Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 408 Divine Soul, I Am No Less Powerful (Long Chapter, Please Subscribe)
The Thousand Machine Sect.

The largest sect in the Thousand Machine Domain, and also one of the super sects of the Yan Dynasty.

Zeng Xi was quite famous throughout the Yan Dynasty. His most sensational feat was fighting against a Xiantian martial artist before he even entered the Xiantian realm, and even injuring the Xiantian martial artist.

All beings below us are ants.

This is not an exaggeration. Even a peak first-grade martial artist, who is only one step away from the Innate Realm, will only suffer a crushing defeat when facing a martial artist who has just stepped into the Innate Realm.

The innate power of a martial artist originates from the transformation of the five elements and belongs to the power of heaven and earth.

The energy released by a ninth-rank martial artist is mostly generated from their own blood and qi.

How can human strength compare to the power of heaven and earth?
For an unranked martial artist to injure a congenital martial artist is already a miracle, and Zeng Xi instantly became famous among the younger generation of the Yan Dynasty because of this battle.

"Zeng Xi's strength lies in his soul. According to rumors, the sect leader of the Thousand Machines Sect once said that Zeng Xi's soul ranks among the top five in the history of the Thousand Machines Sect over the years."

Chai Daoqi recounted the intelligence he had gathered to Lin Chen. He himself hadn't paid much attention to Zeng Xi, after all, the two were more than ten years apart. But for the sake of his junior brother, he made a special effort to find out about Zeng Xi, and the more he inquired, the more alarmed he became.

The top three in this year's Martial Arts Mountain competition are much stronger than those of their predecessors.

"Top five in history?"

Lin Chen was also shocked. The Thousand Machines Sect has existed for so many years and has produced countless powerful figures. To be able to rank among the top five in the spiritual strength of disciples of the same realm in the entire history of the Thousand Machines Sect is enough to show how strong Zeng Xi's spiritual strength is.

"Where did you get this information from?"

Du Xiaofeng glared at his disciple with annoyance: "What a mess."

“Master, I asked a friend to find out about this. This person has some connections with the Thousand Machines Sect. According to my friend, this news is circulating throughout the Thousand Machines Sect, and the sect leader of the Thousand Machines Sect has not denied it.”

Upon hearing his third senior brother's explanation, Lin Chen's lips twitched; it turned out he had overheard the news.

A sheep died at the entrance of the village, and at the end of the village, a mother died.

When it comes to making unfounded accusations, everyone shares a common flaw: they like to add their own opinions or exaggerate.

It is true that Zeng Xi's soul was very strong. The disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect passed around the story and, in order to show how strong Zeng Xi's soul was, they created artistic works, which led to the rumor that he was among the top five in history.

As for the fact that the Thousand Machines Sect Master did not deny it, regardless of whether these words reached his mouth, even if they did, he would not have made a point of denying it.

Just like himself, if he were to actually reach the summit of Martial Dao Mountain, various versions of what would happen among the disciples of the Canglan Sect would likely emerge.

What about being one of the top three disciples in the history of the Canglan Sect?

What kind of elder's personal certification, sect leader's nod...?

Without these descriptive words, how can you expect others to believe it?
"Zeng Xi's soul should be much stronger than that of other martial artists of the same age. In addition, the Thousand Machine Sect itself has many martial arts techniques related to the soul. When we fight Zeng Xi at Martial Dao Mountain later, we must be careful of his soul attacks."

Du Xiaofeng looked at Lin Chen and gave him some pointers.

"Whether it is the divine soul or the divine thought, it is not entirely without trace, nor is it entirely unstoppable. The innate fire can burn the divine thought. Externally, it protects the divine soul with the innate fire, and internally, it protects the divine soul with the energy of the Azure Waves."

"Yes, disciple has noted it down."

……

……

Ten Thousand Fire Sect.

Zhuang Lie, who had already returned to the sect, was watching the light screen with several disciples and two other elders.

