A dazzling golden light merged instantly with the illusory image of the Spirit Eye, and an indescribable, terrifying aura that seemed capable of freezing time and souls surged abruptly.
Fading In Radiance, Golden Road!
This was their only purely control-type soul skill among the four martial soul fusion techniques.
A condensed beam of golden light, imbued with immense spiritual shock and soul-freezing power, shot toward Gu La like a spear of judgment piercing through space. It was silent yet swift as lightning.
Huo Yuhao chose this skill because he knew other offensive martial soul fusion techniques might miss Gu La's elusive movements, while the Golden Road's area-of-effect and mental assault were the best means to control him.
Gu La watched as the deadly golden light approached, his brows finally furrowing tightly.
Without using spiritual power, how could one block a mental attack solely with swordplay? Perhaps the true "Sword God" realm could achieve dispelling spirits with sword intent, but he certainly couldn't do so now.
"Let's try!"
A determined thought rose in Gu La's mind.
The more desperate the situation, the more he needed to push himself.
He instantly summoned the faint, ethereal, and boundless sky intent he had just grasped, pouring all his Soul Emperor-level soul power and spiritual force into the longsword in his hand without reservation.
"Break!"
Gu La let out a clear cry, thrusting his longsword in an arcane and ineffable trajectory. This strike seemed to pierce through illusion and sever bonds, carrying the will to pursue absolute freedom.
Where the tip of the sword pointed, space seemed to twist slightly, attempting to disperse and dissolve the spiritual essence that formed the Golden Road.
"Boom—!"
The golden beam collided fiercely with the seemingly weak yet strangely profound sword tip.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an invisible mental storm sweeping across the entire arena. Spectators felt a sharp pain and dizziness in their minds.
The stalemate lasted only a moment.
Gu La's sword intent ultimately failed to fully dispel the hundred percent fusion martial soul technique. Without using his martial soul, he couldn't truly break the rules' constraints.
The dazzling golden beam eventually broke through the sword intent's resistance, its residual force slamming heavily into Gu La.
"Ugh!"
Gu La's body stiffened abruptly as a powerful soul-freezing force spread throughout his body, immobilizing him completely.
The sealing effect of the Golden Road took hold, lasting for three seconds!
"Poof!" "Poof!"
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood. Even though Gu La self-sealed his powers, the sword intent's attack forced the fusion skill to break prematurely, causing backlash that made them dizzy, their soul power instantly chaotic. They collapsed, unconscious.
"Opportunity, eliminate him in one breath!"
Although Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and others were also severely drained, seeing Gu La immobilized and Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong fallen, their eyes flared with the determination of a final counterattack.
They endured the discomfort, their various soul skills lighting up, ready to seize this rare opportunity to eliminate Gu La.
Unfortunately, they still underestimated Gu La.
Three seconds? A long time for ordinary people, but for Gu La, it was enough to accomplish much.
Just as Bei Bei's Thunder Dragon Claw and Xu Sanshi's shield were about to hit him, a terrifying high temperature, as if from the core of the sun, erupted explosively.
On Gu La, a surge of golden-red light shot skyward.
Solar Angel spirit soul, automatic release!
Radiant Domain!
Fiery flames, substantial like molten lava, spread out from Gu La. The ice beneath his feet vaporized instantly, and the air distorted under the intense heat.
Bei Bei's Thunder Dragon Claw dissipated into smoke upon touching the edge of the domain. Xu Sanshi felt as if his Xuanming Shield had been thrown into a steel furnace, scorching him almost to the point of dropping it, forcing him to retreat in horror.
He Caitou's soul-guided cannon instantly turned red-hot. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao felt a burning pain even when breathing, their skin feeling as if it would ignite.
Even Xiao Xiao, fully activating her Azure Phoenix martial soul and releasing dense vitality to resist, found it futile against the absolute extreme heat. That bit of vitality was like a drop in the bucket, unable to approach within three meters of Gu La.
"It's over."
Gu La's cold voice echoed from the center of the domain. The sealing effect of the Golden Road crumbled under the burst of Ultimate Fire, not lasting even a second.
His figure flickered, appearing before Xu Sanshi as if teleporting. He lightly slapped the shield with his palm.
