"How… How is this possible? Just three months ago, his soul power was only in the twenties…"
Yu Xiaogang was in utter disbelief. He furrowed his brow deeply, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Could it be that the Spirit Hall had deliberately released false information?
He considered several possibilities and eventually settled on a conclusion: Gu Han's true soul power level must have been deliberately concealed. The information they received was fake—fabricated.
After all, the identity and level records of Soul Masters across the continent were all maintained by Spirit Hall. If the Hall wanted to hide someone's power, a simple change on paper was all it took.
As for the so-called blessing of the Angel God, Yu Xiaogang scoffed at the idea.
Gods? In this world?
If gods truly existed, then how could they have overlooked him—Yu Xiaogang—and failed to grant him a powerful spirit? The sheer unfairness of it all.
No, it had to be a cover-up by Spirit Hall. And if that were true, then that so-called "Holy Maiden" was likely far stronger than just a
Soul Ancestor.
At that moment, four soul rings appeared beneath Gu Han's feet—yellow, yellow, purple, and black.
The crowd gasped in astonishment, eyes wide with disbelief.
Even Tang Hao's expression shifted in shock.
"His fourth ring is a ten-thousand-year ring?!"
"How… How is that possible?!"
"How could a Soul Ancestor withstand the spiritual assault of a ten-thousand-year soul beast?!"
All eyes were drawn to the black ring encircling Gu Han. Even though Tang Hao himself possessed a ten-thousand-year soul ring, having one as a fifth ring was within the realm of prodigies.
But Gu Han's fourth ring being ten-thousand-year grade? That was simply unheard of.
"The Angel God's blessing really is something. This kid's already got a ten-thousand-year ring at such a young age."
Tang Chen believed Qian Daoliu's words. After all, he had seen enough proof of divine existence himself. Qian Daoliu, after all, had a terrifying ring configuration—eight black, one red. So this was nothing too shocking to him.
Still, every time Tang Chen thought of Qian Daoliu's soul rings, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. With soul rings of such caliber, imagine what he could accomplish through Ring Detonation.
Tang Chen mused: if he had Qian Daoliu's soul ring setup, he'd even dare swing his hammer at a god.
"Heh, and that's not all. This boy's strength is in no way inferior to your grandson's."
Qian Daoliu couldn't hide his glee upon seeing the envy in his old friend's eyes.
"Don't be too smug," Tang Chen retorted. "So what if his fourth ring is ten-thousand-year? Don't forget—my Hao'er is already a Soul King, thirteen levels higher than this kid. That's not something one can just leap over."
"Then let's wait and see," Qian Daoliu said calmly, hands behind his back, his face unreadable.
"He's already a Soul Ancestor… and he has a ten-thousand-year ring?"
Even Dugu Bo and his son were stunned.
Just how had Gu Han managed this?
Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi exchanged glances, both seeing the same incredulous light in the other's eyes.
"Interesting," Chen Xin muttered. "Finally, someone worth watching."
Tang Hao's face turned serious. Having absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring himself, he knew just how dangerous that process was. The mere fact that this boy had succeeded at the fourth ring was proof of his strength.
What's more, he was younger than Tang Hao. It might not show now, but ten years from now, the gap between them could very well disappear.
"Hao, be careful."
Gu Han's eyes flashed with sharp intent—and he vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he was already right in front of Tang Hao, sword slicing toward his left shoulder.
"Huh?!"
Tang Hao's body tensed. He hadn't expected Gu Han to possess a teleportation-type ability. He quickly brought the Clear Sky Hammer across his body to block.
Clang!
Steel rang against steel. Gu Han retreated swiftly, sword in hand.
In the next instant, Tang Hao's hammer swept forward in an eerie arc, cutting through the air with a terrifying whistle.
"Collapse!"
The hammer's surface loomed tall—easily the size of two men—crushing everything with sheer pressure.
"Slash!"
But Gu Han didn't meet it head-on. He teleported again, this time avoiding close contact. With Tang Hao's hammer momentum already formed, charging in recklessly would only put him at a disadvantage.
Using his teleportation advantage, Gu Han soared into the air and unleashed several sharp, freezing sword slashes.
The sword qi streaked through the sky, so cold that the very air crystallized.
Even before they landed, Tang Hao could already feel his skin sting, as though flayed by invisible blades.
"RAAAGH!! Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique!"
Tang Hao roared, eyes bloodshot, surging forward with a mighty swing. The hammer swept away all the sword qi like a tidal wave.
But before he could even smile, a flash of white light approached—a sword's gleam reflected in his eyes. The pale-blue blade, brimming with bitter cold, came crashing down.
"Clear Sky Barrier!"
Startled, Tang Hao quickly activated his soul skill, summoning a dome-like shield of soul power to protect himself.
Screeeech!
An ear-piercing screech tore through the air as the freezing blade ripped into the shield, creating a long gash. At the last second, Tang Hao brought his hammer forward to block.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sword and hammer collided, and the chilling cold spread across the hammer's surface in an instant.
Gu Han's ice attribute, though not yet the Ultimate Ice of the future, had already reached top-tier level—possibly even stronger than Shui Bing'er's future Ice Phoenix.
"Excellent swordsmanship."
Even the Sword Douluo Chen Xin, couldn't help but praise.
"This is bad…"
Tang Hao's expression darkened as he felt the bitter chill creeping toward his arm. But his eyes sharpened, and soul power surged across his body.
"Break!!"
A burst of terrifying lightning and brute force erupted from the Clear Sky Hammer. With a sudden spin, it shattered the ice and sent Gu Han flying. Without missing a beat, Tang Hao followed through, raising his hammer and striking down from above.
"Clear Sky Hammer—Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique!"
This hammer strike carried the weight of thunder and the might of heaven. Unstoppable. Unrelenting.
The crowd held their breath. Even Bibi Dong's fists clenched tightly from nervous tension.
Gu Han's expression was just as grim. It felt like the very air had locked onto him.
"Frostblade Nine Slashes—All Nine Combined!"
This was a technique Gu Han developed after acquiring his third soul ability. By combining it with Frostblade Nine Slashes, he could unleash its full potential in a single, explosive moment.
Nine frost-forged soul swords merged into a single massive blade, glowing with ice-blue energy, surging upward to meet Tang Hao's falling hammer.
The battlefield froze over. Icy sword qi howled through the air, slipping through the cracks in the hammer's assault and slicing Tang Hao's skin.
"RAAAAAH!!"
Tang Hao charged through the sword qi, undeterred, momentum only building as he brought his hammer down with earth-splitting force.
BOOM!!!
A massive wave of soul power exploded outward.
Two figures were sent flying like cannonballs, crashing out of the blast zone.
Below, Tang Tian and Yue Guan rushed into the arena, catching the two mid-air.
~~~
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