Douluo: In an extraordinary world, with unparallel understanding!

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Ji Juechen's appearance could be described as handsome and refined. Apart from the lack of radiance in his eyes, which made them seem somewhat dull, his looks were undeniably top-tier. 

In his hand, he held a sword about four feet long, entirely jet-black. Its design was simple and unadorned, with no distinctive features—so much so that it looked almost like an ordinary fire poker. 

However, at first glance, he exuded a chilling aura that would make anyone's hair stand on end. 

Facing Ji Juechen, Zhou Xinghao felt an overwhelming sense of danger. 

Before joining the representative team, Zhou Xinghao had trained at the academy. There was no way he hadn't heard of Ji Juechen's reputation. Now that he was standing face-to-face with him in battle, the pressure was immense. 

"Ji Juechen!" 

"Zhou Xinghao." 

"Begin!" 

The moment the match started, Zhou Xinghao immediately completed his soul armor integration. Lights from numerous soul cannons appeared all over his body, connected seamlessly to his armor. 

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* 

In an instant, level-six soul cannon shells rained down as if they cost nothing. 

Ji Juechen's movements were slow, but he always managed to predict the precise moments the shells would land, dodging them just in time. With a wave of his sword, he unleashed sword energy to shatter any unavoidable projectiles. 

Su Yu, watching Ji Juechen closely, found his state particularly intriguing. 

"This Ji Juechen... is extraordinary." 

Even Electrolux couldn't help but comment. 

Apart from the support of his soul power, Ji Juechen hadn't used any of the abilities typically associated with soul masters. 

No, to be precise, he seemed to have little reliance on his martial soul at all. 

His soul skills were all focused on amplifying his soul power. 

In fact, his sole soul skill had a singular effect: enhancing the quality of his soul power and increasing its overall volume. 

Combined with his self-developed sword techniques, not a single student in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy could rival him. 

Ji Juechen's soul power was entirely cultivated by himself. Born with an innate soul power of only rank three, he had reached the level of a Soul Emperor by the age of twenty-seven, relying solely on his own efforts and without any external aids. 

Aside from Su Yu and Huo Yuhao, Ji Juechen was undoubtedly the most exceptional soul master ever born with an innate soul power of just rank three. 

Su Yu observed the battle intently, focusing on every move Ji Juechen made. 

"This is sword intent," Electrolux explained. 

"His understanding of the sword has reached a level where he can directly harness the power of the heavens and the earth." 

By merging his spiritual power with the natural world, Ji Juechen seemed to achieve a state of unity with his surroundings. He used the power of the world itself for perception, defense, and attack. 

This level of mastery was something Su Yu had yet to attain. 

At most, Su Yu could use runes or spiritual power to manipulate the surrounding space to achieve similar results. However, relying purely on his willpower to do so was beyond his capabilities. 

"Amazing," Su Yu murmured involuntarily. 

Electrolux continued explaining the cultivation of such an intent to Su Yu, sparking numerous realizations within him. In the sea of his spirit, the "sword" rune pulsed and became increasingly refined. 

As Ji Juechen swung his sword, Su Yu felt a peculiar ripple. Ji Juechen glanced toward the preparation area, his gaze resembling that of a predator locking onto prey. 

Huo Yuhao, also observing Ji Juechen's battle, found his abilities equally fascinating. 

"How is he doing this?" 

Ji Juechen's movements seemed sluggish, and his sword techniques appeared simplistic. Yet, each strike carried overwhelming power. 

The release of a single burst of sword energy was even more astonishing than what Yu Ge could achieve. 

With the same amount and quality of soul power, Yu Ge's sword energy seemed far less menacing compared to Ji Juechen's. 

Huo Yuhao silently compared the two in his mind. 

At the same time, his spiritual detection allowed him to observe Ji Juechen's every move in greater detail. Yet, it was precisely this clarity that left him even more bewildered—how on earth was Ji Juechen accomplishing this? 

