The group walked together and soon arrived at the entrance to the training ground.
The sun had risen higher, its golden rays spilling over the towering viewing platforms and landing in the center of the training ground, which was paved with black stone.
The stone surface is covered with old marks of varying depths, the imprints left by the battles between Titled Douluo over the years; dry dust accumulates in the cracks of the stone, which is gently stirred up by the wind and then slowly pressed down by the faintly flowing Angel Divine Power in the arena.
Qian Renxue half-supported, half-pushed Qian Daoliu to the center of the arena.
Qian Renxue released her grip on Qian Daoliu's arm, lightly touched the stone surface with her toes, and slid back dozens of steps to increase the distance between them.
The white skirt then billowed out, the hem brushing against a layer of dust on the ground.
Her back was ramrod straight, her chin slightly raised, and her golden pupils were fixed on the old man opposite her. Her fingers, hidden in her sleeve, curled up slightly, forcibly suppressing the barely perceptible tension in her heart.
"Grandpa, I'm ready."
Qian Renxue's clear voice carried on the wind, creating a faint echo in the empty training ground.
Qian Daoliu lowered his head and straightened the still crooked sash of his white robe, his fingertips tracing the rough fabric. He looked up at his granddaughter, the smile in his eyes fading little by little, replaced by solemnity.
He sighed softly, his voice low, yet it reached Qian Renxue clearly:
"You silly girl, you dragged me out of bed before dawn. You're still as impatient as ever."
At this point, Qian Daoliu paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the restrained holy light surrounding Qian Renxue, and he raised his fingertips slightly, preparing to receive the attack.
"Very well. Since you want to give it a try, then let me see for myself what kind of fortune you've obtained on this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest."
The moment the words fell, two dazzling beams of soul light suddenly exploded on the training ground.
Su Zui lowered his shoulders and gently flipped his wrist, adopting his usual starting stance. The jet-black Great Luo Sword Embryo slowly rose from behind him, its blade crisscrossed with fine golden patterns. Rings of Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, yellow, purple, black, black, black, black, red!
The seventh Soul Ring was crimson, like congealed blood.
A powerful and oppressive aura of Soul Power spread outwards in concentric circles, enveloping the entire training ground. The ancient and desolate aura of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast swept over the area. The dust on the edge of the stone platform was pressed firmly to the ground by this force, preventing it from being stirred up.
On the stone platform, Golden Crocodile Douluo's pupils suddenly contracted, and he subconsciously took half a step forward, letting out a low gasp. The wind lifted the cloak on his shoulders, and the gravel at his feet trembled slightly.
"Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring... He's only Soul Saint, yet he's already obtained Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?"
The gentle smile on Yue Guan's face vanished instantly, his pupils dilated, and he turned his head to exchange a glance with Gui Mei, both of them filled with shock.
They knew all too well how difficult it was to obtain Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring; countless Titled Douluo on the continent had spent their entire lives without ever getting one.
On the other side, golden light suddenly erupted from Qian Renxue's body.
A blazing holy light soared into the sky, its gentle light carrying an inviolable divine pressure.
Her shoulder blades first tucked inwards, then suddenly stretched outwards with a hum, and twelve enormous wings of light unfolded layer by layer with this movement. The tips of the feathers swept across the airflow beside her, stirring up golden dust, and the tips of the wings trembled gently, constantly scattering fine particles of holy light.
The Soul Rings beneath her feet rose one by one. The first six Soul Rings were arranged in order, the Seventh Soul Ring was a deep inky black, and the Eighth Soul Ring was orange-red.
Layers of oppressive force spread outwards, several times thicker than Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. The blinding light swept across the viewing platform, and the group of Titled Douluo felt their Divine Souls tingle slightly.
The composure on Qian Daoliu's face vanished completely. His gaze was fixed on the silent, orange-red Soul Ring floating at the top. His Adam's apple bobbed slowly, and after a long while, he spoke in a low voice:
"... This Eighth Soul Ring... something's not right."
Golden Crocodile Douluo clenched his fists, his rough voice low. "This oppressive aura is something no ordinary Soul Ring can possess."
The Light Feather Douluo narrowed his icy blue eyes, focusing intently on the arena, even softening his breathing.
Bibi Dong stood at the very front of the stone platform, her hand holding the scepter loosened for a moment, then tightened again.
Her purple eyes were fixed on the golden figure in the arena, then her gaze shifted to the boy surrounded by sword shadows beside him, her heart churning with emotions. She had long guessed that the two had gained a lot from this trip, but seeing those two Soul Rings with her own eyes still made her heart tighten.
