Chapter 46

"This Profound-Rank test is something else—the arena's completely different."

Xiao Yan stood on a lush green grassy plain; though not large, it teemed with vitality—green trees lined its waterways, and anyone unfamiliar might mistake it for a resort destination, a 5A scenic spot.

It was utterly unlike the previous Arena Stage, with the greatest difference lying in the surroundings.

Space.

Xiao Yan looked around—the outer edge of the grassy plain had no Barrier defense; it looked more like a Xu Kong Zhi Di, somewhat similar to the universe he once knew, except the surrounding Space wasn't black, but a deep ink-green, dotted with floating unknown dust and objects.

The entire world appeared dim, yet the grassy plain itself seemed to emit its own light, illuminating the area.

"Where exactly is this?" Xiao Yan walked to the edge of the grassy plain and examined it closely.

In truth, this was a grassy plain floating in the midst of Space—falling off would likely turn one into the floating debris surrounding it.

Having never been here before, Xiao Yan couldn't help but be awed by the grandeur.

"Heh, no surprise—outsiders are such primitives, they don't even know what Space is." A mocking, haughty laugh came from behind Xiao Yan.

With his powerful Soul Force, Xiao Yan knew his opponent had already arrived.

Xiao Yan turned to see a boy roughly his age stepping out from the gate, his brow brimming with arrogance.

"Hun? Are you from the Soul Sovereign?" Xiao Yan saw the man wearing a training robe embroidered with a silver-white character: Hun. He guessed this opponent was a disciple of the Soul Sovereign or the Hun Clan.

Xiao Yan understood clearly: Yellow-Class Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques were merely bait to lure in cannon fodder, forcing them to expend effort. Only those who reached Profound Class were considered qualified members of the Hun Dian, eligible for its resources.

To reach Profound Class, one had to defeat a true member of the Hun Dian.

"Hmph, fighting primitives is boring. I, Hun Yu Cun, give you a chance to survive: surrender all your Soul Points, kneel, and bow three times—I'll let you leave. Otherwise, you'll become just another piece of trash in Space."

"Hehehe, they say falling into Space means dying slowly, in agony and despair."

Seeing the opponent act like a brain-dead idiot, Xiao Yan had no interest in speaking to such a person—it would only drag down his own IQ.

Xiao Yan immediately drew his Xuan Heavy Ruler, slammed it into the ground with a boom, and fixed his gaze—his eyes gave the answer.

If one of them had to be thrown into Space today, Xiao Yan believed it would be this Hun Yu Cun.

Watching the suddenly still boy, Hun Yu Cun frowned slightly and sneered: "Even if you could fly today, you're still trapped."

Hun Yu Cun pulled a black-gold great knife from his storage ring, stomped the ground hard, and shot forward, swinging the blade down at Xiao Yan with full force.

Feeling the sharp rush of wind from the incoming strike, Xiao Yan's face hardened—he immediately channeled all his Dou Qi, gripped the handle of the Xuan Heavy Ruler with his right hand, and seized its midpoint with his left, blocking the slash.

"Huh? You're only an Eight Star Dou Zhe?" This blow surprised Hun Yu Cun—Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was clearly only at Eight Star Dou Zhe level, yet he'd blocked his strike.

"Hmph, your body must be well-trained." Hun Yu Cun withdrew his blade and slashed again; the great knife emitted a faint Profound-Class glow as he unleashed a Profound-Rank Low-Level Dou Technique: Blade Art.

Relying on his superior Soul Force and evasion skills, Xiao Yan sidestepped slightly and retreated swiftly—he dared not meet the Profound-Rank technique head-on, shifting his center of gravity and using the Xuan Heavy Ruler's weight to deflect the powerful strike.

Hun Yu Cun's blade scraped long sparks along the Xuan Heavy Ruler; the flying sparks even struck Xiao Yan's face.

Boom!!! The blade struck the ground, leaving a long, deep gouge across the grassy plain.

Just from this single strike, Xiao Yan realized: Hun Yu Cun's mastery of Dou Techniques far surpassed Lü Xing's—this Profound-Rank Low-Level blade art was likely perfected.

"Same Six Star Dou Shi as Lü Xing, but his Dou Technique and Cultivation Method are vastly stronger!" After this exchange, Xiao Yan made his judgment: this man's Cultivation Realm was Six Star Dou Shi, and his Cultivation Method and Dou Technique were formidable—not comparable to the empty shells of the Jia Nan Academy Outer Court.

Xiao Yan planted one foot firmly, using it as a pivot, and spun three hundred sixty degrees, swinging the Xuan Heavy Ruler in a full circle. His arms bulged with veins; under the crushing centrifugal force, he slammed it into Hun Yu Cun.

"Clang!" The black ruler met the great knife—sparks flew, and the crisp metallic clang echoed slowly through Space.

!!!!!

"Such a heavy weapon!"

Hun Yu Cun's hands went numb, barely holding onto his blade; he stumbled backward, leaving deep footprints in the ground—proof of how heavy Xiao Yan's Xuan Heavy Ruler was.

But Xiao Yan wasn't unscathed—his hands also went numb; Hun Yu Cun's strength was even stronger than Lü Xing's, even with the Dou Qi Gauze Garment.

Hummm—a powerful, invisible energy erupted from Hun Yu Cun's body: a type of attributeless Dou Qi, something Xiao Yan had never seen before. If he had to describe it, it felt like a Soul Body wrapped around him.

It was a Soul Force and Dou Qi combined Gauze Garment!

This Soul-Dou Qi Gauze Garment was stronger than ordinary Dou Qi Gauze Garments and enhanced perception far more.

Watching Hun Yu Cun manifest this special Gauze Garment, Xiao Yan tensed—within his internal vortex, strands of Dou Qi began to flow, surging through his body, supplying his battle needs.

"Hahahaha! You've got some real talent! No wonder you dared choose the Soul Path Trial—you've forced me to use my Dou Qi Gauze Garment, so you should be proud!"

Xiao Yan frowned—he vaguely felt he'd been cheated by his own ignorance. Had he somehow chosen Hell difficulty mode?

"Hehehe, take this! Soul-Shaking Blade!" Hun Yu Cun leapt high, gripping his great knife—Xiao Yan wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but for an instant, he saw a human face grow on the blade!

The blade wailed like a wailing ghost; as it came down, waves of Soul Force rippled out—as if this strike could slay spirits and gods.

Xiao Yan quickly planted his feet and raised the Xuan Heavy Ruler to defend.

The blade struck—sparks flew, the metallic clang rang out, and the immense force blasted a half-meter-deep crater beneath Xiao Yan, forcing his feet deep into the ground.

Hun Yu Cun sneered: "You think you can block a Mystic Rank High Dou Technique?"

Suddenly, a Soul Shock surged through the Xuan Heavy Ruler and slammed into Xiao Yan's mind—Puff! Xiao Yan spat blood onto his Xuan Heavy Ruler! The Soul-Shaking Blade had a second layer of attack—an unstoppable Soul Attack!