Ji Juechen and Xu Zhengyang stood facing each other, several dozen meters apart. When Ji Juechen looked at the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear in Xu Zhengyang's hand, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Great gun, truly a great gun. It seems it won't disappoint me."
Ji Juechen, whose gaze had been somewhat unfocused, now radiated an unusual brilliance, even filled with fervor, his entire being resembling a peerless sword about to be unsheathed.
Xu Zhengyang stared intently at the longsword in Ji Juechen's hand, or rather, the longsword was now just a long iron rod. Although this iron rod had no sword shape or blade, it exuded an extremely sharp killing intent, the kind of aura that only a peerless sword could possess.
"A fine sword; though it has no physical form, it possesses the spirit. Truly worthy of being Sword Fanatic."
The referee looked at the two of them and asked, "Are you two ready? If you are, let's begin?"
Ji Juechen gripped the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword with both hands, and five Soul Ring —two yellow, two purple, and one black—instantly appeared. An incomparably sharp aura burst forth from his body, and in that instant, he seemed to merge with the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword into one.
In particular, the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword began to hum slightly under the powerful Soul Power injected by Ji Juechen, and the tip of the sword vibrated slightly, while Ji Juechen's aura also soared at an astonishing speed.
Xu Zhengyang showed no weakness, gripping the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear with both hands. Three Soul Ring —one yellow and two purple—instantly appeared. At the same time, the entire Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear emitted a fiery red aura, like a roaring tiger. A terrifying Spear Intent surged out from the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear, seemingly possessing boundless destructive power.
The two sides reached their peak. Although Ji Juechen's Soul Power was much stronger than Xu Zhengyang's, Xu Zhengyang seemed to be integrated with the entire Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear, like a tiger that had just been released from its cage, domineering, fierce, and even possessing boundless Spear Intent.
At this moment, the two were evenly matched in terms of aura, as if all their auras were about to condense into a physical form. Ji Juechen was like a peerless sword, as if with one strike, the earth would shatter.
Xu Zhengyang, on the other hand, was like a peerless divine spear, seemingly capable of piercing the entire world with a single shot.
In that instant, the two leaped up and charged at each other. Clearly, both knew that neither could overpower the other in terms of momentum, and if this continued, there would be no clear winner.
Ji Juechen gripped his sword with both hands, like a terrifying sword shadow. His eyes, in particular, were like lightning. In the next moment, his entire body moved like a strange ray of light, like a long sword, and quickly rushed towards Xu Zhengyang.
But Xu Zhengyang was not afraid at all. His long-accumulated aura suddenly exploded, and the entire air seemed to be shattered instantly. A terrifying roar was emitted, and the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear was like a fierce tiger, rushing straight at Ji Juechen who was coming towards him. This was Xu Zhengyang's Self-Created Soul Skill: Tiger Roars in the Mountains and Forests.
In the blink of an eye, Xu Zhengyang's Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear clashed with Ji Juechen's Meteorite Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword. Neither side would give way, as if they both wanted to tear the other apart. Xu Zhengyang even felt an extremely sharp aura rushing straight into his entire body, as if he were about to be cut into pieces.
At that moment, Ji Juechen's body suddenly changed. He gripped the sword with both hands and turned around. The Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword swept out fiercely, and a terrifying Sword Intent burst out instantly. Even though it was just a simple movement, it was as if it were done by nature. Even the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword, which had no blade, seemed to have transformed into an incomparably sharp sword at this moment.
Xu Zhengyang showed no weakness, sweeping his spear fiercely with a move called " Divine Dragon Swings Its Tail," causing the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear and the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword to clash once more, still evenly matched.
In just a few breaths, Xu Zhengyang's Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear and Ji Juechen's Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword had clashed countless times. Each strike was as fast as lightning and filled with boundless killing intent, displaying the most original and purest Sword Intent and Spear Intent.
The powerful Spear Intent and Sword Intent swept across a radius of dozens of meters between the two, as if the air itself had been torn apart and distorted. Even the host and the teachers in the audience were filled with astonishment.
With a shout from both of them, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear and the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword clashed again, instantly producing a loud explosion. Centered on the two of them, the area within a radius of tens of meters began to crack and even collapse.
Xu Zhengyang and Ji Juechen both retreated dozens of meters, their eyes extremely solemn, like two fierce beasts that had been fighting for a long time and were not at a disadvantage.
A trickle of blood flowed from Ji Juechen's tiger's mouth, while Xu Zhengyang's left sleeve was cut off. Judging from the current state of the battle, the two were almost evenly matched, but Xu Zhengyang's Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear seemed to be of much higher quality than the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword.
Since he started using his Soul Power to nourish the spear, Xu Zhengyang has held the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear every day, no longer retracting it into his body as he would with other Martial Soul. The connection between the two has become increasingly close, like intimate comrades-in-arms, like a single entity.
Especially after being infused with the Gold of Life, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear seemed to become even stronger, as if it possessed a special vitality and could come back to life at any moment.
Just now, Xu Zhengyang and Ji Juechen fought with all their might, both of them bringing their weapons to the extreme. It was obvious that Ji Juechen's Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword was faster and his moves were more agile, but Xu Zhengyang's Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear was heavier and had greater destructive power, which is why he had a slight advantage when they fought with all their might.
