Chapter 164: Gu Chen vs. Tang San
Tang San's eyes flashed coldly as two yellow and one purple spirit rings appeared beneath his feet. He advanced toward Gu Chen. He never went looking for trouble, but he never feared it either. This man was free to pursue Xiao Wu—that much he could accept, since he was well aware of his beloved Xiao Wu's great charm. But daring to say Tang San wasn't worthy of Xiao Wu was tantamount to inviting death.
"Since you say I don't deserve Xiao Wu, I'll just have to show you whether I'm worthy or not!"
"Tang San, Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, thirty-fifth rank Control-System Battle Spirit Elder—please advise."
"Gu Chen, Martial Spirit: Bone Dragon, fifty-first rank Defense-System Battle Spirit King—please advise."
Gu Chen crooked a finger, indicating for Tang San to make the first move. Without hesitation, Tang San lifted his right hand. Purple light sparkled and released in an instant; a large net of purplish hue enveloped Gu Chen tightly.
This was Tang San's third spirit skill—Spiderweb Restraint.
Tang San recalled clearly that in his previous life's battle against Tai Nuo, he nearly used all his techniques except for the Clear Sky Hammer, relying on the Eight Spider Lances to clinch victory. Gu Chen possessed a top-tier Bone Dragon Martial Spirit and had received the finest nurturing from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. He was certainly stronger than Tai Nuo. Now that Tang San's Eight Spider Lances had been taken by that traitor Qianrenchuan, he had to go all out to defeat Gu Chen.
At the moment the large purple net covered Gu Chen, Tang San dashed in using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. His right hand struck like jade, alternating punches and kicks, each blow targeting Gu Chen's joints with full force. The soil under Gu Chen's feet visibly sank from the impact.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amid this fierce volley of hits, Tang San suddenly noticed Gu Chen's mouth curving into a smirk. On reflex, Tang San leapt back several meters.
"Are you trying to tickle me?"
With a surge of spirit power inside his body, Gu Chen shattered the net without even using a spirit skill.
"Your Blue Silver Grass poison is indeed potent, but sorry—I'm a Bone Dragon. That little bit of poison does nothing to me."
Tang San's expression darkened. His Blue Silver Grass in this life was far too weak; furthermore, Gu Chen seemed unaffected by the toxin. His joint-based attacks were useless against Gu Chen's defense. This was the defensive might of the world's top Defense-System Martial Spirit!
"Now it's my turn."
Gu Chen charged. Despite being Defense-System, his speed was not at all slow. With his superior spirit power, he was faster than Tang San and each of his strikes packed a mighty punch. Tang San felt his blood surging in his body and had to rely on Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, a Tang Sect secret skill, to maneuver and hold his own.
"It's not fair! You're a Soul King, while Third Brother is just a Soul Elder. If he were also a Soul King, he definitely wouldn't lose to you!"
Seeing Tang San clearly at a disadvantage, Xiao Wu shouted angrily.
"What right does mere Blue Silver Grass have to compare with my Bone Dragon Spirit? Even back when I was a Soul Elder, I could've taken him down just as easily!"
Shadows of Tang San flickered around Gu Chen, who occasionally let out echoing bangs from his skeletal frame. Tang San seized each opening for a punch or kick, but Gu Chen stood firm.
Suddenly, Tang San's pupils contracted as his body abruptly halted—Gu Chen had seized him by the ankle. Gu Chen then slammed Tang San toward the ground. The Bone Dragon's defense let him afford any number of slip-ups, but Tang San couldn't afford a single one.
"Third Brother!"
"Xiao San!"
The Shrek Six Devils all felt their hearts jump. By then, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Yu Xiaogang had arrived, having heard about the fight.
Moreover, hearing that Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's top student—Gu Chen—was fighting for Xiao Wu, recognized as the academy's new goddess, onlookers had gathered. Truly, a beauty will cause great strife. Xiao Wu's god-given looks attracted countless admirers.
"Parasite! Blue Silver Binding!"
Tang San's second and first spirit rings lit up underfoot. Seeds of Blue Silver Grass he'd left on Gu Chen's body sprouted all at once, tightening around him. Though the vines were meant to restrain Gu Chen, Tang San instead used them on himself, letting them serve as a cushion to lessen the impact. He still spat some saliva when he hit the ground, but it wasn't quite as severe.
Taking advantage of two seconds of Parasite restraining Gu Chen, Tang San quickly broke free of his grip, flipping backward to open some space. He then pulled out a small black box, only the size of a palm, with clasps and locks, and dotted with tiny openings.
A Tang Sect hidden weapon: the Sand-Scattering Shadow.
Pffft-pffft-pffft-pffft—
A low hissing rose alongside a faint yellow mist. Thirty-six steel needles shot out.
Gu Chen's second spirit ring lit up at his feet. Finally, he used another spirit skill, having sensed danger in that yellowish fog. In an instant, the high-quality academy uniform tore apart like rags. His body swelled, and a layer of black bone armor covered his upper torso, studded with dark, razor-sharp spikes.
The thirty-six needles clattered against the armor with clear pings. All were deflected and twisted aside, unable to even dent it. Its defensive power was astounding.
A dark gleam shone in Tang San's left hand. The Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his grasp.
"The Clear Sky Hammer!"
No one knew who exclaimed it first, but all the noble students gathered from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy revealed looks of shock. They had assumed him a mere country bumpkin of some modest talent—never imagining he was a member of the Clear Sky Clan, first of the Upper Three Sects and famed as the world's top clan.
Even the head of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's administrative board looked delighted. They never expected that in this new intake, the academy had assembled disciples of all three great clans.
"Dean Flender," Zhao Wuji asked, "can Xiao Gang's disciple actually defeat Gu Chen?"
"Hard to say," Yu Xiaogang replied grimly. "Yes, the Clear Sky Hammer is called the world's number-one tool spirit, but without spirit rings, it only weighs about five hundred jin. Gu Chen's Bone Dragon is the strongest Defense-System Martial Spirit in the world. At the last Seven Great Sects re-election conference, it was said that the previous head of the Clear Sky Clan, the Tremor Douluo, couldn't fully break Bone Douluo's defense even after unleashing the full eighty-one strikes of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique."
"Dual spirits, huh?"
Caught between bystanders' admiration and astonishment, Gu Chen remained expressionless. Who cared if someone else also had twin spirits? He himself did as well—his second Martial Spirit was the Devour Soul Spider Emperor, which carried a vicious venom capable of harming not just an opponent's body but their very spirit. Its direct combat potential even surpassed his Bone Dragon. According to Bone Douluo, if he trained both spirits successfully, the Bone Dragon would be his unbreakable shield, while the Devour Soul Spider Emperor would be his sharpest spear. Mastery of both would let him dominate the continent for an entire era.
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