The Match Begins: Offensive and Defensive Battle

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 Tool defensive barriers to prevent Soul Power from leaking out. As it became his turn to compete, Zuo Qiu Lun calmly waited for his opponent.

Soon, his opponent took the stage. He was a slightly chubby young man. Though older than Zuo Qiu Lun, he was still a head shorter than Zuo Qiu Lun, a Body Soul Master.

Moreover, the young man's eyes clearly held a trace of panic and nervousness, as though he wasn't used to occasions with so many people.

How should he put it? His name sounded imposing, but the man himself gave off the overall impression of an utterly ordinary tech geek.

With his astonishing spiritual power, Zuo Qiu Lun could clearly sense the nervousness radiating from his opponent, but he didn't mock him.

He merely stated his name.

"My name is Zuo Qiu Lun."

The youth seemed to realize only then that he should respond.

"I... I'm Lie Hongchen. Please... please go easy on me."

The referee didn't care what either of them was thinking. Once they had exchanged names, he confidently said,

"The rules are simple. Use whatever attack methods you can. You don't need to worry about casualties. I will intervene at the appropriate time to ensure your safety. Anyone who admits defeat or loses the ability to fight will be judged the loser. If the gap in strength is too great, I will make the decision as well. You have thirty seconds to prepare. I will begin the countdown for the final five seconds. Begin preparing."

The moment the referee finished speaking, five Soul Rings rose beneath Lie Hongchen's feet—four purple and one black—blooming with brilliant light. At the same time, a Martial Soul renowned throughout Douluo Continent appeared on his body.

It was a completely golden toad, looking exceptionally noble. Metallic luster occasionally flowed across its body, but the most eye-catching feature was that it had only three legs.

Clearly, this was an inherited Martial Soul possessed by only a handful of people 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 extraordinarily 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, more or less, of the Three-Legged Golden Toad's great reputation. Without exception, its wielders 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 were the rulers of battlefields dominated by 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 relief.

Seeing Zuo Qiu Lun staring at his Martial Soul, Lie Hongchen fixed his eyes on Zuo Qiu Lun's every movement as well. Yet Zuo Qiu Lun still didn't seem to have any intention of releasing his Martial Soul.

Cheers of admiration rose from around the arena, but neither fighter would pause because of the audience's astonishment.

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. The next instant, the three instant-activation fifth-grade Soul Tool barriers he carried all activated on their own.

Almost at the same moment, a tremendous bang came from behind him.

Bang!!!

Lie Hongchen whipped around, and his pupils instantly contracted. Zuo Qiu Lun had somehow appeared behind him and launched an attack. Fortunately, the Soul Tool barriers had blocked that instantaneous punch. Otherwise, he would have already been eliminated.

However, blocking Zuo Qiu Lun's punch had clearly not been easy for the Soul Tool barriers. Under the heavy force of his punch, the first barrier had already shattered, while the second was on the verge of collapse. It seemed one more burst of force would easily break through it.

By then, Lie Hongchen had reacted. He aimed his Soul Tool cannons at Zuo Qiu Lun and began firing wildly, trying to drive him back.

The Soul Tool accelerator beneath his feet activated as well, intending to carry Lie Hongchen quickly away from the dangerous area.

The Soul Tool cannon fire 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 violently as a wave of lingering fear washed over him.

What was that just now? Didn't they say he was an assault-type Soul Master? That kind of speed—could he be an agility-attack type? But that force!

After his shock came regret. The situation had been so urgent that Lie Hongchen had reflexively fired a fifth-grade Soul Tool cannon at close range. He didn't know whether Zuo Qiu Lun could withstand it.

The next moment, his worry dispersed with the dust, replaced by a grave expression. Zuo Qiu Lun was standing there calmly watching him, completely unharmed. Even his clothes hadn't been torn.

That had been a barrage from fifth-grade Soul Tool cannons. An ordinary Spirit King would have been seriously injured, much less a Soul Ancestor like him.

