Devouring Soul Emperor

"You went easy on me."

Chu Qingyun retracted his Martial Soul and cupped his fist at Zheng Baoshan.

"Easy on you, my ass! I didn’t hold back..."

Zheng Baoshan shook his head and leaped off the battle stage.

"To defeat a Fifth-level Martial Spirit as a Third-level Martial Spirit, and a powerhouse like Zheng Baoshan at that... It’s truly... eye-opening." Someone in the crowd below the stage couldn’t help but exclaim.

"Yeah. I thought I was a peerless talent for breaking through to the Earth Spirit Realm at twenty-two. But after coming aboard this Flying Ship, I realize there’s always someone better out there."

"And these are just the geniuses from the various counties within our Great Xia. The ones we have to face include geniuses from over a hundred other dynasties, not to mention the powerful experts from the various Blood-soaked Lands..."

"Only after leaving our own County Cities and stepping outside Great Xia do we realize how vast this world truly is!"

Having witnessed Chu Qingyun’s two battles, and especially seeing how powerful he was at such a young age, the geniuses from the various counties gathered around the stage couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

Within their respective counties in Great Xia, they were all geniuses who outshone their peers, some even surpassing their seniors.

But once they were all brought together, they discovered that there were gaps even between geniuses. And this was only on Great Xia’s Flying Ship.

If all the participants in the sect recruitment assessments from across the Hundred Dynasties were gathered, how many of them could still be called geniuses?

And if you included the disciples selected by the sects every five years, how many of the assessment participants from the Hundred Dynasties would still qualify as geniuses?

As they voiced their thoughts, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

Nearly everyone felt a sudden, crushing pressure. The joy of boarding the Flying Ship and securing a spot in the sect assessment gradually faded.

Even Chu Qingyun stood on the battle stage, lost in thought.

Only, his thoughts traveled further. He thought of the Central State, of the Misty Sect, the Martial Soul Hall, and You Yun’s mysterious, ancient family...

On the upper level of the battle stage’s chamber, unnoticed by Chu Qingyun and the others, Lord Lan, Prince Duan, and several leaders of the accompanying Imperial Guard and Great Xia Dragon Guard had been watching the fights below all along.

All matters concerning the Flying Ship, no matter how great or small, were of utmost importance and had to be reported to the two lords.

"Watching Chu Qingyun’s two battles seems to have deeply affected these geniuses. But that’s a good thing. Otherwise, if they still carry themselves with the arrogance of geniuses when they reach the Blood-soaked Land, I’m afraid they won’t last long. From this perspective, giving that Chu Qingyun an opportunity has served to temper them."

Prince Duan said, nodding lightly.

Lord Lan, however, just chuckled. "I’m afraid not everyone has been tempered."

Following Lord Lan’s gaze, Prince Duan saw the Ninth Prince hiding in a secluded spot with a few followers.

Seeing the Ninth Prince staring fixedly at the battle stage, grinding his teeth in anger, Prince Duan couldn’t help but shake his head.

He had never paid much mind to the affairs of the imperial city. When he took charge of the Flying Ship, his initial impression of the Ninth Prince had been quite good; he seemed like a promising junior.

But after the series of events in Lianshan County, Prince Duan could only say he was growing more and more disappointed in him.

Meanwhile, beside the stage, Princess Qingyou was watching Chu Qingyun with a hint of irritation on her pretty face.

Originally, this whole affair had started because of her. Everyone had come onto the stage for the chance to become her attendant.

But now, the crowd’s attention was no longer on her. Instead, they were all watching Chu Qingyun and contemplating the matter of geniuses.

This made Princess Qingyou, who had always been the center of attention, feel very uncomfortable.

"Yin Feiyang, you go. Teach that boy a lesson," Princess Qingyou said to Yin Feiyang beside her, gritting her teeth.

Previously, Princess Qingyou hadn’t wanted Yin Feiyang to act. She had wanted to show Chu Qingyun that even if she and her attendants didn’t lift a finger, a single word from her was enough to make others teach him a lesson.

But now, Princess Qingyou realized that besides Yin Feiyang, there seemed to be no one else.

Chu Qingyun had defeated even Zheng Baoshan. With that level of strength, even if she were to fight him herself, she probably wouldn’t be his match.

Aboard this Flying Ship, the only ones who could confidently claim victory over Chu Qingyun were likely the four Sixth-level Martial Spirits.

However, those four rarely showed themselves. It seemed the four of them had formed a private alliance to traverse the Blood-soaked Land together and paid no attention to anyone else.

Hearing Princess Qingyou’s words, a sharp glint flashed in Yin Feiyang’s eyes. "Rest assured, Princess. Since that Chu Qingyun dared to refuse you, I will make him understand the consequences!"

He wanted to seize this rare opportunity to teach Chu Qingyun a harsh lesson on the battle stage. It would be best if he could beat him until he knelt and begged for mercy. Only then could he show off in front of Princess Qingyou.

Yin Feiyang leaped and landed on the battle stage.

"You brat! How dare you offend the Princess! Kneel and apologize to her at once, or I’ll make sure you don’t leave this stage in one piece today!" Yin Feiyang stared at Chu Qingyun and said coldly.

Seeing Yin Feiyang’s behavior, not only Chu Qingyun but also many in the crowd around the stage frowned, feeling a sense of displeasure.

Whether it was his duel with Yu Ren or his fight with Zheng Baoshan, regardless of the battle’s outcome, both sides had maintained a rather friendly attitude.

After all, they were all geniuses from Great Xia, and now that they had left its territory, they could be considered their own people, strictly speaking.

But the moment Yin Feiyang stepped onto the stage, he completely shattered that atmosphere of friendly sparring.

"You want me to kneel? Let’s see if you have the strength to make me," Chu Qingyun replied, his expression turning cold.

Chu Qingyun had always lived by a simple principle: if someone respected him, he would return that respect tenfold.

But if someone provoked or even insulted him, then they couldn’t blame him for being merciless.

"Strength? Hmph, ridiculous. I’m not some idiot like Zheng Baoshan who only knows how to defend!"

"Let me show you what I’m capable of."

"Luosheng Celestial Sword!"

Yin Feiyang sneered and instantly activated his Martial Soul.

Behind him, an incredibly sharp Qi soared into the air. The power gathered and quickly condensed into a massive, two-meter-tall, phantom sword.

A Tier Four Sword Martial Soul, the Luosheng Celestial Sword!

Yin Feiyang raised his hand, and a stream of Martial Soul Power flowed out from the phantom sword, coalescing in his grasp into an identical, but much smaller and more solid, Longsword.

Longsword in hand.

Phantom sword at his back.

Yin Feiyang stood proudly on the battle stage, his entire body emanating an exceptionally sharp aura.

Chu Qingyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. This was the first time he had ever seen a Tier Four Sword Martial Soul.