Chapter 263: Earth-Level Soul Skill, Third on the Strong List
The terrifying soul energy swirling around Mo Yu's body made Liu Qing's pupils shrink to pinpoints the moment it appeared.
With his experience, Liu Qing could clearly recognize what that kind of energy represented. What he didn't expect was that Mo Yu possessed such overwhelming soul power.
Unlike Dou Qi cultivation, methods for training soul power had long been lost on the Dou Qi Continent. Even though Liu Qing came from a fairly strong family in the Central Plains, aside from a few high-level alchemists, he had never seen someone from the younger generation wield such powerful soul energy.
When Liu Qing sensed Mo Yu's immense soul power, he finally realized the true fearsome nature of this new student in the inner academy.
However, the battle had already begun. Even if Mo Yu's power suddenly surged to the level of a Dou Wang, Liu Qing had no choice but to fight. His nature never allowed him to back down, especially against a newcomer.
Liu Qing let out a long breath, expelling the suppressed air in his chest. A powerful golden light surged from his body, dazzling and brilliant like a blazing sun, too intense to look at directly. From within the light, a sharp energy burst forth like a spear, radiating an unstoppable force.
Facing Mo Yu's sudden display of immense soul power, Liu Qing didn't retreat. His pride as the third-ranked fighter on the strong list wouldn't allow him to run from the fight.
Moreover, this was his ultimate trump card, perfected over many years and combined with his Dou Qi. Liu Qing was confident that its power was enough to reach the pinnacle of Heaven-Rank Dou Techniques, perhaps even comparable to Earth-Rank Dou Techniques.
So even if he clashed with Mo Yu, Liu Qing felt sure of himself.
His eyes sparkled with fighting spirit. As the battle approached, Liu Qing could feel the blood in his veins boiling. This feeling of excitement hadn't appeared since his battles with Lin Xiuya years ago!
"Haha, Mo Yu, I admit I underestimated you. Come on! Let's see who will win today!"
Liu Qing's hearty laughter, filled with unmatched confidence, echoed through the arena, pushing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
"In that case, I'll gladly take the third spot on the strong list!"
The silver-eyed young man, standing tall and proud amidst the swirling soul energy, looked almost eerily handsome. His presence captivated many of the senior female students watching from the stands.
"Alright, if I lose, I'll give up my third spot willingly!" Liu Qing shouted, his booming voice filled with conviction.
The golden light around him grew stronger, enveloping his entire body. Only his thunderous laughter rang out across the arena.
The next moment, the blinding golden light rapidly withdrew, retreating into his weapon—the Lie Shan Spear. With so much energy infused into it, the spear's tip glowed with a golden liquid, flowing like a living entity.
"One move will decide the winner!"
With a sharp thrust, Liu Qing pointed his spear toward the sky. The heavy spear came crashing down with a loud whistle, smashing into the ground. The immense force caused the surrounding stones to disintegrate into powder under the shocked gazes of the onlookers.
"Great Split Rock!"
Liu Qing's booming roar sounded like a clap of thunder as golden light erupted from the tip of his spear like a flood, blasting toward Mo Yu.
The golden energy shot across the arena, shattering every rock in its path. The sheer force of Liu Qing's full-strength attack was terrifying beyond belief, leaving the entire audience stunned.
Even the elders who had arrived due to the overwhelming power sensed the gravity of the situation. This level of Dou Technique had almost reached the threshold of Earth-Level Dou Techniques.
In a hidden corner of the arena, a black-robed elder hovered in the air. His white beard and kind face gave him a gentle appearance, but the sharpness in his eyes was as dangerous as a blade, making it impossible to look him in the eye.
If an outsider were present, they would immediately recognize this inconspicuous black-robed elder as the head elder of Jia Nan Academy's inner court—Su Qian!
The elder gazed at the brilliant golden light and murmured to himself, "It's the Liu family boy. I didn't expect him to master Heaven-Level Dou Techniques so well. As expected of a genius from the Central Plains. But… who is his opponent?"
Looking at the silver-eyed youth standing opposite Liu Qing, a flash of recognition crossed the elder's eyes. "A young man with silver eyes and a blue robe. I believe he's the first student in the academy's history to enter the inner court by challenging someone on the strong list. His name is… Mo Yu."
The elder recalled the name that had caught his attention some time ago. As he felt the powerful soul energy spreading across the arena, he was astonished.
"This boy's soul power is incredibly strong. Even in the Black-Corner Region, where famous high-level alchemists reside, there are few whose soul power could rival his."
The elder even felt that in terms of pure soul power, he himself wasn't Mo Yu's match.
"It seems the academy has recruited some excellent new talents recently…" the elder said quietly after a long pause.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Mo Yu remained unaware that his strength had caught the attention of the academy's leadership. His deep silver eyes were entirely focused on the overwhelming golden spear light filling the sky.
As the third-ranked fighter on the strong list, Liu Qing was indeed formidable. Not only had he nearly reached the level of a Dou Wang, but he had also mastered a high-level Heaven-Rank Dou Technique, pushing its power to the point of being comparable to Earth-Rank techniques.
Mo Yu remembered that in the original story, when Xiao Yan fought Liu Qing during the strong list tournament, even after using an Earth-Level Dou Technique, Xiao Yan was still left severely injured. This alone was proof of Liu Qing's strength.
However, Mo Yu had no intention of repeating Xiao Yan's fate. If he wanted to defeat Liu Qing, he would need to rely on his overwhelming soul power!
As Mo Yu's soul-formed spear took shape, he stepped forward, his footfall deliberate and calm. The massive, jet-black spear floating above his head radiated a chilling, terrifying aura.
