Martial Soul Sealed

Ten phantoms circled around the clone, maintaining a distance of about five meters.

"A clone-type soul skill!"

Chen Xin looked stunned, and Gu Rong hurriedly explained.

"Tian Yi said he wanted a clone-type soul skill, so I followed his requirements. The clone can split into ten, creating a hundred phantoms, and he can swap positions with both the clone and these phantoms."

Chen Xin remained silent; it was impossible to gauge the approximate age of the soul rings just by relying on the clone.

"Forget it, let's not dwell on this. This kid has so many secrets that they won't be figured out in a short while."

Chen Xin felt somewhat resigned. He had been shocked to the point of speechlessness by Ling Chen all day, to the extent that he even briefly suspected whether Ling Chen was the true essence of Shrek.

"By the way, Tian Yi! Let me see your sword."

Chen Xin had not forgotten the main business. He had worn out his ancient books without finding a sword martial soul similar to Ling Chen's, so now was the perfect time to study it.

Ling Chen manifested the Green Steel Sword and carefully handed it to Chen Xin.

Gu Rong reminded him from the side: "Be careful, his sword weighs a hundred catties!"

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong was the first to disbelieve it.

"Bone Grandpa, it's one thing to brag before, but how could a child's martial soul be so exaggerated! A hundred catties? Pfft, then my Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda must weigh a thousand catties!"

Seeing Rongrong mocking him like this, Ning Fengzhi scolded her.

"Rongrong, hold your tongue! Stop talking nonsense!"

Chen Xin took the Green Steel Sword from Ling Chen, and the hundred-catty weight nearly caused him to lose his grip. Although the body of the Green Steel Sword was small, judging by its current weight, it could no longer be described as a mere martial soul.

"Gu Rong!"

Gu Rong understood immediately; Chen Xin wanted to test whether he could cut through iron like mud using Ling Chen's sword.

"Rongrong, let Grandpa see the results of your cultivation!"

The Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda flew from Ning Rongrong's hand, and streams of colorful light flew into the bodies of Chen Xin and Gu Rong.

"First, Power! Second, Speed! Third, Soul! Fourth, Defense! Fifth, Attack!"

As the amplification of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda manifested, Chen Xin finally felt the Green Steel Sword in his hand grow lighter, and Gu Rong prepared himself.

"Second Soul Skill—Bone Armor! Fourth Soul Skill—Bone Defense!"

Both defensive soul skills were unleashed simultaneously, and Chen Xin slashed his sword against the powerful defensive barrier known as Bone Defense. For this strike, Chen Xin did not use any soul skills, relying purely on brute force.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

A long crack appeared on the Bone Defense barrier condensed by Gu Rong, though it did not completely pierce through it.

"Try the Bone Armor!"

Gu Rong retracted the Bone Defense, revealing the gray bone scale armor on his body. Chen Xin slashed his sword across it, leaving a deep sword mark on the gray scales.

Chen Xin had not used his full strength, but this strike had indeed threatened Gu Rong.

"Hiss~, it even broke through my defense!"

He was a Title Douluo renowned for his defensive capabilities, yet he had been left with a sword mark by this Green Steel Sword.

"Chen Xin, this sword..."

Ning Fengzhi was now somewhat worried. Looking at the deep sword mark on Gu Rong, it was not hard to imagine the terrifying destructive power of Ling Chen's sword.

"This sword truly weighs a hundred catties, but I have never seen such a sword martial soul. Sect Master, you should also amplify Gu Rong. Rongrong, stop your amplification on me."

"Understood!"

The father and daughter spoke in unison; the results had already exceeded their expectations. As the two people closest to these two Title Douluos, they knew their attack and defense capabilities better than anyone.

The two often sparred, and Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword could break through Gu Rong's Bone Armor defense, but only by using soul skills or other methods.

It was never like this, relying on brute force to tear through Gu Rong's defense and even leave such a deep mark.

