Chapter 363: Sword Douluo's Miserable Defeat by Qiandao Liu, and the Astonishing Transformation of Su Yuntao
"It's a pity, although you have reached the 99th-level soul power, I am at the peak of 99th level. The difference in soul power between us is still vast. If our soul power were equal, you might have had a chance of defeating me," Qiandao Liu said, shaking his head, with little more to add.
Although their battle was primarily a test of swordsmanship, a person's strength in other areas is also a part of their swordsmanship.
"The outcome is already clear. Sword Douluo Chenxin, I will spare your life. When your soul power reaches my level, we can fight again."
Qiandao Liu had already ceased any intention of continuing the battle.
"Wait! Qiandao Liu!!" Sword Douluo, covered in blood, struggled to stand up again, weak but firm. "I haven't lost yet, one last move, let's settle this once and for all!"
"Are you sure? You might die with this last move," Qiandao Liu said calmly.
"I'm sure."
"Alright, then as you wish."
Sword Douluo slowly closed his eyes. This time, during his battle with Qiandao Liu, he had gained a deeper understanding of swordsmanship, and it felt as though his perception of swordsmanship had deepened even further. His ninth red soul ring began to glow faintly.
Sword Douluo's sword intent once again surged, clearly stronger than before the battle!
It was as if Sword Douluo and his Seven Kill Sword had become one—man and sword, sword and man.
"This... this is the realm of Man and Sword Unity!!!" Qiandao Liu was shocked. "You actually attained the realm of Man and Sword Unity during this battle!!!"
"Correct." Sword Douluo's voice echoed, "Ninth Soul Skill, Divine and Demon Double Slash!!"
"I didn't expect you to surpass me and reach the highest level of swordsmanship at such a young age," Qiandao Liu laughed self-deprecatingly, realizing that Sword Douluo's talent in swordsmanship had now surpassed his own.
However, Qiandao Liu was determined not to lose this battle: "Ninth Soul Skill, Blazing Sun Judgment!!"
Qiandao Liu raised his sword, and terrifying golden light and flames began to gather.
The strongest attacks from both sides collided, and it was clear that Sword Douluo was at a disadvantage. His power was being slowly overwhelmed.
Just as Qiandao Liu's power was about to shatter Sword Douluo, a figure appeared in an instant.
Boom! Boom, boom.
With ease, Leafwen shattered both their powers and quickly intervened.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you two doing? Stop this now. In my Beast God Space, killing is not allowed," Leafwen said, instantly neutralizing their power with a glance.
If he hadn't intervened, Sword Douluo would have certainly been killed by Qiandao Liu. He couldn't afford to let such a powerful figure die.
"Thank you, Lord Beast God, for saving me," Sword Douluo said gratefully.
He knew the outcome of their final battle, and since it was interrupted, he didn't feel regret. He also appreciated that Leafwen had allowed him to finish his final move before stepping in.
"I simply didn't want to see such a talent die like this. Now, both of you go rest. This round goes to Qiandao Liu," Leafwen waved his hand dismissively.
With that, the battle concluded, and Sword Douluo was eliminated in the top 16.
However, Leafwen was sure that within a year at most, Sword Douluo's strength would surpass the Golden Crocodile Douluo and the Qing Luan Douluo.
"I must remind you all once again," Leafwen continued, "No matter what grudges or hatred you may have, on my turf, only I have the right to end someone's life. None of you have the authority to take another's life."
"Fighting is fine, but don't kill anyone. Understand?"
"Yes... we understand," everyone nodded in unison.
"Good, continue," Leafwen said as he disappeared again.
Soon, the third 1v1 elimination round ended, and the final rankings were as expected—first place was still Qiandao Liu, and second was Golden Crocodile Douluo.
With the competition over, everything returned to the regular examination process, and all the participants continued their efforts to improve and complete the assessments.
Time passed quickly.
One month! Two months! Three months!
It was during the third month that Su Yuntao finally completed the second assessment. His soul ring age increased by another 5,000 years, and his progress finally caught up to the others.
Fourth month! Fifth month!
In the sixth month, Su Yuntao's soul power finally broke through to level 70, reaching the Soul Saint realm!
"Soul Saint, I'm finally a Soul Saint!" Su Yuntao was incredibly excited and overjoyed.
Leafwen saw this and approached him. "Nice, Su Yuntao, you're now a powerful Soul Saint. Go out and get a soul ring. With your current conditions, absorbing an 80,000-year soul ring should be no problem."
"Yes!! Lord Beast God!!"
Su Yuntao nodded, quickly leaving the Beast God Space. With the support of the Spirit Hall, he could directly go to the Papal Hall for help from the strong to obtain a soul ring.
About half a month later, Su Yuntao returned after absorbing the soul ring.
Upon his return, Su Yuntao's soul power had reached the peak of level 72, and he could break through again in about half a month.
"Mm?" Seeing Su Yuntao return, Leafwen took a closer look and immediately noticed something unusual. "Oh? Su Yuntao's aura seems to have changed. Could it be...?"
Leafwen seemed to sense something and immediately approached Su Yuntao. "Su Yuntao, has your Martial Soul changed?"
"Yes, Lord Beast God, I was about to tell you. My Martial Soul evolved after absorbing my seventh soul ring!" Su Yuntao said with a smile.
"As expected...!!" Leafwen was slightly surprised. But after thinking about it, he realized that evolution was quite normal. He then said, "Su Yuntao, release your Martial Soul, let me see."
"Okay, Lord Beast God." Su Yuntao nodded, and immediately released his Martial Soul. "Hurricane Lone Wolf!!"
"Martial Soul Fusion!"
"Howl~!!"
A stronger, more fierce and aggressive wolf appeared behind Su Yuntao.
He smiled brightly. "Lord Beast God, I don't know what happened, but after absorbing the seventh soul ring, my Martial Soul evolved. According to the Spirit Hall soul masters' identification, my Martial Soul's quality is now at the high-level."
"Mm, indeed, it's a high-quality Martial Soul. The power of the Wind Element is even stronger now." Leafwen nodded.
He then explained, "The principle behind Martial Soul evolution is simple. Since the soul ring carries the power of the soul beast it was absorbed from, once a soul master absorbs it, this power merges into the Martial Soul."
"This strengthens the Martial Soul, and when the power of the soul ring merges to a certain extent, evolution may occur. However, such cases are very rare."
"Lord Beast God, does this mean I was lucky?" Su Yuntao asked.
"No, the evolution of a Martial Soul isn't just about luck. It happened because your original Martial Soul's quality was too weak," Leafwen shook his head.
(END CHAPTER)
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