Chapter 67: Yang Xiong vs Tang San
Yang Xiong and Tang San stepped forward, about six meters apart, ready to begin their first soul battle.
Tang San spoke, "Yang Xiong, be careful. Although your combat ability is impressive, my Blue Silver Grass is much faster than before."
Yang Xiong smiled. "I've always wanted to fight you, and I'm curious to see how much this third soul ring has enhanced you."
Both of them held some caution towards each other. Tang San was a Soul Elder, a whole rank higher than Yang Xiong, and his combat ability was exceptional, having defeated Dai Mubai, who was physically stronger than him. After all, Dai Mubai had the added boost of his Beast Martial Soul.
However, Yang Xiong's impressive combat ability had surprised many. He had fought against both Ning Rongrong and Oscar in a soul battle, handling two top-tier Great Soul Masters simultaneously, and he hadn't even used his soul skills.
As the battle began, both displayed their martial souls and soul rings. A silver phantom surrounded Yang Xiong's body.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass shot out, rapidly darting towards Yang Xiong. It was clearly much faster than when he was a Great Soul Master.
But Yang Xiong was incredibly fast. He jumped out of the way, and the Blue Silver Grass surrounded the spot he had just vacated.
Yang Xiong moved quickly, his body incredibly flexible and fast. Though the Blue Silver Grass was elusive, its speed could not keep up with Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong cleverly avoided the pursuit of the Blue Silver Grass and gradually closed the distance to Tang San. Just as Yu Xiaogang had said, control-type soul masters can hold an early advantage, especially if they have a range attack, but they must be able to restrict the enemy. Otherwise, it's just a waste of soul power.
It seemed Tang San realized his Blue Silver Grass couldn't keep up with Yang Xiong's speed. He himself moved at an incredible speed, his body like a ghost as he approached Yang Xiong—this was his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step.
Seeing Tang San approaching, Yang Xiong smiled. If Tang San's soul power was deep enough, the Blue Silver Grass could indeed trap the enemy from afar. But what Yang Xiong lacked was long-range attack ability.
Even though Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step was very fast, Yang Xiong's tree-like body was not at all inferior. The two quickly clashed.
A punch from each collided together, and both of them were forced to step back several meters. In terms of strength and physical quality, Yang Xiong was clearly stronger.
But Tang San was more mysterious. His hands, as if carved from white jade, looked incredibly solid.
The Tang Sect martial arts were indeed like a cheat code for early-stage soul masters. After all, there were no similar martial arts in the Douluo world, especially when ordinary soul masters lacked self-created soul skills.
Tang San was also extremely surprised. His palm had struck Yang Xiong, but the moment his Xuanjade Hand touched Yang Xiong, he found that Yang Xiong's fist was harder than he had imagined, and his strength was much greater as well.
In just an instant, the two quickly exchanged several more blows. What started as a soul battle soon turned into simple hand-to-hand combat.
If Tang San was mysterious, then Yang Xiong was all about brute force. His fighting style was akin to martial arts sparring, a raw, unrefined approach compared to Tang San's more systematic foundation from the martial arts world. Yang Xiong had never been trained in martial arts, so his style was more direct and violent.
After several exchanges, Yang Xiong suddenly extended his fingers, which turned into sharp claws, slashing at Tang San. Even though Tang San's reaction was incredibly quick, one of his white jade-like hands was caught by Yang Xiong's claws.
But Tang San's Xuanjade Hand was much harder than Yang Xiong had imagined. Only five faint scratch marks appeared. Still, Tang San was shocked. He had never encountered anyone in the same level whose attacks could damage his Xuanjade Hand.
After a few more strikes, Yang Xiong suddenly felt his body's balance become unsteady. It felt like grabbing cotton. His hands involuntarily shifted. Tang San's hands seemed to generate a vortex-like pulling force. Before Yang Xiong could react, he was thrown off balance. Tang San's speed was astonishing, and he took the opportunity to land a kick.
Yang Xiong took the full brunt of Tang San's kick to his abdomen and was sent flying back several meters. This was Tang San's Control Crane Catching Dragon, a technique that relied on a light force to move a much heavier one.
However, with Yang Xiong's physical strength, such a normal attack had no real effect. In a flash, he flipped like a kite and rushed back toward Tang San.
At that moment, Tang San responded quickly, sending out countless Blue Silver Grass that seemed to be wrapping around Yang Xiong.
But Yang Xiong showed no fear of the Blue Silver Grass. His right hand slashed like a sword, and his palm turned entirely silver, looking like a real blade. He struck with all his might and cleaved the Blue Silver Grass apart.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was fast, but it lacked the necessary toughness. He was taken aback, watching Yang Xiong's hand blade, which seemed to resemble a sharp weapon martial soul. It was almost unimaginable.
Before Tang San could react, Yang Xiong quickly closed in again. However, Tang San was fast, and his Xuanjade Hands met Yang Xiong's attack.
