Lin Yan's Strength, Overwhelming with Brute Force

Shrek Grand Soul Fighting Arena.

Ground-level Soul Fighting Hall No. 3.

The surrounding spectator stands buzzed with noise, yet the two figures on the fighting platform remained exceptionally calm from beginning to end.

Seeing Lin Yan's youthful, almost childish face, a flash of surprise passed through Ji Xingming's eyes.

He had already realized that Lin Yan was probably several years younger than him.

"Are you a student of Shrek Academy?"

Hearing this, Lin Yan neither shook his head nor nodded. Smiling, he said, "Not yet, but I will be soon. I'm planning to register this year."

Ji Xingming was even more surprised upon hearing that.

By Lin Yan's account, he intended to register this year, which meant he was not yet twelve. Since they had been matched for a duel, that meant his cultivation was at the Soul Elder level.

A Soul Elder under twelve?

The thought greatly shocked Ji Xingming. Even he had only become a Soul Elder at fourteen.

"Please enlighten me!"

Ji Xingming clenched his hands, excitement faintly gleaming in his eyes. Fighting a true genius made him even more eager.

In a flash of light, a three-meter-long bronze crescent halberd appeared in his grasp.

Three Spirit Rings rose in succession—two yellow and one purple.

"Come!"

Lin Yan summoned his martial soul.

Black light flashed across Lin Yan's palm, and a spiked mace appeared in his right hand.

Compared to Ji Xingming's Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd, Lin Yan's Black Demon Mace was undoubtedly somewhat shorter, only one-third the latter's length.

Yet the instant it appeared, its faint oppressive aura made Ji Xingming's nerves tense for a moment.

That sense of oppression indicated that Lin Yan's martial soul was of a higher quality than his!

Especially when he saw Lin Yan's three Spirit Rings, he was utterly stunned.

One yellow and two purple Spirit Rings had already surpassed the limits of Soul Master theory.

"This—"

Ji Xingming's eyes widened in an instant.

Not just him—the spectator stands also fell completely silent.

"Begin. I'm attacking!"

Lin Yan flashed forward. His mace, now weighing a thousand jin, swept out fiercely. Because it moved too quickly, it actually produced a piercing sonic boom.

Ji Xingming came to his senses and swept his crescent halberd sideways as well.

Clang—

The two heavy weapons collided, producing a crisp metallic crash as sparks scattered through the air.

Ji Xingming's expression changed drastically. The recoil from the collision traveled down the crescent halberd into his palms, jolting his tiger's mouths until they ached slightly. This shocked him greatly.

His Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd was a top-tier power attack martial soul. At his current level, it already weighed seven hundred jin when facing an enemy. He could not help wondering just how heavy Lin Yan's mace martial soul was.

How could it suppress him so completely?

However, this was only the beginning of Lin Yan's attack.

The thousand-jin mace was as light as nothing in Lin Yan's hands. He swung it rapidly, each strike faster and stronger than the last. Under this ferocious barrage, Ji Xingming's Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd let out repeated cries of distress and nearly flew from his hands.

Ji Xingming's eyes were filled with shock.

What a savage offensive—!

Even as a power attack Soul Elder with over a hundred battles of experience, he found such a violent assault difficult to withstand.

Hiss—

Ji Xingming inhaled sharply. The next moment, his first Spirit Ring lit up.

With a twist of his wrist, the crescent halberd in his hand began to spin. Its sharp tip rotated like a drill as it stabbed toward Lin Yan's chest.

Lin Yan shifted sideways and avoided the incoming halberd tip.

Seeing this, Ji Xingming gripped the shaft tightly. The instant he pulled it back, he thrust forward again.

This time, Lin Yan once more displayed reaction speed and agility beyond that of an ordinary person.

No matter how fast Ji Xingming was, Lin Yan could evade steadily.

In the spectator stands, Bei Bei was already filled with shock as he watched. Unable to hold back, he asked Zhang Lexuan, "Sis, what do you think of our cousin?"

Zhang Lexuan's gaze was likewise full of amazement. "Whether in raw strength or reaction speed, Lin Yan far surpasses the Soul Elder level. At the Soul Elder level, he may truly have no equal."

On the fighting platform, Lin Yan began to counterattack in the face of Ji Xingming's relentless assaults.

The mace in his hand swept out as his first Spirit Ring activated.

Thunder Awakening!

Lightning as thick as a wrist coursed between the sharp spikes, directly traveling along the point of contact toward Ji Xingming's Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd.

Ji Xingming was not blind. Seeing the purple-black Destructive Lightning spread along his martial soul, he naturally would not sit and wait for death.

Almost instantly, his sole purple thousand-year Spirit Ring lit up.

A giant python-shaped pattern of light emerged upon the bronze Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd, surging forward along the shaft and unexpectedly blocking the spread of the lightning's power.

"You really do have some skill. Let's see how you take this move!"

Lin Yan activated the skill of his second Spirit Ring.

Titan's Fury!

The sound of a powerful heartbeat rang out. Dark light spread from the Black Demon Mace over Lin Yan's body, then ignited into a massive black flame aura two and a half meters tall, enveloping him.

At that moment, he resembled a demon king bathed in the flames of hell!

The flame aura lacked the scorching heat of fire, yet it carried a heaviness as vast as the earth.

Lin Yan felt his strength double in an instant. Gripping the mace with both hands, he swung it out viciously.

A piercing sonic boom suddenly erupted. Ji Xingming's expression changed drastically as all three of his Spirit Rings lit up at once.

Bang—

The giant python-shaped light pattern on the Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd shattered outright. The force that erupted a second time instantly split open the tiger's mouths of Ji Xingming's hands amid intense pain. Two dazzling sprays of blood burst forth, and the Azure Cloud Earth-Splitting Halberd was sent flying with a wail.

Clang!

The bronze crescent halberd spun through the air for dozens of meters before embedding itself diagonally at the edge of the fighting platform.

Lin Yan held the mace in one hand and rested it dominantly on his shoulder. Looking at the pale-faced Ji Xingming, he said, "You lost!"

Drip, drip—

Blood trickled from between Ji Xingming's fingers. Both his hands were a mangled, bloody mess, trembling faintly. His face was pale, and his gaze somewhat vacant.

He had never imagined that one day, against a power attack weapon Soul Master of the same rank, he would lose in this fashion—even having his weapon martial soul knocked from his hands!

Ji Xingming took a deep breath. The shock in his eyes slowly settled as he said, "I lost. First, let me welcome you to Shrek Academy. We'll be classmates from now on. When I get the chance, I'll challenge you again!"

Looking at Ji Xingming's serious expression, Lin Yan smiled. "Sure. I'll be waiting for your challenge anytime!"

After Lin Yan's unexpected victory over Ji Xingming, cheers like a surging tide suddenly erupted throughout Soul Fighting Hall No. 3 when the referee announced the result.

This was the Douluo Continent, a world that worshipped the strong!

After leaving the fighting platform, Lin Yan met up with Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei.

Bei Bei punched Lin Yan's shoulder and laughed. "Cousin, you really are something. Looks like your claim of being invincible among Soul Elders wasn't boasting—you really have the strength for it."

As he spoke, Bei Bei sighed with emotion. "Even I probably couldn't take more than a few strikes from you now."

The scene of Lin Yan violently crushing Ji Xingming remained vivid in his mind.

Under that kind of ferocious offensive, Ji Xingming, a powerful power attack Soul Elder, had been suppressed from beginning to end and beaten without the slightest ability to fight back.

He did not even dare imagine what would happen if that thousand-jin mace struck him.