Su Cheng's Sword

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow.

She had only broken through level 30 not long ago, but she was still a whole major realm above Su Cheng. Yet her full-force strike had actually been blocked.

Even if he appeared to be struggling greatly, it was still astonishing enough.

Then she threw another punch.

It was blocked again.

Two punches, three punches...

As attack after attack fell, Qian Renxue grew increasingly surprised.

She discovered that simply crushing him head-on with brute force truly could not break through Su Cheng's seemingly simple defense.

Moreover, as time passed, he actually appeared to be growing more at ease.

Coordinating with his footwork, he swayed his body slightly, shedding most of the force. The remaining power was then guided by the sword forms in his hand and redirected elsewhere.

Yet when Qian Renxue prepared to bypass the sword and attack from other angles, she found that this simple defensive stance was seemingly watertight, impossible to overcome.

Her breathing began to grow somewhat agitated.

"Second Brother, did you see it?" Qian Daoliu, who had been silently watching from the Worship Hall, suddenly asked Golden Crocodile Douluo standing beside him.

"Self-Created Soul Skill!" Even with Golden Crocodile Douluo's knowledge and strength, he could not help but exclaim in amazement. "It is hard to imagine—if this child's talent were any better, who knows how far he could go..."

"That's right." Qian Daoliu nodded. "The key to this move lies in blocking the enemy's initial offensive and suppressing the momentum of their first burst, making it especially suited to dealing with offensive Soul Skills like Xiao Xue's. Once the first strike is blocked, if the follow-up damage does not increase by leaps and bounds, there will be little chance of breaking through.

"Besides, did you notice? His Defensive Swordsmanship has already nearly formed the rudiments of a domain. At least with Xiao Xue's current strength, she cannot break through this layer of defense."

"So that's why Xiao Xue could only choose to force her way through head-on afterward." Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly understood. "Looks like it's a draw. That girl has always held herself in such high regard. This will probably deal her quite a blow."

"No, Xiao Xue will probably lose," Qian Daoliu said calmly.

"How is that possible?! Even if they compete in Soul Power consumption, even if that kid is using Self-Created Soul Skills, he cannot possibly compare to Xiao Xue, who possesses the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and is already level 32."

"He is building momentum!" A faint golden light flickered in the burly elder's eyes as he watched the match in the Martial Arts Arena intently. "This sword strike is merely the opening stance."

Qian Daoliu was right. This sword strike was merely Su Cheng's opening stance.

Almost there. Feeling the resistance in his sword movements gradually increasing, Su Cheng thought to himself.

The force he could guide was nearing the upper limit of what he could control.

But that was already enough.

As one side waned and the other waxed, he was no longer without the strength to fight.

"Second Soul Skill: Sharpness."

The purple Second Soul Ring taken from an eleven-hundred-year Netherworld Wolf lit up, and Su Cheng's Second Soul Skill activated.

The effect of this Soul Skill was likewise extremely simple: it could greatly enhance the sharpness of the longsword in his hand.

Through his own development, after using this Soul Skill, his Broken Sword Martial Soul could carry an armor-piercing effect when attacking and could ignore the opponent's defenses to a certain extent.

Simply put, it could deal true damage.

Once the Soul Skill's enhancement was complete, the longsword in his hand trembled, knocking aside Qian Renxue's fist.

Then he stepped back, gripping the sword in both hands and holding it upright before him—

"Slash!"

His sword came down in a vertical slash, attacking Qian Renxue head-on.

The force was immense, and the speed was astonishing.

Seeing Su Cheng change his move and turn from defense to offense, Qian Renxue was startled at first, then delighted.

She had just been finding it difficult to break through that sword-form defense, yet Su Cheng actually dared to take the initiative and attack.

Still, this slash carried considerable aura. Its sharpness rushed toward her face, making the hairs on her body stand on end. It actually made even her, a Soul Elder, feel a hint of pressure.

Her body flashed as she prepared to temporarily avoid its edge, then counterattack once she had evaded the strike.

However, just as she was about to dodge, her expression abruptly changed.

This strike could not be avoided!

All avenues of retreat around her seemed to have been locked down by this sword. At the very least, with her current vision and speed, she could not evade it completely.

Forcing her way aside would only leave her heavily injured. At this moment, she had no choice but to take it head-on!

Left with no alternative, Qian Renxue could only change tactics.

Her Third Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet, golden radiance rippling outward like water as a wall of brilliant golden light rose before her.

This was her Third Soul Skill—Angel's Protection.

She decided to first use this highly defensive Soul Skill to block the attack.

Though the consumption was great, and she might lose her chance to counterattack and be forced into a passive position, this was the only option.

Looking at the golden wall of light standing before him, Su Cheng's expression turned solemn, his eyes utterly still.

What flashed through his mind was not this defensive Soul Skill, but the countless scenes of himself practicing sword swings in the past.

This sword strike had long since fused into his blood and bones.

"Break!"

The sword fell.

Before Qian Renxue's horrified eyes, the golden wall of light shattered with a thunderous crash.

She could only use the impact to retreat continuously.

Yet under the lock of this sword strike, she could not possibly escape unscathed.

Left with no choice, she crossed her arms before herself and infused them with a great amount of Soul Power, taking the full force of the remaining shockwave head-on.

After being knocked back several zhang, a trace of blood spilled from her lips.

"How could it be this strong?!" Qian Renxue could not calm herself for a long while, much less understand the combat power Su Cheng had displayed.

"..." After taking a deep breath, she forced down her distracting thoughts and revealed her final trump card.

She had not originally wanted to use this move. Or rather, she had not believed defeating Su Cheng would require it.

Golden light once again spread across Qian Renxue's body, enveloping her entirely. Even the pure white wings on her back were dyed gold.

Then rings of golden light rippled outward, carrying strange yet wondrous sounds as they enveloped Su Cheng.

Beneath layer upon layer of glowing radiance, everything around them became hazy gold. Su Cheng felt as though he had entered another world, both real and illusory.

Under the shroud of this world, the sensations in his body were far less wonderful than the sight of it.

Immense pressure surged in from all directions, confining his senses within an extremely narrow range.

Before him, Qian Renxue hovered in midair with golden wings upon her back, like a deity.

The sensation of his Soul Power being purified and dissolved appeared once more, and it was far more pronounced than when she had previously attacked him with Soul Skills.

Angel Domain... Su Cheng immediately understood.

He silently sensed his own condition, as well as the suppression and erosion the surrounding environment imposed upon him...

I can still unleash one final all-out strike. That should be enough.

"Mr. Su truly is formidable. If you can withstand this attack of mine, then you win."

Qian Renxue's voice seemed to come from the horizon, yet also seemed to ring beside his ear.

In truth, she was merely putting it nicely. After using Angel Domain, she had very little Soul Power left.

Su Cheng did not reply. He silently raised the longsword in his hand and thrust it forward.