Before leaving, Chen Xin called Gu Xuan to the Sword Bamboo Forest. He wanted to test Gu Xuan's strength; after all, with a 30,000-year fourth soul ring and two external soul bones, Chen Xin was curious to see exactly how far the boy had come.
Nearby, Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi were sipping tea, wearing beaming smiles as they prepared to watch this one-sided "beating."
Ning Rongrong was also incredibly curious about the power of Gu Xuan's ten-thousand-year ring and stood to the side, excitedly cheering him on.
"Second Grandpa, is this really necessary? Even Grandpa doesn't have the heart to bully me. You, on the other hand... checking my strength shouldn't require a peak Rank 97 Super Douluo!" Gu Xuan said with a miserable expression. He really didn't want to fight this battle—there was simply no winning it.
Chen Xin smiled faintly. "Since your Sword Dragon Eight Wings allow you to use swords now, I'm just giving you some guidance. I wouldn't want people outside saying this old man is hoarding his skills and refusing to teach you the real deal."
Gu Xuan felt helpless. 'Are all these old men so black-bellied?' Around the cute and well-behaved Ning Rongrong, he was a kind grandfather, but with Gu Xuan, he was a different person entirely.
Though he felt speechless, Gu Xuan didn't back down. He also wanted to see what his current limit was.
Gu Xuan and Chen Xin stood thirty meters apart. Chen Xin's white robes fluttered despite the lack of wind, and a surging sword pressure erupted from the ground. Behind him, a phantom of Chen Xin—composed entirely of sword intent—materialized, making Gu Xuan's brow twitch wildly.
'Guidance? Why does this feel like he's about to drop an ultimate move right out of the gate?'
But the die was cast. Gu Xuan had to toughen up and face it.
Soul power surged around him as his black robes billowed. Beneath his feet, two yellow, one purple, and one black ring rose. The brilliant light of the ten-thousand-year ring was dazzling.
"Gu Xuan. Martial Soul: Bone Dragon. Rank 45 Power Attack Type Soul Ancestor. Please guide me," he said.
It was an unwritten rule of spirit duels to state your rank and Martial Soul beforehand. Chen Xin smiled and replied, "Chen Xin. Martial Soul: Seven Kill Sword. Rank 97 Power Attack Type."
Chen Xin spoke with a blooming smile, a stark contrast to Gu Xuan's deadly serious expression.
"First Soul Skill, Bone Dragon War Body!"
"Second Soul Skill, Darkgold Terrorclaw!"
Gu Xuan immediately activated his two buffing skills. Now that he had four rings, his first skill's all-attribute boost had increased from 10% to 30%. This alone pushed his presence from Rank 45 nearly to the level of a Rank 50.
His second skill provided a 100% boost to attack and strength, turning his pale bone claws into a deep, dark gold. Against a powerhouse like Chen Xin, defense was a joke; Gu Xuan's only option was to use offense as his defense.
As the buffs took hold, Gu Xuan's right hand transformed further. Chen Xin, familiar with his moves, knew he was deploying his first external soul bone—the Darkgold Terrorclaw. Sure enough, the bone claws on his right hand extended to a meter in length, the deep gold color whispering of its terrifying power.
With a burst of speed, Gu Xuan lunged. During the dash, the Darkgold Terrorclaw erupted with light, launching five three-meter-long blades of energy directly at Chen Xin's face.
"Sky-Tearing Claw!"
Chen Xin smiled and swept his Seven Kill Sword. The massive phantom of sword intent swept forward with him, a crushing force that instantly obliterated the claw strikes that would have made even a Soul King wary.
Gu Xuan wasn't surprised. Seeing the sword pressure continuing toward him, the eight dragon-swords on his back snapped out and unfurled to a diameter of six meters.
With a flap of his sword-wings, Gu Xuan took to the sky. He launched another Sky-Tearing Claw from above, aiming straight for the top of Chen Xin's head. Chen Xin flicked his blade, releasing another wave of intent to neutralize the attack.
Gu Xuan was mentally calculating every possibility. He was aggressive, but he wasn't being reckless. Suddenly, he let out a roar as the eight dragon-swords detached from his back and combined into a ten-meter-long sword dragon, diving toward Chen Xin.
"Flying Dragon Piercing Heaven!"
This was one of the abilities of the Sword Dragon Eight Wings and Gu Xuan's strongest single-target attack.
Seeing the fierce dragon baring its teeth at him, Chen Xin smiled and kicked off the ground, soaring upward. Two yellow, two purple, and five black rings appeared around him. His Rank 97 soul power erupted, yet he didn't use a soul skill. He simply delivered a light, graceful slash.
"A sword need not be sharp; it is the spirit that leaves the mark!" Chen Xin whispered.
That seemingly light strike exploded with boundless power. Chen Xin had compressed the strength to the level of a Soul Emperor, but it was still more than a normal Soul Emperor could handle.
No one worried about Gu Xuan being decapitated; they knew he was too slippery for that. If he were truly in danger, he'd be on his knees shouting for mercy. But instead, a mysterious smile appeared on Gu Xuan's face.
His pitch-black fourth ring had already been lit. A three-meter Spatial Portal appeared exactly between the sword dragon and Chen Xin's incoming strike.
To the crowd's surprise, the dragon and its terrifying momentum dove straight into the hole, and Chen Xin's sword intent followed right behind it. The two Soul Emperor-level attacks vanished into the portal like they were entering a mirror, without a single ripple of collision.
Beads of sweat formed on Gu Xuan's forehead as the portal vanished. The next second, two new portals appeared—one above and one below Chen Xin. A vertical spatial "tunnel" connected the two, "trapping" Chen Xin within a thirty-meter void between the two black holes.
Chen Xin was genuinely surprised, his lips curling upward. "Interesting."
Suddenly, the sword dragon lunged out of the upper portal while Chen Xin's own sword intent shot out of the lower one. Simultaneously, Gu Xuan unleashed his third skill.
"Third Soul Skill, Bone Dragon Purgatory!"
As the purple ring flashed, Gu Xuan clenched his hand. Within a three-meter radius around Chen Xin, countless ancient bone swords erupted.
"Varied Skill, Bone Sword Piercing!"
The bone swords formed a circle and thrust inward, aiming to pin Chen Xin like a pincushion.
Below, Gu Rong felt like a new world had opened up. 'Damn, you can use the skill like that?' Using the portal to redirect an opponent's attack and his own at the same time? That was far more stylish than just using a portal to sneak attack. This was what a "weird" Douluo should look like!
Gu Xuan's control over space was frightening. Within that thirty-meter vertical trap, he had created a spatial barrier strong enough to hold a Soul Emperor. To think he figured this out without any formal training!
Faced with this convergence of lethal attacks that would have crippled a Soul King, Chen Xin's response was simple. A blinding sword light shot toward the sky as the phantom intent around him expanded. Boundless sword intent swirled, systematically slicing and melting away every one of Gu Xuan's attacks until they were annihilated.
Chen Xin's eyes fixed on Gu Xuan with a sharp intensity. Gu Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
"Crap! Rongrong, save me!" Gu Xuan shouted at the top of his lungs.
(End of Chapter)
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