章 49: Chapter 49: Just Practicing Sword Skills

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"You brat, prepare to die!"

Zhu Gangyong looked at Zeng Yi and let out a furious roar that echoed through the entire arena. A powerful soul force burst out from his body, creating a wave of energy that rustled his clothes and long hair.

Meanwhile, Zeng Yi stood silently on the side, watching this man as the gusts of wind caused by his rage lifted his clothes and hair.

He doesn't even release his soul force? Not even using his soul rings? Does he think he's looking down on me?

Seeing Zeng Yi standing there with his hands crossed, not making any movements, Zhu Gangyong became even angrier and vowed to cripple this man.

"Rock-Steel Body!" Zhu Gangyong bellowed, coating his body with a layer of reddish-brown soul force, turning himself into something resembling a suit of armor.

This was his third soul skill, the Rock-Steel Body. It was a state-based skill that increased his defense by fifty percent and attack power by twenty percent, lasting for ten minutes.

Feeling the surge of power, Zhu Gangyong grinned wickedly. His massive hand suddenly clenched, and his body quickly bent down as he unleashed a powerful punch towards the ground.

BOOM~

A loud rumble shook the arena as stones flew and a large crater formed on the ground.

As Zeng Yi watched Zhu Gangyong's actions, he felt something strange. However, he soon sensed a strong force of soul power coming towards him.

Under my feet!

This thought flashed in his mind, and he immediately reacted. He exerted force with his feet, propelling his body high into the air, and suddenly, two colossal rock fangs shot out from the ground, changing the terrain.

So this is his soul skill? The ability to control rocks and earth. Not bad.

Zeng Yi thought as he looked at the rock fangs beneath his feet.

"Hehehe, this is my first soul skill, Rock Fang Thrust. But you have good vigilance. However, you're now in the air. Let's see how you deal with this attack!" Zhu Gangyong laughed wickedly as he concentrated his soul force again. The soil-colored soul force condensed on his sharp fangs, seemingly containing tremendous power.

"Second soul skill, Steel Fang Rush!"

With a roar, the entire arena reverberated with an illusory sound of a raging pig. Zhu Gangyong's two sharp and cold steel fangs emitted two powerful light waves, tearing through the air with lightning speed, creating explosive sonic booms as they rushed towards Zeng Yi in mid-air.

The shockwave in his pupils grew larger, but Zeng Yi remained calm, his expression unchanged.

Don't villains die from talking too much? How long has it been, and you've already revealed all your soul skills. It's hard for me to even want to win!

Zeng Yi truly felt speechless at this man's behavior. He had to shout even when releasing a skill, as if he was afraid others wouldn't know.

He could sense the power of this shockwave, but there was no need for him to take it head-on. No matter how powerful a move is, it's meaningless if it doesn't hit its target.

The wind gathered under his feet, providing a point of force. With a strong push, Zeng Yi's body instantly disappeared and easily dodged the attack in mid-air.

BOOM~

The shockwave exploded in the air, creating a thunderous roar.

"Hahaha, you dare to play tricks in front of me, and now you're left with nothing! Hahaha~"

Seeing the beautiful fireworks in the air, Zhu Gangyong burst into laughter. Although this was the Gamble Zone where killing was prohibited, accidents could happen during battles. For example, when the opponent couldn't even surrender, they would disappear just like now.

"Could you shut up? Your laughter is really annoying."

A faint voice echoed from behind Zhu Gangyong, instantly silencing his laughter.

How is this possible? When did he appear behind me? I didn't feel any presence at all.

This realization sent shivers down Zhu Gangyong's spine, and he immediately turned around, seeing Zeng Yi standing ten meters away.

"You escaped my attacks, is this your soul skill?" Zhu Gangyong asked coldly.

"You can think whatever you want!" Zeng Yi replied lightly, nonchalantly.

Watching Zeng Yi, Zhu Gangyong's expression also turned serious. At that moment, he realized that he had underestimated this person. He wasn't so easily defeated.

Oh! Are you starting to be wary? Then I'll be more serious!

Seeing Zhu Gangyong's expression, Zeng Yi smirked. He reached for the hilt of his sword at his waist, unsheathing the Ronin sword.

Shing~

A sharp coldness surged forward, causing Zhu Gangyong's hairs to stand on end. In his eyes, a growing silver sword aura became more and more prominent.

Danger!

Two massive muscular arms quickly crossed in front of him.

Clang~

A clear resonating sound echoed as Zhu Gangyong was pushed back several steps by the powerful sword aura. The arm that blocked the attack emitted a burst of white smoke before dissipating, leaving a white sword mark on it.

"Hahaha, you might be fast, but it seems you can't break through my defense. Hahaha." Seeing this, Zhu Gangyong mocked Zeng Yi. But he knew that although he said that, his arm was trembling and numb from the impact.

Zeng Yi merely smiled faintly, pointing his sword horizontally. His gaze locked onto Zhu Gangyong, with his eyes as cold as a sword.

"Didn't expect your skin to be so thick."

"But..."

"How many strikes can you withstand from me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Yi exerted force with his foot, propelling his body forward. The blade flickered with a chilling light as it directly aimed at Zhu Gangyong.

"Arrogant!" Zhu Gangyong roared in anger and shook his soul force, charging towards Zeng Yi.

He had witnessed Zeng Yi's speed and believed him to be an agility-based soul master, skilled in speed. Meanwhile, he considered himself an attack-based soul master and couldn't understand why an agile attacker like Zeng Yi dared to confront him directly.

Zeng Yi's actions instantly infuriated Zhu Gangyong.

