Douluo: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel

Word Count: 2,969 Words

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As spring turned to autumn, time flew by in the blink of an eye. Three months had passed, and counting from the day Ling Bai entered Shrek Academy, six months had quietly slipped by.

Ling Bai returned to a peaceful and fulfilling student life after completing his Inner Courtyard new student examination assignment of capturing Medusa alive. In the mornings, he would invite his Elder Sister Han Ruoruo to have breakfast. Then he would go to the library to read classics or attend courses that interested him. In the afternoons, he engaged in friendly sparring with many Inner Courtyard students waiting in the Spirit Dueling Arena, honing his combat awareness and combat skills. In the evenings, he would go to the Outer Courtyard to train the little rookie Wu Feng after escorting Ning Tian to the Spirit Guidance Department.

The two girls trained almost like madwomen in order to defeat Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao and wash away their humiliation.

As soon as classes in the Martial Spirit Department ended, Ning Tian would hastily eat dinner with Ling Bai and Wu Feng, then rush straight to the Spirit Guidance Department's teaching building to pester Xian Lin'er to cram knowledge about Spirit Guidance Devices. In just three short months, Ning Tian had independently produced a complete Class 1 Spirit Guidance Device, becoming a Class 1 Spirit Guidance Master. Now she was striving to become a Class 2 Spirit Guidance Master.

Upon discovering Ning Tian's exceptional talent and fervent enthusiasm for Spirit Guidance Devices, Xian Lin'er, as her teacher, was grinning from ear to ear. She wished she could directly pour all her life's knowledge into her beloved disciple's head, and thus became increasingly demanding, striving for perfection.

The enthusiasm of this master-disciple pair made Qian Fufu in the neighboring room shiver in fear. With hands clasped together, he silently prayed that Qian Duoduo wouldn't pressure him like that.

Wu Feng's effort was not in the least inferior to Ning Tian's. She hadn't told Ning Tian about asking Ling Bai for private training. Instead, she hoped to give her a big surprise when the time came.

Ling Bai tacitly kept his mouth shut. While Ning Tian was studying Spirit Guidance Devices, it was also the time when Wu Feng felt like hovering between life and death during their practical combat lessons.

According to the patrolling teachers of the Outer Courtyard's enclosed training rooms in the Spirit Dueling Arena, every night they could continuously hear a tragic female voice screaming like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, occasionally mixed with a cold and stern male voice reprimanding, "Continue," "Don't stop," "Get up," "Can't take it after just a few minutes?" Such admonishments were endless...

Although Wu Feng had a spoiled temperament and an incredibly sharp tongue, her greatest virtue was that she never gave up easily. She gritted her teeth and endured the merciless attacks from the Seraphim. From initially collapsing after three seconds, she gradually improved to ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute, three minutes...

Ling Bai witnessed Wu Feng's growth journey with his own eyes. The girl was fulfilling the vow she made under the night sky, stumbling yet moving forward with unwavering determination.

Failure isn't frightening; what's truly frightening is losing one's spirit.

Ling Bai was greatly gratified that both Ning Tian and Wu Feng were able to grow through their failures.

At this moment, Ling Bai was walking toward the Inner Courtyard's Spirit Dueling Arena. Today was the day of the Seven Monsters Challenge. Fourteen talented Inner Courtyard students under the age of twenty—only the seven strongest among them would be worthy of the title 'Shrek Seven Monsters' and have the qualification to represent Shrek Academy in the Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament held once every five years.

The weather today was not very good; in fact, it was quite terrible. Gusts of cold wind howled past, bringing a bone-chilling cold. The sky was dark and gloomy, overcast with thick clouds, like an omen of an approaching storm. It inevitably made people feel an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The importance of the Shrek Seven Monsters went without saying. Shrek Academy had specially sealed off the entire Spirit Dueling Arena, not allowing any spectators inside to avoid disturbing the participants' performance.

Ling Bai walked straight into the Spirit Dueling Arena. Quite a few people had already gathered inside. At a glance, the most eye-catching was a red-clothed woman. She had a tall and well-proportioned figure. Her fiery red hair cascaded down to her waist. Her facial features were exquisite and flawless. Her pair of pink eyes were enchanting and soul-stirring. With her arms crossed over her chest, she accentuated her already ample and sexy figure to an extremely exaggerated degree, enough to make ninety-nine percent of women feel inferior.

Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up instantly the moment she saw Ling Bai. She said, "You're finally here. Now we're only missing Dugu Lin."

Ling Bai chuckled upon hearing this. "I'm not the last one. Someone else has taken the bottom spot for me—quite nice."

Chu Qingtian approached at some unknown time and lowered his voice. "Ling-ge, are you nervous?"

"Why should I be nervous?" Ling Bai asked in return.

Chu Qingtian was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized and said helplessly, "... Oh right, I forgot you're different from us. You can effortlessly secure a spot among the Seven Monsters."

Ling Bai's fame had long resounded throughout the Inner Courtyard. Inner Courtyard students below Rank 65 would basically avoid him when they saw him. Don't ask why; if you did, the answer would be that they had suffered a beating at the Spirit Dueling Arena. All the official Shrek Seven Monsters, except for the auxiliary-type Gongyang Mo, had suffered at his hands.

"Don't say such discouraging things. The quality of your Berserk Lightning Leopard is slightly higher than the Lightning Leopard. Even with a one-ring difference, you still have a chance to defeat Xi Xi." Ling Bai patted Chu Qingtian's shoulder to comfort him.

"Sigh, I'll do my best..."

Chu Qingtian let out a long sigh. He knew his own situation best; the probability of defeating Xi Xi was at most 20%.

Now, everything was ready except for Dugu Lin. Everyone waited until thunder boomed in the sky and torrential rain poured down, yet there was still no sign of her.

"Elder Xuan, when will the challenge begin?" someone asked impatiently.

In the center of the Spirit Dueling Arena, Elder Xuan was still his usual unkempt self, holding a chicken leg in his left hand and a wine gourd in his right. He enjoyed himself with hearty bites of chicken and sips of fine wine. Around him seemed to be a transparent spirit power shield; rainwater slid off without contaminating his food.

Elder Xuan looked up at the sky and pondered for a moment before saying, "Dugu Ling did not arrive at the Spirit Dueling Arena within the stipulated time. This will be considered as voluntarily giving up her candidacy for the Shrek Seven Monsters!"

Ling Luochen immediately breathed a sigh of relief as soon as these words were uttered. Her tense, delicate body, which had been on edge, finally relaxed. According to the challenge rules, only Dugu Ling, who was also a control-type Spirit Master, was qualified to challenge her.

Dugu Lin's poison skills were terrifying. Her 4-ringed Jade Phosphor Absolute Poison could suppress her 5-ringed Ice Element across ranks. Moreover, Dugu Lin had broken through to the Spirit King rank three months ago. If she initiated a challenge, Ling Luochen had little confidence in defeating her and would most likely lose her position as an official member of the Shrek Seven Monsters.

Although it might seem somewhat cowardly, Ling Luochen was actually secretly rejoicing in her heart. She had undergone a total of seven years of education in both the Inner and Outer Courtyards of Shrek Academy. The aspiration to fight for Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory was deeply engraved in her bones and blood.

Ling Bai furrowed his brows slightly. Dugu Lin might not care much about the Seven Monsters title, but she didn't seem like someone who would easily give up the chance to strive for honor.

Did something unexpected happen?

Elder Xuan put away his wine gourd and wiped his greasy hands on his clothes. His voice boomed like a bell: "I announce that this Seven Monsters Challenge officially begins! Challengers, choose your opponents!"

Six people stepped forward to find the Seven Monsters they were preparing to challenge. Berserk Lightning Leopard Chu Qingtian versus Lightning Leopard Xi Xi; Ghost Vine Zhou Sen and auxiliary-type Pan Tao versus Yao Haoxuan and Gongyang Mo. To everyone's surprise, the Vigorous Gorilla Tai Xing actually challenged Dai Yueheng, the White Tiger ranked first among the Seven Monsters in strength.

Seeing Tai Xing getting closer and closer to him, even an experienced senior student like Dai Yueheng couldn't help but stare blankly with his pair of evil eyes.

