The Golden Trio Is Eliminated

A Space Ring flashed with a faint glimmer, and an incense stick appeared in Qian Renxue's hand. A flame sprang from her fingertip and lit its tip.

Qian Renxue infused the incense with a wisp of Soul Power and tossed it. The stick landed perfectly upright in a stone pillar at the edge of the Martial Arts Platform.

"Let's begin." Qian Renxue turned, her golden eyes sweeping over the six who stood ready.

Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and the two Title Douluo, Chrysanthemum and Ghost, tacitly withdrew to the edge of the Martial Arts Platform, leaving the center to the young people.

Bibi Dong's grip tightened slightly around her scepter, her gaze fixed firmly on Qian Renxue.

"Your Highness, here I come!" Li Taibai struck first. With a quiet shout, the Green Lotus Sword Martial Soul appeared.

The ancient-looking sword shimmered with a faint spiritual light. Two purple and two black Soul Rings radiated an unsettling pressure.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Ling Feng gave a low shout, and the White Tiger Martial Soul possessed him in an instant. He grew a foot taller, his muscles bulging as white fur sprouted through his skin. Tiger stripes appeared on his face, his eyes became vertical pupils, and his whole body brimmed with ferocity. Two purple and two black Soul Rings revolved around him.

Ye Fan followed close behind, his Qilin Martial Soul possessing him.

A pair of formidable horns sprouted from his head, while fine scales covered his face and arms. His aura grew heavy and savage, and his Soul Ring Configuration was likewise two purple and two black.

A fluffy fox tail swished out behind Hu Liena. Her ears grew long and pointed, and a faint blush spread across her skin. She was born with a seductive charm.

A pair of crescent-shaped blades appeared in Xie Yue's hands, their edges glinting coldly.

Yan's body suddenly swelled, and blazing flames erupted around him, warping the air with their heat.

The three's Soul Rings, one yellow and two purple each, lit up in succession. They couldn't match the Three Heroes, but their presence was still imposing.

"Your Highness, you aren't using your Martial Soul?" Li Taibai stood with his sword in hand, brow furrowed.

Qian Renxue hadn't even revealed her Soul Rings, making him feel increasingly uncertain.

A faint smile tugged at Qian Renxue's lips. "I'll suppress my strength to the Soul Ancestor level. As for my Martial Soul... you'll have to prove yourselves worthy of making me use it."

"Qian Renxue, you'll pay for your arrogance!" Hu Liena was incensed by her attitude. A glint of seductive light flashed in her eyes as she unleashed her second Soul Skill: "Charm!"

An invisible wave of mental energy surged toward Qian Renxue.

"Hmph." Qian Renxue snorted. Her Mental Power struck like a blade, tearing the mental wave apart in an instant.

"Pfft—"

Hu Liena took a heavy blow and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face turned deathly pale.

"Nana! Are you all right?" Xie Yue hurried to support her, his eyes filled with worry.

"Brother, I'll be fine after I rest a little." Hu Liena waved a hand weakly. She looked at Qian Renxue with a little more fear in her eyes.

Qian Renxue said calmly, "Mental attacks are useful, but you have to know who you're facing. Judging whether your opponent's Mental Power is stronger than yours is basic common sense."

Before she had even finished speaking, flames surged around Yan. His third Soul Ring blazed, and a savage look twisted his face as he prepared to unleash a powerful Soul Skill.

Qian Renxue vanished in a flash, leaving only a faint afterimage behind—this was Inch Step, taught to her by Chen Qingxuan.

High-frequency vibrations in her leg muscles unleashed extreme speed in an instant. There was no need to build momentum; that preparation had long since become part of every breath she took.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared beside Yan, her hand poised like a blade as it struck precisely at his neck.

"Ah!"

Yan cried out as he flew several meters and crashed hard to the ground. Clutching his neck, he groaned in pain, unable to get back up for a long while.

The strike had looked almost casual, but it had precisely hit a nerve cluster, temporarily interrupting the flow of his Soul Power.

"The windup for your Soul Skills takes too long." Qian Renxue lowered her hand, her voice calm. "Your enemy won't wait for you to get ready."

Ling Feng, Li Taibai, and the others' pupils contracted. They instinctively put distance between themselves and Qian Renxue.

In the span of a breath, Yan had lost his ability to fight. Her speed and judgment were terrifying—so terrifying they left them breathless!

"Careful. Here I come again." Qian Renxue's figure blurred violently, and several afterimages appeared around her, making it impossible to tell which was real.

The next moment, she appeared behind Li Taibai and raised her hand like a blade, aiming for the back of his head.

