Wasn't Fighting Above Your Level Just Basic Stuff?

Boom!

Shattered stone flew in every direction, and dust billowed into the sky, completely shrouding the collapsed wall.

"Xu Yan!"

Xu He's face turned deathly pale as he cried out.

The Level 2 Soul Cannon in his hands nearly slipped from his grasp, and he instinctively moved to rush forward.

Even though he knew Xu Yan possessed formidable regenerative abilities.

Watching his own younger brother get blasted away by a single punch and swallowed by dust.

Still filled his heart with uncontrollable panic and urgency.

Yan Feng's heart tightened as well, and the soul power around him instantly tensed.

He shifted his feet, firmly guarding Xu He's flank.

His gaze remained locked on the swirling dust, his eyes filled with worry and vigilance.

"Don't panic."

A cool, steady voice suddenly rang out.

Ji Juechen held his longsword horizontally before him, emerald sword energy flowing ceaselessly around it.

His expression remained calm and unruffled as he reached out to restrain the two:

"He's fine. Focus on the enemies in front of you."

On the other side of the battlefield.

The scar-faced man clutched his numb, burning right arm, enduring the searing pain surging through his meridians, his expression dark.

"Damn it! I've hunted hawks in the assassin world for years, only to have one peck out my eye today."

He had never expected a mere Soul Grandmaster to seriously injure a Soul Ancestor like himself.

The strength behind that punch had been nothing special.

But the ultimate flames it contained were terrifying enough to make his heart tremble.

Just an instant of contact had severely burned his entire arm.

The burning pain penetrated deep into his meridians and bone marrow.

"What kind of flames does this brat have? How can they be so terrifying?!"

The scar-faced man gritted his teeth.

Turning to see his four subordinates still standing there in a daze, the viciousness in his eyes surged.

He roared furiously, "Useless trash! What are you standing around for? Get moving! Kill them all!"

He stared fixedly toward the dust-shrouded ruins, murderous intent raging in his chest.

"And that brat took my full-powered strike head-on. He must be badly injured.

Even if he isn't dead, there's no way he can fight again!

Split up, you four. Finish them off quickly, and leave no loose ends!"

The fluctuations from their battle had been intense. He had no desire to let someone else pluck the peach at the crucial moment.

More importantly.

He worried that Xu Yan might use those strange green flames to heal himself, just as he had in the sewers.

He spoke of finishing the boy off, but in truth, he wanted his subordinates to investigate.

To confirm Xu Yan's actual condition.

It would be best if he was completely dead. If he turned out to be unharmed, the scar-faced man would flee immediately.

Even a Soul Elder would die after taking my strongest strike head-on.

That fellow should have a hard time recovering now, right?

The scar-faced man hesitated through gritted teeth, unwilling to give up.

Meanwhile, the four Soul Elder assassins snapped out of their daze at his shout and hesitated no longer.

The soul rings beneath their feet lit up together, and chilling murderous intent swept over the battlefield.

All four were seasoned assassins who worked together smoothly, instantly dividing the battlefield.

One headed straight toward the ruins to investigate Xu Yan's condition, while another targeted Ji Juechen, engaging him head-on.

The remaining two changed direction, fixing their eyes on Xu He and Yan Feng in the rear.

They intended to defeat them one by one and break their formation.

The Soul Elder charging straight at Ji Juechen was nicknamed Wolf King.

His martial soul was the Ironback Wolf.

He excelled at lightning-fast ambushes and close-quarters combat, and his speed was unrivaled among the four.

The other three were nicknamed Earth Turtle, Poison Spider, and Snake King.

Their martial souls were the Thick-Rock Turtle, Poison-Pattern Spider, and Earthfire Python.

All were veteran assassins under the scar-faced man's command, hardened by countless deadly battles.

"Die, brat!"

Wolf King shouted coldly, and the first soul ring beneath his feet suddenly flashed.

"First Soul Skill: Wolf Claw Rend!"

Pitch-black soul power condensed into sharp wolf claws gleaming with cold light.

With a piercing whistle that tore through the air, they clawed straight toward Ji Juechen's heart.

The attack was swift and viciously angled.

Ji Juechen stood with sword in hand and a cigar between his lips, his expression indifferent.

His first and second soul skills activated simultaneously, sending both his soul power and strength soaring.

Life Sword Intent tempered by the gold of life wreathed his longsword.

The verdant sword light looked gentle, yet concealed unmatched sharpness.

He neither dodged nor retreated. With a slight flick of his wrist, his sword flashed.

Clang!

The clear ring of colliding metal echoed through the air.

The powerful recoil sent Wolf King stumbling backward repeatedly.

What incredible strength!

Wolf King's heart jolted in disbelief.

I have a beast martial soul, yet I lost in strength to a Tool Martial Soul master!

"Your attacks aren't worth mentioning."

Ji Juechen exhaled a smoke ring, his cool gaze utterly unruffled.

It made Wolf King feel nakedly humiliated.

"You're courting death!"

Wolf King flew into a rage, and the second and third soul rings beneath his feet flashed simultaneously.

His blood surged violently, and his Ironback Wolf body swelled.

His height shot straight up to two meters.

A fierce beastly aura radiated from him.

With a wolf's howl, he suddenly lashed both claws rapidly toward Ji Juechen.

"Third Soul Skill: Raging Wind Wolf Blade!"

Countless razor-sharp wind blades swept outward, laden with killing intent.

Their cutting power was enough to sever refined iron.

"Wind blades? As it happens, I'm good at those too."

The third soul ring beneath Ji Juechen's feet flashed in response.