"Were you worried about me just now? Looks like you're quite kind-hearted."

Lie Hongchen's grave expression stiffened at those words, and he nearly lost his composure, but he quickly recovered.

"I originally intended to test you first before deciding whether I needed to go all out.

"But now, I have to admit that I underestimated you. From here on, I will treat this match seriously!"

As he spoke, he took over a hundred Soul Tool cannons from his storage Soul Tool. They floated throughout the arena, aimed at Zuo Qiu Lun, began charging, and opened fire.

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 and more ferocious!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Soul Tool cannons began firing madly, each muzzle spewing thick beams of energy.

Like furious fire dragons, those beams carried scorching heat and an aura of destruction as they roared toward Zuo Qiu Lun.

The terrifying power of the Soul Tools fully displayed the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul's horrifying control over metal and its enhancements!

In the blink of an eye, countless energy beams intertwined, raining down over the arena like a barrage of bullets...

Seeing the dense barrage from the Soul Tool cannons, Zuo Qiu Lun didn't grow nervous. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Heh, now this is more like it."

Zuo Qiu Lun's speed suddenly increased. At the same time, he spread his spiritual power throughout the arena and continuously dodged the incoming attacks.

He moved too fast 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.

Meanwhile, to prevent Zuo Qiu Lun from getting close again, Lie Hongchen continuously activated his propulsion Soul Tools as Zuo Qiu Lun advanced, always maintaining a safe distance from him.

At the same time, twenty Soul Tool cannons remained around him as guards. He held a Soul Tool barrier in his hand, ready to activate it at any moment.

The visual impact brought by this tense exchange of offense and defense, along with the dazzling Soul Tool firepower, continuously shocked the non-Soul Master spectators and overturned their understanding of the world of Soul Masters.

"My god! Is this how Soul Masters fight?"

"Are these the true geniuses of the Soul Master world?"

It also made the eliminated contestants feel deeply ashamed of their own inferiority.

"Two monsters!"

"Are we even competing in the same tournament?"

"Are they really the same age as us?"

On the stage, their offensive and defensive battle continued. Though Lie Hongchen was already being extremely cautious, Zuo Qiu Lun still found several chances to get close and attack him. Yet every time, Lie Hongchen blocked him with an Invincible Shield.

There was even one time when he used a Soul Tool barrier.

"Just how many Soul Tool barriers do you have? Who brings this many Soul Tool barriers to a competition?"

Even Zuo Qiu Lun was starting to feel speechless.

"What kind of Soul Ancestor can fight and tank damage as ridiculously well as you?"

Although Zuo Qiu Lun had dodged most of the Soul Tool attacks, some had struck him solidly. Yet he was still hopping around like nothing had happened.

"A powerful opponent like you is the first I've ever encountered. To show my respect, I'll go all out!"

"Gold!"

Golden points of light appeared on his body. They emerged on his forehead, shoulders, chest, elbows, wrists, palms, waist, abdomen, hips, knees, and the soles of his feet.

Using those golden points as starting points, threads of silvery light instantly stretched outward and gathered 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 and covered his torso. Then he repeatedly flung his hands outward, sending pieces of golden armor flying from his spatial storage equipment and quickly attaching them to his body.

The golden armor had no patterns, but every piece that attached to him strengthened his aura another degree. Its only decoration was the pair of Soul Tool cannon muzzles resting on his shoulders, radiating a cold presence.

His arms, shoulders, chest armor, waist guard, battle skirt, legs, and feet were all covered. Finally, a headband embedded with a golden Soul Tool crystal descended and settled around his forehead.

Suspended in the air with his limbs stretched outward, his entire suit of armor suddenly let out a resounding clang. Golden light burst from the One-Word Battle Armor, his aura surged rapidly, and even the Soul Tool cannons across the arena rose to a whole new level of power!

"In that case, I'll show a little more of my strength as well!"