Someone Eating Dog Food
[Check Out My P4treon For +50 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]
===
"I declare the Soul King duel officially begins!"
As the Blue Silver Emperor and Rose stood on the arena, the host immediately announced.
"Martial Soul: Thorny Rose!" Rose calmly released her martial soul, addressing the Blue Silver Emperor.
Her martial soul was a vine-type plant. The roots were dark red, covered in thorns, and at the top was a pink rosebud, supported by two green leaves.
Due to its natural thorns, although Rose was a control-type soul master, her martial soul had a stronger innate offensive capability compared to the Blue Silver Grass.
"Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass." The Blue Silver Emperor also released her martial soul. The smooth, azure Blue Silver Grass had no thorns on its stems or leaves and stood about twenty centimeters tall in her palm.
Compared to Rose's Thorny Rose, it appeared much shorter and seemingly at a disadvantage.
"Strange, although her Blue Silver Grass is slightly taller, it doesn't seem any different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass. How did she manage to cultivate to the Soul King level? Or am I overthinking this?" Rose thought to herself as she observed the disguised Blue Silver Grass.
"Whatever, I'll just test her." Rose then released five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—and activated her first soul ring.
"First Soul Skill: Thorny Entanglement." Three thorny vines shot out from Rose's martial soul, snaking toward the Blue Silver Emperor to entangle her.
"You want to test me? There's no need." The Blue Silver Emperor saw through Rose's intentions and spoke directly.
With a flick of her wrist, a single vine from the Blue Silver Emperor shattered Rose's attack.
"Snap!" The thorny vines seemed to wither as they approached the Blue Silver Emperor, as if encountering some natural predator.
"What's going on? It's like they've met their natural enemy. Their offensive power has weakened so much." Rose could clearly feel the difference in her thorny vines.
"Let me show you what real entanglement looks like." The Blue Silver Emperor said, stepping forward. Countless Blue Silver Grass sprouted at her feet, instantly transforming into numerous vines that surged toward Rose.
"How is this possible? How can you produce so much Blue Silver Grass? With your soul power, you shouldn't be able to sustain this many, let alone control them." Rose was shocked but had no time to dwell on it.
She quickly activated her soul power, creating about ten vines to fend off the Blue Silver Emperor's entangling vines. However, the Blue Silver Emperor's vines were far too numerous.
If Rose could produce ten vines, the Blue Silver Emperor could produce a hundred, and with far less soul power consumption.
In the blink of an eye, Rose had to abandon her offense and activate her second soul ring to focus on defense. "Second Soul Skill: Rose Armor."
Rose retracted her vines, transforming them into a thorny armor to protect herself.
"First Soul Skill: Blue Silver Thorns!" The Blue Silver Emperor activated her soul ring, and the tips of her vines became razor-sharp, relentlessly attacking Rose.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes... After more than a dozen attacks, Rose noticed her armor was thinning.
"Third Soul Skill: Rose Whirlwind." Rose had no choice but to activate her third soul ring, summoning a storm of thorny roses around her that cleared the Blue Silver Emperor's vines.
Seizing the opportunity, Rose quickly retreated from the encirclement, finally catching her breath.
But the shattered vines quickly reformed into Blue Silver Grass and continued to entangle Rose.
"Dammit! Is this never-ending?" Rose's expression darkened. "This doesn't make sense. How can she control so much Blue Silver Grass? Does she have infinite soul power?"
"Wow! Is this what Blue Silver Grass looks like when cultivated to the Soul King level? I've never seen a Blue Silver Grass soul master fight like this before. Half the arena is covered in Blue Silver Grass!" The commentator was stunned.
"Brother Lin, what kind of technique is Blue Silver using? How is she controlling so much Blue Silver Grass? There must be over a hundred vines on the arena. Rose is completely outmatched. It's like a small fish facing a giant." Ning Fengzhi exclaimed in disbelief.
Ning Fengzhi knew that controlling so many vines would require an immense amount of mental energy.
"I never expected Blue Silver's martial soul to reach such a level. Seeing her in action, I'm starting to believe she could increase her soul power by ten levels in two months." Tang Xiao was equally surprised.
"Brother Lin, I envy you for having such a talented and beautiful companion. You two are truly a match made in heaven." Tang Hao couldn't help but express his admiration.
