Douluo Dragon King: I'm creating a golden age behind the scenes!

The commentator's voice rang out again: "The first round of the competition has officially ended. Next up is the first match of the second round, between player number 23, Zhou Mingyu, and player number 9, Lü Jun."

"Before the match begins, let me briefly analyze the strength comparison between the two sides. Lu Jun is from Mingdu Academy and is an outstanding student of Mingdu Academy. He is a genuine four-ring Soul Master and his Martial Soul is the Earth Bear."

On the other hand, Zhou Mingyu, according to the information, is only a second-ring Great Soul Master, so this match seems very dangerous for him.

"However, to have reached this point, their strength should not be underestimated. So, will this match be an absolute crushing victory for the strong, or a major upset by the rise of a newcomer? Let's wait and see."

The commentator was clearly a master at setting the mood. Her words instantly ignited the audience's emotions. In a flash, thunderous applause and deafening cheers echoed throughout the stadium, lasting for a long time.

Zhou Mingyu stood calmly on the ring. His opponent was an exceptionally tall fighter.

The man was bare-armed, his bronze skin glowing with a healthy and powerful sheen under the light, every muscle seemingly brimming with explosive energy.

His arms were as thick as an average person's thighs, and his fiery red short hair stood up like sharp steel needles. Just by standing there, he exuded a powerful aura that commanded respect without anger.

Lü Jun, Martial Soul: Earth Bear. It is said that when he awakened his Martial Soul, he was already at the ninth level of innate soul power. He is sixteen years old this year and is a level forty-eight strong attack type Soul Master. Even in the talent-rich Mingdu Academy, he is among the top students.

Meanwhile, in the VIP viewing area, a refined old man said to his friend beside him, "Old Wang, it seems your precious apprentice has had a rough start, running into a tough opponent right away."

"Let me tell you, a lot of old guys came this time, be careful you don't embarrass yourself!"

Lei Peng Douluo, who was usually short-tempered, did not show any emotional fluctuations because of the old man's words. He simply said with a confident expression, "Old Zhang, you're already so old, what's the rush? Just watch."

Just take a good look and see what a true genius is!

"Three, two, one, the match begins!"

As the electronic voice announced the announcement, the surrounding protective shield instantly rose up, casting a white halo over the entire competition stage.

Black! Black! Two ten-thousand-year soul rings slowly rose from beneath Zhou Mingyu's feet.

The super spirit ring ratio, far exceeding what a normal spirit master could withstand, drew bursts of excited shouts from the audience.

Meanwhile, in the VIP viewing area, the previously calm gazes suddenly sharpened, clearly drawn by the unique soul ring configuration.

Just looking at his lineup, the audience immediately felt that this match was going to be a big one.

Although Zhou Mingyu is only a second-ring Great Soul Master now, there are examples in this world of people who have defeated powerful enemies two levels above them, and those people were all geniuses who amazed an era.

At the same time, four spirit rings rose up beneath Lü Jun's feet: purple, purple, purple, purple!

Although the configuration of four purple soul rings has proven that his cultivation level is much higher than Zhou Mingyu's, he is already behind Zhou Mingyu in terms of soul rings alone.

Lu Jun stared at his opponent, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Encountering such a monstrous opponent in the very first match, a young prodigy with an unconventional soul ring configuration, caused his fighting spirit to surge like a ignited flame.

In fact, Lu Jun came to participate in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition not for any empty title like champion, but for the exclusive forging reward of the Saint Craftsman; secondly, he wanted to use this grand event to hone his combat skills.

There's no other way; the path of cultivation requires resources at every turn.

Increasing the lifespan of a soul requires a large amount of money, forging battle armor is even more costly, and other cultivation materials are also a considerable expense.

Upon hearing the news that the Holy Craftsman was going to cooperate with the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, Lü Jun was extremely excited.

The allure of his exclusive battle armor far surpasses that of any other resource.

After all, this is no ordinary opportunity.

Because master craftsmen themselves also need to devote themselves to cultivation and cannot always focus on forging, forging opportunities are rare and hard to come by.

Under normal circumstances, even a titled Douluo might not be able to reserve a forging opportunity from a Saint Craftsman.

Especially for young master craftsmen like Li Ziming, who are in their prime, the Forging Master Association will not allow him to be burdened by assigned tasks or personal relationships, thus sacrificing his precious cultivation time.

Even high-ranking officials of powerful organizations can't find an opportunity to establish a relationship with him.

Therefore, opportunities like this, to connect with a forging prodigy like Li Ziming, who has the potential to become a master craftsman, are all the more precious.

After this news was announced, many young geniuses immediately got excited and eager to try their luck, and Lü Jun was one of the most enthusiastic among them.

He immediately came excitedly to sign up for the competition, eager to secure a forging spot if possible.

"Participating in this tournament was definitely the right decision. As long as I can win the championship, establish a connection with the Sacred Craftsman, and then accumulate some resources, becoming a Title Douluo is definitely not a dream!"

A burning light flashed in Lü Jun's eyes, and his aspirations for the future transformed into a surging fighting spirit.

He moved swiftly, charging towards Zhou Mingyu like an arrow released from a bow. In his combat experience, nothing was more important than offense.

