"Match 5: Contestant No. 9, Chen Xiaojun, versus Contestant No. 10, Zhao Mingsheng," Chen Wu announced loudly.
In the VIP section, Ma Zhibin exclaimed, "Everyone pay attention, Old Xunzi's second son is about to fight. Sit tight or you might drop your jaws!"
"You're acting like it's a big deal. Now I have to watch closely," Xue Tianming said, rubbing his eyes.
"Zhibin, what's so special about this kid? I remember he's only six, right?" Ning Ze smiled mildly, speaking rarely.
At that moment, a tall and burly figure strode onto the combat platform.
The young man appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, yet stood nearly 1.9 meters tall. Broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, his body was sheathed in muscles like granite. His dark skin was tight over cords of muscle, and his upper torso was covered with golden-brown bear-like markings that resembled tattoos.
His bronze bell-sized eyes flashed with a fierce gleam. As he stepped into the arena, he threw his head back and let out a thunderous roar, radiating intense pressure.
Zhao Mingsheng — Martial Soul: Violent Gold Bear; Rank 32 Power Attack–type Battle Soul Honored.
"Xiao Shao, better head back down. You've only just obtained your spirit ring, and your soul power is nowhere near mine. If you get hurt, that wouldn't be good," Zhao Mingsheng said sheepishly, not wanting to fight. In his eyes, although Chen Xiaojun was a genius with an innate rank-nine soul power, a gap of over 20 levels was insurmountable.
"Brother Shengming, go all out!" Chen Xiaojun replied with a confident smile.
Behind him, a sword shadow appeared. He drew the Wind Luan Sword, then, with the sword step "Swift as a Soaring Egret," he turned into a streak of blue light and suddenly appeared before Zhao Mingsheng.
With a thrust of "Azure Dragon Emerging from the Water," he stabbed straight forward, sword tip sparkling like stars — the fastest and most direct attack in swordplay.
Defense was the Violent Gold Bear's greatest strength. Seeing the incoming sword, the honest Zhao Mingsheng didn't dodge — not that he could have. He crossed his arms in front of him, each arm protected by long metal bracers.
"Second Soul Skill — Immovable Golden Body!"
Golden soul power surged from Zhao Mingsheng's body, boosting his defense drastically.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clear sound of collisions rang out continuously. Vertical thrusts, overhead slashes, forward jabs, sweeping strikes, reverse cuts…
Zhao Mingsheng responded with his family's Great Vajra Palm: Chopping Logs with Vajra, Earth-Scraping Bear Claw, Sand-Digging at Sea Floor, Demonic Bear Pushes Mountain, Pressing Down a Thousand Jin, Crouching Star and Hidden Tiger…
Though forced back slightly, he withstood all of it. None of the strikes could harm him.
Only someone like Chen Xiaojun, whose body had been tempered by a thousand-year spirit ring, and whose soul power was high in quality thanks to the Sky Horse's first ring, could even scratch Zhao Mingsheng.
A regular one-ring soul master? They wouldn't even make him flinch. The Violent Gold Bear's "Immovable Golden Body" wasn't just for show.
"First Soul Skill — Great Vajra Palm!"
Zhao Mingsheng wasn't the type to defend forever. With a mighty palm strike, he smashed down onto the stage, forming a crater and sending shards of rock flying outward.
This type of strength-based skill was a common, powerful blow among power-attack-type soul masters.
Chen Xiaojun leapt upward, his whole body like a sword descending from the heavens. He twisted in the air, gaining momentum, and performed the "Giant Python's Backslash," a sky-splitting, ground-tearing series of downward slashes.
Compared to his earlier battle with the Sky Horse, Chen Xiaojun's body, soul power, and mental strength had all grown significantly. He slashed five times in a row without pause.
Zhao Mingsheng roared, "Clutch the Stars and Seize the Moon!"
As the sound of impacts, shockwaves, and grunts filled the air, Zhao Mingsheng was forced backward step by step — one sword strike per step, stones rolling off the arena, deep footprints left behind.
"Xiao Shao, worthy of the main bloodline! Your swordsmanship is truly impressive — relentless and fierce. Good thing I took it all. But now, you'd better be careful!" Zhao Mingsheng growled with admiration.
In Chenlin Village, the kids could be quirky. Fifteen-year-old Zhao Mingsheng, calling himself "Old Zhao," actually sounded natural.
"Third Soul Skill — Gravity Pressure!"
The Violent Gold Bear, known for its metallic and strength attributes, had some earth affinity too.
This soul skill came from a targeted hunt for the Celestial Earth Elephant, giving the user an area-of-effect control ability. It limited the opponent's movements, making up for Zhao's slower speed.
His thousand-year third soul ring — purple — activated. A golden force field, like an inverted bowl, spread out, sweeping over Chen Xiaojun.
Suddenly, Chen felt a tremendous pressure descend on him like he had fallen into quicksand. He could barely move.
"First Soul Skill — Great Vajra Palm. This is the end, Xiao Shao!"
Zhao Mingsheng's golden palm came crashing down like a landslide.
But midway, his expression changed drastically, as if he'd seen a ghost. He suddenly remembered — Chen Xiaojun had never used a soul ring skill this entire time.
