Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

"Hey, Xiao Feng, wait, let him move a bit~"

Feng Jingyi glanced at Yin Jin, but stopped, and instead stared intently at Qian Shui's direction.

Just as Yin Jin was speaking, and everyone was puzzled, a whisper came from within the smoke and dust.

"One-inch strike, open the skull!"

A muffled thud followed, and a figure flew backward, tumbling and crawling on the fighting stage before finally collapsing to the side.

Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized the man as Tang Hu, whose forehead was bleeding, but he seemed unharmed.

As the smoke cleared, Qian Shui was seen standing there with his eyes closed, his left hand behind his back and his right fist clenched, while Tang Meng stood behind him.

He suddenly turned around and looked at Qian Shui, saying, "You're very strong!"

"Okay."

Yin Jin waved to Qian Shui and said, "Brother Shui, you promised that if they attack you directly, you'd have to go all out!"

"I know, I know! One by one..." Qian Shui opened her left eye and looked at Yin Jin, "I won't go back on my word."

"Shall we go down first?"

"Hey hey hey, don't ruin my game!"

These words caused an uproar, and Qian Renxue, sitting on the high platform, finally became genuinely excited.

'Finally? Let me witness it! Xiao Shui, give it your all, don't hold back, and take mine with you!'

Xueye, standing in the stands, laughed and asked about Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, who had finally appeared and was now in the stands, "Your students are so arrogant? It seems that the Spirit Hall will not be able to obtain my two soul bones from Heaven Dou!"

"Your Majesty is joking. Two soul bones are nothing to our Spirit Hall."

Yue Guan's eyes were full of disdain, and coupled with his sarcastic way of speaking, his words sounded even more mocking.

Ning Fengzhi, however, was not as optimistic as Xue Ye. Based on the information he gathered, Qian Shui was not a reckless person. Although he acted roughly and without regard for details, he was definitely not the kind of person who had lost his mind.

"Let's go, let's stop watching, Brother Shui is about to make his move, it's none of my business~" With that, Yin Jin jumped off the Soul Arena, and his teammates followed suit.

"Boy, are you sure you want to do this?" Even Chen Xin found this behavior hard to understand. Even as a Soul Emperor, he wouldn't dare claim victory when facing a siege from seven members of the Heavenly Dou faction.

"Just wait and see." 'What's it to you? Go ahead and kill me if you dare!'

"Kid, you're strong, but you dare to take on all seven of us by yourself. As a sign of respect, I'll give you time to prepare! It's not like we're ganging up on you!" Tang Meng shouted from behind, raising his hammer.

At this moment, the Tian Dou group also surrounded them, with the two Hammer Brothers attacking Qian Shui from the front and back.

"Ready?" Qian Shui was speechless upon hearing this. Even though it was a competition and he was only facing one person, why was he holding back like this, just to show off?

Before she could finish speaking, Qian Shui suddenly appeared, asking, "Are you guys crazy?"

Yu Ningyun stopped in front of him and said, "What do you think?"

Chen Xin's face darkened to the extreme, his mental energy locking onto Qian Shui from all angles. If he dared to do anything, he would surely be met with a direct strike from the Seven Kill Sword.

"Sword Douluo, keep an eye on your family!"

Ignoring Ning Yunfei's horrified face and the commotion behind him, Qian Shui grabbed Ning Yunfei by the back of his belt and flung him at Chen Xin.

"They actually dared to give Brother Shui such an opportunity? We have no idea how fast he is, it's unbelievable..." Yin Jin, sitting on the sidelines, expressed his shock and complained to his teammates about the behavior of the Tian Dou team.

While they were still in a daze, five of the seven members of the Heavenly Battle were already gone. Without any suspense or reaction, they were taken off the Soul Battle Platform by Qian Shui.

When these people realized they had to resist, it was too late; all they felt was the burning pain where Qian Shui had ripped them.

The two hammer-wielding warriors couldn't provide timely assistance. Had they employed the same tactics, their fate would have been the same as their teammates: easily eliminated from the arena, ending the match. However, Qian Shui still wanted to see what kind of hammer technique Chaotic Cloak was using.

Cold sweat trickled down Tang Meng's forehead. His expectations for Qian Shui were already high enough, but the strength he was showing now had completely exceeded his comprehension.

"Have the first two soul skills already been used while assisting teammates?" Ning Fengzhi muttered to himself. All he could think of were the first two soul rings that Qian Shui lit up at the start.