He could clearly see every move Ji Juechen made, understand it, and even replicate it completely. Yet, he knew he could never reach the same level. 

"It's because his spirit has merged with the heavens and the earth." 

"Spirit power?" 

"It's more like his will or intent," the Ice Empress corrected Huo Yuhao, explaining her impression. 

As a 400,000-year-old beast, the Ice Empress had considerable authority in such matters. 

Although she didn't fully comprehend Ji Juechen's mastery of intent, she had an instinctive sense of the critical aspects of his state. 

*Unity of heaven and man?* 

Huo Yuhao recalled reading about a similar state while cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Technique. The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record described it as a state where one could make the heavens and earth work as their own. 

Meanwhile, Zhou Xinghao had turned himself into a living turret. With his soul armor integration and numerous level-six soul cannons, even a Soul Sage would find it nearly impossible to break through his firepower. 

Yet Ji Juechen, after holding his position for three minutes, struck decisively. 

The black, fire-poker-like sword in his hand—crafted from meteorite iron—suddenly revealed a faint sword phantom. At the same time, six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—materialized beneath his feet, shining in sequence. 

All six rings glowed simultaneously. 

Soul power erupted. 

Ji Juechen, gripping his sword, became utterly imposing and slashed with incredible precision. 

The soul cannons in front of Zhou Xinghao were destroyed by the sword energy, and the protective shield generated by his soul armor shattered instantly. 

As Zhou Xinghao tried to channel soul power to regenerate the shield, Ji Juechen unleashed another slash. 

This strike carried even greater power. 

Zhou Xinghao felt completely locked onto by the sword energy, unable to escape and forced to face it head-on. 

But this attack brought with it a sense of impending doom. 

In the end, Jing Hongchen intervened to save Zhou Xinghao. 

The sword energy that had been advancing dissipated shortly afterward. 

"You... you're even more terrifying now," Zhou Xinghao said, looking at Ji Juechen without any trace of defeat in his tone. 

This guy was a real monster. 

Even with the support of his soul armor, Zhou Xinghao hadn't been able to best Ji Juechen. 

The top ranker was indeed the top ranker. 

Jing Hongchen was also quite satisfied with Ji Juechen's performance, nodding approvingly. 

Ji Juechen's admission into both the academy and the Sun-Moon Hall had been a special exception personally approved by Jing Hongchen. 

After retreating to the preparation area, Zhou Xinghao began recovering his strength. 

Ji Juechen had become the beacon of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in the eyes of the teachers and students present. 

After defeating Zhou Xinghao, Ji Juechen proceeded to challenge the remaining two competitors. 

To ensure fairness, Jing Hongchen granted Ji Juechen an hour of rest. 

One hour later, Xiao Ping was defeated. 

Another hour later, Shi Xing was also defeated. 

Jing Hongchen was exceedingly pleased with Ji Juechen's performance. 

However, it was a pity that Ji Juechen was already twenty-seven years old. With his level of strength, he would have completely dominated the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament—without even needing soul armor. 

Born with an innate soul power of just rank three, Ji Juechen had cultivated to the level of a Soul Emperor without taking any medicinal aids. This also meant that, aside from the soul rings he added, his martial soul itself had never been enhanced. 

In a way, this validated Su Yu's theory. 

A weak martial soul, when paired with the right path and the persistence to uncover its unique characteristics, could eventually evolve. As long as the martial soul's quality improved with each successive soul ring, it could support continuous cultivation. 

Of course, Ji Juechen's case also involved the complex element of sword intent, which weakened its persuasiveness as a general example. 

"Yuhao, it's your turn." 

Jing Hongchen announced the next challenger for Ji Juechen. 

According to the initial plan, any opponent Xiao Ping, Shi Xing, and Zhou Xinghao couldn't defeat would be handed over to Huo Yuhao. 

Huo Yuhao began focusing on his preparation. 

An hour later, Huo Yuhao stood ready to face Ji Juechen. 

(End of Chapter)