"See that? The power of the fire giant that this boy has transformed into, and the speed of those golden wings have increased again. It would be a waste of such talent if this boy didn't come to my Ten Thousand Fires Sect."

Zhuang Lie looked regretful. Before he went to Canglan Sect to teach Lin Chen the Fire Fusion Technique, Lin Chen's manipulation of innate fire had not reached such a refined level. It was obvious that the Fire Fusion Technique had enhanced the power of Lin Chen's Boundless Divine Appearance Technique.

"Elder Zhuang, the Canglan Sect will not release them."

Another elder shook his head: "No sect would be willing to transfer disciples who can enter the top three of Martial Arts Mountain to another sect."

The fact that this disciple ranked in the top three at Wudao Mountain already demonstrates his potential.

No matter how generous the conditions offered by the Myriad Fire Sect are, the Azure Wave Sect will not agree.

If Lin Chen is transferred to their Wanhuo Sect, it will be fine if Lin Chen fails to break through to the sixth level of the Innate Realm. However, if he does break through to the sixth level of the Innate Realm, the Canglan Sect will be ridiculed by the other sects of the entire Yan Dynasty.

“I also know that the Canglan Sect will not release him, which is why I taught Lin Chen the Fusion Fire Technique. When Lin Chen wants to break through the Boundless Divine Appearance Technique in the future, he will definitely come to our Wanhuo Sect. At that time, we can persuade Lin Chen to join our Wanhuo Sect.”

The fact that the Canglan Sect won't release him doesn't mean Lin Chen can't switch allegiance to the Wanhuo Sect.

"Without the consent of the Canglan Sect, if Lin Chen were to switch allegiance to our Wanhuo Sect, the Canglan Sect would likely turn against us, and Lin Chen would also be hunted down by the Canglan Sect, along with his family and relatives... Elder Zhuang, you are oversimplifying things."

The other two elders shook their heads simultaneously, concluding that it would be difficult for Lin Chen to join the Myriad Fire Sect, regardless of the circumstances.

"This won't work, that won't work... I really think that Lin Chen's absence from our Wanhuo Sect is a loss for both Lin Chen and our Wanhuo Sect."

Zhuang Lie was quite helpless. Seeing Zhuang Lie's expression, the elder next to him smiled and said, "Elder Zhuang, don't worry, it's not like there's no chance at all."

"what chance?"

"If Lin Chen can ignite the Sacred Flame, even if he doesn't join my sect, he can still cultivate the techniques of my Myriad Flames Sect."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Lie rolled his eyes and lit the sacred flame?

Even the Wanhuo Sect has no disciples who can do it, so how could Lin Chen possibly do it?

Looking back at the history of the Wanhuo Sect, only six people have been able to ignite the sacred flame, and not a single person from an outside sect has come.

The Myriad Fires Sect controls the fire of the world.

However, the innate fire possesses a spirit, and the fact that the Myriad Fires Sect accommodates and collects numerous innate fires is also a result of an agreement with the innate fires.

The Sacred Flame is established. If anyone can ignite the Sacred Flame, even if they are not a disciple of the Myriad Flames Sect, they can take the sect's innate fire at will, and all of the sect's martial arts techniques will be open to them.

The so-called Sacred Flame is formed by condensing a single wisp of three thousand innate flames. Anyone who can ignite the Sacred Flame, whether by subduing it with their own powerful strength or by harmonizing with the many innate flames, has gained the recognition of these innate flames.

He acknowledged Lin Chen's talent in controlling flames, but said he was still far from being able to ignite the sacred flame.

……

……

Two hours passed.

"Master, I'm going to Wudao Mountain."

"Don't take winning or losing too seriously."

Du Xiaofeng couldn't help but offer a word of advice. Lin Chen nodded. It seemed that even his master didn't have much confidence in him. He was afraid that in order to win the fight, he would risk serious injury and fight Zeng Xi to the death.

