As soon as Ye Lingtian finished speaking, he casually raised his wrist. A pale cyan sword beam shot through the air from his fingertips.
The sword beam swept overhead, skimming past the heads of more than a thousand newly recruited disciples. The clouds and mist that had been churning and swirling around the mountain peak were cleaved clean in two, and the howling mountain wind vanished without a trace in an instant.
The Ascension Platform, which had been faintly noisy moments before, fell so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping. Everyone held their breath, not daring to breathe loudly as they stared overhead in terror. That effortless display had indeed cowed them into complete submission.
The elders on the raised platform, however, were not surprised in the least. Instead, they stroked their beards and began chatting among themselves.
Yao Qingtang spoke first. "Just look at that boy. His sword intent is growing more and more refined. He hasn't even touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul Stage, yet that casual strike was as powerful as my full-strength blow at Golden Core Perfection back then. You can't find a fault with that control."
Mo Changfeng snorted, though he couldn't hide the admiration at the corners of his mouth. "A natural-born sword prodigy really is different. He's reached this point after only fifty years in the sect. When we were his age, we were still scrambling around in the Foundation Establishment Stage."
"Young people these days are going to leave old bones like us washed up on the beach."
Liu Hao stroked his beard and laughed. "He was only thirteen or fourteen when Junior Sister Xie took him in. How many years has it been? He can already take charge on his own and preside over the Ascension Assembly. Sword-Seeking Peak really struck it lucky."
The elders nodded in agreement, full of admiration and envy.
Standing among the rows of newcomers, Qian Renxue looked at the tall, straight-backed Ye Lingtian in his cyan robes atop the platform, and her heart skipped another beat.
She was one of the Douluo Continent's foremost prodigies, with an Angel Martial Soul and innate Soul Power of level twenty. She had held the position of Heaven Dou Crown Prince for decades. What sort of important figure had she not seen?
Yet only now did she understand that a prodigy from another world could be so formidable. A casual strike from him was several times stronger than her full-strength effort.
The sight caused another stir among the people of the Douluo Continent.
On Shrek Square, Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and exclaimed softly, "Isn't he amazing? It's one thing for him to be good-looking, but he's so strong too. He can't be much older than us, can he?"
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat, put on the airs of a Grandmaster again, and stroked his nonexistent beard as he spoke. "Strong he may be, but the Primordial Sect indulges demonic cultivators and does nothing when they slaughter cities. It's rotten at the root."
"No matter how strong this prodigy is, he can't compare to my Tang San. Tang San endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden to infiltrate the demon's den, with a righteous cause in his heart. How could a prodigy raised by a sect like that compare?"
Flender and Liu Erlong immediately chimed in, filling Yu Xiaogang's vanity a little more.
Ning Fengzhi no longer had time to listen to his self-aggrandizing words. He couldn't help looking at Chen Xin beside him. Chen Xin called himself Sword Douluo and cultivated the sword as well; Ning Fengzhi wondered what he thought of the sight.
"A sword cultivator. A true sword cultivator." Hearing Ning Fengzhi's question, Chen Xin was silent for a while before answering with conviction.
Chen Xin knew that although he prided himself on being a sword cultivator, he was essentially still a Soul Master who used Soul Power to attack. The man on the heavenly screen, on the other hand, was a true sword cultivator.
At the thought, Chen Xin's eyes lit up. If only he could go to that world. Then he could truly become a sword cultivator, instead of being the half-filled pot he was now.
Meanwhile, in the Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu drew a sharp breath at the sight of the strike.
"A divine skill. That's power only a god could possess." Qian Daoliu could hardly believe that a casual strike from such a young man could rival a god's.
Didn't that mean the others on the raised platform were even more terrifying?
"Heavens, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Did he split the clouds with a wave of his hand?" In the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Xue Ye asked his ministers, his face full of shock.
After the ministers confirmed it, Xue Ye swallowed silently. "Could gods really exist? Such terrifying power shouldn't exist in this world at all."
As the ruler of a nation, Xue Ye had never believed that one person's power could surpass that of an entire nation. No matter how strong a Titled Douluo was, could one be stronger than an army of a hundred thousand?
As for the gods of legend, he had put them on a high shelf, never believing such things could exist at all.
But now, Ye Lingtian's strike had utterly convinced him, and he couldn't help wondering what he would do if a powerhouse like that really did exist in this world.
Ye Lingtian had no idea that his casual strike would throw the Douluo Continent into turmoil. After cowing everyone present, he swept his gaze around.
Just as he was about to speak, a dazzling figure flashed before his eyes.
"Blond hair? A barbarian?" There was only one blond woman in the crowd, and Ye Lingtian couldn't help taking an extra look before withdrawing his gaze.
For Ye Lingtian, it was mere curiosity, but for Qian Renxue, it was a different matter. She had yet to adjust her thinking and didn't know how conspicuous her blond hair was here.
All she knew was that the man seemed to have given her an extra look.
Why did he look at me? Qian Renxue pondered. As the saying went, there were three great illusions in life: the phone was ringing, I could turn the tables, and finally, they liked me. Qian Renxue was in that state now.
People really shouldn't let their thoughts run wild. Once they did, they were liable to have thoughts they shouldn't.
Ye Lingtian continued presiding over the Ascension Assembly, having the newcomers step forward one by one to have their Spiritual Roots tested, as the rules required.
But when the people of the Douluo Continent saw the sphere in front of them, they were stunned.
Its perfectly round, lustrous appearance was the very image of the Innate Awakening Stone used for Martial Soul Awakening on the Douluo Continent.
Yu Xiaogang saw through its nature at a glance. He immediately cleared his throat, stroked his nonexistent beard, and stepped in front of the others, his whole body relaxing.
This was his own line of work, which he had studied all his life. He had stepped right into his comfort zone!
Yu Xiaogang spoke unhurriedly, his tone full of unquestionable certainty. "Everyone, there's no need to be surprised. I'm all too familiar with this thing. Isn't it an Awakening Stone for testing cultivation aptitude?"
"It works on exactly the same principle as the Awakening Stones we use to awaken Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent. Only its appearance is different!"
He puffed out his chest, not forgetting to bring out his own theory to back up his claim.
"I said long ago that my Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul are truths that apply everywhere. Look, even in another world, the method for testing aptitude can't escape that framework!"
"Whether someone has the affinity to become a Soul Master is simply described differently here."
Flender immediately chimed in. "Xiaogang, your eye is as sharp as ever! You've spent your life studying Martial Soul Awakening, and you recognized it at a glance!"
Liu Erlong nodded along, and Ning Fengzhi also chimed in with a smile. "Grandmaster, you truly are knowledgeable and well-read. You hit the nail on the head."
Yu Xiaogang's vanity swelled to the brim, and he added one last remark.
"Watch closely. When the first person goes up, either a Martial Soul will appear and make it glow, or there'll be no Martial Soul and it won't light up. A single Martial Soul is ordinary, and twin Martial Souls mean a top-tier genius. That principle can never be wrong!"