The referee's announcement still echoed above the arena, and the crowd's thunderous cheers had yet to subside when disaster struck!
The railing around the arena exploded with a crash. More than a dozen figures clad in Spirit Hall's black robes stormed in, their soul power surging and murderous intent shooting into the heavens. In an instant, they surrounded Lin Chen, who had just become a Soul Elder. Leading them was the deputy hall master of the Spirit Hall Heaven Dou Branch. Two yellow soul rings, one purple, and one black rose around him. He was a level forty-five Power Attack System Soul Ancestor, his aura even fiercer than the Blood Demon Soul Ancestor's had been!
The students and instructors watching nearby turned pale with shock and hurriedly retreated. The lively arena plunged into chaos.
"They're from Spirit Hall! They actually dare attack inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!"
"Lin Chen just became a Soul Elder, and Spirit Hall came to ambush him! How despicable!"
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's expression darkened abruptly. He snapped his feather fan shut, quietly circulating his soul power. Beside him, the academy's Soul Saint headmaster wore an icy look, his imposing aura beginning to flare. Yet several sources of soul power from Spirit Hall's forces lying in ambush outside held him in check, preventing him from rushing to help.
The Blood Demon Soul Ancestor hid behind the crowd, his sinister eyes brimming with venomous resentment. He roared shrilly, "Deputy Hall Master, that's the brat! Kill him and reclaim Spirit Hall's dignity! He's only just become a Soul Elder, and his soul power hasn't stabilized yet. This is the best time to kill him!"
Lin Chen had previously forced him to swear a blood oath, subjecting him to utter humiliation. He had dreamed of revenge day and night. This ambush was his secret scheme: taking advantage of the confusion surrounding the academy tournament, he had brought the deputy hall master and a group of experts here, determined to cut Lin Chen down!
"Lin Chen, you little wretch! You've humiliated Spirit Hall time and again. Do you really think we wouldn't dare kill you? Today, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy will be your burial ground!"
The deputy hall master barked fiercely, unleashing every scrap of his level forty-five Soul Ancestor soul power as he charged his fourth soul skill. "Everyone, attack together! Finish this quickly and kill this scoundrel!"
The accompanying Spirit Hall soul masters attacked in unison. Three Soul Elders and eight Soul Grandmasters activated their soul skills simultaneously, their soul rings weaving a lattice of light. Attacks of every color blotted out the sky as they hurtled toward Lin Chen, ruthless and merciless, leaving him no path to survival!
Su Qingyuan and Yue Huaxi instantly darted to Lin Chen's sides. Their Azure Lotus Martial Soul and Moonlight Spirit Grass Martial Soul bloomed at full strength, their soul rings shining brilliantly as they prepared to face the enemy together.
"Stand back. You don't need to lift a hand against these small fry."
Lin Chen raised a hand and shielded the two women behind him. His voice was calm, but his confidence allowed no doubt.
Having just become a Soul Elder, his Life Soul Power had undergone a complete transformation. His cultivation had soared straight from a level twenty-three Soul Grandmaster to a level thirty-one control-type Soul Elder, and his Life Domain had evolved again. His reserves of soul power, the strength of his soul skills, and his physical toughness had all made a qualitative leap. Before him now, these Spirit Hall soul masters were nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs!
As his words fell, three deep green soul rings surged up beneath Lin Chen's feet!
The first was three thousand eight hundred years old, the second five thousand years old. The third was the five-thousand-year Life Spirit Deer Soul Ring he had just formed from his prize for winning the Elite Tournament!
The three green soul rings, each far beyond the usual age limits, shone with dazzling radiance. Nothing like them had ever existed before. Even across the entire Douluo Continent, they could be called heaven-defying!
The terrifying pressure of his soul rings swept across the arena, instantly suppressing the soul rings of every Spirit Hall soul master. Their martial souls trembled in unison, and their fighting spirit crumbled!
"Th-three-thousand-year soul rings? You've only just become a Soul Elder, yet you dared absorb three soul rings at the limits below ten thousand years!"
The deputy hall master's pupils contracted sharply. His face filled with horror, and even his voice shook as unprecedented fear rose within him.
An ordinary Soul Elder's third soul ring had an age limit of only four thousand seven hundred years, yet Lin Chen had directly absorbed one five thousand years old. He also possessed two other soul rings far beyond those of his peers. Such talent was simply terrifying!
"Life Domain—Complete Form!"
Lin Chen shouted coldly. The pale green halo of his life domain expanded to its fullest extent, enveloping the entire arena. Life Force pushed to its utmost became absolute suppression, bearing down on every Spirit Hall soul master!
[Life Domain triggered: enemy soul power suppressed by 60%, martial soul strength reduced by 50%, resistance to all attributes maximized!]
In an instant, every Spirit Hall soul master turned deathly pale. The soul power within them became completely sluggish, leaving them unable even to activate their soul skills. Their movements slowed to a crawl, and their previously ferocious attacks became weak and powerless.
"Third Soul Skill—Life Prison Cage!"
Lin Chen's eyes were ice-cold as his newly acquired third soul skill erupted!
