Hu Liena struck with ruthless decisiveness, drawing waves of startled cries from the spectators.
It was only an assessment. No one had expected someone to lose his life over it.
"Wasn't this supposed to stop short of serious injury? Why did she strike so viciously..."
"Exactly! It's just an internal assessment, yet someone's actually been killed. This is going far too far..."
"Keep your voice down. The Pope and the elder are both here, and neither has reacted. Who are we to pass judgment..."
On the raised platform, Bibi Dong and Qian Jun Douluo stood facing each other.
With their strength, the murmurs and startled cries from the spectators naturally could not escape their ears.
Every word of doubt reached them, yet their expressions remained unchanged.
"Your Holiness's disciple truly is extraordinary. So ruthless at such a young age-she has something of your own bearing back then..."
Qian Jun Douluo stood with his hands behind his back, his voice as calm as ever. Only his robes, fluttering without a breeze, betrayed the turmoil within him.
According to the Elder Hall's records, Hu Liena had only just turned thirteen this year.
A thirteen-year-old Soul Elder was already shocking enough. Judging by the power Hu Liena had displayed when she attacked, her soul power was above rank thirty-five.
Qian Jun Douluo had thought the Elder Hall's training of its youths was already harsh enough for them to hold their own against the so-called Golden Generation. Now, however, it seemed they had still underestimated Bibi Dong.
Sensing Qian Jun Douluo's wary gaze, Bibi Dong remained composed.
Although victory currently favored the Golden Generation, the situation on a battlefield could change in an instant. Until the final moment, no one knew whose hands would claim the fallen deer. Besides...
Her gaze remained fixed on Zero in the arena.
Bibi Dong could sense that this youth was not particularly strong. His soul power was even somewhat weaker than Ci Jie's, yet there seemed to be a wild beast lying dormant within him, giving off an inexplicable air of danger...
While the two on the raised platform harbored different thoughts, the battle in the Training Ground still raged.
The Flattering Youth's death nearly made Ci Jie's eyes split with fury. Although he often bullied this little follower of his, the two had grown up together, and their bond was far deeper than most.
Now the Flattering Youth had died so silently beneath Hu Liena's assault, and for the first time, this young master, spoiled since childhood, felt anger surge from the depths of his blood.
As though ignited by that fury, Ci Jie's already enormous, round body swelled even larger.
His eyes bloodshot, he charged toward Hu Liena at tremendous speed, the spines covering his body gleaming with bloody light.
Seeing the ferocity of his charge, Hu Liena immediately pulled back, her long legs carrying her in bounding leaps toward Qin Chao.
Driven by hatred, Ci Jie had long since stopped caring about anything else. His soul power circulated madly, pushing his rolling speed to its limit. Despite Hu Liena's decisive retreat, the distance between them continued to shrink.
Xie Yue was still fighting Zero and could not spare his attention. Qin Chao was the only one left who could support Hu Liena.
Golden light glimmered deep within Qin Chao's pupils. With the aid of Golden Eyes, their lightning-fast movements appeared to play out in slow motion. The results of his intensive training came into full effect, and almost instinctively, he immediately identified Ci Jie's line of attack.
The Heaven and Earth Tower flew from his hand once more. Driven by a frantic surge of soul power, the Golden Little Tower rapidly expanded, while the purple second soul ring around it flashed wildly...
"Now! Second soul skill, Trap!"
Qin Chao let out an instinctive growl. The Heaven and Earth Tower slammed down, precisely locking onto the rapidly rolling Ci Jie and imprisoning him within its interior space.
Ci Jie's charge was powerful and fierce. The instant they collided, the Heaven and Earth Tower gave a violent hum, and Qin Chao felt his chest tighten. Fortunately, Trap was a thousand-year soul skill. How could it be broken so easily?
Without room to build momentum beforehand, Ci Jie could not break free of the Heaven and Earth Tower's restraints, however hard he hurled himself around inside it.
"Whew... that was close..." Having safely returned to Qin Chao's side, Hu Liena patted her chest and let out a long breath.
Although the Flattering Youth's soul power had been far below hers, clashing soul skills had still taken a toll. Ci Jie had attacked at the exact moment when her old strength was spent and new strength had yet to rise. Had his attack connected, she would have suffered at least some injury.
Looking at Xie Yue and Zero, who were still locked in combat, Hu Liena flicked out a ball of Foxfire. This was a team battle, after all. Fighting one-on-one was the stupidest choice...
Zero had already been barely holding his own against Xie Yue. With Foxfire now bearing down on him, he immediately began to panic.
How could Xie Yue let such an opportunity slip away? The purple third soul ring around him flashed rapidly, and he unleashed his third soul skill, Break, cleaving straight at Zero with razor-sharp force.
In desperation, Zero could only raise his dagger high and brace himself to take Xie Yue's mighty blow head-on...
Clang...
The familiar sound of clashing metal rang out.
How could a thousand-year soul skill be blocked so easily?
After that incomparably sharp strike, fine cracks appeared across the green dagger in Zero's hand. He was hurled backward like a fallen leaf in the wind, blood gushing from his mouth and spattering the bluestone ground...
Of Ci Jie's trio, one was dead, one trapped, and one injured.
At this point, the assessment's outcome seemed beyond doubt.
Yet Bibi Dong and Qian Jun Douluo remained as immovable as Mount Tai on the raised platform, showing no intention of declaring the match over.
Killing intent surged beneath the surface. Both wanted to use this opportunity to put the other side to death.
Just as Xie Yue closed in, intending to finish Zero off first, Zero spoke before he could act.
"Ci Jie, what are you still hesitating for!"
Zero's desperate roar echoed across the Training Ground. He had thought he could secure a thread of survival through this assessment, but now it seemed that path would be severed...
Whether it was the Moon Blade gleaming with red light or the Elder Hall's sky-reaching wrath, he could withstand neither. He might as well stake everything on one last gamble!
Hearing Zero's roar, Ci Jie hesitated briefly inside the Heaven and Earth Tower. Do I really have to use that move? If I do, my path of cultivation will probably end here...
"Jie, in this assessment, you represent not only yourself, but the future of our entire Ci Family..."
His grandfather's instructions before the assessment still echoed in his ears.
On one side was his own future; on the other, the prospects of the entire Ci Family.
At last, Ci Jie's heart tipped toward one side.
All three soul rings around him flashed at once. The soul power within him surged forth, sweeping through his blood vessels with the speed of thunder.
Indescribable agony erupted within his body. Gritting his teeth fiercely, Ci Jie finally unleashed the innate skill of his Ci Xue Pufferfish martial soul.
"Bloodthorn!!"
The hoarsest of roars tore from the depths of his throat. The unbearable pain had already turned Ci Jie's eyes blood-red, but this was only the beginning.
His surging soul power battered his blood vessels relentlessly. Before its immense force, even his resilient meridians finally gave way, rupturing one after another.
Without his meridians to contain it, the blood within him surged toward Ci Jie's skin under tremendous pressure.
His skin was supple and resilient, but the sharp spines covering his body were ultimately not so sturdy.
Amid bursts of bloody mist, thousands of sharp spines shot out at once, carrying incomparably vicious, piercing force as they struck at the Heaven and Earth Tower imprisoning Ci Jie...
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