028: Far Ahead of the Rest, an Unprecedented Seventeen-Year-Old Spirit Soul Realm Expert!

Although Qing Luo was quite strong as well,

in Qing Luo's match, his opponent had not made a move.

That did not demonstrate Qing Luo's strength.

In Elder Hao's view, it was not that Qing Luo was strong, but that his opponent had been too weak, or that the two sides had reached some sort of agreement beforehand.

After all,

as an Elder of the Five Great Academies, what kind of situations had he not encountered?

There had been cases where young heirs of certain families secretly reached agreements with other contestants, using them to gain the academy's attention.

In contrast,

Mu Chen's strength was genuine.

He had first been tempered by his experiences on the Spirit Road,

then faced a Spirit Wheel Realm opponent and ended the battle with a single punch, without any hesitation.

He had originally thought that the half year wasted on the Spirit Road would affect Mu Chen's advancement in cultivation.

Now, it seemed that the impact was still within an acceptable range.

"Spirit Wheel Realm Middle Stage... barely qualified to make me act."

Qing Luo remained relaxed and casual.

Though Mu Chen was quite strong, he merely possessed the qualifications to make him act.

"You really are stubbornly arrogant!"

Mu Chen clenched his fists tightly.

He knew Qing Luo was strong, but he had prepared for this day for a long time as well.

It was time to settle everything!

As his words fell,

Mu Chen unleashed a movement Spiritual Art, his figure flashing before Qing Luo like a ghost.

Seeing that Qing Luo still had not made any move,

I'll show you the price of arrogance!

Mu Chen muttered inwardly.

Qing Luo's indifferent attitude truly disgusted him.

Therefore,

he did not hold back at all, going all out from the very first move.

"Netherworld Death Seal!"

As the words fell, three deep, pitch-black seals overlapped on Mu Chen's right fist. The sharp Spiritual Energy they emitted even stirred up howling winds.

Still not enough...

"Fourth Layer Netherworld Death Seal, come out!"

Mu Chen shouted sharply.

Above those three profound seals, an incomplete seal quietly emerged.

As the fourth seal appeared,

the surrounding Spiritual Energy began to tremble. The clothes on Mu Chen's right arm tore apart inch by inch, and bulging veins covered his arm, seeming ready to burst.

The web between his thumb and forefinger was torn open by the sharp Spiritual Energy, blood streaming out in trails.

Clearly,

with Mu Chen's current strength, he could only sustain three Netherworld Death Seals.

Forming the fourth Netherworld Death Seal inflicted no small amount of damage upon him as well.

Only in this way would he have a chance of defeating his opponent!

At the same time,

more than ten Spirit Seals quietly appeared in Mu Chen's left hand, combining into a Spirit Array.

"Tiger Flame Spirit Devouring Array!"

As Mu Chen's voice fell, the fiery red Spirit Array in his left palm suddenly erupted with dazzling light,

accompanied by a deep roaring sound that scorched the surrounding Spiritual Energy until it became somewhat illusory.

Four layers of Netherworld Death Seals in Mu Chen's right hand, a Spirit Array in his left.

With an incomparably domineering momentum,

he smashed them ruthlessly toward Qing Luo!

Mu Chen had prepared for this match for far too long.

After returning from the Black Nether Abyss,

Mu Chen had obtained the array diagram for the Tiger Flame Spirit Devouring Array. Only recently had he been able to set it up perfectly.

Seventeen Spirit Seals.

Though it was merely a First Grade Spirit Array, with Spirit Seals of such quality,

the power unleashed by the Tiger Flame Spirit Devouring Array was enough to make even those at the Spirit Wheel Realm Late Stage avoid its edge.

Mu Chen pushed the Spirit Array with his left hand and wielded the four-layer Netherworld Death Seal with his right, crushing toward Qing Luo with unstoppable Pressure.

No one had expected

the duel to become this terrifying from the very beginning.

The Spiritual Energy Pressure surrounding Mu Chen even made the Spirit Soul Realm experts seated in the VIP Seats reveal looks of astonishment.

Mu Chen's attack at this moment had already faintly touched the threshold of the Spirit Soul Realm.

It was simply not something the Spirit Wheel Realm could withstand!

