As A Ruheng suddenly stomped forward with a booming step, a strange, resonant sound echoed from within his chest.
Thump, thump… Thump, thump…
It was the powerful sound of a heart beating—strong, heavy, rhythmic.
'What is that sound?'
At that moment, a strange reaction occurred on the battlefield. The Emerald King, who was facing A Ruheng, suddenly stiffened, his body momentarily frozen. In the audience stands, a wave of horrific screams broke out. One after another, clouds of blood mist erupted into the air as audience members collapsed in droves like wheat being harvested.
No one could've imagined that a single footstep and heartbeat would cause such an intense spiritual backlash through the Star Dou Network.
Back in the arena, A Ruheng's previously crystalized body exploded with hundreds of beams of gold and crimson light. His body seemed to burst out of its prison of solidified energy. He whipped his head around, golden beams bursting forth from his eyes and locking directly onto the Emerald King.
The light from A Ruheng's eyes hit the Emerald King's head directly, forcing his body to stagger backward. The illusionary emerald dream domain that had cloaked the arena began to unravel like a torn veil. It was as if the very willpower of the domain collapsed under the force of that heartbeat and the penetrating stare.
At the same moment, A Ruheng's fist arrived—directly in front of the Emerald King.
Although the Emerald King had maintained his illusionary clones, the sudden heartbeats had disrupted his control. Two of the three images around him flickered and vanished, exposed as mere illusions. The real body stood alone—and A Ruheng's fist was aimed squarely at it.
The Emerald King barely managed to raise both arms in front of him. His seventh soul ring lit up as he tried to release his two-word battle armor—but it was too late.
A Ruheng's body glowed gold and crimson as all the residual emerald light on him vanished in an instant. He stomped hard on the ground, sending a quake through the floor. With that stomp, a wave of gold-crimson fire surged from the Emerald King's body.
A dazzling gold ring bloomed beneath A Ruheng's feet, its radius only about ten meters—but just enough to encompass the Emerald King within.
The Emerald King raised his arms in a desperate defense. Behind him, a phantom of a majestic qilin beast emerged, roaring silently in defiance. But just as quickly as it appeared, the beast shattered into fragments of light.
A Ruheng's earth-shaking punch collided with the Emerald King's defenses, and the impact sent him flying backward like a rag doll. Then, before he could even hit the ground, A Ruheng seemed to teleport—catching up midair with inhuman speed.
Grabbing the Emerald King's shoulders with both hands, A Ruheng spun him midair like a windmill, then slammed him down toward the ground with monstrous force. Upon impact, glowing golden patterns began spreading from A Ruheng's body to his opponent's, igniting a chain of violent explosions. The arena trembled and cracked, as if about to be torn apart.
In the audience, Gu You furrowed his brows.
'Third Awakening of the Martial Soul?'
A Ruheng had clearly undergone something extraordinary. This was a top-tier secret technique from the Body Sect. Combined with what seemed like a fierce beast soul spirit, his power now was undeniably invincible among those of the same rank.
Even Gu You—whose own martial soul had only undergone two awakenings—had to admit, A Ruheng's current strength was astonishing.
'But he still wouldn't beat me,' Gu You thought to himself, calm but certain.
The battle ended swiftly and decisively. In the aftermath, the Federation released an emergency announcement:
The Star Dou Battle Network would shut down for three days of internal maintenance and optimization to ensure it could withstand the power of the final match.
There was no doubt—both semifinals, which were meant to be major revenue drivers for the Federation, had become costly disasters. The network collapse alone had cost the Federation dearly in repairs and public relations.
The final battle, pitting the two strongest Soul Emperors—Gu You and A Ruheng—against each other, carried enormous risk. If the network crashed again, it would be a public relations catastrophe and possibly derail the Federation's entire plan to promote the Star Dou Network globally.
To counter that, the Federation moved quickly. They released public statements explaining the failures were not due to the Star Dou Network's design flaws, but because the contestants had grown too powerful. Although both were officially only two-word battle armor masters, their actual strength had already exceeded the limit of two-word and perhaps even three-word armor users.
For example, in the second semifinal between Emerald King and the Mighty King A Ruheng, neither of them had even summoned their battle armor, yet the battle still caused a high volume of injuries among spectators.
Indeed, the Emerald King hadn't even gotten the chance to don his armor before being destroyed by A Ruheng's relentless and overwhelming barrage of attacks.
And as for the first semifinal? That was a complete massacre—total annihilation.
...
The day before the final, a new and improved Star Dou Capsule arrived at the Blood God Legion, specially delivered by the Federation and designated for Gu You.
This capsule was over three times the size of the standard version. It looked far more advanced and was constructed with significantly stronger materials. Clearly, this was not designed for mass distribution. But to guarantee the stability of the final, the Federation had no choice but to send such a high-end unit for Gu You's use.
Gu You inspected it with curiosity. The moment he exited the configuration menu, Blood One appeared beside him.
"You're about to enter the finals. How do you feel?" Blood One asked.
Gu You shook his head. "Just a sense of battle excitement, I suppose. I'll admit—Star Dou Network does allow one to fight freely, without concern for damage or consequences. It's… liberating. I can see why the Federation wants to expand it. It truly is a milestone in technological advancement."
Blood One nodded. "The Federation has already committed to it. Currently, the main focus of research and development is on the battle network and aerospace technology."
Gu You's eyes narrowed slightly. "Aerospace? How far along is it?"
Blood One answered, "There has been some progress, but we are still far from mastering the critical technology. The biggest issue is resources. The continent has been over-mined for years. Without new energy or minerals, it's hard to sustain the level of tech needed for real breakthroughs."
That made Gu You's brows tighten.
It was true. After generations of development, Douluo Continent's natural resources had become severely depleted. All modern technologies—whether it be mechas, battle armor, or soul technology—required immense materials to build and refine.
Yet the continent had only so much to give. Now, with demand still growing and supplies running thin, the only solution was to look outward.
The problem? Humanity still lacked the means to reach the stars. So the Federation's eyes turned inward.
With overwhelming military might, the Douluo Federation had long considered taking action against the Star Luo and Dou Ling continents. But due to certain complications and political resistance, direct conflict had yet to break out.
Still, the rise of the Star Dou Battle Network had opened a new avenue of advantage. The Federation's technological strength had increased dramatically in recent years, and the day of war might not be far off.
Blood One glanced at Gu You. "Thinking about something?"
"War," Gu You replied without hesitation.
Blood One sighed. "It'll be hard to avoid."
Gu You shook his head. "It doesn't have to happen. If someone strong enough appears—strong enough to command fear and respect across all three continents—it might shift the balance. It could delay the war."
"But that would only be temporary…"
(End of Chapter)
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