The two fought for several more minutes. Yang Xiong was hit several times by Tang San, but even though Tang San was powerful, he couldn't cause any real damage to Yang Xiong.
The onlookers were confused. The battle between these two soul masters seemed more like a fight between regular humans, with more physical collisions than soul skills.
Yu Xiaogang's face looked extremely dark. He hadn't expected that Tang San was not using his Blue Silver Grass effectively. Instead, he was relying more on his physical strength and combat skills, behaving nothing like a control-type soul master.
The Control Crane Catching Dragon was undoubtedly the peak of Tang Sect techniques, relying on using force against force and soft techniques to overcome the hard. Even though Yang Xiong had trained his body combat techniques hard, he was still far from mastering them compared to Tang San. His physical strength seemed unable to be fully unleashed.
After countless more attacks, Yang Xiong found that his claw strike against Tang San felt like hitting cotton again.
But this time, Yang Xiong was prepared. His hands came together, and the once violent attack paused. His hands moved very slowly, forming a circle.
Tang San had intended to use Control Crane Catching Dragon to redirect Yang Xiong's force, but Yang Xiong's attack was completely beyond his expectations. It felt like he was caught in a whirlpool.
Even though Tang San's Xuanjade Hands attacked with full force, it felt like hitting a pile of cotton. It was as if Yang Xiong had also mastered Control Crane Catching Dragon.
Before Tang San could react, his hand seemed to be sucked in and twisted involuntarily. In that moment, although Yang Xiong's hands moved slowly, they formed a circular motion and pushed forward. It looked light, but Tang San was sent flying. This was the first time Tang San had been thrown.
This was Yang Xiong's use of Tai Chi Push Hands. Compared to Control Crane Catching Dragon's sophistication, Tai Chi Push Hands was like the culmination of Tai Chi. Yang Xiong had practiced it on Blue Planet, and anyone who practiced Tai Chi would be familiar with this technique.
At this moment, Tang San's face darkened. He had always had confidence in the Tang Sect's secret techniques, especially Control Crane Catching Dragon. Even against opponents stronger than him, he could still defeat them with this technique. It relied entirely on the Tang Sect's unique skills.
Although Tang San had taken a blow from Tai Chi Push Hands, he was incredibly determined. He quickly got back up and attacked Yang Xiong again.
Now, Tang San's movements were like a ghost, combining his Xuanjade Hands, Control Crane Catching Dragon, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step. Yang Xiong stood still like a mountain, his fists and palms constantly shifting to meet Tang San's attacks.
At this point, the battle between them seemed less like a soul battle and more like a martial arts duel.
Tang San continued to use Control Crane Catching Dragon, clearly trying to prove that the earlier hit was just an accident. In combat skills, he was absolutely more formidable than Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong's Tai Chi, though rough, was backed by his strong physical prowess. When it came to physical endurance, he was far stronger than Tang San.
After countless exchanges, Yang Xiong was knocked back more times than Tang San, but he occasionally used Tai Chi to push Tang San away.
The battle felt less like a typical soul master fight and more like an exhausting physical contest.
It was nearly ten minutes into the fight, and sweat started to bead on Tang San's forehead, but Yang Xiong showed no signs of fatigue. Clearly, in terms of stamina, Yang Xiong was far stronger than Tang San.
At this point, Tang San seemed to realize that if they continued this way, they would only fall into Yang Xiong's rhythm. It would be difficult to determine a winner. Even if it continued, he might be the one to collapse from exhaustion.
Especially since Yang Xiong's physical strength was far beyond what Tang San had imagined. Despite being hit multiple times, there were no signs of injury, and Tang San had held nothing back with his Xuanjade Hands and other methods.
Tang San realized that Yang Xiong's Tai Chi Push Hands was clearly more primitive than his Control Crane Catching Dragon, and even though he wasn't as skilled in it, he couldn't find any advantage over Yang Xiong. Moreover, it seemed that Yang Xiong was getting more proficient, making it harder for him to win through technique.
If Tang San was surprised, Yang Xiong, on the other hand, had relaxed a lot. He had always cultivated alone and had no idea where his fighting techniques' limits lay. Now, facing Tang San, a skilled fighter, it felt less like a battle and more like a training session.
As the battle progressed, Yang Xiong became increasingly skilled in Tai Chi, even beginning to understand its principles.
Tai Chi emphasizes overcoming hardness with softness and responding to change with stillness. Though it didn't seem strong at first glance, it contained profound wisdom. It included not just Yin and Yang but also the change between motion and stillness.
Especially as Yang Xiong's understanding of Tai Chi deepened, his soul power began to flow involuntarily, as if his Yin-Yang meditation had started to expand, slowly spreading from his body and head to his limbs and even into every cell.
After multiple uses of Tai Chi, Yang Xiong's soul power seemed to merge into one, no longer just a simple cycle, but more like a seamless blending of Yin and Yang, perfectly balanced.
(END CHAPTER)
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30st, get 40% off your subscription and 30% off your novel purchase.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10