Victory Decided

The heavy, concussive force exploded in an instant, carrying immense knockback and disruption as it tried to forcibly blast Yu Chen away, interrupt his offensive rhythm, and reclaim control of the battlefield.

But Yu Chen stood like an immovable golden dragon, rooted to the spot without budging an inch.

Ultimate strength suppressed all vibrations, while the power of annihilation directly dissolved Xuanming Shock's concussive Soul Power. The seemingly ferocious shockwave landed on him without even stirring a single hair.

Xu Sanshi's heart sank, and his expression turned utterly grim!

Without pausing for even a moment, he unleashed every bit of his remaining strength and roared again!

"Second Soul Skill—Xuanming Shield Array!"

Three black shields condensed once more, interlocking in layers and stacking into a solid defense. The flowing light along their shield patterns surged brightly. This was his most stable and practiced chained defense, specially designed to restrain close-range assaults and overwhelming brute force.

But not long ago, this very move had been shattered by his opponent's bare hand!

Though he knew he could not stop him, he still had to gamble! Gamble that his opponent's power was only a momentary burst, gamble that he still had a chance to turn the tables!

But in the next instant, the newly formed shield array trembled violently from Yu Chen's casual palm strike, and cracks spread across it once more.

Driven completely into a corner, Xu Sanshi no longer held anything back!

Soul Power blazed throughout his body, his bloodline boiled, and his third purple Millennium Soul Ring erupted with dazzling light!

"Third Soul Skill—Xuanming Force!!"

In an instant!

The entire Xuanming Shield turned pitch-black, as heavy, solid, domineering defensive Soul Power climbed to its peak!

A layer of dark shield armor covered his body, multiplying his defensive strength severalfold. This was the strongest defensive trump card of his life, and the absolute confidence that had made him one of the Outer Court's Twin Stars!

All three Soul Rings activated, all three Soul Skills unleashed!

Xu Sanshi panted heavily, his eyes filled with madness and stubbornness. "I don't believe it! I have three rings against your two! My Xuanming defense is invincible among those of the same rank! How could you possibly break it?!"

He gave everything he had to maintain his defense, staring fixedly at Yu Chen as he waited for his strength to run dry, waited for the tide to turn.

Yet what greeted him was still the young man's indifferent, icy gaze.

Yu Chen slightly raised his eyes, his voice calm yet crushing everything before it. "The trump card you are so proud of is still utterly fragile in my eyes."

The moment his words fell!

He no longer held back, and the will belonging to his own true body slowly awakened within him!

The Golden Dragon Claw was incomparably sharp; ultimate strength flooded his limbs, as heavy as mountains; strands of annihilating power wrapped around his knuckles, made to break all defenses, barriers, and shield techniques beneath the heavens!

One punch—simple and direct—shot forward!

No Soul Skill thundered.

No Martial Soul phenomenon appeared.

There was only ultimate, pure strength that crushed entire dimensions!

Boom—!!!

A heaven-shaking explosion erupted across the arena!

The Xuanming Force shield, strengthened by every ounce of Xu Sanshi's Soul Power, was like paper at this moment!

The power of annihilation frantically eroded its foundation, while ultimate strength brutally crushed its core!

Crack, crack—!!

It did not even last a tenth of a second.

Layer upon layer of shields shattered, the protective Xuanming Force collapsed, and every defensive trump card he possessed disintegrated in an instant!

Violent force surged back through him!

"Puh!!"

Xu Sanshi sprayed blood from his mouth. It was as though a mountain had struck him, and he was violently sent flying before crashing heavily onto the Soul Arena floor. Soul Power ran wild throughout his body, all his Soul Skills were forcibly interrupted, and he could no longer gather even the slightest defensive strength.

He supported himself against the ground and struggled to raise his head. His face no longer bore even a trace of arrogance, leaving only blankness, confusion, and complete helplessness.

He had lost.

Thoroughly, cleanly, utterly.

