Clear Wind Sword

The two stared at each other, the scene falling silent for a moment.

After a long while, Li Qing let out a soft breath, setting aside his inner doubts for the time being. He asked with interest, "By the way, why did you fall from the sky just now?"

Zhao Xuan's face flushed. After a moment of hesitation, he mumbled, "I was accidentally swatted down by the Titan Giant Ape."

Li Qing was speechless, but he found it even stranger. To be able to withstand an attack from the Titan Giant Ape and emerge unscathed—this young man was truly interesting.

Upon closer inspection just now, he had noticed that Zhao Xuan's body seemed very peculiar, giving off a natural aura, as if it were formed by nature itself.

"Young man, are you interested in testing your strength against mine?" Li Qing suddenly had an idea.

Zhao Xuan was somewhat tempted. This Title Douluo seemed approachable. It was also a perfect opportunity for him to gauge his current strength, and having a benchmark would be ideal. Moreover, this man's Martial Soul was a sword, so Zhao Xuan might not be at a disadvantage in terms of raw power.

"Please go easy on me, Senior," Zhao Xuan said respectfully, bowing.

"No problem, no problem," Li Qing replied with a smile.

The two stood firm, about twenty meters apart, gazing at each other from a distance.

"Senior, here I come." A surge of fighting spirit suddenly erupted in Zhao Xuan's eyes, his blood boiling. His opponent was a Title Douluo!

"Come on."

Li Qing smiled, but his heart tensed, as he could faintly feel a sliver of pressure.

If someone had told him in the past that a mere Soul Elder could pressure him, he would have scoffed. But now, a living example stood before him!

"Bang!"

Zhao Xuan stomped his foot, and the ground instantly cracked into a web-like pattern. Simultaneously, his body shot forward like a cannonball.

"Not good!" The smile on Li Qing's face froze instantly. Before his body could even react, Zhao Xuan's kick landed on him.

It felt like a mountain peak had slammed into his chest, jolting his entire soul out. Li Qing's scalp tingled, and his body arched backward like a bow, before he tumbled into the lake.

"Plop!"

The lake's surface was once again broken, ripples spreading outwards.

Zhao Xuan stood frozen, wondering if he had become this strong. He could kick a Title Douluo away with a single blow.

He looked down and saw faint, mysterious runes flashing on the surface of his skin, giving it a jade-like luster.

"Pfft!"

Li Qing leaped out of the lake and, in a flash, appeared before Zhao Xuan.

He was covered in mud and water. If he hadn't instinctively formed a shield of Soul Power over his chest at the last second, he would likely be lying on the ground right now.

Li Qing stared blankly at Zhao Xuan, "Tell me, are all the brats outside as monstrous as you?"

"N-no, no, I was born with divine strength."

Seeing Li Qing's displeased expression, Zhao Xuan quickly replied. Although he had kicked the Title Douluo away just now, the other party hadn't even used his Martial Soul yet. Zhao Xuan was unsure and feared Li Qing might get angry.

Hearing Zhao Xuan's answer, Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief, but his gaze towards Zhao Xuan became complex, even tinged with embarrassment.

As a Level 92 Power-type Title Douluo, he had been a renowned figure on the Douluo Continent in his day. To think that after living in seclusion in the Star Dou Great Forest for many years, he would be kicked away by a mere Soul Elder.

His reputation was ruined, Li Qing thought with a pang of sorrow.

"Senior, shall we continue?" Zhao Xuan looked at Li Qing's expression and asked cautiously.

Li Qing took a deep breath. "Continue!"

If he didn't regain his honor, how could he continue to make a living on the Douluo Continent?

Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up. "My apologies."

"Bang!"

Zhao Xuan charged at Li Qing again, without any fancy moves, simply throwing a punch straight at him.

The punch was ferocious, even causing the surrounding air to ripple and produce a short sonic boom.

Li Qing's gaze sharpened. Even though he was fully alert this time, he almost couldn't track Zhao Xuan's movement.

Wind appeared under his feet out of nowhere. Just as Zhao Xuan's fist was about to land, Li Qing narrowly dodged it and then struck back with a palm towards Zhao Xuan's chest.

"Bang!"

The slender palm struck Zhao Xuan's chest, but it sounded like hitting a bronze bell. Zhao Xuan felt nothing, but Li Qing's hand went numb.

"What kind of monster is this? This physical body is as strong as a power-type Beast Soul Master who has just entered the Title Douluo realm."

Li Qing was filled with disbelief. He had only used about fifty percent of his strength earlier, fearing he might injure Zhao Xuan. He hadn't expected this outcome. He felt a sense of relief; if he had gone all out, Zhao Xuan's physique might have caused him further embarrassment.

"Kid, you're really monstrous," Li Qing couldn't help but say as he dodged Zhao Xuan's next attack.

Zhao Xuan feigned shyness and chuckled, "Everyone says so."

Li Qing's mouth twitched. He dodged Zhao Xuan's side, but Zhao Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he spun around, an elbow strike hitting Li Qing's rear shoulder.

Li Qing stumbled, his entire back shoulder going numb. He was getting annoyed, suddenly feeling foolish! Why, as a Weapon Soul Master, was he trying to compete in strength with a kid whose physical prowess rivaled a Title Douluo?