"Third Soul Skill: Wind's Extremity!"

The next instant.

A torrent of green wind blades erupted from his sword tip, far denser, sharper, and wider-ranging than Wolf King's.

They instantly enveloped the entire area.

"This is—!"

Seeing the densely packed wind blades surrounding him.

Wolf King's pupils contracted sharply, his face filling with terror.

The two sets of wind blades collided with a crash, and the difference was immediately clear.

The wind blades Wolf King had unleashed with all his strength proved utterly fragile, collapsing in an instant.

Every one of the sharp, densely packed green wind blades struck his body.

In an instant, they carved countless wounds of varying depths.

"It's over!"

Ji Juechen's gaze turned cold. Finding an opening, he slit his opponent's throat with a single stroke.

"Urgh..."

Wolf King's eyes bulged as he desperately clutched his neck, blood gushing between his fingers.

His body convulsed violently for a moment before he collapsed helplessly, dead.

Only three breaths had passed between their first exchange and the killing blow.

Such was Ji Juechen's strength.

Calm, swift, decisive!

At that same moment, on the rear battlefield.

Dense, earthen-yellow soul power erupted as the Soul Elder with the Earth Turtle martial soul clashed head-on with Yan Feng.

"Second Soul Skill: Rock Armor Suppression!"

Thick, sturdy stone armor instantly covered his entire body.

The defensive power of his Thick-Rock Turtle martial soul, already renowned for its protection, doubled once again.

He stamped hard against the ground and charged straight at Yan Feng, his body carrying a crushing momentum.

He intended to crush his opponent head-on with overwhelming brute strength.

"A contest of strength? I'll see it through!"

Yan Feng's expression was stern, and he advanced instead of retreating.

Pitch-black soul power churned wildly around him as his bone dragon martial soul fully possessed his body.

"First Soul Skill: Dragon Transformation!"

A deep, ominous dragon's growl reverberated across the battlefield.

Dark, faintly black dragon scales instantly covered his body.

His strength, defense, and soul power all doubled.

At the same time, light flashed over his hands, and a pair of metal gauntlets instantly took shape, protecting his arms.

Level 3 melee soul tool gauntlets!

Made by Xuan Ziwen.

They had only one defining feature: toughness.

They provided both offense and defense, with built-in shock absorption and force-dispersal effects.

Even a Soul Ancestor's fierce attacks would struggle to damage them in a short time.

Xuan Ziwen had originally custom-made them for Xu Yan.

But Xu Yan hadn't wanted them.

They had ultimately ended up in Yan Feng's hands.

As he poured in soul power, a cold gleam suddenly flowed across the gauntlets.

Normally, a Soul Grandmaster's soul power was nowhere near enough to activate an ordinary Level 3 Soul Tool.

But Xuan Ziwen had modified and upgraded each of these soul tools he had made.

A small Milk Bottle had been installed inside every one.

Its sole purpose was to activate the complete Core Array.

The principle was somewhat similar to a stationary Soul Cannon.

Once activated, however, it could only be used a limited number of times.

The soul power stored in the Milk Bottles inside Yan Feng's gauntlets was only enough for three activations.

After those three uses, even pouring all his soul power into the soul tool would hardly allow him to activate it again.

That was an absolute restriction imposed by the difference in soul power quality.

"Come on!"

Yan Feng took a deep drag on his cigar and slammed his fists together, his fighting spirit soaring.

He kicked hard against the ground, his body suddenly shooting forward.

His fists, carrying the amplified power of Dragon Transformation and a chilling, sinister frost aura, slammed fearlessly toward Earth Turtle!

Bam!

Heavy fists struck stone armor head-on, and a thunderous, muffled impact exploded.

"Holy shit, what brute strength!"

Yan Feng gritted his teeth and exerted himself, feeling a mountain-like force bearing down on him.

Only through the combined support of his bone dragon martial soul's physical gifts and the soul tool gauntlets.

Did he manage to steady himself and withstand that fierce attack.

Brilliant light flared across the gauntlets.

Layers of yellow ripples spread outward, continually dispersing the surging force of the impact.

"You actually blocked my attack head-on?"

Earth Turtle's face filled with astonishment.

Even a Soul Master at the same level would have suffered serious injuries if they had taken that fierce attack head-on.

Then he noticed the strangely shaped gauntlets on his opponent's hands.

His pupils abruptly contracted. "A Level 3 melee Soul Tool?!

How is that possible?

How can a mere Soul Grandmaster like you activate a Level 3 Soul Tool?"

"Heh, you ignorant country bumpkin. There's a whole world of things you don't understand."

A mocking smile curled Yan Feng's lips as he barked coldly:

"Now it's your turn to taste my attacks!"

Before his words had even faded, a dense, sinister icy aura erupted from his body.

It surged wildly through his gauntlets, instantly coiling around Earth Turtle's body.

"What a sinister ability!"

Earth Turtle's expression changed drastically. He instantly sensed the circulation of his soul power becoming sluggish.

Wisps of sinister cold continually seeped into his Meridians, assailing his sea of consciousness.

They forced him to divert a great deal of soul power and mental focus to resist the invasion.

Their fists and feet clashed as they traded offense and defense.

Brute force and defense collided violently, instantly locking them in a deadlock.

For the moment, neither could overpower the other.

[PS: My new book is still getting started. I'm begging all you handsome, wealthy big shots to lend me some support.

Spare me a few recommendation votes and monthly votes so I can get a taste.

If that's too much, just keeping up with the latest chapters would do. I bow to you all in thanks!]