Symphony of Metal and Sword

Xuanyuan Wen's defeat was like a Heavy Hammer smashing into the hearts of every genius at Sun Moon Academy.

Deathly Silence.

After half a minute of Deathly Silence came an even more tumultuous uproar!

"It's over... Even Senior Xuanyuan Wen lost..."

"He's a Rank Four Soul Engineer! His Soul Tool Cannon was destroyed before he even had time to react!"

"They're not even on the same level! What kind of monster is he?!"

Panic spread through the stands like a plague. Those who had still harbored a sliver of hope, believing they might be able to use their martial souls or special soul skills to counter Ji Juechen, all came to their senses.

Before absolute speed and power, any technique was a joke.

"Who's next?"

Ji Juechen's cold voice rang out again, as if calling for their lives.

This time, no one dared step forward. The entrance to the competitors' passage was completely empty. The students who had already registered for the ranking matches all shrank back, terrified of meeting Ji Juechen's gaze.

Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes in the VIP seats, while Xiao Hongchen's teasing expression in the arena faded somewhat, replaced by the scrutiny of a true powerhouse.

"Finally... someone worthwhile."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Juechen unleashed his four soul rings, activating all four soul skills.

"Buzz—!"

Four soul rings soared into the sky from beneath his feet.

Two yellow, two purple!

The moment those four soul rings appeared, the tense, frozen atmosphere in the Battle Soul Arena was instantly shattered by barely suppressed snickers.

"What? Am I seeing things? Yellow, yellow, purple, purple?"

"I thought he was some kind of monster, but he's just ordinary! With that configuration, he wouldn't even count as a genius in our academy. At most, he's an outstanding student."

"Senior Xiao Hongchen is the Sun Moon Empire's number one genius! He only has four rings, and such mediocre ones at that. What is he going to fight with? Is he just here to throw his life away?"

The discussions in the stands were utterly undisguised, filled with contempt and mockery.

Yet Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes in the VIP seats, while Xiao Hongchen's teasing expression in the arena faded somewhat, replaced by the scrutiny of a true powerhouse.

"Interesting. Too bad his soul ring ages are holding him back," he murmured, as seven soul rings lit up beneath his feet.

Two yellow, two purple, three black! The optimal soul ring configuration.

"I'll show you what a real genius is!" Xiao Hongchen shouted coldly as his martial soul—the Three-legged Golden Toad—possessed him!

A layer of Dark Gold scales instantly covered his body. Behind him emerged the phantom of a massive Three-legged Golden Toad, brimming with a sense of weight and power.

First Soul Skill: Golden Toad Control!

Xiao Hongchen raised his right hand, and the metal panels of the fighting platform immediately began to hum. Countless metal fragments, even the metal railings in the stands, began shaking violently, as if they were about to be forcibly torn away by him.

"Playing with metal before an Innate Martial Soul? You're overestimating yourself!" Ji Juechen snorted coldly.

But Xiao Hongchen's next move made everyone's pupils contract.

Second Soul Skill: Gold Boil!

A scorching aura erupted from his body. The Dark Gold scales covering him turned crimson, and the power of all his soul skills surged instantly! He no longer tried to control the scattered metal. Instead, he locked onto Ji Juechen's sword!

"Your sword is mine!"

An incomparably domineering suction force descended. Ji Juechen felt as though the longsword in his hand was about to be wrested away by an invisible force!

"Wishful thinking!"

First Soul Skill: Clear Sword Heart!

Ji Juechen focused his mind to the utmost. A stream of pure Spiritual Power spread along the blade, firmly "nailing" his sword in place as it resisted Xiao Hongchen's seizure.

"Oh?" A flicker of surprise flashed through Xiao Hongchen's eyes, but his attack only intensified.

Third Soul Skill: Gold Solidification!

He suddenly clasped his hands together. A vast amount of Gold Element in the air was forcibly drawn in and instantly fused with the metal fragments on the ground. In the blink of an eye, a Soul Cannon Turret glittering with energy light formed out of thin air before him!

"Go!"

The cannon muzzle aimed at Ji Juechen, firing a thick beam of light in an instant!

