Chapter 224 Suppressing Elder Chen Shocks the Body Sect!
At the edge of the training ground, dozens of disciples' eyes were all focused on the arena.
Wang Yanfeng's words expressed the sentiments of most people.
Chen Lu put down his hand that was wiping away sweat, stared at the two people standing side by side on the stage, and frowned.
The disciples around him whispered amongst themselves, their voices rising and falling.
"Senior Brother Liu Yuan is only level sixty-something, right? Elder Chen is a Title Douluo."
"Even if it's just a friendly spar, Elder Chen is holding back, but the difference in skill level is still too great. What is Senior Brother Liu Yuan thinking?"
"I don't know. But since the sect leader is here, it shouldn't be something reckless."
Gu Tong walked from under the tree to the sidelines. He didn't participate in the discussion, but just quietly looked at the stage, his eyes filled with thought.
At this moment, a tall figure walked over from the other side of the training ground.
Long Aotian.
He had just finished his physical training under the waterfall, and was only wearing a thin training uniform on his upper body, the lapel of which was still dripping wet.
He had obviously heard the commotion and rushed over from the back of the mountain.
"The eldest brother is here," someone whispered.
The disciples automatically made way for them.
Long Aotian walked to the edge of the arena, his gaze passing through the crowd and landing on the ring. He didn't speak, but simply watched quietly for a while.
Chen Lu leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Senior brother, what is Liu Yuan trying to do? Is it necessary to spar with Elder Chen?"
Long Aotian did not answer immediately.
His gaze shifted from Liu Yuan to Elder Chen, and then back again.
"Since he wants to spar, it means he thinks it's necessary." Long Aotian's voice wasn't loud, but it was very certain.
Chen Lu was stunned for a moment.
Long Aotian continued, "Last time when he sparred with Elder Li, everyone thought it was unnecessary. And what happened?"
Chen Lu remained silent.
He recalled the scene of Liu Yuan crushing Elder Li on the arena, which truly exceeded everyone's expectations.
Long Aotian stopped looking at Chen Lu and focused his gaze back on Liu Yuan, his curiosity growing stronger.
"Just how much has my junior brother improved during this seclusion?" he muttered to himself.
On the arena, Elder Chen was stretching his wrists.
His left hand was still wrapped in ointment, but his right hand had already unbuttoned his cuff and rolled up the sleeve twice.
In the sunlight, Elder Chen's hands gleamed with a pale golden sheen.
That was his martial spirit, his hands.
As a level 92 Title Douluo, his hands, after years of tempering, are no longer those of an ordinary person.
He looked at his disciples below the stage, smiled, and turned to Liu Yuan, saying, "It seems everyone is very curious about our sparring match."
Liu Yuan stood opposite him, his expression calm, and said nothing.
Elder Chen continued, "However, if they were to see your current strength, they would probably be more than just curious."
Liu Yuan nodded slightly but did not reply.
Elder Chen stopped chatting, his smile faded, and his eyes became serious.
"Let's begin," Liu Yuan said.
Elder Chen took a few steps back to create some distance.
He raised his right hand, and five spirit rings rose from beneath his feet, lining up in sequence.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
The nine-ring titled Douluo's configuration, with the final red 100,000-year soul ring being particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.
The disciples standing by the training ground gasped.
Elder Chen ignored the discussions below the stage.
He looked at Liu Yuan and said calmly, "Liu Yuan, go ahead and make your move. I'll know my limits."
Liu Yuan nodded.
He didn't speak, nor did he make any preparatory movements.
However, the three pupils in his eyes contracted slightly, and a purple-gold light shone deep within them.
Then he moved.
His figure left a blurry shadow on the arena, moving so fast that many disciples below the stage couldn't even see his trajectory.
"The Qilin Treasure Technique".
Liu Yuan's voice exploded in the air.
A layer of dark golden light appeared on the surface of his right fist, and the force of his fist, accompanied by a low hum, went straight for Elder Chen's chest.
Elder Chen did not dodge.
He raised his right hand, fingers spread, and met Liu Yuan's fist head-on.
The fists and palms collided, producing a dull thud.
Elder Chen swayed slightly and took a step back.
He looked down at his palm; the pale golden sheen on his palm had dimmed somewhat.
"Not bad," he said.
But Liu Yuan's attacks did not stop.
His left eye narrowed slightly, and a thin, dark golden ray shot out from his pupil.
That was his first soul skill, the Spirit Ray. The target of this ray was not Elder Chen's body, but the ground half an inch in front of his right foot.
The rays struck the bluestone slab, leaving a charred hole about the thickness of a finger.
Elder Chen stopped in his tracks and had to turn sideways to avoid the aftershocks of the ray.
It was this simple sideways movement that caused him to momentarily lose his balance.
Liu Yuan seized this opportunity.
He pressed forward again, his right leg sweeping across Elder Chen's lower body with a whooshing sound.
Elder Chen raised his leg to block, and the two men's calves collided heavily.
Another muffled thud.
Elder Chen took half a step back, and Liu Yuan also took half a step back.
But as Liu Yuan retreated, he shot out another mental ray from his left eye, forcing Elder Chen to raise his arm to defend.
The ray struck the soul energy shield on his forearm, making a sizzling sound.
A dent appeared on the surface of the shield. Although it was not pierced, Elder Chen's arm visibly sank down.
"Senior Brother Liu Yuan is beating Elder Chen?" A disciple below the stage couldn't believe his eyes.
