Chapter 204

Chapter 204: Soul Chain

Wen Lin did not have time to steady his breath; he forced himself to look toward the arena.

Li Shuang, ten years ago, was the pride of every Sword Sect disciple. People all said the Sword Sect was about to welcome a true peerless genius.

However, ten years ago, she suddenly fell silent.

Now, Li Shuang chose to start over and cultivate from the beginning. Not even a full year into rebuilding, she had already returned to the Golden Core Stage. This speed was frightening.

Yet even that was not her limit. At Mid Golden Core Formation, she killed Peak Golden Core Cong Xin in a single move.

Now she stood before Wu Ling Chuan, who was at Nascent Soul Peak.

Because of this fight, even the battles on the Divine Transformation Stage platform cooled at once. Jiang Rong Yi and Ren Gu could not help shifting some attention to the match between Li Shuang and Wu Ling Chuan.

On the high dais, Meng Yi Fei and Yan Zhong He stared without blinking.

Meng Yi Fei’s gaze tightened. Ordinary disciples could not tell, but people like them noticed a clue. The move Li Shuang had used to defeat Cong Xin was not some common art, but a Secret Soul Technique.

Three months ago, when she returned from a mission, Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue accused Li Shuang of learning an evil law. Their reason was her swordplay, which they could not understand.

But when Li Shuang demonstrated her sword in person, the elders saw the truth at a glance. It was no evil art. It was a true Soul Method.

Li Shuang had walked the Emotionless Path and, at the same time, grasped a new Dao whose first step was the Soul Method. Enlighten the Dao, then naturally understand the art. This is the highest road.

But this road cannot be copied. Unless someone has exactly the same insight and walks exactly the same path as Li Shuang, they cannot follow it.

There are no two identical people in the world, and there will not be two identical Dao. Even if two paths look the same, the people who understand them are different, so there will always be small differences.

Soul-Severing Slash was a soul art unique to Li Shuang. No one else could copy it.

After the elders discovered that Li Shuang had mastered a Soul Method, they quietly hid the news. As for Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue, they were scolded and told never to bring it up again. The two felt unwilling, but seeing the elders’ response, they realized she likely had not learned any evil law. She had touched another field that normal people could not reach.

This time on the stage, Li Shuang also used a Soul Method to defeat Cong Xin. But she had not drawn on Black Abyss, so it was not Soul Severing.

What she used… was another Secret Soul Technique.

Soul Methods and Secret Soul Techniques are rare. The Nanlan Continent has already lost those inheritances. The ones that remain all have big flaws. The Sword Sect also keeps some Soul Methods and Secret Soul Techniques, but one must at least reach the Integration Stage to even try to touch them.

Otherwise there is a risk of the soul falling into disorder and of Qi Deviation. [Where did Li Shuang learn a Secret Soul Technique? Could she already have…] Meng Yi Fei’s thoughts raced.

The question of the technique could wait. Right now he was very curious: how far had Li Shuang trained her Soul Method and Secret Soul Technique?

Li Shuang looked at Wu Ling Chuan and said calmly: “Wu Ling Chuan, I want to see if your blood will look even brighter red.”

Li Li sensed the surging tide under Li Shuang’s calm surface, and the body of the Black Abyss Sword trembled.

The Fourth Tier Black Abyss bloomed with light for the first time.

Ye Zhao Zhao looked at the Black Abyss Sword with bitter hate. When it was in her hands, the Sword Spirit would not wake no matter how she called it. If the Sword Spirit had given her even a little response, how could she have given up such a treasure?

Now that it was with Li Shuang, the sword that had looked like a black fire poker was still pitch black, but faint golden light now flashed within the ink-dark blade. Its power was clear at a glance. It had been with Li Shuang for just half a year, yet the Black Abyss Sword might already surpass the Dragon Roar Sword from back then.

Back then, the most striking thing about the Dragon Roar Sword was the True Dragon Stone at its center. That stone could summon True Dragon aura, letting the Dragon Roar Sword have the might of a Fifth Tier weapon even while only at Fourth Tier.

Now, at the center of the Black Abyss Sword, a jet-black stone had also appeared. It looked plain, but as light flowed through it, a huge power seemed to hide inside. [What is that? What rank is the Black Abyss Sword now?]

Wu Ling Chuan stared at Li Shuang and laughed coldly as he said: “The fight with Wen Lin felt great. Li Shuang, I hope you can be like him. Don’t admit defeat. Hold on well so I can enjoy myself even more.”

He licked his lips, a bloodthirsty smile at the corner of his mouth.

Li Shuang’s fingers lightly stroked the blade of the Black Abyss Sword, then she said: “I can let you strike first. If I strike first, you may not get a chance to move.”

Wu Ling Chuan was almost amused to anger. To someone who did not know, it would sound like she was at Nascent Soul Stage and he was at Golden Core Stage. Crossing a Major Tier to fight and still daring to be so bold.

He sneered and said: “No need. You go first. I’ll give you three moves. For three moves I won’t fight back. Treat it as me saving your Sword Sect a bit of face.”

Li Shuang looked at him in a strange way. She had never seen someone rush to offer himself up like this. A faint pity appeared in her eyes, and Wu Ling Chuan frowned. [What is that look? Has she gone crazy? I’ll dig out her eyes later.]

His face grew even more feral.

Li Shuang nodded and said: “Then I will make the first move.”

Wu Ling Chuan laughed in mockery and said: “Come.”

He was already planning how to take the strike lightly and make it seem effortless. He wanted everyone to see how big the gap was between him and Li Shuang. He also wanted to mock the Sword Sect for letting a Golden Core Stage disciple step onto a Nascent Soul Stage platform.

He was thinking that when a brilliant sword light came sweeping in from the horizon.

Wu Ling Chuan was about to block.

But in his sea of consciousness, a golden chain suddenly appeared and locked it tight. In that instant, he could not move at all.

[What is this?] A flash of fear crossed his eyes. [Is this Li Shuang’s power? This chain’s strength is even stronger than my soul. Is her Soul Realm higher than mine?]

The chain came strangely, but it was not impossible to resist. His eyes turned red. No matter what move this was, he could not lose this fight. Otherwise his interest-first Master would likely throw him away.

Wu Ling Chuan gathered all his power and struggled with everything he had to break the chain.