Instant Kill Clearance, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo in Disarray Again
The sixth trial's azure restorative light faded, leaving Yao Xuan standing in the center of the silent hall, his breathing barely elevated. The residual chill from the dissolved Ice Crystal Demon Tiger still hung in the air, but the Ancestral Dragon's fire in his veins had already burned it away.
On the observation screen, separated by layers of isolation and distance, Leng Yaozhu's elegant eyebrows were raised in undisguised astonishment.
"An instant kill… against a 2,200-year Ice Crystal Demon Tiger. That's equivalent to a peak rank-4 Soul Grandmaster with elite martial soul quality." Her voice was a murmur, meant for herself and the silent girl beside her. "He didn't even use a named soul skill until the end. Just raw physical power and that… oppressive aura."
Her eyes darted to the fluctuating energy readings on a subsidiary screen. The sensors within the Tower were picking up a unique frequency from Yao Xuan—a low, resonant pulse that caused the soul power signatures of the manifested beasts to destabilize upon proximity. 'Bloodline suppression. But what kind of bloodline can exert such dominance over a diverse array of soul beasts? It's as if they're facing their natural sovereign.'
She glanced at Gu Yue. The girl's violet eyes were fixed on the screen, her expression a flawless mask of calm interest. But Leng Yaozhu, keenly observant, noticed the minuscule relaxation in Gu Yue's fingertips where they rested on the console, and the faint, almost imperceptible softness at the corner of her lips. It was the look of someone witnessing an expected, yet still satisfying, validation.
"You don't seem surprised, Gu Yue," Leng Yaozhu remarked, a knowing tone coloring her words.
"Teacher said he was extraordinary," Gu Yue replied, her voice even. "He is merely meeting expectations." Her internal monologue, however, was a whirlwind. 'The suppression field is more pronounced than my projections. His control over the Ancestral Dragon's prestige is deepening. This is… favorable for the eventual stabilization. And he moves with Na'er's determined grace. The memories are not just data; they influence his form.' The analytical part of her mind filed away observations, while the part that cherished the boy from Aolai City felt a surge of protective pride.
< Trial Sixth Stage, Passed. Status Restored. Proceed to Seventh Stage.>
The mechanical voice echoed in the hall. A new portal swirled into existence before Yao Xuan. This one was not just golden, but threaded with pulses of violet energy. The pressure radiating from it was qualitatively different.
'Soul King level. This is the threshold.' Yao Xuan's gaze sharpened. He thought of Tianfeng Douluo's estimate—that passing the sixth level was commendable, the seventh perhaps a bridge too far. He thought of the status a Level 4 Spirit Transmission Master would grant him within the Pagoda. Most vividly, he thought of the silver-haired girl watching. He would cross this bridge.
He stepped through.
The environment shifted dramatically. He was no longer in a sterile hall but on a shattered plateau under a storm-wracked sky. Lightning arced in the distance, and the wind howled. In the center of the plateau stood a creature of stone and storm—a Tempest Roc, its wings spread wide, each primary feather like sharpened slate. Its eyes crackled with lightning. According to the Tower's scaling, this manifestation possessed the prowess of a 53rd-ranked Soul King.
The moment Yao Xuan appeared, the Tempest Roc shrieked, a sound that ripped at the air. It didn't hesitate. It launched itself not into a swoop, but straight up, gathering the turbulent wind and electric energy around it.
Yao Xuan immediately recognized the tactic. 'Area bombardment. It won't engage in close combat where my physical strength and suppression are strongest.'
He didn't wait. Golden scales cascaded over his body as he fully released his first soul ring. The Ancestral Dragon's aura erupted from him, a visible, shimmering golden wave that pressed against the howling gale, imposing order upon the chaos.
The Tempest Roc in mid-air visibly shuddered. The lightning around its form flickered uncertainly. The bloodline suppression, even against this majestic avian beast, was tangible—a 20% reduction in its agility and power coordination.
"Ancestral Dragon's Roar!"
Yao Xuan's first soul skill wasn't used as a direct attack, but as a focal point. The concentrated sonic and spiritual blast shot upward, not aimed at the Roc, but at the dense knot of storm clouds it was drawing power from.
The roar, infused with draconic majesty, disrupted.
The gathered wind and lightning faltered, scattering.
Seizing the moment of the beast's instability, Yao Xuan bent his knees. The bluish-gray rock beneath his feet cratered as he unleashed the full power of his leg muscles and dragonforce. He shot into the air like a golden projectile, leaving a sonic boom in his wake.
The Tempest Roc, its bombardment tactic foiled and its senses reeling from the suppression and roar, tried to bank away. It was fast, but Yao Xuan's leap was a calculated intercept.
He reached the apex of his jump, right beside the massive soul beast. His right arm, now fully dragonized and wreathed in coiling golden energy, drew back.
"This ends now."
His fist, embodying the weight of the Ancestral Dragon's legacy, slammed into the Roc's core, right between its stone-feathered wings.
BOOM!
A ring of visible force exploded outward, silencing the storm. The Tempest Roc's form fractured from the point of impact, dissolving not into light, but into scattered motes of stone and zapping electricity that were swallowed by the hungry sky.
Yao Xuan landed gracefully back on the plateau as the restorative azure light descended. The violent environment around him began to pixelate and fade, returning to the neutral hall.
In the observation room, there was a long silence.
Leng Yaozhu stared at the screen, then at the flawless data log, then back at the screen showing Yao Xuan, calmly awaiting the next portal as if he'd just taken a stroll.
"He… he analyzed and broke its strategy in seconds. He used the suppression field to ground its aerial advantage, then used a control skill to disrupt its power source before closing for a decisive blow." She summarized the fight slowly, a touch of incredulity finally breaking through her usual composure. "This isn't just power. This is… instinctual, sovereign-level combat intelligence." She looked at Gu Yue, her eyes wide. "You said he could pass the eighth, even the ninth. I thought you were being supportive. Now… I'm beginning to believe you."
Gu Yue met her teacher's gaze, and this time, she allowed a small, genuine smile to touch her lips—a smile that held the warmth of Na'er and the quiet satisfaction of Gu Yue. "He has always defied expectations, Teacher. The tower has yet to show him its true height."
She turned her eyes back to the screen, watching Yao Xuan gaze at the emerging eighth portal, his expression one of focused determination, not fatigue. Her heart, a complex lattice of mission and emotion, beat in a steady, resonant rhythm with the distant, unyielding pulse of the Ancestral Dragon below.