"Look closely, Elder Chen wasn't taking it seriously at all," another disciple retorted.
"But Senior Brother Liu Yuan's speed and strength are indeed much stronger than before he went into seclusion. He's only level sixty-something."
Long Aotian stood on the sidelines, his arms crossed over his chest.
He didn't speak, but his brow furrowed slightly.
He saw it very clearly.
Elder Chen did not go all out; his counterattacks were kept at a very low intensity, and he spent most of his time on defense and dodging.
However, Liu Yuan's speed and strength were indeed significantly improved compared to half a month ago.
"The quality of the soul power has changed," Long Aotian said in a low voice.
He sensed it.
Each of Liu Yuan's attacks was exceptionally condensed with soul power, possessing a penetrating power and stability that he had never seen before.
With the same level 62 soul power, Liu Yuan's attack was more effective than any other soul master of the same level he had ever seen.
On the stage, Liu Yuan's attacks became increasingly fierce.
His fists were covered in dark golden patterns, and each swing produced a muffled thud.
Although Elder Chen was able to parry each attack, a tiny footprint would appear under his feet each time he received a blow.
That's the deformation of the bluestone slab under pressure.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Ultimate Sublimation."
Liu Yuan's fourth spirit ring flickered.
His aura instantly surged, and his already condensed soul power became even more substantial. His speed increased, and so did his strength.
When their fists and feet clashed, Elder Chen's body swayed noticeably more than before.
Elder Chen started to get serious.
Although he hadn't used his full strength yet, his defense had already improved considerably. After catching each punch, he would counterattack, forcing Liu Yuan to dodge.
The two fought faster and faster, the sound of their fists and feet colliding so densely it sounded like drumbeats.
The disciples below the stage were dumbfounded.
"Is Senior Brother Liu Yuan really exchanging blows with Elder Chen?"
"And haven't you noticed? Elder Chen has already started to fight back proactively, instead of just defending himself."
"What kind of strength does that require?"
Chen Lu stood on the sidelines, his mouth slightly open, forgetting to close it.
Wang Yanfeng unconsciously gripped the hem of his clothes.
Gu Tong's eyes were fixed on the screen, as if afraid of missing any detail.
Long Aotian's brows furrowed even more.
He could tell that although Elder Chen had retaliated, he still hadn't used his real killing move.
Those counterattacks were just ordinary punches and kicks, without any soul skills or the use of the Martial Soul True Body.
Even so, the fact that Liu Yuan could hold his own against this level of competition is already a huge improvement.
Just then, Elder Chen seemed to be deciding to end the probing.
He clenched his right fist, a pale golden light emanating from between his fingers. His fifth spirit ring lit up; it was his fifth spirit skill, quite powerful. He prepared to use this move to test Liu Yuan's limits.
However, just as he was about to unleash his soul skill, Liu Yuan's eyes lit up.
"See through illusion."
A grayish-brown light leaped from between Liu Yuan's brows—the fluctuation of the Destruction Beast's soul. The light silently enveloped Elder Chen.
Elder Chen's expression changed.
He felt that the soul power circuit that had been condensed in his body was forcibly severed the moment it came into contact with the grayish-brown light.
The soul power that had been flowing smoothly suddenly became chaotic, and the fifth soul skill that was about to be unleashed was abruptly interrupted. The backlash of soul power made his arm tremble slightly.
"this..."
Elder Chen was taken aback.
He had cultivated for decades and had never encountered such a situation before.
His soul skill was forcibly interrupted during its release.
Not only Elder Chen, but also the disciples below the stage witnessed this scene.
"Elder Chen didn't release his soul skill?" a disciple exclaimed.
"Senior Brother Liu Yuan interrupted?" Another disciple asked in disbelief.
Long Aotian's eyes lit up. He saw clearly that Liu Yuan was using the ability of the Destruction Beast's soul spirit—the ability to see through illusions. The effect of that skill was to directly interfere with the soul power circuit, preventing the opponent from smoothly releasing soul skills.
But Elder Chen's level is so much higher than Liu Yuan's, how could this skill still work? This can only mean one thing—Liu Yuan's mental strength has reached a new level.
Liu Yuan gave Elder Chen no time to catch his breath.
He activated his fifth soul skill directly.
"Forbidden Zone".
A circle of dark purple light spread out from Liu Yuan's feet, instantly enveloping half of the arena.
Elder Chen was enveloped in this light. He felt as if the space around him was being pressed down by something, making his movement slow and his soul power circulation difficult.
"dominate."
Liu Yuan's fifth spirit ring flashed once again.
The dark purple light intensified. Within this domain, Liu Yuan's figure became elusive, his speed so fast that Elder Chen could barely perceive it.
Then, dark purple chains extended out from the void.
The chains, buzzing and humming, surrounded Elder Chen from all directions. Elder Chen raised his arm to try and block, but his movements were sluggish under the suppression of the forbidden domain, unable to keep up with the speed at which the chains coiled.
The first chain wrapped around his right wrist.
The second chain wrapped around his left hand.
Article 3, Article 4, Article 5...
In just a few breaths, Elder Chen's arms, legs, waist and abdomen were all tightly bound by dark purple chains.
He tried to break free, but every time he exerted force, the chains tightened a little, and the soul power suppression effect attached to the chains made it increasingly difficult for him to circulate his soul power.
Elder Chen stood in the center of the arena, his body bound by dark purple chains, unable to move.
He looked down at the chains binding him, then looked up at Liu Yuan.
The training ground was deathly silent.
(End of chapter)