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**
Facing the terrifying axe cleaving down at him, Huyan Li concentrated with every ounce of his being. Not daring to show even a shred of carelessness, he immediately stimulated his Martial Soul and erupted his soul power, throwing a full-strength punch to meet the attack head-on.
In an instant, his right arm flared with an intense light of soul power.
Curiously, while the energy brilliance exploding from Huyan Li's overall Martial Soul form was a deep-brown light, the radiance at his right fist suddenly became extraordinarily dazzling and brilliant as the massive, diamond-shaped gemstone on his forehead flashed violently.
Within that distinct glow, Ling Xiao could faintly see a layer of diamond crystals coating the surface of Huyan Li's right fist like a heavy gauntlet.
There was no time to overthink it, nor did Ling Xiao intend to alter his offensive trajectory because of it. Driving the full strength of his arms forward, the massive blade of the Profound Sky Axe slammed squarely against Huyan Li's right fist.
A crisp, deafening explosion boomed out across the area, and a violent shockwave materialized out of thin air, distorting the atmosphere and sending ripples of visible energy cascading in all directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Having blocked Ling Xiao's axe strike head-on, Huyan Li was forced back several steps.
Every time his foot slammed down to stabilize himself, the stone slabs beneath him shattered into pieces. By the time he stopped, the crystal luster on his right fist had faded, replaced by a long, deep gouge left by the axe.
Even though it was partially obscured by the dense, energy-materialized mammoth fur of his Martial Soul form, the mark remained vividly apparent. Once he stabilized his footing, Huyan Li couldn't help but furrow his brows deeply.
He had never expected the power of the Profound Sky Axe to be this terrifying; it completely surpassed his estimates.
Although he hadn't used a single soul skill just now, the innate defensive power of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul was already comparable to the defensive soul skills of many regular Beast Martial Soul Masters.
Yet, merely blocking an ordinary swing from Ling Xiao had left such a glaring wound.
As expected of a top-tier Tool Martial Soul.
Its strength was monumental, and its edge was exceptionally sharp—far surpassing ordinary high-grade Martial Souls. He suspected that among combat-oriented Tool Martial Souls, perhaps only the Clear Sky Hammer and the Seven Kill Sword could stand on equal footing with it.
If he hadn't activated the core diamond essence within his Martial Soul as a precaution to bolster his defense during the clash, the damage to his Martial Soul form would have been far more severe.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Ling Xiao—who had blasted Huyan Li back with a single strike—stood firmly in place without yielding a single inch.
Looking at Huyan Li, he smiled faintly and said, "What formidable defense. The Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul truly deserves its reputation as one of the overlords among high-grade Martial Souls."
"In terms of pure strength and defense alone, it has already stepped into the tier of top-grade Martial Souls. Calling it a sub-top-tier Martial Soul is entirely accurate."
Ling Xiao was not exaggerating.
From the sensation of the clash just now, Huyan Li's strength and defense were not inferior at all compared to Yan at the same cultivation level. One had to remember that the Flame Lord Martial Soul was a notably powerful existence even among top-tier Martial Souls.
Even ignoring its powerful elemental control over fire and earth, its raw strength and defense alone were its specialties, firmly situating it at the top-tier level.
"Today's trip has truly been worthwhile. Huyan Li, I'd like to see just how many more of my axe strikes you can block!"
With that, Ling Xiao lifted his axe and charged once more.
Under the sudden surge of his soul power, the Profound Sky Axe erupted with a brilliant light, revealing its full, terrifying sharpness. The silver-white blade seemed to manifest a tangible, razor-sharp aura that tore through the very air as it moved.
Swinging the weapon with single-armed sweeps, he unleashed a barrage of consecutive slashes.
Despite wielding such a heavy axe, his offensive chain was continuous and fluid without the slightest delay in speed. The heavy Profound Sky Axe felt like an extension of his own body, moving exactly as his will dictated.
Faced with Ling Xiao's ferocious onslaught, Huyan Li refused to show any weakness.
He likewise pushed his Martial Soul to its absolute limits. Accompanied by a resonant, high-pitched elephant roar, intense energy fluctuations instantly erupted from Huyan Li's Martial Soul form.
