Douluo: I Can Choose My Own Soul Skills

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Relying on his mastery of soul power control, Ye Lan closed the distance between himself and the still-unstable Tang San in just two exchanges.

Without hesitation, his right fist shot straight toward Tang San's face. Tang San didn't have time to counter—he could only cross his arms in front of his face to block.

Bang!

Tang San's own arms crashed into his face under the force of the blow. Pain flared across his features as he staggered back, feet retreating in a series of hurried steps.

Once he regained his footing, Tang San no longer dared to look down on Ye Lan.

A faint purple glow appeared in Tang San's eyes, a soft white light shimmered on his hands, and his footwork shifted into a strange, elusive rhythm.

These were the Tang Sect's techniques: Mysterious Jade Hand for training his hands, Purple Demon Eye for sharpening vision, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track for body movement.

As Tang San began channeling the Xuantian Skill, Ye Lan once again closed in swiftly.

This time, Tang San kept a calm mind—unlike their earlier exchange—and found his chance to strike. With fingers pressed tightly together, he thrust his right palm forward, aiming straight for Ye Lan's chest.

Ye Lan responded with a straight punch from his right fist to meet Tang San's Mysterious Jade Palm. When fist met palm, Ye Lan could feel the unnatural hardness of Tang San's strike—as firm as jade or stone.

Before awakening his martial spirit, Tang San had already been forging metal for months. After this training, his physical strength was exceptional—only slightly weaker than a strength-type battle spirit master of the same level.

Yet when their hands collided, Tang San felt Ye Lan's strength was like a bottomless abyss—endless and overwhelming.

Their figures continued to weave and shift throughout Dorm Seven, each step accompanied by the crisp, sharp sounds of punches and palms clashing.

Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!

Tang San soon realized that no matter how much force he applied, Ye Lan could always match it.

His own close-combat skills were limited—he relied mainly on Controlling Crane, Catching Dragon to compensate. He tried to draw Ye Lan into using more brute force so he could counter with borrowed strength.

But Ye Lan never allowed him the chance. Every punch Ye Lan threw retained a measure of reserve—never giving Tang San an opportunity to redirect or use the force against him.

The match devolved into a back-and-forth of rapid footwork and clashing strikes. As the battle escalated, their speed only increased.

Tang San grew more and more uneasy. Ye Lan may be a few years older, but his soul power is three levels lower—yet I still can't gain the upper hand.

Since cultivating the Xuantian Skill, this was the first time Tang San had met such a difficult opponent among his peers.

While Tang San was still thinking about how to find an opening, Ye Lan had already completely analyzed Tang San's abilities.

Tang San relied on the Tang Sect's internal arts: Xuantian Skill for generating strength, Purple Demon Eye to read opponents' moves, Mysterious Jade Hand to harden and defend his hands, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to weave unpredictably, and Controlling Crane, Catching Dragon to borrow force skillfully.

Ye Lan was genuinely impressed. No wonder he's the protagonist of Douluo Continent. He's just awakened his martial spirit and already has such power.

Ye Lan himself had undergone three years of soul power training, achieving full integration of spirit energy with his physical body. Every one of his strikes was equivalent to a soul skill in terms of precision and force.

Though Ye Lan hadn't yet gone all out, Tang San had already held out impressively long.

Ye Lan decided it was time to end the match. No more testing—he would apply some real strength.

Just as Tang San was again sidestepping, trying to maintain the current rhythm...

Ye Lan suddenly pulled back, creating about five meters of distance between them.

Tang San watched cautiously, unsure what Ye Lan was planning by backing away.

Across from him, Ye Lan channeled seventy to eighty percent of his soul power into his legs. In an instant, he launched forward like a drawn arrow.

Tang San used Purple Demon Eye to anticipate Ye Lan's move. While his attack speed wasn't as fast as Ye Lan's, he could still intercept every strike.

Meanwhile, his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track footwork constantly disrupted Ye Lan's rhythm, preventing him from maximizing his speed advantage.

To counter this, Ye Lan changed tactics: using overwhelming speed to break technique, and brute force to overcome finesse.

He had created distance to give himself a runway for explosive acceleration.

The blue-haired figure flashed forward in just a few steps—reaching Tang San's field of vision in the blink of an eye.

Using the force of his sprint, Ye Lan launched a powerful punch straight at Tang San's shoulder.

Although Tang San's Purple Demon Eye saw through the motion, Ye Lan's speed was simply too fast. Tang San didn't have time to execute his evasive footwork.

