บท 158: Chapter 158: Qian Renxue's Killing Sword
Su Cheng glanced at the Shrek Academy team leaving the square.
He turned back to his bewildered teammates and said, "Let's head back for now and prepare directly for the finals tomorrow."
At this point, the other members of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team were still somewhat lost.
Originally, they were thinking about how to deal with the one-on-one battles between them and the Martial Soul Hall team, but in the blink of an eye, they had advanced to the top two?
Such ups and downs would require anyone to digest for a moment.
Of course, besides surprise, excitement was the predominant emotion.
Although they didn't understand why the powerful Martial Soul Hall would choose to fall into the loser's bracket, it was clearly a cause for celebration.
Except for Su Cheng, for the other players in the team, facing Qian Renxue and others was daunting, let alone facing the Martial Soul Hall.
Even though they couldn't use martial soul fusion skills in one-on-one battles, victory seemed remote.
Moreover, on the Tian Dou Royal Academy team, there were several main members who were auxiliary soul masters.
Su Cheng also had no intention of lingering here and prepared to leave after speaking.
At this moment, Feng Qingyu suddenly cleared her throat and whispered, "Teacher, look over there, that intimidating sister is coming this way."
Su Cheng turned back to look.
He saw Qian Renxue leading several members of the Martial Soul Hall Academy towards them.
Upon seeing this, the expressions of the other members of the team changed more or less.
Shui Bing'er's expression was solemn, carefully examining the several Soul Kings on the opposite side. In the subsequent matches, she was the core of the team and these opponents would all need her to find ways to restrict them.
Hu Liena, on the other hand, didn't think too much about winning the championship; he just looked at Qian Renxue, who was walking at the forefront, with a hint of flattery. The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had already pledged allegiance to the Martial Soul Hall, and it was clear that Qian Renxue would be a high-ranking member in the future.
Ning Rongrong lowered her head, her face slightly pale.
Yesterday, Ning Fengzhi had talked to her about Su Cheng and the Martial Soul Hall. After the initial shock and anger, her mood had calmed down under her father's consolation.
However, when she saw Qian Renxue approaching, a hint of fear still rose in her heart. The shadow left by the other party before was too deep.
Moreover, she was an auxiliary soul master, with not much self-defense ability. Unlike Zhu Zhuqing, who had been toughened since childhood. she had never thought that the greatest grievance she had suffered in her life was meeting Qian Renxue that time.
Even though she knew that Qian Renxue was impersonating Xue Qinghe, and now knew that the force behind her was the Martial Soul Hall, she had never thought of telling the Tian Dou Imperial Family, which had been investigating the hidden truth all along.
Although Ning Rongrong was young, she was not stupid. Even if Ning Fengzhi didn't mention it, she would understand it herself.
Even if this matter were made public, it would be meaningless.
Qian Renxue wouldn't admit it, and neither would the Martial Soul Hall.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, as one of the top three famous sects with a great reputation, naturally had excellent word of mouth, but compared to the Martial Soul Hall, it was not much.
Moreover, even if the Tian Dou Imperial Family knew about it, the final result would inevitably be unresolved.
Compared to the Star Luo Empire, the Tian Dou Empire dared not offend the Martial Soul Hall even more, and could only make some small moves and engage in open and secret struggles with them.
After all, without the Martial Soul Hall to balance the situation, it was only a matter of time before the Star Luo Empire unified the continent. The gap in strength between the two empires was too great.
Qian Renxue, however, did not pay attention to the expressions of the others. She walked over with a smile.
"Su Cheng, thank you for clearing the way for me yesterday," Qian Renxue said with a raised eyebrow.
Su Cheng raised an eyebrow, not knowing what the other party suddenly wanted to do.
In front of outsiders, she could understand saying such sarcastic words.
The two of them were now on different teams, and their relationship had not been exposed. There were still matches between the two teams in the future.
If they were too tacit, it would only make Su Cheng's side appear more awkward.
Thinking about it, Su Cheng calmly said, "It's Captain Qian's own ability to remain calm and fish in troubled waters; it has nothing to do with me."
