Soon, it was Xiao Wu's turn. Despite the shock Lin Yang had caused earlier, when Xiao Wu's petite figure stepped onto the platform, the stands erupted in commotion. Although she wore a mask, it was obvious she was an extremely adorable young girl. Yet such a girl—who should have been cherished and protected—was now standing on a blood-soaked, violent life-or-death fighting platform, with bloodstains still visible beneath her feet. It was like a little white rabbit willingly walking into a pack of bloodthirsty wolves. No matter how one looked at it, it defied common sense.
Even the host paused and asked for confirmation. After receiving Xiao Wu's clear and firm reply, the host said nothing more. The Great Soul Fighting Arena had its own rules; he had already bent them by asking. The soul fight began immediately.
Xiao Wu's opponent was an extremely burly man. He was nearly two meters tall. Broad-waisted and thick-backed, his body was covered in bulging, dragon-like muscles that gave off oppressive pressure. Level 19 soul power. His martial soul was the Powerful Bear, a lower variant of the Powerful Diamond Bear. From the name alone, one could tell his strength was terrifying and his defense excellent, though his speed was relatively weak. Standing in front of him, Xiao Wu looked delicate like a collectible figurine—the kind that would cry loudly after a single punch.
"Hey, little girl, is your martial soul a rabbit?" Xiong Li grinned; the flesh on his face trembled. His bloody maw revealed a sinister smile. "I personally love eating rabbits the most."
Xiao Wu's face turned cold. "Then I'll make sure that from now on, whenever you see a rabbit, you'll tremble in fear." With that, she slightly lowered her stance into a fighting posture.
Xiong Li suddenly roared, "Martial soul, possess!" A giant bear phantom flashed behind him and vanished. His already exaggerated muscles swelled more. A yellow soul ring rose beneath his feet. The battle began.
Xiao Wu shot forward like an arrow. The distance of over ten meters vanished in an instant. Her toes lightly tapped the ground, and she was airborne, kicking fiercely toward Xiong Li's neck. The neck is always relatively weak in defense. However, just as Xiao Wu was about to land the hit, a cunning glint flashed in Xiong Li's eyes. His soul ring lit up rapidly.
"Hahaha, little rabbit, you delivered yourself right to me. First soul skill—Frenzy!" In an instant, Xiong Li's ferocious aura surged violently, becoming manic. His two fan-sized palms shot out sharp claw blades and clamped viciously toward the center. At first glance, it looked as if Xiao Wu had thrown herself into his embrace.
In the spectator stands, Lin Yang raised an eyebrow. This big guy looked simple-minded, but every action since stepping onto the stage was full of schemes. He knew he wasn't good at speed, and "rabbit" clearly suggested high speed. To avoid being kited, he had provoked her from the start. He deliberately angered Xiao Wu, luring her into close range, then planned to explode suddenly and end the fight in one blow.
"Unfortunately…" Lin Yang shook his head lightly. "Good idea, but the strength gap is too big!" At that moment, Xiao Wu also sensed Xiong Li's intention. She snorted softly, twisted her slender waist in mid-air, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and spun violently.
Breath of Gentleness · Fifth Technique · Gale · Wheel Dance! Invisible gusts of wind followed her rotation, turning into countless invisible blades that slashed across Xiong Li's body. Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh! The wind blades carried rotating force, instantly leaving countless fine blood marks on Xiong Li's body. Blood sprayed everywhere. He looked drenched in it.
Breath of Gentleness was a derivative breathing method Xiao Wu created by using her own soft techniques as the foundation and fusing them with the high speed and cutting power of Wind Breathing. Although it wasn't as good for cultivation as Sun Breathing, it pushed her soft technique lethality to the extreme and perfectly matched her fighting style. At least within three rings, once she closed the distance, it was very difficult to escape her combat rhythm.
Originally, Lin Yang had wanted to name it "Beast Breathing" or "Rabbit Breathing," but Xiao Wu found those names ugly, so she changed it to "Breath of Gentleness." The name suited her quite well.
"Roar—!" In pain, Xiong Li let out a furious roar. The turbulent soul power around him exploded. "You big stupid bear, you're too slow!" Xiao Wu snorted lightly, flipped in the air, and landed a solid kick on his chest.
Breath of Gentleness · Third Technique · Bone Shatter · Single Strike! Bang! Accompanied by a dull sound, a soft yet bone-piercing force wrapped in soul power penetrated his skin, flesh, and into his bones. Gentle force could also shatter steel!
"Ugh—!" Xiong Li's chest visibly caved in. A suppressed cry escaped his throat. His soul power scattered, and his martial soul possession was forcibly canceled. His eyes widened. In a daze of confusion and unwillingness, he swayed twice before collapsing heavily backward. Bang! A dull thud rang out on the platform, accompanied by roaring cheers from the stands.
The host stepped forward to confirm Xiong Li had fainted and asked, "Charm Rabbit contestant, do you wish to continue the match?" If she continued, Xiao Wu would have to personally finish Xiong Li for the match to end. Xiao Wu shook her head. "No need." The host nodded slightly and announced loudly, "Winner—Charm Rabbit!" The announcement echoed through the arena, followed by an enthusiastic wave of cheers.
Returning to the spectator stands, Xiao Wu found Lin Yang. Before she could speak, Lin Yang gently clapped. "Well done!"
"Of course," Xiao Wu said with a proud smile. "He was only a one-ring soul master. To me, that was just a piece of cake."
"Since you're so confident, in the upcoming two-versus-two fight, I suppose you can handle it alone." Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Lin Yang… you're joking, right?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Lin Yang countered. The two-versus-two matching system was based on the highest soul power level in the team. A Soul Master and a Grand Soul Master teaming up would naturally face opponents who also had a Grand Soul Master. Therefore, usually the two people forming a team wouldn't have too large a gap in soul power levels. That meant if Lin Yang didn't participate, Xiao Wu would have to face two Grand Soul Masters alone. Thinking of this, the little rabbit stomped her foot in frustration.
"You're taking private revenge! This is payback!"
"You're overthinking it," Lin Yang said, tone still calm. "I'm doing this for your own good. Let's go." He stood up and walked toward the exit of the arena. Xiao Wu followed dejectedly behind him, muttering, "Petty Demon, black-bellied guy… It was just one sour hawthorn."
The person walking ahead suddenly paused. The corner of his mouth twitched. "I can hear you."
"Hmph," Xiao Wu turned her face away. "I said it for you to hear, petty Demon, black-bellied guy." With that, she swung her scorpion braid and stormed ahead angrily. As she passed him, she stomped hard on Lin Yang's foot.
First, the two went to register their points. Each had won one match, earning five points and one hundred gold soul coins each. In the Competition Zone, one win gave one point and ten gold soul coins. The Life-or-Death Zone was far more dangerous, so the rewards were naturally richer. After accumulating one hundred points, the Iron Soul Fighting Badge could be upgraded to Copper. Consecutive wins granted even more points at once.
After registering their points, they headed to Sub-Arena No. 8 for their two-versus-two soul fight. After drawing lots, while waiting for their turn, Xiao Wu used the time to meditate and recover her soul power. After all, a tough battle was coming.