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Ning Tianchen struck decisively.
As the saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot." The tip of the Seven Kill Sword flashed with a cold gleam, slicing across Wolf Fang King's neck and ending his life.
The Killing Envoy couldn't help but look at Ning Tianchen with renewed interest.
In all of Wolf Fang King's previous battles, he had ended them by brutally killing nine opponents in a berserk state. Yet today, he had fallen to Ning Tianchen.
She grew increasingly curious about how far Ning Tianchen could push his winning streak.
It wasn't that others hadn't tried to dodge Wolf Fang King's attacks—it was that they lacked sufficiently refined movement techniques.
Most soul masters on the continent were deficient in training their agility. Sects with complete movement technique legacies never shared their secrets with outsiders.
Under Chen Xin's tutelage, Ning Tianchen's movement skills had reached perfection—minimizing energy expenditure while evading attacks.
With the match over, the soul power within Wolf Fang King's body naturally flowed into Ning Tianchen.
This wasn't just ordinary soul power—it also included the accumulated killing intent from all of Wolf Fang King's past matches.
After absorbing it, Ning Tianchen couldn't help but frown.
If a Soul Sage's soul power were absorbed by a Soul King, it should have been enough to boost his soul power by ten levels. In reality, however, Ning Tianchen's soul power hadn't even increased by half a level.
While he was absorbing the soul power, faint, barely noticeable threads emerged from beneath the Hell Arena, consuming most of Wolf Fang King's soul power.
When Ning Tianchen looked down again, the corpse had turned into a pool of blood, draining away through the arena floor's "drainage" system into the underground.
At this point, the only thing Wolf Fang King left behind in this world was the soul bone that provided his berserk skill.
"Soul Bone!"
From the audience, many degenerates rose to their feet, their eyes filled with fiery greed.
Though the Hell Arena had no rules, private fights among non-participants were strictly forbidden—otherwise, it would anger the King of Killers.
These degenerates managed to restrain themselves, but once Ning Tianchen left the Hell Arena, they wouldn't hold back.
Of course, Ning Tianchen had defeated Wolf Fang King—whether through strategy or strength, his display of power had dissuaded some degenerates from attempting to seize the soul bone.
---
"It truly was a soul bone. Otherwise, a Soul Sage without soul skills wouldn't have been so resilient." Ning Tianchen chuckled inwardly as he stored the soul bone in his chest.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, it was best not to reveal any soul tools, lest someone be tempted by greed.
Whether a Soul Sage or a Soul Douluo, without soul skills, they were like tigers stripped of their fangs and claws—completely harmless.
Of course, this only applied to soul masters below the Title Douluo level.
To break through to Title Douluo, one must have profound insights into their martial soul. Even without soul skills, their strength was still formidable.
Fortunately, among the Soul Douluos on the continent, fewer than one in ten could break through to Title Douluo. Ning Tianchen wasn't worried about a Title Douluo appearing here.
After stepping off the arena, he immediately moved on to the next match.
At the end of the contestant corridor, the Killing Envoy had been waiting for some time.
"Wolf Fang King's forty-nine consecutive wins ranked second only to the top record of fifty-three consecutive wins. I didn't expect you to defeat such a strong opponent in your very first match—it's truly surprising." The Killing Envoy seemed to be trying to ingratiate herself, her tone much more relaxed and less rigid than before.
Ning Tianchen laughed softly. "It's the first time I've heard of a Killing Envoy initiating small talk."
The Killing Envoy didn't get angry but instead reminded him, "The soul bone was exposed in plain sight. If you don't want trouble, just toss it to a random passerby when you leave. But if you want to keep it, you'd better weigh your own strength."
"Your performance in the Hell Arena can deter some people, but those who remain will all be strong."
Ning Tianchen bowed slightly. "Thank you for the reminder."
The Killing Envoy didn't press further, seeing that he wasn't interested in engaging with her. Finally, she added, "You've already secured a victory in the Hell Arena, so you now have permission to reside in the inner city for a year. As for housing, if you see a house you like in the city, feel free to take it."
"The survival rule here: the strong speak."
Ning Tianchen nodded, not lingering, and walked out of the Hell Arena.
