Anti-Defense Special Use

"First Soul Skill,"

Chen Li's voice was as calm as the deep night.

But in that instant, from the depths of the Soul Ring behind him, disguised as yellow by the Heart of Illusory Thunder, a true purple light awoke like a slumbering beast.

Xie Yue, standing by the side, saw his pupils contract into pinpricks.

Hu Liena's hand, which had been resting on her chin, froze in mid-air.

That was, Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

"Thunder Strike: Lawbreaker!!!"

An incredibly condensed, a deep, almost demonic purple lightning bloomed from Chen Li's palm!

It wasn't surging, it wasn't spewing, it wasn't a release in any conventional sense.

It was more like a piercing, or rather, a penetration.

That purple lightning didn't possess the might of a thick pillar, nor did it have earth-shattering roars. It was simply...

A line.

A purple line as thin as a hair, yet sharp enough to cut through all rules of defense.

It met Yan's giant fist, which was covered in Granite Rock.

And then...

It passed through silently.

No explosion. No stalemate. No evenly matched energy collision.

Just penetration.

Like a scorching hot steel needle piercing solidified wax, like a beam of noon sunlight passing through thin mist.

In Yan's disbelieving eyes, the purple lightning passed through his proud Second Soul Skill defense without any obstruction, pierced the layer of rock armor on his arm that was enough to withstand the full power of an assault-type Soul Elder, and at the tip of his fist, It left a charred wound as thin as a hair, yet deep enough to see bone.

Then, the purple lightning didn't dissipate.

It moved like a nimble fish, circling Yan's body, gracefully drawing an arc in the air behind him before re-entering Chen Li's palm.

As if it had merely completed a trivial stroll.

The entire training ground fell into a deathly silence.

Yan remained frozen in his punching stance.

He lowered his head, looking at his right arm, which was still reinforced by Granite Rock. At the tip of his fist, the small charred wound was slowly oozing blood. The wound wasn't deep; for a Soul Master like him, known for his robust physique, it wasn't even considered a minor injury.

But it was a penetration.

His Second Soul Skill defense was almost impossible for anyone his age to break head-on. Even Xie Yue needed to use the sharpness of his Moon Blade combined with Soul Power suppression to do so.

And Chen Li.

A mere twenty-level youngster, who hadn't even obtained his second Soul Ring, and was a full five years younger than him, Had penetrated it with a purple lightning bolt as thin as a hair, which had gone and returned.

Like piercing a piece of thin paper.

Yan's throat bobbed. He wanted to say something, but not a single word came out.

His gaze fell on Chen Li's face.

The six-year-old child was retracting his hand, the lightning around his body slowly receding.

His breathing was a bit more rapid than before, clearly indicating that this strike had consumed a considerable amount of his Soul Power. But his eyes remained calm, even carrying a hint of... contemplation.

He was recalling the feel of that strike.

He was evaluating the performance of Thunder Strike: Lawbreaker in actual combat.

He was thinking about how to use it better next time.

He paid no attention to Yan's current shock and embarrassment.

By the side.

Xie Yue slowly lowered his arm, which had been held in a defensive posture. A complex expression appeared on his usually stern face: shock, solemnity, and a hint of imperceptible... approval.

"That lightning just now..." His voice was very low, as if he were talking to himself. "It wasn't speed-type, not power-type, not even any conventional offensive Soul Skill. It was... penetration. Penetration on a rule level."

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.

"His First Soul Skill is specifically for breaking defenses. And it's an extremely high-level defense break, not relying on Soul Power suppression, not relying on attribute restraint, but... directly negating the effectiveness of defense itself, from the rule level."

He looked at Hu Liena, his crimson eyes carrying a questioning look.

Hu Liena did not meet her brother's gaze.

She maintained her seated posture, one hand propped under her chin, as languid as ever. But if someone were to look closely at this moment, they would discover a flame of intense focus burning deep within her alluring, fox-like eyes.

She calculated rapidly in her mind.

At level eighteen, Chen Li's first Soul Skill already had this kind of effect.

So now that he was level twenty, the power, consumption, and defense-breaking limit of this attack had undoubtedly increased further compared to a month ago.

And he still didn't have a second Soul Ring.

Once he obtained his second Soul Ring, once he reached Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor...

Hu Liena took a gentle breath.

She recalled Bibi Dong's teachings.

"Nana, you must learn to see a person's future potential when they are still weak. Because by the time they truly shine brightly, it will be too late to approach them."

She looked at the young man in the arena, who was quietly recovering his breath, completely oblivious to Yan's shock.

Then, the faint smile that had always lingered on her lips finally became clearer.

On the training ground, the silence amidst the wreckage continued.

Yan remained frozen in place. The wound on his right arm had stopped bleeding and was already scabbing over thanks to the Flame Lord's powerful self-healing ability. However, his state of mind clearly hadn't recovered as quickly as his wound.

Chen Li glanced at him, confirming that the opponent had no intention of attacking again.

He didn't speak, nor did he press his advantage.

He simply stood there quietly, the lightning around him completely retracted. The Heart of Illusory Thunder gem at his collarbone glinted slightly in the sunlight, faithfully continuing to disguise the Purple Soul Ring, which was slowly returning to calm, as an ordinary bright yellow.

In his mind, he was rapidly reviewing the attack from earlier.

The effect of Thunder Strike: Lawbreaker was even better than he had expected. Against a Soul Skill like Granite Rock, known for its pure physical defense, it had almost completely bypassed defense levels to achieve a direct penetration.

The downside was its high consumption. With his current total Soul Power of level twenty, fully activating this attack could at most be used three consecutive times.

The advantages were also very clear: the deterrent power of this attack far outweighed its actual killing power. Just like now, although Yan only suffered superficial injuries, his entire fighting will had been severely shaken by the fact that his defenses had been breached.

"That's enough," Xie Yue's voice rang out at the opportune moment, breaking the stalemate on the field. He had regained his usual composure, as if the shock of the previous moment had never existed. "Today's spar ends here."

Yan opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something. But he looked down at the thin scar that had already scabbed over on his fist, and ultimately said nothing. He retracted his Martial Soul, turned, and walked towards the edge of the training ground without looking back.

Chen Li also retracted his Martial Soul.

He didn't look at Yan's retreating back, nor did he look at Hu Liena's increasingly meaningful gaze from the sidelines. He simply walked calmly towards the exit of the training ground, his steps steady, just as when he had arrived.

As he brushed past Xie Yue, he heard the leader of the Golden Generation say in a low voice, audible only to the two of them:

"Your first Soul Skill is very interesting."

Chen Li's footsteps didn't falter; he merely nodded slightly.

"Thank you."