He could only raise both arms and brace with Mysterious Jade Hand, palms forming a defensive block.

But this time, Ye Lan wasn't holding back.

This punch carried the full weight of Ye Lan's power—something Tang San simply couldn't withstand.

Bang!

With a loud crash, Tang San was sent flying, landing hard against a nearby bed frame and knocking it over!

Ye Lan, however, wasn't the least bit concerned about Tang San's condition. After so many exchanges, he had a clear grasp of Tang San's strength and defense. At the moment of his final punch, Ye Lan had already pulled back a portion of his power.

Although the fight had been influenced by the nameless fire within him, he never intended to go all out. After all, Tang San was still just a six-year-old child. Ye Lan had no intention of inflicting serious harm.

More importantly, he didn't want to test the limits of Tang Hao's morality. Would Tang Hao raise his hand against a child? Ye Lan wasn't sure, and the original story never clarified. But Tang Hao was known for one thing: if you hit his child, the father would show up—and he was extremely protective.

Meanwhile, sprawled on the collapsed bed frame, Tang San was contemplating life.

We both have Blue Silver Grass—why is there such a huge gap between us? No... I haven't gone all out yet! If I used my hidden weapons, even just one move would be enough to decide the outcome.

His wrist twitched involuntarily, but then he calmed down, thinking, Ye Lan's only a few years older than me. It's not worth using hidden weapons against him.

Tang San slowly got to his feet and asked, "Why are you so much stronger than me when we both have Blue Silver Grass?"

"I've just trained a few more years than you, that's all. As long as you find the right path, anyone can become a battle spirit master." Ye Lan scratched his head, casually brushing off the question.

Of course, Ye Lan wasn't going to reveal his secret—his mastery of Extreme Soul Ring Compression Training, which had allowed him to establish himself in Douluo Continent even starting with just Level 3 soul power.

As for Tang Sect techniques, Ye Lan wasn't impressed. In his previous life on Blue Star, anyone who had read wuxia novels would find sneak-attack-based martial arts lacking in honor.

"You're right! Teacher said the same thing: 'There are no useless martial spirits, only useless soul masters!' Even with Blue Silver Grass, I can become just as strong as you!" Tang San's face lit up with admiration as he spoke of Yu Xiaogang.

Ye Lan didn't argue—he didn't want to start anything. But inwardly, he thought, If it weren't for your twin martial spirits, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't give you a second glance. As for that famous quote of his… well, isn't he the living proof of a useless soul master?

Wang Sheng and the rest of Dorm Seven crowded around excitedly, surrounding Ye Lan.

"Ye Lan! You and Tang San are both incredible! Tang San is already super strong—he's a born full-soul-power genius! But you, you actually beat someone like that! You're the strongest in Dorm Seven! We all thought you were the weakest!"

"You're definitely the boss of Dorm Seven now!"

"Yeah, that's right! With you around, Ye Lan, we won't be bullied by upperclassmen anymore!"

Ye Lan shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the eager looks from the others. "I'm not interested in being the boss. Give it to Tang San. He's strong enough to handle upperclass nobles—we'll be fine under his lead."

Just as the others were sinking into disappointment, a clear, lively voice rang out from outside: "Is this Dorm Seven? I'm Xiao Wu!"

A lively little girl around the same age and height as Tang San stepped into their view.

Her face was rosy and fair, almost porcelain-like, with a pink, youthful glow. A scorpion braid hung down her back, and her clothes were neat and clean. Her large, sparkling eyes gave her a very cute appearance.

Wang Sheng and the others were instantly stunned by her charm, their eyes nearly glazing over. Ye Lan, however, wasn't surprised by her arrival. But he had no intention of getting involved with this rabbit girl, who would only bring trouble.

He glanced at Tang San and noticed something surprising—Tang San looked... nervous.

Ye Lan patted him on the shoulder and said sincerely, "Tang San, you're the boss of Dorm Seven now. I'm counting on you. I'm off to get lunch."

Then, amid everyone's stunned silence, Ye Lan left the dormitory.

Xiao Wu watched him leave, puzzled. In her heart, she wondered, What's with that dark-blue-haired boy? How could he ignore someone as cute as me?

Soon after, Tang San and Xiao Wu began to fight—continuing Dorm Seven's tradition of battling for the boss's seat.

As expected, Tang San held back, unwilling to hurt her. And just like that, he lost to Xiao Wu.

(End of Chapter)