Chapter 37

As the announcement from the amplifying soul tool sounded, Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling walked onto the Dou Hun Tai one after the other, and opposite them, two men around twenty years old stared at them intently.

Their team is called the Bear Brothers; according to the data, the elder brother Xiong Da is a thirty‑sixth‑rank Strength‑Attack Battle Soul Lord with the Bear martial soul, and the younger brother Xiong Er is thirty‑fifth‑rank, also with the Bear martial soul.

They have already won two consecutive matches, and if they defeat Gu Xuan and his team, they can achieve three consecutive wins.

However, they have run into Gu Xuan, and winning is basically impossible for them; to be frank, Gu Xuan now handles this kind of melee Strength‑Attack opponent with even greater ease, because he doesn't need to seek them out—they come to him of their own accord.

Don't look at him being only thirty‑third‑rank; relying on his own deep foundation, with the boost from his first and second soul skills, he fears nothing even when facing the two Bear Brothers simultaneously, and what's more, he has Ye Lingling, a moving spring, with him.

One could say he now needs not worry about getting hurt at all, for Ye Lingling's healing ability is top‑tier; among peers, no martial soul can match the Nine Heart Begonia.

When both teams had arrived on the Dou Hun Tai, the host's voice rang out: "The two sides in the upcoming Soul Battle are the Undying Bone Dragon team and the Bear Brothers team; the Undying Bone Dragon team is a newly formed pair, while the Bear Brothers team has already won two consecutive matches, but we'll have to wait and see who ultimately comes out on top!"

As the host's voice sounded, the betting spectators began to cheer, each shouting encouragement for the team they had wagered on, hoping to lend them strength and thus win them more gold soul coins.

At this moment, the host's voice sounded again: "Both sides' soul masters have one minute to release their martial souls!"

After the host's words fell, the two Bear Brothers stood in a line, each with two yellow and one purple soul rings—three in total—rising from their bodies; thick brown fur grew on their skin, their bodies becoming somewhat larger, like living human‑sized bears.

"Xiong Da, martial soul: Bear, thirty‑sixth‑rank Strength‑Attack Battle Soul Lord!"

"Xiong Er, martial soul: Bear, thirty‑fifth‑rank Strength‑Attack Battle Soul Lord!"

The two brothers spoke in unison, and the three soul rings on their bodies floated and vibrated.

It must be said that, as the capital of the Tian Dou Empire, Tian Dou City's soul masters are of far higher quality than elsewhere; at least the opponents Gu Xuan has faced so far, all possessing optimal soul‑ring configurations, prove this point.

Gu Xuan gave Ye Lingling a reassuring glance, then lifted his right foot and stepped forward slowly; with each step he took, a soul ring rose from his body, and after three steps his body likewise displayed two yellow and one purple soul rings shining brightly.

His body did not undergo beastification; instead, a thin layer of silvery‑white bone armor covered it, the only change being his arms, which turned into silvery‑white bone claws with distinct joints—looking not frightening but rather giving an intensely dangerous shock.

"Gu Xuan, martial soul: Bone Dragon, thirty‑third‑rank Strength‑Attack Battle Soul Lord." Gu Xuan's voice sounded softly.

After Gu Xuan announced his martial soul, few people recognized that it came from one of the two guardian deities of the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect, Gu Rong, because Gu Rong's martial soul is an acquired mutation and nowadays hardly any soul masters encounter it, so those who know this martial soul can be said to be extremely few.

Yet those who had bet on Gu Xuan also cheered wildly; even though his soul power rank was not high, they had personally witnessed the battles of the Royal Battle Team and the Blazing Fire Team earlier, and thus they knew Gu Xuan's combat ability.

This is why, despite Gu Xuan's soul power being only thirty‑third‑rank, many people still placed bets on him.

As Gu Xuan spoke, Ye Lingling behind him also spoke: "Ye Lingling, martial soul: Nine Heart Begonia, thirty‑third‑rank Support Soul Master."

Both teams of soul masters had fully released their martial souls, and the host's voice sounded again: "The match… begins!"

As the host's words fell, Xiong Da and Xiong Er charged straight at Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling; both being Strength‑Attack types, their combat power was directly one greater than that of the Undying Bone Dragon, so taking the initiative was the optimal solution. As they ran toward Gu Xuan, the second yellow soul ring on each of their bodies lit up—this was their second soul skill, Bear Heavy Armor, which raises defense by fifty percent after use.

After releasing the second soul skill, the already burly duo grew somewhat larger, and as they ran, they seemed to make the Dou Hun Tai tremble.

The distance between the two sides was only twenty meters; although Xiong Da and Xiong Er were not speed specialists, with them sprinting at full tilt, that twenty‑meter gap vanished in an instant.

Gu Xuan did not take the initiative; instead, his two yellow soul rings lit up in succession, his silvery‑white bone claws turning dark‑gold, his entire aura reaching its peak, and his one‑against‑two presence showed no weakness whatsoever.

"Little brother, take down this kid first; that support‑type soul master's ability is merely healing—if we get him, we win." Xiong Da said this while charging at Gu Xuan, speaking to Xiong Er beside him.

Xiong Er nodded honestly, shifting his gaze from Ye Lingling to Gu Xuan, his fighting spirit blazing.

Two against one, he didn't believe they could fail to take down a mere thirty‑third‑rank Soul Master.

"Thump!"

Xiong Da's bear paw arrived first; Gu Xuan raised his dark‑gold bone claw to block it, and Xiong Er's attack followed closely, Gu Xuan's two bone claws each blocking one of their bear paws.

Upon contact, Xiong Da and Xiong Er's eyelids twitched wildly; as the attackers, they felt a piercing pain where their thick bear paws met Gu Xuan's dark‑gold bone claw, and if Gu Xuan exerted a bit more force, he could likely pierce straight through their paws.

Gu Xuan raised his arm to parry, then suddenly exerted force from his calf and waist to flick their bear claws aside, advancing to meet them head‑on, holding his own against two opponents without loss.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er were greatly shocked inside, for Gu Xuan's strength was not inferior to theirs—in fact, it was even greater, and his attack power was simply terrifying.

With each collision against Gu Xuan, their bear claws felt a piercing pain, forcing them to pull back to keep their paws from being lacerated by his sharp claws.

"Little brother, hold nothing back—this kid is a tough nut." Xiong Da roared angrily: "First soul skill: Bear Mighty Palm!"

Xiong Er also released his first soul skill at the same time Xiong Da used his, and his first soul skill was likewise Bear Mighty Palm.

After using the first soul skill, the brothers' bear paws swelled by one layer, encased in a sheath of soul‑power armor, greatly increasing both their attack and defense.

The two attacked Gu Xuan simultaneously; he blocked Xiong Da's assault with his pair of bone claws, while his right leg whipped out like a lash toward Xiong Er.

After blocking Xiong Da's bear paw, Gu Xuan defended with his right arm, and his left dark‑gold bone claw thrust out like a venomous snake toward Xiong Da's chest.

The fierce battle was about to erupt! ps: Typos will be corrected later.

(End of chapter)