"Don't say that, your performance yesterday left a deep impression on me. I just got lucky. I'm looking forward to your performance tomorrow," she said, patting Su Cheng on the shoulder. "If you have time, let's chat?"
Watching their conversation unfold as if no one else were around, the others' expressions became somewhat strange for a moment.
If the other members of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team were just surprised, the members of the Martial Soul Hall team were almost horrified.
They were very familiar with what their captain was usually like.
Their eyes were almost on their foreheads, never really looking at anyone directly, let alone being so affable with anyone.
Even Hu Liena, who occasionally exchanged a few words with her, rarely received positive feedback, let alone such intimate actions as patting on the shoulder.
Even in front of the Pope Crown, Qian Renxue had never let her guard down.
Was this an attempt to be friendly or to recruit? Did she see something in Su Cheng's talent?
It didn't seem like it.
Although their conversation seemed confrontational, there seemed to be a strange atmosphere.
Standing next to them, it seemed like the other people didn't even count as background, as if they were in two different worlds.
But the person opposite...
Xie Yue and Hu Liena exchanged a silent glance.
They had fallen unconscious shortly after the incident yesterday. The shockwave from the fierce power fluctuations caused by the confrontation between the two peak Douluo had quickly knocked them out, and everything that happened afterwards was just hearsay.
But even so, it was enough to feel how terrifying the scene was at the time.
Daring to make a move in the battlefield created by the two peak Douluo, the courage was simply boundless, and of course, the strength was equally terrifying.
Hu Liena's impression was particularly deep.
In the past two years, she had made rapid progress in mental power under Qian Renxue's guidance. Her spiritual perception was one level higher than her own level, and she could somewhat sense Su Cheng's current state.
The surging vitality and the unfathomable accumulation of soul power were not the strength level that a Soul King should have, and it was even not much weaker than Qian Renxue.
It was unimaginable how deep his background was.
After Su Cheng and Qian Renxue left together, Xie Yue looked at his sister.
"Na Na, is that the opponent Captain has been warning us about?"
It wasn't until this moment that he dared to speak.
When the two of them were talking, no one else had a chance to interrupt.
"It should be." Hu Liena propped up her arm, lightly tapping her lips with her slender fingers, her eyes thoughtful.
"You also know that Captain spent many years in Heaven Dou City before. They should have had contact long ago."
"Yeah." Xie Yue nodded.
The matter of Qian Renxue's return to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was already well-known to the core members of the Martial Soul Hall.
Although they were not very clear about the specific circumstances and plans, they understood the general situation.
Hu Liena turned her head and saw that the others around them were starting to disperse before lowering her voice and saying, "It seems like the teacher is also wary of that person."
"You mean Pope Crown? Wary of Su Cheng?" Xie Yue's expression became even more shocked, his eyes slightly widened. "Why would Pope Crown be wary of a Soul King?"
"I don't know." Hu Liena shook her head, a hint of confusion on her face. "I dare not ask too much about the specifics, but the teacher has collected a lot of information about that person, and I happened to see it accidentally."
She had a very good relationship with Bibi Dong, and Bibi Dong didn't seem to be wary of her, so she had the opportunity to see various materials placed on the table.
"It's okay, these aren't considered confidential. It's just that our strength is too weak, so the teacher can't be bothered," Hu Liena said, shaking her head.
"But that Su Cheng, he's really strong, I can feel it." She continued, "At the very least, he's not weaker than an ordinary Soul Saint."
"Soul Saint..." Xie Yue pursed his lips, glancing sideways at the backs of the two. "He's truly a monster."
"Yeah, a real monster." Hu Liena sighed, then smiled again.
"But it's okay, sister will definitely win."
"Of course, Captain is a genius who can absorb a hundred thousand year soul ring at the seventieth level."
Saying this, Xie Yue's face was filled with strong confidence.
On the other side, after Su Cheng and Qian Renxue left the square together, they headed towards the foot of the Pope's Mountain.
"It really feels familiar, how many years has it been..."
A subtle sense of familiarity arose in his heart.
