Overwhelming Strength, a Rising Star

The sound of swords rang in all directions, drawing the attention of countless spectators, though none understood what had happened.

Dugu Yan's narrow, beautiful eyes turned toward the Peerless Sword in Qi Dao's hand, and she trembled slightly.

Had that sword cry just now been related to him?

On the arena, Yu Tianheng's pupils contracted. He suddenly felt that the young man across from him had undergone a drastic change in presence, transforming from harmless to razor-sharp in an instant.

A sharpness seemed to have been added to the air.

"Something's wrong!!"

Yu Tianheng's relaxed state of mind instantly vanished, replaced by solemnity and caution.

If he had not already declared that Qi Dao could make the first move, he would likely have launched an attack first by now.

At that thought, Yu Tianheng frowned slightly.

He had not expected this guy across from him to be hiding his true strength, deliberately using a harmless appearance to lower his guard.

Qi Dao could see that Yu Tianheng had assumed a defensive stance, but...

Was it useful?

If Yu Tianheng were level thirty, Qi Dao might have feared him somewhat with the tremendous boost brought by Dragon Transformation.

But if he was only level twenty...

Then sorry, this was Qi Dao's domain!

Even without using the Heart Sword State, he still did not regard Yu Tianheng as a threat.

Bang!!

Qi Dao suddenly exerted force beneath his feet, shooting forward like an arrow released from its bow.

Tap, tap, tap!

Qi Dao strode forward and thrust out his sword without any flourish.

Forward Thrust Sword!

A layer of sword light covered the blade of the Peerless Sword. The instant it thrust forward, the air let out a piercing shriek as it was torn apart.

There was not the slightest windup to this strike. It was decisive and fierce, and its speed startled Yu Tianheng.

Fortunately, the distance between them gave Yu Tianheng enough time to react. At the same moment Qi Dao thrust his sword, he reached out with a claw.

His claw was covered in dragon scales, the hardest part of his body. He was confident it could be used like a top-tier weapon spirit.

Thus, although he clearly could have dodged Qi Dao's strike, he chose to meet it head-on.

With a hiss, the sword tip stabbed into the dragon scales on Yu Tianheng's claw, scattering sparks in every direction.

Normally, Qi Dao's current Peerless Sword was only comparable in quality to an ordinary high-grade martial soul and truly could not harm Yu Tianheng's dragon scales.

But the Peerless Sword was also empowered by sword light and Heaven Guard Sword Intent.

With those effects layered together, how could Yu Tianheng's dragon scales still block this strike?

Crack!

Yu Tianheng's pupils shook. The dragon scales in the center of his claw split apart instantly. He tried to withdraw his claw at once, but how could Qi Dao give him that chance?

Taking advantage of the opening, Qi Dao continued thrusting forward, attempting to pierce Yu Tianheng's palm.

Fortunately, Yu Tianheng was decisive enough. Seeing that he could not turn things around, he clenched his other claw into a fist and punched toward Qi Dao's head.

If Qi Dao continued his attack, his head would also take that punch solidly.

So Qi Dao reacted without hesitation, turning his wrist and slashing with his sword.

Yu Tianheng's expression changed sharply, and he hurriedly retreated, narrowly evading the strike.

But Qi Dao's attacks came in an unbroken stream. When one strike missed, another immediately followed.

Face-Splitting Form!

The sword blade slashed down diagonally from midair.

Having learned his lesson, Yu Tianheng did not understand why Qi Dao's sword could cut through his dragon scales, but he no longer dared to use his claws to block the blade.

More importantly, only the dragon scales on his claws could withstand it to some extent.

If the sword struck any other part of his body, he would be even less able to block it.

This immediately put Yu Tianheng at a disadvantage, leaving him able to rely only on his powerful reflexes to dodge.

Even so, Qi Dao's tricky swordsmanship forced him into a miserable state.

In the spectator stands, countless audience members erupted into an uproar.

Someone shouted loudly, "Yu Tianheng, what the hell are you doing? Fight back already!"