"Hmm, that's about right, so it's not really bullying the weak with numbers." Qian Shui expressed her satisfaction, and now it was time for her personal show.

Since everyone wants to know his true strength, since Bibi Dong wants to push him to the forefront, and since Qian Renxue wants him to take the spotlight for her, then so be it!

Come on then!

Qian Shui placed one hand behind his back and extended the other in invitation. His primordial spirit separated from his body behind his back, and with the same posture, two voices spoke simultaneously, calmly saying, "I am Qian Shui, a level 49 agility-attack type Battle Soul Master with a Martial Soul Primordial Spirit. Please enlighten me!"

"You're an agility-based attacker?" Tang Meng shook off his momentary fear and said forcefully, "Tang Meng! Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer, Level 57 Power Attack-based Battle Soul King!"

Tang Hu, standing to the side, also spoke up: "Tang Hu! His martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer, a level 55 power-attack type battle soul king!"

Seeing that Qian Shui didn't move, the two stood side by side, swung their Clear Sky Hammers, exchanged a glance, and said in unison, "Outstanding Battle Soul Hammers, Mighty Clear Sky Sect! The blood feud between the Spirit Hall and our sect from a few years ago is now settled!"

'No wonder he punched me right away, how boring... but it's time to show off!'

Qian Shui's face was full of disdain, and an arrogant smile appeared on his face. He was taking advantage of his hard-won opportunity to show off and slap people in the face.

"Hmph, reckoning? At the pinnacle of the soul, I reign supreme! With me, a thousand rivers hold the sky! Let me test the mere title of the so-called number one in the world!"

With a single step, he appeared beside Tang Meng, shouting, "Eight Extremes! Mountain-Backing Sticker!"

Unable to keep up with Qian Shui's speed, Tang Meng was knocked back dozens of steps by the immense force brought by the extreme speed, while Tang Hu, who was standing to the side, quickly swung his hammer at him.

Tang Meng touched his chest, wondering why Qian Shui's move seemed to have little power, and Tang Hu's hammer blow was also deflected by Qian Shui and fell to the side.

Clenching his fists, Qian Shui felt completely uncomfortable. His move was just a blatant imitation based on his memory; he had no idea about the specific way to generate power or the form of the move.

Moreover, this is a fist and foot technique that was only recently developed because weapons cannot be used in competitions.

"Second Soul Skill, Hammer Soul Control!"

'Wow, he even has a soul-absorbing skill! No wonder Tang Dachui's hit rate is so high...'

Having narrowly avoided Tang Meng's soul skill by sidestepping, Qian Shui finally couldn't help but use her usual palm strike technique to quickly clash with Tang Meng.

Tang Hu quickly joined the battle, shouting, "Haotian Hammer, Chaotic Cloak!"

Under the combined attack of the two Hammer Kings, Qian Shui dodged and weaved, launching a frenzied counterattack, no longer relying solely on speed to win as before.

The only advantage of this style of play is that it looks beautiful and is pleasing to the eye for the audience, but the players on the field are really struggling to keep up, since such an offensive style is too exhausting.

As Qian Shui used the momentum to fly backward and hovered in the air, the previous battle came to an end, except for Tang Hu who was still folding his cloak.

"You're strong, but that's all! If it weren't for the competition, today would be your death day!" Tang Meng was enraged, and his anger and fighting spirit caused him to unleash a series of skills.

"Third Soul Skill, Blazing Sun!"

Activated by the Haotian Hammer, several fiery energy blocks shot rapidly toward Qian Shui.

'Using wide-range attack skills without coordinating them with control skills, as if they thought I couldn't move just because I'm airborne? Do the people of Douluo Continent really do love the mage class…'

Qian Shui dodged at lightning speed, and with a burst of soul power, he arrived in front of Tang Meng, once again showing off with a disdainful expression.

"You are welcome to try! Even if I bear the weight of the Douluo Continent on my shoulders and have to carry the Spirit City with one hand, I am still invincible in the world!"

Qian Renxue secretly rubbed her forehead. She had seen this kind of bad habit many times, but Qian Shui still had to do this in front of so many people. Didn't he care about getting himself into trouble?

(I didn't even mention carrying Douluo Star on my back! — Qian Shui Douluo)

Someone is afraid of dying in society, so he usually avoids conflict and doesn't want to show off in front of others, but now that the opportunity has arisen, why not just put on a show!

