading across his body, the entire Blue Lightning Dragon shadow condensed around his right arm, transforming it into a true dragon limb.
With a deafening dragon roar, thunder rumbled.
Yu Tianheng's right arm rapidly swelled, becoming massive and muscular—his sleeve turned to ashes. What remained was a terrifying blue-violet dragon claw, lightning coursing across the scales.
Even a defensive-type soul master would suffer greatly if struck by that claw.
"Interesting. I guess this counts as partial martial soul true form."
Xiao Lin smiled with interest.
Unfortunately, this dragon transformation technique that others had to painstakingly train for—Xiao Lin didn't need to practice at all. His tool martial soul came with its true form built-in.
"To show my respect for you, I'll…"
"Use a little strength."
As Xiao Lin finished speaking, he pulled out a steel baton, about the size of a police nightstick, from his soul guide storage device.
"Xiao Lin, what's the meaning of this?"
Yu Tianheng's blue eyes flared with fury.
If Xiao Lin didn't explain himself well, Yu Tianheng was determined to make sure he spent a month in the hospital.
Even Qin Ming and the three instructors thought Xiao Lin had gone too far.
Ning Rongrong was completely dumbfounded.
"Is Xiao Lin seriously that arrogant?"
But she was used to being surprised now, so she glanced at Tang San and Xiao Wu—only to be shocked again.
Tang San and Xiao Wu both looked stunned.
Wait… do they think Xiao Lin went too far?
"Brother Lin is just being cautious… He's even using a soul tool."
Xiao Wu's comment helped settle the mood.
Ah, so Xiao Lin intended to fuse his martial soul with a rod-shaped soul tool for the fight.
Qin Ming thought about it and concluded that Xiao Lin was actually showing great respect for Yu Tianheng's strength.
Yu Tianheng's rage also cooled a bit, and he got more serious.
"Don't misunderstand. The reason I'm using this soul tool is simply because…"
"To deal with you, I don't even need to use my Coiled Dragon Rod."
"I'm not the kind of guy who goes full force on a rabbit."
Xiao Lin smiled, relaxed his brow, and gave an apologetic look—
As if to say, "You're just too weak, so I can't be bothered to use my real power."
Author's Note:
I suddenly realized that many of the so-called "young talents" are actually quite old… I thought they'd only be five or six years older than the main cast, but by the time the Academy Tournament hits, they're all maxing out the 25-year-old limit. How is that genius-level?
So from now on, I'll be adjusting the ages of some "genius" characters to be younger, so it doesn't look ridiculous.
But regardless of age, they still won't be a match for Xiao Lin's team.
(End of Chapter)