At the very instant Lu Xuan finished speaking.
A vast, majestic voice thundered without warning through his Sea of Consciousness:
[Asura Nine Trials, Third Trial. Find the meaning of wielding a sword. Completed.] [Reward: Asura God Affinity increased by 20%, Soul Power increased by 5 levels. Total affinity: 45%.]
With the descent of that divine voice.
The aura around Lu Xuan began surging wildly without restraint, like a volcano long suppressed!
The five levels of Soul Power awarded by the Divine Trial poured into his originally level-88 reserves like a flood bursting through a dam.
In the blink of an eye, his true Soul Power reserves broke through the Level 90 threshold and reached level 93!
But because he had yet to absorb his ninth Soul Ring.
When the Soul Power fluctuations erupting from him climbed to the threshold of level 90.
They turned into a blood-colored blaze so thick it seemed solid, holding at that peak.
Standing opposite him, Chen Xin's previously indifferent eyes abruptly narrowed.
As a Super Douluo, how could he fail to detect the change in that aura?
This was no eruption of previously concealed cultivation, but a genuine breakthrough in the midst of battle!
"Good, good, good!"
Chen Xin said "good" three times in succession.
His face, previously as still as an ancient well, actually revealed fervent battle intent and profound gratification.
"It has been a long time since I last saw a junior as astonishingly gifted as you! Today, I shall show you the true Seven Kill!"
Before his words faded, two yellow, two purple, and five black Soul Rings rose one after another beneath Chen Xin's feet-nine rings in the optimal configuration.
The Seven Kill Sword in his hand rang out with a cry that pierced the clouds, as though cheering at its master's excitement.
"Layers of Sword Shadows!"
The fourth Soul Ring behind Chen Xin abruptly shone.
The Seven Kill Sword in his hand blazed with blue light, its incomparably sharp Soul Power splitting apart in an instant.
It transformed into hundreds upon thousands of azure longswords wreathed in tangible sword energy.
Every one was identical to the Seven Kill Sword itself.
They darted wildly around Chen Xin, whipping up hurricanes of sword energy like raging dragons.
They tore through the air and swept toward Lu Xuan to shred him, with the force of snapping rotten wood!
Faced with the blade storm blotting out the sky, Lu Xuan advanced instead of retreating.
The dazzling blood-red sixth Soul Ring behind him erupted with towering bloody light.
"Sword Severs Mountains and Rivers!"
An ultimate edge suddenly burst from the Asura God Sword, as though it could cleave heaven and earth in two.
Its terrifying pressure made the surrounding space crack beneath the unbearable strain.
Fine black fissures in space flickered in and out of sight around the blade.
Gripping his sword with both hands, Lu Xuan met the hurricane of sword energy and brought it down in a fierce slash!
Boom-!
With a single stroke, heaven and earth changed color!
The raging blood-colored sword energy fell like a blood moon, forcibly cleaving apart the sword shadows filling the sky.
Dust billowed all around, and shattered stones shot through the air.
Even the towering mountains beneath the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect trembled violently under that blow.
"What a fine sword!"
Watching his sword shadows shatter beneath a single strike, Chen Xin showed not the slightest annoyance. Instead, his eyes brimmed with pure admiration.
He drew a deep breath, and the seventh Soul Ring behind him erupted with brilliant black light.
"Junior, watch my sword closely! My body is a sword, Body and Sword as One!"
In an instant, Chen Xin's body turned into a streak of light and merged completely with the Seven Kill Sword.
The originally three-foot blade swelled in an instant into a sky-supporting giant sword dozens of meters long.
Its entire length blazed with blue light too dazzling to look at directly, like a blade of judgment sent down by a god.
Before the main hall on the distant main peak.
Ning Fengzhi stood with his hands behind his back.
Watching the enormous blue sword in midair, his eyes flickered with deep calculation and shock:
"Uncle Jian has actually used even this move... It seems this young man is no creature destined to remain in a pond."
"If I could persuade this boy to join our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the sect's future would surely..."
Just then, the giant Seven Kill Sword in midair let out a shriek that tore through the heavens.
Bearing boundless sharpness, as though it would slice open the firmament itself, it slashed down at Lu Xuan's head!
Lu Xuan lifted his head, the fierce wind whipping his black hair into a frenzy.
His seventh and sixth Soul Rings shone in concert behind him.
"Martial Soul Avatar! Sword Shatters the Firmament!"
Though Lu Xuan did not know Body and Sword as One, he possessed the supreme dominance of Asura.