During the first simulation, he and Qian Renxue often walked like this in the Martial Soul City.
Su Cheng glanced sideways.
The morning sun was bright but not glaring, shining on Qian Renxue's fair cheeks, diluting the faint hint of evil, and making her appear even more holy.
The gentle mountain breeze brushed past, causing her golden hair to gently flutter, shimmering with dazzling light under the sunlight.
Her figure was tall and straight, her steps were not as gentle as an ordinary woman's, but were filled with a sense of agility and grace.
Her black eyes were less aggressive than usual, becoming somewhat softer, but it was unclear what she was thinking at the moment.
Su Cheng quickly suppressed the strange emotions in his heart and took the initiative to ask, "What did you want to say? Why did you suddenly come to find me at this time?"
He was indeed puzzled.
The finals were about to end, and there was no need to complicate matters at this time.
Walking side by side with the two captains, although it didn't have much impact, it was inevitable to attract gossip.
Besides, Su Cheng had planned to take this opportunity to talk to Zhu Zhuqing again and persuade her to forfeit directly.
With their strength, facing Qian Renxue in battle would be akin to hitting a rock with an egg.
"Just thought of finding you to stroll around casually. What's wrong, do you have something to do right now?" Qian Renxue turned her head, her eyes seemingly probing.
"...Nothing," Su Cheng dryly replied.
"Then it's fine, I don't have anything to do either."
"..." Su Cheng paused slightly, then asked, "Why did you choose to forfeit?"
Qian Renxue chuckled lightly, "What else could it be? Of course, it's to save you some trouble and help you advance directly to the finals. Shouldn't you thank me?"
"Well, thank you then."
Was it because of this?
Su Cheng felt somewhat uncertain.
"By the way, did you bring the soul bone I gave you yesterday?" Qian Renxue suddenly asked.
"I didn't bring it with me," Su Cheng shook his head, then changed the topic, "I actually wanted to ask you something. How is the Pope's current condition? Have you noticed any signs of deterioration in her mental state?"
Qian Renxue's eyes shimmered with contemplation upon hearing this, but she didn't continue the previous topic, instead responding to Su Cheng's question, "Are you referring to Rakshasa Divine Sense?"
"That's right," Su Cheng nodded gently.
"I feel that her condition is better than I expected. But she's too powerful for me to perceive, so I can only judge from her words, actions, and fighting style," Qian Renxue pondered before slowly speaking, "From what you said, she does seem quite normal now, and her temper doesn't seem as bad. Even when I mock her sometimes, she doesn't get particularly angry."
"I see..." Su Cheng's expression was somewhat strange.
In his heart, he wondered if it was because two not-so-normal people had been together for a long time, resulting in one of them becoming normal?
"Forget about her," Qian Renxue waved her hand, smiling at Su Cheng, "Let's go have lunch later."
"Don't you need to prepare for the afternoon match?" Su Cheng hesitated for a moment.
"What's there to prepare for? That academy doesn't have any strong opponents."
After saying that, she looked at Su Cheng again and asked, "Do you have other plans?"
"...No."
Su Cheng remained calm on the surface, but his heart sank.
Qian Renxue's forfeit earlier definitely had other reasons behind it.
The morning air was cool and comfortable, but by now, the sun was high in the sky, and the temperature had risen significantly.
Su Cheng's team, led by Tian Dou Royal Academy, stood quietly on one side of the square in front of the Pope's Palace. On the other side stood the two teams facing each other.
To be precise, one team faced only one person.
Zhu Zhuqing stood at the forefront of the Shrek Academy team, with Tai Long and Ma Hongjun on either side of her. Behind them were Jing Ling and Huang Yuan, and at the back were Oscar and Jiang Zhu.
Facing them alone was Qian Renxue.
Seven against one.
At this moment, it was obviously against the rules for the Martial Soul Hall team to compete like this, violating the competition system of this Soul Master Grand Competition.
Just like Su Cheng's previous match.
Even if only he took action, the other team members also had to go on stage with him, as required by the competition rules.
