Grumble.
Grumble.
Grumble.
...
A series of gulping sounds echoed from the edge of the arena, starkly conspicuous in the silent square.
The observing students had their mouths agape, their eyes constantly flickering, with expressions of astonishment, fear, and timidity frozen on every face.
"Is he, for sure, a first-year student like me?"
"Impossible! Heh heh, impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Some wore grimaces, clutching their heads tightly, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
"Can a human do such a thing? Hahaha... where did this monster come from!"
"I'll die, I'll die! Hahaha! Fighting someone like this, I'll die on the spot!"
Others stared blankly, laughing heartily, muttering incoherently.
"So this is your true strength, Wang Zhong!"
Under the healing of two support-type Soul Douluo, Feng Yuansheng, who had long since recovered, had his face covered in unwillingness. He glared at Wang Zhong, who remained in a sweeping posture on the arena, gnashing his teeth.
The colossal arena, at this moment, had transformed into two worlds centered around Wang Zhong. One half was the flat, solid stone slab, while the other had become a ferocious thicket of thorns!
Thick, sturdy spikes erupted from the ground, their sharp tips glinting with a chilling aura in the air. Densely packed, overlapping spikes of varying lengths seemed to block out even the sunlight in this forest of sharp points.
At the end of this terrifying thorn forest, countless spikes converged, forming a bucket-like hemisphere. Inside the hemisphere, a figure could be seen, his arms crossed over his chest and his legs in a horse stance, forcefully resisting the spikes, not taking a single step back.
Trickles of blood flowed slowly down the spikes, dripping and shattering on the arena floor.
"Zhang Shuai!"
"Zhang Shuai!"
From class 2-A, Pei Yan and another female classmate, Guan Si Yan, cried out in surprise simultaneously.
They had thought Zhang Shuai's challenge against Wang Zhong would be a simple, easily resolved matter. They had never expected such a result.
"Tsk, so tough, this damned monkey."
"Even this forest of spikes couldn't knock him down. The mutated Iron Arm Giant Strength Ape, with its immense strength and monstrous defense, is truly unbelievably strong."
"As expected of the 'little overlord' of class 2-A!"
Wang Zhong lowered his arm, clicking his tongue in disdain.
He had thought this move would be enough to send the unprepared Zhang Shuai off the stage, but the strength of the opponent's spirit was indeed beyond Wang Zhong's expectations; he had managed to withstand it head-on.
Truly monstrous.
"Wang! Zhong!"
A deep, hoarse voice echoed from within the thorn forest, carrying suppressed fury.
A gentle breeze, accompanied by faint soul force fluctuations, suddenly swept across the arena. The faint scent of blood carried by the wind made Wang Zhong subconsciously frown.
In just a few breaths, the wind grew stronger, and the soul force fluctuations became more pronounced. In the center, surrounded by numerous spikes, Zhang Shuai's muscles suddenly began to bulge. A terrifying soul force surged around him but was deliberately suppressed.
It felt like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
"You're going to die!"
Roaring to the heavens, the giant ape wildly pounded his chest. Zhang Shuai's suppressed soul force finally exploded at this moment.
Powerful soul force fluctuations spread outwards, shattering the spikes closest to Zhang Shuai into pieces.
Clasping his hands into fists and raising them high above his head, Zhang Shuai roared loudly.
"First Spirit Skill, Mountain Shattering Tremor!"
As his fists slammed down, a terrifying shockwave emanated from Zhang Shuai, spreading outwards in rings like waves.
Those hard spikes, upon touching these waves, instantly turned to dust.
As the spikes shattered, Wang Zhong's figure reappeared. Zhang Shuai's chubby face was flushed red with anger, his eyes seeming to spew fire.
"Wang Zhong, you deserve to die!"
"No one has ever injured me to this extent!"
Stomping his foot forcefully, Zhang Shuai used the powerful recoil to propel himself forward at extreme speed towards Wang Zhong.
In just two blinks, Zhang Shuai reached Wang Zhong. He clenched his right fist, terrifying soul force condensing upon it, and unleashed a punch, a powerful gust of wind hitting Wang Zhong.
"Good!"
Wang Zhong let out a cold snort and met the punch with his own fist.
One plump, the other lean, the two fists collided fiercely in mid-air.
Boom!
A powerful impact, like an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, surged upwards and swept in all directions.
A crack appeared on the arena floor beneath their feet, extending outwards from where Wang Zhong and Zhang Shuai were clashing.
"Is this the strength of the Iron Arm Mighty Ape spirit! It's truly powerful!"
Wang Zhong gritted his teeth, his trembling arms enduring Zhang Shuai's onslaught. Feeling the immense force transmitted through his arms, he sincerely marveled at the power of the opponent's spirit in his heart.
"What, Wang Zhong can't hold on already!"
"Where is your arrogance from before? Where is your confidence from just now!"
"Let me tell you clearly, I haven't even used my full strength yet!"
Zhang Shuai grinned menacingly and roared at Wang Zhong, his chubby little face contorted with bloodthirsty cruelty.
Although his body had suffered considerable injuries from Wang Zhong's previous attack, with several penetrating wounds on his shoulder and arm, these injuries were insignificant to Zhang Shuai after his spirit's embodiment.
"Second Spirit Skill, Berserk Strength!"
Wang Zhong's small face was filled with surprise, an expression of impending doom.
Before his eyes, Zhang Shuai's already thick arm grew even thicker, its size resembling two small water tanks attached to the sides of a large one, with two radishes inserted below, giving it a strangely comical appearance.
Despite the somewhat humorous exterior, the power was undeniably terrifying.
With strength several times greater than before transmitted through Zhang Shuai's fist, Wang Zhong's arm could no longer support it and was forced aside.
His chest exposed, Wang Zhong inwardly cried out.
"Not good, this is bad!"
Seeing this, Zhang Shuai's grin widened into a ferocious one.
"Wang Zhong, die for me!!!!!!!"
Holding nothing back, without any restraint, Zhang Shuai's punch, imbued with extreme ferocity, landed squarely on Wang Zhong's chest.
Facing such immense power, Wang Zhong's body instantly curled up like a shrimp and was sent flying backward, leaving a long, deep沟 on the arena floor.
"Zhong!" Hu Liena's face turned deathly pale. Her vision went dark, and her body swayed precariously.
To face a punch from an opponent empowered by spirit embodiment and a second spirit skill with flesh and blood alone, even few thirty-level defense-type Soul Masters could withstand it.
Furthermore, Wang Zhong was only level sixteen and an attack-type Soul Master!
"Nana, don't worry, Wang Zhong will be fine."
"Have you forgotten how he caught Feng Yuan's first spirit skill with his bare hands before?"
Xie Yue embraced Hu Liena's shoulders, comforting her softly.
"Wang Zhong's body is far, far stronger than you imagine for an attack-type Soul Master!"
Hu Liena gently pursed her lips. Though her complexion was not as pale as before, her eyes were filled with worry.