Prairie Fire Sea, Sword God in Fire

Zhang Li, who had been charging at Lin Qi, suddenly slammed on the brakes.

The moment Lin Qi's Martial Soul appeared, the intense heat became unbearable for Zhang Li.

He felt as though his entire body were on fire.

If that fire sword so much as touched him, he had no doubt he would be ignited in an instant.

In its Fire Attribute state, the Mountain River Sword possessed violent flame power.

That power came not only from the Fire Attribute of the Chest Sword Qi, but also from the enhancement Lin Qi had received in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Lin Qi could now transform the Mountain River Sword into a sword Martial Soul with Five Elements Attributes.

Of those, the water and fire attributes were noticeably stronger than the other three due to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's enhancement.

"If you're not going to attack, then it's my turn."

Zhang Li's eyelids twitched wildly as he retreated from Lin Qi even faster than he had charged in.

But no matter how fast he was, he could not outrun Lin Qi's sword.

The Fire Mountain River Sword swung levelly, and sky-blazing flames swept toward Zhang Li.

This move, Prairie Fire Sea, was not a specific technique recorded in the Mountain River Sword Dao. It was a Self-Created Soul Skill he had just comprehended after incorporating the Fire Attribute.

To improve the Mountain River Sword Dao and create more techniques, Lin Qi needed a deep understanding of heaven, earth, and nature.

The Chest Sword Qi allowed him to achieve that more easily.

For instance, after the Chest Sword Qi gained the Power of Five Elements, his efficiency in comprehending the Way of Five Elements greatly increased.

On the other side, Zhang Li truly deserved to be called a Soul Master who had honed himself in the Soul Fighting Arena for a long time. As he retreated, his third Soul Ring lit up.

His Soul Ring configuration was quite good. His third Soul Ring was already purple.

His twin claws swung rapidly, forming a Claw Blade Great Net that struck toward the approaching flames.

Zhang Li wanted to split apart the flames and carve out a path through which he could escape.

But his hope was dashed.

Although the claw blades struck the flames, they did not break through the sea of fire as Zhang Li had wished.

Instead, like a pebble falling into a lake, they were swallowed in an instant.

"Not good."

Zhang Li was horrified.

But the fan-shaped flames had already reached him. Zhang Li only had time to shield his head with both hands.

Am I really going to die?

The instant that thought surfaced in Zhang Li's mind, the intense burning sensation blanked out his thoughts.

In the spectator stands, the atmosphere that had fallen silent upon the appearance of the Mountain River Sword now became unbearably heated.

"So strong! How could this Lin Yi be this powerful?"

"I was wrong. I thought the host's introduction was all exaggeration, but now it seems I was narrow-minded."

"Hey, do you think Zhang Li might be dead? This is a Gambling Soul Fight. Killing isn't allowed."

"No... no, look! Zhang Li isn't dead."

On the Soul Fighting Platform, Zhang Li was still standing after the flames dispersed.

"I lost."

Still shaken, Zhang Li lowered the hands protecting his head, gratitude lingering in his eyes.

He knew full well that if Lin Qi had not held back, he would already be a pile of charred ash.

He had fought Fire Attribute Soul Masters before, but he had never experienced flames of this intensity.

Lin Qi remained calm and composed, as though that powerful attack had nothing to do with him.

Zhang Li wanted to say something else when he suddenly felt a cool sensation atop his head.

He reached up and touched only a patch of bare skin. His once-wild long hair had completely vanished.

"How is that possible?"

Zhang Li clearly remembered protecting his head. Even if there had been uncovered areas, they could only have been tiny gaps.

No matter how powerful Lin Yi's flames were, they could not possibly burn off all his hair through his arms.

And he had not even noticed it happen.

Unless Lin Yi's control over flames had reached an extraordinarily profound level, allowing him to wield them entirely as he pleased.

But that was even more impossible.

"I hereby announce!"

At that moment, the passionate host appeared once more.

"Lin Yi, the Sword God in Fire, who brought boundless shock to everyone in his very first Soul Fight and is destined to become a top-tier Soul Master... has won!"

