Chapter 39: Development of the Technique
As the words fell, a strange silence descended over the arena.
What a line, "your luck is bad"!
Arrogant! Too arrogant!
If it were anyone else, they would likely be fuming with rage by now, feeling greatly slighted and humiliated.
However, upon hearing these words, instead of being angry, Cao Jinxuan and his two teammates almost wanted to jump for joy!
Despising us? That's perfect!
The more Lin Xuan looked down on them, the higher the probability of their success later!
No... no, I can't laugh yet. I have to hold it in. Once the match starts, I'll deliver the decisive blow, and victory will be ours!
At this moment, Cao Jinxuan's expression was harder to suppress than the recoil of an AK, but to deceive Lin Xuan, he had to force down the corners of his mouth and feign a look of anger.
"Too arrogant! You, Lin Xuan, are strong! But we aren't weak either!"
"Is that so?" Lin Xuan's tone remained flat. "Then prove it to me."
After the pre-match trash talk, the Proctor didn't delay any further. After confirming both sides were ready, he announced loudly.
"Match start!"
"Do it!" Zhou Sichen shouted lowly, and the three of them moved in unison!
As a member of the attack system, a white light flashed in Zhou Sichen's hand, and a thick, ancient-looking book with a shimmering cover appeared out of thin air.
Two yellow hundred-year Soul Rings lit up under his feet simultaneously!
The pages turned automatically without wind, rustling rapidly.
Two rays of light shot out from it, landing on the open ground in front of him, quickly expanding and solidifying.
On the left was a giant bear shrouded in a thick earthy-yellow halo, its body sturdy and its claws and teeth menacing.
On the right was a fierce tiger surrounded by blazing flames, its eyes crimson and its aura violent!
This was Zhou Sichen's Martial Soul, the Grimoire.
His Grimoire Martial Soul was extremely special; it had no attribute, or rather, it could be any attribute.
Its ability was to absorb the Soul Rings of Soul Beasts he killed as its own abilities, with no restrictions; as long as they were absorbed, they could be used.
In a sense, Zhou Sichen's Martial Soul shared some similarities with Lin Xuan's Ten Shadows Technique.
Meanwhile, a giant Boomerang appeared in Long Xiangyue's hand, and two hundred-year Soul Rings also rose beneath his feet.
However, the two did not attack immediately; instead, they stepped forward to the left and right, faintly shielding Cao Jinxuan behind them while closing the distance to Lin Xuan by a few steps.
"He really did underestimate us!"
Seeing that Dugu Qing and Wu Feng opposite him had already released their Martial Souls and were ready, while Lin Xuan still hadn't moved, Cao Jinxuan was overjoyed!
He no longer hesitated, his gaze sharpening as he immediately released his Martial Soul.
"Buzz—!"
A layer of distorted, strange halo, like looking through frosted glass, spread out from around Cao Jinxuan, making his figure appear blurred.
Immediately after, an ancient and exquisite white clock quietly emerged above his head.
The clock body was shaped like a city gate arch, rounded on top and square on the bottom, translucent white like jade, with a perfectly round dial and stationary golden hands inside.
Beneath the clock, a pendulum engraved with complex golden patterns was swaying slightly.
Time Flies Clock!
Simultaneously, two hundred-year Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
Having released his Martial Soul, Cao Jinxuan did not hesitate. The second Soul Ring under his feet lit up instantly, and a distorted light shot out from the Time Flies Clock, suddenly landing on Lin Xuan!
Second Soul skills, Time Lock, activate!
"Go, quick! I can't bind him for long!"
Seeing that he had succeeded, Cao Jinxuan immediately shouted loudly, already anticipating how much pressure he would have to endure next.
"Understood!"
This was exactly what Zhou Sichen and Long Xiangyue were waiting for. Seeing Lin Xuan hit by the distorted light, Zhou Sichen unhesitatingly controlled the bear and tiger to attack Lin Xuan.
Meanwhile, Long Xiangyue stepped up alone, preparing to block Dugu Qing and Wu Feng.
Only then did Dugu Qing and Wu Feng finally react, realizing that Cao Jinxuan's Martial Soul was actually a time-attribute Martial Soul, even rarer than a Body Martial Soul!
Oh no!
Both of their hearts sank simultaneously.
I hope I can hold out. If I can just last two seconds... no! As long as I can last one second, we have a chance of winning!
Cao Jinxuan thought to himself, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. However, he soon felt deep confusion about the unfolding situation, followed by a spine-chilling coldness.
Clearly, his Soul skills had already hit Lin Xuan, yet half a second had passed and he felt no pressure at all!
