Lucius's Ridiculous Revenge

After Sword Douluo Chen Xin left, Wang Chuan's life returned to peace. Every day, he traveled between the classroom and the training grounds. Yet the diligence etched into his bones during his time at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had not diminished in the slightest. Before the morning dew had even dried, he was already sweating in the Training Ground; when dusk deepened, he was meditating. Day after day, his Soul Power steadily rose through relentless refinement, drawing ever closer to the threshold of breakthrough.

That afternoon, just as the dismissal bell rang, Wang Chuan was packing up his soul tool notes when he looked up and caught sight of a familiar yet unfamiliar figure—Lucius, who had not appeared for many days. Unlike the last time they met, Lucius had lost his usual arrogance. The sleeve where his right arm had been hung empty and limp, dark circles stained his eyes, and bloodshot veins filled his gaze. He had grown so thin that he was barely recognizable, and even his steps were unsteady. Only the look he gave Wang Chuan remained unchanged, like poison-dipped needles, filled with mad hatred.

"It was you... You ruined me!" Lucius strode forward, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows. After fleeing back in disgrace last time, he had been completely abandoned by his father, Caspar. A Soul Master missing his right arm had no value whatsoever in a family that prized strength, and the family's resources had long since been redirected to his other brothers. The disparity and despair had utterly consumed him with hatred. Clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white, he said, "Do you dare fight my friend?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped aside, revealing a tall, sturdy youth behind him. The badge on the other's school uniform showed that he was a senior student. Lucius no longer cared about humiliation. He only wanted to use someone else's hand to get rid of Wang Chuan while Chen Xin was absent. For this "match," he had emptied all his savings and even humbled himself to beg the other party to act. In his eyes, it was merely a senior teaching a junior a lesson. Even if an accident happened, it would only be treated as an accident during a spar.

Wang Chuan's heart stirred. The Soul Power within him was already faintly restless, and a real battle would be just what he needed to break through the bottleneck. He put away his notes and nodded. "Fine."

Seeing this, Lucius immediately leaned close to the senior student's ear. His voice was extremely low, but it could not conceal his madness. "Don't worry. To him, this is only a spar. Go straight for the kill—he won't react in time! Kill him, and I'll handle everything afterward. Nothing will happen!" He thought he had acted discreetly, unaware that Wang Chuan's hearing far surpassed that of ordinary people and that he had heard every word clearly.

The senior student curled his lips in a contemptuous smile. He patted Lucius on the shoulder, his tone carrying a trace of menace. "No problem. I'm a level 28 Assault-type Soul Grandmaster. Killing him is as easy as crushing an ant. But Baron Lucius, remember to pay the rest afterward. Don't make me come all this way for nothing."

Soon, the two stood facing each other in the center of the Training Ground. The student acting as witness loudly announced their information. "Challenger, Zheng Jie! Martial Soul: Granite Giant Fist, level 28 Assault-type Soul Grandmaster!" "Defender, Wang Chuan! Martial Soul: 'Nothingness,' level 19 Assault-type Battle Soul Master!"

The moment the words fell, Zheng Jie eagerly activated his Soul Power. A pale yellow soul ring lit up beneath his feet, and both arms were instantly covered in a thick layer of rock. His fists swelled as large as millstones, and the fluctuations of his Soul Power carried an overwhelming heaviness. "First Soul Skill, Rockfall Heavy Strike!" He grinned viciously and stepped forward. Every step made the ground tremble faintly as he charged at Wang Chuan with unstoppable force.

Wang Chuan's expression sharpened. He turned sideways and drew his blade to block. The instant the blade collided with the stone fist, immense force traveled up the hilt, numbing his arm. The difference in strength is too great. I can't take him head-on! He immediately used the force to leap backward, widening the distance. At the same time, he flicked his wrist, drawing his long blade. The moment its cold gleam cut through the air, the light within thirty meters around him abruptly dimmed. The colors of heaven and earth seemed to be drained away, all sinking into nothingness—this was the domain attached to his martial soul, Nothingness, capable of weakening the attributes of enemies within it by thirty percent.

