Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

As a master craftsman, Ye Qi'an instinctively sensed that the most distinctive feature of these nine rare metals was their varying hardness, with the last one even being somewhat soft. However, to him, these metals were actually quite similar.

"To ensure fairness in the skills assessment, none of you may use your own carving knives; instead, you must use the one on the side of the tray. Your task is to create nine different core magic arrays on these nine pieces of metal. The first piece: drill thirty holes; the second piece: create fifty evenly spaced, multi-curved lines; the third piece: a windmill pattern; the fourth piece…"

As Ye Yulin made her request, the expressions of the participating Soul Masters began to turn somewhat unpleasant.

Ye Yulin didn't care what they thought. After announcing the competition rules, she didn't even repeat them and shouted, "Skills assessment, begin! You have fifteen minutes to complete the entire assessment. If no one completes all the skills, the ranking will be based on the number of skills completed. Begin!"

By this time, after three hours of crafting the soul tools, the night had deepened. The nine participating soul masters, far from being sleepy, sprang into action. Their martial souls were all different, so naturally they each had their own methods.

Looking at everyone's progress, the seven judges couldn't help but nod in approval. They all had to admit that the contestants had a solid foundation and no one made any obvious mistakes. Ye Qi'an's speed wasn't fast, and he was just at a middle ranking. Ye Yulin explained this to himself in his heart—he was tired.

Although she wasn't a blacksmith, she knew how tiring such forging was. After such a commotion, it would be good enough if she could stay in the top three.

The hourglass, which had been set for fifteen minutes, had already lost over 75% of its sand. It wasn't until Ye Qian'an increased his speed that he surpassed everyone else, becoming the first to complete the skills test. The second was the girl in yellow from the Ordinary Alliance, and the third was Huang Zheng…

The level of skill assessment results clearly demonstrates the strength of the Xi Shui Alliance. An Litong, the president of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, and Shangguan Weier, the leader of the Pingfan Alliance, who were watching from the sidelines, both looked rather grim. An Litong, in particular, noticed that his three contestants were noticeably slower than the others.

"Time's up!" This time, Chief Referee Ye had no intention of delaying the time. The skill assessment ended the moment the last grain of sand rolled down the hourglass.

Nine people participated in the skills assessment. Four people completed it, and five people did not. After the judges stepped forward to judge, the person with the lowest completion rate among the five who did not complete it was eliminated. As expected, the person eliminated was the representative of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce.

The two members of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce who qualified were ranked last and third from last, respectively. The last-placed member will face Ye Qi'an, who is currently in first place, while the third-to-last member will face the girl in the yellow dress from the Ordinary Alliance.

At this moment, Nangong Wan, who was in the rest area, had a satisfied smile on his face. Ye Qi'an and Huang Zheng had entered the top four in the skills assessment, which meant that they would definitely not meet in the first round of the next elimination round. If the two of them could both enter the top four in the competition, the championship would be almost guaranteed.

However, number 44 was truly incompetent, and his elimination was expected. If it had been Merck who was replaced, the top three spots would almost have been taken by the Xishui Alliance. Nangong Wan had great confidence in Ye Qi'an and Huang Zheng, and for a time, the Xishui Alliance was in a very favorable position.

"Take a five-minute break. The elimination rounds will begin in five minutes," Ye Yulin said in a deep voice.

A large number of staff rushed onto the competition stage to collect the soul guide production tables and various scattered materials. The nine people representing the three major forces also stepped down from the stage and returned to the rest area for a temporary rest.

Ye Qi was ranked first, and his opponent was the girl in the yellow dress from the Ordinary Alliance. They would be playing in the first round. The order of the matches was not particular; they would simply play according to their previous rankings. Those who played first would also have a rest period afterward, so there was nothing unfair about it. They would also have a five-minute break. Nangong Wan personally stepped forward to greet them.

"Good job, you all performed wonderfully. Take a rest. Just remember, the rewards I promised will be delivered immediately after the competition. The rewards are right here; you can collect them as soon as you get good results." Nangong Wan didn't give any further instructions, but simply emphasized the rewards again, because he knew that what Ye Qi'an and the others needed most right now was rest.

The Third Elder, who had not sat down until now, was staring intently at Ye Qi'an, carefully examining the green longsword he wore at his waist, which he had named Nine Heavens.

With just one glance, he felt as if his mental energy had been severed, and his intuition told him that if he were to be struck by a sword, he would surely die.

"Break time is over. The first and eighth place winners of the previous skills challenge will now take the stage." The host's voice rang out on stage.

Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin stood in the center of the arena. As the chief referee of the competition, he was not required to do so, but he really wanted to see the weapon forged by the divine craftsman up close, so he personally took on the role of chief referee and stood on the stage.

Ye Qi'an stood up and walked towards the arena, his right hand already gripping the sword hilt. The soul master representing the Aodu Chamber of Commerce had also come up on stage. The soul tool he had made in the previous three hours was a long-handled battle sword, about the same length as the longsword in Ye Qi'an's hand. The blade was about two feet long, and the rest was a handle as thick as a forearm.

Ye Yulin looked at Ye Qi'an and the representative of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, and said in a deep voice, "Both sides, state your names and prepare for battle. I want to emphasize that this match is a fight to the death, and will continue until one side admits defeat or is rendered unable to fight. If you feel that you cannot defeat your opponent, speak up as soon as possible to avoid injury."

"Ye Liuyun." Ye Qi'an's words were extremely brief, yet powerful and resounding.

"Aodu Chamber of Commerce, Zhao Shouze."

"Begin." Ye Yulin suddenly rose into the air, announcing the start of the match.

This is not a friendly competition like the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, but a real life-or-death struggle. This is an underground competition, where there are not so many rules and protective measures.

Zhao Shouze lightly touched the ground with his toes and rushed towards Ye Qi'an. Six soul rings, three yellow and three purple, quickly rose from his body. He swung his broadsword, and a layer of dazzling golden-red flames lit up on the blade. In an instant, the light and flames soared into the sky. He quickly rushed across the halfway point and swung his broadsword down at Ye Qi'an.

Instantly, the golden-red blade light drew a stunning rainbow, and the air instantly became scorching hot.

In contrast, Ye Qi'an was not in a hurry at all. He slowly raised the Nine Heavens Sword, and the light on the sword body flowed. The originally dim runes instantly lit up, exuding an ancient and majestic aura. His eyes were calm as water. He stood quietly in place, seemingly not taking Zhao Shouze's powerful slash seriously.

Just as the blade was about to strike, Ye Qi'an moved. He flashed away, leaving an afterimage, and dodged the fierce attack in an instant.

Zhao Shouze felt a blur before his eyes and was greatly alarmed. Before he could react, Ye Qian had already appeared beside him. With a gentle wave of the Nine Heavens Sword, a green sword aura coiled towards Zhao Shouze like a nimble snake.

Zhao Shouze quickly parried with his sword. With a loud "boom," the swords clashed, unleashing a powerful surge of soul energy.

The green sword energy clung to him like a leech, spreading along the blade. Zhao Shouze felt a cold and destructive force surging towards him, his arm went numb, and he was terrified. He suddenly increased his soul power output, and golden-red flames blazed brightly, trying to dispel the green sword energy.

"That won't do, Iaijutsu!" Ye Qi'an shouted, his body spinning violently, the Nine Heavens Sword bringing with it a green storm. In an instant, the storm seemed to materialize, transforming into a huge green blade, slashing towards Zhao Shouze with overwhelming force.

This sword strike contained Ye Qi'an's immense soul power. Wherever the blade passed, space seemed to be torn apart, emitting a series of ear-piercing whistles. Zhao Shouze's eyes widened as he felt the threat of death. He mustered all his strength to hold the long-handled battle sword horizontally in front of him, unleashing all his soul power without reservation. Golden-red flames surrounded him, forming a fire shield.

"Boom!" The green blade collided with the flame shield and the long-handled sword, producing a deafening roar.

The entire arena trembled violently, the light so bright it was blinding. The green sword blade cut through Zhao Shouze's flame shield with unstoppable force, then cleaved his long-handled sword in two as easily as cutting through rotten wood. With its momentum undiminished, it slashed directly at Zhao Shouze.

Zhao Shouze was terrified and tried to dodge, but found that his body was locked by a powerful force and he could not move at all.

"Goodbye, or perhaps never again."

At this critical moment, Zhao Shouze felt an utter despair. His eyes were filled with the fear of death. Ye Qian'an's sword was unstoppable, and he knew that he could not dodge it no matter what.

Ye Qi'an's expression remained cold and stern, showing no mercy. The huge green blade continued forward, instantly slashing at Zhao Shouze. A dazzling light flashed, and accompanied by a scream, Zhao Shouze's body was cut in two by the green blade. Blood splattered out like a fountain, staining the ground of the arena red.

The entire arena was completely silent. Although everyone knew that there were no rules in the underground competition, the fact that such a brutal scene was actually happening before their eyes was still difficult for most people to accept.

