Chapter 355: A Junior Guides a Senior, Battle Against the Elephant Armor Sect
The Coiling Dragon Seven Kill Sword moved lightly, and Ning Tianchen effortlessly deflected Feng Bailong's attacks.
The two ice and fire dragon patterns coiling around the sword shimmered brilliantly under the morning light, resembling two living true dragons.
Of course, Feng Bailong couldn't see any of this.
He only felt that Ning Tianchen's sword qi was fierce, and the sharpness of the Seven Kill Sword far surpassed that of his Wind Sword—he dared not clash head-on.
"Wind Pressure Sword Array."
Feng Bailong swiftly retreated, using the strong winds generated by his Wind Sword to temporarily suspend himself in midair.
The Wind Sword pressed down, and a powerful wind pressure surged toward Ning Tianchen.
The Wind Pressure Sword Array was one of the inherited sword formations of the Wind Sword Sect. As the sect leader, Feng Bailong's strength was formidable enough to execute it alone.
"Is that all?" Ning Tianchen seemed to have lost interest.
In his eyes, Feng Bailong's sword felt soft and lacked any killing intent.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Wind Dragon Sword Shadow."
Ning Tianchen casually swung his sword, infusing the sword qi with wind-attribute power.
The wind pressure Feng Bailong had summoned seemed to amplify his soul skill instead.
Seeing that the wind pressure couldn't restrain Ning Tianchen and that the latter could even use it to his disadvantage, Feng Bailong quickly adjusted his strategy. The second soul ring beneath his feet lit up, and his figure blurred into afterimages, moving at extreme speed.
This piqued Ning Tianchen's interest. He stomped his right foot on the ground, and the Killing God Domain spread out from his body, enveloping the entire arena.
A terrifying, icy killing intent spread, inevitably affecting Feng Bailong's movements.
"Third Soul Skill, Sword Wings Soaring."
Ning Tianchen pointed with his right hand, controlling the Seven Kill Sword as it charged toward Feng Bailong.
"Excellent!"
From below the stage, Chen Xin couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
The advantage of the Wind Sword lay in its speed, but Ning Tianchen's Killing God Domain perfectly countered Feng Bailong's edge.
Gu Rong grumbled, "Old Sword Man, even Old Poison didn't get excited—why are you so worked up?"
After all, Ning Tianchen represented the Sky Sword Sect, not the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
But in Chen Xin's eyes, he saw the rise of a junior.
Feng Bailong was, after all, a senior in the world of soul masters. For Ning Tianchen to make him struggle in battle demonstrated his immense strength and talent.
Ke Jie chuckled, "Bone Douluo, aren't we all family here?"
---
Feng Bailong was an experienced elder who had weathered countless storms. Faced with an unfavorable situation, he quickly adapted his tactics.
Since his speed advantage was ineffective, he decided to confront Ning Tianchen head-on.
He raised his Wind Sword above his head.
In the next moment, thunder crackled along the sword's blade, and a storm began to gather above him.
"Wind and Thunder Sword Array."
A phantom Wind Sword emerged within the storm, its blade surrounded by crackling lightning.
The power of this sword was no joke!
Ning Tianchen remained calm and composed.
Within the Killing God Domain, his strength increased by twenty percent, while Feng Bailong's strength was suppressed by twenty percent.
As the gap in their soul power levels gradually closed, Ning Tianchen's attacks became bolder.
With a single swing of his sword, a mighty Azure Dragon sword qi surged forth.
A dragon roar echoed through the sky as the Azure Dragon opened its massive jaws, attempting to devour the Wind Sword.
"Go!"
Feng Bailong pressed his finger downward, and his sword qi sliced through the air, shooting toward the Azure Dragon sword qi.
The collision of the two soul skills erupted in a blinding flash. The powerful shockwave swept across every corner of the venue.
The aftermath of a Soul Douluo-level battle wasn't small—if mishandled, it could cause significant casualties in the audience.
Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo acted simultaneously, forming a soul force barrier around the stage to prevent the sword qi from spilling out.
After the first round of exchanges, Feng Bailong suffered a major disadvantage, his figure forced to the edge of the stage.
At the re-selection conference of the seven great sects, falling off the stage wouldn't result in elimination.
After all, high-level soul masters needed a large range to fully unleash their abilities, and a small stage would restrict their performance.
If soul masters fought in the air, the battle range could expand indefinitely until one side surrendered or lost the ability to fight.
From the beginning of this battle until now, Ning Tianchen had always stood firmly at the center of the stage, without moving an inch.
On the other hand, Feng Bailong constantly maneuvered around the stage.
For a moment, the audience buzzed with discussion.
"What? With Feng Bailong's experience, he can't do anything against this young man?"
"It's obvious that Ning Tianchen has taken control. The rest of the battle is likely to be one-sided."
The spectators who bet on the Sky Sword Sect's victory were naturally in high spirits.
At the same time, upon witnessing Ning Tianchen's strength, many declared him the number one among the younger generation on the continent.