Ji Juechen let out a loud shout, and all five of his Soul Ring flashed simultaneously, greatly increasing his already powerful aura. It seemed as if his strength had entered a new realm once again.
Indeed, although Ji Juechen is Battle Soul Master, all five of his Soul Skill, like those of Soul Engineer, are Soul Power Amplification Soul Skill. Furthermore, all the moves and skills he uses are Self-Created Soul Skill.
At this moment, Ji Juechen's strength was enhanced to an unprecedented level. The entire Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword shimmered with an extremely terrifying aura, and a terrifying sword aura soared into the sky, as if it would cleave the entire arena in two.
Without hesitation, Xu Zhengyang activated his Second Soul Ring and unleashed a full-force spear strike. This time, Xu Zhengyang poured all his Soul Power into his Second Soul Ring, concentrating all his strength into one point, and thrusting his spear forward with all his might.
With this single strike, the spear transformed into a gigantic phantom of White-Eyed Devil Tiger, radiating a terrifying tiger's roar and exuding an unstoppable momentum, exploding like thunder.
This is Xu Zhengyang's Second Soul Skill: Devil Tiger Destruction Kill. At the same time, he uses his Self-Created Soul Skill, Tyrant's Furious Collapse, which instantly compresses the air, increasing his own attack power by 200% and even weakening the enemy's attack power by 20%.
With both sides unleashing their full power, the terrifying sword energy collided with the tiger shadow emitting a tiger's roar. In that instant, a terrifying explosion resounded from the center of the arena, and the already somewhat damaged arena began to crumble.
When everything returned to calm, Xu Zhengyang leaned on his spear to support himself, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. The long sleeve of his right arm was in pieces, and a hideous sword scar appeared on his right arm, but his eyes were still incredibly cold, like a tiger without any emotion.
Ji Juechen on the opposite side was in a similar state, his face appearing unusually pale. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on his right shoulder, the blood staining his entire upper garment red.
Xu Zhengyang smiled slightly, a feeling of having met his match, and an acknowledgment of strength. "This time we're evenly matched, let's fight again next time."
Ji Juechen looked at the Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword in his hand, a bitter smile appearing on his lips, but it was quickly masked by excitement.
"No, I lost this time. I fought you, Soul Elder, with the strength of Soul King, and a draw is already a loss. When you reach the Soul Ancestor, or even the Soul King level, we'll fight again, and the result will definitely be different then."
"Moreover, I clearly sense that you are still holding back. There is something in your spear that terrifies my sword. Your strength is definitely much greater than what I have shown so far."
After saying this, Ji Juechen left the arena, while Xu Zhengyang smiled bitterly, shook his head, and also left.
Xu Zhengyang did hold back this time, at least he didn't use his Third Soul Skill. But the Third Soul Skill is no longer a pure spear technique. In addition to the sharp attack of the spear, it also has a certain spatial attribute. Using it in this most basic confrontation would be a bit too underhanded.
This was a pure battle, with both sides pushing their spear and sword techniques to the limit without relying on any external aids. What terrified Ji Juechen's Extraterrestrial Meteoric Iron Sword was the Gold of Life infused into the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear. The Gold of Life had the effect of erasing all life, surpassing all the powers in the Douluo World. Unfortunately, Xu Zhengyang was not yet able to comprehend or use it.
Everyone present was stunned. They never expected to witness such a fierce battle under these circumstances. They never imagined that Ji Juechen, known as the Sword Fanatic, would be defeated by a second-year student.
The teachers present were even more amazed. Ji Juechen had reached the Soul King realm, and his strength was definitely the best in the entire Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the chief of the Practical Control Department. He even had a record of defeating Soul Emperor multiple times. Few students in the academy could match him.
But now, a level 38 Soul Elder can actually fight Ji Juechen to a draw. Doesn't that mean Xu Zhengyang is currently the strongest student in the entire Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy? Even those senior Soul Engineer, with the help of Soul Tool, would probably find it difficult to defeat Xu Zhengyang. Such terrifying combat power is simply unimaginable. If Xu Zhengyang were to cultivate to the Soul King realm, or even higher, just how strong would he become?
Even Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen looked at Xu Zhengyang as if he were a monster. The two of them had fought against Xu Zhengyang many times together, and although they had always ended in a crushing defeat, they always felt that they could at least catch up.
Judging from the battle between Xu Zhengyang and Ji Juechen today, Xu Zhengyang hadn't used his full strength in his previous fights against them; in fact, it could be said that he held back most of his power. Is it possible for them to surpass Xu Zhengyang in the future?
Meng Hongchen was even a little stunned. "Brother, Xu Zhengyang is so strong! I feel like I admire him more and more."
Xu Zhengyang ignored the situation outside and went straight back to his dormitory. He sat on his bed and carefully reviewed the battle that day, examining every detail. In terms of their use of marksmanship and swordsmanship, the two were evenly matched.
But Ji Juechen is the one who truly created something from nothing, cultivating from a Soul Master with Innate Soul Power Level 3 to his current level. The hardship of his cultivation process is absolutely unimaginable, especially his unique method of infusing the soul into the sword, which can be called the greatest miracle in the Soul Master World.
In a sense, I have learned from Ji Juechen's cultivation methods in order to reach this level in such a short time. It is through today's battle that I can truly feel Ji Juechen's dedication to the sword, to fighting, and to becoming stronger.
"Perhaps this battle means far more to me than the increase in Soul Power, and far more than those so-called opportunities."