Everyone returned to their respective positions, leaving only Lin Yang and Qian Renxue standing in the vast square.
At the Cardinal's command, the competition officially began.
Golden rays of light blossomed. At the same time, Qian Renxue's hair and eyes shone with pure gold, and a pair of pure white wings spread from her back.
Spirit rings appeared one after another beneath her feet.
Yellow, purple, black, black…
The terrifying pressure emitted by the seven spirit rings spread outward like a tsunami.
Even though they had witnessed this scene before, when the angel-like martial soul appeared, the people of Spirit Hall still looked upon it with extreme fanaticism and worship.
The Angel martial soul was a martial soul passed down through generations of Spirit Hall, the core of its spirit for thousands of years.
Bibi Dong watched this scene with eyes filled with hatred and killing intent, her hatred growing even stronger.
Lin Yang remained unmoved.
A dark light appeared in his palm, and spirit rings also appeared beneath his feet.
When the first yellow spirit ring appeared, no one reacted.
But when the second spirit ring turned purple, everyone's eyes widened.
Before they could even react, four pitch-black spirit rings appeared one after another.
Yellow, purple, black, black, black, black!
A terrifyingly sharp aura soared high into the sky, colliding with Qian Renxue's oppressive aura.
In that moment, time seemed to stop.
Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed on the spirit rings surrounding Lin Yang's body.
Not only the audience, but even the Douluo sitting on the highest level froze in shock as if they had seen a ghost.
The gold-plated armrest that Bibi Dong's hand rested on shattered into pieces in an instant.
Boom!
After a brief silence, the entire venue erupted into chaos!
"A Soul Emperor?"
"What the hell… four ten-thousand-year spirit rings?"
"You must be joking? A second spirit ring that lasts a thousand years? That's far more terrifying than those three girls."
In the VIP seats, Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi exchanged glances, their expressions extremely solemn.
"Uncle Jian, what do you think of Lin Yang's spirit rings?"
Both of them had seen Lin Yang's spirit rings before.
In the previous tournament, it had been the standard configuration of two yellow and two purple. Now it was completely different.
Chen Xin thought for a moment.
"He may have previously used some method to hide his true spirit rings. And this… may be his true strength now."
Ning Fengzhi nodded lightly, agreeing with his thoughts.
Moreover, those three girls all possessed transcendent spirit rings, so it wouldn't be strange for Lin Yang to equip a few as well… that was a joke!
Could a human being really possess such a terrifying spirit ring configuration?
This undeniably confirmed that Lin Yang truly possessed a method to safely absorb transcendent spirit rings.
In that instant, a scheming light appeared deep in Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
And he was not the only one who thought this way.
In the Shrek Academy rest area.
Tang San's face was pale. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his palms.
He forcibly tore his gaze away from Lin Yang, yet that sharp and peerless aura still pierced his heart like a needle.
"…Four ten-thousand-year spirit rings."
His throat was completely dry, and his chest burned with pain.
On what basis?
Tang San's heart screamed hysterically.
How had Lin Yang achieved this?
He had trained day and night, even switching to the Clear Sky Hammer, yet he couldn't even see the other party's taillights.
The venomous snake of jealousy fiercely gnawed at his heart.
Yet Tang San was still Tang San. He possessed an adult's spirit and mindset.
He took several deep breaths and repeatedly told himself to calm down.
My father has twin martial souls, the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Clear Sky Hammer, and is a Titled Douluo… these are things that cannot be measured by spirit rings alone.
Moreover, no matter how strong Lin Yang is, he only has one martial soul. There is a limit to his upper ceiling.
My Clear Sky Hammer starts from ten-thousand-year spirit rings.
In the future, I will equip every single one of them with ten-thousand-year or even hundred-thousand-year spirit rings. At that time, who is strongest will no longer be clear.
"Falling behind now doesn't mean falling behind forever."
Tang San muttered to himself and finally suppressed his restlessness. He closed his eyes and began to rest.
Seeing Tang San's composed appearance, Yu Xiaogang was very satisfied.
He glanced at Lin Yang again, slightly curling the corners of his mouth and sneering inwardly.
"He's merely relying on medicinal and improper means. In terms of true potential, he is still inferior to my disciple."
He harbored even darker thoughts.
Perhaps Lin Yang's path to becoming a Soul Emperor would only reach this level…
"Lin Yang, you have indeed far exceeded my expectations."
Qian Renxue stared at the spirit rings beneath Lin Yang's feet, a strange light flickering in her eyes.
He possessed four ten-thousand-year spirit rings — one more than her.
Lin Yang said in a calm tone, "You're stronger than I imagined."
"Then don't expect me to go easy on you," Qian Renxue smiled lightly.
At that moment, she suddenly realized her previous mistake and had narrowly escaped the Heaven Dou quagmire.
With her talent and the help of the Jade Bone Spirit Medicine, she had managed to raise her cultivation level to 72 in just two or three years.
"Don't worry, I can't either!"
After saying this, Lin Yang slowly drew the crimson blade.
Clang!
The black longsword emitted a clear, prolonged hum.
The moment the blade was unsheathed, a sharp cold aura instantly spread throughout the area. Everyone unconsciously shrank their necks.
It felt as if someone had actually pressed a knife against their throats.
Cold! Sharp!
It was so realistic that it gave people goosebumps.
"Qian Renxue, level 72, Martial Soul — Six-Winged Angel!"
"Lin Yang, level 67, Martial Soul — Nichirin Blade!"
Judging from their soul power levels, the difference between them was only five levels.
However, the age difference between them was nearly ten years.
Everyone held their breath. The surroundings fell silent. The long-awaited match had finally begun.
The first to move was Qian Renxue.
She flapped her wings and transformed into a streak of golden light, instantly soaring into the sky.
She understood very well that fighting a close-combat expert like Lin Yang at close range was the most foolish choice.
Even though she was a level-72 Soul Sage, she was no match for Lin Yang in close combat.
Therefore, from the very beginning she chose to keep her distance and use her flight ability to suppress the enemy from afar.
Her second and third spirit rings lit up simultaneously.
When she clenched her left hand, a golden spear appeared in her palm.
Red and white flames intertwined on the spear — Purification Flame, Holy Flame, and the spirit bone skill: Angel Holy Spear.
Triple superposition!
This made the power of the technique extremely terrifying.
The moment she raised her hand, she launched a single-target attack. This showed just how highly Qian Renxue regarded Lin Yang.
Raise the hand, gather power, throw — all in one smooth series of movements!
A golden afterimage traced an arc through the air.
In the blink of an eye, the Angel Holy Spear was thrust toward Lin Yang.
Precise! Merciless!
At the same time, it carried the sacred and oppressive aura unique to the Angel martial soul, making one feel as if they would be pierced by the spear in the next moment.
Lin Yang remained unmoved by the attack.
With skilled technique, he swung the sword. It emitted a sharp light and became enveloped in flames the moment it thrust forward.
Seventh Form: Yang Hua Thrust!
Clang!
The moment the Angel Spear collided with the blade, terrifying flames exploded. Waves of fire instantly covered the entire area.
A heat wave slammed into everyone. The air itself became scorching hot, crackling with sound.
"Whoa!"
Cheers erupted from the audience.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, an energy barrier was erected in front of everyone.
...