The host launched into another round of praise no less extravagant than before the battle.

But this time, most of the skeptical voices had disappeared.

Defeating the formidable Zhang Li with a single move instantly won Lin Yi over to most of the audience.

"Sword God in Fire."

"Sword God in Fire."

With a single attack, Lin Qi had earned his alter ego, Lin Yi, the nickname Sword God in Fire.

Inside a private room.

The young man opposite Chen Feng wore a shocked expression.

"What a powerful Soul Skill. I wonder what Soul Beast's Soul Ring granted a Soul Skill of this level."

"No... that wasn't a Soul Skill from a Soul Ring."

The moment he finished speaking, Chen Feng said gravely.

"It wasn't?"

"No. Didn't you notice that Lin Yi never used a Soul Ring? There weren't even any Soul Rings circling his Fire Sword Martial Soul."

"You mean..."

The man opposite him was even more astonished.

"A Self-Created Soul Skill. That move was a Self-Created Soul Skill."

Chen Feng was no stranger to Self-Created Soul Skills. He, too, knew a family-inherited Self-Created Soul Skill, one personally taught to him by his Grandfather, Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

But this was a Self-Created Soul Skill passed down and developed through generations of the Chen Family. How could Lin Yi possess such a powerful Self-Created Soul Skill?

With such a powerful sword Martial Soul, such a powerful Self-Created Soul Skill, and the ability to conceal the Soul Rings on his Martial Soul...

Anyone possessing all that could never be an obscure, ordinary Soul Master. He must have an ancient and powerful inheritance.

As Chen Feng considered this, the voice opposite him sounded again.

"What do you think, Brother Chen? Is Lin Yi worthy of being your opponent now? Listen to those cheers. Sword God in Fire! If Lin Yi becomes a Titled Douluo, his title might very well be Sword God."

"I will defeat him."

Chen Feng tightly gripped the Seven Kill Sword, which had appeared on its own and had not been withdrawn since.

That feeling of fear from before was absolutely not an illusion.

No matter how unwilling Chen Feng was to believe that the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul could be inferior to another sword Martial Soul, it was the truth.

Chen Feng's faith that the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul was the greatest sword Martial Soul in the world had begun to waver.

That wavering filled Chen Feng with shame and indignation.

Unless he personally used the Seven Kill Sword to defeat Lin Yi's Fire Sword Martial Soul, he would never accept it.

He wanted to prove that the Seven Kill Sword was the strongest sword Martial Soul.

The title of Sword God should never belong to another sword Soul Master.

"Hey!"

Seeing Chen Feng about to leave, the man opposite him hurriedly said:

"You're being far too hasty. You're a Soul Ancestor, while Lin Yi fought Zhang Li, a Soul Elder, so he must be a Soul Elder as well. Don't tell me you intend to challenge a Soul Elder with the strength of a Soul Ancestor?"

Hearing that, Chen Feng stopped in his tracks.

He had been so focused on defeating Lin Qi and defending the glory of the Seven Kill Sword that he had completely forgotten their Soul Power realms were different.

More importantly, Lin Qi had won too quickly and too easily. No one would doubt it if they said he was a Soul Ancestor.

"I'll wait for him. I'll wait until his Soul Power breaks through level forty and he obtains his fourth Soul Ring."

With that, Chen Feng left the private room.

In the viewing area, Porcupinefish Douluo had watched the fight out of momentary curiosity, initially staying only to enjoy a joke.

But the strength Lin Qi displayed surprised even him, a Titled Douluo.

Even Chen Feng had realized Lin Qi used a Self-Created Soul Skill. How could Porcupinefish Douluo fail to see it?

"Just what is Lin Yi's background?"

Like Chen Feng, Porcupinefish Douluo believed Lin Yi could not be an ordinary Soul Master. He must be the heir of some great family or major sect.

Yet any force possessing such a powerful Martial Soul should not be unknown.

"I need to report this to the Young Master. This person may be able to become the Young Master's support."