After Gu Rong received the amplification, his Bone Armor recovered rapidly, and Chen Xin swung his sword once more.

The sound of the sword ringing was incessant, and another sword mark was left on the Bone Armor. However, the mark left by this attack was not as deep as the previous one.

"Not bad! Not bad! It is indeed a fine sword!"

Chen Xin examined the small Green Steel Sword, his eyes filled with undisguised joy; he had certainly chosen this disciple correctly.

In the future, achieving the title of the world's number one tool martial soul and avenging him by killing Qian Daoliu was not impossible.

Just as Chen Xin was about to return the Green Steel Sword to Ling Chen, a slender, jade-like hand grasped the hilt of the sword.

"Sword Grandpa, Bone Grandpa, stop pretending! Why go through the trouble of putting on a show just to deceive a child?"

As she spoke, Ning Rongrong already intended to pick up the sword from Chen Xin's hand. Ning Fengzhi shook his head helplessly; his girl simply refused to acknowledge Ling Chen's strength.

Ning Rongrong felt the weight of the Green Steel Sword and couldn't help but be slightly stunned; this weight was truly not right.

"How is this possible! Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, First, Power!"

The power amplification took effect on her, boosting her confidence.

"It's just a small iron sword, watch how this young lady..."

"Hey! Hup! Hey--hup!"

Ning Rongrong used both hands, determined to lift it. Ling Chen wanted to laugh, but he was doing his best to hold it in.

With Ning Rongrong's dainty grunts and her movements, it looked as if she were struggling to relieve herself in an outhouse, exerting every ounce of her strength...

Ling Chen tried to think of unhappy things, but upon seeing Ning Rongrong's posture again, he had to turn around, unable to contain the smile on his face any longer.

Chen Xin and the others, however, remained composed, their expressions unchanged.

Lifting, pushing, pulling, heaving—no matter how Ning Rongrong changed her method, even with the amplification from Ning Fengzhi, she could only budge the Green Steel Sword by a fraction.

"Alright, Rongrong, stop making your Grandpa Gu laugh!"

Gu Rong took the Green Steel Sword and returned it to Ling Chen, leaving Ning Rongrong to stomp her feet in frustration.

"Hmph! You're all bullying me! Just you wait! Once I get stronger, I'll show you!"

Ning Rongrong turned and stomped away in a huff, and Ning Fengzhi hurried to follow; this tsundere little princess was not easy to coax.

Chen Xin and Gu Rong exchanged a smile, then turned their gazes back to Ling Chen.

"You really hit the jackpot. Let's go! There are still matters to handle at the sect, so we'll leave this child to you!"

Gu Rong patted Chen Xin on the shoulder before vanishing from sight.

Seeing that everyone had dispersed, Chen Xin took a slightly smaller, ordinary iron sword from his Soul Tool.

Following that, Chen Xin pointed his sword-finger and tapped several acupoints around Ling Chen's dantian, and the Green Steel Sword in Ling Chen's hand instantly vanished.

"For the next year, you will not be allowed to use your martial soul; you will continue your training using this iron sword."

Upon hearing this, Ling Chen's expression immediately collapsed.

How long had it been since he awakened his martial soul? Less than half a day, surely. He hadn't even had his fill of using it yet, and now he was being forbidden from doing so—it was more than a little disappointing.

Seeing the look on Ling Chen's face, Chen Xin became even more certain of his hypothesis.

"Because your martial soul is overly powerful, you have become too reliant on it. As a sword cultivator, one must not only cultivate the sword but also cultivate the heart."

"Next, I will teach you how to use a sword, and how to condense your own sword intent."

Ling Chen nodded and took the iron sword.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master! Hiss! So heavy!"

Ling Chen looked at Chen Xin in disbelief, suddenly understanding his good intentions. His Green Steel Sword had caused him to lose his judgment of strength; this ordinary iron sword, by contrast, made him feel the true weight of things.

"Rest assured, Master, this disciple will certainly not let you down!"