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The book The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls was indeed in Ning Tianchen's possession, and there was no need to hide it. He straightforwardly admitted to it.
"Master, do you have any advice for me? As for your work, I didn't find anything unclear."
As someone who had crossed over, and with the backing of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Tianchen rarely encountered soul master theories he didn't already know.
Yu Xiaogang chuckled lightly but didn't respond, instead urging the two to begin their sparring match.
"Tianchen, don't expect me to hold back during this match—you'll need to take it seriously as well. Teacher is here to guide us on issues we encounter during the fight," Tang San said with a smile, beckoning him forward.
Turning his back, Ning Tianchen couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Yu Xiaogang might be fine at watching duels, but could he really offer meaningful guidance?
It wasn't that Ning Tianchen looked down on him—it was just that Yu Xiaogang only had a soul power level of 29, and coming from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, he likely hadn't stepped onto a duel platform more than a handful of times in his life.
Without strength or practical duel experience, how could someone like him possibly offer them useful pointers?
Yu Xiaogang was still as confident as ever.
Once both sides were ready, Yu Xiaogang immediately announced the start of the sparring match.
As a control-type soul master with long-range attack capabilities, Tang San had no reason to wait and let Ning Tianchen make the first move.
"First Soul Skill: Entangle."
He was well aware that his only advantage over Ning Tianchen was that the latter didn't know the effects of his third soul skill.
The timing of its release would be crucial in gaining the upper hand.
Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass surged toward Ning Tianchen from all directions.
Ning Tianchen didn't activate any soul skills but instead drew his sword, unleashing a circular wave of sword qi that cleanly severed the nearby Blue Silver Grass.
"This level of attack power—no wonder it's the Seven Kill Sword martial soul. However, his Seven Kill Sword isn't pure; its surface also bears dragon patterns."
Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but inwardly commend him.
As for why Ning Tianchen bore the surname "Ning," he still hadn't figured it out.
The sparring continued.
Tang San didn't feel anxious after his initial attack was nullified. Instead, he closed in on Ning Tianchen, relying on close-range combat techniques from the Tang Sect while using the Blue Silver Grass as support in an attempt to suppress Ning Tianchen.
"Xiao San, you've always been confident. But this time, you're overconfident!"
The techniques of the Seven Kill Sword weren't limited to the Seven Kill Sword Arts. Many other moves simply weren't suitable for actual combat, which was why Ning Tianchen had never used them.
Now that Tang San had entered his rhythm of attack, there was no reason not to use them.
With a thrust of his sword, a burst of silvery-white sword energy erupted from the tip, sharp and aimed directly at Tang San's chest.
Relying on the enhancement of the Purple Extreme Demon Eye, Tang San dodged the attack by leaning sideways, his hands turning into a jade-like state as his body blurred into a ghostly shadow. Using the silvery-white sword energy as cover, he attempted to rush forward and grab Ning Tianchen's sword arm.
The Tang Sect's ultimate techniques: the Mysterious Jade Hands and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
"Second Soul Skill: Dragon Sword Protection."
The Seven Kill Sword was forcefully plunged into the ground, and countless soul swords erupted from its blade, forming a barrier of sword qi around Ning Tianchen.
With just his bare hands, Tang San had no way of breaking through the barrier's defense and was forced to abandon his attack.
---
Word of a duel between soul masters on Shrek Academy's main training field spread quickly.
Nearby villagers rushed over to watch the free-for-all spectacle.
The news soon reached the ears of the Shrek students.
Zhu Zhuqing hurried back to the dormitory to inform the two girls. "Tianchen and Tang San are fighting on the main training field. Let's go and stop them."
The two girls exchanged glances, finding it hard to believe.
After all, Tang San and Ning Tianchen had no direct conflict—how could they end up exchanging blows?
"Zhuqing, are you sure you heard correctly?" Xiao Wu couldn't help but ask.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't jump to conclusions. "I saw them fighting. The villagers said there's some kind of conflict between them, but I'm not entirely sure about the specifics."
Hearing this, the two girls breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Ning Rongrong said, "It's probably just a sparring match. Let's go take a look."
When they arrived, the sparring had already been going on for a while.
"Oh, isn't that Master Yu?" Xiao Wu smiled as she looked at Ning Rongrong and the others. "Don't worry, with Master Yu here, this should just be a friendly match."
Back at Nuoding Academy, whenever Tang San was bullied or targeted, Yu Xiaogang, even if too timid to step in, would at least voice his support for Tang San.
Clearly, this wasn't a fight born out of conflict.
The three girls relaxed and found a shady spot to watch the duel between Ning Tianchen and Tang San.
---
"Should I use hidden weapons?" Tang San hesitated internally.
Hidden weapons were tools for killing enemies—was it really appropriate to use them against classmates? But if he didn't, Ning Tianchen's sword techniques were something he simply couldn't withstand.
Still unable to make up his mind, he occasionally glanced in Yu Xiaogang's direction.
Yu Xiaogang, of course, wouldn't restrict him from using hidden weapons.
In Yu Xiaogang's plan, Tang San would defeat Ning Tianchen.
Afterward, he would step in to take Ning Tianchen as his disciple, leaving the latter feeling deeply grateful and bowing to his wisdom!
Thus, he didn't care what methods Tang San used to win this sparring match.
Ning Tianchen remained vigilant. Seeing Tang San's sleeves drop slightly, he didn't press his advantage recklessly, instead retreating with a quick withdrawal of his sword.
Sure enough, the next moment, several Bone-Piercing Needles shot out, emitting a chilling glow as they struck the spot where Ning Tianchen had just been standing.
"He dodged it." Tang San's face showed disbelief.
He truly hadn't expected Ning Tianchen to retreat so decisively despite having the upper hand.
Unable to grasp the finer details, Yu Xiaogang thought Tang San's use of hidden weapons was too obvious, allowing Ning Tianchen to evade.
"Xiao San, knowing yourself and your opponent ensures victory in every battle. You've already used these weapons during the entrance exam—they won't have the same surprise effect now," Ning Tianchen calmly remarked.
Ordinary hidden weapons didn't scare him. What he was wary of was the Tang Sect's special throwing techniques.
However, aside from Zhao Wuji and Ning Rongrong, no outsiders knew about his Winged Sword soul bone. Even if Tang San used special techniques to throw hidden weapons, Ning Tianchen still had means to secure victory.
"What a terrifying opponent," Tang San muttered, his brows furrowed tightly.
He had only used hidden weapons twice in public, and both times at extremely high speeds.
Even so, flaws in his technique had still been exposed.
An opponent like this was suffocating.
Tang San instinctively glanced at his left hand.
Against the attacks of the continent's number one weapon-type martial soul, perhaps only the Hao Tian Hammer could withstand the pressure.
Was he really going to reveal the Hao Tian Hammer in front of everyone?
Yu Xiaogang noticed Tang San's thoughts and grew genuinely concerned that Tang San might expose his trump card in order to win at all costs.
With this in mind, he stood up and announced, "Sparring matches are meant to be stopped when the point is made. Everyone, disperse."
Tang San stopped hesitating, gave Ning Tianchen a respectful bow, and then turned to walk over to Yu Xiaogang.
"So it really was just a sparring match," Ning Rongrong sighed in relief, patting her chest.
After a pause, she asked in confusion, "Xiao Wu, who's that bald-headed man? Why does Tang San listen to him?"
Xiao Wu explained, "He's Xiao San's teacher. I'll head over first—everyone will understand later."
With that, she ran off toward Tang San's direction.
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