Sword Douluo Chen Xin

"Grandpa Sword! What are you doing here?"

"Why, to see whether our little princess has been bullied, of course!"

The newcomer was Sword Douluo Chen Xin. He fondly rubbed the top of Ning Rongrong's head, his manner gentle in a way that completely contradicted his usual air.

He had sneaked out this time. Ning Fengzhi didn't want the two old men interfering too much with Ning Rongrong's studies.

But the two of them doted on the little girl more than anyone else in the sect. How could they possibly leave Ning Rongrong to suffer on her own out here?

Tang San knew nothing about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He assumed this was just an ordinary elder, perhaps with particularly sharp eyes, and continued asking,

"Then why wasn't the clone hit by Pressure Kill destroyed?"

Dai Mubai wanted to show off in front of Zhu Zhuqing, so he rushed to answer.

"He must have some special trick we don't know about!"

"It was Shadow Armor, country bumpkin. Xia Ran's clones can use Soul Skills!"

Ning Rongrong snickered. The moment Xia Ran's second wave of clones vanished, she had noticed something unusual beneath Huyan Shun's feet.

As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, her eyesight was naturally far better than the average person's.

Chen Xin was already delighted to see Ning Rongrong. Now that he'd seen his little princess display such keen insight, his old face beamed even more broadly, like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Our Rongrong is so clever!"

"What! The clones inherit their original's abilities and can use Soul Skills?"

Tang San looked incredulous. In either his past or present life, he'd never seen clones that could inherit their original's abilities. Just who was Xia Ran?

"And his combat instincts are terrifying, too."

"If I were in his shoes, I definitely wouldn't have come up with such a brilliant way out of that dead end."

Dai Mubai glared at Ning Rongrong with a venomous, resentful look.

On the arena, Huyan Shun had already run out of strength and was kneeling on the ground.

He stared blankly at his severed limb.

Xia Ran flourished his blade, flicked off the Long Blood Bead, and slid it back into its sheath.

"Give up. Find a healing Soul Master as soon as possible. Your arm can still be saved!"

The outcome was settled, and the situation was still under control.

That bastard hadn't held back earlier, but continuing the fight now could well violate the rules.

"I give up!"

Xia Ran breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over!

He'd challenged a level-55 Soul King whose abilities countered his own while he was only level 42. He'd nearly died here.

Huyan Shun's fat face was full of humiliation. He clenched his only remaining hand into a fist.

Just as the host was about to announce the result, Huyan Shun suddenly sprang up from his knees and threw all his remaining strength into a punch with his one good arm.

"I'll kill you!"

His face twisted with fury.

Even the host didn't have time to react. No one had expected someone to break the rules and attack their opponent by surprise at that moment.

As the fist drew closer, the audience erupted in an uproar...

Chapter 14: Sword Douluo Chen Xin

[Void]

Fortunately, the Mysterious Cat Martial Soul came with the Mental Attribute, making it extremely sensitive to Soul Power fluctuations.

Xia Ran sensed something was wrong the instant Huyan Shun raised his hand. His Void Soul Skill let him evade the fatal blow once again.

"Looking to die!"

He'd meant to let the matter end there. Injuries were inevitable in the arena, and he hadn't even tried to kill the man. Yet his opponent had taken advantage of the moment to launch a sneak attack.

Even a clay figurine had a temper. Xia Ran immediately drew his long blade and brought it down toward Huyan Shun's head.

"Brat, stop!"

A shout exploded beside him. In the next instant, an equally massive old man appeared and caught the blade with one hand.

At the center of the arena, Xia Ran's vision went black, and then dizziness washed over him.

"Damn it, another mental attack!"

"Do all these old dogs on Douluo Continent love using mental power to bully the young?"

The newcomer was Huyan Da, an elder of the Elephant Armored Sect and a level-74 Soul Saint.

The Soul Fighting Arena had been founded jointly by the Seven Great Sects, so they naturally owned a share of it. Huyan Da had known his grandson would be competing today, and had come especially to watch.

Faced with Xia Ran's sudden strike, he'd planned to secretly blast him into an idiot with mental power. He hadn't expected Xia Ran to withstand it.

