After absorbing his Second Soul Ring, Lu Chen carefully sensed the changes in his Soul Power.
Absorbing two Soul Rings in succession had given him a substantial boost.
His First Soul Ring was only a thousand years old, but the increase in Soul Power it brought already far surpassed what most Soul Masters gained.
His Second Soul Ring was ten thousand years old. Even though most of its power had gone toward stabilizing the Soul Ring and strengthening his body, the remaining increase in Soul Power was still considerable.
Lu Chen closed his eyes and sensed his strength for a moment, then opened them.
"Teacher, I'm at level twenty-six now."
He paused, then added, "I should be close to level twenty-seven, too. I'm only a little short."
And he had managed that while maintaining an exceptionally high quality of Soul Power.
Yue Guan wasn't particularly surprised to hear his level.
After all, Lu Chen's First Soul Ring was a thousand years old, and his Second Soul Ring was ten thousand years old.
It would have been truly strange if, after all that, his Soul Power Level had remained at twenty-one or twenty-two.
Still, when Yue Guan thought about how Lu Chen had only just obtained his Second Soul Ring and was already at level twenty-six, he couldn't help but feel a little moved.
It took an ordinary Soul Master quite a long time to cultivate from level twenty to level twenty-six.
Yet Lu Chen had only just become a Soul Grandmaster and had already reached level twenty-six—he was even just one step away from level twenty-seven.
Gui Mei glanced at Lu Chen as well, a hint of thought in his eyes.
With Lu Chen's current Soul Power Level and his two Soul Rings, one purple and one black, his actual combat strength was certain to far exceed that of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster.
But to judge just how strong he was, they would need to fight for real.
Bibi Dong was clearly thinking the same thing.
She looked at Lu Chen and said, "Now that you've finished absorbing your Soul Ring, let's test your combat strength."
Lu Chen paused in surprise.
Bibi Dong turned to Yue Guan. "Yue Guan, spar with him."
Yue Guan's eyes immediately lit up.
He had been curious about Lu Chen's current strength for some time.
Lu Chen's successful absorption of a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring had already shocked him once. Now he had the chance to test Lu Chen's combat strength firsthand, and he wasn't about to turn it down.
"Sure."
Yue Guan agreed with a smile, sounding eager. "I've been wanting to see just how strong Xiao Chen is now."
Lu Chen had no objections.
In fact, he wanted to test his combat strength, too.
While absorbing the Soul Ring, he had focused mostly on sensing the changes to his Martial Soul and Soul Skills. He still had no clear idea of how well those changes would translate into a real fight.
A match against an ordinary Soul Master might not bring out his true strength.
But Yue Guan was different.
With Yue Guan there, Lu Chen didn't need to worry about hitting too hard or about his opponent being unable to withstand him.
As a Titled Douluo, Yue Guan could precisely control the pace of the fight and let him bring as much of his current ability to bear as possible.
The group soon left the place where the Hell Demon Dragon had died and found a nearby clearing suited to combat.
The ground here was fairly open, with little to obstruct them, and there was plenty of room to use Soul Skills.
Bibi Dong and Gui Mei stepped aside, leaving the field to Lu Chen and Yue Guan.
Lu Chen stood in the center and looked at Yue Guan across from him.
Yue Guan didn't release his Martial Soul right away. He only watched Lu Chen with a genial smile and said, "Xiao Chen, don't hold back."
Then he added, "I'll make sure to go easy on you. If you really can't dodge, use your First Soul Skill. Don't try to tough it out."
Lu Chen nodded and answered seriously, "All right, Grandpa Chrysanthemum. I'll be careful."
Hearing that form of address made Yue Guan's smile grow wider.
Though he seemed relaxed, he wasn't truly underestimating Lu Chen.
A child whose Second Soul Ring was already ten thousand years old could never be judged by the standards of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster, even if his Soul Power Level was only twenty-six.
Lu Chen drew a deep breath and didn't delay any further.
The next moment, he released his Martial Soul first.
Leugocyte, Martial Soul Possession.
As the Martial Soul Possession took hold, Lu Chen's aura changed in an instant.
A powerful force surged through him, rapidly elevating his physical state.
His two Soul Rings, one purple and one black, revolved slowly around him. Even Yue Guan found the oppressive aura radiating from the black Soul Ring striking.
Lu Chen pushed off and charged straight at Yue Guan.
Since the point was to test his combat strength, there was no need to hold back from the start.
He wanted to find out just how much his basic strength had improved under Martial Soul Possession.
Lu Chen moved at tremendous speed, reaching Yue Guan almost in the blink of an eye.
He didn't use a Soul Skill. Relying only on the physical strength granted by Martial Soul Possession, he launched a direct assault.
Yue Guan raised one hand and blocked Lu Chen's attack.
The instant they collided, Yue Guan's arm trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
The force behind Lu Chen's strike was even greater than he had expected.
To a Titled Douluo, that kind of strength was nothing special. But coming from a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster, it was a completely different matter.
Even an ordinary Soul Grandmaster going all out couldn't possibly deliver a blow with that much force.
Yue Guan took a moment to properly gauge it.
Then he praised him, "Well done, boy. That strike already had the strength of a Power Attack System Soul King."
Lu Chen's heart stirred slightly at those words.
The strength of a Power Attack System Soul King.
That was already far beyond the realm of a Soul Grandmaster.
But Yue Guan soon smiled again. "Still, it's not enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, Soul Power shuddered through Yue Guan's palm.
Lu Chen felt a gentle yet irresistible force surge toward him, sending him staggering backward.
Yue Guan had no intention of hurting him; he had simply sent him back to open some distance between them.
Lu Chen steadied himself, his gaze growing more intent.
At the same time, Yue Guan finally released his Martial Soul.
Nine Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet in succession, and the formidable aura of a Titled Douluo spread through the area.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—the nine Soul Rings revolved around Yue Guan, rising and falling. Even though he deliberately restrained it, the pressure of a Titled Douluo was impossible to ignore.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum appeared in Yue Guan's hand.
The flower gave off a peculiar Soul Power fluctuation. It didn't look fierce, but it still had an unmistakable air of power.
Lu Chen eyed the nine Soul Rings on Yue Guan and grew wary.
This wasn't a true fight to the death, and Yue Guan wouldn't use his full strength against him.
Even so, the power a Titled Douluo could wield casually wasn't something he could easily handle at his current level.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in Yue Guan's hand shifted slightly, and his First and Second Soul Rings lit up.
"First Soul Skill: Chrysanthemum Blade."
"Second Soul Skill: Solitary Fragrance."
As Yue Guan spoke, sharp petals gathered over the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
The petals looked light and delicate, but their edges carried an intense cutting force.
At the same time, the boost from his Second Soul Skill strengthened Yue Guan, raising his aura further.
The next moment, the petals shot toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen didn't dodge. He wanted to test how much he could withstand using only the physical strength granted by Martial Soul Possession.
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