The Power of Terror
Gu Tong slowly shook his head, and in the next instant, a sharp flash of lightning burst out from his eyes. As streams of multicolored light flickered and intertwined, a massive white-silver pupil gradually condensed behind his back, exuding a strange and oppressive aura.
This was precisely the manifestation of the second awakening of a silver-level Noumenon Martial Soul.
However, Yuhao, who stood opposite him, showed no reaction at all. His expression remained calm, and his posture did not change in the slightest, as if Gu Tong's awakening had not affected him in the least.
Seeing this scene, a trace of sneer slowly appeared at the corner of Gu Tong's mouth.
"Without any means of mental defense, you won't even be able to fight properly anymore. Little brother, you're still far from—huh?"
Before Gu Tong could finish his sentence, what happened in the very next second caused his expression to change drastically, and shock surged uncontrollably into his eyes.
Because his soul skill… had actually missed its target.
How was this possible?!
Gu Tong's heart trembled violently, but the facts were laid bare before his eyes, leaving him no room to deny them.
The reason for all of this was naturally Yuhao's two soul skills—Mental Disturbance and Simulation.
Under normal circumstances, Yuhao would only need to use Mental Disturbance alone to completely disrupt his opponent's perception, making it impossible for them to accurately lock onto his position.
However, Gu Tong's mental power was far above that of ordinary Soul Masters. As a silver-level Noumenon disciple who specialized in spiritual cultivation, his spiritual sea was extremely stable. Because of this, Yuhao was forced to activate both soul skills simultaneously to achieve the desired effect.
If it were anyone else, a single mental disturbance would have already caused them to lose all sense of direction.
Gu Tong was clearly not an ordinary opponent. Almost instantly, he realized that the anomaly had to be caused by Yuhao's soul skill. Without hesitation, he forcefully stabilized his mental power and prepared to launch another attack.
But the moment he raised his head, Yuhao's figure had already vanished from the space directly in front of him.
"Don't lose your focus in the middle of a battle."
A calm voice suddenly reached Gu Tong's left ear, yet at the same moment, Yuhao's figure appeared on Gu Tong's right side, like a ghost that had crossed space itself.
At the same time, a fist wrapped in dense ice-crystal particles was already drawn back, the terrifying cold air surging violently as it prepared to strike.
"Hmph! Do you really think that my Gu Tong's martial soul is nothing more than a pair of eyes? That I have no close-combat capabilities?"
Gu Tong reacted extremely quickly. The instant he detected Yuhao's position, he immediately raised both arms and moved to counterattack.
As a core disciple of the Noumenon Sect, Gu Tong had conducted in-depth research on combat techniques. Noumenon Martial Souls were never weak in close combat; on the contrary, their physical foundations were often far superior to ordinary Soul Masters.
Facing Yuhao's incoming punch, Gu Tong had already formulated a response in his mind. He intended to first block Yuhao's attack with crossed arms, then activate his only close-range soul skill to retaliate. With his level 41 Soul Power, even if he could not decide the outcome in a single exchange, he was confident that he could at least force Yuhao to suffer a loss.
Unfortunately, Gu Tong overlooked one crucial point.
He had gravely underestimated Yuhao's strength.
Bang!
Yuhao's fist slammed directly into Gu Tong's crossed arms. A crisp and horrifying "crack" echoed through the training ground—the unmistakable sound of bones shattering.
Before Gu Tong could even cry out, a terrifying force surged through his body. He did not have the slightest chance to resist. His entire figure was sent flying backward like a kite whose string had been severed, smashing heavily into a stone pillar several dozen meters away before finally sliding to the ground and coming to a stop.
Silence instantly enveloped the entire martial arts training ground.
Du BuShu, Long Aotian, and the others who were observing the battle all widened their eyes in shock, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Even Du BuShu himself was no exception.
He knew very well that Yuhao possessed twin martial souls, and that his second martial soul was the Top-Grade Ice Jade Scorpion of the continent, wielding the power of Ultimate Ice.
He also knew that Yuhao's physical body was far stronger than that of an ordinary Great Soul Master; otherwise, he would never have been able to withstand the backlash of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
But even so, Du BuShu had never imagined that Yuhao would be able to knock away a level-41 Battle Soul Master with a single punch.
As the ice-crystal particles slowly dissipated from Yuhao's arm, Du BuShu's brows furrowed slightly.
"Even if Yuhao's first soul ring is a body-enhancing soul skill… it shouldn't be this terrifying."