"To possess such attainments in Spirit Arrays as well... judging by the looks of it, he must have awakened a Heart Array. He's a good prospect..."

"No wonder he is a student valued by those people!"

Seeing this,

Elder Hao on the elevated platform nodded slightly, deeply satisfied with the potential Mu Chen had displayed.

If nothing unexpected happened,

the Seed Quota should belong to him this time...

"What a surprise..."

"The farce ends here!"

Qing Luo said indifferently.

Mu Chen's displayed strength had surprised him somewhat, but that was all.

As his words fell,

Qing Luo slowly raised his right hand.

Then,

in full view of everyone in the arena, Qing Luo calmly slapped toward Mu Chen.

"What is he doing..."

"He isn't even using a Spiritual Art. Is he planning to give up?!"

"Qing Luo may be strong, but Mu Chen right now is simply unreasonable!"

"What a pity. I thought it would be an intense clash, but I never expected it to end like this!"

Seeing Qing Luo's actions,

everyone was somewhat bewildered and disappointed...

Just as everyone believed that Mu Chen would defy the odds and defeat a superior opponent, forcefully claiming the Seed Quota,

a bizarre scene appeared before them.

Mu Chen's Spirit Array was effortlessly torn apart by Qing Luo's palm like a sheet of paper.

The right fist bearing four overlapping Netherworld Death Seals bent ninety degrees in the opposite direction the instant it touched Qing Luo's palm.

Smack—

A crisp sound echoed through the arena.

The next moment,

Mu Chen's body was sent flying straight out of the arena by Qing Luo like a kite with its string cut.

Silence!

The previously boiling plaza fell deathly silent.

Gasp—

This silence lasted for a long time

before it was broken by a chorus of sharp inhalations.

Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief. Even Elder Hao, who had remained so composed,

rose from his chair in shock and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Mu Chen... lost?"

"How is that possible..."

"Mu Chen is at the Spirit Wheel Realm Middle Stage and is even a First Grade Spirit Array Master. This has to be a joke, right?!"

Everyone's mouths hung open in shock.

It was not that they could not accept Mu Chen losing; they simply could not accept him losing so miserably...

That was right!

Miserably.

Faced with Mu Chen's terrifying methods, Qing Luo had not even used a Spiritual Art.

"How is this possible..."

Mu Chen's right arm was completely broken, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. His pale face was filled with defeat and confusion.

He could not accept that all his painstaking efforts had led to this result.

"Just what realm are you at now?!"

Mu Chen gritted his teeth and stared at Qing Luo as he asked.

In response to Mu Chen's question,

Qing Luo smiled faintly, and an incomparably vast, terrifying Pressure, so dense it seemed tangible, spread outward.

Feeling that immense Spiritual Energy Pressure,

everyone present

was astonished, shocked, and terrified...

"Spirit Soul Realm!"

"He's actually at the Spirit Soul Realm?!"

"What terrifying talent. How old is he? He has already reached such a level..."

"No wonder... no wonder Mu Chen lost so badly. No matter how strong the Spirit Wheel Realm is, it is still only the Spirit Wheel Realm. A Spirit Soul Realm existence would be far ahead of everyone else in this selection competition!"

For a moment,

even the Lord of the Nine Regions in the VIP Seats

lost his composure and stood up from his chair upon sensing Qing Luo's strength.

Seeing this, Elder Hao's expression became incomparably excited.

A seventeen-year-old Spirit Soul Realm expert!

Such talent was rare even among the Five Great Academies.

Though Mu Chen's defeat disappointed him somewhat, he had found a student even more monstrous than Mu Chen.

"I announce that Northern Spirit Academy's Seed Quota belongs to Qing Luo of the East Courtyard!"

Elder Hao slowly rose to his feet, his deep voice resounding throughout the venue!

The students of the East Courtyard were stunned at first.

Then, thunderous cheers erupted.

Outside the arena, countless people stood up, and resounding applause swept across the entire plaza.

Though the battle for the Seed Quota had not been as intense as they had expected, the moment Qing Luo displayed his Spirit Soul Realm strength was enough to fill everyone with pride.

A seventeen-year-old Spirit Soul Realm expert.

In the Northern Spirit Territory, he was absolutely unprecedented!