"That old sword! Taking the opportunity of defeating Qian Daoliu to gain sudden insight, he crossed the final step!" Gu Rong said, both envious and happy.
He was genuinely happy for his old friend, but when he thought about how the gap between them only grew, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of bitterness.
"Heh, we're both Ultimate Douluos, but you had the assistance of your Spirit Avatar, life-burning technique, and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Looks like my loss was justified! Take my life, then, avenge your father." Qian Daoliu admitted defeat, but his words still carried a hint of sarcasm. Without those aids, even if Chen Xin broke through, he wouldn't be Qian Daoliu's match—the difference in soul rings, soul bones, and martial soul quality was absolute.
"Martial Soul Avatar!" Qian Renxue suddenly shouted, activating her Martial Soul Avatar and charging at Chen Xin. Her most beloved relative was her grandfather—even more than the entire Spirit Hall or Tianlin. She absolutely could not watch her grandfather be slain by Chen Xin.
Chen Xin glanced at her and raised his Seven Kill Sword. With his power after breaking through Ultimate Douluo, a single sword could split Qian Renxue in two.
"First soul skill, Frozen Snow!"
At this moment, Tianlin moved quickly, conjuring an ice wall between Qian Renxue and Chen Xin, then leaped forward, using his Demon Sword to block her Light Sword.
He was exhausted now, no longer a match for Qian Renxue, but she couldn't break through him in a short time either.
"Xiao Tian, move aside! I'm going to save my grandpa, or I won't hold back against you!" Qian Renxue snapped.
"Calm down. My master doesn't intend to kill your grandfather!" Tianlin could sense that at this moment, Chen Xin no longer harbored any killing intent.
Chen Xin walked up to Qian Daoliu, sending a stream of pure soul power into his body—he was healing Qian Daoliu, even sharing a bit of his own soul power with him.
With this as a base, plus the Seraphim Martial Soul's terrifying recovery, Qian Daoliu could soon stand up again.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue calmed down and hurried to help her grandfather up. She Long stood guard with his Snake Lance, watching them warily.
"Chen Xin, what does this mean? Are you trying to capture me alive like you did Golden Crocodile? I will not suffer such humiliation—you should kill me and avenge your father!" Qian Daoliu said, then turned to Tianlin, "Jun Tianlin, I can see you just saved Xue'er. Thank you. For the sake of the friendship between you and Xue'er, I only hope you'll spare her life today. Otherwise, even in defeat, I'd drag the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan with me."
"Angel's Last Decree—my final trump card. Detonating all the divine power granted to me by the Angel God, the resulting burst would destroy everything. But I don't wish to use it. Not only would Seven Treasure Mountain be destroyed, but Heaven Dou City nearby too. As the Angel's agent, I don't want such slaughter, especially now that Xue'er is here. But if you truly want to eradicate her, I won't hold back!"
Chen Xin shook his head.
"Qian Daoliu, I have no intention of killing any of you. My father didn't hate you either. His whole life was spent striving for the heights of a soul master. To fight you openly, even in defeat, was his wish. At least he died with a smile."
"You're right about one thing: if I want to avenge my father, I should do it with my swordsmanship, defeating you without any outside help. Only then can I comfort my father's spirit. Today, I fought only to protect my family. I have done so. But we will fight again one day—not for anything else, just for my sword!"
Chen Xin raised his Seven Kill Sword:
"I, Chen Xin, swear on my life's sword path: from now on, I will uphold the dignity of the sword, defeat you, Qian Daoliu, with my swordsmanship, without any external aid, and restore my sword heart!"
Though not a Martial Soul oath, Chen Xin's vow seemed even firmer. As soon as he finished, tremendous pressure descended from the sky—even Qian Daoliu and Chen Xin couldn't move at all.
A golden light beamed down from the heavens, enveloping Chen Xin.
"This is…the aura of a god!" Qian Daoliu was shocked. As someone who'd dealt with the Angel God for years, he could sense the boundless divine power in this light, almost comparable to the Angel God.
Chen Xin entered a mysterious space. Tianlin, if he were here, would recognize it as similar to the space where he took the Asura God's test.
Ahead, a blue-robed man with long black hair stood, holding a silver sword coiled with a flood dragon.
What shocked Chen Xin most was the five rings of light on the man. From Tianlin, he'd learned that gods had levels—nine rings for God Kings, seven rings for First-Class Gods (Angel God, Sea God), and five rings for Second-Class Gods.
In other words, this man was a Second-Class God from the God Realm.
The man pointed his sword at Chen Xin:
"This sword is called Qing Jue."
Chen Xin: "Qing Jue! I once heard from my father: If mountains break and tin emerges, if rivers dry and copper appears, it's a marvel. If thunder strikes iron, and rain douses water, it's a wonder. If a flood dragon lifts a furnace and all human effort is exhausted, then the Qing Jue sword has appeared. This sword once existed in ancient times, the martial soul of a soul master who broke open the God Realm's gate with swordsmanship and created a divine seat above rank 100. Was that you, senior?"
"It was. I am a god under the Asura God, the Sword God. I devoted my life to the sword, so my divine power only reached Second-Class God standard, but my sword—among even the strongest First-Class Gods like the Sea God—none dare take it head-on. True swordsmanship: it splits heaven and earth, is illuminated by divinity, and exists solely in the heart!"
Even among Second-Class Gods, some were extraordinary—Sword God, War God, Phoenix God. Their divine power was less than First-Class, but their combat strength was not. Especially the Sword God—his attack power was unrivaled under the Asura God.
"Illuminated by divinity, existing solely in the heart!" Chen Xin closed his eyes, comprehending. The Sword God's words let his sword path advance further.
The Sword God nodded with satisfaction:
"Reaching rank 99 with swordsmanship, the peak of human soul masters, is the basic requirement for my inheritance. For thousands of years, none have succeeded. The last was your father, Chen Jianjun, but he stopped at rank 97."
"Chen Xin, your talent is equal to your father's, but your opportunities are better. Answer me: do you accept my trial, to inherit my divine seat?"
Chen Xin smiled slightly, raised his Seven Kill Sword, and touched the Sword God's Qing Jue Sword:
"Sword God's trial, I accept. Since it's under the Asura God, all the better. In the God Realm, I can continue to pave the way for my disciple."
Chen Xin's sword was always one of emotion. He only wished to inherit the divine seat, but the path of the sword would always be his own.