The Combat Skill Ranking Appears, Shaking the Continent (Part 1)

Spirit Hall's party was like a row of taut bowstrings. The Silver Armored Guards kept their hands on the swords at their waists, their expressions cold as they cleared the way ahead and pushed back the Soul Masters crowding around them. Moon Guan, supported by others, looked deathly pale, dried blood still staining the corner of his mouth. His ordinarily flamboyant chrysanthemum-yellow hair was now a mess plastered to his cheeks, and his eyes were filled with unwillingness and fear—having lived for nearly a century, he had never been so humiliated. The image of his ninth soul skill, "Chrysanthemum Shatters, Scars Cover the Ground," being effortlessly torn apart was like a thorn lodged in his heart, making even breathing painful. The party hurried across the square without looking back or speaking another word—they had to report what had happened to Bibi Dong as soon as possible. This concerned Spirit Hall's prestige, and even more so, the balance of power across the entire continent.

Inside Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu stood in the middle of the Great Hall. The glazed cup in his hand shattered with a crack, golden tea dripping through his fingers and spreading into a small dark stain on the luxurious red carpet. He stared at the shards on the ground, his expression so grave it was frightening. Golden Soul Power unconsciously radiated from his body, making all the elders in the hall instinctively hold their breaths. "A level 95 puppet... a Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill..." he repeated the two phrases softly, his fingers trembling slightly. "The power of this Otherworld Auction House has already exceeded our understanding. If they intend to support other factions, Spirit Hall's hegemony may be shaken." The elders beside him did not dare respond. They could only lower their heads, leaving Qian Daoliu's heavy breathing as the sole sound in the hall.

"The moment Elder Moon Guan unleashed his ninth soul skill, it looked like some giant chrysanthemum—but then the puppet simply raised its hand and struck with one palm. Bang! The soul skill shattered!" He spoke with vivid excitement, even imitating the arc of the puppet's Qi Wave Palm perfectly. The surrounding Soul Masters crowded close, and someone questioned him, "You're making that up, right? How could a level 95 Titled Douluo's soul skill possibly be torn apart with a single palm strike?" The bartender immediately grew agitated and slapped metal fragments onto the table. "See for yourselves if you don't believe me! These are fragments from the puppet. They're hard enough to cut iron! I saw it with my own eyes—why would I lie to you?" Everyone picked up the fragments and weighed them in their hands. They were indeed extraordinarily hard, and all doubt immediately vanished, replaced by utter shock.

Suddenly, the Golden Light Screen seemed to be violently torn apart by an invisible hand, releasing a sharp rip. It then split into nine orderly light screens that floated above the square. On the largest central screen, the three Golden Characters "Combat Skill Ranking" slowly emerged in dark gold, their edges entwined with pale violet streams of energy. That energy was not Soul Power. It resembled some extremely condensed, razor-sharp aura instead. Occasionally, droplets of energy fell to the ground, sizzling as they burned tiny pits into the stone slabs. The sight made everyone's pupils contract, and even their breathing slowed unconsciously.

"Combat skills: core cultivation techniques from the Otherworld, not within the category of Douluo Continent soul skills. Their energy circulation does not rely on soul rings or consume Soul Power, but is driven through 'Battle Qi.' Their destructive power, combat efficiency, and versatility all surpass soul skills of the same grade. Combat skills are divided into Yellow Tier, Mysterious Tier, Earth Tier, and Heaven Tier. Each tier is further divided into low, intermediate, and high grades. Beyond the Heaven Tier lie higher realms, which will not be disclosed for now. Note: the 'Qi Wave Palm' used by the level 95 puppet the day before yesterday was a Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill."

"Cultivation techniques from the Otherworld? They don't rely on soul rings?" Waves of shocked cries instantly erupted across the square. Some people instinctively touched their own soul rings, whose light glimmered beneath the sun. Yet at this moment, the strength that had accompanied them for years somehow seemed laughably "outdated." A level 60 Soul Emperor frowned and raised his hand to summon his soul rings. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—six soul rings revolved around him. But when he recalled how a Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill had instantly defeated a Titled Douluo, the power granted by those rings felt as fragile as paper.

The level 30 Battle Soul Elder who had stood at the edge of the square yesterday was now squeezed into the crowd. The Low Grade Soul Tool in his hand accidentally fell to the ground with a clang, but he had no mind to pick it up. Staring at the words on the light screen, his lips trembled and his voice shook. "Yellow, Mysterious, Earth, Heaven... and there are grades within each tier? A Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill already instantly defeated a Titled Douluo. Wouldn't an Earth Tier Combat Skill be able to smash Spirit City apart with one slap? Th-this is too terrifying!"

"Battle Qi? What is that?" A middle-aged Soul Master in the crowd could not help raising his hand, his voice trembling. Soul Masters of the Douluo Continent had cultivated for thousands of years. From the day they began, they had known that "Soul Power" was the sole source of strength. They had never heard the term "Battle Qi." His question was like a stone dropped into water, immediately stirring up even more questions. "That's right, how do you cultivate Battle Qi? Do you need soul rings?" "Without soul rings, how can you use combat skills?" Everyone talked at once, their eyes filled with confusion—the words on the light screen were like a vast chasm separating the world they knew from a completely unfamiliar power system, leaving them both curious and afraid.

Within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's party, Ning Fengzhi abruptly folded his Jade Folding Fan shut. His fingertips had turned faintly white from the force, and the Seven Treasure pattern on the fan's handle had been dampened with sweat, becoming somewhat blurred.

Sword Douluo looked at the combat skill tier classifications on the light screen, his tone carrying a trace of solemnity. "If I can learn combat skills, my strength as Sword Douluo can rise at least another level. Then I will have greater confidence in protecting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Bone Douluo nodded in agreement as well. "That's right. When facing Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo in the future, we won't have to yield at every turn anymore."

"Lord Special Envoy..." Bai Feng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremor. "These combat skills are too strange. Should we first invite the Great Elder of the Worship Hall to take a look? Perhaps the Great Elder can see through the flaws of these combat skills and find a way to deal with them." In more than fifty years of life, he had never seen anything so utterly overturning everything he knew. Even Spirit Hall's ancient archives contained no records of "Otherworld cultivation techniques" or "Battle Qi." Looking at the Special Envoy's gloomy face, his heart was filled with unease—he knew that if this matter was not handled properly, not only would he be punished, but Spirit Hall's entire prestige might be ruined in one stroke.

The Special Envoy snorted coldly, gripping the collar of his silver armor until it warped out of shape. "Moon Guan is also a Titled Douluo, yet he was still gravely injured by a Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill. The Great Elder may be powerful, but the strength of these combat skills exceeds our understanding. If we rashly have the Great Elder act and something goes wrong, who can bear the consequences?" He paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "We will return and report to Your Excellency the Pope first. Let her make the decision. This Otherworld Auction House must not be allowed to remain!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Spirit Hall's party set off once more. The Silver Armored Guards quickened their pace, their footsteps striking the stone slabs with urgent, heavy thuds, as though they were fleeing from something terrifying. The Soul Masters in the square watched their retreating backs, and discussion rose again. But this time, their eyes held added confusion about the future—what would the emergence of combat skills bring to the Douluo Continent? New opportunities, or a catastrophic disaster? No one knew the answer. They could only stare fixedly at the light screens floating above the square, waiting for the auction house's next move.