Fast and Slow

At the Martial Arts Arena near the Worship Hall, Su Cheng and Qian Renxue stood facing each other.

Su Cheng glanced around and gave a soft laugh.

"Quite lively today."

Unlike last time, far more than just Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo were secretly watching this battle.

The other High Priests of the Worship Hall had all arrived as well, standing in a circle within the hall as they waited for Qian Daoliu's live broadcast.

Quite a few Titled Douluo from the Elder Hall stood openly in the distance around the Martial Arts Arena, watching the spectacle without the slightest attempt at concealment. Both fighters had noticed them.

Even Bibi Dong was silently observing from the Pope's Palace, assessing the current strength of this master and disciple.

However, the vast majority of these spectators had come for Qian Renxue.

As a peerless genius with Innate Soul Power at level 20, who had now absorbed her first Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring while still a Soul Ancestor, she naturally drew enormous attention.

Of course, none of them overlooked Su Cheng's presence either.

In the years since joining Spirit Hall, he had long earned everyone's recognition and respect through his knowledge and wisdom.

Yet that respect extended only to his learning. As for combat strength, no one believed he could defeat the current Qian Renxue.

The difference between them was simply too great in every respect.

In addition, some Spirit Hall Academy students with influential backgrounds had come to watch under the guidance of their elders, hoping to broaden their horizons.

Hu Liena, who had just advanced to Soul Grandmaster, stood beside Bibi Dong at that moment, watching the live image her teacher had constructed with Soul Power.

There were also those who had come purely for entertainment, such as Yue Guan.

He looked at Su Cheng with undisguised glee and said to Ghost Douluo beside him, "Old Ghost, Mr. Su is going to get beaten up by his disciple this time. Every time I see that unruffled look on his face, I don't know why, but it always irritates me a little. What do you think?"

"I think it's fine." Gui Mei's expression remained flat, but his words showed no mercy. "You're just jealous because he knows more than you."

"..."

The battle was about to begin. Qian Renxue looked at Su Cheng. "Teacher, you still haven't said what your stake is."

"We'll discuss it later. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. If you think that's inappropriate, then forget it. I don't have anything I need you to do right now."

Qian Renxue seemed to think of something. A faint flush crossed her face, and she nodded lightly without refusing.

The thoughts of the surrounding spectators varied, and Su Cheng knew Bibi Dong had to be watching as well.

Yet he paid it no mind.

The current Qian Renxue was still too green. Even if she had displayed some surprising qualities, a mere Soul Ancestor was not enough to make Bibi Dong wary or guarded.

Qian Renxue had no idea what Su Cheng was thinking.

Her thoughts were very simple. She merely wanted to surpass this teacher of hers in strength.

"Teacher, be careful."

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul appeared behind her. Two yellow, one purple, and one black Soul Ring emerged in turn. Beneath the golden radiance, two pairs of white wings, one large and one small, unfurled from her back.

Her body rose into the air like that of a true angel, hovering in midair.

Then, circles of golden halos accompanied by strange, wondrous sounds spread directly toward Su Cheng.

Powerful pressure came crashing in from all directions, restricting his five senses and six perceptions.

Qian Renxue had immediately unleashed her Angel Domain from the outset.

Su Cheng did not hesitate either. As he summoned his Martial Soul, his First Soul Ring lit up, and the Tenacity trait infused the sword in his hand.

Then, sword qi spread outward from him as well.

However, his Sword Dao Domain was still only in its infancy. Merely protecting his body already stretched it to its limits, and it could only weaken the pressure from the Angel Domain to a certain extent.

Trying to contend with her directly was nothing but wishful thinking.

Just like three years ago.

This time, Su Cheng had also adopted a defensive counterattack strategy.

But Qian Renxue was clearly no longer the Qian Renxue of three years ago.

She did not attack immediately, nor did she use any of her first three Soul Skills. Instead, her pitch-black Fourth Soul Ring lit up at once.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Angel Descent!"

Once this Soul Skill was activated, the phantom of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul vanished and merged into one with Qian Renxue.

Brilliant golden light shone around her body as a powerful aura poured recklessly into the surroundings.

This Soul Skill was clearly different from an ordinary Martial Soul Possession. It strengthened her in every aspect, fully maximizing her sacred attribute while further harmonizing the connection between her Physical Body and Martial Soul.

Her speed, physique, and explosive power all rose several levels in an instant.

As golden light flashed, a Light Blade Greatsword appeared in Qian Renxue's hand.

She then charged forward and engaged Su Cheng.

This time, Qian Renxue did not simply overwhelm him with brute force. Instead, she fought Su Cheng purely through swordsmanship, attacking and defending in turn, occasionally even giving ground. She gave Su Cheng no opportunity to build momentum.

Qian Daoliu had once told her that Su Cheng's swordsmanship excelled at neutralizing unrestrained offensive pressure.

If the attacking side did not understand the importance of holding back, the longer the fight dragged on, the more power Su Cheng could accumulate.

Against opponents of similar strength, his Sword Stance could be called an absolute defense.

But this defensive sword technique was not without its flaws.

If his opponent focused solely on a battle of attrition, he would have a difficult time.

Now, whether in Martial Soul strength or Soul Power Level, Qian Renxue surpassed Su Cheng by far. If they continued to clash like this, the outcome was obvious.

However, Su Cheng had not intended to use his old tactics this time.

His blade slashed forward, and the light sword flashed.

"Clang—"

The two swords collided.

Yet to everyone's surprise, after several exchanges, the two were actually evenly matched.

Then, the ringing clash of their crossing blades filled the air.

This scene exceeded every spectator's expectations.

Quite a few had speculated that Su Cheng might have some unexpected means of winning.

But among the Titled Douluo present, not one had expected the two to trade blows so evenly.

"Something's wrong. Miss doesn't seem to be attacking at full strength. Is she going easy on him?" Yue Guan asked with some confusion, looking toward his old partner Gui Mei.

"Not just that." Ghost Douluo also looked surprised. "Haven't you noticed that Mr. Su's attack speed is absurdly fast?"

"Hm?" Only after hearing Gui Mei's words did Yue Guan realize it. "That's true, but there's no reason for it."

A battle between soul masters was never merely a contest of Soul Power. Strength, speed, eyesight, prediction, and Soul Skills were all extremely important factors.

Especially in close combat, one could often predict an opponent's next move the instant they raised their hand.

As a Soul Elder, Su Cheng should have had no chance of keeping up with Qian Renxue's attack speed as a Soul Ancestor.

That was precisely why Yue Guan had failed to notice it earlier.

Yet the situation within the arena was the exact opposite. Every one of Su Cheng's attacks seemed to catch Qian Renxue off guard.

As a result, she lost the initiative with every swing of her sword, always falling a beat behind in her offensive rhythm.