Chapter 85: Dong Huang Appears, True Control of the Battlefield, The Might of Azure Star
Lin Qingmo stood calmly at the edge of the arena.
Within the barrier, every inch of land seemed to be part of his domain.
Blue Silver Grass was no longer just a simple plant—it had become an extension of his senses and limbs.
"Three steps to the left. Duck."
He spoke softly, his voice transmitted into Zhu Zhuqing's ears through soul power.
Zhu Zhuqing obeyed without hesitation.
A phantom vine swept past just above her head.
If she had been half a second slower, she would have been tightly bound.
"Front right—Hell Hundred Claws."
Zhu Zhuqing surged forward in one motion. Her second soul skill unleashed claw shadows like a torrential storm, raining down on the Iron-Armored Rhinoceros Soul Elder's armor.
Crack!
The armor finally began to split.
"Th-this… what kind of fighting style is this?!"
The control system Soul Elder, was already panicking.
His vines couldn't get anywhere near Zhu Zhuqing.
Every time he released a soul skill, Blue Silver Grass would emerge from unexpected angles, either intercepting his vines or directly shredding them.
Meanwhile, that Blue Silver Grass soul master had remained standing in the same spot from the beginning to the end—without even moving a single step!
The audience had already erupted into an uproar.
"My goodness! Azure Star's control over Blue Silver Grass is outrageous!"
"Outrageous? That's mastery beyond imagination! Look at that Blue Silver Grass—it's practically alive!"
"This isn't two-on-two combat; it's basically one against two with full-field support!"
"That Hell Spirit Cat is also very strong; her attacks are fierce and she doesn't waste any time."
"Wait… did you notice? That's Blue Silver Grass! The so-called trash martial soul, Blue Silver Grass!"
Below the stage, the Shrek group showed different expressions.
Flender pushed up his glasses, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Qingmo's control of Blue Silver Grass has reached an unbelievable level. Truly incredible. I never imagined the Blue Silver Grass martial soul could reach this extent."
He turned toward Tang San beside him and couldn't help asking,
"Xiao San, you and Qingmo both have Blue Silver Grass martial souls. Why can he control its growth, binding, whipping, and other forms without even releasing extra soul ring skills?"
As soon as the question was asked, everyone else looked over.
Dai Mubai stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but curiosity showed in their eyes.
Ma Hongjun spoke directly:
"Yeah, Xiao San, doesn't your Blue Silver Grass need soul skills to bind people? Lin Qingmo seems to control it however he wants."
"…"
Tang San fell silent.
He stared fixedly at Lin Qingmo in the arena, who was gathering the Blue Silver Grass. Beneath his mask, his face alternated between pale and flushed.
Why?
He also wanted to know why!
Every time he saw Lin Qingmo effortlessly controlling Blue Silver Grass without even lighting up a soul ring, he felt an indescribable frustration.
It felt as if… his first soul skill, Entanglement, was a completely useless skill, redundant and unnecessary.
But how could that be?
The teacher had said Blue Silver Grass was a weak martial soul and had to rely on soul rings to gain characteristics to become stronger.
His first soul ring came from the Datura Snake, granting Blue Silver Grass toughness and poison attributes. That was already the best development path for Blue Silver Grass.
Then what gave Lin Qingmo the right?
Could his Blue Silver Grass be different from mine?
Tang San took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his irritation.
"Everyone's martial soul develops differently."
"My Blue Silver Grass follows a control route, and my soul skill combinations were carefully designed by the Teacher."
After a pause, he added,
"And my Blue Silver Grass carries poison attributes—something Lin Qingmo doesn't have."
The explanation sounded somewhat forced, but at least it was an explanation.
Flender nodded and did not continue asking.
But inwardly, he thought: Poison attribute? Why haven't I seen it produce any real effect?
Xiao Wu curled her lips and muttered disdainfully,
"What's the use of poison? If you can't bind people, it's still useless."
Tang San heard her.
"…"
His fists clenched tightly, fingernails digging deep into his palms.
Just wait.
'When my Blue Silver Grass grows stronger… when I perfectly combine Tang Sect techniques with my martial soul… when my second martial soul begins to attach soul rings…'
'Then everyone will know who the true genius is!'
…
In the arena.
The two Soul Elders felt increasingly suffocated as the fight continued.