"Watch out!" Ye Fan shouted, rushing forward to help.

Li Taibai felt a chill at the back of his neck. With his life on the line, he couldn't spare a thought for his dignity. He hurled himself forward and rolled several times across the ground, barely dodging the strike.

He looked up, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. Qian Renxue's afterimages still flickered where she'd been, while her real body had somehow appeared off to one side. She watched him with an almost playful smile.

While Li Taibai struggled to catch his breath, Qian Renxue appeared before Ling Feng in an instant, her palm wind aimed straight at his face.

Ling Feng instinctively turned his head to dodge, but Qian Renxue's waist twisted and her leg shot out like an iron whip, striking him squarely in the abdomen.

"Bang!"

Ling Feng flew backward as if struck by a heavy hammer. He sailed three zhang before crashing into the railing at the edge of the Martial Arts Platform, where he finally managed to stop.

Seeing this, Ye Fan's third Soul Ring suddenly lit up. Just as he was about to unleash a Soul Skill, Qian Renxue's Inch Step activated, letting her strike first despite moving second. Her fist landed on his chest.

Ye Fan grunted and staggered back several steps, then forcibly steadied himself and drove his right fist, brimming with wild Soul Power, toward Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue leaned back slightly, just dodging the punch. At the same time, she reached out with her right hand, caught Ye Fan by the wrist, then pulled and twisted.

Ye Fan immediately lost his balance. His body slid several meters across the ground before crashing right into Li Taibai, who had just gotten back to his feet.

"Ye Fan, you idiot! Get off me!" Li Taibai staggered from the impact and hurriedly shoved him away.

Qian Renxue turned her gaze to Xie Yue, who was supporting Hu Liena.

A chill rose from the soles of Xie Yue's feet. He instinctively backed away several steps, the hand gripping his crescent blade trembling slightly.

Seeing their panicked faces, Qian Renxue lost interest. "Is this really all you've got?"

Ling Feng, Li Taibai, Ye Fan, and Yan struggled to their feet and gathered together. They watched Qian Renxue warily, their faces as grim as iron.

They hadn't even managed to touch the hem of her clothes. That helplessness was more infuriating than defeat.

At the edge of the Martial Arts Platform, Bibi Dong finally couldn't hold back. She turned to Qian Daoliu and said, "Grand Elder, what's going on? She hasn't used a Soul Skill, and she's barely used any Soul Power. How can she do this?"

Qian Daoliu glanced at her. "Just watch."

Bibi Dong's expression darkened as she cursed inwardly: You old bastard, just you wait!

But she knew Qian Daoliu wouldn't reveal a thing, so she could only turn her attention back to the fight.

"What exactly did you do?" Ye Fan looked at Qian Renxue, his voice hoarse.

Ling Feng, Li Taibai, and the others looked her way as well, their eyes full of confusion.

They were Soul Ancestors and Soul Elders, while Qian Renxue's strength really was only at the Soul Ancestor level. So why was the gap so enormous?

Qian Renxue spoke slowly. "A Soul Master's strength comes sixty percent from Soul Rings, thirty percent from their Martial Soul, and the remaining ten percent from the power they can unleash themselves."

"Soul Rings can certainly grant powerful Soul Skills, but what if you can't use your Soul Skills?"

"A Soul Master without Soul Skills is actually very fragile."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over them. "Before reaching Soul Saint, it takes about a breath to release a Soul Skill. During that time, your body briefly stalls. That's the perfect opening for me to attack."

"We know all that," Ling Feng said with a frown. "What we want to know is how you can appear beside us in an instant. You didn't use a Soul Ring!"

Qian Renxue gave them a lazy glance. "Of course I'm fast. You're too slow."

The six of them flushed, then paled. To be told so bluntly that they were "slow" was a tremendous humiliation for geniuses like them.

But after the fight, they were powerless to argue. She had been so fast that their Martial Souls and Soul Rings might as well have been decorations.

"Use your Soul Skills," Qian Renxue suddenly said. "I'll give you time. Without your Soul Skills, you're not worthy of fighting me."

Ling Feng took a deep breath and looked at Yan, who was still clutching his neck. "Yan, step aside. Don't interfere."

Yan opened his mouth as if to say something, but under Ling Feng's firm gaze, he finally lowered his head. He quietly moved to stand beside Hu Liena, joining the others.

Only Ling Feng, Li Taibai, and Ye Fan remained in the center of the platform. They watched Qian Renxue with solemn expressions as Soul Power surged wildly around them—this time, they were going all out.

Qian Renxue stood motionless, not a ripple stirring in her golden eyes.