But now, no one from the Martial Soul Hall opposed it, and no one mentioned the issue of the competition system rules, apparently tacitly accepting Qian Renxue's behavior.
Her arrogance shocked the students and teachers of Shrek Academy, but they couldn't afford to be naive and request a fair duel.
Instead, they felt uplifted, suddenly feeling that their chances of winning had increased significantly.
But was it really like that?
The answer was soon revealed as the referee announced the start of the match.
The despairing crimson seventh soul ring appeared under Qian Renxue's feet.
Instantly, the entire square fell silent.
A Soul Saint under twenty-five years old!
Among the three recognized major thresholds in the soul master world—Soul Saint, from Soul Saint to Douluo, and from Douluo to Titled Douluo Level 90—there was rarely talk about the greater disparity in strength between ordinary soul masters and those of Titled Douluo Level 90.
Because the number of Titled Douluo was too small, and the gap from ordinary soul masters was too vast. Even fewer people knew about the existence of Titled Douluo Level 90, let alone seeing or hearing about it.
But for ordinary soul masters, becoming a Soul Saint was a significant leap in strength.
Once at this level, a Soul Saint would obtain a crucial soul skill—the Martial Soul True Body.
Any soul master who reached the level of a Soul Saint would inevitably acquire this soul skill as their seventh soul ring.
The boost in combat power provided by the Martial Soul True Body was unparalleled by any other state enhancement soul skill.
Moreover, the crimson seventh soul ring shimmering under Qian Renxue's feet constantly reminded everyone that this was a Martial Soul True Body of the hundred-thousand-year level!
The strength of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring was demonstrated clearly yesterday by both Bibi Dong and Tang Hao.
Even though they were both Titled Douluo, their imposing auras and abilities were far superior to the others, including those at the same level.
Liu Erlong's eyes turned slightly red.
It was obvious that this seventh soul ring was taken from Xiao Wu.
Yesterday, Qian Renxue was clearly only at the Soul Emperor level when she took action.
On the other side, the members of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team were also trembling slightly.
Even Shui Bing'er, who was usually calm, couldn't help but be lost for a moment. Then, with a slightly trembling voice, she looked at Su Cheng and said, "Captain, that... is...?!"
Su Cheng raised his hand and coughed lightly to calm his teammates down before speaking in a low voice, "It's okay, just watch quietly. She's not your opponent, your goal is to restrict the other Soul Kings tomorrow."
After speaking, he no longer paid attention to his teammates.
"Yu Xiaogang."
The next moment, Yu Xiaogang heard a clear voice in his ears. He looked around in surprise, but Flender and Liu Erlong beside him were both frowning, concentrating on watching the match.
At the same time, Su Cheng, in the distance, moved his lips.
He was communicating with Yu Xiaogang privately.
"I advise you to surrender quickly, otherwise, your academy's students may not survive."
Yu Xiaogang looked around, then turned his gaze back, ignoring Su Cheng's words.
The Martial Soul Hall was so arrogant, yet only one person was allowed to compete.
How could he let go of this opportunity?
Even if she was a Soul Saint, so what? As long as there was a glimmer of possibility, he couldn't give up. It was also his principle, his persistence.
Moreover...
Yu Xiaogang squinted his eyes slightly, Su Cheng's words reminded him.
If they were worried about causing too much harm and hesitated during the battle, wouldn't it give the Shrek Academy team a greater chance of winning?
Su Cheng's words were simply to intimidate him.
Regardless of Qian Renxue's true intentions, even if there were no reasons behind her actions, it was highly likely that one of their team members could be seriously injured if a Soul Saint couldn't control their strength during the battle.
Yu Xiaogang remained proud, disregarding Su Cheng's words. That kid had chosen the wrong target to intimidate!
"Prepare for battle."
On the square, Zhu Zhuqing's calm voice also woke up the slightly dazed members of the Shrek team.
They forcibly stabilized their minds and began to unleash various soul skills.
Transparent wings formed from hurricanes appeared behind Zhu Zhuqing, while huge flaming wings spread out from Ma Hongjun's back. The other team members also emitted a faint glow behind them, which turned into wings and lifted their bodies into the air.
