Unleashing the Sun-Shattering Strike Alone!

Xiao Hongchen was confident that this strike, fueled by his rage, was something no peer could withstand—not just within the Sun Moon Empire, but even among the monsters cultivated by Shrek Academy.

This was the absolute self-assurance of the most gifted heir in the history of the Hongchen Family!

However, while his fantasies were beautiful, reality was cruel.

The strike he deemed invincible was first blocked by a scorching flame that appeared out of thin air, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.

Then, as Xu Tianming's ten-thousand-year soul ring flickered and the Night Soul Domain expanded, Xiao Hongchen sensed that Xu Tianming's soul power fluctuations had surged by a full twenty percent!

One of the Night Soul Transfers came from Ye Guyi, and as for the other...

Xu Tianming had only tentatively sent an invitation to Meng Hongchen, never expecting her to accept so decisively.

"Fake! This must be fake!"

After shouting this to numb himself once more, Xiao Hongchen pushed his soul power to the limit.

This time, the giant metal sword he condensed did not melt instantly; instead, it began to push forward, inching through the barrier of flames.

Seeing this, Xiao Hongchen immediately assumed victory was within his grasp. As long as these flames could not stop his metal sword, the final triumph would surely be his!

Yet, in Xu Tianming's eyes, this effort was as laughable as a mayfly trying to topple a tree.

With a thought, "Judgment" appeared in Xu Tianming's hand.

The moment he saw the great soul tool sword, Xuan Ziwen's eyes widened.

At a single glance, he recognized it as one of the works he had forged during his student days.

However, if he remembered correctly, this great sword had been kept by his teacher; there was no way an ordinary person could have obtained it.

Could it be that this youth was also a disciple taken in by his teacher?

If so, everything made sense.

No wonder this youth had called him "Senior Brother" the moment they met.

No wonder this youth could spot the mistakes he had made and suggest improvements to the forging process of his Soul Tool Sword.

To be taken in by his teacher, one ought to have such terrifying talent.

The reason he drew "Judgment" was that Xu Tianming intended to end this farce with "Sun-Shattering Strike."

But just as he prepared to strike, Columbina issued another warning:

"To the southwest, a rather strong individual has just appeared. Judging by his aura, it seems to be the grandfather of the person you are fighting, but strangely, he has not made a move yet."

Jing Hongchen was here!

Hearing Columbina's warning, Xu Tianming instinctively looked toward the southwest and saw a man with an upright posture and aged features standing quietly in the distance.

Looking at his face, Xu Tianming felt a sense of familiarity.

After a brief moment of reflection, realization dawned on him.

At yesterday's soul awakening ceremony, this man had been in the front row among the high-ranking officials who had come to congratulate him.

It really was Jing Hongchen!

Xiao Hongchen's own grandfather had arrived, and logically, Xu Tianming should have stopped.

However, he did not expect that after locking eyes with him, Jing Hongchen would remain standing there, motionless, as if the events unfolding before him were of no consequence.

With that, Xu Tianming understood.

It seemed this old man also realized his grandson had been a bit too arrogant lately and wanted to use his hands to teach the boy a lesson, so he would understand that there is always someone better, and a sky beyond the sky.

Though the feeling of being used was slightly unpleasant, it didn't matter now.

For Xu Tianming, giving Xiao Hongchen a sound beating was the most important thing.

Since that old man had begun to watch, Xu Tianming felt he no longer needed to hold back.

In any case, the old man wouldn't watch his own grandson die here; at the critical moment, he would surely step in to protect him!

Having figured this out, Xu Tianming leaped into the air, hovering briefly:

"Next, one strike will decide the winner! If you can take this move, I will concede immediately!"

Just as Xu Tianming turned his head, Xiao Hongchen also felt something and looked toward the southwest, catching sight of his grandfather.

He instinctively wanted to ask for help, but seeing the indifferent look in his grandfather's eyes, he abandoned the thought and grasped the old man's intent.

His grandfather didn't care why this battle started, but he would not tolerate defeat!

With his grandfather watching, Xiao Hongchen's resolve not to lose only hardened. Hearing Xu Tianming's words, he retorted aggressively:

"Arrogant! Dreaming of defeating me in one move? Keep dreaming!"

Although the aura Xu Tianming radiated made Xiao Hongchen's body tremble, he had his grandfather nearby and a Level 4 Defensive Soul Tool Array on his person. No matter how strong the opponent was, he was only a two-ring soul master; could he really shatter a Level 4 defensive array?

Based on this, Xiao Hongchen retorted in anger and, having no intention of defending, quickly pulled out a Level 2 "Milk Bottle" to replenish his soul power before continuing to command his giant metal sword in a fierce assault.

Seeing that Xiao Hongchen was not afraid and intended to meet him head-on, Xu Tianming smiled faintly, and his first soul ring glowed brilliantly:

"First Soul Skill, Battle Intent Burst!"

Xu Tianming chose not to let Mavuika possess him this time; after all, his opponent was merely a peer with Soul Power comparable to his own, and he wanted to take this opportunity to practice the "Sun-Shattering Strike" in actual combat.

With the experience of being possessed by Mavuika twice before, coupled with the fusion of their souls last night, Xu Tianming had already mastered the basic execution and power-channeling methods for this move.

Feeling his scorching, boiling Soul Power instantly flood his entire body, Xu Tianming immediately gathered all of it into Judgment, just as he remembered.

Once the charging was complete, the giant metal sword controlled by Xiao Hongchen was on the verge of breaking through the barrier of flames. Seeing that his attack was about to strike Xu Tianming, Xiao Hongchen, believing victory was within his grasp, laughed unscrupulously:

"Is that it? You still wanted to defeat me in one move? You'd better think about how to survive this attack of mine first!"

Yet, the only response Xiao Hongchen received was a single sentence from Xu Tianming:

"Heh... listen to the Roar of the Sun!"

The moment the words left his lips, an incredibly dense force of flame erupted along with Xu Tianming's full-powered slash.

Upon making contact with the giant metal sword, the two forces stalemated for less than two seconds before the metal blade was shattered on the spot by the violent flame energy, with the power of the strike barely diminished.

Seeing his attack crushed head-on, Xiao Hongchen's first reaction was disbelief, but by the time he realized the battle wasn't over yet, the greatsword Xu Tianming was swinging was already right before his eyes.

If he were hit by this move, the result would undoubtedly be certain death.

"No! Don't!"

As terror reached its peak in his heart, the fourth-level defensive soul guidance array carried on Xiao Hongchen's person triggered automatically, just barely blocking the fatal blow for him.

At this moment, he was drenched in cold sweat, unable to regain his senses for a long time.

He had lost—lost in front of his grandfather.

And he had lost so uglily, at that.