Xiao Chen: The Love God was still far too overpowered.

The instant he finished speaking, Xiao Chen stopped dawdling and opened with zero startup frames, his Wither Martial Soul possessing him in a flash.

Faint black mist wreathed his body, giving off an aura of destruction and death. Eroded by that aura, the surrounding vegetation instantly withered and died.

"Wither Head!"

Dark Soul Power gathered in Xiao Chen's hand, rapidly taking shape as a hideous skull.

Carrying an aura that could destroy heaven and earth, the Wither Head blasted straight toward Gu Yue, moving as fast as lightning and reaching her in an instant.

Gu Yue's expression changed sharply at the sight. Now she could feel how strange and dangerous Xiao Chen's Martial Soul was.

But she had never expected Xiao Chen's attack to come so quickly-so quickly that she had no time even to react.

Not daring to be careless in the slightest, Gu Yue hurriedly mobilized what little Soul Power remained within her, instantly forming a thick ice wall before her.

The ice wall was crystalline and translucent throughout, its surface covered in fine patterns of ice. It radiated bone-piercing cold as it tried to block the sudden attack.

But in the next second, something she could scarcely believe happened.

The instant the Wither Head struck the ice wall, it smashed the wall to pieces, scattering countless tiny fragments of ice across the ground.

Without losing any momentum, the Wither Head blasted toward Gu Yue, forcing her to use the last of her Spiritual Power to perform spatial teleportation.

Gu Yue vanished from where she stood and reappeared several meters away, only just managing to evade the lethal blow.

Boom-!

The Wither Head struck the spot where Gu Yue had been standing and instantly exploded.

Dark destructive power swept through the surroundings, blasting a deep crater in the ground and consuming all the nearby vegetation.

Although Gu Yue had dodged in time, the blast's shock waves still caught her. She staggered, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth as her face grew even paler.

Gu Yue looked at the crater with lingering fear, a layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out across her back.

She knew perfectly well that if she had reacted even a fraction slower and taken that attack head-on, in her current condition, she would probably have been eliminated from the Spirit Ascension Platform outright, without even a chance to resist.

But the Wither Head was not that simple. Having been caught in the explosion, she received the Wither debuff right on schedule, and Gu Yue immediately panicked.

What kind of freakish Martial Soul was this? What kind of heaven-defying Soul Skill? Was this really a Martial Soul from the Douluo Continent?

This Xiao Chen was far stronger than she had imagined, not someone she could contend with in her current state at all.

To defeat him, she would have to undo her seal just a little, but it was not worth it...

Before Gu Yue could recover, Xiao Chen's next attack descended.

He gave Gu Yue no chance to catch her breath. With a thought from him, the ground beneath her feet suddenly changed.

Countless fine grains of Soul Sand surged out of the ground. The grains were yellowish brown, their surfaces carrying eerie soul fluctuations. This was his second Soul Skill-Soul Sand Devour.

Like chains, the Soul Sand rapidly wound around Gu Yue's feet, binding her tightly in place.

The grains pressed against Gu Yue's skin, eroding her Soul Power and Spiritual Power, making her whole body stiffen until even moving her feet became exceptionally difficult.

Alarmed, Gu Yue hurriedly mobilized the earth-element Soul Power within her, trying to control the Soul Sand and break free of its restraints.

But no matter how she mobilized her Soul Power, the Soul Sand clung like festering sores burrowing into bone, completely beyond her control. Instead, it wound tighter and tighter, its erosive power growing ever stronger.

She could clearly feel her Soul Power being rapidly devoured and her mind becoming increasingly unfocused. The sight of Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi being eliminated outright after that eerie sand enveloped them instantly surfaced in her mind.

She had lost...

"You lost."

Xiao Chen's voice rang out flatly, without the slightest ripple, yet it struck Gu Yue's heart like a heavy hammer.

Gu Yue clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. The pain kept her last shred of awareness intact. She knew perfectly well that she had indeed lost, completely and utterly, without any possibility of turning things around.

