The training arena of Tianshui Academy was surrounded by water on all sides. In the middle of the clear, shimmering lake stood a wide platform, about a hundred meters across, like a small island. A series of brown wooden bridges linked it to the shores.
"Old man will go first!"
A blinding white light erupted from Sword Douluo's body. Even though he tried to suppress the clang of his sword, the sharp metallic resonance still echoed all around.
His detached, ethereal aura intensified to its limit as a silver longsword radiating killing intent appeared in his hand.
When he stepped onto his flying sword and glided toward the arena as though walking on air, the young women of Tianshui below erupted into gasps and whispers.
It was the first time most of them had ever seen anyone truly ride a sword through the air.
"This person's so strong!"
"What do you expect? Level ninety-six—he's basically at the peak of the world! Of course he's strong!"
"Do you think our dear Luo-yu can win?" a cute girl in a blue academy uniform said worriedly, clutching her chest.
"Pfft! You little hussy—'our dear Luo-yu'?!" The girls around her glared daggers at her.
"Alright, stop fighting! Let's just cheer for our male god!"
"Actually... maybe we shouldn't. The opponent's too strong. If we cheer, we might just make him feel pressured."
"True. Maybe we should think about how to comfort him after he loses." said a girl calmly, adjusting her black-rimmed glasses while hugging a book.
"Mhm." The others nodded. They adored Luo Yu, but after seeing Sword Douluo's overwhelming power, no one in their right mind believed he could win.
"Luo Yu, do your best! Bring glory to Tianshui! Win or lose, you'll always be a good student in your teacher's heart," Su Yaoyun said solemnly.
"Heh, woman." Luo Yu sneered in his mind. If you've got guts, why don't you repeat out loud what you said to me in private just now? Pretending to be all proper now, huh?
Ning Rongrong bit her lip apologetically. "Brother Yu, since Grandpa Sword promised me, he won't hurt you. Don't worry."
Under the gaze of the entire academy, Luo Yu began walking toward the arena.He didn't have Sword Douluo's flashy style—just took his time, crossing the wooden bridge leisurely, even stretching on the way.
Seeing how calm and relaxed he was, many girls watching from the shore sighed.
"Look at that! That's our Tianshui man—he might lose the fight, but he'll never lose his dignity. No matter how strong the opponent, the poise! The vibe!"
"I'm in love."
"Honestly, Luo Yu's getting more and more handsome. His strength might not be the best, but everything else? Flawless."
"Come on, nobody's perfect. If he were any better, it'd be a crime—he'd never find a wife."
"Why's that?"
"Because if he were that perfect, who in the entire continent could match him?"
Still, a few of the more grounded girls didn't get swept up by the fangirl energy.
In the crowd, Shui Yue'er murmured softly, "Why do I feel like Brother Yu's going to win?"
"Don't be silly. That man's a living legend." her friend sighed.
Unable to contain herself, Shui Yue'er cupped her hands and shouted with soul power, her voice echoing across the lake: "Brother Yu! Even if no one believes in you, I do! You're going to win!"
Her soul-powered cry carried far and wide, silencing the crowd for a moment.
No one mocked her—most just sighed helplessly.
I hope so too… but his strength just isn't enough.
Luo Yu heard the shout. Turning his head slightly, he smiled faintly in Shui Yue'er's direction.
Seeing the calm, ethereal young man's confident poise, both Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi nodded quietly. The latter even murmured with some admiration, "Regardless of his power, that composure is something few ever achieve."
Shen Linghan, walking alongside Su Yaoyun, frowned. "What are you thinking? That boy's aura—restrained yet condensed—is far beyond normal. If we fought at equal levels, even we might not win. You're sending a student up as cannon fodder?"
Su Yaoyun only patted her hand and smiled mysteriously. "My dear Headmistress, just watch. You'll understand soon enough. That boy's stronger than you think."
Sword Douluo and Luo Yu stood opposite each other. The old man's silver hair was neatly combed, his entire presence sharp as a drawn sword. The young man, meanwhile, seemed calm, almost lazy, yet with a subtle edge beneath the surface.
"You're not bad," Sword Douluo said flatly.
"You're not bad either," Luo Yu replied respectfully.
He knew Sword Douluo's history—his life-long devotion to the path of the sword and to protecting his sect, even at the cost of his life. That was worthy of respect.
Sword Douluo's gaze sharpened as he sensed the awakening dominance within the youth. "With someone like you here, I suddenly don't mind if Rongrong stays in this place."
Luo Yu shook his head.
"Oh?"
"You may want to give her away, but have you asked us if we want to accept her?"
"Hah! Arrogant brat."
Sword Douluo laughed instead of getting angry. The boy's natural pressure—even without using soul power—was something few could stand before calmly.
"Boom!"
A vast aura surged out from Sword Douluo's body.Within three feet around him, countless sword energies howled and shimmered.Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—nine soul rings rose one by one, radiating a terrifying might.
The entire audience gasped. They now truly grasped what kind of monster Luo Yu was facing.
Luo Yu's narrow eyes narrowed further. His lazy air vanished completely, replaced by sheer majesty. Though he hadn't summoned his Martial Spirit, an invisible kingly dominance radiated from him. His cultivation might be weaker, but in momentum—he didn't lose. In fact, in some ways, he even surpassed his opponent.