Just as Zheng Jie was about to pursue, he was swept into the Void Domain. He froze for a moment, surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked at the colorless surroundings, but he did not panic. Only when he sensed his Soul Power circulating more slowly and felt his strength and defense weaken did he furrow his brow slightly. His attack, however, became even more ferocious. "Just a cheap trick! Watch me smash your domain apart!" He swung his giant stone fists, their wind howling as every strike targeted Wang Chuan's vital points.

Wang Chuan shifted lightly, weaving through the gaps in the fist winds while circulating the Grand Void Transformation Art. His body instantly became semi-transparent. Zheng Jie's fist passed straight through him and struck nothing. In the instant Zheng Jie hesitated, Wang Chuan's body solidified, and his long blade pointed directly at Zheng Jie's throat as he prepared to unleash Grand Void Flash.

But Zheng Jie was, after all, a level 28 Soul Grandmaster, and his combat experience far surpassed that of ordinary students. He reacted quickly, suddenly spinning around and smashing his stone fist toward Wang Chuan's side with a gust of wind. Left with no choice, Wang Chuan withdrew his blade to block. With a crisp clang, he was sent staggering backward, two shallow tracks carved beneath his feet.

As he retreated, Wang Chuan's gaze turned cold. The yellow soul ring beneath his feet lit up as all his Soul Power poured into the blade. "First Soul Skill, River Severance: No Return!" A thread-thin blade light of nothingness silently condensed and slashed out along the blade's trajectory. Nearly transparent, it merged into the Void Domain and was almost impossible to detect.

Though Zheng Jie did not see the blade light, a sudden chill ran through his heart. Years of combat instinct made him activate his Second Spirit Ability without hesitation. His second pale yellow soul ring lit up. "Second Spirit Ability, Immovable Barrier!" He crossed his arms before his chest, and heavy rock instantly covered his entire body, forming an airtight Soul Power barrier capable of withstanding the full-force strike of a Soul Master at the same level.

Yet in the next second, Zheng Jie felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a bloodline as thick as a fingertip slowly appear across his crossed arms, blood flowing down from it. "How is that possible?!" His pupils contracted sharply, his face full of disbelief. "My Immovable Barrier was actually pierced?"

Taking advantage of this, Wang Chuan launched his counterattack. His figure circled Zheng Jie like a phantom, his long blade striking again and again, every slash landing precisely on the weak points in Zheng Jie's defense. Though the void blade lights did not deal lethal blows, the wounds on Zheng Jie's body continued to multiply, blood staining his school uniform red. Even stranger, those wounds were tainted by the Power of Void and could not heal through Soul Power. He could only watch helplessly as more and more blood flowed out.

Panic gradually rose in Zheng Jie's heart. Looking at Wang Chuan, who moved like a ghost before him, his own attacks repeatedly missed while his Soul Power was steadily depleted and his wounds continued bleeding. At this rate, not only will I lose, I might really die here! He gritted his teeth, fixed his gaze on a tiny opening in Wang Chuan's defense, and suddenly exerted himself. His body shot forward like a cannonball, trying to seize this final chance.

But Wang Chuan had already predicted his move. The instant Zheng Jie lunged, he activated the Grand Void Transformation Art again, turning his body into an afterimage. Zheng Jie missed once more. After passing through Wang Chuan's body, he staggered to a stop and looked at his empty hands. At last, he fell into complete despair—he could not touch Wang Chuan at all. If this continued, he would only be worn to death.

Just as Wang Chuan was about to kill Zheng Jie outright and eliminate the danger.

"I surrender!" Zheng Jie suddenly stepped back, his voice trembling slightly, with none of his earlier arrogance remaining.

Wang Chuan helplessly sheathed his blade, and the Void Domain slowly faded as color returned to the surroundings. He looked at the pale-faced Zheng Jie, then at Lucius in the distance, whose face was filled with unwillingness. There was not the slightest ripple in his eyes. This battle had not only stabilized his Soul Power, but had also allowed him to touch the threshold of breaking through to level 20.