Chapter 166: Battle of Shuang Lan

Amidst the cheers of the expectant crowd, Ning Feiliu and Shuang Lan stepped onto the Douhun Platform together.

The host went through the procedure once more, and then Ning Feiliu and Shuang Lan released their martial souls simultaneously.

"Black Night Silent Illumination! Moonlight Fills the Sky!" Ning Feiliu's soul power erupted, and two strange martial souls instantly appeared in his hands.

One was a jade-green Jade Long Spear, and the other was a weapon with a dark purple sphere; at the same time, three soul rings appeared beneath his feet...

It was just that at this moment, the light on his soul rings seemed to distort slightly, and only then did three purple Thousand-Year Spirit Rings appear before everyone.

This was naturally the special camouflage ability Ning Feiliu had obtained from Wan Hua Tong Ling Ni Kou.

However, this did not attract anyone's attention, and they were already accustomed to Ning Feiliu's standard configuration of three Thousand-Year Spirit Rings.

If they knew that Ning Feiliu already possessed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, they would definitely be shocked once again, and the flattery directed at Ning Feiliu would reach an even higher level.

After all, he had absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring while still only a Soul Elder!

Shuang Lan also released her soul power, the power of ice erupting as she shouted, "Spirit Possession!"

Layers of frost spread from within her body, transforming into sturdy Ice Armor that covered her, while layers of fine, overlapping scales appeared on her skin, which was fairer than snow. Behind her, an Ice Spear—something typically found with Dragon-type Martial Souls—extended outward, and at the same time, the Ice Armor on her body continued to spread around her, transforming into sharp Ice Crystal Long Swords.

Because her father's Ice Dragon Wuhun and her mother's Water Shadow Sword Wuhun had highly compatible attributes, Shuang Lan's own martial soul combined the advantages of her parents' martial souls; not only did it retain the extreme ice attribute and the power of a Dragon-type Martial Soul, but it also gained several Ice Crystal Long Swords that could be used for attacks.

Four soul rings spiraled out from beneath her feet, two yellow and two purple—a typical optimal soul ring configuration. Having broken through to the Soul Ancestor realm at twenty-two, combined with a martial soul that had mutated to become even more powerful, she appeared quite formidable.

This was why Shuang Lan was able to stand out among the excellent young Spirit Masters of the various families and factions in Heaven Dou City.

In terms of talent, she was undoubtedly a genius Spirit Master comparable to those among the Shrek Seven Devils who had not consumed Immortal Herbs and possessed lower talent, such as Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing.

To put it bluntly, among the Shrek Seven Devils, aside from Tang San, Xiao Wu, the Innate Full Spirit Power Oscar, and the Innate Level Nine Spirit Power Ning Rongrong, the others' talents, without the enhancement of Immortal Herbs, were just about the same as other top geniuses on the Douluo Continent.

Even if Ning Rongrong hadn't been born with a unique background in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as her martial soul, her Innate Level Nine Spirit Power might not have counted for much.

Innate Full Spirit Power might be very rare, but Spirit Masters with Innate Level Nine Spirit Power were definitely not few in number, especially within this Heaven Dou City.

It was like how there might not be many people who get a perfect score on the college entrance exam, but there are many who score above 740, especially among the young Spirit Masters in Heaven Dou City who have families and backgrounds.

Innate soul power is basically a matter of family background and luck; if the family background is good, with a father and mother who are both high-level Spirit Masters with extremely high talent, and a top-tier inherited martial soul, then as long as there are no accidents during the martial soul awakening, one can basically have a baseline.

Of course, this doesn't mean that children born to high-level Spirit Masters will necessarily be Spirit Masters with extremely high innate soul power; it just means that at the very least, it won't be too bad.

Ning Feiliu and his brothers were like this.

However, it was impossible for everyone to have Innate Level Eight or Nine spirit power or higher; it just meant there was at least a baseline, and most would not be like grassroots Spirit Masters whose innate soul power was as low as one or two levels.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Yu Xiaogang was a very typical example; his father was the Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and a Title Douluo, yet his innate soul power was only half a level, which belonged to the category of being quite absurd even as an original setting.

Therefore, for a quantitative value of talent like innate soul power, besides looking at family background, one also had to look at luck.

Yu Xiaogang was clearly very unlucky, but Shuang Lan's luck was a case of being quite good; although the mutation of her parents' combined martial souls did not push her talent further, this type of mutation was clearly benign.

It didn't provide much help in terms of talent, but it further strengthened her offensive capabilities.

As the two finished releasing their martial souls, there was no need to say anything more; both sides immediately entered a combat state.

It was just that the actions taken by both sides were different: Ning Feiliu retreated directly, while Shuang Lan charged toward Ning Feiliu!

This was naturally due to the different combat styles caused by their respective martial souls.

