Chapter 159: The Might of a Titled Douluo?
Right at this moment!
The heavenly curtain gathered its radiance!
This time the conjured phantom was no longer gentle or dazzling; it brimmed with an ancient, wild, and ferocious Aura!
Within the phantom one could faintly make out a savage great staff coiled with a divine-dragon pattern, and a shadowy serpent staff baring crimson tongue and venomous fangs.
The two staves were not simply set side-by-side!
They entwined like two vicious beasts—dragon head rearing high, serpent shadow sinister.
Exuding a lethal pressure that blended draconic might with serpent venom!
"That… the Dragon Staff and the Snake Staff?"
"Dragon Duke Meng Shu! Serpent Dowager Chao Tianxiang!"
Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Dragon-Snake Combined Strike!"
This duo is just as instantly recognizable!
The World-Renowned Dragon-Snake Couple have been famous in the Spirit Master's world for a long time.
Dragon Duke Meng Shu's Dragon Staff Martial Soul and Serpent Dowager Chao Tianxiang's Snake Staff Martial Soul produce the Fusion skill "Dragon-Snake Combined Strike", whose power is immense.
It allows a Soul Douluo–Rank Dragon Duke and a Soul Emperor–Rank Serpent Dowager to jointly unleash strength great enough to threaten an ordinary Titled Douluo.
They are existences most Soul Masters are loath to provoke.
[Martial Soul Fusion Skill Ranking, 8th place]
[Fusion Skill Name: Dragon-Snake Combined Strike]
[Owners: Meng Shu (Dragon Staff), Chao Tianxiang (Snake Staff)]
[Current user Soul Power Ranks: Meng Shu (Soul Douluo), Chao Tianxiang (Soul Emperor)]
[Martial Soul Compatibility: 65%]
[Fusion Skill Summary: A perfect union of draconic pressure and serpent venom. The fused attack wields both the tyrannical force of a dragon and the cunning finesse of a serpent, carrying intense draconic might to intimidate foes and deadly snake venom to erode them. Though the gap in users' Soul Power leaves the Fusion incomplete, it can still erupt with an offensive power comparable to a newly advanced Titled Douluo, making it highly threatening in real combat.]
[Ranking Reward: +1 Rank of Soul Power for each partner, +1,500 years to every Soul Ring, +10% to Fusion-skill might, +15% to Martial Soul compatibility. (Reward already granted.)]
…Somewhere in the Star Dou Great Forest.
While hunting a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Serpent Dowager Chao Tianxiang were simultaneously bathed in golden light.
Feeling the exhilaration of an instant Rank-up and the solid sensation of increased ring age,
both faces lit up with pleasant surprise.
"Old woman, who'd have thought our Dragon-Snake Combined Strike would make the list!"
Meng Shu laughed heartily.
He thumped the Dragon Staff against the ground, his Aura growing even more formidable.
Chao Tianxiang's brows were also smiling, though puzzlement flickered in her eyes: "Old man, making the list is surely good."
"But our combined strike is strong enough to rival a Titled Douluo, and we're only eighth?"
"Looks like this ranking hides plenty of dragons and tigers. The heavenly curtain's criteria probably aren't just about instant burst power."
Hearing this, Meng Shu reined in his smile, gazed at the heavenly curtain and said gravely, "Right—perhaps it values growth potential, depth of rules, or absolute rapport and innate Martial Soul compatibility between users."
"Let's see what monsters lie ahead of us."
The two immediately gave up hunting more Soul Beasts, found a safe spot, and prepared to watch the rest of the ranking.
They were filled with curiosity about the Fusion skills placed above theirs… Inside Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong watched "Dragon-Snake Combined Strike" settle at eighth place,
her brows knitting slightly.
She knew full well the might of the Dragon Duke and Serpent Dowager's Fusion skill.
For a Soul Douluo and Soul Emperor pair to erupt with Titled Douluo–level attack power
places it absolutely at the forefront of known Martial Soul Fusion Skills.
Yet now it hadn't even entered the top five?
"It seems my previous assumptions were wrong."
Bibi Dong spoke slowly, her voice tinged with gravity.
"The heavenly curtain's evaluation of Fusion skills likely isn't based on their current maximum burst power."
"Factors such as growth potential, innate Martial Soul complementarity… their weight may far exceed our imagination."
Her mind swiftly turned to her proudest Disciple—Hu Liena—and her brother Xie Yue.
The siblings' Martial Souls are Charming Fox and Moon Blade, and they too possess the Fusion skill "Demon Charm".
But their Soul Power Ranks are far below those of the Dragon Duke and Serpent Dowager.