However, there's a limit to how much you can boast. People might think you're exaggerating your abilities, but if you go too far, everyone will just think you're talking nonsense.

As Tang Meng was astonished that Qian Shui could dodge so quickly and even pull off such a feat, the two were speechless. At the same time, Tang Hu attacked again.

After dodging a few more blows, Qian Shui snapped his fingers, preparing to do something more elegant.

After all, running a dungeon without music is like having barbecue without chili peppers—it just doesn't feel right.

"If you open your eyes in a nightmare and face a cruel world, whose heartstrings are touched by the wind, lingering but unable to say goodbye."

A sudden and eerie sound came from the field, as if Qian Shui was singing. But he was still constantly dodging the continuous combined attacks of the two Hammer Kings. Where did he have the energy to sing?

This song, "Breaking the Cocoon," is the only one that Qian Shui hasn't released, since it's a song about Tang San.

But in my previous life, it might not have been a description of Tang San, except for "the grass protecting his right hand with his left hammer".

It always felt like it was telling the story of Qian Renxue or Bibi Dong's life.

The listener was attentive, for this life was indeed this moment! But to Qian Renxue, it sounded so different.

"Xiao Shui, are you singing about us? Being abandoned by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and becoming an orphan was truly your nightmare. And back then, I really didn't give you a chance to say goodbye..."

"If the only outcome is tragedy, I will not be afraid to break free from my cocoon against the wind. Even if my wings are torn apart and I am forced to return to the nineteenth level of the abyss."

As Qian Shui launched a fierce and relentless attack, Tang Meng retreated step by step, while Tang Hu's overlapping, chaotic cloaks did not harm him in the slightest.

'Xiao Shui, I understand. There are some things you don't want to say, but you know them all! Only you understand!'

"Holding your hand, we walk forward, through night and day, without stopping. Through the twists and turns of time and space, we may suffer setbacks and heartache. But we will still fight bravely! That's what makes a hero!"

'This is you!'

Feng Jingyi, sitting in the audience, was mesmerized. Qian Shui's ethereal voice, coupled with the ferocious battle, what was this? This was the most passionate confession! How happy that person must be! How wonderful it would be if this were a confession to her.

"Look up—chaos and war never cease! Turn around—you are by my side! Defeat—the curse of fate! Let the story live on!"

Qian Shui seized a fleeting opening and struck each of them with a palm strike. The power of this strike, infused with the soul attack of their primordial spirits and martial souls, nearly blasted their souls out of their bodies. The two were stunned for several seconds as a result.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qian Shui retreated several steps and his primordial spirit left his body.

"Martial Spirit! It's surging wildly!"

Only then did everyone realize that it wasn't Qian Shui singing, but the Martial Soul singing!

The surging, colorless soul power swept over Qian Shui, causing his black hair to fly and his clothes to billow, perfectly matching the lyrics of that song.

"Your unwavering courage and determination! Even if the future is like a raging torrent, you will never back down!"

As soon as the word "retreat" was uttered, Qian Shui attacked Tang Meng again.

With one hand, he parried Tang Meng's hastily thrown Haotian Hammer, stood firm on his feet, and shouted, "Beng Jin, Ban Lan Chui!" His fist struck Tang Meng squarely in the abdomen, sending the latter flying backward in a kneeling position, temporarily unable to get up.

He smoothly retracted his fist to dodge Tang Hu's attack from behind, leaned forward again, and stomped his right foot on the ground, shouting, "Bajiquan, Top Heart Elbow!"

This caused Tang Hu to fly backwards in a "wild goose landing on the sand" style, with his buttocks facing backwards.

Qian Shui stood there, his invincible posture was as flamboyant as could be, and his teammates on the sidelines cheered him on.

He stared blankly at his own fists, clenching and unclenching them repeatedly, while simultaneously recovering his soul power.

'Wait a minute, this isn't all about brute force. How exactly is this so-called "strength" applied?'

At least in Qian Shui's mind, the Banlan Chui (a type of martial arts technique) in the high-energy world has the effect of hitting a cow from across a mountain, while the Dingxin Zhou (another martial arts technique) can cause serious internal injuries or even directly shatter the heart meridian.

He was merely using the form without any real effect; the two were simply repelled and temporarily rendered immobile.