Gongsun Hong remained silent, but a maelstrom of shock already surged in his heart. Ye Xuan’s strength had completely surpassed his imagination. Who could have expected that a mere brat in the Super Spirit Realm could unleash such a suffocating coercion? With a solemn expression, he secretly gulped.
After a good while, he suppressed the fear in his heart and exclaimed, "Telling you to strike first was my mistake for underestimating you. I take back what I just said. I will fight you seriously."
As his voice fell, a Beast Soul materialized above Gongsun Hong’s head. However, compared to Ye Xuan’s, it was significantly smaller. Gongsun Hong had only awakened a top-tier Wild Beast Soul, an entire grade lower than his opponent’s. This disparity made it exceptionally difficult for him to mobilize his Spiritual Qi, as the blood inside his body was constantly surging in chaos. The amplification provided by his Beast Soul Power was pitifully weak in comparison.
He didn’t wait for Ye Xuan to attack first. Emitting a white Spiritual Light from his body, he charged at Ye Xuan.
"Annihilation Sword!"
He unleashed a Martial Technique right off the bat. The Annihilation Sword struck like a demon, boasting astonishing might. This was a low-tier Ghost-rank Martial Technique. The moment this move was executed, the people in the other combat rings all felt the oppressive pressure.
Ye Xuan smiled as his twenty-meter Divine-Demonic Overlord Body manifested once again. The Golden Snake coiled around the Divine-Demonic Overlord Body, making it appear even more majestic. In the next moment, Ye Xuan raised the sword in his hand. He didn’t attack; he merely defended.
CLANG!
With a crisp sound, Gongsun Hong’s powerful sword strike was effortlessly blocked by Ye Xuan. As the swords clashed, the two different colors of Spiritual Qi viciously opposed each other.
BOOM!
A moment later, the Spiritual Qi shattered apart. A shockwave swept out in all directions like a tempestuous wind dragon. Howling gales engulfed the entire martial arts arena, leaving everyone’s ears ringing to the point of deafness.
When the shockwave dispersed, Ye Xuan stood in place, as steadfast as a dragon. Gongsun Hong’s body, on the other hand, rapidly retreated. He stumbled back three steps before managing to steady himself.
Gongsun Hong’s cultivation was indeed not weak, but his talent was far inferior to Liu Ruoxi’s! Not only had Liu Ruoxi awakened a Fierce Beast Soul, but she had also transcended her cultivation realm to master a high-tier Ghost-rank Martial Technique. Gongsun Hong was far from her level.
"He blocked it!"
As the strike landed, the entire audience was shaken. Everyone was utterly dumbfounded, staring with their jaws on the floor. Gongsun Qingyue kept muttering to himself,
"Impossible, impossible! His aura is clearly only at the Super Spirit Realm. Why can he rival Gongsun Hong, who is at the 5th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm, after using his Beast Soul Power? Could it be...
"A Fierce Beast Soul... And it’s not just a simple low-tier Fierce Beast Soul. His strength seems to have increased by hundreds, or even thousands, of times!
"But how is that possible? Ye Xuan is just from the countryside. How could a country bumpkin awaken a Fierce Beast Soul?!"
Gongsun Qingyue’s breathing grew rapid, not out of excitement, but out of sheer disbelief. A Fierce Beast Soul. Even in a Three-Star Main City, no one had ever awakened one!
In reality, however, Ye Xuan’s strength hadn’t increased by a thousandfold. No matter how great the amplification from the Dragon Soul was, it couldn’t possibly be that terrifying. It was simply that the Dragon Soul’s coercion not only granted Ye Xuan a terrifying surge in strength but also severely suppressed his opponent’s power. When the two factors were combined, the disparity between them became massive.
"Impossible! To think you could block my attack so easily."
In the number nine combat ring, Gongsun Hong was enraged. His cultivation could be considered outstanding among the younger generation of the Gongsun Family. He couldn’t accept the fact that he was inferior to Ye Xuan. Drawing on all his strength, he condensed his Beast Soul Power throughout his body and launched another attack.
"Swift Step Technique!"
