No Storm May Enter, Not Even the Emperor

The spectator stands fell deathly silent.

The battle between Lin Yi and Chen Feng had deeply shaken these ordinary Soul Masters.

Without using Soul Rings, the intensity of their battle had already far surpassed that of Soul Masters of the same level.

Chen Feng was understandable enough.

Everyone knew he had a grandfather called Sword Douluo.

But Lin Yi, a Soul Master who had only just begun to make a name for himself, had actually defeated Sword Douluo's successor through his formidable strength.

It was simply unbelievable.

Chen Feng's supporters and admirers might not have turned from fans to haters, but they had at least gone from fans to casual onlookers.

After all, he had a good family and a powerful background, yet he had lost to an obscure Soul Master.

It was truly disappointing.

Those supporters who had been disappointed by Chen Feng's defeat were just short of shouting, "Geneva, refund our money!"

As for those spectators who had stopped supporting him, a large portion of them became Lin Yi's fervent fans.

The appeal and inspiration of an underdog's rise far surpassed the lofty superiority of disciples from prestigious clans. After all, the overwhelming majority of the audience had no background to speak of.

But if they learned of Lin Yi's background, one wondered whether their jaws would drop.

Making a living out in the world was far too difficult without a background.

"Let us celebrate Sword God Lin Yi, the strongest Sword Soul Master of the younger generation, with our loudest cheers!"

Seeing that the victor had been decided, the host sprang back onto the Soul Fighting Platform.

"Sword God! Sword God!"

"Lin Yi! Lin Yi!"

During his second Soul Fight, Lin Qi had directly upgraded Lin Yi's title from "Sword God in Fire" to "Sword God."

Chen Feng's face was ashen. Amid the cries of "Sword God," his body swayed as though he could barely remain standing.

In the end, he had failed to defend the Seven Kill Sword's long-standing reputation. Worse still, he had completely cemented Lin Yi's title as the Sword God.

"Why is your Martial Soul so powerful?"

Amid the deafening cheers, Chen Feng slowly asked.

"It was all through my own effort."

Chen Feng: ...

"Cough, cough, cough."

He broke into a violent fit of coughing.

Your Martial Soul was powerful entirely through your own effort?

Clearly, you had simply worked hard to be born into a good family, and gotten lucky enough to awaken a powerful Martial Soul.

"I lost to your sword because my skills were lacking, but the Seven Kill Sword's prestige as the number one sword Martial Soul will not change hands because of this."

Even Chen Feng himself did not have much confidence when he said that.

After all, he had felt the gap between their Martial Souls with perfect clarity.

When he wielded the Seven Kill Sword against Lin Yi's Sword Martial Soul, it was like a subject raising a hand against his sovereign. He was suppressed in every possible aspect.

"I know. You still have a dad, and your dad has a dad too. Unless I defeat your dad and your dad's dad, you won't admit that the Seven Kill Sword is no longer the number one sword Martial Soul."

"You..."

Chen Feng began coughing again.

Although Lin Qi had not tried to kill him, the scorching fire energy had still invaded his meridians, leaving him seriously injured.

He had thought Lin Yi was a swordsman of few words. He had not expected his words to be just as unreasonable as his sword.

It made him sound like some useless rich brat who could only rely on his father and grandfather.

"I will defeat you with my own strength and reclaim the glory I lost today."

With that, unwilling to hear any more words that stabbed him in the heart, he hurriedly left.

He did not even acknowledge the concern of his friends in the waiting area and returned directly to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Go invite that little Sword God over. I want to meet him."

After watching Lin Yi's battle with Chen Feng, Qian Renxue confirmed that Lin Yi's talent surpassed Chen Feng's.

If he were properly nurtured, then barring any accidents, Lin Yi was almost certain to become a Titled Douluo.

Furthermore, Lin Yi's Martial Soul lineage was certainly unrelated to the Upper Three Sects.

Since that was the case, he could be recruited and brought under her command.

But her plan encountered a problem at the very first step.

