The match arrived as scheduled. Zuo Qiu Lun and his opponent had both finished preparing and stepped onto the stage.
The circular arena was surrounded by Soul Guidance Protective Shields to prevent Soul Power from leaking out. As his turn to compete came, Zuo Qiu Lun calmly waited for his opponent.
Soon, his opponent stepped onto the stage. He was a slightly plump young man. Although he was older than Zuo Qiu Lun, he was still a head shorter than Zuo Qiu Lun, a Body Soul Master.
Moreover, his eyes clearly held some panic and nervousness, as though he was unaccustomed to settings with so many people.
How should he put it? Despite having such an imposing name, the young man gave off the overall impression of an ordinary tech nerd.
With his astonishing spiritual power, Zuo Qiu Lun could clearly sense the nervousness radiating from his opponent, but he did not mock him.
He merely stated his name.
"My name is Zuo Qiu Lun."
Only then did the young man seem to realize he should do the same.
"I... I'm Lie Hongchen. Please... go easy on me."
The referee, however, did not care what either of them was thinking. After they announced their names, he said confidently,
"The rules are simple. Use your attacks as freely as possible. You do not need to worry about casualties. I will intervene when necessary to ensure your safety. Surrendering or losing the ability to fight will both count as defeat. If the disparity is too great, I will also make a judgment. You have thirty seconds to prepare. I will begin counting down during the final five seconds. Begin preparations."
As soon as the referee finished speaking, five Soul Rings rose beneath Lie Hongchen's feet—four purple and one black—blooming with brilliant light. A Martial Soul famous across Douluo Continent also appeared on his body.
It was an entirely golden toad, looking exceptionally noble, with a metallic sheen flowing over its body from time to time. Yet the most eye-catching thing was that it had only three legs.
Clearly, this was a hereditary Martial Soul possessed by only a handful even within the Hongchen Family—the divine beast Three-Legged Golden Toad!
The moment this Martial Soul appeared, even the contestants who had fought him before frowned, finding him extremely troublesome.
"Wow, that person's Martial Soul is the Three-Legged Golden Toad Teacher Wu told us about!"
Over at Eastsea Academy's spectator seats, Xu Xiaoyan spoke first, pointing at Lie Hongchen's Martial Soul. Everyone followed where she pointed and silently nodded.
In fact, anyone who had studied Federation history had heard, to some extent, of the Three-Legged Golden Toad's formidable reputation. Without exception, its possessors had all been extraordinary figures. Especially whenever the Federation went to war, they were devastating weapons on the battlefield.
That was because of their powerful control over metal. Combined with the firepower of Soul Tools, they ruled the battlefields of low- and mid-level combatants.
So this is the Three-Legged Golden Toad? It's kind of ugly-cute. Zuo Qiu Lun thought with amusement and ease.
Seeing Zuo Qiu Lun staring at his Martial Soul, Lie Hongchen fixed his gaze tightly on Zuo Qiu Lun's movements as well. Yet he still did not seem to have any intention of releasing a Martial Soul.
Cheers of admiration rose from the audience, but the two people on the stage would not pause their match because of the spectators' amazement.
Just as Lie Hongchen released the Three-Legged Golden Toad and his Soul Tools, preparing to attack, Zuo Qiu Lun suddenly vanished from his sight. In the next instant, the three instant-cast Grade 5 Soul Guidance Protective Shields he carried activated simultaneously.
Almost at the same moment, a deafening boom came from behind him.
Bang!!!
Lie Hongchen sharply turned around, and his pupils instantly contracted. Zuo Qiu Lun had somehow appeared behind him and launched an attack. Fortunately, the Soul Guidance Shields had blocked that instantaneous punch. Otherwise, he would already have been eliminated.
However, blocking Zuo Qiu Lun's punch had clearly not been easy for the Soul Guidance Protective Shields. The first shield had already shattered under that heavy blow, while the second was on the verge of collapse, seemingly ready to break with just a little more force.
Lie Hongchen reacted as well, aiming his Soul Guidance Cannons at Zuo Qiu Lun and opening fire frantically in an attempt to drive him back.
The Soul Guidance accelerators beneath his feet activated at the same time, intending to carry Lie Hongchen swiftly away from the dangerous area.
The Soul Guidance Cannon blasts struck Zuo Qiu Lun, and the explosions kicked up a cloud of dust that obscured his figure.
Having retreated to a safe area and calmed down, Lie Hongchen's heart pounded wildly as lingering fear washed over him.
What was that just now? Didn't they say he was a Strong Attack System Soul Master? With that kind of speed, could he be an agility attack type? But that force!
After his shock came regret. In the urgency of the moment, Lie Hongchen had reflexively fired Grade 5 Soul Guidance Cannons at close range. He did not know whether Zuo Qiu Lun could withstand it.