Never mind a powerhouse like Lin Xuan, who was a Soul Elder; even with an eleventh-level Soul Master, he would feel some degree of noticeable pressure!
But now, it was as if he hadn't locked onto a person, but a puff of air!
Something's wrong!
An icy chill instantly surged from his tailbone to the top of his head, making Cao Jinxuan's hair stand on end.
"Come back! It's a trap!"
Unfortunately, it was too late to realize it now.
The attacks from the giant bear and fierce tiger controlled by Zhou Sichen, powerful enough to shatter stone monuments, had already landed solidly on "Lin Xuan."
"Pfft!"
There was no muffled sound of shattering bones, no gruesome scene of flying flesh and blood.
"Lin Xuan's" body was like a popped phantom bubble, torn apart without resistance the moment the attack touched it.
Looking through the hollow of the shattered body, there was no flesh or bone inside, only a deep, pure darkness.
Then, under the dumbfounded gaze of everyone, the "body" rapidly collapsed and softened like melting black wax, turning into a pool of viscous liquid shadow that silently seeped into the cracks of the stone floor and disappeared.
"What?!" Zhou Sichen's pupils constricted. His controlled summoned beasts had struck nothing, and he looked around in confusion.
"When... when did he react?!" Cao Jinxuan said in a horrified tone.
"Before the assessment." An extremely indifferent voice sounded behind Cao Jinxuan without any warning.
The movements of Dugu Qing, Wu Feng, and Long Xiangyue, who were fighting in the arena, came to a screeching halt.
All the onlookers outside the arena, including the Proctor, held their breath.
Countless gazes focused in shock.
Behind Cao Jinxuan, the elongated shadow at his feet, cast by the angle of the light, began to ripple slightly like a boiling pool of ink.
A slender figure emerged from the shadow like a ghost rising from underwater, silently and slowly ascending.
Still in white clothes, his expression was indifferent.
It was Lin Xuan.
"Hiss—!!!"
The sound of people gasping in cold air rose in unison. Countless people felt a chill rush from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads, their scalps tingling!
Combining Lin Xuan's words just now, a possible conclusion quickly formed in their minds.
Long before both sides took the stage, long before they exchanged names, and even long after the draw results were announced... Lin Xuan's true body had already been hiding in his opponent's shadow!
And the "Lin Xuan" who had talked with them, talked trash, and was eventually hit by "Time Lock" was, from beginning to end, merely a lifelike fake body capable of deceiving everyone's perception!
Terrifying! Spooky!
Just imagining the possibility that "someone might always be hiding in my own shadow" was enough to make any Soul Master, regardless of their cultivation level, feel a chill down their spine and instinctively want to look down at their feet.
Even the powerful Proctor couldn't help but twitch his eye and glance at his own shadow.
"You... you knew about my Martial Soul and Soul skills all along?"
Cao Jinxuan's back was to Lin Xuan, his voice dry. He could feel that calm gaze close at hand, yet he had almost lost the courage to even look back.
"Of course," Lin Xuan replied.
"Heh... I'm impressed."
Cao Jinxuan smiled helplessly, his tense body seemingly relaxing as if he had accepted his defeat.
However, at the very moment everyone's guard was slightly lowered!
A sharp glint flashed in Cao Jinxuan's eyes. His Soul Power exploded without reservation as he kicked off the ground, lunging forward with all his might like an arrow from a bow!
He needed to create distance; even if it was just a few meters, it would buy him a moment to breathe and regroup!
"Too naive."
Lin Xuan's voice sounded almost simultaneously with his movement.
Without any flashy Soul skills light or rapid pursuit, Lin Xuan simply raised his foot and gave a casual kick forward.
"Smack!"
The kick landed with pinpoint accuracy right on Cao Jinxuan's upturned buttocks as he was kicking off.
"Ouch!"
Cao Jinxuan felt a clever force from his buttocks. His forward lunge turned into a forward roll and a parabolic arc. He screamed, flailing as he flew over the edge of the Soul Dueling Platform.
With a "thud," he landed on the open ground below the stage in an extremely ungraceful posture, rolling twice before stopping.
The entire venue went silent for a moment.
Then, someone couldn't help themselves and let out a "pfft" of laughter.
Immediately after, suppressed chuckles and muffled laughter broke out everywhere.
The visual impact was so strong that the sense of fear was instantly diluted by this contrasting scene, but the awe in everyone's eyes as they looked at Lin Xuan on the stage deepened.
Powerful yet not arrogant, extremely cautious and capable of deceiving opponents, plus his ability to manipulate shadows into fake bodies and hide within them—everyone had only one thought now.
No matter what, one must never become an enemy of Lin Xuan!
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