"Bang!" Xu Sanshi felt as if he had been struck by a ten-thousand-year soul beast, flying backward along with the shield, directly out of the combat platform.
Next were Bei Bei, He Caitou, Jiang Nannan… Gu La's figure in the Radiant Domain was like a Flame Monarch; each move precise and irresistible.
Bei Bei's dragon claw was easily deflected, his chest hit by a palm strike containing shock force. He Caitou's soul-guided weapon was knocked away by an invisible force just as he raised it. Jiang Nannan's speed slowed to a crawl under the domain's suppression, eliminated by Gu La with a flick of his finger.
Finally, he looked at the only person still standing in the arena—Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao's face was pale, her lips tightly clenched. The phantom of the Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron floated around her, and the Azure Phoenix's ghostly figure surrounded her, desperately resisting the domain's high temperature.
The flame in Gu La's eyes softened slightly, but his actions did not stop.
He pointed his fingers like a sword, tapping remotely. A condensed line of fire instantly broke through the black tripod's defensive aura, lightly tapping Xiao Xiao's shoulder. A gentle push sent her out of the combat platform range.
Thus, on the combat platform, only Gu La stood alone. The golden-red Radiant Domain slowly retracted, revealing his calm, unruffled face.
The entire arena fell silent.
Xuan Zi watched this scene, his mouth opening and closing, finally letting out a helpless sigh.
He hadn't anticipated such a result. The strength Gu La displayed was on a completely different level from the other seven, utterly overwhelming.
That terrifying mastery of swordsmanship, the audacity to withstand the Golden Road, the absolute strength to instantly break free and crush them… it left even this Title Douluo feeling shocked.
He had originally thought about how to integrate Gu La into the team, but now that idea seemed somewhat laughable.
Xuan Zi took a large gulp of alcohol, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart, and loudly announced, "The selection is over, the last seven remaining on the platform…"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the eliminated Huo Yuhao and the other six, finally settling on Gu La. "Gu La, you secure a spot in the reserve team."
"As for you seven…" Xuan Zi looked at Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and others struggling to stand, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong being helped up, and the pale-faced Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan.
He quickly weighed his options. There were only seven spots, and now that Gu La had secured one, the remaining six had to be chosen from these seven.
According to the rules, only those who remained on the platform counted, but these seven were indeed almost simultaneously eliminated by Gu La.
Xuan Zi's gaze swept over the seven, finally resting on Jiang Nannan.
This top beauty of the outer court, whose martial soul was the Soft Bone Rabbit, had decent speed and close-combat skills. However, in Xuan Zi's view, her potential and martial soul quality were somewhat "ordinary" compared to Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi with their powerful bloodlines, Huo Yuhao with his Ultimate Ice and spiritual detection, Wang Dong with his Hao Tian Hammer, Xiao Xiao with her Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron and Azure Phoenix, and He Caitou, the soul-guided genius.
"Jiang Nannan," Xuan Zi's voice carried an unyielding authority, "you are eliminated."
"What?!" Xu Sanshi was the first to jump up, his face filled with disbelief and anger. "Elder Xuan, this is unfair! We…"
"Silence!" Xuan Zi's eyes turned stern, the pressure of a Title Douluo instantly enveloping Xu Sanshi, choking back his words, his face turning red.
"The rules are the rules. If your strength is lacking, blame no one. Moreover, my choice has its reasons."
Jiang Nannan's body trembled slightly, her face even paler. A flash of reluctance and gloom passed through her eyes, but she ultimately lowered her head, biting her lips tightly, choosing not to argue.
Gu La calmly walked off the stage, as if the thrilling battle and Xuan Zi's ruthless decision had nothing to do with him.
Only as he passed by Jiang Nannan did he leave a faint remark: "In this world, only the strong are given the right to choose." These words pierced Jiang Nannan's heart like a cold needle.
Xuan Zi watched Gu La's retreating figure, then glanced at the remaining six, saying gravely, "You six, plus Gu La, are this year's reserve team for the tournament. Go back and rest well. Special training begins tomorrow."
His gaze lingered especially on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, and he deeply stared in the direction where Gu La disappeared, thinking to himself:
"This kid… I don't know if he's a blessing or a curse. Elder Mu, the person you've taken interest in is quite a handful."
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