Wipe the Slate Clean

The Ruthless Sword and Sentimental Sword pierced forward at the same time!

They pierced through Cai Yue'er's chest.

The power of time and emotions erupted in the same instant, thoroughly shredding her life force.

Before she died, she stared unwillingly at Cao Xin, her lips trembling as she forced out one final sentence with her last breath.

"I still have... Battle... Armor..."

That had been her final trump card.

But in the end, she had not even had time to put it on...

Before she had lost her chance entirely.

Boom!

Cai Yue'er crashed heavily to the ground.

Sea God Pavilion Elder, Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er—

Had fallen.

At that moment, every Elder present was too shocked to speak.

They looked at the colleague who had stood on equal footing with them for decades, then at the seven-year-old boy ahead whose twin swords were stained with blood—

Every one of their minds went blank.

Seven years old!

Having awakened his martial souls only a year ago, this boy had actually slain a Titled Douluo with his sword!

Outrageous!

Utterly outrageous!

So outrageous that they even suspected they were dreaming.

A seven-year-old child, awakened for barely a year, had crossed the gap of several major realms and personally killed an Elder who had been renowned for years.

If they had not witnessed this scene with their own eyes...

No one would have believed it if it spread.

Although they had heard Cai Yue'er say before her death that she had yet to summon her Battle Armor.

The problem was, under normal circumstances, how could a Titled Douluo possibly need Battle Armor to fight a seven-year-old child?

It was like asking a general to don a full suit of heavy armor while playing with children...

The very notion was absurd beyond measure.

Not to mention that even Shrek Academy's greatest prodigies could not possibly injure a Titled Douluo at Five Rings, six, or even seven rings.

The gap in cultivation was simply too great.

The disparity in Soul Power, the disparity in combat experience—each was an insurmountable chasm before low-level Soul Masters.

Naturally, the Elders quickly recovered from their shock.

One white-haired Elder suddenly muttered.

"I nearly forgot. That sword strike from the boy just now seemed to have drawn upon the Golden Ancient Tree's blessing."

Those words were like a needle...

Piercing precisely into the hearts of every Elder.

They all recalled the sight from moments ago: the Golden Ancient Tree's leaves lighting up, its trunk resonating...

An indescribable emotion welled up within them.

Their academy's foundation...

Had helped an outsider kill one of their own.

This... was truly hard to put into words.

At that moment, the Elders wore expressions as conflicted as if they had swallowed flies.

The Golden Ancient Tree was the foundation of Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year legacy.

It was itself a symbol of the academy's heritage.

Yet just now, it had responded to Cao Xin's Sword Intent, pouring a thread of power into him and helping him kill a Sea God Pavilion Elder.

This "betrayal" was both laughable and...

Deeply terrifying upon reflection.

The Golden Ancient Tree had chosen a master.

Was it acknowledging that boy's Sword Intent?

At that moment, an Elder sighed softly.

"The Ruthless Sword and Sentimental Sword truly deserve to be called top-tier martial souls. But this boy's path seems different from Cao Dezhi's."

As someone who had been Cao Dezhi's classmate in their youth, he was exceptionally familiar with the Ruthless Sword's methods.

Yet the Four Seasons Cycle and Time Law Cao Xin had displayed just now...

Clearly showed that he had forged a path of his own.

The moment those words were spoken.

The Elders were instantly stunned.

Wait.

The Ruthless Sword and Sentimental Sword?!

No.

How could these two martial souls appear in the same person?

The Ruthless Sword was Cao Dezhi's mutated martial soul.

The Sentimental Sword was Zang Xin's mutated martial soul.

Both were one-of-a-kind existences.

There was no second example anywhere on the continent.

But now, a boy possessed both martial souls at once. What did that mean?

At once, their gazes all turned toward Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin.

Those looks gradually shifted from initial shock to scrutiny, then into gossip and amusement after realization dawned on them.

One Elder muttered under his breath.

"Twin Martial Souls, and he inherited two mutated martial souls at the same time..."

"That seems like something only biological bloodlines can accomplish."

Faced with such an enormous piece of gossip...

They had all forgotten about Cai Yue'er's death.

The flames of gossip spread through the Elders' eyes and expressions like a wildfire. Their grief, indignation, and shock from moments ago were all cast beyond the clouds, leaving behind only the excitement of, "This is truly huge news."

At that moment, Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin's gazes drifted a little as well.

Cao Dezhi still wore a stern expression, but his eyes shifted slightly aside toward the distant surface of Sea God Lake, as if its waters held ripples immensely worthy of study.

Zang Xin gave a light cough, then looked at Cao Xin and deliberately spoke in a tone that was as natural as could possibly be to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"Little Xin."

Cao Xin turned to look at Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin.

"Second Dad. Big Dad."

At that moment, Cao Dezhi withdrew his gaze and looked at Cao Xin with a proud smile, one filled with a father's pride in his child.

"Very good."

Zang Xin took two steps forward and lightly patted Cao Xin's shoulder, his gaze gentle and gratified.

"I underestimated you, kid."

His tone carried the pride of, "As expected of my son."

As though his own child killing a Titled Douluo was not particularly surprising at all.

Then, Cao Dezhi turned back toward Yun Ming.

"Although Little Xin only struck twice."

"Let this matter be wiped clean."

Upon hearing that, Yun Ming wore an utterly despairing expression.

He looked at Cao Dezhi's matter-of-fact face, then at Cai Yue'er's corpse on the ground, already cold...

All he wanted to do was roar.

The person was dead.

Of course the matter could be wiped clean.

After all, even if you wanted to pursue it further...

There was no one left to pursue.

But honestly, he truly had not expected Cao Xin to be capable of killing a Titled Douluo.

Even with the Golden Ancient Tree's blessing...

Was that not still far too terrifying?

With the spiritual power of a Peak Quasi-God, not a single fluctuation of Soul Power from that battle had escaped his perception.

Naturally, he could make an accurate judgment.

The Golden Ancient Tree had merely raised Cao Xin's first strike to the level of a Titled Douluo.

The following strike and spiritual attack had also been extremely sharp, but their actual power had fallen far short of a Titled Douluo's level.

In theory, Cai Yue'er should not have died.

With her cultivation as a Titled Douluo and the defensive methods she had accumulated over many years, even if Cao Xin's sword strike had come suddenly, she should not have been killed by the follow-up attacks after the sword's force diminished.

Yet Cai Yue'er had died all the same.

That left Yun Ming somewhat baffled.

He repeatedly replayed every detail from moments ago in his mind, yet he could never find a reasonable explanation.

How could he have known that Cao Xin possessed the two conceptual abilities of [Self] and [Set Facts Aside].

They had allowed him to directly cross several major stages and suppress Cai Yue'er to death.

Those unreasonable interferences and severed causalities lay far beyond Yun Ming's experience and understanding.