Chapter 469: Divine Dragon Martial Soul
Zhang Ruochen stopped walking, turned to look at Ao Xinyan, and smiled, "I am now the leader of the first group. As a holy disciple of the first group, is it really appropriate for you to address me by my name directly?"
Ao Xinyan's movement technique was extremely exquisite, barely touching the ground as she walked through the air. Only when she reached ten zhang away from Zhang Ruochen did she plant her feet firmly and let out a cold snort, "If you can't defeat me, I won't acknowledge you as the group leader, let alone obey your orders."
Zhang Ruochen truly did not want to fight Ao Xinyan, but she stubbornly clung to him, making her a truly troublesome woman.
From a distance, a male voice came over.
"Well said! In the Holy Academy, everything is based on strength. Zhang Ruochen, is your strength really as formidable as the legends say?"
As the voice spoke, four more people emerged from the holy mountain.
Among them were three figures quite familiar to Zhang Ruochen: Xu Hai of the Xu Holy Clan, Xi Yunxi of the Xi Holy Clan, and Zuo Qiuling of the Zuo Holy Clan.
There was also one person Zhang Ruochen did not recognize.
However, he could sense the powerful aura emanating from him, clearly indicating he was also an expert.
The previous words had come from Xu Hai's mouth.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Xu Hai, Xi Yunxi, and the other two, and said, "What my strength has to do with you seems to be none of your business, does it?"
Xi Yunxi gave a charming smile and said, "We are all holy disciples of the Sword Dao Department, and you are the leader of the first group of the Sword Dao Department, representing the face of our entire department. If your strength is too weak, wouldn't that make all the holy disciples of the Sword Dao Department lose face?"
Xu Hai nodded, "Junior Sister Ao is a princess of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan. Not only does she possess a half-dragon body, but her realm in the Sword Dao is also extremely profound. I believe she is qualified to fight you. Zhang Ruochen, if you refuse to fight, aren't you looking down on Junior Sister Ao?"
Ao Xinyan said, "Zhang Ruochen, if you can defeat me, from now on, I will acknowledge your position as group leader and follow your lead without a single word of complaint."
Zhang Ruochen stared deeply at Ao Xinyan, let out a breath, and said, "Fine! Since you insist on fighting, I will grant your wish."
Ao Xinyan was too naive, being used as a pawn by those heirs of the holy clans without realizing it.
Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to fight her, to prevent her from being further exploited by those from the holy clans.
A joyful expression appeared on Ao Xinyan's beautiful face. She immediately mobilized her true qi and drew the Dragon-Patterned Azure Water Sword, pointing it at Zhang Ruochen standing opposite her.
The Dragon-Patterned Azure Water Sword seemed forged from green crystal, emerald and translucent, with dragon scales floating on the surface of the blade. It was clearly no ordinary item.
Zhang Ruochen did not underestimate Ao Xinyan. The fact that she had entered the first group of the Sword Dao Department with the third-highest score already demonstrated her formidable strength.
"Clang!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out of its sheath, trailing a streak of black light, and hovered in front of Zhang Ruochen.
Ao Xinyan's eyes narrowed, "So it really is the realm of Sword Heart Illumination."
Ao Xinyan activated the inscriptions within the Dragon-Patterned Azure Water Sword. Instantly, a large expanse of water waves appeared around the sword, swirling rapidly around her body like a stream, producing a "gurgling" sound.
"Netherworld Yellow Spring."
Ao Xinyan leaped up, passed through the water curtain, and thrust her sword straight toward Zhang Ruochen's brow.
She was executing a ghost-grade lower-rank sword technique, the Netherworld Sword Technique. From the power of her sword strike, it was clear she had cultivated this technique to great mastery.
The strength Ao Xinyan displayed was already on par with Lu Fantian and Orange Moon Star Envoy.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed. With a casual wave, the Abyssal Ancient Sword slashed out.
"Whoosh!"
What seemed like a casual swing carried a profound and exquisite sword realm, manifesting thirty-six sword qi shadows. Each shadow represented a variation, meaning it contained thirty-six variations of sword techniques.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen broke Ao Xinyan's Netherworld Sword Technique.
Without pausing, Zhang Ruochen immediately executed a second sword technique.
He took a step forward, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword had already thrust to Ao Xinyan's chest. Even with the naked eye, one could see the sharp sword qi spitting from the tip of the blade.
Ao Xinyan's expression changed drastically. She immediately released her martial soul.
"Roar!"
A deafening dragon roar erupted from within her body.
Above her head, a pillar of cyan light shot up. Particles of light coalesced into a dragon-shaped phantom, coiling behind her like a massive cyan mountain.
Ao Xinyan's martial soul was actually a "Divine Dragon Martial Soul."
It was well known that only true dragons of the Divine Dragon Clan could cultivate a Divine Dragon Martial Soul.
The Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan could not possibly cultivate a Divine Dragon Martial Soul. Even cultivating a Flying Dragon Martial Soul or an Earth Dragon Martial Soul was extremely rare among them. This showed how astonishingly powerful Ao Xinyan's martial soul was—truly mind-boggling.
"Such a powerful martial soul. Her martial soul is probably comparable to that of a cultivator at the fifth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, even a notch above Lu Fantian's Divine Wood Martial Soul."
The cyan divine dragon, over a hundred meters long, coiled behind Ao Xinyan. Its massive head, sharp claws, and fierce eyes exuded an overwhelming aura.