If Xiao Chen had gone one step further just now, she would probably have been eliminated from the Spirit Ascension Platform outright.

Seeing this, Xiao Chen did not continue attacking. With a thought, the Soul Sand wrapped around Gu Yue's feet instantly dispersed, vanishing without a trace.

The instant the restraints released her, Gu Yue staggered back several steps and steadied herself. The way she looked at Xiao Chen had changed completely. Her former arrogance and disdain had vanished entirely, replaced by shock and unwillingness to accept defeat.

She simply could not understand it. She was the Silver Dragon King. Even in poor condition, she should not have been defeated so easily by a human boy-and in such an overwhelming defeat that she had not even had a chance to resist.

Gu Yue took a deep breath, suppressing her unwillingness and humiliation, then raised her eyes to Xiao Chen and asked somewhat stiffly:

"Then did I pass?"

As long as she could pass the assessment, join the Spirit Pagoda, and carry out her plan, something as trivial as losing to a human did not matter! It absolutely did not matter!

Hearing this, Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly:

"I'm not the examiner. Na'er is."

Na'er had been in charge of this verification all along. He had merely accompanied her to lend a hand; the final decision rested with Na'er.

Hearing this, Na'er's eyes immediately lit up. She hurried forward, a smug smile on her face and a playful note in her voice:

"Hehe, I dragged my brother along to help. I'm the only examiner here."

Looking at Gu Yue's stifled, resentful expression, she secretly found it funny. At last, she could finally vent her anger. That was what Gu Yue got for sending Ferocious Beasts to hunt her down-she could enjoy her just deserts.

Na'er patted Gu Yue's shoulder, her tone casual yet somewhat deliberate. "You passed. I already told you before, little sister Gu Yue. Cheer up."

The words "little sister Gu Yue" stabbed viciously into Gu Yue's heart like needles, instantly setting off her already pent-up feelings. Her face flushed bright red.

She had racked her brains and exhausted every effort trying to pass the assessment, only to discover in the end that a single word from Na'er could decide whether she stayed or left.

All her earlier plans had gone to waste. Like a clown, she had walked into Na'er's setup.

Fine. Very good, Na'er. You deliberately made a fool of me!

Fury churned within Gu Yue as she stared fixedly at Na'er, her eyes full of anger.

She actually dared to call her "little sister Gu Yue."

Little sister, my ass!

Looking at Gu Yue's face reddening with anger, Na'er grew even more pleased with herself. She blinked in feigned innocence and continued:

"What's wrong, little sister Gu Yue? Didn't I let you pass? You should be thanking me."

Gu Yue took a deep breath and forcibly calmed the anger in her heart.

She turned to look at Xiao Chen, and an idea suddenly struck her. Na'er cared so much about this human, so...

At that thought, the anger on Gu Yue's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a deliberately gentle expression. She looked at Xiao Chen and said to Na'er:

"All right! Examiner Na'er's brother is so strong. Would Examiner Na'er be interested in introducing him to me?"

She deliberately acted as though she wanted to get close to Xiao Chen, wanting to test how much he mattered to Na'er.

At those words, the smile on Na'er's face instantly froze. She hurriedly stepped forward and stood in front of Xiao Chen:

"Don't even think about setting your sights on my brother! He wouldn't give you the time of day!"

Heh, she was hissing now.

Looking at Na'er's nervous manner, Gu Yue inwardly scoffed, keeping a gentle smile on her face:

"What's this, Examiner Na'er? Your brother is so nice. Wouldn't that give me someone to look out for me in the Spirit Pagoda?"

"Who wants to look out for you?!"

Looking at the nervous Na'er before her, Gu Yue grew increasingly pleased with herself, even feeling somewhat proud of her own cleverness.

Since Na'er cared so much about Xiao Chen, she would insist on getting close to him. The more Na'er objected, the more it proved she was doing the right thing!

Standing to one side, Xiao Chen fell silent as he watched the two facing off, neither giving an inch.

Unbeatable, this Douluo Continent.

Unbeatable, this Silver Dragon King.

Unbeatable, this Love God.