"Trifling trick!"

Ji Juechen neither dodged nor retreated. His left hand formed a sword seal while his right hand flicked the longsword.

Second Soul Skill: Edge Break!

A layer of gray ripples covered the blade. Facing that terrifying beam, he advanced instead of retreating and slashed out with his sword!

"Clang—!"

A deafening Clash of Gold and Iron resounded throughout the arena!

Before everyone's horrified eyes, Ji Juechen's sword forcibly split the Soul Tool beam—powerful enough to pierce through a mountain wall—into two! The sword qi continued onward without losing momentum, shooting straight toward the turret.

"What?!"

Xiao Hongchen's expression changed drastically. He had not expected his Soul Tool Cannon to be broken so easily.

"It's not over yet!"

Third Soul Skill: Sword Shadow Clone!

Ji Juechen's figure split into two. One clone lunged straight at Xiao Hongchen's true body, while the real Ji Juechen continued pursuing the temporary cannon turret!

"You're courting death!" Xiao Hongchen sneered. Facing the clone's attack, he neither dodged nor retreated, allowing its sharp claws to strike his body.

"Clang!"

A harsh scraping sound rang out. The clone's attack left only a string of sparks on his scales, while Xiao Hongchen himself remained completely unharmed.

This was the gap between a Soul Sage and a Soul Ancestor. Their Soul Power and defensive strength were simply not on the same level!

However, just as he was feeling smug, Ji Juechen's true body had already reached the turret, the sword in his hand blazing with light!

Fourth Soul Skill: Light and Darkness Intertwined!

A sword domain half light and half darkness instantly enveloped the turret. The metal structure of the turret let out a miserable "sizzle" under the corrosion of two extreme energies, and the Soul Guiding Core inside instantly collapsed before exploding with a roar!

"You!" Xiao Hongchen was enraged. He had not expected his proud Soul Tool crafting ability to be so utterly vulnerable before his opponent.

"This ends now!" A vicious glint flashed through his eyes.

Fourth Soul Skill: Gold Sacrifice!

He stomped hard. Centered on himself, all metal within a hundred-meter radius instantly liquefied, turning into a sea of metal that swept toward Ji Juechen! This was a wide-range killing move obtained by sacrificing control over the metal!

Facing this earth-shattering strike, Ji Juechen's two figures merged into one again.

He closed his eyes.

Under the ultimate perception of Clear Sword Heart, the sea of metal was no longer an impenetrable mass in his eyes. Instead, it was made up of countless frenzied currents of Soul Power. And within it, Xiao Hongchen's true body was the "core" of that sea!

"Found you."

The glow of the fourth soul skill on his sword had yet to fade. Instead, it merged perfectly with the first soul skill, Clear Sword Heart.

"Light and Darkness Intertwined is not merely a sword formation..."

He murmured softly as the sword in his hand traced a profound trajectory through the air.

"...It is also the Sword of Spirit!"

There was no earth-shattering collision, no thunderous crash of shattering metal.

The surging sea of metal seemed to have been paused, freezing in an instant.

The next second, an invisible, formless sword intent—fused with the tearing force of light and darkness and the ultimate penetrating power of the spirit—crossed the distance of space and struck directly between Xiao Hongchen's brows!

"Puh—!"

Xiao Hongchen shuddered as if struck by lightning and spat out a mouthful of blood. The Dark Gold scales over his body shattered inch by inch, while the Three-legged Golden Toad phantom behind him let out a mournful cry before dispersing.

Having lost control, the sea of metal crashed back to the ground.

He dropped to one knee, staring fixedly at Ji Juechen, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

He could not understand why his proud Metal Control, Soul Cannon Turret, and absolute defense had been as fragile as paper before his opponent.

The entire arena fell into Deathly Silence.

All the earlier ridicule and contempt had now turned into unparalleled shock.

The gauntlet battle continued.

But now, no one thought this was a "gauntlet battle" anymore.

This was clearly... a massacre.

A one-sided massacre launched by Ji Juechen alone against all the geniuses of Sun Moon Academy.