This was not the power of Dou Qi, but the might of a soul skill formed by strong soul energy!
As the enormous soul spear hovered above Mo Yu, the audience held their breath, their faces flushed with excitement.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, Mo Yu raised his hand and swung it down. The giant soul spear above his head roared as it shot forward with unstoppable force!
"Soul Thousand Transformations: Senluo Spear!"
At Mo Yu's command, the spear—over ten feet long—streaked through the air with terrifying momentum.
Soul Thousand Transformations was a mid-level Earth-Rank soul skill stored deep in Mo Yu's memory. This soul skill allowed the user to transform their soul power into various weapons, such as swords, spears, or even beasts, unleashing the full potential of the soul's strength.
The spear was the king of all weapons. Now, with Mo Yu's soul power condensed into the form of a spear, enhanced by the Soul Thousand Transformations skill, it possessed unparalleled penetrating power!
With Mo Yu's soul power already rivaling that of a Dou Wang, and now augmented by an Earth-Rank soul skill, even a Five-Star Dou Wang would likely meet defeat!
Seeing Mo Yu's Senluo Spear, Lin Xiuya, who was watching from the stands, couldn't help but feel surprised.
Though he didn't fully understand the soul skill Mo Yu had used, he quickly realized that Mo Yu's soul power was not only incredibly strong but had also been enhanced by some special method, much like how a Dou fighter would use a Dou Technique to maximize their Dou Qi.
"Liu Qing… is probably going to lose," Lin Xiuya murmured.
Hearing this, Yan Hao and the others were stunned, but after seeing the terrifying Senluo Spear, they couldn't help but feel sympathy for Liu Qing.
"Boss was hiding so much power…" Lin Yan, witnessing the scene, muttered in awe.
The power of the Senluo Spear had completely exceeded his expectations.
"I heard that Boss and the leader of Pan Men, Xiao Yan, come from a small family in a distant empire. Xiao Yan may be exceptional, but compared to Boss, he's nothing short of a monster," Qian Mo said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Lin Yan nodded slightly. Having been with Mo Yu's faction for a longer time, he knew that not only Mo Yu and Xiao Yan, but also Xiao Xun'er from Pan Men were incredibly powerful.
With three such exceptional people from the Xiao family, Lin Yan mused that he'd like to visit the Jia Ma Empire one day to witness the Xiao family's greatness firsthand.
Back in the arena, as the Senluo Spear shot forth, the space trembled like water rippling from a stone thrown into a lake. The smooth arena floor instantly became cracked and shattered.
A crack, half a meter wide, rapidly spread along the path of the Senluo Spear, causing the audience to gasp in shock.
Golden light dominated half of the arena, while the Senluo Spear, like a meteor, shot toward its target. Both attacks carried terrifying, razor-sharp energy.
In the crowd's anxious anticipation, the dark spear and the golden light finally collided in midair.
Countless shocked eyes lifted to the sky, where they saw dark and golden energy clashing like two different-colored liquids fighting for dominance.
Though the battle was fierce, the sharp-eyed observers quickly noticed that the Senluo Spear was gradually devouring and breaking through the golden energy.
As everyone held their breath, a faint hissing sound emerged from the center of the collision. Mo Yu raised his eyebrow slightly and snapped his fingers casually.
At that moment, the Senluo Spear began to spin, gathering soul power at its tip. With the spear's rotation, more and more soul energy gathered at the spearhead.
With this influx of soul power, the Senluo Spear exploded forward, shattering the golden energy like it was nothing!
"Boom!!!"
A blinding flash of light burst from the sky as the golden energy finally succumbed to the attack of the Senluo Spear. A thunderous explosion echoed across the arena, sending a terrifying shockwave through the air, shaking the space itself!
The violent collision sent Liu Qing flying. Blood spurted from his mouth as his body was hurled backward, skidding across the ground until he crashed into the stands, causing a commotion among the audience.
Seeing this, everyone around the arena immediately stood up, their eyes wide with disbelief. They stared at the unconscious Liu Qing outside the ring and then back at the still-standing Mo Yu, their jaws dropping in shock.
"Liu Qing lost! The third spot on the strong list has changed hands!"
Liu Qing, the dominant spear-wielder who had held a top-three position on the strong list for years, had always left a deep impression on the students with his strength and dominance.
Now, his defeat left everyone feeling like they were in a dream.
But as they recalled the intensity of the previous battle, everyone's heartbeat quickened, the tension from the energy storm still lingering in the air.
When they looked back at the silver-eyed youth standing triumphantly in the arena, their hearts were filled with awe and reverence.
Although Liu Qing's defeat seemed hard to believe, Mo Yu had proven with his overwhelming strength that he deserved the third spot on the strong list without question!
From now on, Mo Yu's name would be known throughout the inner academy!
From his seat, Yan Hao glanced at Liu Qing's bloodied form, a complex expression in his eyes. "I didn't expect it. Liu Qing, with all his strength, was made to look so helpless by Mo Yu."
Beside him, Lin Xiuya nodded calmly, though his hand inside his sleeve trembled slightly.
The destructive power of those two massive energy attacks was terrifying. Lin Xiuya knew that either of those attacks would have severely injured or even killed any ordinary person.
What shocked Lin Xiuya most was that even he wouldn't be able to withstand Mo Yu's soul spear.
In other words, Mo Yu, a newcomer who had only been in the inner academy for a few months, had not only taken Liu Qing's third spot on the strong list but could likely challenge Lin Xiuya's second spot as well!
Lin Xiuya even wondered if Mo Yu might one day be able to contend with the strongest person in the inner academy—the one everyone feared—the Brute Force King.
(End of Chapter)
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