Chapter 493 491: Soul Instant Kill

After everyone finished drawing lots, the martial arts tournament began. The venue was particularly large, allowing dozens of battles to take place simultaneously. Each fight was held in a separate arena to prevent any interference.

When Lin Xuan stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena, he immediately drew everyone's gaze. His third-place finish in the preliminary round had drawn endless suspicion, with most people convinced he had cheated.

This match would reveal whether or not he had actually cheated. Long Xiao's Cultivation was at the Fourth Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage, a full layer higher than Lin Xuan's.

Furthermore, all his other stats were impressive. His rank of forty-eight wasn't particularly high, but his Cultivation was quite decent. By all accounts, Long Xiao was a genius. While not a member of the Yan or Su Families, he hailed from the third-ranked Zhang Family.

Long Xiao strode forward, spear in hand, and laughed. "Whether you're the real deal or a fraud, we're about to find out... The only question is whether you can even force me to use my full strength. Draw your Weapon. Let me see what you're made of!"

"Weapon?" Lin Xuan shook his head. "I don't need a Weapon to deal with you. Besides, I didn't use one against the contestant from the Celestial Successor Empire, either. At your level, you're not worthy of me drawing my Weapon!"

"Well, I've finally met someone truly arrogant. Kid, you need to have the skills to back up that kind of talk!" Long Xiao's brow furrowed. He had originally planned to just test the waters with a few moves, but now, he had no intention of holding back. He wanted to attack with everything he had.

As his anger flared, his aura surged violently. A fiery glint appeared in Long Xiao's eyes as he tightened his grip on his spear, eager to run Lin Xuan through with a single thrust and prove his might!

Killing an opponent here came with no consequences, but if they surrendered, the attacks had to stop.

"The match begins!"

The referee had barely finished speaking when Long Xiao brandished his spear and lunged at Lin Xuan. He transformed into a streak of red light that tore across the stage, blazing like a miniature sun in the air. Its glow bathed the entire arena in a crimson hue, as if a red cloth had been draped over the platform.

But within that crimson light was a dense, suffocating aura of death, powerful enough to consume anyone!

Before the attack could land, however, Lin Xuan simply offered a faint smile. He remained perfectly still, merely watching the charging Long Xiao without making a single move.

"BOOM!"

As he charged, Long Xiao suddenly felt his mind explode. An impossibly powerful surge of Soul Power crushed down on his soul. He felt as if his head had been blown apart. In the next instant, his pupils lost focus. He opened his mouth, but not a single sound came out.

Then, his body went limp and crumpled to the ground. The spear slipped from his grasp, clattering loudly on the floor.

Lin Xuan gave him a single glance, then turned and walked off the Martial Arts Arena. The spectators in the stands were stunned, as were the Elders from the Super Races who had been paying close attention to him.

"What was that? What just happened?"

"The third-ranked contestant, Mu Shuang, didn't even move, yet number forty-eight, Long Xiao, just collapsed? Did we somehow miss the attack?"

"You must have missed the attack... because he didn't attack at all. He just looked at him."

"Could it be a Soul Attack?"

...

Some in the crowd didn't see what happened, but others did. At the very least, the powerful figures present understood. It was a peerlessly strong Soul Attack that had instantly defeated Long Xiao.

No physical action was required. A single glance was all it took to make his opponent collapse, unable to struggle in the slightest. Had Lin Xuan been ruthless, he could have easily followed up with a blow to cripple him, and Long Xiao might never have woken up.

Only after he had fully descended from the Martial Arts Arena did the referee announce, "Number three, Mu Shuang, is the victor!"

Even the referee hadn't expected such an outcome. Most people had assumed Lin Xuan's true, weaker self would be exposed and that he would be easily defeated. But who could have guessed that instead of revealing a weakness, he would demonstrate such domineering power—his Soul Power!

Out of the three hundred-plus contestants, he was the first to finish his fight—not the one ranked first, nor the one ranked second!

Those who had questioned Lin Xuan's strength were now speechless. To instantly defeat Long Xiao in a single move required an incredible amount of Soul Power. Long Xiao's own Soul Power was by no means weak; to be defeated so instantly, his opponent's had to be immensely stronger.

Yet Lin Xuan had done it. It was an absolute, one-move victory that left everyone reeling.

'This kid really wasn't lying. The disciples from the Celestial Successor Empire are a bit weak when it comes to Soul Power, but they shouldn't be so easy to defeat instantly, should they? He probably needed help from others to take them down.' Yan Jingyun frowned, still refusing to believe Lin Xuan could achieve an instant victory using Soul Power alone.

'Good kid, you really didn't disappoint. I hope you can keep this up and maintain the momentum!' Bu Feiyun was very satisfied. This was the exact result he had wanted, but achieving it was no simple feat.

Regardless of whether they believed it or not, the voices of doubt quickly subsided. While this didn't fully prove Lin Xuan had the strength to defeat Mu Junjie, it at least earned him some recognition. It showed he was more than just a cultivator at the Third Layer Spirit Pill Stage.

Lin Xuan paid them no mind, choosing instead to find a spot at the side to sit and meditate in preparation for his next match. This next stage of the tournament, the finals, would determine the top ten. Therefore, whether one could join a Super Race all came down to this.

Soon, all the battles concluded, leaving only half of the contestants—a little over one hundred and fifty people. Immediately after, a new round of drawing lots began!

There was no time for rest; the next round started the moment the final match of the previous one ended.

The drawing order remained the same, starting from the highest-ranked contestant. Soon after, Lin Xuan drew his number: twenty-six!

'Number twenty-six, huh...'

Lin Xuan made his way onto the Martial Arts Arena. Walking up to face him was Zhao Wu, a contestant from an Empire managed by the Su Family.

"Your Soul Attack is impressive, but against me... it probably won't be very effective." Zhao Wu sneered as an aura erupted from him, forming a protective barrier around his body. "It just so happens my Martial Arts is your perfect counter. How unfortunate for you!"

The Martial Art he practiced was called Overlord Dragon Essence. It allowed him to manifest a powerful, reflective barrier that could not only repel some damage but also resist Soul Attacks.

"Haha, that's our guy!" Su Feng, the Grand Elder of the Su Family, laughed when he saw the number Lin Xuan had drawn. "This time, his Soul Attack will be far less effective. If a Soul Attack is all he's got, then he's truly finished!"

After saying this, he turned to glance at the members of the Bu Family nearby, his eyes gleaming, clearly expecting a good show.

'If all he knows is the Soul Attack, that would be truly disappointing...' Bu Feiyun narrowed his eyes. He couldn't let the Bu Family lose face in this great imperial competition!