Meng Shenji and the others all had different thoughts. Though they couldn't hear anything or read lips, they could still make out the general situation.
Sword Douluo had been rejected, and he was in a bad mood.
Qian Renxue felt relieved. It was obvious Sword Douluo hadn't succeeded in taking Ling Yun as his disciple. Her judgment wasn't so poor that she couldn't see that.
But Sword Douluo had left behind the silver sword that represented his identity, which proved he still had that intention.
Years spent undercover had made her thoughts exceptionally complicated. She couldn't help but speculate, with no small amount of malice, about all the possibilities that might follow.
She wondered what methods her teacher would use to draw Ling Yun into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Sword Douluo sensed the subtle changes in the atmosphere. With his mind as clear as a sword, he saw straight through to the heart of the matter.
"I guessed wrong. That boy doesn't have a Sword Martial Soul. What a pity to see such a fine talent go to waste... Sigh!"
At Sword Douluo's words, everyone understood why he seemed a little dejected. But they were even more perplexed.
Then why could Ling Yun wield sword intent? They couldn't make heads or tails of it.
One by one, they fixed their gazes on Ling Yun in the ring, studying him closely, as if they could see through everything just by looking hard enough.
The Soul Fighting continued in the ring.
The next person to step up was a female student. She had a boyish haircut, a pronounced bust, long legs, and rounded hips, all of which combined to form a perfect figure.
Her gaze was particularly sharp, cool and commanding, with an added touch of domineering force. That was Ling Yun's first impression of her.
"Zhang Weiwei of Heavenly Grade Class Two. My Martial Soul is the Meteor Dart. I'm a Level 25 Battle Soul Master of the Power Attack System. Please instruct me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she released her Martial Soul. The Meteor Dart's head was diamond-shaped and about the size of a fist. A chain as thin as the tip of a chopstick fastened through its center. The joint looked seamless, with no trace of anything being attached. The other end of the chain was connected to a wooden handle.
Three emerald-green gems were set into the handle.
The signal to begin the match sounded.
Zhang Weiwei swung the Meteor Dart. It spun rapidly, whistling through the air. To the naked eye, it traced nothing but a circle.
Then her First Soul Ring flashed. The Meteor Dart shot toward Ling Yun's chest like a meteor trailing flames.
When the darthead was no more than an inch from Ling Yun's chest, he shifted one step to the left.
"You think you can dodge it like that?"
Zhang Weiwei gave the chain a tug. The Meteor Dart moved like a living venomous snake, nimble beyond belief. The chain was its body, the darthead its head; the chain swung, and the darthead struck like a venomous snake attacking its prey.
It smashed toward Ling Yun's chest again.
Under Ling Yun's control, his Martial Soul formed into a flying disc. It traced an inscrutable path and struck the chain at its central control point.
The darthead's trajectory was knocked off course, and it slammed into the ring. Ling Yun seized the chance to close in on Zhang Weiwei.
Zhang Weiwei didn't retreat. Instead, her eyes lit with excitement. Her Second Soul Ring flashed, and the three gems on the Meteor Dart blazed with light as the chain pulled taut.
The Meteor Dart snapped back in an instant, transforming into a Meteor Spear.
The handle became the butt of the spear, the chain became its shaft, and the darthead became its point.
After flourishing the spear, she drove forward and charged at Ling Yun, launching a fierce assault.
Pinpricks of cold light suddenly appeared, followed by a sky full of spear shadows.
But no matter how fierce her attacks became, Ling Yun was like a wisp of green smoke. She couldn't pierce him or strike him at all.
"What an ingenious movement-based Self-Created Soul Skill. I've never seen anything like it."
"Uncle Jian, what do you think?"
"I've never seen it either! But one thing's certain: this boy has secrets, and they're no small matter."
"No wonder he refused to take you as his master. He has another inheritance!"
"This inheritance is beyond even me." Sword Douluo sighed.
Everyone else drew in a sharp breath. An inheritance that even Sword Douluo admitted was beyond him! Didn't that mean Ling Yun already had a master, and that his teacher was a reclusive expert?
They were absolutely certain that someone had taught Ling Yun. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have mastered so many things.
For a moment, everyone let their imaginations run wild.
They imagined what the mysterious master behind Ling Yun might look like.
Sword Douluo, too, wondered about the person backing Ling Yun. Could it be him? It shouldn't be. If it were him, this boy wouldn't have come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
Sword Douluo thought of the opponent his father had challenged at Level 97: Qian Daoliu, the true spiritual leader of Spirit Hall.
At that very moment, Qian Daoliu had just received Snake Lance's message and was setting out from Douluo Worship Hall.
In his heart, Qian Renxue was the person most likely to inherit the Angel Godhood. Someone being able to connect Martial Souls with Qian Renxue, possibly even producing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, immediately caught Qian Daoliu's attention.
Whether or not it was true, he had to make the trip.
He wouldn't let any opportunity that might help Qian Renxue pass him by. Everything he did was to bring the Angel God back into the world and make the Angel bloodline great once more.
In the ring, after attacking for so long, Zhang Weiwei's stamina and Soul Power were rapidly running low. She was starting to struggle.
"Can you do anything besides dodge?"
"If you're a man, fight me fair and square. All this dodging makes you look like a coward."
"Kids will be kids. You haven't got a shred of fight in you."
"..."
Zhang Weiwei grew more and more fired up, and her insults became increasingly vile. Among the spectators below, someone who had been insulted by Zhang Weiwei shouted:
"Ling Yun, be a man! Show her what you can do!"
"Beat her!"
"Yeah, beat her!"
"..."
Even as she attacked, Zhang Weiwei glanced toward the loudest part of the crowd and secretly memorized a few faces.
Some of those who met her gaze sheepishly shut their mouths. Others glared right back and shouted even louder.
Sword Douluo and the others watched with delight. They loved seeing this kind of youthful vigor.
In the ring, Zhang Weiwei kept running her mouth as her Meteor Spear smashed, whipped, and thrust, every move accompanied by a sharp whoosh.
Ling Yun realized he wasn't as composed as he'd thought. Anger was beginning to rise in him, and he said, "As you wish!"
"Heh! Why didn't you do that sooner?"
"You're just like those defeated losers below. You need a good scolding!"
Soul Power surged through Ling Yun's hand. He stopped Zhang Weiwei's spearpoint with his bare hand, and it shattered inch by inch.
Zhang Weiwei's Martial Soul broke apart. The severe backlash made her spit out a mouthful of blood before she collapsed onto the ring.
"Way to go, Ling Yun! From today on, you're my idol!"
"Beautifully done!"
"I've hated her for ages. Looks like she finally ran into a brick wall! Hahahaha..."
"If we could beat her, who'd have meekly stood there and let her insult us?"
"..."
Teacher Yang walked onto the ring of her own accord and treated Zhang Weiwei. This time, she said nothing; Zhang Weiwei had already made herself an enemy of everyone.
Soon, someone else stepped onto the ring.
Ling Yun began using his Martial Soul and Soul Skills more frequently, and that led to one result.
None of the new challengers could last five breaths.
This, in turn, took a heavy toll on Ling Yun.
A quarter of an hour later, Ling Yun had nearly exhausted his Soul Power, so he called a halt to the match.
"Teacher, I'm almost out of Soul Power. I concede! I'm done fighting!"
"Congratulations. You've set a record for defending the ring. You eliminated a total of 33 opponents."
In the VIP viewing seats, Meng Shenji and the other two wore smiles. Having such a gifted Soul Master in their academy was a joy to think about.
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