Qian Renxue's twelve wings trembled slightly, and her golden eyes gazed at Qian Daoliu opposite her. The pride that had been building up in her heart for so long was now fully ignited.
"Grandpa, please enlighten me."
Golden holy light rose from her body, and the power of the Twelve-Winged Blazing Angel was ready to be unleashed.
As soon as he finished speaking, the wind in the training ground suddenly stopped.
It didn't dissipate slowly; rather, the airflow lost its direction in an instant.
The morning breeze that had been circling the stone platform froze, and the dust floating in mid-air remained suspended in place, neither rising nor falling.
Qian Daoliu's white robe billowed without wind, the hem spreading outwards in a very faint arc. Fine silver patterns rose from the black stone beneath his feet, like ink slowly spreading at the bottom of water.
The Angel Domain unfolds.
Qian Renxue pursed her lips and straightened her back even more.
Grandpa unleashed his domain without holding back at all.
She knew in her heart that her Angel Martial Soul, which was of the God King rank, could suppress the vast majority of Martial Souls in the world. However, her grandfather's Martial Soul was also Six-Winged Angel, and his cultivation level was even that of Quasi-God. Her suppression of her grandfather was definitely not that great.
Qian Daoliu looked up at her, the kindness in his eyes fading, leaving only a calm gaze as he purely observed a junior. He did not move, his hands still hanging at his sides.
"Bring it on."
Just two simple words.
Before Qian Renxue could even set off, Su Zui did.
He didn't draw his sword immediately, nor did he utter a sound. He lowered his knees slightly, pressing his weight onto the ground, and a dull cracking sound came from the stone beneath his feet—the sound of force being forcibly pressed into the rock.
The next moment, his figure vanished from everyone's sight.
It didn't truly vanish into thin air; it just moved so fast that the naked eye couldn't detect it.
One hundred and twenty-eight times Divine Speed.
Su Zui was well aware of the cost of this move.
Such extreme speed would continuously tear at his meridians, his skin and flesh would be stinging from the high-speed airflow, and his vision would constantly distort and blur. This speed was achieved by overdrawing his own limits, and he kept a tight rein on himself, suppressing the restless source of his Martial Soul Avatar, not daring to touch that out-of-control red line.
However, against an opponent of the level of Qian Daoliu, without using this move, he wouldn't even have the right to get close and make a move.
He concentrated all his sword intent on the tip of the Great Luo Sword Embryo, and lunged forward at an angle, close to the ground. His sword path was tricky, specifically targeting gaps in the armpits and sides that didn't seem like vital points. It was a fighting style he had figured out himself; it wasn't elegant, but it was practical enough.
Several pairs of eyes on the stone platform simultaneously focused.
The sword was still half a foot away from Qian Daoliu, and the old man's eyelids did not twitch. He slowly raised his hand, which had been hanging by his side, and placed two slender fingers in front of him.
Bite--
A clear, resounding boom exploded.
Two fingers firmly caught the rapidly slashing blade.
Su Zui used the force of the Extreme Speed Charge to slam into the sword, his hand going numb instantly, the shock spreading from his arm to his shoulder and neck, the sword humming incessantly.
No matter how hard he pushed his Soul Power forward, those two fingers remained as steady as a towering mountain, completely unmoved.
He looked up at Qian Daoliu, clenched his teeth, and strained his wrist, trying to twist the sword between his fingers.
Qian Daoliu's voice was calm, carrying a hint of admonition for a junior. "Your swordplay is too hasty. It's fast enough, but you're so focused on charging forward that you've forgotten to leave yourself a way out."
Su Zui did not respond; within his sea of consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had already been gathering its power for a long time.
"Now!"
An invisible and intangible torrent of Divine Souls surged out of the sea of consciousness, heading straight for Qian Daoliu's Divine Soul. The Soul Impact of Million-Year Soul Beast pouring out its entire essence crashed heavily onto that divine Divine Soul, which was as stable as a vast ocean.
Qian Daoliu's brows furrowed slightly.
Deep within his Divine Soul, the ancient Angel Divine Light spontaneously shone, steadily withstanding the attack. But in the instant of resisting the impact on his Divine Soul, he had to spare a sliver of his mind to absorb the shockwave.
It was just a fleeting moment, a mere half-breath of distraction.
That's enough.
"Xue'er!"
Su Zui's voice, mixed with the vibrations of Soul Power, spread outwards.
Qian Renxue had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
In an instant, her twelve wings of light folded inward, then suddenly flapped open, the golden dust being torn into thin golden threads by the airflow. Propelled by the holy light, she shot forward like a golden meteor.
Then, the deep black Seventh Soul Ring beneath Qian Renxue's feet suddenly burst forth with light.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Angel True Body!"