"Use your soul skills!"

In the soul master seating area on the other side, Dugu Yan's face was full of shock.

Yu Tianheng, a dignified Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul master with the advantage in Soul Power, was actually being suppressed by Qi Dao from start to finish.

It was simply unbelievable!

Moreover, Qi Dao's attacks were too fast and too dense, leaving Yu Tianheng with no opportunity at all to unleash a soul skill.

Forcing out a soul skill would only let Qi Dao seize the windup before he could use it.

As an observer, Dugu Yan shook her head.

If Yu Tianheng did not find a way to widen the distance between himself and Qi Dao, then he would be caught by Qi Dao's opening and defeated in an extremely stifling manner while passively defending.

After all, haste made waste, and prolonged defense always led to failure.

Sure enough, after only twenty-odd exchanges, Qi Dao suddenly unleashed three sword energies in quick succession at close range.

Yu Tianheng was caught completely off guard. Although he dodged two of them, the final one still struck his chest, forcing him back seven or eight steps as he staggered.

Qi Dao seized the opportunity and used a quick step to close in as Yu Tianheng retreated.

Sweep Across a Thousand Armies!

The sword blade tore through the air, dark golden sword light flashing brilliantly.

Yu Tianheng's pupils suddenly shrank.

He saw Qi Dao's strike, but after being hit by the sword energy, he had yet to recover his strength.

Qi Dao caught that opening and brought his sword down solidly onto Yu Tianheng.

"Ah!"

Blood immediately sprayed through the air.

Yu Tianheng let out a miserable cry as his body was sent flying backward.

Qi Dao spun his sword in his hand, then casually swung the blade downward, flinging all the blood from it onto the arena.

The victor... had been decided!

Bang!

Yu Tianheng crashed down more than ten meters away and slid across the ground. A gruesome, bloody sword wound had appeared on his chest, so deep that white bone could be seen beneath it.

After a long while, Yu Tianheng coughed up blood and tried to stand.

But the instant he got up, he collapsed weakly to one knee again.

Thousands of spectators in the stands were fired up.

Some were stunned, some shook their heads and sighed, while others were left wanting more.

Although not a single dazzling soul skill had been unleashed in this soul battle, the intense fighting still set their blood boiling.

That fierce contest had them shouting in delight.

There was only one problem—it had been too short. They had not gotten their fill.

Especially since Yu Tianheng had been far too easy to defeat, suppressed by his opponent throughout the entire match.

And this was supposed to be the continent's number one beast martial soul?

The shock on Dugu Yan's face had yet to fade.

"Qi Dao actually won?"

"This is simply unbelievable. If this reaches the academy, the entire place will explode."

"And what exactly is Qi Dao's martial soul? It could break through Tianheng's dragon scales without even using a soul skill."

"Could it be another top-tier weapon martial soul, one no weaker than the Clear Sky Hammer or Seven Kill Sword?"

On the arena.

Seeing that Yu Tianheng had lost the strength to continue fighting, the host immediately hurried onto the soul battle stage and announced loudly.

"Battle Soul Master Sword Sovereign wins! Record: one win, zero losses!"

As his voice fell, belated cheers erupted from the spectator stands, roaring like raging waves and echoing beneath the dome.

Anyone could see that by defeating Yu Tianheng, who had won four straight matches, so easily, a new star was rising once more within the Great Soul Arena.

Yu Tianheng clutched his chest with one hand, but his gaze remained fixed tightly on Qi Dao.

He was deeply unconvinced.

Soul master battles were primarily contests between soul skills.

He was deeply unconvinced.

Soul master battles were primarily contests between soul skills.

He possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul. If he had unleashed his soul skills, the person before him could never have been his match.

In the end, he had simply been too careless!

At that thought, Yu Tianheng endured the pain from his chest wound and shouted, "Who exactly are you? Do you dare leave your name behind?"

"Qi Dao!"

After saying that, Qi Dao left the arena without looking back.

Hearing that familiar name, Yu Tianheng's pupils suddenly shook.

He remembered!