Enveloped in surging columns of soul power, his massive figure looked like an indomitable giant, possessing a majesty that far exceeded his previous state.
His thick, muscular arms were terrifying to behold. The fists clenched by his possessed Martial Soul form were hardly any smaller than the face of the giant axe itself, containing a cataclysmic amount of raw power.
Seeing the giant axe hacking down toward him, Huyan Li raised his fist to meet it without any intention of dodging, delivering a direct punch to intercept Ling Xiao's attack head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom! ...
In an instant, a succession of sounds resembling muffled thunder echoed continuously. The deafening cracks of their collisions reverberated through the entire plaza, striking trepidation into the hearts of the onlookers.
The sheer volume of the impacts repeatedly rattled the air, faintly generating shockwaves that swept outward, leaving many of the spectators watching in absolute shock and awe.
However, right in front of the plaza on the high platform, Huyan Zhen furrowed his brows from time to time. He couldn't help but curse inwardly, 'This idiot! Developed limbs but a simple mind, possessing nothing but brute strength. He completely forgot the pointers I gave him.'
Before this battle, he had explicitly reminded Huyan Li that once the sparring match began, he needed to focus primarily on defense.
By leveraging the unique nature of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul, their clan followed the Fusion Stream—meaning even if they specialized as Power Attack System Soul Masters, their defensive capabilities would not be weak.
By using stillness to control motion, Huyan Li could not only reduce his own soul power consumption but also slowly search for flaws in his opponent's technique. Such a tactical approach would at least give him a slim chance of victory.
Even if he couldn't win, he would definitely be able to hold out much longer.
Later on, when others compared the results, the Elephant Armored Sect wouldn't look like they had lost too miserably. But looking at things now, this boy was dead-set on clashing head-on with Ling Xiao, completely treating his grandfather's words as a breath of wind passing his ears.
It truly infuriated him.
Fortunately, Spirit Hall didn't seem to have any actual intentions of suppressing his Elephant Armored Sect during this trip, and their conduct wasn't overly aggressive.
That young man named Ling Xiao also genuinely seemed to only want a sparring match to experience the might of their sect's direct-line inherited Martial Soul.
Aside from that, he had no ulterior motives.
Not only did Ling Xiao hold back during their initial clash, but he was even guiding the flow of the battle, deliberately provoking Huyan Li's fighting spirit step by step to ensure Huyan Li could unleash his true strength, as if fearing his opponent wouldn't give it his all.
With things going this way, even if Huyan Li lost in the end, he wouldn't be intentionally humiliated, preventing the sect's reputation and prestige from suffering a massive blow. At this thought, Huyan Zhen finally cast aside his previous worries.
Huyan Zhen wasn't the only one who could see the underlying intention behind Ling Xiao's actions. The remaining elders of the Elephant Armored Sect and several experts from Spirit Hall had noticed it as well.
Unknowingly, the atmosphere between both sides grew a bit more harmonious.
The Third Elder of the Elephant Armored Sect even believed that if Spirit Hall was truly just conducting a simple exchange and sparring match for the younger generation, it would actually be immensely beneficial to the sect's disciples.
After all, the Elephant Armored Sect was one of the Seven Great Sects, and the Diamond Mammoth was an exceptionally powerful Martial Soul. The young disciples of the Huyan Clan rarely encountered opponents strong enough to challenge them in their daily lives.
As a result, they were all an arrogant bunch who held themselves in excessively high regard. This was the perfect opportunity to let them witness the genius Soul Masters of Spirit Hall, take a blow to their egos, and experience some setbacks.
It would teach them the philosophy that there is always a heaven beyond the heavens and people beyond men, which would aid their future cultivation.
It was better than letting them behave like frogs at the bottom of a well, only to embarrass themselves once they officially entered the Soul Master world in the future.
As for Spirit Hall's side, those Soul Saints might not be entirely clear about the true objective of this operation, but how could Chrysanthemum Douluo not know? Watching this scene unfold, a faint smile subtly played at the corners of his lips.
The plan proposed by Ling Xiao had officially commenced.
He truly wondered just how far this boy could take it. Once successful, Ling Xiao would undoubtedly become the leading figure among the younger generation of the Soul Master world, and the prestige of Spirit Hall would become even more illustrious.
**
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