"First Soul Skill — Flickering Light and Shadow!"
A purple soul ring erupted from Chen Xiaojun's body like a thunderclap, shooting into the sky.
The entire arena fell into stunned silence. Even the presiding judge, Chen Wu, stood slack-jawed.
As everyone slowly came to, they saw a sword hanging half a foot in front of Zhao Mingsheng's throat, glowing faintly.
Beads of sweat rolled down Zhao's forehead.
"Old Zhao, you've lost," Chen Xiaojun said calmly, sheathing his sword as he floated away, his eyes deep and unreadable. The Shadow Sword gradually faded from view.
——
In the Main Pavilion
"Brother Yu…"
"Old Yam…"
Everyone instinctively called out — even the elders were stunned.
"Old Yam, how did your grandson do that?" Chen Qiujun's eyes were practically bulging.
Chen Xiaojun's soul skill had never been shown publicly. Only immediate family and a few others knew. And even they didn't blab — soul skills were private business, after all.
"He fought a 1500-year Sky Horse one-on-one," Chen Yu said flatly, gripping the chair tightly with one hand.
His grandson had just stunned the whole village. Chen Yu's heart swelled with pride.
"That's not what I meant! You let him fight that thing? Are you out of your mind?! That's suicide!" Chen Qiujun barked, losing composure.
"He said, 'I must climb to the peak and behold all beneath.'" Chen Yu replied, posing hard, despite usually being gentle around the village. Among peers, he had his pride, too.
"Climb to the peak?! What kind of monster is my grandnephew?!"
——
"That was a thousand-year spirit ring, right?" Zhong Kui muttered uncertainly.
"Precisely 1500 years. Didn't I tell you you'd be shocked?" Ma Zhibin grinned smugly.
"That's impossible…" Xue Tianming muttered, clearly rattled. He knew what that kind of ring meant.
"I saw the ring, but not the Martial Soul. That soul skill isn't ordinary," Ning Ze, a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Soul Master, observed astutely.
"That's not the Seven Kill Sword! This kid's Martial Soul is a mutation!" Yang Zhiqiang said with certainty — the Yang Clan had sharp eyes.
"I suspect this kid was born with rank-nine innate soul power!" Ma Zhibin said seriously for once.
"Interesting," murmured Ximen Rongcheng — a man of few words. Even with all the earlier matches, including Chen Yanwu's, he had remained silent until now.
——
Back in the competitor's zone
"This has to be fake," Chen Feng muttered.
"Unless we're all blind," Chen Mu added faintly.
Chen Jianzun's eyes gleamed, fists clenched.
He had been present on Chen Xiaojun's awakening day. He knew Xiaojun had a top-tier Martial Soul and full innate soul power. He had expected his first soul ring to be impressive, but this was beyond imagination.
"Little Jerk, how did Xiao Liu pull this off?" Chen Yanwu demanded, turning her gaze sharply to Chen Jianjun.
"His Martial Soul is the Sword God Pearl — it lets him absorb beyond his level," Chen Jianjun replied proudly, puffing out his chest.
——
Right-side Pavilion – Chen Family Relatives Area
Most men had gone down to help or were off chatting elsewhere.
In one corner, little Yi, cradled in Ye Xiuxin's arms, gazed wide-eyed at the match — this was her first time seeing Chen Xiaojun fight officially.
Ye Xiuxin's face glowed with joy, though her eyes held a trace of concern.
"Madam, Second Young Master's soul skill… it amazes me every time," Ding Dang sighed in admiration. She had accompanied Ye Xiuxin today.
"Sister-in-law, Xiaojun gave us quite a surprise," said Ximen Shaoping, Chen Zhang's wife and a member of the Ximen family.
"Indeed! This was beyond our wildest expectations," added Ma Suyun, wife of Chen Hua and Ma Zhibin's cousin.
"Sister-in-law, if my son had even one-tenth of Xiaojun's talent, I'd be satisfied," sighed Mu Wenxiang from the Qinglian Mu family, wife of Chen Wu.
Mu Lingyun had named their son "Bin" to combine literary and martial ideals. He was younger than Chen Xiaojun and hadn't awakened his Martial Soul yet.
"Sister-in-law, your kids make people envious," Chen Xiyuan congratulated Ye Xiuxin.
Among their children, Jianjun was steady, and Xiaojun was clever. Her husband, the Sword Lord, looked gentle but was incredibly stubborn.
Interestingly, in two generations of the Chen family, the top-ranked child was always a girl — Chen Xiyuan in the previous, and Chen Yanwu in this one. In this soul-inheriting, sparsely populated clan, even women were inscribed in the clan register — just like in other noble families.
——
Amid hundreds of spectators, the crowd erupted into chaos, followed by thunderous applause and cheers, then whispers flooded the air…
"What's so amazing about a thousand-year ring?"
"You don't know? Young Master Xiao only has one soul ring!"
"A thousand-year first ring — have you ever seen that?"
"Was that an invisibility skill?"
"As expected of Young Master Xiao, the clan leader has a worthy successor!"
"A peerless genius! Extraordinary!"
"The disparity of humanity, right there…"
"Did you see that? That's our young master!"
(End of Chapter)