The Appeal of Stats: Lu Xuan Turned the Tables and Took Charge!

Inside Spirit Hall's training grounds.

The once spacious, brightly lit grounds.

Were now shrouded in a dark-red barrier.

Countless tiny, razor-sharp streaks of blood-colored sword energy raced wildly through the air.

Clang-!

At the center of the barrier, two afterimages, one gold and one red, collided with a thunderous crash.

A deafening clash of metal erupted.

Violent shock waves swept outward, cracking the ground inch by inch.

After the exchange, a graceful golden figure was driven several steps back by the tremendous force.

Her stunning face was filled with disbelief and frustration.

It was Qian Renxue.

At that moment, although the Eight-Winged Seraph wings behind her, symbols of holiness and nobility, were fully spread.

They remained pinned close to the ground, utterly unable to lift her into the air.

Under the absolute suppression of Lu Xuan's fourth Soul Skill, Slaughter Barrier, not only were all her stats forcibly reduced by 15%, but she was also subjected to its exceptionally domineering flight prohibition!

The aerial advantage she took such pride in had vanished completely. She could only remain on the ground and trade the most primal, head-on blows with Lu Xuan, whose physical strength was downright monstrous.

"Damn it... what did you grow up eating? How are you this strong?!"

Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, the web of her sword hand already slightly numb from the impacts.

Before this, she had always been able to keep Lu Xuan pinned down without any chance to turn the tables.

Now, however, Lu Xuan had her firmly suppressed.

In contrast, Lu Xuan stood opposite her with the dark-red Asura God Sword in hand, calm and composed, even wearing an effortless smile.

With Unyielding and the barrier's 20% boost to attack and movement speed, he was like a tireless god of slaughter.

He pressed forward step by step, holding an absolutely overwhelming advantage.

"Qian Renxue, if this is all you've got, you're going to lose today."

Lu Xuan chuckled, spun the Asura God Sword into a sharp flourish, and closed in again.

"Don't get carried away! Blazing Angel Domain, activate!"

A trace of stubbornness flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes. Left with no other choice, she suddenly shouted.

In an instant, dazzling holy golden light burst from her without restraint, like a blazing sun fallen into the mortal world.

Sacred flames burned fiercely, attempting to purify and melt the thick, blood-colored barrier around her with ultimate light.

Although her Innate Domain could not display its full power without her Martial Soul Avatar.

It could only impose a certain degree of restriction and weakening.

Yet those sacred flames still frantically eroded Lu Xuan's Soul Power, attempting to suppress his soaring stats once more.

"A contest of domains? I'm not afraid of you."

At the sight, Lu Xuan did not retreat. Instead, the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even more fervent.

"Asura Domain, suppress!"

Boom-!

A dark-red aura of slaughter, purer and more bone-chilling than the Slaughter Barrier, erupted with Lu Xuan at its center.

The Asura God Sword's innate domain was unleashed without restraint at that moment.

That materialized killing intent transformed into a roaring blood-colored dragon, tearing apart the spreading holy golden light with a single savage bite!

The domains of the two God-level Martial Souls scraped and collided violently in midair, producing waves of heart-shaking rumbles.

With the force of a gale sweeping away rotten wood, the Asura Domain forcibly canceled out the Angel Domain's effects and suppressed it in turn!

"How is that possible..."

Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes widened. Feeling her domain collapse, towering waves surged through her heart.

But she had, after all, trained under Qian Daoliu since childhood.

Seeing her domain broken, she instantly made the third yellow Soul Ring behind her blaze with light.

"Angel's Blade!"

Qian Renxue swung the Angel Holy Sword in her hand.

In an instant, hundreds upon thousands of golden blades burning with sacred flames materialized out of thin air.

Like a golden storm of metal, they swept toward Lu Xuan, blotting out the sky and sealing every route of retreat.

"Just what I wanted!"

Lu Xuan laughed loudly, and the second deep-purple Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

"Second Soul Skill-Blood Moon Wave!"

The Asura God Sword swept fiercely upward, sending a densely condensed, crescent-shaped wave of blood-colored sword energy several dozen feet long howling forth.

This sword energy carried terrifying penetrative power capable of tearing through everything.