Still, this old geezer was nowhere near as strong as that old bastard Tang Hao. Xia Ran took a deep breath and circulated his Soul Power to steady himself.

"Heh. Very nice."

"I beat the younger one, and now the older one shows up. I'll remember this!"

He looked at the two men in the arena with contempt, a cold smile curling his lips.

His attack had failed. With all those spectators watching, Huyan Da couldn't strike again.

But as Huyan Shun's grandfather, he wasn't about to let Xia Ran off easily.

"Boy, you attacked with such brutality. You'll have to come back to the Elephant Armored Sect with me and explain yourself. You owe us an answer for what happened today."

"Old geezer, there are so many people here. Are you really planning to drag me back?"

Xia Ran retorted in an openly mocking tone, glancing toward the stands.

"Fine, fine. You insulted an elder of the Elephant Armored Sect in front of everyone. Taking you back to the sect for punishment is perfectly reasonable!"

He'd been searching for a legitimate excuse to take Xia Ran back, and now the boy had gone and mouthed off.

Huyan Da reached out with one massive hand, moving to seize him.

"Then you'll have to prove you can!"

Seeing that the old geezer really was ready to get serious, Xia Ran sprang into action.

He activated Martial Soul Possession and used Shadow Escape to evade the grab.

"Pathetic tricks!"

Huyan Da sneered. The pressure of a Soul Saint swept across the Soul Fighting Arena, forcing Xia Ran back into view.

Seeing that things were going badly, Xia Ran prepared to unleash his Void Domain. It would let him escape, but it would also expose one of his trump cards.

"What a pain in the ass."

Just as Xia Ran prepared to flee, a figure landed on the arena. Without any unnecessary movements, he directly neutralized Huyan Da's Soul Power suppression domain.

Then a gentle current of Soul Power lifted Xia Ran up, conveniently blocking his escape route as well.

The newcomer wore a white-and-gold robe and had an otherworldly air. A glazed-tile badge was pinned to his chest.

"Chen Xin?"

Huyan Da was stunned. He hadn't expected a Titled Douluo of Chen Xin's stature to appear in such a small place.

He and Chen Xin had been born around the same time. When they'd first awakened their Martial Souls as youths, they'd even sparred with each other.

But Huyan Da's talent and temperament had their limits, and he'd been stuck at Soul Saint for years.

He was a powerful figure in his own right on the continent, but he was nowhere near the level of a Titled Douluo.

"Oh? You dare address me by name? It seems you need to come back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with me and reflect on your actions!"

Chen Xin delivered the same argument with an indifferent expression. Huyan Da's face flushed, and he hurriedly apologized.

"Your Excellency... I... I'm sorry."

"This man deliberately disrupted the rules at the Soul Fighting Arena and attacked with such brutality. As a member of the Seven Great Sects, I couldn't bear to watch him commit such violence, so..."

"Enough. Are all these people watching blind?"

Chen Xin cut him off impatiently before he could finish.

They were both old hands. Who didn't know what the other was thinking? Chen Xin intended to protect Xia Ran today. Even if Xia Ran had killed someone on the Soul Fighting Arena, what of it?

Besides, the truth was right there for everyone to see. Thousands upon thousands of people had witnessed it.

"Your Excellency..."

Chen Xin's words shut Huyan Da down. He stood with his head lowered, not daring to make another move.

Huyan Shun tucked his head down, too, as timid as a quail. He didn't dare say a word.

"This young brother suits my taste. I'd like to have a word with him. Elder of the Elephant Armored Sect, do you have any objections?"

"I wouldn't dare! I was the one who acted rashly today."

Chen Xin had made his stance perfectly clear: he meant to protect the boy right in front of an elder of the Elephant Armored Sect.

Huyan Da didn't dare say another word. The guardian elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had spoken personally. Who was he to refuse?

"Go on!"

"Yes, sir."

With permission granted, the grandfather and grandson gathered up the severed limb and slunk away.

Neither of them even dared look back at Xia Ran.

Xia Ran guessed the newcomer's identity from his clothes, especially since Ning Rongrong was standing behind him, watching.

It had to be either Gu Rong or Chen Xin.

"Thank you, senior."

Xia Ran hooked his long blade at his waist and bowed to the man before him.