But in the next moment, his worries dispersed along with the dust, replaced by a grave expression. Zuo Qiu Lun stood there calmly watching him, completely unharmed. Even his clothes were intact.
That had been a sustained bombardment from Grade 5 Soul Guidance Cannons. An ordinary Spirit King would have been seriously injured, let alone a Soul Ancestor like him.
"Were you worried about me just now? You seem pretty kind."
Lie Hongchen's grave expression stiffened at those words, and he nearly lost his composure, but he quickly recovered.
"I originally planned to test you first before deciding whether to fight with all my strength.
"But now I have to admit that I underestimated you. From here on, I'll treat this match seriously!"
After saying that, he took more than a hundred Soul Guidance Cannons from his storage Soul Tool. They floated throughout the arena, aimed at Zuo Qiu Lun, and began charging before firing.
Then the first three Soul Rings around him flashed purple as his soul skills activated.
"First Soul Skill! Metal Control!" "Second Soul Skill! Golden Boiling!" "Third Soul Skill! Golden Forming!"
The enhancement from the three soul skills made the Soul Tools' attacks even sharper!
Bang bang bang bang!
The Soul Guidance Cannons began firing madly, blasting thick beams of energy from their muzzles.
Like furious fire dragons, the beams carried scorching heat and an aura of destruction as they roared toward Zuo Qiu Lun.
The terrifying might of the Soul Tools fully displayed the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul's dreadful control over metal and its amplification abilities!
In the blink of an eye, countless energy beams intertwined, raining down across the arena like a barrage...
Seeing the dense barrage from those Soul Guidance Cannons, Zuo Qiu Lun was not nervous at all. Instead, he revealed a faint smile.
"Heh, now this is more like it."
Zuo Qiu Lun suddenly accelerated, spreading his spiritual power throughout the entire arena as he continuously evaded the incoming attacks.
His figure moved too quickly for the naked eye to follow. One second, he might be beneath a cannon muzzle; the next, he had already appeared at the edge of the arena.
To prevent Zuo Qiu Lun from getting close again, Lie Hongchen kept activating his propulsion Soul Tools as Zuo Qiu Lun approached, constantly maintaining a safe distance from him.
At the same time, twenty Soul Guidance Cannons remained stationed around him as protection. He gripped a Soul Guidance Shield in his hand, ready to activate it at any moment.
The visual impact brought by such tense offense and defense, along with the dazzling Soul Guidance firepower, continuously stunned the non-Soul Master spectators and reshaped their understanding of both Soul Masters and their world.
"Oh my god! Is this what battles between Soul Masters are like?"
"So these are the true geniuses of the Soul Master world?"
It also made the eliminated contestants feel deeply inferior.
"Two monsters!"
"Did we really enter the same competition?"
"Are they really the same age as us?"
On the stage, their offense and defense continued. Although Lie Hongchen was already extremely cautious, Zuo Qiu Lun still caught several opportunities to get close and attack him. Yet each time, Lie Hongchen blocked him with an Invincible Shield.
There was even one time when he used a Soul Guidance Shield.
"Just how many Soul Guidance Shields do you have? Who brings this many Soul Guidance Shields to a competition?"
Even Zuo Qiu Lun was getting speechless.
"What kind of Soul Ancestor can fight and take hits as well as you?"
Although Zuo Qiu Lun had dodged most of the earlier Soul Guidance attacks, some had struck him solidly. Yet he was still bouncing around like nothing had happened.
"You're the strongest opponent I've ever faced. To show my respect, I'll go all out!"
"Gold!"
Golden points of light appeared all over his body, on his forehead, shoulders, chest, elbows, wrists, palms, waist, abdomen, hips, knees, and soles.
Starting from those golden points, silver thread-like rays instantly stretched out and converged into magnificent golden patterns. Lie Hongchen's aura rapidly rose to the level of a Soul Saint.
Two pieces of golden chest armor instantly pulled apart from the light clusters and covered his body. Then, he continuously flung his hands outward as pieces of golden armor flew from his spatial storage equipment and swiftly attached themselves to him.
The golden armor bore no patterns, yet each piece that attached to him strengthened his aura further. Its only ornamentation was the pair of Soul Guidance Cannon muzzles on his shoulders, radiating an icy presence.
Arms, shoulders, chestplate, waist guard, battle skirt, legs, feet—finally, a headband bearing a golden Soul Guidance crystal descended and settled around his forehead.
Suspended in the air with his limbs spread outward, his full suit of armor suddenly let out a ringing clang. Golden light then burst from the One-Word Battle Armor, his aura rapidly surged, and even the aura of the Soul Guidance Cannons throughout the arena rose by more than a level!
"In that case, I should show a little more of my strength as well!"
Before you continue