Like a falling blood-colored crescent moon, it slammed into the golden rain of swords filling the sky.

Bang, bang, bang, bang-!

A dense barrage of shattering sounds rang throughout the training grounds.

Wherever the Blood Moon Wave passed, those sacred blades were shattered one after another like fragile glass.

They scattered into golden motes that filled the air.

At the very instant Qian Renxue's attention was briefly drawn to the light erupting from the Blood Moon Wave, the first purple Soul Ring beneath Lu Xuan's feet was already flashing.

"First Soul Skill-Instant Annihilation Slash!"

Whoosh!

Lu Xuan vanished from where he stood, moving so fast that the naked eye could not follow him.

When he reappeared, he had already darted before Qian Renxue like a phantom.

The dark-red Asura God Sword descended mercilessly toward her head, carrying a ferocious momentum that would brook no retreat!

The armor-piercing sharpness accompanying it even sent waves of stinging pain across Qian Renxue's skin.

Too fast!

Caught off guard, Qian Renxue had no time to bring her guard back.

She could only watch helplessly as that enormous sword, reeking of blood, grew endlessly larger in her pupils.

At this critical instant, a tall, imposing figure appeared between them without warning.

A crisp, clear ting- rang out.

Qian Daoliu extended two fingers and casually caught Lu Xuan's tremendously powerful strike between them.

"All right, that's enough sparring."

Qian Daoliu released his fingers, his gentle voice echoing through the empty training grounds.

As he looked at the two panting youngsters before him, undisguisable pride and gratification shone in his deep eyes.

"Little Xuan won this round."

Hearing her grandfather's verdict, Qian Renxue withdrew her Martial Soul, her beautiful face flushing bright red.

She stared fixedly at Lu Xuan.

She recalled how she had mocked him just a few months ago for being "so bad," yet now he had utterly crushed her in every aspect of a head-on fight.

The stark reversal left the proud girl choking with frustration.

"Hmph! Don't celebrate too soon. I'm going to train right now. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west-don't look down on a young girl just because she's poor! Just you wait!"

Qian Renxue stamped her foot indignantly and, after throwing out those defiant words.

Abruptly turned and walked out of the training grounds without looking back.

Watching Qian Renxue's somewhat discomfited retreating figure.

Lu Xuan slowly put away the Asura God Sword and let out a long, stale breath, the corners of his mouth finally curling upward uncontrollably.

"Heh heh heh..."

That felt good! So damn good!

Ever since returning from hunting his fourth Soul Ring, the very first thing he had done was demand this all-out sparring match with Qian Renxue.

All so he could thoroughly reclaim the face he had lost getting beaten over the past few months.

The facts proved that he had succeeded.

Today, Qian Renxue had thoroughly witnessed what an overpowered monster combining "stats and mechanics" looked like.

With his stats utterly overwhelming hers, Qian Renxue was no longer any match for him.

So this is the appeal of stats...

Lu Xuan marveled inwardly.

Previously, with only the mechanics of a God-level Martial Soul but lacking the Soul Power and physical stats to support them, he could only let Qian Renxue pin him to the ground and grind him into it.

Now that his stats had caught up, he had turned the tables and taken charge!

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue strode briskly through Spirit Hall's corridors, both hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Damn it... damn it! How little time has passed? And this brat can already turn around and pin me down in a fight!"

The battle they had just fought kept replaying in Qian Renxue's mind.

An unprecedented sense of urgency rose within her.

"If I really waste over a decade of my youth going to the Heaven Dou Empire to carry out the Nation-Stealing Plan now."

"Then by the time I return, won't that rotten brat Lu Xuan have me under his heel forever, with no chance of ever turning the tables?!"

At that thought, Qian Renxue abruptly stopped, a flash of resolve crossing her eyes.

"No! Absolutely not! To hell with the Heaven Dou Empire, and to hell with the Nation-Stealing Plan!"

At that moment, Qian Renxue completely abandoned the idea of going undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Now, only one utterly pure, fiercely burning obsession remained in her mind.

Stay in Spirit Hall, train like mad, and then pin that arrogant Lu Xuan firmly beneath her once more!