A Spirit Ancestor challenging a Spirit Emperor…

Brother, how dare you!

Are you perhaps also named Ling Bai?

"I'm clear in my heart that I can't defeat any of the Seven Monsters." Tai Xing shrugged, answering Dai Yueheng's unspoken question. "So I hope to challenge the strongest, to at least gain more experience."

"Very well, I will definitely go all out."

Dai Yueheng respected Tai Xing's courage to climb the highest peak.

Chen Zifeng closed his eyes tightly, frantically praying under his breath, "Ancestor Tang San, bless me! May no one choose me! May no one choose me!" Then he slowly opened his eyes, bit by bit, only to see an exceptionally handsome face.

Ling Bai!

"Junior Brother Ling, to be honest, you're the opponent I least want to face."

Chen Zifeng's expression instantly became as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly. Last month, he happened to be matched with Ling Bai once in the Spirit Dueling Arena. The result was being pressed to the ground and thoroughly rubbed against it.

Compared to the flawless abilities of the Seraphim, he would rather clash head-on with the Spirit Emperor Ma Xiaotao.

"Tai Xing challenged Dai Yueheng, and Ma Xiaotao chose Qian Fufu," Ling Bai said.

The implication was that he could challenge three people. Dai Yueheng and Qian Fufu were already taken, so only Chen Zifeng was left in the arena.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zifeng's expression became as ugly as if he had swallowed two flies.

"Let the matches begin!"

Elder Xuan ignored Chen Zifeng's unshed tears and directly unveiled the Seven Monsters Challenge.

"Junior Brother Ling, let's discuss this for a moment."

Chen Zifeng knew he was no match for Ling Bai in a head-on battle, so he decisively abandoned brute force in favor of a cunning approach.

"What do you suggest?"

Chen Zifeng grinned and said, "You have the Angel Sword, and I have the Soulchasing Sword. Why don't we both seal our spirit skills and spirit power and have a pure swordsmanship contest?"

"Swordsmanship... are you sure?"

Ling Bai's expression was subtle.

"Yes, yes!"

Chen Zifeng nodded like a pecking chicken. This was his only chance to turn the tables.

"Alright."

Ling Bai agreed, and golden light gathered in his right hand, forming the exquisite Angel Sword.

An overwhelmingly sharp aura suddenly erupted the moment the Angel Sword appeared. An ordinary person wouldn't need to look to sense that what stood here was not a person, but a sword with its sharp edge fully exposed.

Chen Zifeng's demeanor shifted from playful to serious upon seeing this. Dense blood-red light surged upward as a blood-red thin sword appeared in his hand. This was the top-level assault-type Tool Spirit, the Soulchasing Sword. An extremely heavy scent of blood wafted through the air.

Facing each other from a distance, both searched for flaws in each other's aura. Their bodies seemed frozen in place, but their auras were rising frantically, concentrating all their spirit, energy, and mind onto their sword blades!

Secret Sword Technique: Aura Condensation!

'I was too hasty; he truly knows swordsmanship...'

Those in the know could see the profundity. Chen Zifeng's mindset slightly collapsed upon discovering Ling Bai knew swordsmanship. The Seraphim was an extremely versatile Martial Spirit, but versatility sometimes implied a lack of specialization. The Angel Sword wasn't a Tool Spirit; it was purely a weapon. Ling Bai shouldn't have specifically learned swordsmanship for it.

This shift in mentality caused Chen Zifeng's aura to be gradually suppressed by Ling Bai's. In a few more minutes, under the amplification of Aura Condensation, the Angel Sword would be something the Soulchasing Sword could not hope to match!

Chen Zifeng made the first move. He didn't want to sit and wait for defeat. The blade of the Soulchasing Sword was enveloped in blood-red light. Though devoid of spirit power, it embodied the essence of 'swift' and 'sharpness' to an unprecedented level!

Ling Bai seemed to have anticipated this long ago. His feet tapped continuously and his figure shifted sideways at an extremely fast speed. The Angel Sword trembled, and several golden sword shadows met the Soulchasing Sword head-on.