As expected, a group of degenerates had already gathered outside the arena. Their goal was clear—to seize the soul bone in Ning Tianchen's possession.
Ning Tianchen feigned impatience. "Is anyone else coming? Don't skulk around like rats hiding in dark sewers."
"How dare you!" A pale-faced young man dressed in pristine white stepped forward.
His spotless white clothing hinted at his considerable strength.
Not only him, but the group behind him was also no weak bunch.
Ning Tianchen cracked his neck.
During the previous match, he had been constantly running and hadn't expended much energy. Facing these people now was no problem.
Most importantly, this group wasn't united.
There was only one soul bone. Even if Ning Tianchen were to die, only one of them could claim it.
Ning Tianchen took out the soul bone and weighed it in his hand. "How do you plan to divide this soul bone? Should we smash it and give everyone a shard?"
The already suspicious group immediately became distrustful.
Some weaker degenerates who had been brought along to pad numbers quietly slipped away from the crowd.
After all, even if they got the soul bone, they wouldn't get a share—why risk their lives?
Seeing the effect, Ning Tianchen charged into the crowd, sparking a chaotic melee.
---
In the Spirit Hall, Pope's Palace
Bibi Dong stared at the intelligence report in her hand, her expression darkening.
An overwhelming aura burst forth uncontrollably, reducing the letter in her hand to dust.
The Soul Sage messenger from the Spirit Hall trembled under her oppressive aura.
"How dare she!"
The source of Bibi Dong's anger was none other than Qian Renxue.
Recently, under her tacit approval, the Spirit Hall had dispatched numerous assassins to lurk near Tiandou City, preparing to assassinate Ning Tianchen.
But not only had their efforts failed, Qian Renxue had intervened and "recruited" Ning Tianchen as a member of the Worship Hall.
The Pope's Palace and the Worship Hall had always been at odds, and the forces Bibi Dong controlled were insufficient to challenge the Worship Hall.
In essence, Ning Tianchen now possessed a "get-out-of-jail-free card." Unless the Worship Hall relented, no one in the Spirit Hall could touch him.
Gradually calming down, Bibi Dong glared at the messenger and barked, "Get out!"
The messenger didn't dare linger and fled the Pope's Palace as if granted a pardon.
Once outside, he couldn't stop complaining internally.
Bibi Dong's mental state was becoming increasingly unstable—he doubted whether she could manage the Spirit Hall properly.
Inside the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong summoned Hu Liena.
Since the conclusion of the Soul Master Tournament, the three members of the Golden Generation had been placed under house arrest by Bibi Dong, after which she decided to send them to the Maze Grand Canyon for training.
The Maze Grand Canyon was different from the Death Grand Canyon.
Both were places where the Spirit Hall exiled criminals, but the difference lay in the fact that the Death Grand Canyon was guarded by powerful members of the Spirit Hall, ensuring minimal danger to life. In contrast, the Maze Grand Canyon was vast, and once criminals were driven to a certain distance, the Spirit Hall's guards would retreat, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Entering the Maze Grand Canyon was almost a death sentence—nine out of ten wouldn't survive.
"Teacher, it's my fault for making you angry," Hu Liena knelt before the high seat, bowing her head and apologizing sincerely.
"Rise!" Bibi Dong waved her hand. "Starting tomorrow, Elder Ghost will take you to the Maze Grand Canyon for training. Do not disappoint me."
Hu Liena nodded solemnly and swore an oath.
Despite being her disciple, Bibi Dong wouldn't let her die. She casually tossed her a piece of sheepskin parchment.
"Do not venture too deep. Follow the instructions on the parchment, and I want you back in one year. Understand?"
Meanwhile...
Far away in the Tiandou Empire, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but laugh loudly. "I imagine that woman has received my letter by now. I wonder if she'll fly into a rage—I'd love to see her enraged face."
"Young Master, you must still be cautious," Qingluan Douluo reminded him.
Xue Qinghe wasn't concerned. "Tianchen left the carriage at Tianxun City, and even I don't know his whereabouts after that. How could that woman possibly know? I just hope that by the time he returns, he'll have gained enough strength to protect himself."
---
Slaughter City
By sowing discord among the enemy ranks, Ning Tianchen fought his way in and out of the crowd seven times.
