Four Seasons Cycle, One Sword to Kill

At his words, Cao Dezhi smiled and ruffled Cao Xin's hair.

"Alright, your first dad believes in you."

Zang Xin thought for a moment, then nodded as well.

"Since you've put it that way."

"Your second dad won't object either. Be careful."

Though he was still worried, seeing Cao Xin's confident expression, he decided to let him do as he pleased.

At this moment...

Their thoughts were actually quite simple.

No matter how Cao Xin's three strikes turned out...

They would find an opportunity to get rid of Cai Yue'er.

As for stopping Cao Xin, there was no need for that...

One fewer opportunity would make no difference to them.

They just needed to be more careful afterward...

And find a chance to take care of Cai Yue'er.

They had already made thorough preparations.

No matter what the outcome of Cao Xin's three strikes was...

Cai Yue'er's fate had long since been decided.

Yun Ming, who stood nearby, also let out a sigh of relief.

The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled somewhat.

This was good too.

Cao Xin could vent his anger with three strikes.

Then Yun Ming could properly punish Cai Yue'er afterward.

That way, everyone could save face.

He would neither completely fall out with the captain and Zang Xin, nor make the academy lose too much face.

At this moment, Yun Ming also felt a trace of gratitude toward Cao Xin.

What a good child!

This child was far more sensible than he had expected.

He knew how to leave his elders a way out.

Seeing that neither Cao Dezhi nor Zang Xin objected...

Cai Yue'er's expression became even more arrogant.

The fear and collapse she had felt earlier receded like a tide, replaced by an almost swelling sense of smugness.

She looked at Cao Xin, her tone carrying the magnanimity of someone bestowing a favor.

"Don't say this old woman isn't giving you a chance. I'll stand right here and won't even summon my martial soul."

"As long as you can hurt this old woman, I'll give you everything I've accumulated over the past hundred-odd years."

At this moment...

Cai Yue'er only felt that her luck tonight was truly excellent, to have encountered a child who could not tell the difference between heaven and earth.

This was Cao Dezhi's son.

If she could "generously" receive his three strikes in full view of everyone, then let him leave without a scratch afterward...

Once word of that spread...

It would instead make Cai Yue'er seem broad-minded.

As for whether Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin would trouble her afterward, that would be a matter for later.

Yet Cao Xin paid Cai Yue'er no attention and slowly closed his eyes.

The next moment, a breeze swept in.

"The wind has risen."

Zang Xin murmured.

A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

He raised his head and looked toward the Golden Ancient Tree.

The ancient tree's leaves rustled. Countless golden leaves swayed at once in the night wind, producing a sound like rolling waves, as if the entire tree were responding to something.

At this moment, the scenery of summer emerged around Cao Xin.

Scorching waves of heat spread outward from him. The air twisted and burned, as though the most intense sunlight of midsummer were pouring down from the void.

Then summer turned to autumn, and autumn turned to winter.

The scorching summer heat was covered by somber autumn hues within a few breaths.

Then it was replaced by bone-piercing winter.

Three seasons revolved, repeating without end.

But Cao Xin had only three seasons. He did not have spring.

Yet at this moment...

Cao Xin used the power of the three seasons to create spring!

With extreme cycles and deduction, he repeatedly compressed, layered, and spun the power of those three seasonal cycles within his Sword Intent, forcibly extracting the missing "spring" amid the endless rotation of summer, autumn, and winter.

Four Seasons Cycle!

One rotation was one year!

And when the four utterly different seasonal powers around him reached balance at the same moment...

The mighty power of time spread out from Cao Xin's body.

Only Cao Dezhi and Yun Ming could see it among those present.

The gazes of the two Peak Quasi-Gods froze at the same time, identical shock appearing in the depths of their eyes.

How could this be?!

Cao Xin had actually touched a trace of Law Power while still in the Three-Environment Realm!

And it was the Time Law!

The Law Power that those Titled Douluo had exhausted their entire lives pursuing, and which even required reaching the level of Limit Douluo to barely touch—this seven-year-old child had already reached its threshold through nothing more than the Sword Intent of Four Seasons Cycle.

At this moment, a sudden sense of dread also rose in the heart of Cai Yue'er, who had been watching Cao Xin.

The aura emanating from the sword tip instinctively made her feel danger.

Yet she did not retreat, dismissing it as an illusion.

After all, she was a Titled Douluo!

At that moment, Cao Xin moved!

He thrust out his sword.

The Golden Ancient Tree suddenly burst into light!

The ancient tree that had stood upon Sea God Island for ten thousand years, its roots deep in the earth, seemed to have been awakened by the four-season cycle of this strike. Countless golden leaves lit up at once, as if the entire starry sky had been reflected upon the sea at night.

A gentle yet vast power surged out from the ancient tree and poured into Cao Xin's sword momentum like a flood.

The sword momentum, already condensed with the power of the four-season cycle, was infused with the Golden Ancient Tree's life energy as though its might had increased a hundredfold. Wherever the sword tip passed, even the air released a shrill scream as it was torn apart.

"Impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible!"

Cai Yue'er cried out.

She could feel the might of that sword!

It was a strike capable of threatening her life!

So in the end, she abandoned all pretense.

What promise of "not even summoning my martial soul."

What bold declaration of "letting you have three strikes."

Before the threat of death, they had all become jokes.

Soul rings suddenly lit up around her body.

The cultivation of a nine-ring Titled Douluo erupted at full strength!

A silver-white crescent moon emerged, barely managing to block Cao Xin's strike infused with the Golden Ancient Tree's power.

But Cao Xin seemed to have anticipated this long ago.

The Sentimental Sword appeared in his left hand.

The colorful glow upon its blade transformed at that moment into rich, surging emotional power.

Emotional power fused with the power of time.

The Sentimental Sword suddenly erupted with dazzling radiance.

The light was gentle yet blazing, as if all the joys and sorrows, meetings and partings in the world had been condensed upon its edge.

Cao Xin's third soul ring.

His only black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring lit up.

He said softly, "Heartbreak..."

The Sentimental Sword thrust out.

The cold crescent moon suddenly cracked beneath Cao Xin's combined strike of two swords...

Then the cracks spread from the center to the edges, widening until it finally shattered with a boom into scattered fragments of light.

"No!"

"This is impossible!"

"You're only seven years old!"

"You're only seven!"

Cai Yue'er shouted in disbelief.

But then Cao Xin's third strike arrived.

All of his spiritual power surged into the soul bone in his right eye.

Soul bone soul skill, Mental Shockwave!

At the same time, Set Facts Aside activated.

He did not need to penetrate any of Cai Yue'er's defenses.

That was because Cao Xin had severed the fact that "Cai Yue'er can defend herself" in his mind.

Thus, Cai Yue'er's spiritual defenses were cast aside as though they did not exist.

Therefore, this Mental Shockwave directly blasted into Cai Yue'er's sea of spirit.

Boom!

Blood spurted simultaneously from Cai Yue'er's ears, nostrils, eyes, and the corners of her mouth.

Her body convulsed violently.

She froze in place as though struck by lightning, and the light in her eyes completely dispersed in that instant.