For Shuang Lan's martial soul, the Ice Sword Dragon, the physical enhancement brought by the Dragon-type Beast Spirit was very significant, and coupled with the lack of many long-range attack methods, it made her more suitable for close-quarters combat.

As for Ning Feiliu's martial soul, the "Crescent Moon Divine Weapon," no matter how one looked at it, it was a long-range martial soul, and its attack methods were primarily based on long-range strikes.

Although there were the Crescent Moon Divine Weapon's Severing Soul and Folding Mirror which were more formidable in close combat, he was currently using Calibrum and Gravitum.

Those who often watched Ning Feiliu's Spirit Fighting Battles knew that when Ning Feiliu used the two Crescent Moon Divine Weapons, Calibrum and Gravitum, he was more inclined to use a kiting combat style.

That is, using the agile speed and ultra-long range of Calibrum to open up distance, and then using Gravitum to constantly wear down the opponent from afar.

Shuang Lan was also very clear about Ning Feiliu's combat style when using Calibrum and Gravitum, so she charged at him from the very beginning.

But sometimes, even if one predicts what kind of attack method the opponent will use, there might not be any way to deal with it.

Shuang Lan was the same; her current advantage lay in her overwhelming physical fitness and cultivation!

She was not like Ling Yue; as an Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master, when Ling Yue's cultivation overwhelmed Ning Feiliu, his speed advantage was very obvious.

But that was his only advantage.

Shuang Lan was different; she possessed a top-tier Dragon-type Martial Soul among Beast Spirits, and even if it wasn't a top-tier martial soul like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the physical enhancement after Spirit Possession was still comprehensive.

Strength, speed, attack, and defense—all four aspects received a massive boost.

Especially in terms of attack, because her martial soul had mutated, this aspect received an even greater boost, making it all the more terrifying.

Therefore, her combat style against Ning Feiliu was to withstand Ning Feiliu's attacks and control to get as close as possible, and then deliver a thunderous blow to Ning Feiliu!

At this moment, as Ning Feiliu retreated, he also raised Gravitum and began to launch continuous attacks against Shuang Lan.

Dark purple energy light waves constantly smashed toward Shuang Lan; Shuang Lan waved the Ice Crystal Long Swords that had condensed around her, and as the Ice Crystal Long Swords and energy light waves collided, they turned into nothingness and shattered.

After her Ice Crystal Long Swords shattered, Shuang Lan once again channeled her soul power to condense new Ice Crystal Long Swords, continuing to slash through Ning Feiliu's attacks using Gravitum.

Shuang Lan frowned at this moment; her current cultivation was a full major realm higher than Ning Feiliu's, and her various aspects had been enhanced significantly after Spirit Possession.

Yet, facing Ning Feiliu's attacks, she could only manage a draw?

This was naturally because... Ning Feiliu had re-absorbed a Ten Thousand Year third soul ring; that was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!

When a Spirit Master absorbs a soul ring, it is not just as simple as obtaining a soul skill; the higher the quality of the soul ring, the more powerful the soul skill it bestows, and it will also provide the Spirit Master with a portion of martial soul reinforcement and personal enhancement.

For example, in the original story, under Gangzi's cajoling, San Ge's Blue Silver Emperor martial soul obtained the first soul ring of a Man-Faced Demon Spider, which caused the unawakened Blue Silver Emperor martial soul to gain higher resilience and a trace of the Man-Faced Demon Spider's paralytic toxin.

Tang San's body also received quite a bit of enhancement from the Man-Faced Demon Spider soul ring.

Why are Twin Spirits Spirit Masters powerful? Besides being able to possess up to eighteen soul skills after reaching Title Douluo, there are also the eighteen soul rings; in particular, the physical enhancement provided by a second martial soul consisting entirely of Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings is terrifying.

At that time, by relying on the physical fitness reinforced by eighteen soul rings and a martial soul evolved by all Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, one could reach the level of being invincible at the same rank.

Therefore, the higher the level of the soul ring, the more powerful the enhancement bestowed upon the Spirit Master.

Ning Feiliu had absorbed six soul rings in total, and now his third soul ring was at the Ten Thousand Year level.

The physical and martial soul enhancement it gave him was different, especially the soul ring of the Ten Thousand Year Silver Moon Mane Lion.

Come to think of it, the Silver Moon Mane Lion itself was very compatible with Ning Feiliu, and since it was a Soul Beast with extremely strong offensive capabilities, this time it focused on strengthening the attack power of Ning Feiliu's martial soul.

That naturally allows him to go toe-to-toe with Shuang Lan, who is a major realm ahead and possesses a Dragon-type Martial Soul.

At the same time, the passive effect of Zhuiming, which increases her own gravity by forty percent, also took effect, forcing Shuang Lan to increase her output of strength and soul power.