"Who are you really?" Sword Douluo asked gravely.
"An Earthling," Luo Yu said calmly.
"Earthling? Heh… are you mocking me, boy?"
"Enough. Release your rings. I'll suppress my level to match yours." Sword Douluo said proudly.
"You sure?" Luo Yu raised a brow.
"Hmph. Fine, I'll even lower it further—one less ring than you. Don't want anyone saying I bullied a junior."
Luo Yu shook his head. Behind him, a blazing golden sun rose, encircled by radiant star rings.At its core, the shadow of a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon faintly roared skyward.
Everyone on the lakeshore was stunned—what kind of Martial Spirit was this?! It looked incredibly powerful! Even Ning Fengzhi frowned deeply, trying but failing to identify it.
Then came the real shock: a white soul ring rose slowly around Luo Yu's feet.
"Wait… a Martial Spirit that strong… with a ten-year soul ring?!"
"Isn't that kind of ridiculous?"
More than one girl glanced awkwardly at Shui Yue'er. There's no way he can win with that kind of setup… right?
Ning Fengzhi's expression grew odd. "You're telling me this is your so-called prodigy? A one-ring Soul Master—and a white ring at that?"
Inwardly, he was thinking: You give a Martial Spirit that powerful a white ring? No wonder he's still at one ring!
"Patience," Su Yaoyun said confidently. "The show's just beginning."
"You… one ring?" Sword Douluo could hardly believe it. His instincts told him this boy's power was at least that of a Soul Ancestor—or even a Soul King! Yet the rings didn't lie.
"You sure you want to fight me?" Sword Douluo asked.
"What, you think I'm not worthy?" Luo Yu smiled faintly.
"Heh." Sword Douluo chuckled lightly.
"Clang!"
The Seven Kill Sword sang. The eight rear soul rings vanished into the blade, sealing their power with chains of light, leaving only the first yellow ring.
Holding his sword horizontally before his chest, Sword Douluo said, "For one who walks the path of the sword—training the blade is also training the heart. The world's illusions cannot deceive me. I learned long ago that what you see is not always what's true."
"Trash wouldn't even dare breathe before me—but my intuition tells me you're no ordinary brat."
Playing the weakling on Douluo Continent really is impossible, Luo Yu thought wryly. With a thunderous surge, his fighting spirit ignited to its peak. Out of respect, he gave the Douluo his full attention—this was a worthy opponent.
"Young man, I'll let you make the first three moves," Sword Douluo said proudly.
"Fine!"
Golden flames burst from Luo Yu's body, his figure like a monarch walking out from a blaze.
Pivoting on his left foot, he twisted his waist, coiling his strength like a spring. Fire surged across his body, pouring into his clenched fist.
Sword Douluo's eyes sharpened—he could feel the terrifying power behind that punch. One ring? What a joke!
"Fire Fist—Heaven-Shattering!"
A massive blazing fist, like a golden meteor, tore through the air, igniting the very oxygen around it as it streaked toward Sword Douluo with overwhelming force.
"So strong! Is that really a single-ring attack?!" The crowd gasped. Many girls were wide-eyed—most of them couldn't take even one of those punches.
Sword Douluo's eyes flashed with sword light. His blade swung in a half-arc, slicing the air with countless sword energies that formed the word "Kill," striking the fire fist head-on.
But the fist smashed through all eighteen of the sword-light glyphs, unstoppable, crashing toward him.
He thrust his sword forward, forming a defensive shield of sword energy—but it shattered within a second, and the flaming fist smashed into him head-on.
"Sword Qi Shield!"
He channeled massive soul power to form a second barrier. Though it held, the force still blasted him backward over ten steps, carving a long groove across the ground.
The arena erupted in chaos—gasps, cheers, and disbelief. The strongest attack-type Douluo in the world had just been blown back by a one-ring youth.
Ning Fengzhi turned to Su Yaoyun, utterly stunned. What kind of monstrous power is this? This makes no sense!
"Daddy, isn't Brother Yu amazing?!" Ning Rongrong said excitedly.
Ning Fengzhi's heart ached. He glanced at her and sighed, "Calm down. Watch closely—your Grandpa Sword hasn't even gotten serious yet..."
...
Fully Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Brothers I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! recently Feel free to check it out—if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Douluo 2: Martial Soul Wish Tree — Wang Dong Got Addicted (18+) "
" BTTH: Writing Up a Diaries, Xiao Yan Became My Fanboy "
" Douluo 3: Adopting Gu Yuena at the Start "
" Douluo: The Transmigrator Judgment System"
" Douluo: The Power of Support "
" Douluo: Transmigrated as the Second Young Miss of Spirit Hall "
" Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox "
" Douluo: Master of Body Techniques "
" Douluo: The Holy Emperor Dragon King"
" Douluo: Ranking the Top Ten Peerless Goddesses at the Start "
" Douluo: Transmigrated as Huo Yuhao "
" Douluo 2: I, Huo Yuhao, Refuse to Be Tang San's Son-in-Law "
many more up to 130+ are available.
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/UIGOD
(End of Chapter)