He had staked all his dignity and every trump card he had, activating all three Soul Rings in a desperate counterattack, yet he had not even forced out a fraction of his opponent's true strength.

The entire arena fell silent.

Not a sound came from the spectator stands. Everyone stared wide-eyed, watching the outcome in the arena with utter disbelief.

On the platform above, Outer Court Dean Yan Shaozhe leaned completely forward, his eyes filled with extreme shock.

Wang Dong was utterly dumbfounded and muttered, "With his bare hands... he shattered all the defenses of a three-ring Soul Elder?"

Tang Ya's breathing caught, and Bei Bei's eyes were full of gravity. Only Huo Yuhao gave a faint smile, having anticipated everything long ago.

In the arena, Xu Sanshi remained silent for a long time before finally lowering his proud head.

All his resentment, defiance, and humiliation turned into deep admiration.

He looked at the young man standing quietly in the arena, his voice hoarse and filled with sincere awe.

"I yield... I completely yield."

After a brief pause, he looked incomparably serious as he asked softly,

"I want to know... just what level has your strength reached?"

Yu Chen nodded slightly upon hearing this and no longer concealed anything.

"Since you want to see it, then I will show you what true power is."

Rumble—!!

A low, domineering dragon roar erupted from within his body!

An incomparably dazzling golden pillar of light shot into the sky, tearing through the air above the Soul Arena!

A colossal dragon phantom, several times larger than an ordinary Golden Dragon, slowly solidified behind him. Its scales gleamed like condensed gold, its dragon horns were fierce, and its dragon might was boundless!

Its body was towering and immense, every dragon scale flowing with the brilliant radiance of ultimate gold. Terrifying dragon might that suppressed all things swirled around it. It was nobler and more domineering than the ordinary Golden Dragons recorded on the continent, carrying an aura almost akin to royalty!

This was Yu Chen's Martial Soul—the Golden Dragon!

Its true form was a Golden Dragon, only far stronger than ordinary Golden Dragons because its bloodline had been inherited from the Golden Dragon King.

The entire arena erupted into stunned silence once more!

Ordinary students only felt that this dragon Martial Soul was overwhelmingly domineering and terrifying, yet they could not name it. They only knew that it was unquestionably a top-tier beast Martial Soul.

But some veteran teachers, such as Wang Yan, recognized the Golden Dragon at a glance.

"This form... this dragon might! It is the ancient top-tier beast Martial Soul recorded in old texts—the Golden Dragon!!"

Yan Shaozhe was secretly shocked as well. Even his Bright Phoenix was being suppressed. Then his eyes gleamed with golden light. As expected, he was a monster.

Before everyone could recover from their shock, while their minds were still reeling!

Four pitch-black, deep, heavy black Soul Rings of flawless quality rose in sequence from beneath Yu Chen's feet, circling the towering dragon body as they slowly pulsed!

Four black rings!

Eleven years old!

Golden Dragon Martial Soul!

Ancestor of Strength

A double blow!

The entire Soul Arena descended into frenzied shock!

Xu Sanshi stared blankly at the golden dragon phantom stretching across the arena and at the four ten-thousand-year black rings that pressed down on him until he could barely breathe. His mind went completely blank, then all his doubts suddenly became clear!

He murmured in a daze, again and again, filled with relief and utter surrender.

"So that's how it is... so that's how it is..."

"I mistook a four-ring Soul Ancestor with ten-thousand-year Soul Rings for a two-ring freshman..."

"I completely accept my defeat in this battle."

----------------------------------------Please, give me monthly votes and recommendation votes. Your continued reading is my greatest motivation to keep writing.

I have also been trying my best to make revisions recently, though there may still be things that are unsatisfactory. The earlier plot may have been a little poor, but I have developed an entirely new plan for the later story. Recently, I have been writing like mad and will try to update four or three times a day after release. I guarantee that the later plot will be relatively better. I am also researching while writing, trying my best to get the details right.