Battle Against Sword Douluo (Part 1)

Just as they were looking bewildered, Tang Hao spoke up to explain.

"I heard all of this from Xiao San. Not only that, but this kid can briefly manifest his Martial Soul while in Slaughter City—it is an incredibly sharp sword-type Martial Soul."

"This is also why I brought him to find you. Let you help him awaken his Martial Soul; whether it is true or false, we will only know once we try."

Ling Chen slowly reined in the killing intent radiating from his body, though he could not help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart.

Soon, he would no longer need to rely on his Martial Soul Origin to manifest his weapon; the accumulated Martial Soul Origin could be used to strengthen the Green Steel Sword or manifest a second Martial Soul.

Furthermore, he would soon be able to stack Soul Rings. During his time in Slaughter City, White Dragon had never gone hungry; no matter what, he had always managed to strip away a Soul Ring.

Now, the number of those Soul Rings had reached a certain figure, and Ling Chen would soon be able to become even more powerful by stacking them.

"It certainly sounds like a monster! Let's go, little one, let's see your Martial Soul!"

Sword Douluo felt a flicker of anticipation. If things were truly as Tang Hao described, then he, Chen Xin, had stumbled upon a treasure.

Before long, Ling Chen stood in the center of an array constructed from hexagonal black crystal balls.

"Begin!"

Ling Chen signaled to the awakening master, who injected his soul power into the black crystal balls, causing the array to glow with a pale golden light.

In a short while, the Martial Soul within Ling Chen was awakened, and the archaic Green Steel Sword appeared in his hand.

"A tool-type Martial Soul! Next, we test the Innate Soul Power."

Sword Douluo nodded silently from the side. He could sense the powerful aura of that iron sword; it was the affinity that sword-intent comprehension granted to a blade.

Ling Chen placed his hand on a blue crystal ball, watching as it gradually began to brighten.

Tang Hao and the others watched intently. A Martial Soul determines a soul master's lower limit, while Innate Soul Power determines their upper limit.

Whether Ling Chen could catch the eye of Sword Douluo depended most critically on whether he reached the Innate Full Soul Power of level 10, the only way to have a chance at reaching the peak as a Title Douluo.

"Hum, hum, hum--!"

The crystal ball began to tremble, the light it emitted growing increasingly brilliant.

"Innate Full Soul Power, level 10! Another heaven-sent prodigy, rare to come by!"

The awakening master excitedly patted Ling Chen on the head, but he immediately calmed down when he caught sight of the three Title Douluos and Sect Master Ning nearby.

"He is indeed a monster! Chen Xin, what do you think?"

Bone Dragon Douluo looked on with a sense of appreciation; he was even tempted to take Ling Chen under his own wing.

"In terms of talent, he is truly a prodigy, though his domain and combat techniques remain to be observed. Why not... set up a ring and test him?"

Chen Xin turned to look at Ning Fengzhi, who understood immediately and instructed his subordinates to go down and make preparations.

"Are you going to step into the ring yourself?"

Tang Hao could not help but ask. He considered himself to have already crossed swords with Ling Chen. Although he had spent the entire time suppressing Ling Chen, he hadn't even managed to touch a single hair on the boy.

Even though his Slaughter God's Domain had severely restricted Ling Chen, it had failed to cause any substantial damage, and instead, he had suffered quite a blow to his own pride.

"Indeed. This child's situation is special; there is no one left in his own age group who can serve as his opponent."

Chen Xin's words were not without basis. Even if he were to return to the age of six with his current memories, he would feel immense pressure when facing Ling Chen.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Battle Tower was a seven-story pagoda similar to the Great Soul Arena.

Ling Chen felt deeply awestruck just by looking at it from the outside. However, at this moment, a massive crowd was swarming into the battle tower.

"Hurry, hurry! I heard Sword Douluo is setting up a ring; it seems he wants to take on a disciple..."

"Is that true? I joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect only after admiring Sword Douluo for so long. If I could receive his guidance, my future achievements would be limitless!"

Listening to the chatter of the onlookers, Ling Chen understood exactly what was going on.

This ring had been prepared for him.

It had only been a few days since he fought Tang Hao, and now he had to face another Title Douluo; Ling Chen only felt bitterness in his heart.

Once Sect Master Ning and the others took their seats, Ling Chen and Sword Douluo stepped onto the ring.

An invisible energy barrier enveloped the two on the platform, and the role of commentator for this battle was given to Bone Dragon Douluo.

For the sake of fairness, Sword Douluo would not use any soul skills during this duel.

"Li Tianyi, treat this match as if you are back in Slaughter City; just find a way to kill me. You may use any means necessary during this time. As long as you can last five rounds against me, I will take you as my personal disciple!"

Chen Xin raised his Seven Kill Sword, pointing it at Ling Chen, who did not show weakness and raised the Green Steel Sword in return.

"Senior Sword, please enlighten me!"

In the spectator stands, the crowd saw the archaic iron sword in Ling Chen's hand and felt puzzled, followed by a wave of incessant discussion.

"What is this? He wants Sword Douluo to take him as a personal disciple with a piece-of-trash iron sword Martial Soul? He should go find a mirror and see what kind of garbage he is!"

"I spent 50 Gold Soul Coins on this ticket, and you tell me it's some wet-behind-the-ears brat fighting in the ring? That was my food money for the month! Damn it! Refund!"

"Why bother having Sword Douluo step in? Even a support-type soul master like me could beat him until he runs home to his mother!"

Almost all the spectators were mocking Ling Chen for overestimating himself, with the exception of the three Title Douluos and Sect Master Ning, who knew the truth.

That monstrous killing intent could not be faked; at the very least, it was certain that Ling Chen had killed before.

"The match begins!"

Following the command from Bone Dragon Douluo, Ling Chen made his move.

His method of attack was simple: he charged straight toward Sword Douluo. Ling Chen's goal was straightforward—to sever his legs!

Chen Xin reacted quickly, thrusting his sword toward Ling Chen's head in an attempt to halt his forward momentum.

Relying on Killing Intent Perception, Ling Chen tilted his head to dodge the strike and swung the Green Steel Sword downward at Chen Xin.

"What a sinister move!"

Chen Xin was secretly startled; he retracted the Seven Kill Sword instantly, blocking Ling Chen's Green Steel Sword.

"Clang!"

In the blink of an eye, the collision sent sparks flying everywhere.

Feeling the immense force transmitted through the Seven Kill Sword, Chen Xin immediately rotated the blade and pulled back with his other hand. With only a slight exertion of force, Chen Xin sent Ling Chen flying away with that powerful pull.

Seeing this scene, the spectators couldn't help but sneer. Just as they had expected, Ling Chen had only stepped onto this arena to be humiliated.

Tang Hao's expression, however, was somewhat grave; he had keenly captured that one side of the blade on the Seven Kill Sword in Chen Xin's hand had been chipped.

Had Chen Xin not countered in time, Ling Chen's strike would likely have not only snapped the Seven Kill Sword but also severed Chen Xin's leg along with it.

If Ling Chen had succeeded, he would only have needed to stall for time to secure a steady victory.

A hint of seriousness appeared on Chen Xin's face as he looked at the notch on the Seven Kill Sword and couldn't help but offer praise.

"There is indeed some substance to it; I acknowledge your Martial Soul!"