Following the Killing Envoy's suggestion, during his charge, he tossed the soul bone into the hands of a random person, causing the degenerate group to descend into further chaos.
Finally, with the decapitation of the last opponent, the ambush came to an end.
The battle had caused quite a commotion, and many people secretly observed from the shadows for a long time.
Ning Tianchen glanced around and beckoned with his hand. "Anyone else want to come?"
No one responded.
At this moment, he seemed like a war god incarnate—no one dared to provoke him.
With no one making a move, Ning Tianchen didn't linger. He entered the city to pick out a house he liked.
After he left, the degenerates who remained finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow, what intense killing intent. When did he suddenly appear?"
"I just saw him with the Killing Envoy earlier—he must be a newcomer, right?"
"A newcomer with such strength? This is going to turn the place upside down!"
"Indeed. On his very first day as a newcomer, he faced multiple ambushes. If he keeps winning ten more matches in a row, he might even earn a title."
It's worth noting that in the Hell Arena, it was rare for anyone to win five consecutive matches.
Winning ten in a row was an achievement as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn.
As for winning a hundred matches in a row, there had only been twenty or thirty people in hundreds of years who had accomplished that feat—averaging out to one every few decades.
(A/N: Only eight people successfully left the Slaughter City; the rest perished on the Hell Road.)
After finding a desirable residence in the city, Ning Tianchen had expected some resistance, but the house turned out to be unoccupied.
There were signs of past habitation inside, but it seemed the previous occupant hadn't returned for a long time, as the furniture was covered in dust.
This wasn't surprising, given that dozens of people died daily in the Hell Arena.
Before competing, no one thought they would be the ones to die.
After clearing out a clean area, Ning Tianchen sat cross-legged and reviewed the gains from the day.
He took out the soul bone and suspended it in front of him, examining it carefully.
The soul bone was around thirty thousand years old, likely from some unknown soul beast, and provided the berserk soul skill.
"The seventh soul ring of a typical Soul Sage is usually around thirty thousand years old. I'm guessing this soul bone must have dropped when he absorbed his soul ring," Ning Tianchen speculated.
Moreover, although the amount of soul power he had absorbed from Wolf Fang King wasn't substantial, he had inherited a vast amount of killing intent from the man.
With the boost from the killing intent, the Seven Kill Sword's momentum increased significantly, showing signs of breaking through the third stage and entering the fourth stage of swordsmanship cultivation.
"Grandpa was right—killing intent is the best way to enhance the momentum of the Seven Kill Sword. Unfortunately, the accumulated killing intent isn't enough yet. Starting tomorrow, I'll need to increase the frequency of my matches."
Unfortunately, starting the next day, Ning Tianchen found that the amount of killing intent he could harvest daily was minimal.
Many degenerates in the inner city had been lost during yesterday's chaotic battles. Each subsequent match required waiting for a long time.
In theory, achieving a hundred consecutive wins could be completed within a hundred days.
But that was only in theory.
As his fame grew, upon seeing him arrive, no one else dared to sign up for matches.
Before reaching ten consecutive wins, there were still stubborn individuals willing to challenge him. After ten wins, these people were completely subdued by him, and afterward, they avoided him like the plague, refusing to register for any matches.
A few times, Ning Tianchen got lucky and happened to be the tenth person in a group match. But where there's a will, there's a way—the degenerates weren't stupid. Whenever he left his house, someone would report his movements, and the degenerates would stop registering.
Ning Tianchen stopped pushing and instead focused on practicing his sword techniques in his room.
No one dared to bother him, allowing him to live peacefully.
Food was supplied daily, enabling him to fully dedicate himself to practicing his swordsmanship.
---
Inside the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect
After a period of training, Oscar's physical fitness had improved significantly.
Although his progress as a soul master had slowed somewhat during this time, his current physical condition was now comparable to that of an early-stage Soul Elder, allowing him to join the sect's action teams on missions.
Today, as he prepared to leave, Chen Huayu returned to the sect after completing a mission and coincidentally met him at the entrance.
"Oscar, are you going out to train?"
Oscar smiled and replied, "Fatty Chen, my training has been recognized by the sect. They've assigned me a task—to assist a large team in helping an outer sect elder hunt for their seventh soul ring."