The Asura God Sword swelled into the wind.
It became a blood-colored giant sword spanning heaven and earth.
With the wild arrogance to cut through all illusion, it surged upward to meet the giant Seven Kill Sword!
Rumble-!!!
Two apocalyptic torrents of sword energy, one red and one blue, crashed together above the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
For a moment, heaven and earth fell silent, and the blinding light briefly robbed everyone of sight.
The terrifying storm of sword energy turned into rings of visible ripples, sweeping wildly in every direction.
Just as the shock waves were about to reach the sect's buildings below.
A deep black light abruptly shone from the depths of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
It transformed into an enormous bone shield, blocking every strand of sword energy pouring down.
A hunched old man, skeletal in appearance, silently appeared beside Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Uncle Gu!"
"What sort of monster is that sword-boned fellow fighting?"
"The power of that sword has already reached the baseline he uses when sparring with me!"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong's brows were tightly knitted, his deeply sunken eyes filled with astonishment.
He stared fixedly at the two immense torrents of sword energy constantly colliding in midair.
"A young man with eight rings." Ning Fengzhi gave a bitter smile.
"His Soul Ring Configuration is nothing a normal human could possess."
"To be precise, this man is only one Soul Ring away from becoming a Titled Douluo!"
As a veteran powerhouse at the pinnacle, Gu Rong saw through the situation at a glance, but that only made him all the more shocked.
"But even with such deep reserves, to match that sword-boned fellow in his Martial Soul Avatar and Body and Sword as One state with level-90 Soul Power alone..."
"When did such a freak emerge in the Soul Master World?!"
The battle high in the firmament had reached a fever pitch.
Lu Xuan knew full well that against a Super Douluo, a prolonged battle would inevitably end in defeat.
His next stroke had to decide the victor!
His eyes turned pure blood-red at that moment, his sharpness fully revealed, like Asura descended upon the world.
"One stroke severs life, Life-Severing Slash!"
Opposite him, Chen Xin also sensed that life-threatening aura.
Holding nothing back, the ninth black Soul Ring behind him flared to life, erupting with the deepest light.
"God-Demon Dual Slash!"
One red, one blue.
Two rays of light representing the pinnacle of swordsmanship in this world intertwined and collided in midair without any embellishment!
Boom-!!!
This collision brought no deafening roar, only a deathly silence in which the greatest sound was soundless.
The earth shuddered violently, and the clouds in the sky were swept away in an instant.
Everyone raised their heads in terror, only to see that within that expanse of empty space.
Those two ultimate sword intents had forcibly carved out a pitch-black sword scar that would not heal for a long time!
After a long while, the dazzling light finally faded.
In midair, Chen Xin had already left his Body and Sword as One form.
He panted heavily, his once-spotless snow-white robes now torn in many places.
His neatly bound silver hair had also come loose, streaming wildly in the wind.
Yet his eyes, fixed on Lu Xuan, burned with unprecedented exhilaration and brightness.
Opposite him, Lu Xuan still stood with his sword in hand.
His expression was as calm as water, though traces of crimson blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth.
His black clothes had likewise been torn by sword energy, exposing skin covered in fine bloody cuts.
But his back remained perfectly straight, like a sharp sword that would never break.
The two gazed at each other across the sky, while deathly silence filled heaven and earth.
"Good... What a stroke to sever life!" Chen Xin suddenly burst into laughter, his voice filled with boundless freedom and heroic spirit.
He looked at Lu Xuan, his tone solemn and earnest:
"Junior, the future is yours. If you are willing, I can hand over the title 'Sword Douluo' to you today!"
At those words, Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong both drew sharp breaths below.
Sword Douluo was not merely a title, but the symbol of the greatest sword under heaven!
Yet faced with this honor that could drive every Soul Master on the continent mad.
Lu Xuan merely put away the Asura God Sword slowly, raised his hands, and solemnly cupped his fist and bowed to Chen Xin.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior." Lu Xuan's calm, firm voice echoed among the mountains.
"But I already have my own goal, and my own path to walk."
With that, Lu Xuan lingered no longer.
He lightly tapped his toes, and the Asura God Sword transformed into a broad blood-colored sword shadow that lifted his body.
As a dazzling streak of bloody light tore across the sky, Lu Xuan's figure became a meteor.
He vanished resolutely beyond the horizon.
Leaving behind only a stunned, speechless Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the faint sword scar still lingering in the firmament.
Before you continue