Xu Fan’s golden, vertical pupils calmly met Zhu Zhuqing’s gaze as he spoke unhurriedly, “Are you ready?”
As his words fell, a yellow soul ring appeared—not beneath his feet, but behind the phantom image of the Martial God.
Zhu Zhuqing froze for a brief moment.
A soul ring… not appearing at the feet?
That alone was astonishing.
She took a deep breath and said firmly, “Come on!”
In the next instant, her figure blurred.
She moved.
Her speed exploded to its limit, her body streaking forward like a bolt of black lightning as she charged straight at Xu Fan.
The hundred-meter distance closed rapidly under her burst of acceleration.
Seventy meters.
Fifty meters.
Thirty meters.
When she was just about thirty meters away, the first yellow soul ring beneath her feet lit up.
“First Soul Skill — Netherworld Thrust!”
Her claws extended once more, dark and razor-sharp.
With the activation of the soul skill, her speed surged again, nearly doubling in an instant.
Her body became an indistinct afterimage, stabbing directly toward Xu Fan’s chest.
Fast.
Ruthless.
Precise.
This single strike fully displayed the killing efficiency of an agility-type Soul Master.
It was obvious—Zhu Zhuqing had real combat experience.
This, however, was Xu Fan’s first time fighting another Soul Master.
And yet, he felt no fear.
He possessed both the body and the will of a Martial God.
The Martial God Body granted supreme combat instincts.
Even without formal combat techniques, once his martial soul awakened, Xu Fan was destined to become a combat genius.
His golden pupils remained eerily calm.
In his perception, Zhu Zhuqing’s attack trajectory was riddled with subtle flaws.
This was the terrifying effect of his mastery over all methods.
Not just Zhu Zhuqing—even if it were Bibi Dong, Xu Fan would still be able to see her weaknesses clearly.
That was how absolute his perception was.
Just as Zhu Zhuqing was about to strike, Xu Fan finally moved.
His motion was extremely small, almost unreasonable.
He merely shifted his body slightly to the side, formed his right hand into a blade, and lightly tapped the inside of Zhu Zhuqing’s wrist.
“Huh?!”
A wave of numbness surged through Zhu Zhuqing’s right arm.
The soul power she had just gathered instantly fell into disarray, causing her thrust to veer off course uncontrollably.
Immediately afterward, Xu Fan dipped his left shoulder—casual, almost careless.
But that alone caused her attack to miss entirely.
Bang!
Bang!
Two dull impacts rang out.
Zhu Zhuqing let out a muffled groan as her body staggered backward.
Xu Fan’s fist followed closely behind, landing two controlled strikes—one to her abdomen, one to her shoulder. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
The blows were painful, but not injuring.
After all, this was only a contest.
In the span of a few seconds, offense and defense had completely reversed.
Zhu Zhuqing barely steadied herself, instinctively clutching her aching abdomen as she looked up, shock filling her eyes.
Her sudden assault—her speed, her angle, her intent—had all been seen through completely.
Not only had it been dismantled with ease, but her weaknesses had been exploited to launch a flawless counterattack.
Is this… the Martial God Body martial soul?
Is this what “mastery of all methods” truly means?
Her heart churned violently.
“How was it?” Xu Fan stood where he was, golden light flowing around him, asking with an easy smile.
“Very strong,” Zhu Zhuqing replied without hesitation.
Before her words had even fully faded, the second yellow soul ring beneath her feet lit up.
“Second Soul Skill — Netherworld Hundred Claws!”
Her figure blurred once more.
She began circling Xu Fan at high speed, her body spinning rapidly.
In an instant, she transformed into a black whirlwind, her claws flashing as dozens—no, hundreds—of claw shadows burst forth.
Each shadow carried piercing force, attacking Xu Fan from all directions at once.
“First Soul Skill — Martial God’s Qi.”
With a thought, the yellow soul ring behind the Martial God phantom glowed brightly.
The pale golden pressure field contracted inward, condensing into a dense Martial God aura that wrapped around Xu Fan.
He stepped forward.
With each step, his Martial God Qi rippled outward.
An invisible shockwave surged from his body.
“What?!”
Zhu Zhuqing’s pupils shrank violently.
She felt as though she had slammed into an invisible wall.
Her soul skill shattered instantly, force rebounding through her arms and leaving them numb.
Once again—her attack was effortlessly broken.
Xu Fan’s lips curled slightly.
Martial God Qi was, at its core, an extension of his own power.
Though it wasn’t an outright offensive technique, its applications were extremely versatile.
Interrupting attacks, for example.
“It’s my turn,” Xu Fan said calmly.
The next moment, he moved.
No flashy soul skills.
No unnecessary techniques.
Relying solely on the Martial God Body, the Martial God Body Refinement Technique, and the terrifying combat perception granted by his mastery of all methods—
Xu Fan became a human weapon.
Fists.
Palms.
Elbows.
Knees.
Shoulders. This story is hosted at g.com.
Every part of his body became a lethal point of attack.
His movements were ghostlike—fast, precise, relentless.
Each strike targeted Zhu Zhuqing’s weaknesses in offense and defense.
Bang!
Thump!
Crack!
A continuous barrage of impacts echoed through the open space.
Zhu Zhuqing’s expression changed drastically.
She pushed her speed to its absolute limit, using her footwork and agility to dodge, weave, and block with her claws.
It didn’t matter.
Xu Fan was faster.
And worse—his predictions were terrifyingly accurate.
Under his close-range assault, her defenses were riddled with holes.
She was struck again and again, force crashing in from every direction.
Pain bloomed across her body—shoulders, arms, waist, back.
She knew very clearly that if Xu Fan hadn’t deliberately restrained his strength, her bones would have shattered long ago.
There wouldn’t have been a single intact spot left.
And yet, he wasn’t arrogant in the slightest.
That alone was terrifying.
Xu Fan was the strongest Soul Master Zhu Zhuqing had ever seen in terms of combat ability.
None of the Zhu family Soul Masters pursuing her could compare.
And this… still wasn’t him going all out.
One minute later—
Xu Fan’s figure flashed as he retreated, his qi slowly dissipating.
In the center of the clearing, Zhu Zhuqing knelt on one knee, one hand braced against the ground as she gasped for breath.
Her black outfit was wrinkled in many places, with several small tears, leaving her looking disheveled.
Pain coursed through her entire body—but it was all superficial.
How many times had she been hit?
She couldn’t even count.
Xu Fan hadn’t used his 100,000-year soul bone skills.
He hadn’t used his talent domain.
He had defeated her like this using only his first soul skill and pure physical combat.
She doubted that even five versions of herself could defeat him.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly lifted her head and looked at Xu Fan, a bitter smile forming on her lips.
“Heh… compared to you, my strength is nothing.”
She shook her head lightly.
“Not even close.”
She accepted her defeat completely.
There had been no chance of resistance at all.
And yet—she felt exhilarated.
More than ever, she believed that Xu Fan could change her fate.
The desire to follow him burned fiercely in her heart.
“We’ve already fought,” Zhu Zhuqing said softly, “and I still don’t know your name.”