"Blue Silver's strength lies in her control. Because Blue Silver Grass is fragile, she focuses on entanglement. Over time, she's learned to create an endless supply of vines and how to control them with minimal soul power consumption." Lin Yongming explained with a smile.
As they spoke, Rose was forced to circle the arena, her advantageous position shrinking by the second.
"This can't be ordinary Blue Silver Grass!" Rose realized that while the Blue Silver Emperor's martial soul looked ordinary, it was anything but.
"Could it be a mutated Blue Silver Grass?" Rose thought to herself. "Whatever it is, I can't just sit back and wait."
"Whoosh!" Rose's foot slipped, and she came to a halt, activating her fourth thousand-year soul ring.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Rose Bloom!" Rose held her martial soul, and the rosebud blossomed, releasing a pink mist.
The mist quickly spread, enveloping the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Is this a poison mist or an illusion?" The Blue Silver Emperor found herself surrounded by the mist but didn't feel any physical harm.
Suddenly, she noticed the pink gas attaching to her skin and seeping into her body. But just as quickly, a crimson red light emanated from her skin, dispelling the gas.
This red light was identical to the color of the Love-Sick Crimson-Red Immortal Grass. The pink mist's hypnotic attack had triggered the automatic defense of the Love-Sick Crimson-Red Immortal Grass, which had merged with the Blue Silver Emperor.
Outside the mist, Rose smiled, thinking, "She can't resist my paralyzing control."
However, a brilliant red light soon burst forth from the Blue Silver Emperor, dispersing the mist.
"What's that!" Rose was shocked as the red light cleared the mist.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Blue Silver Prison!" Taking advantage of the moment, the Blue Silver Emperor activated her fourth soul skill.
Before Rose could react, she was tightly wrapped in a dense cage of vines.
"Dammit! I can't break through. It's too thick." Rose struggled, but as a control-type soul master, she lacked powerful offensive skills.
"You've lost. Step down." The Blue Silver Emperor didn't want to harm Rose, so she didn't make the vines grow thorns. Instead, she controlled the cage and tossed Rose out of the arena.
When Rose's vision cleared, she found herself outside the arena. According to the rules of the Great Spirit Arena, being out of bounds meant elimination.
"Rose is out of bounds. The winner is Blue Silver!" The host declared, pointing toward the Blue Silver Emperor.
"See? It didn't even take five minutes." Lin Yongming smiled at Tang Hao and the others.
"Alright, we underestimated her." Ning Fengzhi admitted with a shrug.
"But we won some money. Let's treat you to dinner as an apology for our misjudgment." Tang Hao added.
"Deal." Lin Yongming nodded. "But we still have two more matches."
Back on the arena, Rose approached the Blue Silver Emperor. "I lost. Thank you for going easy on me. But can you tell me, is your martial soul really Blue Silver Grass?"
The Blue Silver Emperor looked at Rose's expectant eyes and replied, "It is Blue Silver Grass."
"But it's a mutated version."
"Thank you for clarifying." Rose thanked her and left the arena.
The Blue Silver Emperor nodded and walked toward her exit. Tang Yuehua approached her, saying, "Sister Blue Silver, you're amazing! You defeated an opponent two levels higher than you with such ease."
"It's nothing. I just capitalized on my advantages. If Rose had fought seriously, it wouldn't have been so easy." The Blue Silver Emperor replied modestly.
"Sister Blue Silver, you're too humble!" Tang Yuehua said.
"Indeed, defeating a higher-level opponent, especially another control-type soul master, is no small feat. You're being too modest." Hong Ying added.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go back to the others." The Blue Silver Emperor changed the subject.
The group nodded, and as Lin Yongming sensed the Blue Silver Emperor approaching, he went to greet her.
"Blue Silver, that was a brilliant fight." Lin Yongming said with concern. "Are you hurt? What was that pink mist?"
"It seemed to be a paralyzing toxin, but don't worry. It didn't affect me." The Blue Silver Emperor replied.
"That's good!" Lin Yongming nodded.
"Blue Silver, we underestimated you. Our apologies." Tang Hao and the others said sheepishly.
"Oh, we made a little bet." Lin Yongming explained the situation to the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Of course, my Xiao Ming knows me best." The Blue Silver Emperor smiled happily.