Countless strands of blue silver grass, imbued with the Life Spirit Deer's pure power, burst wildly through the arena floor. Several times thicker than before and as tough as black iron, their leaves and stems flowed with emerald spiritual light. In an instant, they wove an enormous cage without a single gap, trapping every Spirit Hall soul master inside!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Soul Elders and Soul Grandmasters desperately channeled their soul power to attack the blue silver grass cage. Yet flames, claws, and blasts of soul power alike produced only faint ripples upon striking it, unable to shake it in the slightest. Instead, the Life Force within the blue silver grass lashed back, disrupting their own soul power.
"Second Soul Skill—Life Suppression!"
"First Soul Skill—Life Entanglement!"
Lin Chen struck in rapid succession, linking his soul skills without a single pause. Vast Life Force took the form of a mountain and slammed down inside the cage. Countless strands of blue silver grass stretched out, binding Spirit Hall's soul masters tightly from their limbs to their necks. Completely immobilized, they could not move even a finger!
In just three breaths, more than a dozen Spirit Hall experts had all been subdued. They lay collapsed inside the cage, unable to move or fight back!
Throughout it all, Lin Chen had merely stood where he was and attacked with effortless ease. Without a hint of disarray, he displayed a Soul Elder's might to the fullest!
The sight stunned the entire arena!
Everyone stared blankly at the tall, straight-backed young man in the center of the arena. Three heaven-defying green soul rings shone around him, pale green soul power curling about his body. Like a sovereign commanding life itself, he had effortlessly crushed Spirit Hall's experts.
Having only just become a Soul Elder, he had single-handedly swept through Spirit Hall's ambush force, led by a level forty-five Soul Ancestor. Such combat strength already surpassed every soul master of his rank. He could truly be called invincible among his generation!
"Impossible! I refuse to accept this!"
The deputy hall master's eyes nearly split with rage as he struggled madly. Yet he could not break free of the blue silver grass, leaving him only able to glare at Lin Chen with venomous hatred.
Lin Chen walked slowly toward the Life Prison Cage, his gaze as indifferent as ice, devoid of emotion. "Spirit Hall has provoked me again and again, repeatedly trying to kill me. Sparing the Blood Demon Soul Ancestor before was already an act of mercy. Since you've delivered yourselves to my door today, don't expect to leave."
He was no longer the Soul Grandmaster who had needed to endure and hold back. Now that he had become a Soul Elder and possessed sufficient strength, he no longer needed to show Spirit Hall leniency!
"Lin Chen, spare them!"
Xue Qinghe hurried over, his expression gentle as he urged, "This man is the deputy hall master of a Spirit Hall Branch. If you kill him here, Spirit Hall will fly into a fury and send Soul Emperor and Soul Saint experts after you. When that happens, all of Heaven Dou City will be thrown into turmoil."
The academy headmaster nodded as well. "His Highness is quite right. It would be safer to hand them over to the academy and the imperial family. We can imprison them and use them to keep Spirit Hall in check."
Lin Chen considered this for a moment. He looked at the Blood Demon Soul Ancestor trembling inside the cage, then at the worried Su Qingyuan and Yue Huaxi beside him. At last, he withdrew his soul power.
He knew he had only just become a Soul Elder and had yet to fully stabilize his cultivation. If he enraged Spirit Hall completely and drew its top experts here, he would indeed bring disaster upon those around him. For now, patience and building his strength were the wisest course.
"I'll spare your lives today. But if you dare provoke me or anyone beside me again, next time, I'll destroy every last one of your martial souls and leave you no chance to ever rise again!"
Lin Chen's icy voice rang across the entire arena, reaching the ears of every Spirit Hall soul master like a pronouncement from the god of death. They trembled all over and nodded repeatedly.
Soon afterward, the academy guards hurried over and escorted the Spirit Hall soul masters away. The chaos in the arena gradually subsided.
Every gaze focused on Lin Chen once more. This time, nothing remained but boundless awe and admiration.
"Lin Chen! Lin Chen! Lin Chen!"
Earthshaking cries resounded throughout the Heaven Dou Royal Academy as everyone chanted his name. The young man who had just become a Soul Elder and swept through Spirit Hall was now acknowledged by the entire academy—and even Heaven Dou City—as an unrivaled prodigy!
On the raised platform, Xue Qinghe watched Lin Chen, the smile in his eyes deepening as his desire to recruit him grew stronger.
In a corner of the crowd, Tang San watched Lin Chen surrounded by admirers. His fists clenched tightly, and his expression darkened as though it could drip water. His jealousy and helplessness reached their peak.
Holding Su Qingyuan's and Yue Huaxi's hands, Lin Chen felt the steady Soul Elder soul power within him, and a faint smile curved his lips.
By becoming a Soul Elder and sweeping through Spirit Hall, he had finally gained a true foothold in Heaven Dou City.
But his gaze turned toward places farther away.
Spirit Hall's threat remained, and the future held still more powerful enemies and opportunities. Only by continually growing stronger could he protect everything and reach the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent.
At that moment, Lin Chen understood clearly: his path as a soul master had only just entered an entirely new stage, and an even more thrilling journey was about to begin!
Before you continue