Lin Chen entered Martial Arts Mountain, and Chai Daoqi couldn't help but ask, "Master, what are the chances of Junior Brother winning?"

"Fifty percent!"

After pondering for a while, Du Xiaofeng gave his answer.

Lin Chen has only a 50% chance of winning the battle against Zeng Xi, and the key to victory lies in whether Lin Chen can withstand Zeng Xi's soul attack.

……

Thousand Machine Domain.

Many martial artists were also watching Martial Dao Mountain. They didn't know when Lin Chen would make his next challenge, but they were still paying close attention.

The reason is simple: Lin Chen's next opponent is Zeng Xi.

Zeng Xi's name resounds throughout the Thousand Machine Domain, and no one wants to miss this battle.

"It's here! Martial Arts Mountain has sent a notification!"

"To think that he's already moving on to the next challenge so quickly, Lin Chen is really crazy."

When the light screen appeared from the Martial Dao Seal, the entire Thousand Machine Domain began to boil. For many young martial artists, Zeng Xi was their most admired peer.

Unfortunately, Zeng Xi had always stayed in the Thousand Machine Domain, and many people had only heard of her name but never seen her face. Now, they can finally see Zeng Xi's true appearance through the light screen.

The Thousand Machine Sect.

Zeng Xi sensed the challenge message from the Martial Dao Seal, but his face showed no surprise; everything was as he had expected.

……

Martial arts mountain.

Battle Plains.

Lin Chen and Zeng Xi appeared at almost the same time.

"Canglan Sect, Lin Chen."

"Zeng Xi, of the Thousand Machines Sect."

The two stood embracing, looking at each other, neither making the first move.

No one is weak when we meet here.

Zeng Xi will not underestimate Lin Chen, and Lin Chen will naturally not underestimate Zeng Xi either.

"What's going on? Why haven't they made a move yet?"

"Why are you standing there stupidly?"

"Is there something wrong with the light screen at Martial Arts Mountain? It's been dozens of breaths already!"

All the martial artists watching the battle looked at Lin Chen and Zeng Xi, who remained motionless like statues on the light screen, with puzzled expressions on their faces.

This wasn't the first time they'd seen Lin Chen fight at Martial Arts Mountain; every match was extremely decisive and efficient, unlike this kind of time-wasting battle.

In Linhu Village, all the onlookers were filled with confusion. Lin's parents looked at Jia Nanzhu and asked, "Lord Jia, what's going on?"

"I don't know either."

Jia Nanzhu shook his head. The Innate Realm was too far removed from him, and he could no longer understand a battle of that level. However, he knew that things were definitely not as calm as they appeared on the surface.

"Lin Chen and Zeng Xi must be engaged in some kind of contest, a silent contest."

Ultimately, Jia Nanzhu gave his judgment.

"The two are engaged in a battle of their souls."

Inside the Great Liang Imperial Palace, Kong Qifeng frowned, but the Innate Elder from the Martial Arts Alliance provided the answer.

"A battle of the souls?"

"After entering the Innate Realm, not only can one refine the power of the Innate Realm, but one's soul will also be enhanced. Zeng Xi is a disciple of the Thousand Machines Sect, which is skilled in soul attacks."

The sects of the Thousand Machine Domain are mainly engaged in weapon crafting, alchemy, and so on. It can be said to be the wealthiest domain in the Yan Dynasty, because other domains need the treasures crafted by the Thousand Machine Domain.

Regardless of what is being refined, it places extremely high demands on the soul. As the overlord of the Thousand Machine Domain, the Thousand Machine Sect has even higher requirements for the souls of its disciples.

……

Amidst the shimmering light screen where some were puzzled and others saw through the situation, Lin Chen and Zeng Xi were far from being as calm as they appeared from the outside.

The moment Lin Chen stepped onto the Martial Arts Plain, he sensed Zeng Xi's probing of his soul, and the two of them launched a mental attack almost immediately.