"Speaking of bets, Xiao Ming, how much did we win?" The Blue Silver Emperor asked eagerly.
"Let's go check." Lin Yongming took her hand, and they headed to the betting counter.
With a nearly five-to-one payout, Lin Yongming had won fifteen thousand gold spirit coins, not including the initial bet.
After waiting in line for about half an hour, Lin Yongming heard the announcement for his next match.
"Next match: Golden Soul Badge holders, Soul Ancestor Asura versus Soul King Xuanming."
Lin Yongming's opponent was a defense-type soul master with the ice-attribute Xuanming Turtle martial soul, known for its strong defense and freezing capabilities.
In the end, Lin Yongming relied on his immunity to ice and the penetrating power of his Thunder Blade to break through Xuanming's defenses, winning the match.
In their final two-on-two battle, Lin Yongming and the Blue Silver Emperor faced two average level-55 Soul Kings. With the Blue Silver Emperor focusing on control and Lin Yongming on offense, they defeated their opponents using the Unmoving King Formation.
By the time they left the Great Spirit Arena, it was already past nine.
"Xiao Ming, we made thirty thousand gold spirit coins tonight. A few more nights like this, and we'll have enough for the Treasure Pavilion auction." The Blue Silver Emperor said happily.
"It's mainly because we caught the audience off guard. That's why we got such good odds." Lin Yongming replied.
"Thanks to you, we also won quite a bit." Tang Xiao said contentedly.
"I have to say, the two of you fighting together in the arena, facing two Soul Kings—your coordination was flawless. Is this the tacit understanding of childhood sweethearts?" Tang Hao said with a hint of envy.
"Treasure Pavilion auction! Are you two planning to attend the auction in a few days?" Ning Fengzhi asked curiously.
"Yes, we want to buy something, so we've been betting at the Great Spirit Arena these past few days." Lin Yongming replied.
"Are you also planning to buy a soul bone?" Ning Fengzhi asked slowly.
"Soul bone! Are you saying the auction will have a soul bone for sale?" Tang Hao exclaimed in surprise.
"It seems you didn't know. Rumor has it that the Treasure Pavilion auction will feature a soul bone, specifically a torso bone. However, the auction house refuses to reveal its age." Ning Fengzhi explained with a smile.
"A torso bone soul bone! Why would anyone sell that instead of keeping it?" Tang Hao said, baffled.
"My guess is it's a thousand-year soul bone. But soul bones are priceless. Even a thousand-year soul bone would cost tens of thousands of gold spirit coins. If it's a ten-thousand-year soul bone, the price could be astronomical—hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions. And a torso bone is even more valuable." Tang Xiao explained, his tone filled with curiosity.
"In that case, Blue Silver and I will just have to look around. What I really want is a spatial soul tool that can hold living beings." Lin Yongming said, shaking his head.
"A spatial soul tool that can hold living beings! I've heard those are much more expensive than regular spatial soul tools, even though their space is limited. Brother Lin, if you need a spatial soul tool, you should have told me. I have a few good ones with plenty of space." Ning Fengzhi offered.
Lin Yongming could only think that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was truly wealthy. Known for their riches, it was no surprise they had extra spatial soul tools.
"No, thank you. Blue Silver loves flowers and small animals. I want to buy one for her. Flowers can't stay fresh for long after being picked, but I heard a spatial soul tool that can hold living things can preserve their freshness. That's why I want to buy one." Lin Yongming declined and explained.
"Ah, I see. Even though you're blind, you're quite romantic." Ning Fengzhi said with a hint of envy.
"Sister Blue Silver, is that true?" Tang Yuehua whispered.
"Yes, I love admiring rare flowers, so I mentioned it to Xiao Ming, and he decided to buy one for me." The Blue Silver Emperor nodded.
"Wow! I'm so jealous. That's so sweet!" Tang Yuehua said, her voice tinged with envy.
Tang Hao, Ning Fengzhi, and the others couldn't help but feel like they were being fed dog food by Lin Yongming and the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's getting awkward. Where should we go for supper?" Lin Yongming quickly changed the subject.
"We get it!"
The group then headed to a bustling night market for supper.
They stayed until nearly eleven before parting ways.
Before they knew it, the day of the Treasure Pavilion auction had arrived.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 178 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 60 power stones I will publish the next chapter.