Through his divine sense, Zhao Xuan sensed that the newcomer was moving incredibly fast, covering twenty to thirty meters with every breath. At that rate, he would arrive here in about ten seconds.
"Wait, why am I standing here like an idiot waiting for him to come?"
Zhao Xuan suddenly smacked his forehead, nearly crying over his own stupidity. Shouldn't he be hiding right now? Had he messed up his brain somehow just now?
Bang!
Zhao Xuan had barely taken a step when, after his transformation, his strength proved to have undergone earth-shaking changes. With one step, he leaped several meters and slammed headfirst into a towering ancient tree.
The old tree shook violently, its leaves rustling as several of them drifted down.
Zhao Xuan rubbed his head, then discovered in surprise that he was completely unharmed. His forehead neither hurt nor itched.
But when he looked at the ancient tree, a section of its trunk was visibly dented inward.
Rustle!
The sound of leaves scraping against each other in the bushes reached his ears. Zhao Xuan's heart jolted, and he hurriedly turned to look.
A white figure burst out from the forest, his gaze immediately locking onto Zhao Xuan.
He looked quite young, dressed in an immaculate moon-white robe. He had sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a complexion as gentle as jade, with a grayish-green longsword strapped to his back.
Zhao Xuan raised a brow. This man did not look like a Soul Master at all—he looked more like an immortal swordsman.
The newcomer's brow furrowed slightly when he saw the drenched Zhao Xuan. Somewhat surprised, he asked, "Were you the one who fell from the sky just now?"
"Senior saw me?"
Zhao Xuan looked at him in astonishment, no longer in the mood to consider whether he was friend or foe. His transformation had taken quite some time, and at this man's speed, he should have traveled a great distance.
No way, he could see me from that far away?!
"My residence is not far from here. I sensed the aura of the forest overlord, the Titan Giant Ape, and was preparing to take a look. I never expected to see something fly over my head."
The newcomer looked at Zhao Xuan strangely, his eyes filled with deep puzzlement.
This kid is interesting. He fell into a lake, but after flying such a great distance, he was completely unharmed.
Zhao Xuan smiled awkwardly. Then his expression shifted as he cautiously asked, "May I know Senior's name?"
"You are an interesting young man. Who asks someone's name the moment they meet? Still... it is only a name. There is no harm in telling you. My surname is Li, and my given name is Qing," the newcomer said slowly, amused as he glanced at Zhao Xuan.
"Li Qing? Never heard of him," Zhao Xuan muttered.
"Heh, that only shows how ignorant you are." Li Qing shot Zhao Xuan a disdainful look.
Unmoved, Zhao Xuan continued, "Senior said you wanted to see the Titan Giant Ape?"
The Titan Giant Ape was the forest overlord. What Soul Master would not want to stay as far away from it as possible? Yet this man actually wanted to go take a look!
In Zhao Xuan's perception, this man seemed to possess some method of concealing his aura. Even with his divine sense, Zhao Xuan could not gauge his depth. Still, judging from his speed just now, he had to be extremely powerful—perhaps at the level of a Soul Douluo.
Li Qing looked at Zhao Xuan with amusement. "You do not believe in my strength?"
Zhao Xuan said nothing, neither admitting nor denying it.
Li Qing laughed heartily. "I have lived in seclusion here for so long that I have not met such an interesting young man in ages. Since you want to see, then keep your eyes wide open."
Zhao Xuan neither agreed nor disagreed, but his eyes remained fixed intently on Li Qing.
Seeing this, Li Qing shook his head with a smile. He pointed at Zhao Xuan and laughed soundlessly.
Clang!
The next moment, Zhao Xuan heard a clear sword cry. Then an immense pressure erupted from Li Qing's somewhat slender body, several times more terrifying than Zhao Wuji's, even comparable to the Titan Giant Ape's.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black!
One, two, three... nine! A full nine soul rings! Zhao Xuan's eyes widened instantly. The man he had casually encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest was actually a Titled Douluo?! He was far stronger than the Soul Douluo Zhao Xuan had imagined.
"Hm?"
Little did Zhao Xuan know that while he was shocked, Li Qing was even more astonished—no, he was downright stunned.
When he had first activated his soul rings, he had never expected to display them before a young man, so he had released all his strength. The Soul Power fluctuations emitted by a Titled Douluo, even without deliberately targeting anyone, were not something easily endured. Not even a Soul Ancestor could withstand them.
Yet when he noticed this, he discovered that Zhao Xuan had not been affected in the slightest. Under his pressure, Zhao Xuan had not even frowned.
Could it be that my strength has declined?
Li Qing began doubting himself. Had years of seclusion caused his strength to regress rather than improve?
As for considering that Zhao Xuan might possess strength beyond that of a Soul Ancestor, the thought never even crossed his mind. If Zhao Xuan truly had strength above the Soul Ancestor level, Li Qing swore he would draw his sword and slit his own throat without hesitation!
"You... are you all right?!" Li Qing asked hesitantly.
Zhao Xuan withdrew his gaze from the nine soul rings surrounding Li Qing, forcefully suppressing the shock in his heart. He asked in confusion,
"What is supposed to be wrong?"
Zhao Xuan suddenly came to his senses. Li Qing had not yet withdrawn his soul rings, and the terrifying aura of a Titled Douluo swept over him like wave after wave of raging tides. Sand and stones flew around them, leaves whirled through the air, and even the lake water rippled.
Yet Zhao Xuan stood like a lighthouse on a reef, unmoved no matter how fiercely the wind and waves battered him.
Suspicion rose in Zhao Xuan's heart. He quietly glanced at Li Qing. Could this man be planning to kill him to keep his failed display of power secret?
Suddenly, Li Qing's eyes lit up, as though he had noticed something amiss.
"What a powerful body!" He looked at the exposed skin of Zhao Xuan's body in surprise.
After undergoing a transformation, Zhao Xuan's skin had become even fairer. It even seemed crystal-clear from the outside, gleaming with a jade-like luster.
"Kid, you have asked me two questions, so may I ask you one as well?" Li Qing said with a smile.
"Please ask, Senior," Zhao Xuan replied hurriedly. As long as Li Qing was not planning to kill him to keep his secret, anything was fine.
Although his strength had undergone earth-shaking changes after the transformation, Zhao Xuan still had no confidence that he could contend with a Titled Douluo. He hoped such a possibility existed, but he also knew it was very unlikely.
The reason was simple: Zhao Xuan had never witnessed the strength of a Titled Douluo. Although one stood before him now, he still did not dare take the risk.
Li Qing was not surprised in the slightest when Zhao Xuan agreed. He asked seriously, "I want to know your name. It would be even better if you could tell me your age, martial soul, and so on."
"Zhao Xuan, twelve years old, three-ring Tool Soul Elder."
Although no expression showed on his face, Li Qing could not help feeling startled. Twelve years old, with three rings?! What monstrous talent was that?
At the same time, another trace of doubt arose in his heart.
How could a twelve-year-old three-ring Tool Soul Elder possess such a powerful body?
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