Soul Elder?!
On the training ground, they had been itching for a fight, ready to teach their new junior a proper lesson!
But when they saw the three pitch-black Soul Rings at Su Chen's feet, they froze as if struck by a binding spell.
Black! Black! Black!
Three Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings!
The entire field fell silent.
Th-this was impossible!
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring right from the start? What the hell, was that even possible for a human?
Even in Shrek Academy, that so-called "monster boot camp," even among the three Limit Douluo of the present age when they were young, nothing had been this outrageous, right?
How were they supposed to fight that?!
It was like everyone else was in the newbie village, poking each other with wooden swords, and you'd just rolled in with a max-level mech.
Going all out right from the start? Where was the sportsmanship?!
The disciples of the Body Sect might have been stubborn and lived by the creed "life and death are fate; if you don't like it, fight," but they weren't stupid.
Going up against an opponent they were guaranteed to lose to would just mean getting beaten for no reason. You'd have to be an idiot!
And so, an absurd sight unfolded.
The crowd, which had been brimming with confidence, took one perfectly synchronized step backward, quietly leaving Long Aotian at the front to "stand out."
Senior Brother, we're counting on you! We support you in spirit!
"Interesting..."
At the center of the storm, Long Aotian gazed at Su Chen's astonishing Soul Ring Configuration. Not only was there not a trace of fear in his eyes, but the flames of battle spirit blazed even brighter!
He wasn't afraid of a powerful opponent. He was afraid of one who was too weak to make him give his all!
A true powerhouse dared to face a bleak life and look unflinchingly upon blood flowing freely!
"Ha!"
Long Aotian stepped forward, his presence soaring like a rainbow!
Yellow, purple, purple!
Three Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet. They seemed somewhat dim next to Su Chen's three black Soul Rings, but his unstoppable fighting spirit was no less formidable!
"Long Aotian, Martial Soul: Skin, level 32 Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. Junior Brother Su Chen, I ask you to instruct me!"
We cultivators never shied away from a fight!
Meanwhile, on the raised platform...
"Clatter!"
A cup slipped from an elder's hand and shattered on the ground.
Du Busi and the Titled Douluo elders were all dumbstruck, their mouths wide enough to fit an egg.
"Good heavens... This kid's been hiding his true strength!"
Du Busi was so excited that even his beard was trembling.
He knew Su Chen's Soul Ring Configuration was absurd, but he hadn't expected it to be absurd to this extent!
Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings right from the start... Just how monstrous did his physical constitution have to be? He was practically born for the Body Sect!
"Three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings..."
Even Elder Jin, usually so composed, couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath. His teeth ached just thinking about it.
"It seems this boy's talent has long since surpassed the sect master's in his younger days..." Elder Jin couldn't help sighing.
"Come on, Old Jin, isn't that obvious? Why didn't you say so earlier!" an elder beside him said, rolling his eyes.
"Um... Old Jin, can you tell us something we don't already know? Like, how many more tricks does Su Chen have up his sleeve?"
"..." Elder Jin was at a loss for words.
The arena was filled with tension.
In the vast training ground, only Su Chen and Long Aotian remained.
Looking at the burly young man across from you, who knew he was outmatched yet still burned with fighting spirit, you silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Man, you knew there was a tiger on the mountain and still headed straight for it. You're a real tough guy!
"Since that's the case, to show you my respect..."
With a thought, you made the Pluto Sword, wreathed in the aura of the underworld, slowly vanish from your hand. In its place, a dark-red silhouette appeared behind you—King Crimson!
Su Chen decided to end the fight using his strongest Body Martial Soul.
At the sight of this, Long Aotian froze.
Then his expression darkened, and he knitted his brows. "Junior Brother Su, what do you mean by this? You put away your weapon. Are you looking down on me, Long Aotian? Do you think I'm not worthy of facing your sword?"
"No, you misunderstand, Senior Brother."
You shook your head, your expression earnest.
"It's precisely because I respect you as a real man that I've decided to fight you in my strongest state."
(The subtext: If I use my sword, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from cutting you to pieces. With King Crimson, I can at least leave you breathing.)
"My strongest state..."
At this, the anger in Long Aotian's eyes faded, replaced by an even more fervent fighting spirit.
"In that case, let's fight! I won't hold back!"
Before his words had even faded, the Soul Rings at Long Aotian's feet lit up!
"First Soul Skill, Demonic Ape Transformation!"
Crack-crack-crack!
The sound of bones popping rang out. Long Aotian's already burly body swelled even further. His muscles bulged like rock, and a metallic sheen spread across his skin. In an instant, he transformed into a humanoid berserker ape!
But he wasn't done yet!
Facing you, an opponent whose depths he couldn't fathom, Long Aotian didn't dare hold anything back!
Yellow, purple... His first two Soul Rings blazed at the same time!
It was an insanely aggressive strategy—decide the fight from the very start! He meant to push his strength, speed, and defense to their limits!
"Junior Brother Su! Watch out!"
Long Aotian roared. The floor beneath his feet shattered, and he shot toward Su Chen like a cannonball, charging with unstoppable force!
"Your presence is impressive, like a ferocious tiger charging down the mountain. But unfortunately, you're still far too green."
Su Chen narrowed his eyes and made his judgment.
Though his Body Martial Soul hadn't yet been given a Soul Ring in the real world, after two rounds of tempering in the simulator, his combat instincts had already reached perfection.
Against an opponent of Long Aotian's caliber, he didn't even need to use a trump card like Time Erasure.
He couldn't even be bothered to use Epitaph.
"Why not let you have one move?"
Su Chen's lips curled upward. He didn't dodge, instead choosing the most shocking way to respond—he took the blow head-on!
Boom!
The two collided head-on!
Long Aotian's fist, wrapped in a terrifying gale and powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone, slammed squarely into Su Chen's chest!
The entire field fell silent!
The onlookers' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
"Holy shit! He took it head-on?!"
"That was Long Aotian's full-power attack! A strike like that could make even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast drop to its knees and call him Daddy, and Su Chen... didn't even budge?!"
"He actually couldn't budge Su Chen with an elbow strike?!"
Long Aotian was even more shocked.
His fist hadn't felt like it had struck a human body at all. It was as though he'd punched into an unfathomably deep mass of cotton. All his force vanished without a trace, swallowed up in an instant!
The recoil even left his fist numb!
"How is this possible?!"
"It's over."
The instant Long Aotian's momentum ran out, Su Chen moved.
There was no flashy technique, just a plain and unadorned hand strike. As fast as lightning, it chopped into the artery at the back of Long Aotian's neck.
Thud!
The strike was precise and elegant.
Long Aotian heard a "buzz" in his head, as if a heavy hammer had slammed into him.
A wave of dizziness swept over him, and strength drained from every limb in an instant.
In his daze, he seemed to see a river flowing with flowers. On the opposite bank, his kindly great-grandmother was smiling and beckoning him over...
"G-Great-Grandma..."
The next second, Long Aotian's eyes rolled back, and his body crumpled limply to the ground. He passed out on the spot!
Young people sure had it easy. They could just lie down and fall asleep.
Before you continue