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The strength of a soul master could often be gauged by their final soul ring, as it represented both the soul master's capacity to endure and their underlying potential.
Though this method wasn't entirely accurate, it still held some merit.
Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang's sixth soul ring, originating from a 20,000-year-old snake spirit beast, was already considered formidable among ordinary soul masters.
On one side stood an elderly woman in her twilight years; on the other, a youthful maiden in the prime of her life. Neither was willing to back down, their gazes locked firmly on each other.
Snake Granny's Serpent Staff was more accurately described as a Serpent Spear.
At the top of the martial soul was a snake head resembling that of a cobra, its jaws wide open with sharp venomous fangs. Below it was a razor-sharp spear tip, exuding an aura of lethal precision—capable of piercing through flesh with ease, leaving gaping holes in its wake.
Snake Granny carefully studied Ye Tianxin. Her proportions were well-balanced, radiating a sense of power.
Her stance with the spear was impeccable, suggesting she could react swiftly to attacks from any direction. This was undoubtedly the result of training under a master spear user.
As Snake Granny suspected, while Ye Wen and Ah Yin handled Ye Tianxin's daily education, her combat training had been overseen by Yang Wudi. In this era, when it came to spear mastery, none could surpass the Breaking Clan.
Ye Tianxin, in turn, observed Snake Granny. Though she frequently sparred with others at the academy and had even advanced to the Gold Spirit Battle level, this was her first time facing a Soul Emperor-level opponent in a spirit battle.
The thought of battling a Soul Emperor sent a surge of excitement coursing through her veins.
The relationship between a martial soul and its soul master was deeply intertwined. While soul masters sought to master their martial souls, the martial souls also influenced their masters. The blood of the Fire Dragon King within the Blue-Gold Tyrant Spear instilled an insatiable thirst for battle, which Ye Tianxin had inherited, developing a fondness for combat.
Over the years, Ye Wen hadn't been surprised by this outcome. He was a rational man, but his children didn't need to follow the same path. To reach the pinnacle of weapon-type martial souls required an obsession and courage beyond that of ordinary people.
Neither side rushed to attack immediately, but Ye Tianxin grew impatient. Though she had been taught to plan before acting and exploit her opponent's weaknesses, her preferred strategy was simple: the best defense was a strong offense.
The distance gave both sides ample time to prepare. Ye Tianxin wasted no time enhancing herself.
"First Soul Skill—Sharpness: Increases the sharpness of my martial soul by 50%.
Second Soul Skill—Blaze: Amplifies the extreme fire within the Blue-Gold Tyrant Spear by 10%, enveloping my body and retaliating against enemies."
Though they were over ten meters apart, Snake Granny felt as though she were facing an ocean of flames. Sweat dripped uncontrollably from her brow.
"I can't delay any longer, or my disadvantage will become even more apparent."
Gritting her teeth, Snake Granny launched her attack.
She didn't bother using the skills from her first two hundred-year soul rings—their effects would be negligible against this monstrous opponent, only wasting her soul power.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Constricting Python!"
Snake Granny's Serpent Staff wavered, and the previously statue-like snake head suddenly expanded, lunging toward Ye Tianxin with its gaping maw, intent on biting her.
Watching Snake Granny's soul skill, Ye Tianxin's eyes flickered with curiosity. This was entirely different from the weapon-type soul masters she usually faced.
What had once seemed like an inanimate object now moved like a living creature.
But to Ye Tianxin, such an attack was child's play.
"A power-type soul skill? No, a control-type soul skill. Unfortunately, it's useless."
If Snake Granny's attack had summoned hundreds of snakes, Ye Tianxin might have found it troublesome. But a single snake charging directly at her was easy to recognize and evade—even if its speed seemed blindingly fast to outsiders.
"Shave"
With a simple sidestep and burst of acceleration, Ye Tianxin charged straight toward Snake Granny.
The astonishing speed caused them to pass each other in an instant.
The Blue-Gold Tyrant Spear in Ye Tianxin's hand pointed directly at Snake Granny, seemingly about to pierce her through. However, Ye Tianxin noticed the sly smile on Snake Granny's lips.
'A trap!' Ye Tianxin instinctively realized.
But even at this high speed, Ye Tianxin's movements stiffened slightly.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Python Disaster!"
In the moment Ye Tianxin passed a patch of grass, a bright light erupted from the ground. Countless pythons made of soul power surged forth, enveloping her completely.
"Don't underestimate your elders, little girl," Snake Granny declared arrogantly.
Beside her, Meng Yiran gazed at her grandmother in admiration. So what if the girl had an extra ten-thousand-year soul ring? She'd still fallen for the trap.
However, Snake Granny soon sensed something amiss. The expressions of the young spectators nearby were far too calm.
'What's going on? Why aren't they worried about this girl? Could she really be Master Ye Wen's child?'
'No, why is my fifth soul skill still active? After trapping the enemy, it should've locked them in place, forming a tight ball of snakes.'
Panicking, Snake Granny quickly recalled her martial soul and nervously stared at the area of the Python Disaster.
Amidst the swirling greenish-purple soul power, a faint red glow began to seep through.
In the next instant, the eerie sight of the Python Disaster began to burn away inch by inch, revealing a figure holding a long spear upright.
"That's quite a disgusting and terrifying soul skill, Senior Snake Granny. I never expected you to possess such a rare trigger-type area-of-effect soul skill."
Forcing a strained smile, Snake Granny replied, "The truly terrifying one here is you, girl. My fifth soul skill may not be ten thousand years old, but it's still nine thousand years. And yet you endured it without so much as a sound."
"Just a basic technique, Senior. Let's begin the second round. Don't die—I won't hold back."
Though Ye Tianxin was bold and somewhat unrestrained, she was still a girl. Being surrounded by slippery, venomous soul-powered snakes left her thoroughly disgusted, and she was eager to vent her anger.
"Pfft—" From afar, Ye Tianchen and Ye Tianshui couldn't help but laugh. They knew their eldest sister all too well.
Anger!
"You two wait till we get back—I'm going to train you hard!"
'Oh no, innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire! Can't we even laugh? How petty…'
But with the bloodline suppression from their eldest sister, the two siblings dared not resist. They could only look on pitifully as the spirit battle continued.
Learning from past mistakes, the surrounding students covered their mouths, trying not to laugh as they watched the three siblings' antics.
"To think you dare lose focus while fighting me, little girl. How arrogant."
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