A flash of white light, not too bright, passed, and the scene before him changed once more.
Tang San was surprised to find himself on a unique, octagonal arena.
In front of him, five light screens, each as tall as a person, floated in the air. The left side displayed a full-body portrait, and the right side showed their information in a list.
Strangely, the portraits lacked facial features, and the names and other information were hidden, replaced by strings of asterisks.
While he was still puzzled, a voice suddenly sounded from the air.
It was clear and precise, yet devoid of any emotional color, like a machine speaking.
"Appearing before you are copies of warriors who possess the same abilities as you and have previously passed the Feixian Trial.
They will suppress their physical qualities, soul power, and cultivation realm to be exactly the same as the challenger, and then initiate virtual soul battles one by one.
Each person has a maximum of three challenge opportunities, for a total of fifteen battles."
Winning either of the matches will successfully grant a Feixian Order.
Please note, Trialists with multiple system abilities can only use the same system abilities as their copies.
Death, injury, or other negative states that occur during the virtual battle will not affect the real body. Please do your best."
As the voice faded, the four light screens behind instantly vanished. Only the figure in the first one rapidly expanded from a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional entity, and the information on the right also disappeared.
Tang San quickly glanced at it, his eyes once again filled with shock.
[Name]: ****** [System]: Soul Master (Blue Silver Emperor martial soul)
[Restricted Cultivation]: Level 30, Two-Ring Battle Soul Master
[First Soul Skill]: Blue Silver Binding, obtained from the nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-year-old top-grade soul beast, the Mandala Snake,
[Second Soul Skill]: Five Elements: Mutual Generation (Wood generates Fire), obtained from the nineteen-hundred-year-old top-tier Soul Beast, the Blue Fire Demon Bird.
A Limit-Breaking Soul Ring?
And attaching a fire-attribute Soul Skill to a plant martial soul?
Tang San was still in shock, his mind filled with confusion. The voice above his head spoke again.
"Begin the Soul Battle."
The instant the fourth word fell, the faceless opponent across from him moved.
Over a dozen thick Blue Silver Grass vines rapidly coiled towards him from the front, back, left, right, and above,
instantly binding him into a tight bundle.
Then, without his mouth moving, or even having a mouth at all, he faintly uttered the word "Explode".
From those Blue Silver Grass, countless sparks of fire suddenly erupted.
His body immediately turned into pieces, scattering across all sides of the arena.
The entire battle lasted only a second.
"Damn, it's that skill again."
Tang San was completely stunned, both shocked and angry. The opponent's speed was too fast, giving him almost no time to react.
His combat experience was considered rich, but this was the first time he had been completely crushed at the same level.
Then came a wave of despair. Back at Notting Academy, every time he challenged Nangong Lingyun, the result was always the same: getting bound by this Soul Skill, or being hung up, or having his legs grabbed and being thrown to the ground.
Unexpectedly, the opponent in the Feixian Trial would still be there, even in Feixian City.
Could it be that the strongest Soul Skill and ultimate secret of the Blue Silver Grass spirit was actually binding?
Soon, a flash of eerie light swept across the arena, and all the blood and gore vanished. Both of them were fully restored to their pre-battle state.
Clearly, the second challenge was about to begin.
Tang San didn't dare to delay, quickly recalling the information he had just received.
"So, martial skills really can't be used?"
After being bound, he had tried to use Crane Control, Dragon Capture.
However, the soul power within his body didn't respond in the slightest. Not to mention, the martial skill effects, which needed soul power to circulate through specific meridians, couldn't be activated at all.
He didn't believe it. He tried to activate his Purple Demon Eyes.
Sure enough, his vision hadn't changed either.
Tang San then tried his hidden weapons and his second martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, but neither could be used. He was forced to fight using only his Blue Silver Grass, just like the copy.
Two seconds later, the mechanical voice announced for the second time:
"Battle Soul Begins."
This time, Tang San was smart. He frantically activated his martial soul, arranging a whole circle of Blue Silver Grass around himself. That way, when the opponent launched a binding attack, it would first ensnare those vines instead of tying him up and immobilizing him.
The result…
The faceless person broke through his defense with a single move.
The opponent's second soul ring lit up. A Blue Silver Grass shot out quickly. Just as it was about to make contact, it suddenly exploded into countless fragments.
From these fragments, a large amount of flames erupted, igniting even the vines he released, turning them into ashes.
Then, the same routine again.
One Blue Silver Binding, one explosion, and he was instantly in the same predicament as the previous match.
Well, the second match lasted a little longer than the first, a full three seconds.
Ice-cold and pure, his mood sank, his face turning ashen. He realized that the opponent's second soul ring, with its fire attribute, was completely countering him.
His martial soul abilities were directly nullified. What could he even fight with?
Soon, the third match began.
After much thought, Tang San felt he had to take the initiative.
Plants against fire offered no chance of success in defense.
And if he attacked, although his martial skills were restricted, and he couldn't even take out hidden weapons from his soul tool,
his second Soul Skill, Blue Silver Flying Leaves, might still be able to cause some damage if combined with hidden weapon techniques.
Hidden weapon techniques were just a way of applying force, and shouldn't be restricted.
He raised his right hand, using all his strength to activate his martial soul. A large amount of Blue Silver Grass shot out from his palm,
and countless leaves sprouted from each strand.
The vines shook violently, scattering the leaves like throwing knives.
His left hand also plucked some leaves, using a special technique to go around to the side.
Judging by the scene, it seemed overwhelming, with no way to avoid it.
However, the faceless man simply raised a few strands of Blue Silver Grass, and a wall of fire formed from the blazing flames.
Plant leaves are inherently soft; their lethality is negligible.
They'd vanish into nothingness upon hitting a wall of fire.
Ultimately, he could only watch as his opponent ensnared him, only to be blown apart again.
A wave of disappointment washed over him.
Tang San could only console himself, "There are still four opponents left. Surely, I can win at least one out of the twelve matches?"
Ten minutes later,
Ice-clean and jade-pure, facing the final faceless opponent, suppressed the fear in his heart, and encouraged himself: "That Blue Silver Grass at the start actually had a fire-attribute soul ring attached. It's completely unconventional.
The second one could only use the Clear Sky Hammer spirit, and he didn't cultivate much, not even attaching a soul ring.
The third person came from a martial artist system, and the Tang Sect's specialty is actually hidden weapons, while martial arts-related abilities, including the Mysterious Heaven Skill, are only considered second or third-rate. The opponent's techniques and martial skills must be stronger."
Next, that one used hidden weapons, but I was careless and didn't dodge.
It's normal that they lost. The last one was still Blue Silver Grass. I've cultivated Blue Silver Grass the most. As long as there isn't a fire-attribute soul ring, I'll definitely win."
As he was thinking this, the fifth copy slowly appeared.
[Name]: ****** [System]: Soul Master (Blue Silver Emperor Spirit) [Restricted Cultivation]: Level 30, Two-Ring Battle Soul Master [First Soul Skill]: Five Elements: Mutual Generation (Wood generates Fire), from a 690-year-old top-tier soul beast, the Blazing Fire Snake. [Second Soul Skill]: Binding, from a 1,890-year-old top-tier soul beast, the Dragon Scale Python.
Tang San's expression immediately froze.
"Seriously, all of you, why are you giving Blue Silver Grass fire-attribute soul rings?"
(End of Chapter)