This was Oscar's third soul skill, the Flight Mushroom Sausage.
At the same time, Tai Long's three soul rings lit up simultaneously, turning into a giant ape pouncing towards Qian Renxue.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhu lifted her scepter, casting a healing aura to boost her teammates. Oscar immediately used his first soul skill and started making a large number of recovery sausages without stopping.
This was their tactic—wear down the opponent.
Having a food-type soul master was their biggest, and perhaps only, advantage at this moment.
As for the absolute main force, Zhu Zhuqing, she did not immediately take action as usual. Instead, under the effect of the Martial Soul True Body of the Hell White Tiger, she agilely maneuvered on the edge of the battle, probing the opponent's soul skills and fighting style.
After all, from the beginning of the match until now, Qian Renxue, the mysterious and unpredictable captain of the Martial Soul Hall, had not made a move.
Until the members of the Shrek team were ready for battle, Qian Renxue calmly made her move.
With her Martial Soul True Body activated, her body slowly floated in mid-air.
Two pairs of jet-black true wings stretched out from behind her, then lifted high.
At this moment, she seemed like a god standing in the clouds, overlooking the world with majestic severity.
However, at this moment, she neither used her domain nor activated her Martial Soul True Body.
Instead, after activating her Martial Soul True Body, she used her fifth soul skill.
Then, a black-flamed giant sword appeared in her hand, surrounded by swirling dark flames.
After giving Zhu Zhuqing, who was hovering on the edge of the square, a glance, she ignored her and directly slashed diagonally, colliding with the charging Tai Long.
Without any hindrance.
With one slash, Tai Long, who had just unleashed three soul ring skills, was instantly blasted out of the square.
The match had just begun, and the Shrek Academy team had already lost a powerful assault-type soul master, leaving a huge gap in the team formation.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the changes in the field with astonishment, momentarily feeling somewhat distracted, unable to understand why the opponent was so powerful.
However, Flender and Liu Erlong were not surprised by this.
They had a clear idea of how strong a Soul Saint could be.
Yu Xiaogang might have some understanding of the strength of an ordinary Soul Saint, but the person from the Martial Soul Hall was obviously not an ordinary Soul Saint.
That was a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!
In the entire soul master world, including all the Titled Douluo, how many people possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?
Perhaps only Bibi Dong and Tang Hao had one on the entire continent.
Apart from the members of the Shrek Academy, others did not find the current situation in the field surprising at all.
The moment a Soul Saint appeared, the outcome was already decided.
On the square, the battle did not slow down for a moment after Tai Long's instant defeat.
Qian Renxue's fighting style was different from Su Cheng's previous one.
Su Cheng's goal was to experience the various soul skills of the elemental academy teams, but Qian Renxue had no such complicated thoughts. She simply targeted whoever came at her, without mercy, immediately slashing them out of the square.
Although the members of the Shrek Academy team had gained the ability to fly after consuming the Flight Mushroom Sausage, they were still far behind Qian Renxue in terms of flying ability.
However, she couldn't be bothered to chase them actively. With a sweep of her sword, she easily injured several soul masters who came forward to probe.
And during this time, she hadn't even used any other soul skills.
In the blink of an eye, only Jing Ling, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing remained in the field.
Ma Hongjun exchanged a glance with Zhu Zhuqing, seeing her slight nod, and he didn't hesitate.
With gritted teeth, his third and second soul rings lit up successively.
After using his third soul skill, Phoenix Meteor Shower, and his second soul skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix, the power and range of his attacks immediately increased significantly.
Lines of fire phoenixes spewed out towards Qian Renxue's direction.
At this point, Zhu Zhuqing also took action.
She realized that with the strength of these teammates, they couldn't force the opponent to reveal much of her strength.
She really wanted to know how strong this woman was, so ultimately, she had to rely on herself.
Although she felt somewhat despondent, this slight fluctuation in her emotions was not enough to affect her fighting instincts.
Her first and fifth soul rings had already been activated.
