"Wang Zhong, you will pay the price for your arrogance today!"
Zhang Shuai's obese little face contorted with anger, and the eyes that glared at Wang Zhong seemed to burn with raging flames.
Ever since he had swept away everyone with absolute strength in the first grade and earned the title of Little Overlord, Zhang Shuai had never experienced the taste of being challenged again.
He hadn't expected that after two years, someone would make him taste that feeling again, and moreover, it was a newcomer who had just obtained his first soul ring.
Surprise, bewilderment, confusion, and doubt, followed by an uncontrollable rage that nearly burned through his sanity.
He, Zhang Shuai, had been underestimated!
A mere soul master of level ten-odd actually believed he could defeat him, level twenty-six, who possessed the Iron Arm Great Strength Ape martial soul.
"Oh, challenging you is considered arrogance, is it!"
Wang Zhong crossed his arms and looked at Zhang Shuai with a teasing gaze.
"Then what would you call it if I said that in this challenge match, you are guaranteed to lose."
Zhang Shuai's little face immediately turned red with anger, his obese body trembling with rage.
"Wang... Zhong...!"
A furious roar erupted from Zhang Shuai's mouth. He stomped his foot on the ground, and his body lunged forward like a leopard.
The speed was astonishing, completely contrasting with his obese physique.
"Heh, not activating your martial soul, not using your soul skills, and just rushing forward so boldly, you really think you've already won."
"There's a limit to being conceited. I don't mind playing with you."
He extended his right hand, and a small, tender green sapling appeared in his palm, swaying gently in the wind. At this moment, the yellow soul ring beneath his feet began to spin.
"First Soul Skill, Thorn!"
As Zhang Shuai rapidly approached Wang Zhong while running, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. An extremely dangerous sensation rose from the ground beneath his feet.
As if by inspiration, he abruptly stopped. At that very moment, a wooden spike, as tall as a person, completely black, and emanating a steel-like hardness, erupted from the ground.
It was only an inch away. Had Zhang Shuai taken even a tiny step further, he would have collided with it head-on. Looking at the sharp tip of the spike that glinted with cold light, Zhang Shuai involuntarily swallowed.
If something like this had pierced him without activating his martial soul or using soul skills, Wang Zhong would have impaled him like a roasted fish.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Zhang Shuai's forehead, and his anger dissipated by more than half.
"Yo, such a nimble reaction. I thought I could pierce you in one go, but it turns out to be just a little bit short. What a pity."
Wang Zhong shook his head, feigning regret. If he could win this match easily, it would be a great fortune for him.
However, as Zhang Shuai of class two, he couldn't have earned such an arrogant nickname as "Little Overlord" without some real skills.
"However, you might not be so lucky next."
His gaze suddenly turned icy. Wang Zhong clasped the tree martial soul in his palm and said sternly.
"Thorn!"
Right beside Zhang Shuai, another identical spike appeared without warning, piercing fiercely towards Zhang Shuai's abdomen from the ground.
Already on guard, Zhang Shuai wouldn't let Wang Zhong succeed. The moment the spike appeared, he quickly dodged to the side, causing the second spike to miss again.
A hint of smugness on his lips, Zhang Shuai couldn't help but mock.
"Is that all you have..."
But before his taunt could escape, a third spike shot out from the ground. Its speed was incredibly fast, reaching Zhang Shuai's face in the blink of an eye.
He had to swallow his taunt. Zhang Shuai displayed agility and speed that were the complete opposite of his obese physique.
The third spike was dodged. Wang Zhong crossed his arms, and under Zhang Shuai's bewildered gaze, he grinned.
"Be careful, the real danger starts now!"
A bone-chilling cold swept through him from all directions. Dozens of spikes erupted from the ground simultaneously from different directions, attacking Zhang Shuai like lightning.
His face changed instantly. Zhang Shuai hadn't expected Wang Zhong's first soul skill to be capable of this.
"Martial Soul Infusion!"
Zhang Shuai roared. In the instant before the spikes hit him, he summoned his martial soul.
Immense strength instantly surged through his body. The muscles in his arms bulged to an exaggerated degree. With a powerful swing, all the spikes were forcefully broken.
"These spikes are so hard!"
Zhang Shuai felt the phản lực (backlash force) transmitted to his hands, his surprise immeasurable. A mere small spike had caused him, with his martial soul infused, to feel pain.
The Iron Arm Great Strength Ape was a powerful martial soul known for its strength and defense. How could a tree martial soul achieve this?
A sense of danger returned. Zhang Shuai knew this was a precursor to the next wave of attacks. Suppressing his astonishment, he quickly relied on the immense strength and astonishing defense gained from his martial soul infusion, and forcefully charged through the spikes. However, the spikes beneath his feet were like persistent maggots, clinging to him relentlessly.
Wherever Zhang Shuai ran, spikes would form around him.
At this moment, glancing at Wang Zhong, who stood with his arms crossed and a cat-and-mouse grin, Zhang Shuai almost bit through his teeth.
His gaze shifted, and Zhang Shuai made a move that surprised everyone. He turned his body and continuously ran towards the edge of the arena.
"I refuse to believe that with this intensity, your soul skill can cover every corner of this entire arena."
The smile on his face grew more radiant. Wang Zhong himself hadn't expected Zhang Shuai to make such a foolish move.
Reaching the edge of the arena, Zhang Shuai panted heavily and said with a triumphant smile.
"Wang Zhong, the diameter of the entire arena is a full five hundred meters. I refuse to believe you can still casually use your first soul skill and generate spikes here."
Wang Zhong chuckled and shook his head, slowly saying, "Should I call you clever, or foolish."
"That's right, every soul master's soul skills have a certain attack range. Once you exceed that range, the power of the soul skill will greatly diminish, and the soul power consumed will increase exponentially."
"It's just that I don't understand what basis makes you believe that my soul skill cannot cover the entire arena."
The smile on Zhang Shuai's face froze abruptly. Under his terrified gaze, Wang Zhong took a step back, turned his body, and swung his arm. With a cold shout, the entire arena began to shake.
"First Soul Skill, Thorn!"
Starting from Wang Zhong, spikes surged from the ground like bamboo shoots after rain, one after another. The sharp spikes pierced the air with an irresistible might, charging towards Zhang Shuai.
"Such fast soul skill activation speed! Such astonishing coverage!"
On the high platform, Ghost Douluo, who was usually taciturn, suddenly spoke.
"Yes, it's almost instantaneous!" Chrysanthemum Douluo also looked grave due to Wang Zhong's soul skill.
They had seen instantaneous soul skills before, but never had they heard of such casual and widespread instantaneous soul skills like Wang Zhong's.
Could such a soul skill truly be born from a mere hundred-year soul ring?
A doubt surged in both of their hearts simultaneously.