“General, aren’t you going to stop this?”
Lin Chen asked with some concern.
“Hahaha, Lin Chen, I once told you that every generation brings forth new talents, each surpassing the last! This Tianfeng City may be a small place, but it’s given me quite a surprise,” Lin Ze laughed heartily, “This Ling Xiao isn’t as simple as he seems. You’d do well to learn from him.”
“Yes, General!”
Though he said this, Lin Chen still felt a bit unconvinced.
He thought Ling Xiao’s earlier defeat of Wanren Wang was too suspicious, believing it was Ling Yixue who’d injured Wanren Wang, and Ling Xiao had merely taken advantage.
But if Ling Xiao could now defeat Wanren Wang and Ling Feifan together, he’d have no choice but to admire him.
On the arena, Wanren Wang and Ling Feifan stood on one side.
Ling Xiao stood on the other.
Wanren Wang, though proud, oddly didn’t object to teaming up with Ling Feifan this time.
Perhaps deep down, he knew he might not easily beat Ling Xiao alone.
With Ling Feifan’s help, victory would come more readily.
As for Ling Feifan, he couldn’t care less how many teamed up with him. His goal today was to kill Ling Xiao—only with Ling Xiao dead could he quench the jealousy and hatred in his heart.
Besides, the Ninja Clan had promised that if he killed Ling Xiao, he’d have as many Dream Pills as he wanted.
How could he refuse such a deal?
“Ling Xiao, though I disdain teaming up, since this is your request, I won’t hold back,” Wanren Wang declared, his gang qi surging forth. His violet robe fluttered without wind, and in that instant, a massive shadow loomed behind him.
“Is that a broken martial soul?”
“Yes, and it looks like a rather strange one.”
“It’s like a ship!”
“Right, a battered warship!”
“No, it’s a ghost ship!”
Indeed, Wanren Wang’s broken martial soul was the Ghost Ship Remnant Soul!
In fact, the entire Wan family’s martial soul was the Ghost Ship, though likely only their patriarch, Wan Ben, possessed a complete one. The rest, including Wanren Wang, had mere remnants.
A remnant soul, while still a martial soul phase, couldn’t compare to a complete soul. It was just a bit stronger than an ordinary martial artist’s power and held little edge against those with martial intent.
“No wonder that last strike didn’t cripple you—it’s the broken martial soul,” Ling Xiao now understood. Even a remnant soul greatly bolstered soul strength, explaining why his Barbaric Bull Strength only lightly injured Wanren Wang.
The crowd below had already been uneasy about Ling Xiao facing two foes.
Now, with Wanren Wang unleashing his Ghost Ship Remnant Soul, their worry deepened.
After all, Wanren Wang was a genius from Baiyun Prefecture.
“Wanren Wang’s Ghost Ship Remnant Soul has reached twenty percent mastery. Looks like I need to step up my game,” Lin Chen mused. He too had a broken martial soul.
In the Human Sacred Dynasty, those with broken martial souls were rare, but in a major hub like Baiyun Prefecture, they were a given.
Yet a broken soul remained just that—broken.
Some cultivated theirs to ninety-nine percent, yet couldn’t achieve completion.
Without reaching full form, a broken soul couldn’t officially be called a martial soul.
It was a cruel reality.
But also a normal one.
Martial soul bearers were a tiny fraction of humanity, rare as phoenix feathers. If everyone could reach completion, the human race wouldn’t be so passively beaten down.
On the arena, Wanren Wang launched his attack.
Ghost Ship Ferry!
A move paired with his Ghost Ship Remnant Soul!
A top-tier martial technique!
With a fierce shout, Wanren Wang thrust both hands forward. Suddenly, the ghost ship shadow behind him glided through the air, as if riding wind and waves towards Ling Xiao.
As it moved, faint ghostly wails echoed, sending shivers down spines.
This move didn’t need proximity—effective from ten metres away, its power undiminished by distance.
“Meteor Fist!”
Ling Xiao had no intention of using his martial soul. Against Wanren Wang, he saw no need.
But as he unleashed the Meteor Fist, his body shifted. A massive Ice Demon shell encased him.
The once fiery red meteor transformed into a silver-white icy orb.
Boom!
The punch crashed into the ghost ship, sending gusts of force outward. Unprepared martial artists near the arena were caught off guard, a few injured by the blast, hastily retreating.
Crash!
The ghost ship shattered!
Ling Xiao stood tall and proud!
Yet Wanren Wang stumbled back a step, his face paling.
Though he hadn’t closed in on Ling Xiao, the ghost ship was his remnant soul—its destruction naturally wounded him.
This scene left Lin Chen dumbfounded.
The crowd below gasped in stunned unison.
“That punch was just an advanced martial technique, yet its power matched a top-tier one!”
“Nonsense, if it can shatter a broken martial soul, of course it’s no weaker than top-tier!”
“How’s that possible? He’s only at peak Fifth Level Martial Vein. Even leapfrogging levels, he shouldn’t be this strong.”
“I bet he’s hiding his strength.”
“Definitely!”
Some in the crowd were sharp. Though Ling Xiao appeared at peak Fifth Level, crushing Wanren Wang’s ghost ship so easily required at least early Sixth Level power.
Since they’d seen through it, he decided to stop hiding.
His true cultivation was mid-Sixth Level Martial Vein anyway.
His combat strength already rivalled a half-step Martial Master.
Revealing his real level wasn’t a big deal.
Boom!
A burst of aura erupted.
Ling Xiao’s presence surged, jumping from peak Fifth Level to mid-Sixth Level in an instant!
“He was hiding his strength!”
“How’d he conceal it so well? I couldn’t tell at all.”
“Hmph, he’s Tianfeng City’s top genius—how can you compare? Just watch, this’ll be good.”
“Impossible!”
Wanren Wang, seeing his ghost ship smashed, roared in fury and disbelief.
With a bellow, his gang qi flared again, the ghost ship shadow reforming.
Even a remnant soul wasn’t so easily destroyed.
A martial soul could keep regenerating until a martial artist’s gang qi and soul power were drained.
Of course, each reformation took a massive toll.
Amid his shout, Wanren Wang’s aura soared, finally unleashing his full tenth-level power.
He refused to believe Ling Xiao could beat him!
Absolutely refused!
Ghost Ship Ferry!
Another Ghost Ship Ferry, its power more than doubling from before. The ship’s shadow grew sharper, ghostly figures visibly shifting aboard.
This move could overwhelm any martial artist below half-step Martial Master.
Except Ling Xiao.
“Shadow Sword Technique—Perfected Realm!”
Sensing the ferocity of Wanren Wang’s attack, Ling Xiao didn’t dare take it lightly. The Ice Glass Sword flew from his back into his hand. He split into four figures, striking the ghost ship together.