Under Lin Chen's control, invisible divine sense flying knives flew accurately and swiftly toward Zeng Xi, while Zeng Xi also received divine sense flying knives whistling toward her.

The divine thought flying knives collided and canceled each other out in mid-air.

"How do you know the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique?"

A few dozen breaths later, Zeng Xi sensed a familiar aura from Lin Chen; it was the aura of the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique.

The Thousand Machines Refining God Technique is a cultivation method of the Thousand Machines Sect. How could Lin Chen know it?

"Before I joined the Canglan Sect, I had previously practiced the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique before cultivating the Canglan Finger."

Lin Chen answered, now aware that the sect leader of the Qingtian Sect had taught him the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique after learning he had cultivated the Azure Wave Finger, which was forbidden by the Thousand Machines Sect. Although that sect leader had passed away many years ago, the Qingtian Sect might still exist in the Thousand Machines Domain, including the sect leader's descendants. To avoid implicating these people, the order was changed.

The Thousand Machines Sect has no rule that anyone who cultivates the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique must join the Thousand Machines Sect and cannot cultivate other sects' techniques.

"I see. It seems that the Canglan Sect beat us to it. Otherwise, we might still be fellow disciples."

Zeng Xi had no doubt that the first part of the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique was not a secret in the Thousand Machines Domain or even other domains. It was also used by the Thousand Machines Sect to select disciples, just like the Canglan Finger that the Canglan Sect had spread to the outside world.

As for Lin Chen's background, the sect had also investigated and found that Lin Chen was not raised by the Canglan Sect from childhood, nor was he born in the Canglan Domain. It was said that he came from a region with relatively poor martial arts.

These relatively barren martial arts regions are precisely the places where disciples of various sects are willing to take their sect's techniques and gamble on luck in order to complete sect missions and obtain high contribution points as rewards.

If a genius is discovered, even if he is just an inner disciple, he will receive a reward from the sect.

"Lin Chen, even if you have cultivated the Thousand Machine Eye Technique, you are at a disadvantage in fighting me with your soul."

Zeng Xi said this because she didn't want to take advantage of Lin Chen. She mainly cultivated her soul, while Lin Chen's previous techniques, such as the Azure Wave Finger and the technique that transformed him into a fire giant, were extremely powerful.

To not use these techniques now and instead fight against one's own soul is tantamount to abandoning one's strengths.

In this way, even if we win, it will be an unfair victory.

“Brother Zeng, there’s no need to worry. If my spirit is no match for yours, I will make a change.”

Hearing Lin Chen's firm words, Zeng Xi knew that Lin Chen had enough confidence in his own soul.

Since that's the case, then I won't try to persuade them anymore.

Huh, huh, huh!
Zeng Xi activated his divine sense again, and countless divine sense flying knives roared out, initiating a divine sense annihilation against Lin Chen.

This was a silent, invisible, yet extremely dangerous struggle; if either side's defenses were breached by the flying knife, their soul would suffer severe damage.

The two were competing to see who had the stronger spirit and who could endure the longest.

The disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect who were watching the battle understood that Lin Chen was engaged in a battle of souls with Zeng Xi when they saw that Lin Chen had not made a move, and they couldn't help but show a mocking expression on their faces.

Lin Chen's choice to engage in a soul battle with Senior Brother Zeng is truly arrogant.

Soon, he will pay the price for his arrogance.

However, as time passed, the two remained suspended in the air, and the mocking expressions on the faces of the Thousand Machines Sect disciples disappeared.

Lin Chen's soul is so strong that he has been able to fight against Senior Brother Zeng's soul until now?
……

Ten Thousand Fire Sect.

"Lin Chen's soul is quite strong to be able to master the Fire Fusion Technique so quickly. Zeng Xi probably won't have an advantage in terms of soul."