Offense is the best defense, and the key to victory. If you look closely, you'll see that his skin has turned pale yellow, his hands have extended sharp claws, and he resembles a raging bear, exuding a savage aura.

So fast!

This was the first reaction of the audience.

Lu Jun's charge was like a soul-guided cannonball that had just left the barrel. It accelerated continuously from the moment it started. The closer he got to his opponent Zhou Mingyu, the more powerful the aura on his hands became, and the stronger his aura became, as if he wanted to ignite the air.

What a terrifying sense of oppression! Could this duel be decided in a single move?

Zhou Mingyu calmly raised his sword and stood still, showing no sign of moving, which made the audience's hearts tighten.

Was he scared out of his wits? He's so passive, the referee probably won't even have time to help! The audience stared intently at the stage, their eyes fixed on the motionless figure, full of confusion.

A hint of surprise flashed through Lü Jun's mind, but he did not stop his all-out charge; he simply held back a little.

Based on his experience, there were only two possibilities for his opponent's composure: either he was skilled in extreme speed and was confident in avoiding his attacks, or he had a hidden trump card.

But a cold smile quickly crept onto his lips—speed? Was he already at a disadvantage in this aspect?

As the distance continued to shrink, Lü Jun was already calculating the timing of his opponent's dodge.

Ten meters... five meters... three meters...

Why isn't he dodging? Does he really think he can escape unscathed? He's seriously underestimating me!

A murderous glint flashed in Lü Jun's eyes, and his second soul ring suddenly erupted with a dazzling purple light, causing his aura to surge even higher.

This sudden burst of power doubled his speed, and the remaining three meters were covered in the blink of an eye.

"boom!"

Not only was Lü Jun certain that his opponent would dodge, but the spectators on the sidelines also held the same expectation. However, despite Lü Jun's extreme acceleration, Zhou Mingyu remained standing still, making no move to dodge, and simply swung his sword.

In the next instant, the green blade under his wrist suddenly trembled, and a cold light shot out from the tip of the "Mysterious Ice Sword". It was a sword light mixed with the attribute of extreme cold. Before the sword energy arrived, the fierce frost wind had already caused the temperature inside and outside the arena to suddenly split, and the snow flying along the way condensed into ice crystal trails.

Before Lü Jun could retreat, the moment the cold wind enveloped him, the extreme cold penetrated to his bones—his palms and waist were instantly covered with a layer of dark blue ice, the cracking sound of his joints freezing pierced the wind and snow, and even the white mist he exhaled from his eyebrows condensed into ice shards suspended in mid-air.

As the snowstorm subsided, all that could be seen was Lü Jun, who had been so imposing just moments before, now standing there as a pale ice sculpture.

The ultimate ice!

This is Zhou Mingyu's thousand-year-old soul spirit—"Wind and Snow Ice Coral" from the far north. When it was promoted to a ten-thousand-year-old soul spirit, it underwent a transformation, and the pure ice attribute energy it brought, under Liu Tianran's intentional guidance, brought the Xuanbing Sword's own ice attribute, which was already extremely close to the ultimate, to sublimate into "Ultimate Ice"!

Although the temperature in the arena plummeted at that moment, the impact of that extreme cold aesthetic made every audience member feel their adrenaline surge and their heart rate involuntarily accelerate.

A cold light shot into the sky; it was indeed a decisive blow! However, the victor was not what everyone had expected!

In the stands, some cheered excitedly for the decisive match, while others felt regretful about its abrupt end—they were more looking forward to a closely contested, offensive battle than such a fleeting, swift defeat.

While a quick sale may seem exciting, it lacks the exhilarating experience of a truly satisfying process.

But unlike the laymen in the audience who just wanted to watch the excitement, the VIPs in the VIP viewing area were all amazed.

"That bone-chilling aura just now! Could it be...?"

"That's right, it's ultimate ice! It's actually ultimate ice!"

"Not only that, that sword strike just now also contained extremely pure sword intent!"

"Whose child is this? I want to take him as my apprentice!"

"Stop dreaming! This is Old Wang's apprentice. Be careful, he might fight you to the death!"

"What?! What a waste! What a waste! How can a lightning-attribute beast soul master teach him properly?! This kid should be learning swordsmanship from me!"

"Where is Wang Yupeng? I challenge him to a duel!"

.........

At this moment, Lei Peng Douluo, who was being searched for by everyone, was standing at the exit with his friend from before, waiting for Zhou Mingyu while secretly using his mental power to keep an eye on the situation there.

"Hahaha, these old guys are so old, how come they have no composure at all!" He said, his brows furrowed with smugness, yet he feigned calmness.

"Alright, Lao Wang, tone it down. If you keep this up, I'm going to beat you up." The old man surnamed Zhang said helplessly from the side, while looking at Zhou Mingyu, who was full of vigor on the field, with undisguised envy.

It's no wonder that these usually image-conscious powerhouses lost their composure; either extreme ice or pure sword heart could create an unparalleled expert.

But all of these factors have converged on one person. It can be said that as long as Zhou Mingyu can grow up smoothly, there is no way that a Limit Douluo can stop him. Even a demigod or quasi-god has a chance.

At this moment, an idea involuntarily arose in their minds.

Will this be another Yun Ming?!