Ning Feiliu, meanwhile, utilized the forty percent speed bonus granted to him by Bronze Arms to instantly widen the distance.

"No... at this rate, I can't touch him at all!" Shuang Lan realized something was wrong, and without wasting words, the soul rings at her feet lit up.

"Second Soul Skill! Ice Dragon's Fury!"

Ice Dragon's Fury, as the name suggests, is an Enhancement-type soul skill, and its effect is quite straightforward: it increases strength and speed by one hundred percent, lasting for half an hour.

This is mainly because it is only a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring, so the enhancement effect is not that strong.

But in an instant, the frost energy on Shuang Lan's body condensed and erupted; her strength and speed surged twofold, and she then turned into an afterimage and charged toward Ning Feiliu.

"Break!" She gripped the two Ice Crystal Long Swords condensed beside her tightly and slashed fiercely toward Ning Feiliu's body!

It looked as if she was about to strike Ning Feiliu.

However...

"Bronze Arms! Second Soul Skill: Gale Force!" Ning Feiliu's expression beneath his mask remained calm; the second purple soul ring at his feet suddenly activated, and his body instantly vanished from where he stood.

At the same time, alarm bells rang in Shuang Lan's heart; she naturally knew the effect of the second soul skill of Ning Feiliu's Crescent Moon Divine Weapon, Bronze Arms.

Gale Force creates three gale projectiles that attack forward, while allowing "Yafei" to displace a certain distance within one second by borrowing the power of the gale.

When it was only a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, Gale Force could only displace him at high speed for twenty meters within one second; although it was not Teleportation, the speed was extremely fast.

And now that Gale Force has been re-absorbed as an eight-thousand-year soul ring, its effect is to displace fifty meters in one direction at high speed within one second, and the power of the gale projectiles created is even greater!

Shuang Lan immediately condensed an ice frost shield in front of her, clasping her hands together to subconsciously block the incoming attack.

The next moment, three high-speed gale projectiles, like arrows, landed in front of the ice frost shield, yet they instantly pierced through this seemingly indestructible shield.

After all, the shield Shuang Lan condensed was not a soul skill; even if her soul power was overwhelming, she could not block a soul skill released by Ning Feiliu's eight-thousand-year soul ring without using a soul skill herself!

After piercing through the ice shield, those three gale projectiles tore through Shuang Lan's surface soul power defense and the dragon scales condensed by her martial soul, creating three bloody wounds!

However, Shuang Lan hurriedly pressed her hand against her injured abdomen, and ice frost energy gathered on the wound, surprisingly freezing the injury there temporarily.

It was just that... with her being injured, she could not fight for too long.

"Then... it is time to decide the outcome." Fighting spirit burned in Shuang Lan's eyes; although she had promised that no matter what, she would concede in this Spirit Fighting Battle.

But with the battle at this stage, how could she simply concede?

At the very least... she had to fulfill her promise after releasing this soul skill to determine the winner!

"Is that so?" Ning Feiliu chuckled; without needing to say more, he knew exactly what Shuang Lan intended to do next.

Only to see the final fourth soul ring at Shuang Lan's feet slowly light up...

And seeing this, Ning Feiliu did not hesitate, and the third soul ring at his feet lit up.

Only no one knew that this soul ring, which appeared to be only a thousand years old, was actually a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

On the contrary, the surrounding spectators could not help but start to worry; one must know that "Yafei's" strongest soul skills were those two great Self-Created Spirit Skills, and the last time he won against Ling Yue by challenging someone of a higher level, it was also because he used a Self-Created Spirit Skill.

Now, facing the even more powerful Shuang Lan, if he doesn't use that Exploding Ring Self-Created Spirit Skill and only uses his own soul skills... can he win?

Under the nervous gaze of everyone, both of them activated the soul skill attached to their most powerful soul ring.

"Fourth Soul Skill..." Dense, countless Ice Crystal Long Swords condensed around Shuang Lan, looking like there were at least a hundred of them; at the same time, she spread her hands and finally shouted loudly!

"Ice Sword Wild Wave!!!"

She pushed her hands to both sides, and those hundred condensed Ice Crystal Long Swords immediately poured violently toward the location where Ning Feiliu was.

This was almost... impossible to avoid!

But no one expected that after releasing her soul skill, she immediately jumped off the Douhun Platform without a word, quietly watching Ning Feiliu, who was facing her fourth soul skill.

Clearly, she was directly fulfilling her promise.

And at the same time, Ning Feiliu smiled lightly, and the third soul ring on his body emitted a profound light, "Zhuiming... Third Soul Skill!"

"Dull Lock Moon!"

In an instant, deep black moonlight spread out, shrouding the Ice Crystal Long Swords within it!

(End of this chapter)