Zhuang Lie chuckled and said that controlling the innate fire also requires a certain level of spiritual power. The disciples of the Myriad Fire Sect also have methods to cultivate and strengthen their spiritual power. However, the spiritual power cultivation methods of the Myriad Fire Sect focus on stabilizing and strengthening the spiritual power, unlike the Thousand Machine Sect which has many methods of spiritual attack.

The Ten Thousand Fires Sect primarily relies on innate fire for its attacks; its soul cultivation is merely to prevent burns and injuries during the refining of innate fire.

……

Canglan Sect.

"Lin Chen's soul is that strong?"

Zhao Yulin looked at Du Xiaofeng with surprise in his eyes.

"Lin Chen has cultivated the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique, and has already cultivated it to its peak."

Du Xiaofeng provided the answer, which is why he said Lin Chen had a 50% chance of winning the fight against Zeng Xi.

"This little guy really surprises us time and time again."

Zhao Yulin smiled, while Qiao Yuan took a deep breath, feeling a sense of urgency.

He helped Lin Chen in the first place for the sake of the Canglan Sect's reputation. Within the sect, Lin Chen was still his biggest rival, and he didn't want to fall further and further behind Lin Chen.

Three hundred breaths later.

Zeng Xi's expression changed. The fact that Lin Chen had been able to hold on until now meant that his spiritual strength was no less than hers, which was why he was able to release a continuous stream of divine sense flying knives.

"Brother Lin, I won't hold back from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless divine thought knives materialized around Zeng Xi, and everyone saw the appearance of hundreds of knives.

Seeing that Zeng Xi was getting serious, Lin Chen did not hesitate either, and the divine sense flying knife he released also began to show its form.

Hundreds of divine thought flying knives appeared on the light screen in an instant, still colliding with each other while canceling each other out.

"Wow!"

All the martial artists watching the battle were shocked. It turned out that the two were not just standing there motionless, but had already started fighting. They just hadn't seen the divine sense flying knives before.

"Why does Lin Chen also know the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique?"

"Despicable! Lin Chen stole my Thousand Machine Sect's techniques."

The disciples of the Thousand Machines Sect were furious when they saw the divine sense flying knives floating around Lin Chen, but many of them remained rational.

"The Thousand Machines Refining God Technique is widely circulated, so it's normal that Lin Chen was able to come into contact with it. It can't be said that he stole it."

"That's true. Take the Canglan Finger of the Canglan Sect, for example. To be honest, I had come into contact with it before I joined the sect, but unfortunately I failed to master it."

"Compared to Lin Chen having cultivated the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique, what shocks me even more is that the strength of Lin Chen's soul is no less than that of Junior Brother Zeng."

……

On the martial arts mountain.

Zeng Xi saw that Lin Chen had also materialized the throwing knife, but he showed no surprise, as this was within his expectations.

However, the shape of the flying knife was already Lin Chen's limit, and it was impossible for Lin Chen to cultivate the next chapter of the Thousand Machines Refining God Technique.

"Soul-Shattering Cone, rise!"

Zeng Xi stopped holding back, and the flying knives hovering around him suddenly changed shape, turning into sharp cones.

"Junior Brother Zeng is getting serious!"

Seeing this, many innate martial artists from the Thousand Machines Sect smiled. The Soul-Breaking Cone is the second part of the Thousand Machines Connecting Gods Technique, and Lin Chen's flying knife couldn't block it.

This Soul-Shattering Cone is not simply formed by separating and condensing divine thoughts; it contains extremely subtle vibrational power.

puff!
The silver cone collided with the throwing knife, shattering it instantly, while the Soul-Shattering Cone remained intact, whistling as it hurtled towards Lin Chen.

One after another, the throwing knives shattered under the impact of the Soul-Breaking Cone. Seeing this, the disciples of the Canglan Sect looked worried.

"What an idiot! Why did he try to outwit Zeng Xi? If I had known he was such an arrogant fool, I wouldn't have given up."

Feng Yichuan watched as Zeng Xi unleashed the Soul-Shattering Cone. He had fought Zeng Xi three times and knew the power of the Soul-Shattering Cone. Lin Chen's choice to fight Zeng Xi head-on with his soul was simply foolish.

