Chapter 13: The Heart's End

As Su Cheng thrust his sword forward, the golden world before his eyes suddenly blurred slightly.

Excess material and colors were erased, leaving behind only faint specks of golden light in his vision.

It was as if a once vibrant and colorful canvas had been repeatedly washed clean, now reduced to rough ink spots of varying brightness.

His long sword continued to pierce forward, traversing paths that were darker in the canvas.

To onlookers, it appeared as if a clumsy swordsman couldn't steady his blade, leaving a jagged and eerie trail.

But within these erratic sword strokes, the seemingly seamless Angelic Domain was slowly being cracked open.

At either end of this narrow passage stood Su Cheng wielding his sword and Qian Renxue with her spread wings.

At this moment, Qian Renxue wore a solemn expression, sweat beading on her pristine forehead as she struggled to fill the gaps in the domain with her dwindling soul power.

However, her efforts only seemed to disrupt the harmony of the domain further.

In Su Cheng's view, the once faint golden light was compensated for, but darker spots were now revealed more frequently.

His advancement sped up, and in just a few moments, he broke through to stand before Qian Renxue—

"You've lost."

At this moment, Su Cheng's face was pale, his soul power depleted, yet his grip on the sword remained steady as a rock.

Looking at the worn and cracked sword pointed at her neck, Qian Renxue's expression was incredulous.

But as she looked at Su Cheng, she saw no excitement or joy in his eyes, as if this victory was just another mundane occurrence.

Qian Renxue lowered her head in defeat, dispersing her Angelic Domain.

Her spirit was not one to accept defeat easily, but she understood that Su Cheng hadn't exhausted himself to this extent out of necessity for victory. In fact, with Su Cheng's recent tactics, there was no need for such a strenuous breakthrough.

All he needed to do was to continuously exploit weaknesses in the domain, forcefully breaking through it with violent means, even at the cost of suffering severe injuries himself.

Inside the Shrine of Worship, Qian Daoliu's golden gaze dimmed as he calmly remarked, "This lad indeed has enough qualifications to be Little Snow's teacher, perhaps even more suitable than me."

Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded, his tone still tinged with some confusion. "This kid's swordsmanship is quite something, to actually suppress Little Snow throughout the entire match."

"His three sword techniques are not just simple defensive and offensive moves, but closely intertwined," Qian Daoliu explained while silently replaying the recent match in his mind.

Although he had a broad vision and formidable strength, he had never imagined such a use of soul skills before.

"The first sword dissolved Little Snow's frontal assault, weakening her momentum. Her relentless soul skill maneuvers are most vulnerable to interruption. If both sides clashed head-on and couldn't determine superiority, then this child's attrition-based defense method is impeccable. Moreover, while blocking Qian Renxue's attack, this first sword also nurtured his own sword intent, leveraging force with force.

"The second sword's slash is another crucial point. If he couldn't break through Little Snow's defensive soul skill with this strike, he would have fallen into the same awkward situation as before.

"As for the third sword's thrust, it seems to be the ultimate move, possessing the ability to perceive the opponent's weaknesses.

"However, it's also because Little Snow's Angelic Domain is still in its early stage, not yet perfected, and its enhancement is not significant. When she achieves the true form of her martial soul in the future, these flaws will no longer exist. To break through then, one would have to rely on domain against domain."

After listening to this analysis, Golden Crocodile Douluo couldn't help but ask, "Then why didn't he accumulate more power at the beginning, so he wouldn't need the third sword to win this battle?"

Qian Daoliu glanced at his younger brother with some helplessness. "Don't forget about his martial soul and level. Whether it's the strength of his martial soul, the foundation, or the quantity of soul power, this kid is at an absolute disadvantage. Achieving what he did just now was already his limit. If he had held out a moment longer, he might have collapsed first."

Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head with a wry smile. "I almost forgot, that kid is just a second-rank Soul Master. I really wonder what's going on in his head."

On the martial stage, Su Cheng and Qian Renxue faced each other,

quietly recuperating to make up for the recent expenditure.

Qian Renxue, being of higher level and with a better martial soul quality, recovered to a certain extent ahead of time.

Looking at Su Cheng across from her, who remained calm,

her expression became quite complicated.

Once he opened his eyes, Qian Renxue forced a smile and said, "Mr. Su's strength truly exceeds my imagination. The Seven Kills Sword is indeed worthy of being called the continent's number one attacker martial soul, and the Seven Kills Sword Art created from it is truly extraordinary."

"Ha?" Upon hearing this, Su Cheng couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I haven't learned the Seven Kills Sword Art."

"What?!" Qian Renxue was shaken, her smile freezing on her face.

"Can't you see it? I merely used three basic sword techniques," Su Cheng chuckled. "I'm afraid it's not that you didn't see it but rather didn't want to admit it, right? A supreme martial soul, a six-winged angel passed down by the Martial Soul Hall, losing to my ordinary sword skills from a low-tier martial soul. Do you find it embarrassing?"

Qian Renxue slightly widened her eyes but didn't know how to refute.

"You people are quite amusing, practicing the same few soul skills you obtained from your martial soul for a lifetime. You keep practicing, but in the end, it's the same moves. You'll always rely on talent to make a living. By the way, are you the person the Pope mentioned, the one who can be my disciple?" Su Cheng assessed her from top to bottom, slightly sneering. "A Soul Saint before the age of ten, good talent indeed. Too bad your understanding is lacking, and intelligence is mediocre."

This statement seemed to carry a bit too much impact, especially for Qian Renxue, who was still young.

Her tightly pursed lips trembled slightly, and she could only stubbornly meet Su Cheng's gaze with determination.

From childhood to now, when had she ever endured such contempt?

With unmatched innate talent at the twenty rank and becoming a Soul Elder before the age of ten, it was unheard of.

The top-tier powerhouses in the Shrine of Worship all treated her with great favor. Qian Daoliu and Qian Xun regarded her as the future Angel God, and the words she heard were always flattery and admiration.

Even Bibi Dong, despite her disdain, never denied her talent.

"I..."

Qian Renxue opened her mouth, wanting to say something to defend herself, but she felt a bit disheartened.

What could she say?

As a Super Martial Soul, a Six-Winged Angel, a Level 32 Soul Elder, and even using her innate talent domain without winning, and in the end, not even sustaining injuries, she had to thank her opponent for showing mercy.

"Abandoning talent, wasting time. Looks strong on the surface, but actually fragile. If stripped of innate capital, heh..." Su Cheng made the final comment without any reservations.

"Ain't nothin'."