What a thrilling battle

"No, impossible!"

Yue Guan nearly slipped and fell to the ground.

He couldn't understand it, really couldn't understand it!

This was his eighth soul skill, enhanced by the seventh soul skill!

Yet, it couldn't even break through Zhong Li's first soul skill?

Apart from his ninth soul skill, this was Yue Guan's most powerful strike.

He was somewhat reluctant to accept such a result.

"I don't believe it!"

He was collapsing, utterly collapsing!

The Title Douluo hidden in the shadows swallowed hard, their faces filled with bewilderment.

Tang Hao looked at his right hand, doubting life itself.

Could his hammer really harm this person in the slightest?

Even with the Great Sumeru Hammer, it would be difficult to break Zhong Li's defense, right?

As Yue Guan, who was on the verge of collapse, his eyes flashed with ruthlessness. He refused to believe that his all-out strike couldn't break Zhong Li's "first soul skill"!

"Ninth Soul Skill: Chrysanthemum Remnants, Scattered Injuries, Heartbreak as the Flowers Fall!"

At that moment, Zhong Li moved. He stood in place, slightly stepping back with his right foot, raising the spear in his hand above his head, pointing it straight at Yue Guan.

In the next instant, the spear in his hand shot out like a bullet from the chamber, resembling a meteor streaking across the sky, its brilliance containing immense power.

"...Injure..."

Yue Guan had just finished calling out the name of his soul skill when he suddenly felt a wave of death wash over him, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

Fortunately, at this moment, he also unleashed his ninth soul skill.

The Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum materialized, transforming into countless moon blades, swirling around him like a storm. He quickly directed these moon blades to intercept the spear.

"Clang... clang... clang..."

The moon blades collided with the spear, emitting sounds akin to metal striking metal, but they didn't cause the spear to slow down or deviate in the slightest.

"I'm going to die!"

At the critical moment, a figure appeared beside Yue Guan, grabbing him and pulling him away from the spear's trajectory.

This person was none other than Ghost Douluo, a Speed Attack Title Douluo, who had the reflexes for such a move.

Provided, of course, that Zhong Li wasn't serious.

"Still alive..."

Yue Guan broke out in a cold sweat. If not for his good brother Ghost Douluo pulling him back, he might indeed be dead!

With a loud "boom!" not far behind Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo, a massive crater, a hundred meters wide and several dozen meters deep, appeared.

Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo slowly turned around, and when they saw this, they were drenched in cold sweat!

A casual strike could be this terrifying; who would want to spar with that?

"Hmm~"

Seeing this, Zhong Li shook his head and muttered, "I used a bit too much strength. The land on this continent isn't as sturdy as I imagined."

Fortunately, his voice was not loud, and everyone was still in shock, so no one heard him.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, let's begin the next round."

After all, this was just a sparring match, following a "round" system; the two had only gone through one round.

Yue Guan attacked, Zhong Li defended.

Zhong Li attacked, Yue Guan took the initiative, using offense as defense.

Yue Guan still wanted to attack first, but Zhong Li's first strike appeared.

In total, it was just one round.

A round needs back-and-forth exchanges.

Upon hearing this, Yue Guan fell silent. If not for seeing Zhong Li's expression and demeanor unchanged, he would have suspected the other party of trying to kill him!

Does he have some misunderstanding about a ninety-five level Title Douluo?

This is just a sparring match!

If not for his good brother, he'd be lying down right now.

Continue sparring...

"I'll die!"

With that thought, Yue Guan shook his head vigorously, his hands waving like giant fans as he said, "Your martial skills are unmatched, Your Grace. I am not your opponent. This sparring match, you have won."

Continuing the sparring match would be madness!

"Greetings, Lord Martial God. I am Ghost Douluo, titled Ghost, an elder of the Spirit Hall."

"Yue Guan is not Lord's match. This round, you have won."

At this moment, Ghost Douluo bowed to Zhong Li with sincerity.

Even if the two of them combined their strength and used their Martial Soul Fusion skill, they still wouldn't be a match for this Martial God Douluo.

"Hmm~"

With just one round, Yue Guan had already conceded defeat!

Zhong Li stroked his chin, wondering if this Title Douluo might be a bit too weak. After all, he hadn't even used the power of his Archon form; he had only used the strength of his "human" form, the power of "Zhong Li."

Using less than a tenth of his human strength, and a ninety-five-level Title Douluo had already surrendered?

Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape: Do you really not have any idea how we were taken down so quickly?

For two hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beasts, taking down a Title Douluo like Yue Guan was as easy as lifting a finger.

Yet even they hadn't lasted a full round!

Is it possible that you, Zhong Li, have a fundamental misunderstanding of human strength?

Actually, that's precisely the case.

Since arriving in the Douluo Continent, the only person Zhong Li had truly fought was Dugu Bo.

And let's be clear, Dugu Bo was the "weakest" Title Douluo; defeating him was effortless.

As someone posing as a "ninety-eight-level" powerhouse, Zhong Li felt he should at least act like one.

But Dugu Bo couldn't serve as a benchmark, and understanding what a ninety-eight-level Title Douluo should be like was something Zhong Li needed to figure out on his own, relying on his imagination.

After all, he had never encountered a real ninety-eight-level Title Douluo.

And now, this slight miscalculation had left Yue Guan with some serious psychological trauma.

Of course, Yue Guan wasn't the only one traumatized.

Who in the audience wasn't shocked, aside from Paimon?

Paimon: You know Guyun Stone Forest? Zhong Li created it!

"Since that's the case, this sparring match ends here. The fact that I was able to narrowly win a move or two from Elder Chrysanthemum is due to the difference in spirit power," Zhong Li declared.

After all, Yue Guan had already conceded; continuing to attack wouldn't be very sportsmanlike, would it?

One must have martial virtues!

Suddenly, as if something occurred to him, Zhong Li continued, "Sparring with Elder Chrysanthemum was truly enlightening."

"Even I can feel my heart racing."

"What an exhilarating battle it was."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions froze, their faces filled with disbelief.

Narrow victory?

Enlightening?

Heart racing?

Exhilarating?

Their minds were filled with question marks, and Yue Guan's face flushed red with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

Was Lord Martial God, being overly modest?

He had barely lifted a finger, and it had already pushed Yue Guan to his limit.

Seeing that Zhong Li's expression remained unchanged, Yue Guan finally believed that Zhong Li wasn't mocking him.

Hu Liena, Tang San, and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a deep yearning to become stronger.

Such power! A casual strike carried such terrifying force.

If it were a full-strength attack, could it not blast open the gates of Heaven Dou City?

Wait, why were they even entertaining such thoughts?

As time passed, Yue Guan and the others didn't linger long in Heaven Dou City. After the "sparring match" ended, they bid farewell to Zhong Li and set off on their return journey.

The others did the same, heading back to their respective factions, eager to report what had transpired.

They had initially thought Zhong Li was merely a Title Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit ring, but his spirit power level was also incredibly high.

He was truly terrifying.

Zhong Li and Paimon, on the other hand, returned to Heaven Dou City with "Xue Qinghe." The so-called "bodyguard" accompanying them looked at Zhong Li with even more reverence than before.

"Ninety-eight-level powerhouses, how long can they live? Can Xiao San survive long enough to rise to prominence?"