Tearing Off the Mask, Nothing is Impossible

"That senior is truly remarkable."

Yan Lingji replied with a sarcastic tone, her voice laced with perfunctory flattery, though her expression clearly said, "Oh, so it's you? And then what?"

Zhao Linchuan's reaction was far more enthusiastic; his face filled with shock and feigned terror, his voice rising an octave.

"So it is Gu Rong, Bone Douluo! No wonder! No wonder indeed!"

He cupped his hands repeatedly, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the wealthiest in the world; that saying is absolutely true!"

Gu Rong was quite satisfied with Zhao Linchuan's performance. He nodded slightly, his expression growing even more reserved and haughty.

"Since you know who This Seat is," his voice drawled, carrying the tone of a condescending favor, "then This Seat shall bestow a kindness upon you and grant you the opportunity to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"But we already have a sect," Zhao Linchuan said, his face showing difficulty as he spoke with a hint of helplessness, "and the person in charge of us is very good to me; they give me more money than I could ever spend."

"Money?"

"Hahaha--!"

Gu Rong threw his head back and laughed, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. His laughter echoed through the forest, shaking the leaves from the treetops.

"Money, heh."

Once he finished laughing, he lowered his head, his gaze landing on Zhao Linchuan's face with a look of condescending contempt.

"In my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the one thing we have no shortage of is money."

"As long as you come to my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I guarantee you will enjoy endless wealth and glory."

"That won't do." Zhao Linchuan shook his head, his tone firm and leaving no room for negotiation. "If I were to abandon my original sect just for a bit of money..."

"Then how would I be any different from those profit-seeking scoundrels?"

At these words, the smile on Gu Rong's face instantly stiffened, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He, Gu Rong, a dignified Title Douluo, had personally come to recruit a wet-behind-the-ears brat, and you dare to refuse?

"Then what would it take for you to leave your original sect?"

His voice was already growing impatient, the tail end rising slightly with the oppressive weight of, "You had better give me a satisfactory answer."

"I have no intention of leaving my original sect, no matter what," Zhao Linchuan stated with extreme firmness.

The last shred of patience on Gu Rong's face finally vanished.

"Since that is the case..." his voice turned abruptly cold, "then I have no choice but to send you to your deaths."

The moment his words fell, an invisible wave of soul power erupted from Gu Rong like a burst dam, surging outward in all directions!

It was the soul pressure of a Title Douluo—heavy as a mountain, vast as the sea, and carrying a domineering force that crushed everything in its path as it bore down on Zhao Linchuan and Yan Lingji!

Wherever the soul pressure passed, the charcoal fire beneath the stove was instantly extinguished, the red embers crushed into ash.

The surrounding grass and trees bowed in unison, their branches and leaves pressed against the ground as if held down by an invisible giant hand, and even the air grew thick and viscous.

Yet, strangely, Zhao Linchuan and Yan Lingji, who stood at the very center of the soul pressure, remained completely unaffected.

Not a corner of their clothes stirred, their breathing remained steady, and they even had the leisure to exchange a knowing glance.

Gu Rong frowned; something was wrong. This was not right.

Just as he prepared to increase his outward soul pressure to test the limits of these two youths—

A golden sword light suddenly flared!

Zhao Linchuan had already gripped the Supreme Ease Golden Edge at some point. He pushed off the ground with his toes, his figure lunging forward like a fierce tiger as he thrust his sword toward Gu Rong!

The sword light was sharp, the sword energy surged, and the golden edge carved a straight line through the air, aiming directly for Gu Rong's face!

Gu Rong's pupils constricted, and he instinctively raised his left arm to block.

"Ah--!"

A scream escaped his lips as he recoiled rapidly, stumbling and nearly tripping over a tree root.

He retreated several steps before finally steadying himself, looking down at his left arm.

His arm had been nearly pierced through, and bright red blood dripped from his wrist, staining a patch of the fallen leaves on the ground a dark crimson.

"How is this possible?!"

"He is merely a Soul Emperor; how could he possibly release his martial soul and attack me under my soul pressure?!"

"Nothing is impossible." Zhao Linchuan's voice was devoid of emotion.

Before the words had even faded, he twisted his wrist, and the Supreme Ease Golden Edge traced a perfect arc in the air.

A golden sword wave several meters in diameter was unleashed in a horizontal slash, resembling a crescent moon, as it shrieked through the air toward Gu Rong!

Wherever the sword light passed, the air was torn asunder, the ground was plowed into a deep trench, and gravel and dust were swept up by the shockwave, dancing in the air.

Gu Rong's pupils shrank, but he did not panic. He crossed his arms over his chest and shouted coldly, "Third Soul Skill—Bone Shield!"

His third soul ring flashed, and a white bone shield about two meters in diameter instantly manifested before him.

The shield was snow-white, its surface covered in intricate bone patterns. Each line shimmered with a cold, ghostly luster, as if woven from countless bones, appearing utterly indestructible.

"Clang--!"

A deafening clang of metal striking metal exploded in the valley, shaking the surrounding trees until their leaves fluttered and fell in a flurry.

The golden sword qi slammed fiercely into the Bone Shield, sending sparks flying. It left a deep gash across the surface before dissipating into specks of golden light in the air.

Gu Rong looked down at the mark that had nearly cleaved his shield in two, his pupils constricting slightly.

He raised his head, staring fixedly at Zhao Linchuan, his tone filled with shock.

How is this possible? He is only a Spirit Emperor, yet a casual strike from him managed to damage my spirit skill, Bone Shield?

His Bone Dragon martial soul was a pinnacle of the defense-type class; even opponents of the same rank struggled to leave a scratch on it, let alone a young man at the Spirit Emperor level.

"I told you, nothing is impossible."

Zhao Linchuan replied coldly, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground. Golden sword radiance rippled along the blade, casting flickering light across half his face.

He looked up, locking eyes with Gu Rong, and a cold smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Besides, who said I was a Spirit Emperor?"

The moment the words left his lips, the air around him suddenly distorted.

Purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red—seven spirit rings rose from beneath his feet. That blood-red hue, like the light of a solidified gemstone, shimmered in harmony with the other six rings as they slowly rotated around his body.

Gu Rong's gaze fell upon that blood-red spirit ring, and he gasped instinctively, "A... a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring?!!"

But there was no time for him to dwell on it. Zhao Linchuan lightly touched the pale yellow gemstone on the sword's crossguard with his left hand, his voice low.

"Domain—Golden Purge!"

In an instant, a pale yellow circular domain surged outward from his feet like a tidal wave.

The halo was gentle and bright, like the warm sun of spring, and wherever it passed, the grass, the earth, and the rocks were all coated in a thin, golden film.

Yet, beneath that gentleness lay a sharpness akin to a blade!