Chapter 139: Sword Douluo

It was a full week before Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo finally returned; judging by Ning Fengzhi's expression, he was very pleased, probably having obtained a decent eighth Soul Ring.

Unexpectedly, my older brother didn't come back; it is said he went out to train with Oscar and Qin Shuang, and Yang Xiong strongly suspects that his brother Yang Wei is trying to avoid Zhao Wuji's combat training.

After a week of being hammered by Bone Douluo, Yang Xiong's body seemed to have been severely battered, and after each training session it was truly a sight of misery.

But Yang Xiong seemed to gradually grasp the purpose of Bone Douluo's training; by having so many people attack him, his body began instinctively to dodge enemy strikes, or to absorb their force.

And if this kind of conditioning is sustained, it truly can make one's defense stronger, even sharpening reflexes.

When the body endures continuous blows, tempering it with blood is somewhat similar to the effect of a Medicine Bath after extreme training.

But in comparison, this method of training is far more brutal; although it poses no immediate life danger, even the pain becomes gradually numb, the skin grows thicker, and even the bones seem to have hardened under such strikes.

Yang Xiong couldn't help recalling Tang San training the Clear Sky Hammer beneath a waterfall; the waterfall's tremendous impact is somewhat akin to this iron rod strike.

And after Sword Douluo returned, Bone Douluo vanished without a trace, as if he had gone out on sect business.

Early in the morning, Yang Xiong arrived at the training ground and waited for more than ten minutes before Sword Douluo finally showed up, a bit tardy.

Compared with Bone Douluo, Sword Douluo seemed even more unapproachable, his whole being like cold ice.

Seeing Sword Douluo, Yang Xiong quickly saluted: "Teacher, please begin teaching today."

Sword Douluo nodded: "Old Bone and I have already discussed; Old Bone has trained you for a week, and the next week I will train you."

"My training with Old Bone will be completely different, but compared to his torturous methods, my training is simpler yet equally lethal."

"Attack me with all your strength; I'll see what power you truly have. Of course, I will only display Soul Ancestor-level strength."

Yang Xiong was speechless for a moment—why did both masters have to attack him themselves? Could so many issues really be uncovered through an attack?

This time Yang Xiong was prepared, quickly summoning his martial soul and Soul Ring; his hands, like a pair of dragon claws, lunged at Sword Douluo at blinding speed.

Sword Douluo seemed unfazed; just as Yang Xiong was about to grasp him, a Seven Killing Sword materialized out of thin air, not colliding with his claws but flashing like lightning, stabbing straight toward the joints of his own hands.

Yang Xiong tensed instantly; this was the Seven Killing Sword, touted as the world's top-tier attack Tool Spirit, and he feared he couldn't withstand it.

Yang Xiong's body froze; the dragon claws that were reaching for Sword Douluo suddenly turned toward the Seven Killing Sword.

Even though the Seven Killing Sword wasn't held by Sword Douluo, merely controlled by his two‑finger soul power, it tipped its tip before colliding with the claws and pierced Yang Xiong's neck.

Yang Xiong reacted extremely quickly, his hands immediately withdrew to block the Seven Killing Sword's trajectory.

But this time the Seven Killing Sword surged straight ahead, forcefully stabbing into Yang Xiong's claws; even with all his strength, he could not resist its sharpness.

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his hands, his body flashing as he appeared directly behind Sword Douluo, delivering a full‑force punch at him—borrowing his body's impact, it was the soul skill Crushing Bone Fist.

But Sword Douluo didn't even turn his head; the Seven Killing Sword shot straight, passing over Sword Douluo's shoulder and stabbing at Yang Xiong's silver fists.

With a single strike, Yang Xiong felt his fists as if they were about to be split, and a powerful force from the Seven Killing Sword pushed him back.

Before Yang Xiong could react again, a blade aura spontaneously coalesced in the sky, as if to pierce Yang Xiong entirely.

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth again, instantly teleporting to Sword Douluo's front, hurling a golden Spiral Sphere at full force.

But Sword Douluo, controlling the Seven Killing Sword, made it quiver rapidly, as if drawing a sword blossom; the Spiral Sphere was gently deflected by the sword.

Before Yang Xiong could react, the Seven Killing Sword, using a cunning angle, appeared at his neck, leaving a slit from which thin blood seeped through the skin.

Yang Xiong couldn't help swallowing, thinking the Seven Killing Sword's attack was too fierce and too fast; especially given its speed and intensity just now, Sword Douluo truly displayed Soul Ancestor-level strength.

Sword Douluo waved his hand, and the Seven Killing Sword on Yang Xiong's neck vanished instantly, allowing Yang Xiong to finally sigh in relief.

Sword Douluo, rarely showing approval, nodded: "Not bad, your reflexes are indeed sufficient, your attacks are passable; at the Soul Ancestor, even Soul King level, few could reach your offensive capability."