Despite their abundant soul power, they couldn't even touch the corner of Zhu Zhuqing's clothes.
They had tried targeting Lin Qingmo first, but massive Blue Silver Grass vines blocked their path.
Even more frustrating was that even the Rank 31 Attack System Soul Elder found it extremely difficult to destroy the Blue Silver Grass. Its toughness was astonishing.
Before long,
The Iron-Armored Rhinoceros Soul Elder was panting heavily. More than half his soul power had been consumed, and claw marks from Zhu Zhuqing covered his body.
The control system Soul Elder's face had already turned pale.
His vines were completely suppressed by Blue Silver Grass. The soul power spent on his skills had been wasted.
The two exchanged glances and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
"We… surrender."
The Iron-Armored Rhinoceros Soul Elder raised his hand through gritted teeth.
Continuing would only bring more humiliation.
The referee loudly announced:
"Qing-Zhu Duo—Victory!"
"We won!"
Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her martial soul, her chest rising slightly with her breathing.
She turned toward the calm figure standing at the edge of the arena, her eyes shining with excitement.
So battles could be fought like this.
So she could perform at this level.
So this was what it felt like to have someone fully supporting you from behind.
The two walked off the stage.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly stopped, turned around, and faced Lin Qingmo.
She bowed deeply, her black hair sliding over her shoulders.
When she raised her head again, her eyes were filled with sincerity.
"Ah Qing, thank you."
"Today's battle helped me understand that true strength isn't just power and speed—it's insight into the entire battlefield, and this reassuring sense of control."
"I've also seen my own shortcomings. I'll keep working hard to become stronger."
She spoke slowly, every word coming from the heart.
Lin Qingmo smiled and waved casually.
"No need to be so polite, we're teammates."
"And you're already excellent. You just needed an opportunity to fight without restraint."
"Actually, your battle instincts are very sharp. That feint-into-ambush at the third minute was perfectly timed."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened slightly.
"You noticed?"
"Of course."
Lin Qingmo blinked.
"I was watching the whole time."
A faint blush appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's face before she quickly suppressed it.
He was really paying attention to every one of her attacks!
After they returned, Dai Mubai's expression darkened when he saw them chatting and laughing.
Flender announced that today's tasks were complete and scolded Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Oscar.
Their team battles had ended in complete defeat, with no coordination whatsoever.
Even Flender felt disappointed.
Fortunately, Lin Qingmo, Xiao Wu, and the others had performed very well.
The scolded group left in low spirits.
Later, Lin Qingmo teamed up with the pouting Xiao Wu to form the "Qing-Wu Duo" and fought several two-person matches.
They won every match with ease.
Xiao Wu was already agile and hard to defend against. With Lin Qingmo's full-field Blue Silver Grass control, they were unbeatable at the Soul Elder level.
"This is so boring!"
After another victory, Xiao Wu pouted.
"Our opponents can't even touch our clothes, there's no challenge at all!"
Lin Qingmo laughed and rubbed her head.
"What kind of challenge do you want?"
"At least… at least someone who can exchange a few moves with us!"
"Then we'd probably need to raise the soul-fighting rank to Silver Soul or Gold Soul."
"Alright then, let's stop for today. Let's go."
As they chatted and laughed, the sky gradually darkened.
"Let's head back. We still have classes tomorrow."
Lin Qingmo glanced at the sky.
"Okay!"
Xiao Wu naturally linked arms with him.
They had just left the Grand Soul Arena and turned onto a relatively quiet street.
Suddenly,
A black-robed figure appeared three zhang ahead without warning.
It was as if he had always been there, just unseen before.
A powerful wave of soul power spread like a tide, and the surrounding air instantly became heavy and viscous.
Xiao Wu stiffened, instinctively trying to stand in front of Lin Qingmo.
But Lin Qingmo was faster, gently pulling her behind him.
His gaze fell on the black-robed figure, initially wary, but soon a smile appeared.
"Master!"
That familiar aura, especially the faint, refreshing fragrance, he would never mistake it.
It was his master, Sister Dong Huang.
The black-robed figure slowly raised their head. Beneath the hood was a mask, with only a delicate jawline visible.
Hearing Lin Qingmo's greeting, a soft laugh came from beneath the robe.
"Ah Qing."
End of Chapter