"Are you going to fight me now, or wait until I've adjusted back to my best condition?"
"Wait, Juechen, are you serious?"
Jing Ziyan's expression turned grave.
She stepped in front of Ji Juechen and said in a low voice:
"Didn't we agree? We'd only spar with opponents qualified to spar with us. You..."
Her words cut off abruptly when a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.
Her entire body jolted. She instinctively spun around and kicked out.
"Oh, that was close, Senior Sister."
The one who had acted was naturally Bai Chen. He easily dodged Jing Ziyan's kick and smiled.
"But could you please have a little faith in Senior Brother? You should be the one who understands his character best."
"..."
Looking at Bai Chen's harmless smile, Jing Ziyan was unable to respond for a long while. A chill slowly crept into her heart.
She had not sensed Bai Chen approaching at all, and he had even dodged that kick.
She had just finished fighting Ji Juechen, so her stamina had declined somewhat, but that had still been a full-force kick.
How was that possible...
Ji Juechen asked calmly:
"What's your answer?"
He was speaking to Bai Chen. Bai Chen shrugged.
"Wait until you've fully recovered. Even if you fought me in your current state, you wouldn't enjoy it, would you?"
"..."
Ji Juechen's gaze shifted. Then, without a word, he sat down and began meditating.
As an observer, he had clearly seen Bai Chen's movements just now.
The reason Jing Ziyan had failed to notice Bai Chen's approach mainly lay in his footwork.
Bai Chen's steps as he approached her had been exceptionally light and nimble, even somewhat eerie, as though he were a ghost.
Ji Juechen had fought quite a few Soul Engineers, including close-combat Soul Engineers, but most of them only focused on their weapons. Not one of them had mastered such footwork.
He confirmed it once more: Bai Chen was definitely not as simple as he appeared. His strength might even pose a threat to him.
After about ten minutes, Ji Juechen opened his eyes again and stood up. Bai Chen was already waiting for him on the other side of the arena.
Seeing Ji Juechen rise, Bai Chen tilted his head with a smile.
"Shall we begin?"
"Mm."
Ji Juechen remained as sparing with words as ever. He silently raised his longsword before his chest.
"—"
In an instant, every hair on Bai Chen's body stood on end.
Ji Juechen had clearly made no dangerous movement, yet the warning bells in Bai Chen's heart began ringing madly.
A purple Soul Ring instantly appeared beside him and lit up. His Soul Skill, Steel Bone Shaking Gold, was activated in an instant.
"..."
Below the arena, Jing Ziyan's mouth fell open when she saw Bai Chen's purple first Soul Ring.
"A thousand-year first Soul Ring? What exactly is going on with this kid..."
Bai Chen had no time to answer her. He could no longer spare even the slightest bit of attention beyond the battle.
Ji Juechen still stood motionless, but merely by standing there quietly, he emitted an invisible aura that enveloped Bai Chen.
That aura carried an intensely sharp presence, as though the moment Bai Chen made any movement, the longsword in Ji Juechen's hand would sever his head.
Sword Intent. Bai Chen instantly understood the true nature of that aura.
This was not something like a Soul Skill. It was something Ji Juechen had created through his own comprehension, a special power formed by blending Soul Power and spiritual power together, with his understanding of the sword as its core.
As this Sword Intent grew stronger, Ji Juechen might even one day use it as a foundation to create his own Sword Maniac Domain.
Those capable of creating Self-Created Soul Skills were already geniuses. Those capable of creating their own domains were geniuses among geniuses. Ji Juechen's Martial Soul talent might not be strong, but his talent in the way of the sword was beyond doubt.
Although his Sword Intent had not yet transformed into a domain skill, it was already enough to influence any opponent enveloped by it to a certain extent.
Unfortunately, he was facing Bai Chen.
Bai Chen took a deep breath and forcefully stepped forward.
At the same time, a black-gold halo rose beneath his feet. The Domination Domain unfolded, and his aura began soaring at an astonishing rate.
If Ji Juechen's Sword Maniac Domain represented the pinnacle of the sword, then Innate Domains led by the Domination Domain represented the pinnacle of Martial Soul talent.
Ji Juechen was certainly a genius, but wasn't Bai Chen one as well? Their talents simply lay in different areas.
The Domination Domain could greatly enhance one's aura while ignoring all spiritual and bloodline pressure. It could be called the nemesis of enemies like Ji Juechen.
Seeing that his Sword Intent had no effect, Ji Juechen frowned and turned the hand holding his sword, seemingly preparing to make a move.
Boom—
Before he could finish, a thunderous roar that shook the entire arena rang out.
"!"
At the critical moment, Ji Juechen's battle instincts, honed through countless fights, saved him.
He instinctively held his longsword horizontally before his chest, protecting his body.
Almost instantly, golden claws slammed into his Heavenly Meteoric Iron Sword, and fierce sparks erupted from the point of impact.
The next second, Ji Juechen was sent flying backward.
"No way..."
Below the arena, Jing Ziyan was completely stunned.
As a genius Soul Engineer, she understood what had happened even more clearly than Ji Juechen.
Bai Chen's own speed naturally was not enough to make Ji Juechen unable to react. The reason he could unleash such shocking speed lay in the four spheres of light behind his back.
Soul Guidance Thrusters—and judging from them, Jing Ziyan believed they were all Level-Four Soul Guidance Thrusters.
