With a sharp command from Ghost, the crowd quickly split into smaller groups. Clearly, everyone had the same idea: eliminate the outsiders first, then settle things internally.
Li Chang'an and his team naturally had their own group—and a formidable one at that. Led by elite students like Xie Yue, it was made up of top talents from other classes and youths recently promoted from the main city's Spirit Hall. Including Li Chang'an, the group numbered over twenty people.
This was where the terrifying strength of the Pope's Hall became apparent. Although there were three major factions, the Pope's Hall clearly held the advantage—nearly half the participants were from their side!
"Take out the core members of the Pope's Hall first!" someone suddenly shouted. The elders' faction and the nobles immediately stirred into action.
At that moment, five young spirit masters launched themselves into the air, summoning their spirits as they charged straight toward Xie Yue's team.
Li Chang'an couldn't help but give a wry smile. Being surrounded by prodigies like Xie Yue meant getting dragged into trouble—though honestly, wasn't this the perfect chance to show off?
"Chang'an, stay back. Yan and I will go first," Xie Yue said, unaware that Li Chang'an had already advanced in rank. Trying to protect him, he decided not to let him fight.
But Li Chang'an was having none of that. He couldn't let them rob him of a chance to rack up system points. "You all can sit this one out. I've got this."
"But—"
"No 'buts'. Watch closely!" Li Chang'an said brazenly as he stepped forward, straightened his hair, crossed his arms, and faced the enemy group.
"With all due respect… you're all trash."
"You're looking for death!"
"Kill him!"
"How arrogant!"
In an instant, the opposing side erupted like a boiling pot, curses flying left and right. Most of them activated their spirits, and without exception, they were all Spirit Grandmasters—two rings.
"Hmph. A bunch of amateurs."
Seeing that all eyes were on him, Li Chang'an slowly raised his right hand. The jet-black Pangu Axe began to materialize in his palm, and behind him, two soul rings appeared—one purple and one black-purple.
"Thousand-year? Ten-thousand-year? No way!"
"He's just a kid! How does he have two spirit rings already?"
"Holy shit"
[Xie Yue. Points +2.]
[Ghost. Points +26.]
[..…]
The more arrogant Li Chang'an had been a moment ago, the more jaw-dropping the reality of his soul rings now appeared. Many of the enemy had triggered multiple notifications, feeding him point after point—mostly from the opposition.
"Now feel the difference in soul ring quality!" Seeing the point counter stop climbing, Li Chang'an decided it was time to act. He needed to win with flair to keep the points rolling in.
"First Soul Skill: Heavenly Cleave"
A beam of purple light shot across the field like a meteor, slicing through the enemy lines. Simultaneously, his second soul ring lit up.
"Second Soul Skill: Thunder Moon Slash!"
A circular arc of crackling blue lightning burst into the crowd, dealing massive area-of-effect damage.
"I hope you like explosive diarrhea!" Li Chang'an's eyes gleamed as three top fighters on the other team—each with the highest spirit power and best martial spirits—suddenly clutched their stomachs in pain.
Ordinarily, these three working together might have posed a real threat. But now? Even surviving Li Chang'an's combo was questionable.
"Ahhh! I gotta go—I can't hold it—later!"
As the first one screamed and fled the arena, the other two quickly followed, leaving everyone else dumbfounded.
This…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Li Chang'an's attacks had long since landed. Five weaker spirit masters—who weren't even good at offense—were blown off the platform, their hair standing on end from the electricity.
"Everyone attack now! He's got no Soul power left!" someone shouted again. The remaining enemies surged forward, a few control-type spirit masters already making their move.
"Chang'an, fall back!" Xie Yue shouted—but then stopped, utterly stunned.
Li Chang'an's first soul ring lit up once more, and the donghuang Bell manifested around him like a golden shield.
"First Soul Skill: Heavenly Cleave!"
"First Soul Skill: Heavenly Cleave!"
"First Soul…"
Inside his body, Li Chang'an's spirit core was working at full throttle, continuously feeding him soul power. His first Soul ring shone non-stop as the Pangu Axe unleashed five consecutive slashes.
[Ghost. Points +26.]
[..…]
This combo was pure brilliance. No one expected he'd still have enough soul power left to keep spamming his first skill. Yet here he was, slicing and shocking his way to more points—again and again.
He was loving every second of it.
Fact was, having a spirit core meant his leveling speed was halved. So he had to seize every chance to maximize his points.
"Quick! Someone stop him! He's out of soul power—he has to be!" that voice yelled again.
But now, only eight people remained onstage—other than Li Chang'an's team.
There was no way around it. Even a second-ring spirit master's best skill only reached around 700–800 years in spirit ring age. Meanwhile, Li Chang'an's first skill had over 1,100 years—and superior quality.
From the beginning, Li Chang'an hadn't just been attacking their bodies—he was breaking their pride. Crushing their confidence.
Li Chang'an didn't believe in being low-key. He couldn't afford to be. Today, this battle would mark the true beginning of his rise to fame!
"So… any of you still want to try me?" Li Chang'an asked calmly, raising his axe slightly as he stared down the final eight.
He hadn't launched another attack, but his spirit power still pulsed visibly. He wasn't bluffing—he was still the hardest-hitting, most relentless force on the field.
"We concede!" one of the nobles was the first to speak. Three of the eight immediately stepped down, and the rest—members of the Elders' Hall—could only quietly follow.
Once their opponents had all withdrawn, Xie Yue and the others turned to Li Chang'an, clasped their fists, and said to Ghost, "We all voluntarily forfeit. We acknowledge Li Chang'an as the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, with full respect."
There was nothing they could do. Li Chang'an's current strength was beyond what a two-ring spirit Grandmaster could hope to challenge. He wasn't just powerful—he was also the strongest, and the most enduring.
Even Ghost, a titled Douluo, was stunned. The battle had ended not only quickly, but bizarrely. Even he didn't quite know what to say…
_____
T/N:
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