"Do you not know that I serve His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Blocked outside Lin Qi's lounge, Snake Lance Douluo wore an extremely displeased expression.

He had come to invite Lin Yi to meet the Young Master, only to be stopped by a staff member.

"My apologies, but without Lord Sword God's permission, no one may enter without authorization."

"I never knew the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena held even the Heaven Dou Empire in such contempt."

The staff member's expression remained unchanged.

"Until permission is granted, wind may not enter this room, rain may not enter this room, and even if the Emperor of Heaven Dou comes, he may not enter!"

"What nerve."

If he had not needed to conceal his true identity, Snake Lance Douluo would have displayed the might of a Titled Douluo today and shown this brat whether a Titled Douluo could enter.

"Then help me relay my request."

Snake Lance Douluo was also curious whether this fellow was simply stubborn, or whether the Soul Fighting Arena had truly become so arrogant that it would not even give the Heavenly Dou Imperial Family any face.

The staff member still did not move.

Just as Snake Lance Douluo was about to lose control of his anger, the lounge door opened and a maid stepped out.

"Lord Lin Yi needs to rest and will not receive outside visitors."

"Good. Very good."

Snake Lance Douluo had never expected that such a minor matter as inviting Lin Yi to meet the Young Master would be refused.

Did Lin Yi truly believe that high talent allowed him to disregard everything?

There were plenty of Young Soul Masters with talent who had died because of their own arrogance.

Snake Lance Douluo restrained himself again and again.

In order not to damage the wise and virtuous image the Young Master had painstakingly cultivated, he ultimately chose not to force his way in.

"His Highness the Crown Prince bears no ill will toward Mr. Lin Yi. Befriending the current Crown Prince would also benefit Mr. Lin. Please give it careful consideration."

With that, Snake Lance Douluo left with a cold expression.

Inside the lounge.

"Master, why didn't you go meet that Crown Prince? Weren't you rather interested in him before?"

Lin Qi ate a grape Xiao Wu handed him and relaxed as he said:

"Lin Qi was interested in Xue Qinghe. He invited Lin Yi. Can't Lin Yi simply not want to go?"

Xiao Wu's head was spinning from the logic.

Wasn't Lin Yi just Lin Qi?

Elsewhere.

Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo returned one after the other to report.

"You didn't bring him back?"

Seeing Snake Lance Douluo return alone, Qian Renxue was not particularly surprised.

"Lin Yi is far too arrogant. Even after I stated that His Highness the Crown Prince had invited him, he still refused to come."

"No matter. At such a young age, with talent and strength as outstanding as his, it is only natural for him to have some temper."

Not only was Qian Renxue not angry, she actually thought this was better.

A newly emerged, hot-blooded young genius was easier to control than a slick, hypocritical, scheming genius.

"Young Master, shall I invite him again?"

"No need."

Qian Renxue waved her hand.

"There is still plenty of time. Lin Yi defeated Sword Douluo's grandson, so his days ahead will not be peaceful."

"Meeting him now would merely add flowers to brocade. Extending a hand when he encounters trouble would be sending charcoal in the snow."

"Lin Yi is a genius, after all. We must be more patient with him."

"Yes, Young Master. You are wise."

Qian Renxue looked toward Porcupinefish Douluo again.

"Have you found out where those two children came from?"

Porcupinefish Douluo's expression was somewhat strange.

"I did learn that those two children truly belong to the Soul Fighting Arena, but..."

"But what?"

"The Soul Fighting Arena staff seem excessively reverent toward those two children. Their identities must be extraordinary."

"Oh?"

The two children she had encountered on the road actually had extraordinary identities.

The Soul Fighting Arena had a long history, one that even predated the two great empires. No one knew its exact origins, nor did anyone know who truly controlled it.

Porcupinefish Douluo had discovered that Lin Qi's identity was unusual, while Snake Lance Douluo said that the Soul Fighting Arena possessed extraordinary confidence and would not even give face to the Heavenly Dou Imperial Family.

This stirred Qian Renxue's interest. She wanted to understand exactly what kind of power the Soul Fighting Arena had hidden.