Chapter 37: Battle, Chen Xin!

Chen Xin gradually calmed down, slowly lifting his head. Beyond the intent to kill Xu Sheng, his eyes carried a complex mixture of other emotions.

He silently pulled up his Seven-Kill Sword, gripped it tightly, and muttered to himself, "Kid, your name is Xu Sheng, right? I admit, your talent is the greatest I have ever seen! To reach the level of a Titled Douluo while still in your teens..."

"If nothing goes wrong, in less than ten years, there will be no one on this entire continent who can stand against you!"

Xu Sheng’s mouth twitched. "Why is this Chen Xin blathering on? Are we fighting or not?"

In his heart, he viewed this man as a boss character meant for grinding experience. If they didn’t fight, he feared it would take him another few months to break through to level ninety-two.

Chen Xin’s tone suddenly deepened, and his eyes flashed with intensity. "However! Since you intended to harm Rongrong, I will never let you go simply because I admire your talent!"

Xu Sheng narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "Then let me see just how much of a gap there is between me and a peak level ninety-seven Titled Douluo."

With the words spoken, Chen Xin had no intention of holding back. The fourth soul ring beneath his feet ignited as he shouted coldly, "Fourth Soul Skill: Killing Intent Unleashed!"

The Seven-Kill Sword in Chen Xin’s hand was flooded with a white, fluorescent glow, and the edges of the blade seemed to extend by several meters, radiating a sword aura that felt capable of tearing through anything.

Xu Sheng’s first soul ring lit up. "First Soul Skill: Blood Begonia Bloom!"

The petals of the Nine-Heart Blood Begonia converged, spinning like a circular saw blade as they slashed toward Chen Xin.

Seeing this, Chen Xin spat out a single word: "Kill!"

He then lunged, swinging the Seven-Kill Sword diagonally toward Xu Sheng’s position.

The meters-long sword aura collided with the whirling disc of Blood Begonia petals, erupting in a shower of sparks. With a sharp "crack," the petals were instantly sliced in two by the razor-sharp aura, which continued straight toward Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng quickly jumped to the side, perfectly evading the linear strike. His breathing grew rapid as he thought to himself, "As expected of the Sword Douluo, whose attack power is peerless... he pierced through the Nine-Heart Blood Begonia with such ease."

He couldn't afford to be hit by an attack like that. If he were struck, he would likely lose his mobility entirely, becoming a lamb waiting for the slaughter. But Chen Xin clearly had no intention of giving him a moment to breathe; his fifth soul ring flickered to life.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Might of the Eight Directions!" Chen Xin controlled the sword as he hurled it forward. Using the original Seven-Kill Sword as the source, countless sharp phantom images of the blade manifested in the surrounding air.

An overwhelming number of Seven-Kill Swords hung suspended in the air, completely surrounding Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng squinted. "An area-of-effect attack? Fourth Soul Skill: Begonia Defense." As he spoke, his fourth soul ring glowed. Since it was an area attack, the individual power couldn't possibly match that previous sword aura. He wasn't entirely certain he could withstand this barrage, but he had to try.

The next moment, layers of shields infused with the Nine-Heart Blood Begonia enveloped him.

Chen Xin watched this scene and said calmly, "My attacks are not so easily defended against." With a flick of his arm, the countless Seven-Kill Swords, charged with fierce killing intent, rained down upon Xu Sheng.

One sword after another struck the shield, causing it to dim only slightly. But it wasn't just one sword; it was hundreds! Under the bombardment of countless blades, the shield rang out with the magnetic sound of colliding steel.

Seeing the shield dim until it lost its luster, Xu Sheng frowned and looked at Chen Xin ahead. "I can't hold this much longer; I must stop him!"

As Xu Sheng’s fifth soul ring lit up, a faint tearing sensation rippled through his body. He pressed his lips together and aimed his palm at Chen Xin. "Fifth Soul Skill: Blood Poison Begonia!"

...

Chen Xin suddenly felt a sense of unease. When he realized Xu Sheng’s palm was aimed at him and saw the fifth soul ring glowing, his expression grew grave, and he began to move rapidly. "As long as I move fast enough," he thought, "this kid won't be able to lock onto my position."

To his surprise, Xu Sheng, who had already seen through this tactic, allowed a subtle smile to grace his lips. Relying on speed to avoid being targeted was a good strategy, but unfortunately, Xu Sheng’s fifth soul skill was a lock-on ability.

Blood Poison Begonia: A lock-on skill. It causes Begonia flowers to sprout from within the opponent's bloodstream, highly toxic.

With a soft "pfft," bunches of pale green Nine-Heart Blood Begonia flowers slowly sprouted from Chen Xin’s arm.

Chen Xin, still in motion, suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over his brain. His face turned ghastly. "No! This kid's fifth soul skill can actually parasitize from thin air!"

Not only was it a lock-on, but it was also incredibly toxic. To think that a level ninety-one soul master could poison him instantly—it showed how cunning this soul skill was.

With his right arm already swelling, Chen Xin endured the burning pain in his meridians and summoned his Seven-Kill Sword back to his hand with a "whoosh." The countless phantom blades in the air shattered like glass and vanished. The shield surrounding Xu Sheng also reached its limit, bursting into glittering particles.

Once he had the Seven-Kill Sword back, Chen Xin immediately channeled vast amounts of soul power to neutralize the poison, but this only caused it to spread faster. Realizing he couldn't purge the toxin in the short term, his expression turned grim. "I have no choice but to seal it! Sixth Soul Skill: Seal of Absolute Void!"

The Seven-Kill Sword erupted with a sacred light. Chen Xin gripped it tightly and sliced into his blackened right arm. The sacred energy poured into the wound, sealing off the spreading poison.

He had initially thought dealing with a newly promoted Titled Douluo would be trivial, but it seemed he had underestimated him. If he continued like this, even he might fall to such a bizarre martial soul.

After containing the poison in his arm, Chen Xin looked back at Xu Sheng. This time, his eyes held more seriousness and less disdain. Having acknowledged Xu Sheng's strength, he would now fight with his true power.

"Seventh Soul Skill: Seven-Kill True Body!" Chen Xin whispered to himself as his seventh black soul ring glowed. The temperament of the Seven-Kill Sword in his hand underwent a drastic transformation.

Looking at Chen Xin, who had activated his Martial Soul Avatar, Xu Sheng felt a tension he had never experienced before. He muttered, "Martial Soul Avatar... is Chen Xin finally planning to go all out?"