Chen Huayu, having just returned, didn't want Oscar to leave immediately and asked, "Is your mission urgent? If not, why don't you stay and have a drink?"
Not all members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were high-level soul masters. The majority were Soul Elders or Soul Ancestors. Sending so many lower-level soul masters to help an elder obtain a soul ring also served as a training exercise for them.
Hunting soul rings with a large team was different from doing so with a small squad.
A large team typically consisted of at least fifty people.
Such a massive group moving through the forest posed logistical challenges, especially regarding food and supplies. Therefore, before the main force set out, a vanguard team would scout ahead.
Once they identified the soul beasts' habitats and plotted the main force's route, the large team would move out.
Currently, this mission was still in the recruitment phase, so Oscar had no reason to rush.
After thinking it over, he agreed to Chen Huayu's request.
"By the way, is Boss still in the sect? Before I left, he said he'd be training here for a while. If I don't go see him, he'll definitely beat me up when we meet again." Chen Huayu said sheepishly.
Oscar had been focused on his training recently and hadn't paid much attention to others' whereabouts.
However, judging from Ning Rongrong's recent behavior, he speculated, "Judging by Miss Rongrong's recent state, Boss may have already left the sect. Or you can ask the sect leader or the Sword or Bone Elder for information?"
Chen Huayu shook his head. "Wouldn't you get scolded for bringing up something so trivial to the sect leader? Forget it. Since we're both here, let's go find Miss Rongrong first. It'll be nice to have a gathering of the three of us."
Oscar suddenly became somber and lamented, "By the way, Baozhen and Huang Wu returned to the sect a few days ago. However, Huang Wu lost an arm, and Baozhen's eyes..."
"What happened?" Chen Huayu shouted loudly.
Oscar nervously glanced around, ensuring no one was paying attention to them, then whispered, "This is a sect secret—don't talk about it carelessly. It seems they encountered someone, but I don't know the specifics. The sect leader warned me not to speculate recklessly."
Chen Huayu clenched his fists tightly.
Though Huang Wu and Baozhen were substitutes on the team, during the four months of the tournament, they had formed deep bonds. Their friends were injured—it was only natural to seek revenge!
"Let's wait until Tianchen returns. This matter is serious enough to make the sect leader nervous. Only Boss's identity might shed some light on it," Oscar advised.
Chen Huayu shrugged. "If we wait for Boss to return and gather together, it'll probably only happen after our four-year reunion pact. Hey, Xiao Ao, do you consider them brothers?"
Oscar pounded his chest. "Everyone in the Seven Treasures Team is our best sibling."
"Good!" Chen Huayu threw an arm around his shoulder. "Let's go see them. In the future, if we come across any healing herbs during our training, we must use them for them."
Oscar forced a bitter smile and didn't say anything further.
---
Huang Wu and Baozhen were currently recuperating in the sect's infirmary.
Those staying here were disciples who had been injured while serving the sect.
When Oscar and Chen Huayu arrived, Ning Rongrong was visiting them in the infirmary.
"Fatty, you're back?" Ning Rongrong's mood was low, clearly affected by the severity of Baozhen and Huang Wu's injuries.
Chen Huayu tactfully avoided mentioning Ning Tianchen.
After all, Ning Rongrong was already here—if Ning Tianchen were still in the sect, there was no reason he wouldn't be present.
"Fatty, Oscar, it's good to see you," Huang Wu stood up and greeted them with a fist bump using his remaining left arm.
Surprisingly, both Huang Wu and Baozhen maintained positive attitudes despite their injuries and hadn't given up hope for life.
"Don't worry. Xiao Ao and I are going out to train soon. If we find any herbs for healing, we'll definitely—"
Before Chen Huayu could finish, Huang Wu smiled and shook his head. "We appreciate your kindness, but Baozhen and I understand. Yesterday, Elder Dugu and Dean Ke visited us."
"Herbs for regenerating lost limbs aren't easy to come by. However, Baozhen's eyesight may partially recover in the future. With glasses, daily life won't be a problem."
Baozhen shook his head. "Huang Wu, there's no need to comfort me. My eyeballs are gone. Elder Dugu said unless we encounter something like the ten-thousand-year Tianshan Snow Lotus, there's no chance of recovery."
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