The scene was full of excitement, with cheers echoing throughout the crowd.
The host raised his hand high, his voice passionate and stirring.
"That's right, you heard correctly! It's none other than the newly enrolled student at Battle King Intermediate Soul Master Academy, the genius Fang Ling!"
"And he's a freshman with a crippled leg!"
The moment these words were spoken, the crowd erupted.
Crippled, genius, freshman, those three words together sounded far too strange.
"The other soul master, also making his first attempt at a life-or-death battle, is Cui Feng, a soul master with a Battle Bear martial soul and one soul ring."
"The crippled genius soul master Fang Ling from Battle King Academy versus Cui Feng with the Battle Bear martial soul, who will emerge victorious? Let's wait and see!"
The cheers grew louder as the audience eagerly looked toward Fang Ling, the so-called genius.
"Get on the stage now!"
"Yeah!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
People waved their arms, shouting encouragement.
Lin Tianyang was nervous to the extreme, tightly clutching his wife's hand.
Schumann Yun, as the assistant director of the infirmary, was used to dealing with injuries and had seen plenty of blood. She had already calmed down.
After the host left the stage, Fang Ling and the other soul master with the Battle Bear martial soul quickly entered the arena from the prep area.
The Battle Bear soul master looked about thirty years old, with a face full of coarse features and high cheekbones.
His narrow eyes and hooked nose made him look like trouble.
Upon seeing Fang Ling, he spoke arrogantly, just like the red-haired Fire Monkey soul master earlier.
"Cripple, you must've snuck in here behind your academy's back."
"A life-or-death fight like this is dangerous. I won't even bother attacking. Just jump down yourself and spare your life."
His hand-waving and irritated expression made it seem like he was shooing away a fly.
Fang Ling showed no reaction to his mockery. He didn't say a word, just drew his scythe.
The slightly tilted, silver-white blade gleamed coldly, leaving no doubt about its lethality.
As his martial soul appeared, the yellow soul ring around him lit up instantly.
Star Mole Transformation!
Nerve reflexes increased by 30%!
Fang Ling charged forward.
His usually bright eyes had turned deep and lifeless, like two pools of cold, dead water.
His footsteps were steady and silent, each step seemingly calculated to avoid wasting even an ounce of energy.
The Battle Bear soul master cursed him for not fighting fair and immediately activated his martial soul.
He was used to throwing his weight around. He had only come here due to recent debts, hoping to earn a quick payout.
He had expected to scare this crippled little soul master off without even fighting. But Fang Ling didn't say a word.
Of course he didn't, what was there to say to a dead man?
Points. It was all about points.
Fang Ling's eyes were as cold as blades. He watched as the Battle Bear soul master laughed grimly and activated his martial soul, a ten-year white soul ring lighting up.
As the soul ring glowed, a red light surged across his body.
His fierce eyes turned blood red, and a violent aura burst forth, as if he had lost all reason.
"Frenzy?" Fang Ling recognized the skill and felt a burst of joy inside.
This soul skill had powerful boosts to speed, defense, and attack.
Its most dangerous effect: it dulled pain.
Even though it was only a ten-year soul ring, the skill was comparable to a typical hundred-year one.
But it had a major flaw, it caused the soul master to lose rationality.
This was the trump card that allowed the Battle Bear soul master to dominate others. It worked well against most opponents.
Brute-force attacks empowered by the Battle Bear martial soul and the ability to ignore pain made him hard to beat.
He assumed the cripple couldn't move fast and immediately used his soul skill to try and finish him with one blow.
Unfortunately, Fang Ling was anything but slow.
He valued precision in combat, and his nerve reflexes were far above average.
For Fang Ling, this opponent had walked right into a trap.
Lin Tianyang saw the Battle Bear soul master's blood-red eyes and frenzied expression and immediately recognized the skill. He declared decisively:
"Fang Ling has won!"
"How can you tell?" Schumann Yun relaxed a bit, though her eyes still held confusion. "The other guy looks really strong."
"You'll see. Fang Ling's fighting style is an art form."
Schumann Yun said no more. The two focused their attention.
The Battle Bear soul master, in his berserk state, charged straight at Fang Ling. Fang Ling slowed his pace.
With a sideways jump, he narrowly dodged a full-powered punch.
His scythe sliced through clothing, leaving a shallow cut on the man's waist.
Not sharp enough, if he wanted to kill in one strike, he'd have to aim for the neck.
Having adjusted his strategy, Fang Ling began to provoke the opponent.
The frenzied soul master was easily baited and charged at him in large strides.
Fang Ling approached head-on, then suddenly ducked low.
He dodged the punch, hooked the opponent's leg with his own, then delivered a sharp elbow to the back, throwing him off balance.
He had already prepared, his scythe flashed.
Then Fang Ling quickly retreated with practiced timing.
The Battle Bear soul master let out a strangled cry.
It was the kind of sound only someone with a severed trachea could make.
His carotid arteries had been sliced on both sides, blood spraying like a fountain.
He tried to lunge at Fang Ling, but without blood supply, his eyes lost focus.
He flailed weakly, then collapsed.
The blood soaking into the floor made it even more slick, almost greasy underfoot.
The Battle Bear soul master, dead.
The host rushed onto the stage and checked, then passionately announced:
"In this life-or-death battle, the winner is Battle King Academy's genius soul master, Fang Ling! One victory recorded."
"Soul Master Fang Ling, please don't forget to register after you leave the stage and collect your gold soul coins."
"Mm, thank you." Fang Ling was pleased to see his points go up by one. He responded with a simple thanks.
"Good! That's the way!"
"Awesome!"
"Genius! Incredible!"
The audience had been completely fired up by what they'd seen in the arena. Their excitement surged from deep inside, wave after wave.
Their cheers roared like crashing waves.
Fang Ling raised his scythe to acknowledge the crowd, then quickly went to a designated area to clean the blood from his shoes before returning to the stands.
Seeing the worried faces of his two mentors, a bright smile appeared on his delicate face.
"Teacher, Mistress, I won."
"Happy just because you won? You were just lucky this time, you happened to meet someone who was weak against your skills!" Lin Tianyang looked pleased but still downplayed it.
"Yes, yes, thank you for the reminder, teacher. It was just one battle. I won't get arrogant."
His mistress Schumann Yun pinched his ear lightly.
"Of course you can't get arrogant, this is a life-or-death fight."
Under their guidance, a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Thanks to Fang Ling's exceptional talent for combat, whether effortlessly or through intense battles, sometimes suffering small injuries…
Over the course of a month, including the Battle Bear soul master, he participated in 13 life-or-death battles.
He won all 13. Killed all 13.
With 185 points earned, he advanced directly to the Bronze Soul Fighter rank.
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