"Your disciple?" Tang Chen was surprised he hadn't expected someone as young as Cheng Ying to already have a disciple.
"That's right. In terms of talent, he's a bit lacking compared to you, but he's a very thoughtful kid. When it comes to biology and chemistry, he'll likely go further than I ever will," Cheng Ying replied. As he spoke, Dugu Bo emerged from the lab, wearing a white lab coat identical to Cheng Ying's.
He peeled off a pair of gloves stained with an unknown kind of blood and tossed them into a trash can, clearly displeased. "Teacher, you've interrupted my experiment again."
"Ahem… I'll authorize you an extra week's worth of lab supplies, alright? Go have a one-on-one soul duel with Tang Chen. It's okay if you lose—just show him what you're capable of."
"I won't lose!" Despite grumbling about being interrupted, Dugu Bo had no intention of embarrassing his teacher. In his eyes, having received such valuable knowledge from Cheng Ying, losing to a stranger would be a disgrace to his mentor's teachings.
"That might not be fair… We're a whole soul ring apart!" Tang Chen had also noticed the gap in their cultivation levels.
"It's fine. You probably just broke through recently, and Dugu Bo is already at the fortieth rank. Your soul power difference isn't that big." Cheng Ying wasn't lying. While Dugu Bo hadn't spent much time cultivating this past year, he had ingested two types of immortal herbs.
Though his snake venom had been completely purged, his cultivation level had skyrocketed, helping him close the gap between himself and the top-tier talent.
Tang Chen looked at Dugu Bo, whose calm expression belied the burning battle spirit in his eyes. With no other choice, he nodded. Since the weaker party didn't mind, he had no reason to object.
The duel was obviously not going to take place at Cheng Ying's small shop, but in a suburb outside Heaven Dou City. Dugu Bo was fine his martial spirit wasn't very destructive but Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer was like a demolition tool.
One round of his hammer techniques would flatten Cheng Ying's two-story building.
"Keep it to a friendly bout. I'm not appointing a referee you two should know who wins or loses." Cheng Ying said casually, but secretly nudged Bingdi, signaling her to intervene if things got too serious. He didn't want either of them to get hurt over a spar.
Bingdi nodded, as if to say "easy peasy." To her, restraining two fortieth-rank soul masters was as simple as pinning down a pair of mice with one finger.
Standing fifteen meters apart, the two prepared for battle. Cheng Ying raised one hand and brought it down while shouting: "Begin!"
In an instant, both released their martial spirits. Behind Tang Chen appeared two yellow and two purple soul rings. He effortlessly raised the hundreds-of-pounds-heavy Clear Sky Hammer with one hand.
On the other side, with the toxins in his martial spirit cleansed, Dugu Bo's transformation changed: green hair and green eyes turned to white hair and crimson eyes. Coupled with his pale complexion, he now looked like a devilishly handsome figure. The slight reveal of his canine teeth added a seductive danger to his look.
But his opening move wasn't a soul skill—it was two test tubes pulled from his belt and thrown straight at Tang Chen. The scene oddly resembled a certain poison-throwing support in a popular mobile game…
Not knowing what was inside the tubes, Tang Chen had no choice but to block with his Clear Sky Hammer. The test tubes shattered on impact, releasing a highly compressed mix of chlorine and carbon monoxide that rapidly filled the air around him. Even a tiny inhale made his brain feel foggy classic signs of carbon monoxide binding to hemoglobin, disrupting oxygen delivery.
The pungent smell irritated his nose and eyes it was hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid formed when chlorine dissolved in the moisture of his mucous membranes, corroding his respiratory tract.
The toxicity hit faster than any conventional poison used by soul masters. His soul power couldn't suppress the dizziness, and he was forced to hold his breath.
Seeing this, Cheng Ying immediately pulled an oxygen tank from his storage space, ready for emergency aid. While a small amount of chlorine might not be fatal thanks to a soul master's healing factor, carbon monoxide poisoning could be deadly if not treated promptly.
Fortunately, Tang Chen reacted swiftly, holding his breath in time to avoid inhaling too much. But when he saw Dugu Bo take out another test tube, he grew cautious and dared not act rashly.
This time, Dugu Bo deliberately shattered the test tube himself. Green mist spread around him. As Tang Chen charged in, his body tensed up slightly, but he didn't stop—hesitation would only allow the poison to spread farther.
"Tsk. Dugu Bo is going all out… even using the soul power-modified Type-1 bacteria? That stuff is still in clinical testing," Cheng Ying frowned.
"Wait—he's standing in the poison fog too! Isn't he worried about getting poisoned himself?" Bingdi asked in confusion.
"That's what vaccines are for. Think of the human body like a Saint Seiya warrior—never defeated by the same move twice. He developed those bacteria himself, so of course he vaccinated himself beforehand. His immune system already recognizes the strain and won't be affected," Cheng Ying explained.
Bingdi didn't really understand but nodded along, pretending she did.
Inside the green fog, Tang Chen was still holding his breath, but the soul power-enhanced bacteria were extremely aggressive. They infiltrated his body through his nasal membranes and eyes.
These bacteria were designed to sacrifice stealth and survivability for pure aggression and speed. Though they'd soon be killed by immune cells, their rate of reproduction and destruction was monstrous.
Within seconds, Tang Chen felt feverish and weak. That was the sign of the immune system battling the invaders. What really weakens a patient isn't the pathogen it's the immune system's collateral damage while clearing it out.
The bacteria didn't try to hide. As soon as they entered the bloodstream, they triggered a direct clash with immune cells.
Tang Chen now took his opponent seriously. Though Dugu Bo relied on external tools, the fact that he remained unaffected proved his control and planning.
The rising heat in his body and mounting fatigue told Tang Chen one thing: he had to end this quickly. He was still holding his breath if he started inhaling, things could go downhill fast.
Without hesitation, he swung his hammer. His fourth soul ring lit up, and a black shockwave pinned Dugu Bo in place, preventing him from dodging. Dugu Bo wasn't built for defense Tang Chen believed he could end the battle in one decisive strike. That was the tyrannical nature of the Clear Sky Hammer.
The duel had barely begun, but a winner seemed imminent. As a power-type soul master, Tang Chen had the upper hand in close combat. Dugu Bo looked like he had no way to turn the tide—but then a glint of defiance flashed in his eyes.
Tang Chen was used to settling battles in one blow against peers, but Dugu Bo refused to back down. He wanted to prove that what his teacher had taught him was just as powerful.
He raised his hands to meet the descending hammer, his body pivoting like a compass needle, forming a stance with one leg out like drawing a perfect circle.
"No good it's Angular Momentum Fist! Bingdi, get ready to intervene!" Cheng Ying recognized the technique instantly and knew it spelled trouble.