Douluo: The Ultimate Self

As the two exchanged blows in a seemingly endless struggle, Tang San suddenly shifted his stance. Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass erupted from the ground, wrapping around Yang Xiong from all directions. This was Tang San's first soul skill: Entanglement.

After such a prolonged battle, Tang San realized he couldn't rely solely on technique to secure victory. He had to use his soul skills.

The spectators were puzzled. Why had Tang San refrained from using his soul skills for so long? Was he holding back, or did he have another plan?

Even with Yang Xiong's incredible reflexes, his feet were completely ensnared by the Blue Silver Grass. The grass now possessed an unexpected resilience, its coiling strength far greater than before. Moreover, it sprouted jagged tendrils that pierced toward Yang Xiong's skin. However, they were repelled by his silver-hued skin, unable to penetrate as if striking metal.

Yang Xiong let out a fierce roar, and a surge of silver energy erupted from his body like an explosion. An overwhelming force radiated outward, shattering the Blue Silver Grass that bound him.

To everyone's surprise, the shattered grass released a toxin that caused a brief wave of dizziness.

Tang San's eyes lit up with excitement as he swiftly launched another attack. Clearly, he believed Yang Xiong had succumbed to the poison.

But Tang San had underestimated Yang Xiong. The toxins of the Blue Silver Grass were ineffective against him—he had undergone ice-and-fire body tempering.

In the blink of an eye, Yang Xiong struck unexpectedly, delivering a powerful punch to Tang San's chest. Tang San was sent flying over ten meters, crashing into the ground and leaving a one-meter-deep crater.

After a few seconds, Tang San scrambled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Tang San asked in confusion, "Yang Xiong, my Blue Silver Grass is venomous. How could you not be affected?"

Yang Xiong chuckled. "Sorry, Tang San. I've been tempering my body since childhood, exposed to countless poisons. Your Blue Silver Grass can't harm me."

Tang San smiled faintly. "Yang Xiong, your combat abilities are stronger than I imagined, especially your physical endurance. I admit I'm no match for you in that regard. Unfortunately, you've made a miscalculation."

Before Yang Xiong could react, he felt soul power fluctuations around him. Suddenly, countless Blue Silver Grass sprouted around his body, completely enveloping him.

This was Tang San's second soul skill: Parasitic. His earlier use of Entanglement wasn't meant to defeat Yang Xiong—it was a setup to release parasitic spores. After waiting so long, Tang San finally unleashed this move, aiming to cripple Yang Xiong immediately.

Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass swarmed Yang Xiong, surrounding him like an ocean. Sharp thorns protruded from the grass, attempting to pierce his skin. Tang San poured even more soul power into the attack, forming a massive sphere of dense grass.

Tang San smirked. "Yang Xiong, you're completely wrapped in my Blue Silver Grass. It's time to admit defeat."

But in that instant, Yang Xiong's figure vanished from the Blue Silver Grass. Appearing directly in front of Tang San, he delivered a full-force punch.

Though Tang San quickly countered with his Xuan Yu Hand, Yang Xiong's blow carried immense power, sending Tang San flying once again.

Yang Xiong shook his head as he gazed at Tang San, who was now bleeding from the mouth. "Tang San, you avoided using soul skills because you knew I had teleportation abilities. If you had continued relying on physical combat and techniques, I wouldn't have been able to injure you so easily. But you exhausted too much soul power and stamina by using two consecutive soul skills. Your body couldn't keep up with my speed."

Tang San wiped the blood from his lips. "True. I refrained from using soul skills because I knew about your teleportation. I didn't expect you to escape my spore trap through teleportation. That was my miscalculation."

"But what truly surprises me is how much stronger your skin and defense are than I anticipated. My plan was to pierce your skin with the Blue Silver Grass, and even if your defense held, the toxins would drain your soul power."

Yang Xiong smiled. "I once told you—I can function as both a power-type and agility-type soul master, as well as a defense-type soul master. For a defense-type soul master, your toxins are useless against me."

"Now that you've used two soul skills consecutively, you likely don't have much soul power left."

A resolute expression appeared on Tang San's face. "Though my soul power consumption far exceeds yours, don't forget—I still have my third soul skill."

Tang San's third soul ring glowed brightly, and within moments, countless strands of Blue Silver Grass filled the arena, covering nearly the entire stage. Even Tang San himself was within the range of the attack.

This was Tang San's third soul skill: Blue Silver Hurricane Array.

His intention was clear—to exhaust all his remaining soul power in a decisive strike. If Yang Xiong teleported out of the array, it would mean conceding defeat.

Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass surged toward Yang Xiong, moving faster than before. Their tips were razor-sharp, resembling the forelegs of a Hurricane Mantis—like scythes slicing through the air.

Especially dense clusters of Blue Silver Grass surrounded Tang San, all poised for attack.

