"Clang!"
The sound of a longsword leaving its sheath rang out again. This time was completely different from his earlier fight with Chen Xin. His condition had been imperfect then, even though he had indeed activated both domains.
But those had only been weakened versions. He had not even used Fufu's power back then. Without Fufu's power or the blessing of Splendor of Tranquil Waters, Clear Abyss of the Azure Stream was fundamentally incomplete.
And that shameless old geezer had even activated his Martial Soul Avatar.
Now, however, things were different. Gu Rong was forbidden from using his Martial Soul Avatar, and Chen Xin's meaning was obvious.
This old fellow could take a beating. Whatever dirty tricks you had, just use them all. There was no need to worry about injuring him. Even if he really got hurt, that only meant his training was inadequate.
The enlarged Splendor of Tranquil Waters stabbed straight into Gu Rong's palm.
Feeling the terrifying force coming from it and the stabbing pain in his palm, the corners of Gu Rong's mouth could not help twitching twice.
You Old Sword Man, setting up your old friend like this.
Gu Rong felt his already suppressed strength being suppressed even further after the two Domain Expansions.
With that last strike, he had felt something indescribable enter his body and begin frantically disrupting the circulation of his Soul Power.
"Clang!"
The sound of a longsword leaving its sheath rang out again.
Three longswords formed from flowing water slammed into Gu Rong with tremendous force. By now, however, Gu Rong had activated his Martial Soul, and black-and-white currents surged around him.
Even so, the force of those three swords still made his body sway several times.
With a Titled Douluo-level super punching bag and Chen Xin's instructions, Lin Xing pulled out every trick he had. He even used moves that had previously been mere ideas, never truly practiced or used.
Gu Rong felt a chill around his feet. Looking down, he discovered that a layer of water had spread beneath them at some point.
The water had already risen to his calves, and it truly was nothing but ordinary water, not an effect produced by a Soul Skill or domain.
Thus, Gu Rong had not guarded against it. The water spread up to his calves, and then he felt a stabbing pain wherever it had reached.
It felt as though he were standing in a pit formed from countless steel needles.
And his Soul Power encountered a very distinct sluggishness as it flowed through his legs.
"Bone Prison!"
Gu Rong finally used a Soul Skill, but within the domain, its effect was practically nonexistent.
Apart from a few white bone spikes growing out of the ground around him, nothing else changed at all.
The corners of Gu Rong's mouth twitched. Feeling the restrictions on his Soul Skill, he did not know what to say for a moment.
Continuing this battle of attrition was meaningless. Gu Rong was the strongest defense-type Soul Master on the continent. Even under layer upon layer of restrictions, his defense remained the strongest.
But strong defense was one thing. It did not mean Gu Rong could fully contend with and counter Lin Xing's Intent as Chen Xin could.
"Judgment and Ruling!"
Throwing Splendor of Tranquil Waters from his hand again, Lin Xing used this five-star divine weapon as the base material to unleash Judgment and Ruling.
To maximize this move's power, Lin Xing simply withdrew Clear Abyss of the Azure Stream. Or, more precisely, he compressed Clear Abyss of the Azure Stream without limit, ultimately imbuing Splendor of Tranquil Waters with it.
He poured all his Intent and Soul Power into it in one go. With the Court of Surging Conviction restricting Gu Rong, his opponent could only take this move head-on.
And without being able to use his Martial Soul Avatar, even Gu Rong could forget about emerging unscathed from this Judgment and Ruling, which used Splendor of Tranquil Waters as its vessel and held more than half of Lin Xing's strength.
Watching Splendor of Tranquil Waters descend overhead with terrifying pressure, and sensing the Intent rampaging through his body, Gu Rong admitted that he had been careless this time.
"Second Soul Skill: Bone Dragon Armor!"
"Fifth Soul Skill: Bone Dragon Phantom!"
"Sixth Soul Skill: Black Dragon Profound Nether Formation!"
He unleashed three Soul Skills in succession.
First, a suit of armor made from white bones appeared on Gu Rong's body. Then two bone dragons materialized, circling at his sides. Finally, the surrounding space was tugged like a curtain.
The two bone dragon phantoms circled a beam of spatial light and met Splendor of Tranquil Waters as it fell from high above.
Honestly, in terms of sheer might and raw power alone, Lin Xing's Judgment and Ruling could not match these two moves into which Gu Rong had poured a great deal of Soul Power.
But this Judgment and Ruling contained more than half his Intent. With the power of Splendor of Tranquil Waters, they could produce a force greater than the sum of their parts.
Splendor of Tranquil Waters would break through Gu Rong's two great Soul Skills, and then, empowered by Intent, its killing power would be raised without limit.
The result was beyond doubt. Gu Rong's Soul Skills locked into a stalemate with Splendor of Tranquil Waters, but under the multiple layers of restrictions, Gu Rong had now been suppressed below rank seventy. Without his Martial Soul Avatar, and with his Soul Power restricted...
He simply could not do what Chen Xin had done and rely on absolute suppression to send even a brick flying through sheer force. As he was now, he could not contend with Splendor of Tranquil Waters.
After a stalemate lasting more than ten breaths, Splendor of Tranquil Waters broke through Gu Rong's Soul Skills and fell.
"Old Sword Man, this isn't over!"
Gu Rong finally lost his composure. This old fellow never thought of him when something good came along, yet always remembered him whenever there was trouble.
Terrifying black-and-white Soul Power rose around Gu Rong's hands, and he used them to catch Splendor of Tranquil Waters head-on as it bore down with incomparable might and Intent.
"Boom!"
The domain dispersed, and dust billowed everywhere.
Lin Xing calmly reached up and brushed the dust off his body.
A gust of wind swept past, blowing away the dust and fully revealing the scene to everyone.
The smile had never left Chen Xin's face, while Ning Fengzhi stared over in utter shock.
Although he had long been mentally prepared, he was still deeply shocked when he first saw the situation.
Gu Rong held one hand behind his back, while the other hung limply, blood dripping continuously from his palm.
Unlike Gu Rong, Chen Xin had only blocked Splendor of Tranquil Waters so easily the first time because Lin Xing's control over his power had been far too poor then, and he had neither Intent nor domains.
With none of those things present, Chen Xin had been able to rely on the absolute suppression of his rank and Soul Power to catch Splendor of Tranquil Waters easily between two fingers.
But this time was different. Restricted on multiple fronts, Gu Rong had not even been able to unleash thirty percent of his strength, which was why he had suffered such a heavy loss.
"Thank you for the match, Senior Bone Douluo!"
Gu Rong's face twitched. He was not angry with Lin Xing for injuring him. He was not about to vent his anger on a child.
"Old Sword Man, was this your plan? To watch me make a fool of myself?"
Chen Xin stepped forward without a change in expression.
"If your skills fall short, they fall short. Old Bones, you're still too weak. Even my disciple could injure you this badly. I don't think you're worthy of sparring with me anymore."
"You'd better go train for another eight or ten years."
Gu Rong's eyelids twitched wildly. He no longer suppressed his Soul Power, and the true might of a Titled Douluo erupted in full.
"Come on! Let's find somewhere to fight one-on-one!"