What Du BuShu did not know was that Yuhao's physical body could no longer be described by ordinary standards.
Yuhao had already unlocked two seals of the Golden Dragon King, absorbing the dragon blood essence contained within them. This alone had completely transformed his body at its most fundamental level.
In addition to that, Yuhao had consumed the supreme heavenly elixir Qiantong Tianju, which was capable of cultivating an indestructible Vajra body. Combined with his fusion with the Ice Emperor, the evolution of the Ice Emperor Dragon Emperor Scorpion martial soul, as well as the enhancement brought by evolved soul rings and soul bones, Yuhao's physical strength had reached an astonishing level.
It could be said that his physical body could now only be described with a single word—terrifying.
When Yuhao had previously claimed that he dared to confront a ten-thousand-year soul beast using his physical body alone, it had not been empty bravado. It was something he was genuinely capable of doing.
This time, Yuhao had fully released the Ice Emperor Dragon Emperor Scorpion martial soul and simultaneously activated the soul skill Ice Emperor Dragon Ao.
Ultimate physical strength, combined with a power-amplifying soul skill.
To be honest, if Yuhao had not deliberately withdrawn his strength midway through the strike, that punch would not have merely broken Gu Tong's arms—it would have completely crippled him.
At the same time, the violent commotion from the battle attracted the attention of many other disciples within the martial arts training ground.
"The one who was just sent flying… isn't that Gu Tong?"
"That's right. Who's so bold that they dare to hit someone in our Noumenon Sect?"
"Are you stupid? The Sect Master is standing right there. This must have been under his instruction."
"Still… who exactly is that kid? He looks unfamiliar."
...
Among the onlooking disciples, two girls stood out the most.
The taller girl had a cold expression and a proud, well-proportioned figure. Her long, straight, and slender thighs were especially eye-catching, drawing involuntary attention.
Standing beside her was a slightly shorter girl, but her facial features were even more delicate. Her large, expressive eyes were so captivating that people found it hard to look away after just a single glance.
"Sister Xue, that guy is really strong. He's only a second-level Great Soul Master, yet he defeated Gu Tong with one punch."
The shorter girl spoke softly, her beautiful eyes fixed firmly on Yuhao's figure in the arena, not blinking even once.
"Do you know his name?"
"His name should be Huo Yuhao. I heard that he has already been designated as the Young Sect Master by the Sect Leader."
The tall girl answered calmly.
Hearing that Yuhao had been designated as the Young Sect Master, the shorter girl lowered her head slightly, her expression turning thoughtful, as if something complicated was stirring in her heart.
...
On the other side of the training ground, Yuhao slowly turned his gaze toward Long Aotian and spoke in an even, indifferent tone:
"It's your turn."
Long Aotian's expression immediately became ugly. After witnessing the previous two battles, his confidence in defeating Yuhao had already been shaken.
Even though Yuhao was only a Great Soul Master.
Nevertheless, after being directly called out, Long Aotian still stepped forward.
At that moment, Du BuShu raised a hand and said calmly:
"Forget it. Even if Aotian has already reached the level of a Soul King, I'm afraid he still won't be able to force out your true strength. Let me do it instead."
As soon as these words fell, the entire crowd was thrown into an uproar.
"What?! The Sect Master is going to take action personally against a second-level Great Soul Master?"
"What's so special about this kid?"
"Didn't you hear what the Sect Master just said? Even if Long Aotian goes up, he might not be able to defeat him."
...
Even Yuhao himself was slightly surprised. He had not expected Du BuShu to step forward personally.
However, he did not panic. He knew very well that he could not possibly defeat Du BuShu, but this was never meant to be a life-and-death battle.
Du BuShu's purpose was merely to test his true limits.
On the side, Long Aotian's face alternated between green and red. Although Du BuShu's words were phrased tactfully, the underlying meaning was unmistakable—he was not Yuhao's match.
For someone as arrogant as Long Aotian, this was utterly unacceptable.
"Sect Master, I can do it."
Du BuShu turned his head slightly, met the blazing fighting intent in Long Aotian's eyes, and nodded.
"Since you insist, then go ahead."
He understood Long Aotian's temperament well. Even if he stopped him now, Long Aotian would inevitably challenge Yuhao again in the future.
"Thank you, Sect Master."
Long Aotian bowed respectfully, then walked to Yuhao's opposite side and spoke in a deep voice:
"Long Aotian, level 51 Battle Soul Master. Please enlighten me."