Chapter 8: Chapter 8: No Clear Winner
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In the Nuoding Academy, Room Seven, a group of work-study students held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two opponents facing off: Wang Sheng, whose power surged after manifesting his spirit, and Wang Li, who wielded only the Blue Silver Grass spirit but possessed an indomitable will.
Wang Li's dramatic declaration had deliberately cloaked the battle in a layer of sanctity. What young person wasn't a bit dramatic? They all had the potential to become spirit masters and were filled with yearning for the world of spirit masters.
At that moment, flames seemed to ignite in Wang Sheng's tiger-like eyes as he roared at Wang Li, "This time, I won't take it lightly!"
With that, he lunged at Wang Li with full force, exuding an intimidating aura.
Wang Li felt tense; he couldn't afford to be easily defeated. He needed to gain experience through this battle. Unfortunately, the lack of a spirit ring meant the Blue Silver Grass offered little enhancement to his strength, leaving him to rely solely on his physical abilities.
As Wang Sheng's fist came crashing toward him, Wang Li positioned himself, extending his hands—one gripping Wang Sheng's wrist and the other clasping his arm—in an attempt to absorb the impact.
However, Wang Li's face quickly paled as he realized he couldn't budge Wang Sheng; he was using all his strength.
Seeing this, Wang Sheng grinned, having discarded any thoughts of winning or losing to establish dominance. Now, he only sought a fair fight as a spirit master.
Wang Li was forced to retreat repeatedly, but suddenly, he spun around, using Wang Sheng's momentum to attempt an over-the-shoulder throw.
Though Wang Sheng had some combat experience—or perhaps experience taking hits—he lacked understanding of actual fighting techniques.
In that moment, Wang Li leveraged Wang Sheng's force to lift him into the air, his feet leaving the ground and dissipating much of his strength.
Caught off guard, Wang Sheng found himself airborne. Yet, being experienced and fierce, he responded by seizing Wang Li's arm, pulling him up alongside him.
Wang Li hadn't expected Wang Sheng's quick reaction. Unable to break free from Wang Sheng's grip, he surrendered resistance, letting himself be thrown along as Wang Sheng charged forward.
*Bang!*
The two crashed heavily to the ground, tumbling and grappling with each other. They exchanged punches, a chaotic scene more akin to street thugs fighting than dignified spirit masters.
Wang Li felt pain coursing through his body as Wang Sheng struck him, but he grit his teeth and endured, landing a flurry of punches on Wang Sheng in return.
Though Wang Li was weaker, fighting in the mud played to his advantage; neither could expect to escape unscathed.
Before long, another person entered the dormitory.
As Tang San stepped inside, he spotted Wang Sheng and Wang Li locked in a struggle.
The techniques they employed were hardly impressive; to him, it resembled a scene of novices pecking at each other.
With Tang San's arrival, both Wang Sheng and Wang Li instinctively ceased fighting and pulled apart.
Panting heavily, Wang Li, though bruised and battered, couldn't suppress his laughter as he realized he had gained twenty-one points of experience from the battle. "Wang Sheng, you are truly a formidable opponent!"
Wang Sheng felt a mix of frustration and admiration; despite his superior spirit and greater soul power, he had been pushed to this point by Wang Li. He admitted, "Wang Li, your resilience surprised me. Since there's no clear winner today, let's continue this fight another time."
Tang San couldn't help but roll his eyes at the two, who seemed to share an odd camaraderie.
Wang Li, delighted by the exchange, readily agreed, "Let's do it next time!"
Wang Sheng grinned, but the smile quickly turned into a wince of pain. He then turned to Tang San, slightly surprised, and said, "There seem to be quite a few newcomers this year. Hey, why don't you introduce yourself?"
Tang San couldn't comprehend the current situation; the two who had been rolling around on the ground just moments ago now seemed to be joking like friends.
Hearing Wang Sheng's words, he replied coldly, "I don't go by 'hey'; my name is Tang San, a work-study student from Holy Spirit Village."
Wang Sheng struggled to stand up. Though his face was bruised and battered, he held his head high and proudly declared, "I'm Wang Sheng, the current leader here. Just now, I was in a soul master duel with another newcomer, Wang Li, for the position of leader. It's hard to tell who's winning at the moment."
"Now that you're here, I'll give you two options: either acknowledge me as your leader, or defeat me and take the position from me. That's the rule here, and everyone must abide by it."
Tang San frowned, thinking to himself that Wang Sheng was trying to bully him for no reason; it was utterly infuriating.
Having observed the recent fight, Tang San had gained some understanding of Wang Sheng's strength. He knew that whether or not he used hidden weapons, Wang Sheng was the type who could kill effortlessly.
Time to teach him a lesson!
Setting aside everything in his hands, Tang San coldly said, "Bring it on!"
Wang Sheng looked at the skinny and dark Tang San, who was a head shorter than Wang Li and two heads shorter than himself. He thought to himself that even though he wasn't at his peak, taking care of this little guy would be a piece of cake.
So, he assumed a fighting stance and announced loudly, "I'm Wang Sheng, Spirit: Battle Tiger, Level 9 Soul Master!"
Tang San paused for a moment. He wasn't used to revealing his strength, but since this seemed to be a rule, he coldly responded, "Tang San, Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, Level 10 Soul Master."
Wang Sheng couldn't help but glance at Wang Li, surprised that another Blue Silver Grass user had appeared, and a Level 10 one at that. What was going on?
What's with all these ridiculously talented Blue Silver Grass users nowadays?
But now that the words had been spoken, he had to fight it out. With a roar, he charged forward.
Tang San was completely ready to teach Wang Sheng a lesson…
Meanwhile, Wang Li sat on a bed, unable to watch as Wang Sheng charged in. Even at his peak, Wang Sheng wouldn't be a match for Tang San, and in his current battered state, he could only expect to take a beating.
Wang Sheng, covered in injuries, was in worse shape than Wang Li, who had also sustained significant injuries. However, the initial, intense pain had eased considerably, and he now felt a refreshing coolness in his body.
Wang Li couldn't help but reflect on how the Blue Silver Grass with quality reaching Level 2, although not greatly enhancing his power, allowed him to recover quite rapidly after sustaining injuries.
This was the vitality trait at work, and the resilience passive was likely also in effect. My physical condition will improve after recovery, which is another pathway to becoming stronger. Additionally, physical condition relates to the age of the soul rings absorbed…
(End of Chapter)