On the Snow Mountain Sect's seats, Tian Ruyang patted Tian Guozhen on the shoulder and smiled, "Guozhen, don't feel pressured. Your talent isn't inferior to his. In terms of strength, you two should be evenly matched."
"No!" Tian Guozhen shook his head. "I'm no match for him. Don't forget, he hasn't even used his higher-level soul skills yet, and Feng Bailong has already been drawn into his rhythm."
"Perhaps, the outcome will come soon."
With Tian Ruyang's sharp eye, he naturally understood the situation on the battlefield.
The continent was filled with talented powerhouses, many of whom strayed off course during their growth.
His earlier words were merely meant to prevent Tian Guozhen from being discouraged by Ning Tianchen's strength in subsequent cultivation. Now, it seemed he had underestimated Tian Guozhen's mindset.
Pausing briefly, he added, "This is a guiding battle—a junior guiding a senior."
Ning Tianchen had the ability to end the match, yet he kept feeding Feng Bailong moves, clearly intending to guide him.
"To those who achieve mastery, they become teachers. In terms of swordsmanship, Feng Bailong is clearly inferior to Ning Tianchen." After some thought, Tian Guozhen continued, "However, I feel that Ning Tianchen isn't deliberately guiding Feng Bailong—it's more like he's testing his own strength."
Since breaking through to Soul Douluo, Ning Tianchen had lacked opponents for practice.
Feng Bailong volunteering to be a punching bag—how could he not take full advantage?
As for what others might think, why should it concern him?
---
To the one involved, the situation was unclear.
Feng Bailong felt himself firmly suppressed by Ning Tianchen, a sour frustration welling up inside him as if his strength couldn't be unleashed.
To avoid being dragged into a losing battle, he decided to escalate the intensity of his attacks.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Wind Sword True Body."
The Wind Sword spirit grew immensely large, and Feng Bailong's body transformed into a giant humanoid shadow, wielding the sword to slash at Ning Tianchen.
After multiple exchanges, Ning Tianchen had already gauged his opponent's strength.
At this moment, he did not counter with his martial soul true body.
Instead, he raised the Seven Kill Sword in front of him, assuming a defensive stance.
Seven Kill Sword Technique, Breaking Sword Form.
Retreating to advance, swift and piercing.
Feng Bailong sensed this was the Seven Kill Sword Technique he wanted to test.
He put more force into this strike, intending to measure the technique's power.
Sword qi condensed around Ning Tianchen, and the tip of the Wind Sword was blocked by the Seven Kill Sword, unable to advance even a fraction.
The terrifying sword qi dulled the sharpness of the Wind Sword, rendering it completely harmless.
Ning Tianchen's arm muscles slightly bulged as he suddenly exerted force, pushing the Wind Sword away. Immediately afterward, he thrust his sword forward, a beam of sword qi shooting from its tip.
Feng Bailong couldn't withstand it, and his shoulder was pierced by the sword qi.
Due to activating his martial soul true body, his injuries weren't severe at this moment.
At the same time, he realized the slim chances of victory in this match. Only by launching a full-force attack could he still hope for a win.
With this in mind, the eighth soul ring beneath his feet emitted a dazzling light.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Sword Wind Roar, Devouring Mountains and Rivers."
In midair, a colossal Wind Sword materialized, stirring the heavens and earth and generating violent winds over the stage.
Ning Tianchen remained unfazed, and the sixth soul ring beneath his feet lit up.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Traceless Flying Sword."
Thousands of spirit swords appeared behind him, each blade flashing with cold light, as if ready to tear apart everything in front of them.
With a thought, thousands of flying swords shot out simultaneously, colliding violently with Feng Bailong's eighth soul skill.
Dazzling light erupted once again, making it impossible for weaker spectators to see the situation on the stage.
Below the stage, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask Dugu Bo, "Elder Dugu, how is the match going?"
Dugu Bo snorted. "It's clearly an old man playing with a child. Since when did this little brat develop such a mischievous streak?"
---
Feng Bailong's strength was already inferior to Ning Tianchen's. The gap in swordsmanship mastery, comprehension of sword techniques, and even the disparity in their soul rings made this sect leader battle completely one-sided.
When the blinding light in the air finally dissipated, Feng Bailong was covered in multiple cuts and no longer had the strength to continue.
The referee immediately announced the result.
Seeing Ning Tianchen's relaxed demeanor, the audience couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
"This seemed too much like a child's play."
"This is an absolute difference in strength. No wonder the Sky Sword Sect wanted to eliminate the Wind Sword Sect during the elimination rounds. The two sects aren't even on the same level—this fight was just a waste of time."
On the main platform, Bibi Dong's expression remained calm, but her heart was roiling with shock.
Ning Tianchen had only used his sixth soul skill to defeat Feng Bailong, who had gone all out with his eighth soul skill.
Now, she began to believe that Huyan Zhen had truly lost to him in their previous battle, rather than surrendering due to external factors.