"What an amazing soul cone."

Lin Chen stared at the soul cone flying towards him, showing no signs of anxiety or worry. With a thought, the deep and vast star map in his dantian suddenly lit up.

hum!
The immense power of the divine soul no longer condensed in one place, but erupted from countless stars around it like a cosmic tide!

Just as the first batch of Soul-Breaking Cones was about to arrive, at the critical moment, countless souls transformed into a wave of water and rippled outwards.

Divine thoughts surged like a tide!

puff!puff!puff……

The densely packed soul cones shot into the tide of souls, just like mud entering the ocean, stirring up ripples.

"This is?"

This bizarre scene stunned many of the martial artists watching the battle.

Canglan Sect.

A glint of light flashed in Du Xiaofeng's and Zhao Yulin's eyes. They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

……

The Thousand Machine Sect.

Those innate martial artists were also shocked to see this scene.

"His divine sense surged like a tide. Even in my Thousand Machines Sect, one would need to have reached at least the second level of the Innate Realm to achieve this. How could a disciple of the Azure Waves Sect, who has just entered the Innate Realm, possibly do this?"

"With such divine soul talent, why join the Canglan Sect? He should join my Qianji Sect instead."

……

Ten Thousand Fire Sect.

Zhuang Lie's expression turned somewhat strange as he looked at the other two elders beside him.

"Those old guys from the Thousand Machines Sect should feel the same way we do."

……

On the plains battlefield of Wudao Mountain, Lin Chen was now unleashing his full power, his divine sense transforming into a tidal wave that surged toward Zeng Xi one after another.

Seeing the tide of divine thoughts surging towards him, Zeng Xi's pupils shrank. At this moment, he frantically separated his divine thoughts, constantly transforming them into Soul-Shattering Spikes to pierce the tide of divine thoughts.

Battles of the soul are inherently extremely dangerous, and there are no shortcuts to victory.

Now he's gambling that he can destroy the tide before it arrives.

Ten, a hundred...

The Soul-Shattering Cones rained down like a dense storm, and Zeng Xi's face turned pale. Even for him, condensing so many Soul-Shattering Cones had taken a huge toll on his soul.

The spectators in front of the light screen were also chilled to the bone by this level of silent, soul-wrenching battle.

They probably couldn't even withstand a single Soul-Breaking Cone from the Thousand Machines Sect, yet Lin Chen remained steadfast in the face of hundreds of Soul-Breaking Cones.

boom!
When Lin Chen's divine sense tide reached her, Zeng Xi's eyes flashed with helplessness. Looking at Lin Chen, who was still suspended in the air, she gave a bitter smile.

"you win!"

Zeng Xi admitted defeat. If he didn't, his soul would be severely damaged when the tide of divine thought fell on him.

Most importantly, he couldn't think of a way to break the deadlock. If he could risk injuring his soul to defeat Lin Chen, he might still give it a try, but he couldn't see any hope of victory.

Zeng Xi conceded defeat and disappeared from Wudao Mountain. Lin Chen also withdrew his divine sense immediately.

At this moment, only Lin Chen's figure remained on the entire light screen.

All the spectators were completely silent. This battle was nothing like what they had imagined. There were no intense fighting scenes, and no dazzling clashes of martial arts techniques.

But no one can deny the danger of this battle.

In a battle of the soul, the slightest carelessness can damage the foundation of one's martial arts.

A few breaths later, the disciples of the Canglan Sect erupted in a deafening cheer.

Only now could they finally shout that Senior Brother Lin truly had the strength to reach the summit.

"Reaching the summit!"

"A 100,000-game winning streak to the top!"

"Senior Brother Lin is going to set a new record for Wudao Mountain!"

"Our Canglan Sect is about to break history."

PS: I'm asking for monthly votes for this 6,000-word chapter.

(End of this chapter)