With her Wind God Feather Wings gently spreading, Zhu Zhuqing's entire body left a trail of afterimages as she appeared next to Qian Renxue in an instant. Then, she clasped her hands together, and the fingertip claws merged into blades, slashing down.
Qian Renxue glanced at her lightly, but instead of counterattacking as before, she shook her wings, turned slightly, and appeared next to Ma Hongjun in the next moment.
A horizontal slash of her sword.
The moment the Phoenix flames touched the black-flamed blade, they were instantly consumed, and Ma Hongjun's figure was instantly sent flying out.
Su Cheng's brows furrowed even tighter as he glanced towards the direction of the Shrek Academy.
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang still showed no sign of speaking up, he inwardly cursed him as foolish.
Focusing his attention on the battle, Su Cheng communicated with Dugu Bo via mental transmission, "Senior, please be ready to intervene in the battle on the field at any moment."
In Su Cheng's own judgment, his strength and Qian Renxue's current strength should be evenly matched.
But in a real crisis, with his speed, he might not have time to take action.
However, with Dugu Bo's peak Douluo reaction and strength, he would definitely be able to arrive in time.
Actually, if not absolutely necessary, he didn't want Dugu Bo or himself to take action.
Because if their relationship with Zhu Zhuqing was noticed by others, it would be disadvantageous for both her and him.
But now, they couldn't afford to consider so much.
As for persuading Zhu Zhuqing to surrender, with her personality, even if he said it, it would be useless. He had mentioned it when giving her that soul bone yesterday, but she still came.
Bringing it up again now would only cause her emotional fluctuations, which would be even more detrimental in battle.
Thinking of the soul bone, Su Cheng's uneasiness lessened slightly.
With those two soul skills as life-saving measures, there shouldn't be any major accidents.
In just the blink of an eye, the situation on the field changed again.
Jing Ling was hit by a sword light remotely released by Qian Renxue and was also injured and forced to retreat from the field.
In the vast square, only Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing remained standing facing each other.
Zhu Zhuqing did not show any emotional fluctuations due to the successive retreats of her teammates, maintaining her cold and calm demeanor.
Her first soul ring lit up, and her charging speed instantly doubled, like a tiger descending from the mountain, with a gust of wind rushing forward.
Her claw-like hands gleamed with dazzling cold light.
Shadowless Thrust!
However, in the next moment, Zhu Zhuqing's charging figure slightly stiffened.
The gloomy domain instantly spread out from Qian Renxue's center.
Cold and oppressive, within this domain, not only were actions affected, even her thoughts seemed to momentarily enter a state of stagnation.
Outside the field.
The moment Su Cheng felt this domain, his face changed instantly.
This domain had not only evolved but also appeared with new changes, completely different from the angelic domain in his memory!
"Senior, intervene!"
Hearing his mental transmission, Dugu Bo's figure instantly appeared on the competition field.
However, when he touched that domain, his figure also experienced a momentary stiffness, his soul power obstructed, and his thoughts unable to operate smoothly.
The black-flamed giant sword in Qian Renxue's hand instantly swelled to more than twice its size, and the blade shimmered with a deep gloom.
She didn't even spare a glance at the sudden appearance of the Poison Douluo.
She was well aware of the effect of her domain.
Without a moment of hesitation, she exerted all her remaining strength into a single strike.
Severing the Pulse and Continuing the Qi!
Except for not using her Martial Soul True Body, she had used almost all the means at her disposal.
At this moment, Qian Renxue's true strength erupted in its entirety in an instant.
Even her Martial Soul True Body was not used to avoid delaying time and causing other variables.
Her momentum in this moment was several times stronger than before.
Soul bone skills could be activated instantly, and Qian Renxue was well aware of this.
But if my sword strikes faster than your reaction speed, can you still activate it?
'My domain prevents anyone who could save you from intervening. Can you still survive?'
Qian Renxue's eyes were filled with killing intent, revealing all her cards in an instant, without holding back in the slightest, and not caring about the so-called rule of not harming lives in the match.
In the next moment, the jet-black sword edge instantly descended!
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