She wasn't even sure if Tuoba Xi could guarantee a victory against Ning Tianchen.
To secure the top three positions, they would have to find another way.
---
After stepping off the stage, Ning Tianchen glanced at his arms.
After obtaining two god-level soul bones, he could clearly feel a qualitative leap in the quality of his soul power.
Moreover, when wielding the sword with his arms, the sword qi seemed to be amplified by the soul bones.
He realized that without these two soul bones, it would have been impossible to defeat Feng Bailong so effortlessly.
His strength had improved far beyond his expectations.
If he could enter the realm of sword mastery, his power would increase even further.
"Little brat, are you still not fully accustomed to this newfound strength?"
As he spoke, Dugu Bo was secretly astonished.
The fact that Ning Tianchen hadn't figured out his own strength after such a long time spoke volumes about the magnitude of the opportunity he had received.
Just now, Ning Tianchen clearly hadn't intended to inflict such severe injuries on Feng Bailong—it was simply an overestimation of his own abilities that led to excessive force.
Ning Tianchen nodded. "In my upcoming battle with Grandpa, I should be able to gauge my true strength."
Chen Xin was, after all, a Super Douluo. Even with his rapid improvement, Ning Tianchen was still far from being a match for a Super Douluo.
In the subsequent elder battles, the Wind Sword Sect chose to forfeit.
After all, with Dugu Bo present, the Wind Sword Sect's elders were no match for him.
Thus, the Sky Sword Sect won their first ranking battle.
---
The ranking battles spanned seven days.
Each day featured a round-robin match, with one rest day between matches for each team.
The first day's matches ended quickly, with the Sky Sword Sect, Snow Mountain Sect, and Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect securing victories.
Notably, the Elephant Armor Sect directly conceded without a fight when facing the Snow Mountain Sect, and the Holy Dragon Sect did the same against the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
They didn't want to reveal their trump cards, seemingly planning to unleash their full strength in their battles against the Sky Sword Sect to secure the final spot among the top three.
On the second day, the Sky Sword Sect's opponent was the Black Tiger Sect.
The leader of the Black Tiger Sect possessed eighty-eight levels of strength, but he didn't consider himself a match for Ning Tianchen, so the elder battles began first.
Before the match, Ning Rongrong had already assessed the strength of the Black Tiger Sect's elders. Without Dugu Bo participating, Yang Wudi and the other two easily secured victories in all three elder battles, eliminating the need for a sect leader battle and ending the match.
The third day's matches were crucial for both the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Sky Sword Sect.
Today, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect faced the Snow Mountain Sect. The outcome of this match would determine which sect would claim the title of the continent's number one sect.
The Sky Sword Sect's opponent was the Elephant Armor Sect.
Similarly, the Elephant Armor Sect was a strong contender for the final spot among the top three.
Ning Tianchen was aware of Huyan Zhen's relationship with Bibi Dong and didn't rule out the possibility that Bibi Dong might provide some form of support to Huyan Zhen.
This match required serious preparation.
On the third day, the first match was between the Wind Sword Sect and the Black Tiger Sect.
Ning Tianchen and the others paid no attention to this match, instead discussing something in the rest area.
"When I arrived today, I noticed that the people from the Elephant Armor Sect looked extremely confident. Could it be that they've obtained some kind of powerful weapon?" Zhao Wuji said, expressing his concern.
Ning Tianchen had displayed overwhelming strength in his battle against Feng Bailong.
Huyan Zhen's strength hadn't broken through to a new level, so fighting Ning Tianchen wouldn't end well for him.
Where did they get this confidence?
Dugu Bo spoke gravely, "The essence of the battles in the re-selection conference of the seven great sects is unrestricted combat. Normally, no one uses weapons."
"The Elephant Armor Sect's behavior suggests they may have prepared some kind of powerful weapon—a decisive weapon that could grant them victory."
Ning Tianchen couldn't make a judgment.
There were countless capable individuals within the Spirit Hall, so it was possible they had provided some assistance to the Elephant Armor Sect.
These methods were unpredictable, and during the battle, extreme caution was necessary.
"If they use poison, Master, holding this item might help." Yang Wudi, with utmost seriousness, retrieved the Fragrant Qi Luo Immortal Herb from his spirit-guided device.
Within the domain of this immortal herb, even Dugu Bo's poison couldn't penetrate, let alone other toxins.
Ning Tianchen stored it in his spirit-guided device.
Having this immortal herb on hand was a form of insurance.
As they spoke, his gaze turned toward the Elephant Armor Sect.
Huyan Zhen had been observing their movements. Catching Ning Tianchen's gaze, he raised his right hand, thumb down, chest puffed out, as if he was absolutely confident of victory!
Ning Tianchen sneered and transmitted a voice message to him. "How does it feel to be the Spirit Hall's lapdog? So confident—looks like your master has given you quite a few good things."
Without batting an eye, Huyan Zhen loudly responded, "I hope you don't act like cowards. The Elephant Armor Sect will surely avenge our past humiliation!"
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