Zhu Gangyong's figure rushed forward like a raging, wild boar, swinging his enormous, rock-like fists, enveloped in soul force, towards Zeng Yi.

"Die!"

Zhu Gangyong shouted in anger as he punched towards Zeng Yi.

He hit him!

Seeing the strike connecting, Zhu Gangyong's face brightened, but soon he sensed something was wrong. He didn't feel any impact as his powerful punch passed right through Zeng Yi's body.

It's an afterimage!

Zhu Gangyong immediately realized his mistake, and a cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

"Eyes can sometimes deceive you."

A faint voice came from behind him, accompanied by a chilling coldness.

Slice!

Clang~

The sword struck as if it hit a steel wall, making a trembling sound.

This situation startled Zeng Yi. His strike only left a cut on Zhu Gangyong's back.

"Seeking death!"

A surge of pain rushed to Zhu Gangyong's brain, making him scream in anger. He quickly turned around and smashed his fist towards Zeng Yi's body.

Boom!

This attack missed again, dodged by Zeng Yi's agile body movement. It hit the ground, causing a thunderous boom and sending stones flying.

"Damn it!" Zhu Gangyong shouted in rage, venting his frustration. None of his attacks had landed on Zeng Yi, while Zeng Yi, with his agile moves, kept toying with him like a monkey. How could this not make him furious?

"Rock Fang Thrust!"

Zhu Gangyong placed his palms on the ground and transmitted his soul force into it. From a distance, Zeng Yi could clearly feel several streams of soul force rapidly approaching him from underground.

Boom!

...

Giant rock fangs continuously erupted from beneath him, altering the terrain. However, Zeng Yi's agile body perfectly dodged each attack, rendering Zhu Gangyong's offense ineffective.

"He's so strong! I didn't expect this young man to be so powerful. It's the first time I've seen Zhu Gangyong in such a miserable state."

"Indeed, but it seems like his attacks don't pose much of a threat to Zhu Gangyong!"

"Yes, now let's see who exhausts their soul force first."

The king-level powerhouses in the spectator stands watched the intense battle, expressing their opinions.

"But come to think of it, we haven't seen that young man using any soul skills. We don't even know what his soul rings are."

"..."

One of them spoke up, and upon hearing this statement, the other powerhouses fell silent.

Seeing that his attacks were ineffective, Zhu Gangyong stopped. Continuing would only waste his soul force.

He looked at Zeng Yi warily, breathing heavily, realizing that his attacks had consumed a considerable amount of soul power.

"Your attacks have no effect on me. If we continue like this, it will only be you who loses. Admit defeat! I acknowledge your strength," Zhu Gangyong said solemnly to Zeng Yi.

Hearing his words, Zeng Yi couldn't help but laugh. My attacks don't work, and you can't hit me! Seeing how your soul force is depleting, it won't take long before you run out of energy. Then what's the point of fighting me? And you ask me to admit defeat?

One has to admit, this guy has a twisted logic.

However...

You seem to have forgotten something!

Zeng Yi looked calmly at Zhu Gangyong and said nonchalantly, "Haven't you noticed?"

"What should I notice?" Zhu Gangyong was puzzled by Zeng Yi's words but also felt a sense of danger.

"Do you realize that I haven't used any soul force in our battle?"

Zeng Yi's words made Zhu Gangyong's eyes widen, seemingly unable to believe it.

Zeng Yi put away his sword and walked slowly towards Zhu Gangyong, speaking slowly, "Just now, I purely relied on my physical abilities, techniques, strength, speed, and body movement to fight you. I didn't use even a trace of soul force. In this scenario, you can't do anything to me and then ask me to admit defeat?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Yi stopped walking, and his gaze locked onto the astonished Zhu Gangyong. A hint of mockery appeared at the corners of his mouth.

I was just practicing my sword skills on you.

"But now, I'll be more serious."

Zeng Yi spoke lightly, took a step forward with his left foot, arched his back slightly, and firmly gripped the hilt of the Ronin sword at his waist. He released his soul force, but unlike others, it didn't erupt from his body with a strong momentum. It was very restrained, tightly enveloping every part of his body, emitting a stable aura. It appeared as a thin layer of pale blue soul force covering Zeng Yi's body, giving off a restrained yet mysterious feeling.

This was the embodiment of Zeng Yi's perfect control over his soul force, not allowing any wastage and enabling him to fully unleash his strength.

Watching Zeng Yi draw his sword, Zhu Gangyong couldn't help but gulp nervously.

W-What… What kind of joke is this? He can fight me like this without even using soul force? How would he fare using his full strength with soul force?

"I adm..."

Before Zhu Gangyong could finish his words, Zeng Yi's figure disappeared from his original position, instantly appearing in front of him.

So fast!

This was Zhu Gangyong's thought, as he couldn't even see Zeng Yi's body movements anymore. It was as if he teleported.

Swift as the wind!

Slash!

Two sword glimmers, too fast to be seen, flashed by. Zeng Yi had already appeared behind Zhu Gangyong.

You think Zeng Yi, as a swordsman, only knows those few soul skills from his soul rings? That would be too pathetic for a swordsman. Apart from the three soul skills granted by his soul rings, he knew many sword techniques; those were skills he comprehended after years of wandering battles, sword techniques for killing enemies.

Snap!

Two robust arms fell to the ground, bloodied.

Zeng Yi glanced at Zhu Gangyong, who had lost both arms, his eyes as cold as the Grim Reaper.

"Apologies! You were too slow to admit defeat."

Zeng Yi swiftly beheaded Zhu Gangyong's arms, the strike so fast that Zhu Gangyong couldn't even feel pain.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!..."

Soon after, the arena resounded with screams of agony.

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