"Kid, I'm going to use my Martial Soul. Can you still handle it?" Li Qing's face flushed slightly. To be forced to use his Martial Soul by a twelve-year-old boy.

Zhao Xuan pondered for a moment. "Yes!"

Li Qing's mind settled. The cyan-gray longsword on his back suddenly let out a clear sword cry. With a flash of cold light, it had, at some unknown time, fallen into his hand.

Holding the nameless longsword, Li Qing lowered his eyelids slightly, his gaze falling upon the sword's surface, which was as smooth and reflective as a mirror.

The aura he exuded suddenly became sharp, as if countless knives were slicing at his face.

"Clear Wind, oh Clear Wind, I didn't expect I'd have to bring you out just to face a child like this." Li Qing said with a heavy, somewhat melancholic expression.

Zhao Xuan coughed dryly, "Senior, I'm special."

Li Qing glanced at Zhao Xuan. "Of course, I know you're special, but no matter how special you are, you're only twelve years old. If the outside world were filled with little monsters like you, I might as well buy a block of tofu and smash my head against it!"

The next moment, Li Qing's aura sank, and simultaneously, his first Soul Ring lit up.

"Sword Leaf!" he murmured softly. Thousands of falling leaves around him froze in mid-air, their sharp tips pointed directly at Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan swallowed hard. This scene was a bit terrifying.

"Swiftly!"

With a wave of his longsword and a flash of cold light, the myriad leaves flew towards Zhao Xuan with a "swoosh."

Zhao Xuan was about to use his Mobile Phone's Third Soul Skill to dodge when his expression suddenly changed. Countless tiny lightning snakes erupted around him.

The lightning snakes pulsed with a purple-gold glow, forming a circle of purple lightning around Zhao Xuan within a one-meter radius.

"Crack!" "Crack!"

The Sword Leaves flew forward, and the instant they touched the lightning net, they exploded, turning into bursts of sparks that fell. The countless Sword Leaves couldn't touch Zhao Xuan's body at all.

"Is this his Martial Soul?"

Li Qing looked at the lightning net beside Zhao Xuan with suspicion. This flashing purple divine lightning made even him feel a sense of dread.

Unbeknownst to Li Qing, Zhao Xuan was also surprised. He could actually use this purple divine lightning, which he only remembered, and he was using it with such ease, as if it were an extension of his own arm.

"Again." Li Qing prompted, and at the same time, his second Soul Ring shimmered.

A gust of unfocused clear wind suddenly stirred around them, making Zhao Xuan wary.

"This is my second Soul Skill, Hidden Edge! The sword energy is hidden within the wind, be careful."

Li Qing reminded him again, then casually waved his Clear Wind Sword.

To his divine sense, a stream of sword energy merged with the wind and appeared behind Zhao Xuan unnoticed.

Zhao Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly turned, unleashing a punch. Divine lightning appeared out of nowhere, shredding the sword energy to nothing.

Surprise flickered across Li Qing's face. He waved his sword again, releasing two more streams of sword energy.

With the help of his divine sense, these seemingly traceless sword energies were as conspicuous to Zhao Xuan as the moon in the dark night. With a few turns, the sword energies shattered one after another.

After waiting for a moment and finding no further attack from Li Qing, Zhao Xuan was taken aback. He turned to look at Li Qing.

Li Qing had already retracted his Martial Soul. The Clear Wind Sword was once again sheathed on his back, and his nine Soul Rings had also vanished.

He slowly walked towards Zhao Xuan, his face filled with dejection. "Zhao Xuan, am I truly getting old?"

"Huh?" Zhao Xuan felt bewildered.

"I can't even deal with a twelve-year-old boy now."

Having used two Soul Skills without inflicting any damage on Zhao Xuan, and even being hit twice himself, Li Qing felt a sense of loss and gave up on testing Zhao Xuan further. If he continued, it would be truly shameless.

Zhao Xuan let out a dry chuckle, not answering. However, he felt no pride in his heart.

Setting aside the fact that Li Qing had been holding back, only using two hundred-year Soul Skills, and even then not at full power, the surrounding environment that had been damaged was enough to inspire his respect for Li Qing.

Li Qing's first Soul Skill, Sword Leaf, manipulated thousands of leaves. Zhao Xuan only managed to block a small portion; most of them landed in the surroundings.

Fragile leaves possessed immense power in Li Qing's hands. Within a dozen meters, trees and the ground alike were covered in leaves, either embedded deep into ancient trees or piercing through bluestones. The finger-length leaves sank in completely, leaving only a short stub visible.

And the shattered sword energy, scattering everywhere, pulverized small stones, ravaged bushes, and gouged out ancient trees. The area within a dozen meters was a mess of broken branches and fallen leaves, leaving nothing untouched.

And this was the result of Li Qing not using his full strength!

"It seems it's time for me to go out and see the world. Otherwise, I won't even know when another little monster like you appears," Li Qing murmured, staring at Zhao Xuan with a hint of emotion.

"Little monster?" Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up.

"I know where there are lots of little monsters! Senior!"