Chapter 27: The Youngest Leader

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The Clear Sky Hammer struck the arena with a deafening crash, causing the entire platform to shake. The spot where the hammer landed even caved in, with cracks radiating outward from the impact point.

The Chaos Storm Hammer Technique was indeed powerful, able to accumulate and unleash successive bursts of force. However, it also had several weaknesses. One of them was its lack of mobility—though this wasn't much of an issue, as opponents could simply approach and strike after one blow, even if they couldn't generate much power. Another weakness was that the stance needed to remain steady. If the base wasn't stable, the technique could backfire and cause harm to the user. For example, Sword Douluo could exploit this by using sword energy to target the lower body and disrupt the technique.

The final limitation was that once the accumulation was complete, the hammer needed to be swung immediately. Otherwise, the accumulated power would backlash against the user, causing internal damage.

Tang Hu had positioned himself with his body angled forward. As he swung, his legs would generate the force, but in that moment, Qian Renhan had already planned his move. His three-meter distance from Tang Hu was intentional—he was waiting for Tang Hu to jump toward him so he could use his Fallen Angel martial soul's flight ability to dodge.

The flight ability of his Eight-Winged Fallen Angel martial soul was far stronger than a Six-Winged Angel's. Although it wasn't as fast as a soul master specializing in agility, it was certainly more than sufficient to evade Tang Hu's assault. When it came to a battle of speed, would it be Tang Hu's explosive muscle power or Qian Renhan's flight speed that would prevail? The answer was clear.

In the world of Douluo Dalu, the strength of a soul master was defined by their martial soul and abilities.

As for reflexes, Qian Renhan had trained with Lightwing Douluo, improving his reaction speed, vision, sword strike speed, and agility. Was Tang Hu's jump speed really faster than Lightwing Douluo's arrow-flight speed?

"Are you just going to keep flying up and avoid facing me head-on?" Tang Hu shouted in frustration. The exertion from swinging the Chaos Storm Hammer had drained much of his stamina, and the hammer's rebound after hitting the ground had torn his palms.

Qian Renhan replied coldly, "I didn't interrupt your charge, so why can't I avoid it? What do you think my wings are for?"

Tang Hu sneered. "Ha! In the end, you're just afraid to face my hammer head-on!"

"Face you head-on? Then I'll grant you that," Qian Renhan responded. He surged forward, his right hand grasping his black long sword. As he moved, the glow of his thousand-year soul ring flashed, and dark soul power gathered in his left hand to form a pitch-black shield.

"Second Soul Skill, Clear Sky Hammer!" Tang Hu immediately activated his second soul skill. His first soul ring was far older than Qian Renhan's, and despite his higher rank, he didn't dare underestimate the situation—especially since he had already exhausted much of his energy.

Both Qian Xunji and Qian Renxue furrowed their brows in concern. Why was Qian Renhan wasting soul power to form a long sword? And why was he concentrating his first soul skill in his left hand, when his right hand was clearly more powerful?

Tang Hu swung the hammer with one hand, pulling it back to the maximum extent before hurling it forward. Just as he thought it was a contest of soul skills, Qian Renhan flung his sword forward, and his left hand, charged with soul power, struck back with force that collided with the sword. This move left everyone stunned, though only Qian Renhan knew the reasoning behind it.

With the first soul skill's strike to the sword, Qian Renhan accelerated, and before Tang Hu could complete his hammer strike, Qian Renhan's right hand, coated with black soul power, reached out and grabbed Tang Hu's wrist.

"You... how did you do that?" Tang Hu's voice was filled with confusion and a hint of fear.

"I let you swing all those hammers for a reason," Qian Renhan said flatly. "In our brief exchange, I completely understood your hammer swing speed." Soul power flowed from Qian Renhan's hand into Tang Hu's wrist, and he smirked. "Still holding out? If you keep this up, your right arm will be ruined."

Tang Hu's right arm trembled uncontrollably as an extremely cold soul power invaded his body. It felt as if his blood, flesh, and bones were freezing. He tried to use his soul power to resist, but as soon as his own energy touched the dark soul power, it was completely devoured.

"Then I'll crush you into a meat pancake first!" Tang Hu gritted out the words through the pain, his left hand stretching out to grip the Clear Sky Hammer, swinging it down once again.

"You're still a man of grit, but you can't change the outcome of your defeat," Qian Renhan remarked coldly.

The moment Tang Hu's left hand gripped the Clear Sky Hammer's handle, Qian Renhan took to the air to avoid the incoming blow. As the hammer slammed into the arena below, he landed atop it, his soul power once again coalescing into a long sword, which he placed at Tang Hu's throat.

At this moment, the entire arena fell silent. No—rather, everyone had been stunned the instant Qian Renhan used his first soul skill to strike back. But once the sword was held at Tang Hu's neck, they all snapped back to reality. The young master of the Spirit Hall had won, overcoming a nine-level difference and the gap of a single soul ring, defeating the number one fighter of Clear Sky Sect's younger generation.

"Brother is so amazing!" Qian Renxue was the first to shout.

Both Yu Longchen and Sword Douluo wore serious expressions. What an extraordinary junior—his mind was so sharp. On the surface, it seemed like Qian Renhan was at a disadvantage at the beginning of the battle, but in reality, he was controlling the entire situation. He first tested the power of the Clear Sky Hammer, realized he couldn't take it head-on, and then analyzed Tang Hu's hammer speed—the brief moment when the thirty-six hammers of Chaos Storm were swung. With all the information in hand, he turned the tide and defeated Tang Hu with overwhelming speed.

Such a meticulous mind, exceptional talent, and the first soul ring being from a thousand-year-old Angel lineage. His threat was on a completely different level than Qian Renxue's. If he were allowed to grow, he would become even more terrifying than Qian Xunji.

"Who else?" Qian Renhan looked down, his gaze sweeping across the younger generation. Few dared to meet his eyes, except for those starry-eyed youngsters like Qian Renxue, Huo Wu, and others.

The young masters of the Blue Electric Tyrant Clan and Clear Sky Sect had both been easily defeated, crushed without injury. Who among them could challenge him now?

After this battle, Qian Renhan was unquestionably the number one among the younger generation.

(End of Chapter)