Thunder Sound Swordplay

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...

Hu Haoran controlled the Soaring Sword with both hands. A humming filled the air around it, the vibrations of the sound waves nearly visible to the naked eye, while purplish-gold lightning coiled around the blade. His body continuously shifted through various movements, his footwork constantly changing as sword move followed sword move.

Hu Haoran and Jiang Jiayao did not immediately set off to search for Soul Beasts. Instead, they found a relatively safe place to rest. Hu Haoran had suggested it. He wanted to take advantage of this brief break to practice the Thunder Sound Swordplay he had just acquired.

"What fine swordplay! Haoran, what is this swordplay called? Where did you learn such exquisite swordsmanship? If you can combine it with your martial soul skills, it'll be incredible!" Jiang Jiayao looked at Hu Haoran with envy. He found Hu Haoran increasingly mysterious. Hu Haoran had not used this swordplay when they hunted the Heavy Thunder Rhinoceros before. Jiang Jiayao knew that if Hu Haoran had used it, dealing with the injured Heavy Thunder Rhinoceros would certainly have been much easier.

"This swordplay is called Thunder Sound Swordplay. My mother gave it to me. There are five forms in total, but at my current level, I can only use the first two. I didn't use it before because my Soul Power wasn't enough to support the sword moves. Even if I used them, they wouldn't have much killing power, and I'd only waste my Soul Power. The brilliance of this swordplay lies in lightning and sound. Legend says that at its highest realm, one can kill enemies a thousand miles away without leaving a trace. But it seems no one has ever reached that highest realm." Hu Haoran naturally could not reveal the full origin of the Thunder Sound Swordplay, so he could only use his mother as a shield again.

"How come I've never heard of such exquisite swordplay? Forget it, never mind all that. Show me a few moves now so I can study them too." Jiang Jiayao said excitedly. He certainly did not want to miss an opportunity to gain inspiration for a Self-Created Soul Skill.

Hu Haoran once again danced his sword, and lightning and sound waves appeared once more.

"Divine Sound Soul Chasing!" Hu Haoran shouted as the sword move in his hand changed.

The Soaring Sword began spinning rapidly. The blade rubbed against the air, producing threads of lightning, while sharp, grating squeals rang out. Although this move was not aimed at anyone, Jiang Jiayao was actually distracted for a moment, stunned by the electric sound. Yet he was not truly stunned; at most, he was simply shocked.

"Good!" A bright glint appeared in Jiang Jiayao's eyes. This move gave him great insight.

"Swift Lightning Wind Thunder!" Hu Haoran shouted again, and his sword move changed once more.

At that moment, the Soaring Sword erupted with purplish-gold sword light. Hu Haoran swung the sword so quickly that even the eye could barely follow it. Sword light danced wherever it passed; anyone who touched those purplish-gold rays would surely be cut into pieces.

"This move is even more marvelous!" Jiang Jiayao could not help voicing his admiration again.

"Brother Jiang, how was that? I've practiced for an entire day, and my Soul Power is nearly exhausted." Hu Haoran asked with a tired smile.

"I've gained immensely! As long as I continue comprehending it, I'll definitely create another Self-Created Soul Skill!" Jiang Jiayao said confidently. "How about we exchange a few moves tomorrow? I'll suppress my Soul Power to level 20, so I won't take advantage of you."

"Alright!" Hu Haoran agreed without hesitation. What he lacked now was combat experience against other people.

The night passed silently. Hu Haoran cultivated the Blue Lightning Dragon Emperor Art, rapidly restoring his Soul Power.

The next morning.

"Are you ready?" Jiang Jiayao asked, holding the Blazing Heaven Battle Hammer.

"Mm! I'm ready!" Hu Haoran waved the Soaring Sword in his hand in reply.

"I won't take advantage of you. At most, I'll use my Second Soul Skill. Make full use of your swordplay," Jiang Jiayao reminded him.

"Alright!" The moment Hu Haoran finished speaking, he charged straight at Jiang Jiayao. "Be careful, Brother Jiang! Take this! Swift Lightning Wind Thunder!"

Hu Haoran showed no mercy, immediately greeting Jiang Jiayao with the second form of the Thunder Sound Swordplay. His sword danced swiftly, and sword light carrying purplish-gold lightning shot toward Jiang Jiayao.

"Good timing!" Five soul rings appeared behind Jiang Jiayao, but three were dim and without light. Only two century-old soul rings shone brilliantly. It was obvious that Jiang Jiayao had suppressed his Soul Power to level 20. "You'd better be careful too! First Soul Skill, Explosive Three Fire Hammers!"

The Blazing Heaven Battle Hammer split into three, and the three flaming hammers each met the purplish-gold sword light.

Boom...

The flaming hammer phantoms and purplish-gold sword light annihilated each other. Neither side gained the upper hand in their first clash.

"Brother Jiang, try my First Soul Skill too. First Soul Skill, Vicious Thunder Stab!" As soon as Hu Haoran spoke, a purple thousand-year soul ring bearing the image of a Heavy Thunder Rhinoceros appeared behind him.

Purplish-gold lightning erupted from the Soaring Sword as it stabbed directly toward Jiang Jiayao's throat, howling forward with unstoppable force. This was already a killing move capable of ending the fight in one strike—plain and simple, without the slightest flourish.

Jiang Jiayao also wanted to test the power of Hu Haoran's thousand-year soul ring, so he swung his great hammer and charged forward directly.

Boom...

Jiang Jiayao was sent flying backward, both hands numb from the lightning.

"It actually has a paralysis effect?! Damn! That's incredible! If one strike doesn't kill, it paralyzes the enemy, making them lose their combat ability for a short time. You can follow up with a second sword strike at any moment, and if you can't win, you can even use the paralysis time to escape. What a great Soul Skill!" Jiang Jiayao could not help praising it after experiencing the skill himself.

"Brother Jiang, don't lose focus! There's more!" Hu Haoran pressed on while the iron was hot. "Thunder Sound Swordplay, Divine Sound Soul Chasing! First Soul Skill, Vicious Thunder Stab!"

This was Hu Haoran's attempt to fuse the Thunder Sound Swordplay with his Soul Skill. He believed it would bring an unexpected surprise, just like Jiang Jiayao's Mammoth Trample.

The Soaring Sword spun rapidly, purplish-gold lightning bursting from its blade. A ray of sword light left behind an afterimage as it stabbed toward Jiang Jiayao's throat. At the same time, the sound waves emitted by the blade continuously disrupted Jiang Jiayao's thoughts, the piercing squeals invisibly assaulting his ears.

Jiang Jiayao immediately stopped underestimating this combination of swordplay and Soul Skill.

"First and Second Soul Skills combined, Explosive Three Fire Hammers + Sky Spinning Fire Hammer!" The two century-old soul rings behind Jiang Jiayao trembled at the same time and simultaneously shone with dazzling light.

Jiang Jiayao's battle hammer flew through the air, spinning rapidly as it split into three hammer shadows, instantly blocking the Soaring Sword's path.

Boom...

Hu Haoran was the one sent flying this time!

"As expected, Brother Jiang is still stronger!" Hu Haoran said with a smile as he climbed to his feet, covered in dust.

"No, you won! I used the Soul Power of a level 30 Soul Elder to neutralize that move. You didn't lose. On the contrary, I nearly failed to block your attack," Jiang Jiayao said slowly.

"That proves my talent isn't bad after all. Hahaha..." Hu Haoran laughed loudly.

"Alright, tomorrow we'll set out to hunt your second soul ring! I really want to see what surprises you'll bring me after reaching level 20!"

"I want to know too!"