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The outcome of the competition was indisputable—Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan, and Xu Lizhi survived until the very end.
"Brother Xu, I actually still want to fight you," Tang Wulin said earnestly.
When Fang Yuan had stepped forward to challenge Xu Yuan earlier, Tang Wulin had felt a stirring in his heart.
Yes, so what if he couldn't win? He had to dare to take on the challenge.
Otherwise, once he accepted that he was inferior to someone, he might lose the belief within himself to pursue ultimate strength.
Xu Yuan stood up, and the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear appeared in his hand.
"If that's the case, then let's fight."
Compared to three years ago, the gap between them was no longer as despair-inducing as it once was.
Of course, the gap remained an insurmountable chasm, but Tang Wulin now had the ability to put up a struggle.
Back then, although Tang Wulin relied on the blood essence of the Golden Dragon King to match the foundation of most Great Soul Masters despite being only a Soul Master, and even had the chance to challenge higher-level Soul Sages through tactics and combat experience, his abilities were still limited to a single technique.
Only the Golden Dragon Claw.
But now, things were different. He finally possessed three soul rings, three thousand-year soul skills, and a golden blood essence soul ring.
Although he was still outclassed by Xu Yuan in every aspect, he now had his own unique battle style.
"Brother Xu, first, I want to thank you for your fusion technique. I succeeded in completely fusing my blood essence and even condensed a soul ring. But something seems off during cultivation—my blood essence soul ring feels purer, completely formed from concentrated blood essence, and its color is abnormal." Tang Wulin's blood essence surged.
His blood essence had become substantial enough to manifest outside his body.
Though it still fell short of Xu Yuan's, its quality was extremely high, exuding a faint yet latent sense of intimidation.
A golden-yellow halo slowly emerged around his body.
Xu Yuan observed the golden blood essence soul ring around Tang Wulin's body, his eyes narrowing slightly.
This wasn't some kind of problem.
The origin of the Golden Dragon King was genuinely divine, and condensing a golden blood essence soul ring was well-deserved.
The issue lay in the fact that the effects of the soul skill still depended on his blood essence, which limited the full potential of the golden soul ring.
"Brother Xu, let me experience your full strength!"
Tang Wulin unleashed his blood essence, and within the surging aura, a faint golden dragon phantom began to take shape.
A mighty dragon roar echoed throughout the area.
"Blood Essence Soul Ring First Soul Skill: Golden Dragon Body!"
Tang Wulin's appearance underwent a dramatic transformation. His right hand turned into the Golden Dragon Claw, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction. The sleeve of his right arm tore apart, revealing golden scales that shimmered with a dense golden glow.
Beyond the external changes, his blood essence entered a state of intense boiling, causing his blood power to skyrocket.
As his blood essence reached its peak, another dragon roar resonated from within his blood essence.
Boom!
He surged forward explosively, leaving behind a massive crater where his foot struck the ground.
The Golden Dragon Claw on his right hand condensed vast amounts of blood essence, emitting a nearly blinding golden light.
Xu Yuan's second and third soul rings flickered simultaneously.
With the combination of these two soul skills, his body was enveloped in flames of blood essence. The blood essence swirled around the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear, merging into it and converging at the spear tip, forming a dark golden point.
The Golden Dragon Claw clashed with the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear.
Bang!
Xu Yuan effortlessly absorbed the recoil of the spear, holding it across his right side.
Tang Wulin, on the other hand, was sent staggering backward, feeling a piercing pain in his Golden Dragon Claw.
This was the first time he had been suppressed in a direct clash of power using the Golden Dragon Claw.
The Golden Dragon Claw was inherently razor-sharp, incredibly sturdy, and possessed shattering properties, capable of crushing anything.
However, Xu Yuan's spear strike made him feel as though his claw had slammed into a steel door, and the sharp spear aura caused excruciating pain in his Golden Dragon Claw.
Three years ago, during their first encounter in the Tianhai Tournament, the outcome hadn't been like this.
Back then, he could feel the shattering effect of his Golden Dragon Claw penetrating Xu Yuan's spear, but for some reason, the effect hadn't manifested.
Now, everything had changed.
Xu Yuan's spear seemed to have reached the same level of quality as his Golden Dragon Claw, possessing similar invincible properties.
Dark Golden Terror Claw!
Tang Wulin immediately recalled the Dark Golden Terror Claw that he had helped Xu Yuan incorporate into the Tianyuan Five Elements Spear.
"It must be that. I didn't expect the Dark Golden Terror Claw to have such a significant impact on Brother Xu's growth."
Back then, the Dark Golden Terror Claw was still affected by the shattering effect of the Golden Dragon Claw. But after integrating it into Xu Yuan's Tianyuan Five Elements Spear over just three years, the spear's quality had vastly improved, rendering it immune to the shattering effect during their clash.
After their initial exchange, Xu Yuan also gained a better understanding of Tang Wulin's strength.
In terms of blood essence, Tang Wulin was far weaker. However, his Golden Dragon Body granted him immense power akin to that of a mighty dragon.
It wasn't just pure blood essence strength—it also included enhancements to his physical structure, allowing him to far surpass human soul masters with similar levels of blood essence.
Yet, none of this was enough to justify a prolonged battle against Xu Yuan.
Forbidden Seven Techniques.
Suppress!
Tang Wulin felt an overwhelming force pressing down on him, disrupting the flow of his blood essence.
Even with the unyielding will of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, which allowed him to maintain some control over his blood essence, he was still greatly affected.
The Tianyuan Five Elements Spear struck repeatedly, with Xu Yuan seamlessly kicking the spear to alter its trajectory. Each thrust transitioned smoothly into sweeping strikes, upward slashes, and downward chops, each strike flowing naturally and effortlessly.
Amidst this fluidity, every strike carried terrifying destructive power.
Infused with blood essence, each spear strike weighed thousands of kilograms. Striking the ground left cracks, while piercing tree trunks left gaping holes.
"Third soul skill: Blue Silver Golden Light Array!"
Finally forced to retreat, Tang Wulin reluctantly switched to his Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
He didn't want to use this martial soul because it was far too weak.
Especially his first two soul skills—they were effective against others but utterly wasted against Xu Yuan.
Blue silver grass rapidly sprouted from the surrounding ground, shimmering with golden light. The radiant glow illuminated the area, transforming it into a golden world.
The Blue Silver Golden Light Array possessed element-severing effects and severely restricted soul power usage.
Among his three Blue Silver Grass soul skills, this was the only one Tang Wulin believed could have some impact on Xu Yuan—albeit minimal.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Xu Yuan unleashed consecutive spear strikes, smashing into Tang Wulin's body.
Pain coursed through Tang Wulin's body. His Blue Silver Grass martial soul collapsed, and the Blue Silver Golden Light Array naturally dissipated.
"You've lost."
Xu Yuan thrust his spear downward.
Blue Silver Golden Light Array?
Element-severing?
The effects on Xu Yuan were negligible.
Even a perfectly crafted soul skill for his Blue Silver Grass martial soul proved utterly powerless in this moment.
"Is there anyone else?"
Xu Yuan turned his gaze toward Gu Yue once more.
Still not ready to fight?
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