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"Alright, Zhuqing, stop it."
At the critical moment, Ning Tian's soul power transmission broke through Zhu Zhuqing's excitement, pulling her back to her senses. Without it, Dai Mubai might have been completely drained.
After Flender carried Dai Mubai off the fighting stage, Zhu Zhuqing turned her attention to Tang San as he stepped into the arena.
Tang San's gaze stayed fixed on Zhu Zhuqing. When he saw the six spider legs sprouting from her back, each one matching the strongest pair of his own 'Eight Spider Lances', anger and bitterness flashed in his eyes, too strong to hide.
Zhu Zhuqing, though, looked ready for a fight, her stance brimming with energy.
To her, Dai Mubai was no longer a Spirit Master on her level. Across all of Shrek Academy, only Tang San could force her to go all out.
Their eyes locked. At the referee's signal, both released their martial souls.
Two yellow and two purple soul rings rose around each of them at the same time.
Tang San lifted his right palm, a familiar blue light glowing from it. He planned to use the control abilities of his Blue Silver Grass to handle Zhu Zhuqing's agility-based attacks.
Zhu Zhuqing let out a sharp meow. A faint black light surged from her, and in an instant, she completed her transformation into the Nether Spirit Cat.
Tang San stared at her. "Where did you get your external soul bone?"
Zhu Zhuqing gave a cold smile. "Where did you get yours?"
"Mine came from a spirit beast I killed," Tang San said.
"What a coincidence, mine too," Zhu Zhuqing replied calmly. And it was true: her external soul bone had come from a spirit beast Tang San had taken down.
To Tang San, though, her words sounded like a taunt, a refusal to own up. "I hate thieves more than anything. If you come clean, considering you were once friends with Xiao Wu, there might still be a way to fix this."
Zhu Zhuqing smirked. "Aren't you a thief yourself? Or where did the Mysterious Heaven Record come from?"
The crowd burst into noise at that.
Those who didn't know started asking what the Mysterious Heaven Record was, while others who understood watched with growing curiosity.
Tang San couldn't take it. His dark face turned a deep, furious red.
"Begin the match," the referee called.
At the command, both moved in near-perfect sync.
Their first soul rings lit up. Sharp claws sprang from Zhu Zhuqing's fingers, and her body shot forward with sudden speed. Boosted by her Black Widow external soul bone, a streak of black light trailed behind her, fast as a gust of wind.
Tang San's eyes widened. 'What kind of speed is this?'
He knew Zhu Zhuqing was quick, but not this quick. Even Ning Tian might not match it. 'Is it the external soul bone?'
There was no time to think. In a blink, Zhu Zhuqing was right in front of him. Her claws, glinting with a faint white sheen, aimed straight for his chest. At the same time, the six glossy black spider legs behind her stabbed toward him, blocking every way out.
Caught off guard, Tang San didn't hesitate. His Purple Demon Eyes flared to life, a purple tint crossing his vision. He stepped into the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, pulling back while dodging with quick, fluid moves.
Zhu Zhuqing pressed her attack, her speed unwavering.
Tang San's shock deepened. He couldn't shake her aura locking onto him.
In that split-second crisis, he made his move. He unleashed his 'Eight Spider Lances' and activated his Mysterious Jade Hand.
With the boost from the lances, he could just barely follow Zhu Zhuqing's speed. His hands lashed out, using the Controlling Crane Catching Dragon technique to meet her claws.
But Zhu Zhuqing seemed to read him perfectly. She turned his own momentum against him, speeding up even more.
With no other option, Tang San used his Mysterious Jade Hand to block her first soul skill, Nether Thrust.
Ning Tian watched with a quiet grin. 'The Earth Cave Spider external soul bone might edge out the Black Widow by a small margin in raw power,' he thought, 'but it's not enough to cover the gap in their soul power.. With Nether Thrust backing her up, good luck staying in one piece.'
A clash of metal rang out.
Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang.
Sparks flew from Tang San's white palms as Zhu Zhuqing's claws carved deep, bone-scraping marks.
At the same time, his Earth Cave Spider external soul bone met her Black Widow external soul bone in a fierce clash. It held back her attack, but Tang San still felt the sting of the Nether Thrust.
"Damn it," he muttered.
He could stomach losing to Ning Tian's raw strength, but having his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane Catching Dragon beaten by skill? That cut deeper.
"Ah!"
The frustration pushed Tang San to the edge. Drawing on the tough physique built from two power-type soul rings, he shoved hard with his Earth Cave Spider external soul bone, forcing Zhu Zhuqing back as his third and fourth soul rings glowed.
The moment Zhu Zhuqing's feet hit the ground, the Blue Silver Prison sprang up around her. Right after, Tang San's third soul skill, Spider Web Restraint, flew out as a glowing orb, expanding into a massive web that fell toward her.
Tang San summoned his Clear Sky Hammer and charged behind the web, swinging with all he had. He figured her claws might break the prison, but the web would trap her for sure.
Then came a sight that stunned him and everyone else. The Blue Silver Prison and Spider Web Restraint barely formed before her Black Widow external soul bone pushed them back. They broke apart, turning into streams of blue energy that her soul bone absorbed.
"Ning Tian, what's happening?" Yu Feng asked, turning to him in confusion. "Why does Tang San's Blue Silver Grass vanish when it touches Zhuqing's external soul bone?"
Aside from Zhu Qing, Ning Rongrong, and Ye Lingling, who already knew, the others looked over with curious eyes.
Ning Tian answered, "Zhuqing's external soul bone comes from the Black Widow spirit beast. It's a natural counter to anything like spider webs."
The crowd nodded, getting it now. Their looks toward Tang San turned playful.
Tang San felt the blow hard. He lit up the first soul ring on his Clear Sky Hammer and swung the shining, gold-lit hammer at Zhu Zhuqing. But with his slow, heavy movements, he'd never hit her unless she stood there and let him.
With a quick shift of her body, Zhu Zhuqing dodged Tang San's hammer strike. Her second and third soul rings lit up one after the other, and her form split into three.
The three Zhu Zhuqings stood in a triangle. Two of the clones fired purple-black claw beams at Tang San from a distance.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing's real body unleashed the Nether Hundred Claws. This time, it wasn't a close-up attack but a long-range version, a twist on the original skill.
"Nether Hundred Blade Kill!"
This was one of the rewards of Zhu Zhuqing's two years of hard training.
Facing a flood of claw beams, Tang San felt the Clear Sky Hammer's weakness for the first time. Against a speed-focused agility-type Spirit Master like Zhu Zhuqing, he was a sitting target.
The Clear Sky Hammer's first skill, Diamond Hammer, and second skill, Demon Bear Hammer, were both single-target moves.
With no better option, he swung the Disorder Splitting Wind to shield himself.
But he'd misjudged the power of this new Nether Hundred Claws. The wind barrier from his Disorder Splitting Wind couldn't fully stop the claw beams, which cut through with a piercing edge.
The Clear Sky Hammer and his Eight Spider Lances blocked most of the claw beams, but a few slipped past the wind barrier and hit Tang San.
The wind had dulled their strength, and the cuts weren't deep, but the soul power seeped into him, tearing at his meridians.
Tang San tasted blood, a thin line trickling from his mouth. Zhu Zhuqing didn't ease up. She controlled her clones to keep firing claw beams while her real body zipped around him, striking with long-range Nether Hundred Claws whenever she spotted an opening.
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