Soul Land: I Am the True Grandmaster

Chapter 195: The Interception Squad, Part Three

A soul master's true strength is often hinted at by their final spirit ring, which reveals both their endurance and the depth of their foundation. While this measure is not always exact, it still holds some truth. Snake Lady Chao Tianxiang's sixth spirit ring, though from a mere 20,000 year old serpent, was formidable by most standards.

The pair an elder and a young girl stood their ground, each unyielding, eyes locked on the other. The weapon held by Snake Lady, while known as a "staff," more resembled a spear. Topped with a cobra like serpent's head, its jaws open wide with venomous fangs gleaming, and ending in a sharp, lethal spear tip, it seemed designed to pierce opponents through.

Snake Lady examined Ye Tianxin intently. Her balanced posture exuded strength, and the way she held her spear suggested rigorous training. It was clear this young girl could respond quickly to any attack from any direction, likely having been taught by a true spear master.

And indeed, Ye Tianxin's combat training had been personally overseen by her father, Ye Wen, as well as by Ah Yin. Her specific mastery of the spear came from none other than Yang Wudi himself the top expert of the Po Clan. In the current era, none could rival the skill of the Po Clan in the art of spear fighting.

Ye Tianxin, in turn, evaluated Snake Lady with excitement. She had sparred countless times in the academy, even advancing to the Gold Soul Fighter rank. But this was her first real battle against a seasoned Soul Emperor, and the intensity made her blood boil.

To a soul master, the martial soul is both weapon and partner. While the master seeks to control it, the martial soul also influences its wielder. The Blue Gold Overlord Spear, with its core essence rooted in the blood of the Fire Dragon King, made Ye Tianxin thirst for combat and left her with a bit of a combative edge. Ye Wen, her father, had long noted this outcome. While he himself was a man of reason, he knew his children did not need to follow his path exactly. To rise to the pinnacle of a weapon spirit master, one had to possess a rare combination of obsession and daring.

Though both remained in place, Ye Tianxin's patience wore thin. Her father's teachings emphasized waiting for an enemy's weakness, but her favorite strategy was that the best defense was a direct offense. With the distance between them, both fighters had ample time to prepare. Ye Tianxin chose to bolster her own power first.

"First Spirit Skill: Sharpen Increases weapon's sharpness by 50%."

"Second Spirit Skill: Blaze Ignites the Blue Gold Overlord Spear with intense fire, raising its temperature by 10% and damaging nearby foes."

Although the two were separated by more than ten meters, Snake Lady felt as if she were engulfed in a sea of flames, sweat dripping down her brow. She knew she couldn't delay any longer; the longer she waited, the more she'd be at a disadvantage.

Gritting her teeth, she launched her attack. Ignoring her two hundred year spirit skills, which would be useless against this monster of a girl, she activated her fourth skill instead.

"Fourth Spirit Skill: Constricting Python!"

The snake head on her staff seemed to come to life, growing in size and lunging at Ye Tianxin with a venomous maw wide open, as though aiming to swallow her whole. Watching this assault, Ye Tianxin was intrigued. This was different from the conventional attacks of the weapon spirit masters she was used to.

The previously inanimate staff head now moved as if alive, yet to Ye Tianxin, it seemed almost childish.

"An assault skill? No, it's a control skill. Clever but useless," she observed.

Had Snake Lady's skill summoned hundreds of snakes, Ye Tianxin might have been hard pressed. But a single snake lunging forward was easy to evade, even if it seemed quick to an ordinary observer.

"Flash Step " With a swift sidestep and burst of speed, Ye Tianxin dodged and charged straight toward Snake Lady. The sudden burst in speed allowed her to close the gap between them in a heartbeat, her Blue Gold Overlord Spear aimed right at Snake Lady. However, she noticed a sly smile form on the older woman's face.

Something was off. Recognizing the danger instinctively, Ye Tianxin braced herself.

"Fifth Spirit Skill: Serpent Cataclysm!"

The moment Ye Tianxin stepped onto a patch of ground, a circle of glowing light activated beneath her, and countless serpents made of spirit energy emerged, coiling around her.

"Don't underestimate the old guard, little girl," Snake Lady taunted.

Her granddaughter, Meng Yiran, watched with admiration. "One more ten thousand year ring, and what did it get her?" she thought. "She still fell right into Grandma's trap."

But then Snake Lady realized something was wrong. The distant spectators the students seemed unperturbed, as if unbothered by their leader's entrapment.

"What's going on? Why aren't they worried for this girl? Could she really be Master Ye Wen's daughter?" she thought.

What's more, the entrapment spell hadn't fully set in. Normally, once the enemy was completely ensnared, the serpents would form a solid sphere around them. But her fifth spirit skill was still active, even though it should have locked her opponent in place by now.

Glancing anxiously toward the Serpent Cataclysm, Snake Lady's eyes widened in shock. The bluish purple aura of her serpentine spirits was beginning to turn red. Then, as if melting from within, the serpents burned away, revealing Ye Tianxin within, steadying herself on her spear.

"That's quite the nauseating, terrifying skill, Senior," she remarked. "I hadn't expected you to possess such a rare, area triggered spirit skill."

Snake Lady forced a shaky smile. "If anyone's terrifying here, it's you, girl. My fifth skill may be shy of ten thousand years, but at nine thousand, it shouldn't have been this easy for you to resist."

"Steel Form. I'm sure you know it, Senior. Now, let's begin round two. Try not to die I won't hold back this time," Ye Tianxin said, her tone now intense and eager to unleash her fury. Though bold and free spirited, she was still young, and the sensation of dozens of venomous spirit serpents slithering near her had deeply unsettled her.

From the side, Ye Tianchen and Ye Tianshui couldn't help but chuckle at their sister's agitation. They knew their elder sister all too well.

"She's angry!" they thought.

"You two just wait when we get back, I'll drill you hard!" Ye Tianxin snapped.

"What? How'd we get dragged into this? Can't we even laugh a little? So sensitive," they muttered under their breath, feeling helpless. Knowing full well they couldn't argue with her, they merely watched the duel in silence.

The other students nearby stifled their laughter, familiar with the playful tension between the three siblings.

"Still distracted in a duel, are we?" Snake Lady taunted.

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