The sound of swords clashing continuously rang out. Chen Zifeng's sword strikes were as swift as a gale; his sword shadows were like a storm of torrential rain and fierce wind, exuding an imposing might. His sword moves were ever-changing, each strike varying in speed and power, every move targeting vital points with unparalleled lethality. However, to his astonishment, not only was Ling Bai unperturbed, but the Angel Sword's path proved even more devastating and sharp than the Soulchasing Sword!

Overlapping Sword Shadows!

Kill!

Seeing this iron-brush silver-hook like golden character for 'Kill', Chen Zifeng's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The Soulchasing Sword was a blood sword forged through killing. In terms of killing intent, there was only one sword on the Douluo Continent that surpassed it!

Chen Zifeng couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it. This world was so small that Ling Bai actually knew that swordsmanship!

Amidst countless cold and gleaming sword shadows, the two figures rose, fell, charged, and turned. They seemed to attack without defending, each move and stance displaying exquisite skill. Their swordplay was no longer confined to standard techniques; at this moment, it was more like a lifetime of learning coming effortlessly! Unknowingly, the two had exchanged a full hundred moves, and both had fought with all their might without using spirit power.

The Angel Sword and the Soulchasing Sword clashed back and forth. Their figures interlaced under the heavy rain, like two bolts of lightning slicing through the rain curtain. The ground continuously erupted in splashes of water. The resonant clanging of swords echoed in the Spirit Dueling Arena like a magnificent symphony.

"Those two..."

"They're pretty cool!"

Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and others who had finished their battles turned their gazes toward them, their mouths forming O-shapes. Even the Taotie Douluo Elder Xuan couldn't help but nod repeatedly. This duel was not just a contest of swordsmanship; it was a visual feast!

Their sword moves grew increasingly fierce. The longswords in their hands sliced through the rain curtain, causing gusts of whistling wind.

The final move.

They thought simultaneously.

The sword Chen Zifeng unleashed vaguely manifested a blood-red, world-shaking demon god behind him. A phantom of a slender sword blade overlapped with the Soulchasing Sword, as if the Nine Nether Hells had descended upon the mortal world, filled with overwhelming killing intent!

Kill!

Chen Zifeng was confident that this was the sword strike with the heaviest killing intent he had ever unleashed in his life. He looked at Ling Bai, hoping to see shock and fear in his opponent's eyes.

The moment their gazes met, Chen Zifeng's body suddenly trembled violently. He failed to notice this, however, as all his attention was drawn to those golden eyes, unable to focus on anything else! In those golden eyes, he saw the earth being torn apart, rows upon rows of bodies falling, heads rolling all over the ground, hot blood flowing out and gathering into a scalding river. An inferno of killing intent and bloodlust raged in the depths of those golden pupils!

Kill!

In a split second, the two simultaneously condensed and unleashed all their swordsmanship. In the same moment, their long swords crossed, and their figures passed by each other!

With their backs to each other, the Angel Sword in Ling Bai's hand buzzed and trembled. A strand of golden hair fluttered down from his forehead, but he seemed not to notice. He closed his eyes, sensing something as he immersed himself in the rhythm, techniques, methods, and forms they had just displayed. The more he experienced it, the harder it was to extricate himself.

Clang——

The crisp sound of the Soulchasing Sword falling to the ground echoed. The web between Chen Zifeng's thumb and forefinger had split open, and a large X-shaped mark was left on his chest, shallowly etched into his skin. A poignant blood flower seeped through his clothes. He lowered his head to look at it and said with a bitter smile:

"I've lost. Thank you, Junior Brother Ling, for showing mercy. But I have one last question I hope Junior Brother can enlighten me on. My Chen Clan's Soulchasing Sword Technique is one of the sword techniques with the heaviest killing intent on the Douluo Continent. From which senior did you learn your swordsmanship that could suppress the Soulchasing Sword in terms of killing intent?"

Ling Bai slowly opened his eyes. Brilliant golden light spilled from his pupils as he said:

"The sword's might pierces the curtain of heaven, killing intent soars above the firmament.

An ancestor of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan from ten thousand years ago, titled 'Sword,' Sword Master Chen Xin."