"However, you have bravery but your control over power is poor; when my Seven Killing Sword first struck you, why did your attack halt? Was it simply because our strength gap is too large?"

Yang Xiong hurriedly replied: "Teacher, your Seven Killing Sword's power is too great; even if I managed to strike you, my hands would be sliced off directly."

Sword Douluo snorted coldly: "Having power and combat skill but lacking any aura or resolve cannot make a true strong one; countless geniuses exist, but only those who dare challenge the strong and fearlessly face death can ultimately become true masters—no Title Douluo is an exception."

"During the Soul Master Competition, your performance was decent, but that hesitant demeanor—who was it for? You clearly had a chance to defeat the Demon Charm, yet your soul skill was useless and you never displayed your strength; what's the point of you joining the Soul Master Competition?"

"The Spirit Hall is powerful, but if we lack the courage to challenge, it's better to concede early and perhaps live an ordinary life."

Yang Xiong broke out in a cold sweat at these words; over the years he had indeed schemed a lot, yet his temperament remained hesitant—he didn't know how to refuse when needed, and didn't fight desperately when required, as if he had never attempted anything uncertain, completely lacking the courage to challenge the strong.

Sword Douluo continued: "Analyze the recent challenge—where exactly did you lose, and why did you fall so easily?"

After careful thought, Yang Xiong replied: "Teacher, the main issue is my disparity in using soul power; your Seven Killing Sword is mastered to its peak, the sword feels as natural to you as your own body."

Sword Douluo shook his head: "These analyses are far too poor; I already said I only employ Soul Ancestor-level strength—whether speed, power, or attack, even the sharpness of the Seven Killing Sword I keep within the Soul Ancestor realm, yet you were intimidated by my might and lacked true fighting courage."

Yang Xiong then said: "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher; next time I will certainly avoid this situation."

Sword Douluo snorted: "Do you think you'll get another chance? When you fight an enemy, if you can't unleash your full power immediately, will your opponent grant you another chance?"

"Throughout that battle you never set your own rhythm; you were basically trapped in my combat tempo, which is a major taboo in Spirit Battle between Soul Masters."

Yang Xiong's face showed resolve: "Teacher, I understand, thank you for the reminder; from now on I will fight with my life."

Sword Douluo nodded: "Having this enlightenment means you're not beyond redemption, so the Soul Master Competition is merely a children's contest, not even allowing disabled opponents; such a tournament holds no meaning for me."

"Your strength may surpass that of ordinary students, but you haven't reached a crushing level; know that regardless of your speed, power, or defense, you are the best in the entire Soul Master Competition, and you stand out because your insight surpasses theirs."

Yang Xiong, hearing this, reflected on his recent years and indeed felt he had become lax.

Sword Douluo continued: "Since you have taken me as master, I will try to teach you, but if you disappoint me, you may eventually meet your end beneath my Seven Killing Sword; my disciples must never be cowardly."

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth: "Teacher, I will never be more cowardly than others; I will fight harder than anyone."

Sword Douluo said: "Now that's interesting; my Tool Spirit Seven Killing Sword, you are not a sword‑type martial soul, so I won't teach you any sword techniques, and given your condition it will be hard for you to progress far on the sword path."

"I can only teach you two words: attack and kill."

"'Attack' means to strike, using any means to defeat the enemy, pressing forward; 'kill' refers to killing intent, using all means to slay the enemy."

After Sword Douluo finished speaking, endless killing intent radiated from his body; Yang Xiong felt his whole being tremble, as if standing in a sea of corpses and blood, even his soul quivered.

From Sword Douluo's killing intent, it seems comparable to Tang Hao's back then, likely the unique killing aura of the Seven Killing Sword.

Sword Douluo waved his hand, and a blade aura surged swiftly into Yang Xiong's body, seemingly suppressing his martial soul and soul power.

Yang Xiong was speechless again, wondering why both of his teachers liked to suppress his martial soul and soul power; must one train attacks this way?

Before Yang Xiong could speak, several disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect pushed out a massive cage containing a Spotted Tiger; the tiger, over six meters long, appeared to have reached the two‑thousand‑year level.

Sword Douluo said: "Regardless of the method, use all your strength to kill this Thousand-Year Spotted Tiger, and you may not employ Hidden Weapons during the process."

After Sword Douluo finished speaking, his fingers swiftly traced two sword qi lines, and the ground of the training field was instantly cut by the sword qi into a not too big nor too small Arena, while he himself stepped out of the sword qi's range.

The Spotted Tiger let out a huge tiger roar, regarding Yang Xiong as if he were prey, but the Spotted Tiger seemed extremely fearful of Sword Douluo's sword qi and did not dare to approach at all.

Yang Xiong was also unusually nervous; it was not that he had never killed a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but with his martial soul and soul power completely suppressed as now, defeating the Thousand-Year Spotted Tiger would be extremely difficult, and he would even have to slay the Spotted Tiger.

(End of chapter)