His speed suddenly skyrocketed, and his movements became far more agile. This was a low-tier Ghost-rank Body Technique Martial Technique. Although Body Technique Martial Techniques were rare, the Gongsun Family naturally possessed them. After executing the Body Technique Martial Technique, Gongsun Hong’s speed increased tremendously.
"Take another sword strike from me! Celestial Immortal Sword!"
The Spiritual Qi in his body erupted into the sky. It was as if an immortal deity wielding a sword was charging down to slay Ye Xuan.
"The Celestial Immortal Sword! A mid-tier Ghost-rank Martial Technique!"
"He can win! Uncle Hong can still win. How could this brat block the might of a mid-tier Ghost-rank Martial Technique!"
The Gongsun Clan Members saw hope once again. But soon enough, that hope turned back into despair. Ye Xuan also raised his sword. A thrust shot forth like an aurora, violently unleashing an earth-shattering momentum.
In the blink of an eye, the silhouettes of the two men swapped positions.
"Did the attack land?"
"That was too fast! I didn’t even see it clearly. Who won?"
Both of their sword strikes were so incredibly fast that the majority of the audience had no idea what had just happened.
CLATTER!
Suddenly, the sword in Gongsun Hong’s hand dropped to the ground. He sighed and said, "I lost."
WHOA!
As soon as those words were spoken, an uproar swept through the entire arena. Utter shock was plastered across everyone’s faces.
Someone asked in confusion, "Why did Uncle Hong concede? He doesn’t look injured."
"Yeah, Uncle Hong, what’s going on? Are you letting him win?"
"No, look at Uncle Hong’s neck!"
"His neck?"
Everyone focused their gazes, and their pupils sharply contracted. The skin on Gongsun Hong’s neck was very pale. But at this moment, a thin line of blood gradually surfaced on that fair skin.
"Could it be..."
Everyone gasped, drawing in a sharp breath of cold air. They finally understood why Uncle Hong had conceded. It was because Ye Xuan’s sword strike just now was simply too fast—so fast that his blood didn’t even have time to flow, only now beginning to seep out.
"Ye Xuan, thank you for showing mercy." Gongsun Hong let out a heavy sigh, then walked out of the combat ring on his own accord. He knew better than anyone that if Ye Xuan hadn’t held back, that strike wouldn’t have merely grazed his skin. It would have severed at least half of his neck.
"That kid Ye Xuan actually knows a Ghost-rank Swordsmanship too. The ingenuity of that strike just now was no weaker than the Celestial Immortal Sword." Up in the spectator stands, the elders looked at Ye Xuan with surprise, mixed with a trace of approval. This was the nature of Cultivator families. To earn the approval of the elders, one had to rely entirely on strength.
"Number nine combat ring, Ye Xuan wins."
Ye Xuan gave a faint smile, then retracted his Beast Soul Power. The air in the martial arts arena finally cleared, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Over in the number eight ring, Gongsun Hao clenched his fists tightly. He thought, "Ye Xuan... to think you are actually this strong."
In truth, defeating Gongsun Hong was nothing extraordinary. He was confident that he could easily defeat Gongsun Hong as well. The Beast Soul Gongsun Hong had awakened wasn’t powerful; it was only at the Wild Beast level, whereas Gongsun Hao had awakened a Fierce Beast-level Beast Soul. Cultivators who awakened high-level Beast Souls could easily overpower those in the same realm with lower-level Beast Souls. If he had faced Gongsun Hong, he too could have achieved an effortless victory.
What made his expression so solemn was that Ye Xuan’s Beast Soul made him feel a tremendous sense of oppression as well! Just moments ago, he had eagerly wanted to fight Ye Xuan, but at this instant, he actually felt a hint of apprehension. If he truly fought Ye Xuan, could he win?
In the distance, Gongsun Po, the number one genius of the younger generation, was also somewhat astonished. He thought, "Ye Xuan..."
In this year’s grand tournament, he had believed himself to be absolutely unrivaled. But in that split second just now, his confidence actually wavered. The Beast Soul Ye Xuan had awakened was far too powerful. It was enough to make even his heart palpitate with fear.