Talent and Hard Work

"Cough, cough. Senior Chen, please just say what you mean."

Locked under Chen Xin's piercing gaze, Chen Ling felt thoroughly uncomfortable and could only cough twice to ease the awkwardness.

Chen Xin's gaze held thirty percent confusion, thirty percent understanding, thirty percent doubt, and ninety-one percent of that knowing look. It was rather irritating.

Chen Xin looked as though he were curious what sort of new path of swordsmanship this was.

Chen Ling claimed it was all talent and hard work.

After all, in sword cultivation, the most common practice was tempering one's heart. Some masters who had reached the pinnacle would even suddenly "come to terms with it" in the middle of a fight.

That kind of thing demanded too much technique. Unfortunately, Chen Ling could not do it.

After a brief silence, Chen Xin slowly withdrew the amusement from his eyes, his expression turning solemn as he took the initiative to invite him. "Young friend, would you be interested in sparring with me?"

His fondness and recognition for Chen Ling had all come from their earlier conversation and demeanor. In the end, they were merely one-sided impressions.

A swordsman's strength and true heart had always been hidden within sword techniques and clashes. Only by truly exchanging blows could one gauge the other's true depth and see the foundation of his swordsmanship and the character of the man himself.

In other words, he wanted to see what kind of person Chen Ling was through his sword.

Everyone nearby, aside from Ning Fengzhi, who had known from the start, exchanged bewildered looks.

"Grandpa Sword, you can't bully Brother Chen Ling." The little princess immediately turned into a padded jacket with black cotton, her elbow firmly pointed outward.

The words froze the smile in Chen Xin's eyes, leaving him helpless.

"Hehe, don't worry. I'm not as weak as you imagine."

Chen Ling was the most timid and trouble-averse person there was.

At that moment, Liu Erlong spoke up at just the right time, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry. "Headmaster, since we have this opportunity, why not settle the matters you assigned earlier as well?"

Chen Ling nodded slightly and calmly instructed, "Fine, but have everyone stand farther back. Don't get too close."

Liu Erlong truly was helping him wholeheartedly. Apart from the Soul Master team, Chen Ling did not particularly care about other matters. He could simply go with the flow, but Liu Erlong had still taken the initiative to bring it up—the renaming of the Soul Master Academy and the handover of the headmaster position.

It was no wonder Liu Erlong was especially concerned. Very few people currently knew of his identity as a Titled Douluo headmaster. He really should use this spar to firmly establish his name.

As he pondered, Chen Ling raised his eyes toward Chen Xin. His smile was gentle, but fighting intent quietly surged within him. "Senior Chen, would you allow others to watch our spar?"

There were not many powerful sword users in this era. Chen Xin was not the strongest, but he was certainly the most famous. His title was Sword, which showed his authority in this field.

"No problem." Chen Xin waved a hand without concern. An invisible aura spread between the two of them. It was a clash of Sword Intent, silent and intangible, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

This area of Blue Tyrant Academy was nominally called a training field, but in truth, it was a broad and orderly large-scale martial arena.

Unlike the running tracks and exercise grounds of ordinary schools in his previous life, Soul Masters fought fiercely in cultivation and battle, so ordinary grounds were naturally useless.

The ground here was made entirely of special materials, enough to withstand fierce battles at the Soul Emperor level. Yet against a Titled Douluo-level clash, it was still far from sufficient.

It would definitely need a massive renovation afterward. Of course, Sect Master Ning would be footing the bill for everything.

As the news spread among the academy's teachers, the explosive information that the new headmaster would fight Sword Douluo Chen Xin rapidly circulated from within the school to the entire academy, with faint signs of spreading throughout Heaven Dou City.

On a street not far from the academy, three elderly men were strolling along leisurely. Upon hearing the news, they looked at one another and saw the same dumbfounded expression in each other's eyes.

"Perfect. I'll take you to meet the headmaster while we have the chance." Dugu Bo looked at Shi Heng and Ye Renxin beside him with a smile.

Shi Heng quickly cupped his hands, looking respectful and flattered. "Your Excellency Dugu need not trouble yourself so much. The two of us have long admired the headmaster."

He had originally intended to pledge himself to this rumored Titled Douluo powerhouse, yet the man had come to find him himself.

"Haha, hearing about someone a hundred times is not as good as seeing him once. If you don't see him with your own eyes, how will you know what a heaven-defying monster our headmaster is?" Dugu Bo laughed heartily. With a flash, he brought the two men swiftly into the academy.

By then, the area around the martial arena was already packed with Blue Tyrant Academy teachers and students.

They were both curious about the fresh news of the academy's change in headmaster and eagerly looking forward to witnessing a top-tier clash at the Titled Douluo level.

For low-level Soul Masters like them, watching a battle between such powerhouses would naturally bring considerable benefits.

The arrival of Dugu Bo and the other two directly pushed the atmosphere at the edge of the arena to its peak.

"What is going on? His Highness the Crown Prince, Sect Master Ning, and Poison Douluo are all here."

"Ah, you don't know about this. Let me tell you..."

Similar conversations played out among the students. Everyone was shocked by this sudden duel, especially with so many powerhouses who were usually difficult to encounter appearing here.

Dugu Bo exchanged a few pleasantries with Ning Fengzhi. Then everyone present focused their gazes on the two figures confronting each other in the arena, and the atmosphere instantly fell silent.

[Special mission released: A true old man playing with a child.]

Though the system notification came late, it had arrived. Chen Ling raised an eyebrow. It seemed the system judged that his overall strength was enough to defeat Chen Xin without question. Otherwise, it would not have announced such a mission.

Yet whenever he thought of this so-called true old man playing with a child, he could not help feeling that something was off.

Was he really going to do that to Chen Xin?

Once that move was used, there were only two possible outcomes for a powerhouse like Chen Xin.

Either he would be trapped by his inner demons and never recover.

Or he would use the opportunity to step into a higher realm.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ling quietly sent out two voice transmissions, accurately delivering them into the ears of Ning Fengzhi and Dugu Bo.

The expressions of the two men abruptly sharpened upon hearing them. Without the slightest hesitation, they directly activated Martial Soul Possession.

In an instant, two waves of Soul Power swept across the entire arena, drawing cries of alarm from the teachers and students by the sidelines.

There was no need to drive the students away. The greatest purpose of this battle was still to thoroughly establish his reputation and lay the groundwork for what he intended to do.

The two men had released their Martial Souls only to prevent the aftermath from injuring the students.

In the arena, Chen Xin was the first to raise his hand in salute, his bearing imposing. "This old man is Chen Xin, titled Sword, a level ninety-six assault-type Titled Douluo. Please enlighten me."

As his words fell, nine Soul Rings with clearly distinct colors rose from beneath his feet. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—the standard peak configuration—carried vast and terrifying Soul Power pressure as they enveloped the entire martial arena.

Chen Ling stood tall as well and returned the salute with composure, his voice clear and steady. "Chen Ling, titled Azure Nether, a level ninety-five assault-type Titled Douluo. Please enlighten me."

Purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red. Nine Soul Rings rose in sequence, and Soul Power pressure instantly spread outward. The surrounding air seemed completely frozen. The entire arena fell silent, with only the howling wind ringing in everyone's ears.