The immediate burst of their Fusion skill naturally can't reach the Titled Douluo-threatening level of "Dragon-Snake Combined Strike".
"Since Dragon-Snake Combined Strike is only eighth, while Nana and Xie Yue's Fusion hasn't appeared yet…"
A gleam flashed in Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes.
"Then there's only one possibility—their 'Demon Charm' is ranked even higher in the heavenly curtain's overall evaluation!"
"Maybe… even within the top five!"
This deduction calmed her slightly.
It also deepened her conviction in the heavenly curtain's "forward-looking" and "essential" judging criteria.
It cared little for raw, immediate destructive power.
Beside her, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost's expressions had already turned rather ugly.
They had assumed that, with the formidable control of the Two Extremes Stillness Domain and their own Titled Douluo cultivation, seizing first place might be difficult.
But the top three should be secure.
Yet now, even the offensive Fusion skill "Dragon-Snake Combined Strike," capable of threatening a Titled Douluo, only ranked eighth.
Could their Domain-type Fusion skill really place as high as expected?
Bibi Dong sensed their worry and spoke: "Yue Guan, Gui Mei, don't fret overmuch."
"Your Two Extremes Stillness Domain is an exceedingly rare Domain-type Martial Soul Fusion skill; its strategic value and uniqueness are in no way comparable to mere offensive Fusion abilities."
"Besides, you two are now both ninety-sixth-Rank Titled Douluo, with formidable strength and considerable Martial Soul compatibility."
"Even if you can't claim first place, charging into the top three is still highly likely. Relax and wait for the list to be revealed."
Hearing the Supreme Pontiff's reassurance, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost felt slightly calmer and hurriedly bowed in acknowledgment.
Yet the lingering unease in the depths of their eyes did not fully fade.
After all, the will of heaven is hard to fathom—especially the will of this heavenly curtain.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
At that moment, the milky radiance upon the heavenly curtain
surged violently once more!
As the light swirled, it gradually outlined a strange and entrancing phantom.
The phantom was not solid; rather, it resembled a cloud of ever-shifting pink mist.
Within the mist, one could faintly see a graceful figure with swaying fox tails overlapping and merging with another figure wielding a huge blood-red crescent blade, its Aura sharp and fierce.
The two Auras were utterly different yet strangely harmonious, exuding a contradictory sensation that dazzled the mind—both seductive and lethally sharp.
"Is that… Charming Fox? Moon Blade?"
"Spirit Hall's Golden Generation! Hu Liena and Xie Yue!"
"Their Martial Soul Fusion skill made the list too?"
Hu Liena and Xie Yue, as the leaders of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, were already famous for their individual strength!
But the fact that they possessed a Martial Soul Fusion skill had already been exposed by the previous genius ranking.
Even so, it still caused an uproar!
[Martial Soul Fusion Skill Ranking: 7th Place]
[Fusion Skill Name: Demon Charm]
[Owners: Hu Liena (Charming Fox), Xie Yue (Moon Blade)]
[Current User Soul Power Rank: Hu Liena (Soul King), Xie Yue (Soul King)]
[Martial Soul Compatibility: 71 %]
[Fusion Skill Summary: A perfect blend of Spiritual Charm and physical assault. After Fusion, it forms the special mist Domain "Demon Charm." Inside, enemies suffer continuous Spiritual interference and Charm effects, their five senses and judgment greatly diminished; simultaneously, the fused body possesses both the Charming Fox's agility and the Moon Blade's extreme sharpness, enabling swift and lethal physical slashes.]
[Ranking Reward: Both parties' Soul Power Rank +2, all Soul Rings gain 2,000 years, Martial Soul Compatibility +20 %. Extra reward: Demon Charm Domain range and Spiritual interference strength increased. (Rewards already granted.)]
…At a secluded training ground behind Spirit Hall.
The golden light cloaking Hu Liena and Xie Yue slowly faded, and both exhaled in unison.
Their eyes sparkled with barely contained joy and excitement.
The smooth sensation of two Rank increases, the solid feeling of added Soul Ring years,
and, most important, the sense that their Martial Souls had broken through an invisible barrier and were now intimately intertwined—
all told them clearly how generous the heavenly curtain's rewards were!
"Bro, do you feel it?"
"Our Martial Souls… they really feel different now."
Hu Liena murmured softly.
Xie Yue nodded!
The phantom of his Moon Blade Martial Soul flashed past; its keen edge seemed even more restrained and deadly.
"With compatibility up 20 %, no wonder the resonance between us when circulating Soul Power feels so distinct."
"It's as if… some changes in Demon Charm can now be wielded as naturally as our own arms."
Hu Liena's eyes flickered; suddenly she showed a mischievous, eager smile.
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