In the distance, Xi Yunxi and Zuo Qiuling were both startled by the martial soul Ao Xinyan had released, their faces turning pale as they retreated continuously.
Xu Hai's eyes lit up, "It's actually a Divine Dragon Martial Soul! No wonder Ao Xinyan is called the once-in-a-century prodigy of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan. With her strength, she might actually be able to defeat Zhang Ruochen."
The holy disciple standing beside Xu Hai looked nearly thirty years old, with a sallow, sickly complexion. He said coldly, "To cultivate a martial soul comparable to a cultivator at the fifth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm while at the Great Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm is indeed quite remarkable. When I was at the Great Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, I only managed to cultivate a martial soul comparable to the fourth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, and that was my limit."
"It is said that Zhang Ruochen's martial soul is also extremely powerful. I wonder how it compares to Ao Xinyan's?" Xu Hai said.
The two fell silent, continuing to watch the battlefield, eager to see if Ao Xinyan could force Zhang Ruochen to use his full strength.
"Netherworld Without Trace."
Ao Xinyan leaped into the air, rising over ten zhang high. Holding her sword with both hands, she slashed downward fiercely.
The Dragon-Patterned Azure Water Sword emitted a piercing sound. The blade grew enormous, dozens of zhang long, as if it would tear the earth apart.
At the same time, the cyan dragon coiled behind her struck down with a claw, merging with the sword's power.
All the scenery before Zhang Ruochen vanished. The sound of surging water filled his ears, as if an entire ocean was rushing toward him. A cyan divine dragon swam through the water, churning the seas, swinging its dragon claw toward his head.
"Whoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen also released his martial soul.
His martial soul hovered above his head, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, converging toward him in an endless stream.
"Soul-Severing Life-Taking."
Zhang Ruochen had not cultivated any ghost-grade sword techniques, so he could only use a spirit-grade upper-rank sword technique, the Soul-Chasing Thirteen Swords, to counter Ao Xinyan's attack.
Fortunately, he had cultivated the Soul-Chasing Thirteen Swords to the realm of transformation, so he was not at too much of a disadvantage in terms of sword techniques.
"Zhang Ruochen is using a spirit-grade upper-rank sword technique to counter a ghost-grade lower-rank Netherworld Sword Technique. The power of these two sword techniques isn't even on the same level..." Xu Hai said.
Before Xu Hai could finish his words, Zhang Ruochen had already broken Ao Xinyan's sword strike. He took the initiative to advance, swinging his sword horizontally toward Ao Xinyan's waist.
Ao Xinyan was also startled. In her haste, she immediately raised her sword vertically to block in front of her.
"Bang!"
The two swords clashed, erupting in rings of energy ripples that surged outward in all directions like waves.
Ao Xinyan was sent flying diagonally. She landed on the ground and slid backward, leaving a deep groove in the earth that extended over ten zhang.
Everyone present was stunned.
A spirit-grade upper-rank Soul-Chasing Thirteen Swords had broken a ghost-grade lower-rank Netherworld Sword Technique. This could only prove one thing: Zhang Ruochen's strength far surpassed Ao Xinyan's by a wide margin.
"Relying solely on Sword Heart Illumination shouldn't make him this strong. Could it be... could it be that Zhang Ruochen's martial soul is even stronger than Ao Xinyan's?" Xu Hai said.
The person beside Xu Hai narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Zhang Ruochen, and said, "I can't see through him. I can't see through Zhang Ruochen's true cultivation level."
Xu Hai also shook his head, "I can't see through it either. At the Heavenly Extreme Realm, he is already this unfathomable. If he breaks through to the Fish-Dragon Realm, what then?"
As the two exchanged words, Zhang Ruochen pursued swiftly, giving Ao Xinyan no chance to catch her breath. He executed seven sword techniques in succession.
Ao Xinyan felt as if her vision was filled with sword light, so dazzling she couldn't open her eyes. She could only rely on her spiritual power to sense the trajectory of Zhang Ruochen's sword strikes.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's sword stopped. The tip of the blade pierced through her protective heavenly armor and halted at her heart.
Ao Xinyan's entire body tensed up, as if sealed by the sword qi, unable to move. Still unwilling to admit defeat to Zhang Ruochen, she immediately shifted her steps and retreated rapidly.
The sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand moved like a spiritual snake, always pointing at her heart.
If he wished, he could thrust the sword at any moment and pierce her heart.
In the end, Ao Xinyan realized the vast gap between her and Zhang Ruochen. She stopped dodging and let out a long sigh, "I have lost! I only managed to withstand nine of your moves. Am I really weaker than Orange Moon Star Envoy and Lu Fantian?"
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his sword. Seeing Ao Xinyan's dejected expression, he knew she had never tasted defeat before and lacked the tempering of her own will.
Such a person, once they fail, might never recover.
As the leader of the first group, Zhang Ruochen did not want to see a peerless prodigy sink into despair.
So, he comforted her, "Actually, your strength is not inferior to Orange Moon Star Envoy and Lu Fantian. In fact, you might even be a bit stronger. However, in the past few days, I have had some fortunate encounters, and both my Sword Dao realm and martial arts realm have improved significantly."
Zhang Ruochen was telling the truth, not deceiving her.
Drinking the Bi Kong Cao tea had indeed greatly increased Zhang Ruochen's strength.