Chapter 7: Grasping at Straws

"Boom."

Immersed in the "Zhong Yan" floating above his left hand, Nian Yun was startled by a deafening roar.

"Right, Morris."

Recalling the "Zhong Yan," Nian Yun dashed out of the washroom.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

At the corner of the arena:

"Nian Yun."

"Morris, it seems you've finished as well."

"Yeah, lucky me. Any slower and it would have been troublesome."

After a mutual nod of acknowledgment, the two brushed past each other.

Arriving at the spectator stands and looking toward the massive, craterous fissure in the center of the arena, Nian Yun grew even more curious about the nature of Morris's martial soul.

"Hiss..."

Of the three people in the arena, two were unconscious, and the third was being helped away, emitting intermittent groans of pain.

"Looks like this one is no simple character."

Following the sound, a familiar, graceful figure appeared in his sight.

"You're late; mine just finished," Nian Yun said with a touch of regret as he walked forward to greet them.

"It seems our timing really was unfortunate," Xie Yue replied, also feeling a hint of disappointment.

As the three met, the crowd in the other direction began to notice the commotion.

"Look, that's Hu Liena, my goddess!"

"They seem to be looking for that guy named Nian Yun. Anyone who can earn Xie Yue's approval is definitely no ordinary person."

"Pfft, if you ask me, neither of them is that great. They just haven't run into me yet. A twin martial soul is nothing special. The three he just faced had zero coordination; otherwise, how could he have won a one-versus-three? Based on this performance, he's simply unworthy of Hu Liena."

The voices carried naturally to the trio's ears.

"It seems our soul duel has caused quite an impact on your reputation," Xie Yue said, his expression stiffening.

"It's fine. I'll make them shut up in my own way."

Nian Yun's confident demeanor made both Xie Yue and Hu Liena feel much more at ease.

"Next, Yan Tong."

Once the arena was cleared, hearing his name called, Yan Tong, who had just been questioning Nian Yun's strength, walked toward the center of the stage with an arrogant swagger.

"Three of you, hurry up. I'm in a rush," Yan Tong stood in the arena, hands on his hips, his gaze sweeping across the stands before resting on Hu Liena.

"That guy is really unpleasant to look at," Hu Liena remarked, turning her gaze away.

[Task Refreshed: Teach Yan Tong a lesson in front of Hu Liena. Reward: Favorability +6]

"I'm not that foolish."

After responding to the system, Nian Yun flashed a mysterious smile at Yan Tong on the stage.

"As it happens, I still need two points. I'll be back in a flash."

"You... what about your energy consumption from earlier?" Hu Liena asked, looking at Nian Yun with concern.

"It's nothing, don't worry." The confident expression had not faded in the slightest.

Seeing Nian Yun step onto the stage, those who had been hesitating no longer held back. Despite their distaste for him, everyone knew that even if they just hung around, they would gain points if they won.

Walking to the stairs, Nian Yun turned his head slightly, locking eyes with those behind him. "If you want a free ride, whoever wants to come up, I'll beat you all together. Feel free to test me if you don't believe it."

At these words, those behind him began to walk away, looking dejected.

"You find him unpleasant too?" As it happened, Morris was walking out from another exit.

"Brother Mo, please leave this to me. You should go get some rest." Seeing it was Morris, Nian Yun's tone softened.

Looking at the siblings nearby, Morris smiled and patted Nian Yun on the shoulder. "Remember to bring back my share of the points."

"Of course."

*Step—step—step.*

"You?" Nian Yun stepped onto the arena, and Yan Tong scanned him with a look of disdain.

"I'm enough. Besides, beating me is worth more than beating three others, isn't it?"

"Your soul power is nearly drained. Beating you now is too easy; it won't even show how strong I really am."

"Oh? You've got a big mouth. I just hope you don't end up crawling off the stage in such a public moment."

"Hmph." With a cold snort, Yan Tong opened his arms and unleashed his soul power. A scent of blood began to permeate the air, and a blood-red ape-beast materialized behind him.

"Blood Demon Ape!"

"Level thirty-one. Is that all you've got?"

Nian Yun lightly raised his right hand.

*Zzz—zzz—*

Purple lightning erupted from his palm, filling the arena and stifling the scent of blood.

*Crackle—*

As the purple blade slashed through, the roar of thunder echoed throughout the venue.

"Your soul power... how is this possible!" Feeling the power that was even stronger than his own, Yan Tong panicked.

"Are you ready? Or should I let you go first?"

In this moment, the eternal purple lightning in Nian Yun's eyes burned fiercer than before, looking down upon Yan Tong like a deity.

"Bluffing!"

Releasing his blood energy to resist the pressure, a crimson light flickered in the corners of his eyes.

"First Soul Skill: Blood Ape Arm!"

*Stomp.*

The blood-red ape-beast charged at Nian Yun with incredible speed, twisting its body to extend its arm, charging up, and smashing down in a rage.

Nian Yun chose not to dodge, gathering purple lightning in his left hand to create a ball of thunder.

*Zzz.*

Clutching the thunder orb in his palm, he held his forearm flat against his chest. A yellow soul ring began to rise.

He whipped his forearm out, and a dark purple line cut through the space in front of him. A moment later, an elemental sigil appeared in the center.

"Second Soul Skill: Divine Transformation—Evil Omen."

The Blood Ape's arm easily passed through the dark purple line, charging toward Nian Yun.

*Bang!*

"Musou Isshin" blocked the heavy strike in front of Nian Yun.

Just as Yan Tong hesitated, a sense of powerlessness surged from his fist and palm. A purple ring slowly expanded behind Nian Yun, and a shining point of light at the top shone into Yan Tong's eyes. Feeling that eternal, emotionless power, Yan Tong felt a surge of fear, and cold sweat dripped down his face.

*Whoosh.*

Pushing away the bloody arm, the deep purple blade left a shallow, bloody gash on Yan Tong's chest.

After staggering back several steps to regain his balance, Yan Tong looked at the bloodstain on his fingertips, his face filled with astonishment.

"If you don't use your full strength now, I'm afraid you won't get another chance."

Provoked by Nian Yun's words, Yan Tong lost his composure, his veins bulging.

"Third Soul Skill: Blood Ape Explosion!"

Blood-colored mist erupted from his body again. When Yan Tong opened his eyes, those crimson pupils looked terrifying.

*Stomp—bang—stomp—bang—*

Every step the Blood Ape took was accompanied by a booming explosion as it charged forward.

The residual lightning on Yan Tong's body transformed into motes of soul power, continuously gathering on the ring behind Nian Yun. When the second point of light ignited, Nian Yun stepped forward, and a purple fissure slashed across half the arena.

"First Soul Skill: Musou—No Thought!"

The two faced each other, simultaneously unleashing their strongest moves.

*Boom—bang!*

A massive roar resounded through the entire arena. Under the clash of purple lightning and blood energy, the two soul beasts also battled each other.

"Divine Thunder, Eternal!"

"Boom!"

The blood mist, tainted with purple lightning, slowly dissipated. Yan Tong fell to the ground, unconscious, with sparks of electricity still dancing across his body.

Nian Yun remained standing, composed and steady.

"Damn it, this kid really has some skill. Fortunately, I awakened 'Zhong Yan' a step early, which boosted my defense significantly. This time, I'm truly out of strength."

As he looked up, his eyes—now devoid of purple lightning—met the tender, affectionate gaze from the stands.

"This fight... was worth it."