Yang Xiong's lips curled into a smile. His entire body turned silver, from his skin to his muscles. He unleashed a flurry of punches, striking down the incoming Blue Silver Grass.

Although Yang Xiong shattered countless strands, more flooded toward him. This attack was far stronger than he had anticipated. Even his silver fists began to show traces of blood—the Hurricane Mantis had indeed made the Blue Silver Grass exceptionally sharp.

The third soul skill's formidable attack power was undeniable. Earlier, Dai Mubai had used both his White Tiger Protective Barrier and White Tiger VajraTransformation, yet he still couldn't withstand this attack.

But in that moment, Yang Xiong's figure vanished, reappearing directly in front of Tang San.

Tang San seemed prepared. All the Blue Silver Grass around him surged forward with tearing sounds in the air.

Yet Yang Xiong remained unfazed. Instead of using brute force, he quickly gathered soul power into his hand, forming a large blue sphere—his Rasengan.

Compared to his previous uses of the Rasengan, this one was significantly larger. While past iterations were about fifteen centimeters in diameter, this one was basketball-sized.

The Rasengan collided with the Blue Silver Hurricane Array. Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass were instantly shredded. Even Tang San's Xuan Yu Hand couldn't withstand the impact, shattering under the force. Tang San was struck heavily by the Rasengan, collapsing to the ground and coughing up blood.

The surrounding Blue Silver Grass lost control and gradually dissipated, as Tang San, the user of the soul skill, had been injured and nearly knocked unconscious.

Yu Xiaogang and Xiao Wu rushed to Tang San's side. Yu Xiaogang's expression was tinged with anger.

"Yang Xiong, why did you strike so fiercely during a friendly match between classmates?"

Yang Xiong glanced at Yu Xiaogang. "Master, I held back on my final attack. Otherwise, Tang San wouldn't have only sustained these minor injuries."

Yu Xiaogang seemed dissatisfied. "Did you forget that Tang San has an external soul bone? If he had used it, you wouldn't have defeated him so easily."

Yang Xiong replied, "Master, I advise you not to mention this. Tang San hasn't fully fused with his external soul bone yet. Using it recklessly would draw unwanted attention and put him in danger. You know the value of an external soul bone."

Before Yu Xiaogang could respond, Tang San gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Teacher, there's no need to say more. I lost this time. Yang Xiong, though I lost today, I won't lose so easily next time."

Yang Xiong nodded. "I look forward to our next battle. In terms of raw strength, if you hadn't exhausted all your soul power, you should have been able to withstand my final attack."

Tang San realized something. "So you've been deliberately wearing me down. You didn't use any self-created soul skills throughout the fight, waiting until I used my third soul skill before unleashing that attack. Did you anticipate that I wouldn't be able to withstand it at full strength?"

Yang Xiong nodded. "In terms of combat techniques, you're clearly superior, especially with your self-created soul skills. Blocking my attack wouldn't have been difficult. If you hadn't rushed to use soul skills, we would have kept wearing each other down indefinitely, and the outcome would have been uncertain. But once you used your soul skills, even though you're a full realm above me, your soul power consumption far exceeded mine."

Tang San laughed bitterly. "I understand now. You calculated early on that my soul power would run out, which is why you fought me purely with physical combat."

Yang Xiong shook his head. "Not entirely. In terms of offensive capabilities, I still can't match you. Physical combat is my forte, while you're more familiar with fighting using your Blue Silver Grass and self-created soul skills."

"Moreover, the gap in our soul power and soul skills is insurmountable. No matter what strategy you employed, you would eventually fall into my combat rhythm. Especially since your Blue Silver Grass couldn't penetrate my defense."

Though Tang San's expression betrayed his reluctance, he accepted the result without further argument.

When Yang Xiong returned to the group, Yu Xiaogang quickly asked Tang San, "Xiao San, how are your injuries? Are you alright? Let me take you for treatment."

Tang San shook his head. "Teacher, I'm fine. Yang Xiong held back on his final attack. Otherwise, I wouldn't have only sustained these minor injuries. Though I look battered, I haven't suffered serious harm."

After regrouping, Tang San rejoined the others.

Everyone looked at Yang Xiong with strange expressions. Despite enduring such an intense battle and being knocked down multiple times, he showed no signs of injury or exhaustion. It was as if the fight had barely affected him.

Yang Xiong's overwhelming combat prowess was terrifying. Tang San, after all, had defeated Dai Mubai—a top-tier Soul Elder.

Dai Mubai's expression was grave. He understood Tang San's combat abilities better than anyone else, yet Yang Xiong had defeated him so effortlessly. Did that mean Yang Xiong's combat strength far surpassed his own? After all, Dai Mubai was at level thirty-seven, ten levels higher than Yang Xiong.

What was even more astonishing was that Yang Xiong hadn't used a single soul skill throughout the fight. If he had, how much more powerful would he have been?

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