Ji Juechen

"Hello, my name is Ji Juechen," the young man said, his voice not loud, but each word clear. "I want to fight you."

Straight to the point, no fluff.

Xiao Hongchen frowned and instinctively stepped in front of Bao Liang, but Bao Liang pulled her aside and, together with Meng Hongchen, shielded her behind him.

Ji Juechen glanced at Xiao Hongchen and shook his head. "Please rest assured, I just want to Douluo I him because I sensed his sword intent in his fist, so I want to test it out."

"Sword intent?" Bao Liang was taken aback. "When did I acquire sword intent?"

"That punch on the stage just now." Ji Juechen's gaze fell on Bao Liang's fist, his eyes flashing with an almost fanatical light. "When you threw the punch, there was a sharpness in the air for a moment, like sword energy."

It's very light, but very pure.

I haven't felt this kind of atmosphere in a long time.

Not only that, I also felt an extremely pure, almost death-like sensation in your fist.

Bao Liang: "..."

He looked down at his fist, then looked up at Ji Juechen's serious, almost obsessive face, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

This person... is serious.

Can he really sense the "sword intent" from the force of the punch?

Wait, my fist can have "sword intent"? How come I didn't know that?

Meng Hongchen stepped forward, pulled Bao Liang behind her, and looked at Ji Juechen: "I'm sorry, he just finished a match today and hasn't recovered yet."

If you'd like to spar, let's do it another day--"

No need to reschedule.

Ji Juechen shook his head and reached for the black cloth bag behind his back with his right hand.

As he moved, the buzzing sound from the bag suddenly grew louder, like a beast that had been startled awake.

"I can't wait." His voice was calm as still water, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned to its peak. "From the moment I first saw you throw a punch, I knew—you were the opponent I was looking for."

My sword yearns to clash with the strong.

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly untied the strap of the cloth bag. A long sword, which could barely be called a sword, slid out of the bag. There were no decorations on the blade, not even any inscriptions, and it looked like a long, rectangular block of iron.

But the moment this sword was exposed to the air, the blade began to hum violently, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop by several degrees.

An invisible sense of oppression emanated from the black sword.

Xiao Hongchen's expression changed slightly. "This guy... is he a pure sword Soul Master?"

In the Sun Moon Continent, where Soul Tool are rampant, pure Soul Master are already extremely rare, let alone pure sword Soul Master.

Even more unusual was that the sword of the boy in front of him had no Soul Power amplification engraved by any Soul Guidance Array, not even the most basic Core Array - he was using an ordinary iron sword made from a single piece of extraterrestrial meteorite iron, and it was very roughly polished.

But this ordinary iron sword sent a chill down Xiao Hongchen's spine.

Moreover, he felt that there was something he had been searching for a long time on this sword.

Bao Liang stared at the black sword in Ji Juechen's hand and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

There was no nervousness or hesitation in that smile, only a pure, heartfelt excitement.

It was like a beast that had been sleeping in its cage for too long finally smelling the scent of the wilderness.

"Interesting." Bao Liang flexed his wrist, orange-red flames dancing at his fingertips. "Let's begin."

"A-Liang!" Meng Hongchen cried out anxiously, "This won't work! This is—"

"Don't worry, Sister Meng." Bao Liang turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile. "I know what I'm doing."

and..."

He looked at Ji Juechen, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've encountered an opponent who dared to ask me to take them seriously."

Ji Juechen nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He held the black sword horizontally in front of him, and gently stroked the blade with the index and middle fingers of his left hand.

The sword hummed, as if responding to its master's call.

"This sword originally had no name, but I named it ' Juechen '," Ji Juechen said calmly, "It's named after myself."

Under the setting sun, two boys faced each other, ten steps apart.

Flames danced around it, its dark armor glowing orange-red in the afterglow.

A slender figure, wielding a jet-black longsword, resembled a sharp blade drawn from its sheath.

A gust of wind blew by, swirling up a fallen leaf.

The two moved at the same time the leaves touched the ground.

The orange-red pillar of fire, like a living Fire Dragon, pierced straight into Ji Juechen's chest— Bao Liang's probing attack was swift and ruthless, carrying the unique reverse vibration frequency of an Explosion Martial Soul.

The bluestone slabs were already faintly hot from the lingering flames.

"Take this! Dragon Explosion!"

Ji Juechen's figure slid sideways like a falling leaf, his black sword held across his chest, while his Soul Ring lit up one after another, amplifying his power.

Sparks flew as metal clashed with flames, but his arm remained as still as a rock—the rough meteorite iron sword hummed slightly at the point of contact, absorbing and annihilating the impact, and then swiftly severed the pillar of fire.

"Truly remarkable." Ji Juechen uttered a faint assessment, yet it carried an undeniable air of seriousness.

He felt the Explosion pulse surging within the pillar of fire—if it were an ordinary Soul Master, this reverse current would have already shattered their internal organs.

Bao Liang's pupils contracted.

His probing was so easily neutralized... With a light step, he charged towards Ji Juechen like a cannonball.

His left and right fists struck alternately, each punch carrying the Explosion power and tremors of his Martial Soul —where the wind from his fists passed, cracks spread across the bluestone slabs like a spider web.

Ji Juechen's response was simply economical: horizontal slashes, straight thrusts, and upward strikes, without a single fancy move.

Every strike landed precisely on the trajectory of the fist, whether it was a deflection, interception, or thrust.

His movements were precise and efficient, like a killing machine focused solely on Destruction.

"Tsk tsk... This swordsmanship... Where did you learn it?" Bao Liang couldn't help but exclaim after having three punches blocked in a row, while his mind was rapidly calculating: This rhythm... It has such a unique personal pattern and characteristics, like an instinctive reaction rather than a learned skill.

On the fourth parry, the blade suddenly flipped and stabbed at his ribs from the side.

Danger!

Bao Liang instinctively unleashed a wall of fire—a thin layer of Ultimate Flame bloomed on his chest, and the tip of the sword aimed at him was instantly vaporized into fine water vapor by the high temperature.

"No one taught me," Ji Juechen finally spoke, his voice eerily calm. "Unorthodox methods... all practical techniques devised for combat and killing the enemy."

Bao Liang dodged the thrust, and a thought suddenly struck him: Although he had also practiced the swordsmanship of the Hongchen Clan, the whole family were Soul Engineer... This unorthodox style... although crude, had its own unique killing instinct.

"Never mind... it doesn't matter anymore."

Let me warn you beforehand, I'm not going to hold back, so please... don't die!