Soul Guidance Thrusters differed from other Soul Tools. As Soul Tools purely meant to increase speed, they did not demand much Soul Power from a Soul Master. However, they placed extremely strict demands on the Soul Master's physical strength.
In theory, Level-Four Soul Guidance Thrusters could indeed be used by a One-Ring Soul Master, but if one truly did so, the recoil would instantly shatter that Soul Master's body.
That was how it should have been...
Watching Bai Chen relentlessly pursue Ji Juechen across the arena, Jing Ziyan swallowed.
The burden Level-Four Soul Guidance Thrusters placed on the body was already so great that even some Level-Five Soul Engineers could not endure it. Bai Chen was using four at once?
Was he even human?
The same question was actually arising in Ji Juechen's mind.
However, unlike Jing Ziyan, his reason for asking came mainly from the collision of their auras.
The instant his Sword Intent collided with Bai Chen's domain, an intense shudder traveled back through his Sword Intent.
It was a fear born from biological instinct, as though he was not facing a six-year-old child, but an ancient Ferocious Beast.
This feeling was truly, truly—
Ji Juechen's lips curled slightly, and an almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.
Exhilarating!
His feet returned to the ground, and Ji Juechen did everything he could to slow his backward momentum, attempting to stop himself.
He could have stopped immediately by driving his sword into the ground, but he could not do that, because that enemy glowing with black-gold light had closed in again in an instant.
Faced with the powerful enemy charging directly at him, Ji Juechen did not retreat.
All he had ever been able to rely on was his unwavering Sword Intent. If he could not even trust the sword in his hand, then he was unworthy of continuing down this path.
Therefore, his response was simple.
A black arc sliced through the air. The pitch-black longsword neither retreated nor yielded as it struck head-on against Bai Chen's Darkgolden Terrorclaw.
Clang—
A crisp sound rang out. Jing Ziyan could not help holding her breath, staring at the scene without daring to blink.
The next moment, the victor was decided. Ji Juechen, whose footing had not yet stabilized, was sent flying backward once more.
However, as a result, Bai Chen, who had exchanged a frontal strike with him, was forced to stop and could not immediately continue his pursuit.
"Tsk, as troublesome as expected..."
Bai Chen gripped his slightly trembling right hand and sighed helplessly inwardly.
He had wanted to use his speed to win through surprise, but it seemed he had been too naive.
In that clash, in terms of pure strength, he had overwhelmingly won. Ji Juechen's flying figure proved that point.
But if he had to say who had won that exchange, Bai Chen believed it was Ji Juechen.
Ji Juechen's sword contained terrifying Sword Intent. The instant they made contact, that sharp will had crazily poured into Bai Chen's body, seemingly trying to tear him apart completely.
The Domination Domain could only ignore spiritual "pressure"; it could not ignore spiritual "attacks."
Therefore, although Bai Chen could ignore Ji Juechen's Sword Intent and move freely, when he was directly struck by that special force mixed with Soul Power and spiritual power, he still felt wave after wave of discomfort.
Taking advantage of the time Bai Chen needed to adjust himself, Ji Juechen forcibly stopped, wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, and pointed his sword at Bai Chen once more.
The two once again entered the standoff from before the battle, as though nothing had happened.
Yet whether it was the two fighters or Jing Ziyan below the arena, all of them knew that things were no longer the same.
They had personally witnessed Bai Chen's terrifying speed and strength. They would no longer underestimate him in the slightest.
Bai Chen's informational advantage had completely vanished.
"So this is the only way."
After a brief period of thought, Bai Chen made his decision.
He took a deep breath and raised his right hand. Dark-gold light slowly lit up along his five claws.
"!"
In an instant, Ji Juechen seemed to sense something. His expression froze, and a fervent look gradually emerged in his eyes.
He said nothing, merely gripping the sword in his hand even tighter. The Sword Intent permeating the arena grew increasingly intense with that motion.
The next moment, as if someone had given an order, Bai Chen and Ji Juechen—the two who stood facing each other from afar—moved at the same time.
Ji Juechen had a particular trait: the longer a battle lasted, the stronger his Sword Intent became.
Once Bai Chen failed to defeat him at the very beginning, Bai Chen had already fallen into a disadvantageous position. As the battle dragged on, defeating Ji Juechen would become increasingly difficult, until it became impossible.
No matter how powerful Bai Chen's body was, he was ultimately only a One-Ring Soul Master. He did not truly possess the combat power of a Soul King.
It was like the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff Tang Wulin had faced. Its strength could contend with Bear Lord's, but its actual combat power was only at the level of a Super Douluo. It was far inferior to Bear Lord.
If the battle truly became a war of attrition, there was no way he could outlast forty-first-rank Ji Juechen in Soul Power.
Since that was the case, there was only one path to victory.
Before Ji Juechen could build up momentum, he had to unleash his strongest killing move and end the battle in one go!
Four balls of white light lit up behind Bai Chen. He used the Soul Guidance Thrusters again, raising his speed to the limit, nearly surpassing what Jing Ziyan's eyes could track.
At the same time, he raised his right hand. The famed Darkgolden Terrorclaw appeared once more and swung toward the sword-wielding youth.
Ji Juechen's response remained as simple and pure as ever. With a flick of his wrist, he raised his sword and met Bai Chen's Darkgolden Terrorclaw head-on.
Before you continue