For a moment, the sounds of retching rose and fell.

In the rest area of ​​the Xishui Alliance, everyone except the vice leader had stood up. Even Number Ninety-Eight, who hated Ye Qi'an very much, couldn't help but cheer at this moment.

Ye Qi'an held the Nine Heavens sword without glancing at Zhao Shouze, then turned and walked towards the Xishui Alliance.

"Match One, over. Ye Liuyun wins."

Upon hearing this voice, Ye Qi'an seemed to remember something. He suddenly stopped and walked towards Zhao Shouze, looking up at Ye Yulin who was slowly descending from the sky, and asked, "Referee, shouldn't this spoils be mine?"

Ye Yulin's lips twitched slightly. "Okay. But in the subsequent matches, you will still only be able to use the soul tools you made yourself."

"it is good."

Ye Qi'an nodded and slowly raised the Nine Heavens Sword towards the broken broadsword. A faint light emanated from the Nine Heavens Sword and enveloped the broadsword.

The broken broadsword slowly flew up, the golden-red flames on its blade flickering a few times in the dim light before extinguishing, transforming into streams of energy that surged towards the Nine Heavens Sword. These streams of energy seemed to have a life of their own, meandering and swirling along the sword's body. With each stream of energy merging into the sword, the runes on the Nine Heavens Sword would flash once, and the originally simple sword body would gradually be covered with a faint golden-red light, as if it were merging with the newly absorbed power.

Ye Qi'an could clearly feel the changes in the Nine Heavens Sword. It had become more powerful and profound, like a giant beast that had been sleeping for a long time and was gradually awakening. The Devouring characteristic was the second forging characteristic that Ye Qi'an had awakened after the Intimidation characteristic. In his hands, apart from being a little weaker in its own accumulation, the Nine Heavens Sword was not much different from a true divine weapon.

After Ye Qi'an stepped down from the stage, and the competition stage was cleaned up, Ye Yulin announced again, "The second and seventh place winners will now enter."

The second contest was between a girl in a yellow dress from the Ordinary Alliance and a Soul Master from the Aodu Chamber of Commerce. Neither side was willing to give up this opportunity, and the competition was extremely fierce. In the end, the girl in the yellow dress defeated her opponent with a clear advantage and a long sword, thus successfully advancing to the next round.

In the third match of the quarterfinals, Huang Zheng, number 96, faced off against the girl in the red dress from the Ordinary Alliance. Huang Zheng, who usually appears very calm, showed a ruthless side this time. With a firm will, he was not tempted by his opponent's beauty. His claw-shaped soul tool was suitable for both close and long-range combat. In the end, he managed to sever one of his opponent's arms, forcing her to admit defeat and advance to the next round.

The final match was between number 44 and the Ordinary Alliance. As expected, number 44 lost and also perished on the competition stage.

The final four were Ye Qi'an, the girl in the yellow dress Ye Guyi, Yun Chen, and Huang Zheng. In the next draw, Ye Qi'an drew Yun Chen and they would face each other in the semi-finals. As expected, in just one match, Ye Qi'an made sure Yun Chen was completely eliminated and easily advanced to the final.

In the second semi-final match, Ye Guyi from the Pingfan Alliance faced off against Huang Zheng from the Xishui Alliance. The two stepped onto the stage. Ye Guyi, dressed in a yellow dress, was the most beautiful of the three women from the Pingfan Alliance, but at this moment, she had an icy expression.

"If you're a man, fight to the end. Don't give up." Ye Guyi stared coldly at Huang Zheng and said with a sinister expression.

Huang Zheng sneered: "Of course."

"The competition begins." Ye Yulin, too lazy to listen to their nonsense, directly announced the start of this inevitable and intense contest.

Ye Guyi lightly touched the ground with her toes and quickly darted towards Huang Zheng. Huang Zheng's giant claw soul tool was on his right arm. With a slight lift, the three sharp claws at the front of the tool extended into a chilling light blade more than three feet long.

Three sharp blades were unleashed, and three more claw-like light blades popped out from the tips of the claws. Huang Zheng strode forward to meet Ye Guyi.

Facing the three swirling blades of light approaching, Ye Guyi showed no fear. With a flick of her wrist, a long sword appeared in her hand. With three soft sounds, she accurately dispersed the three claw-like blades of light flying towards her.

Ye Guyi's body was shimmering with a layer of illusory light and shadow. Huang Zheng did not let the light blade fly out again. The two soon met in the center of the arena. Ye Guyi obviously hated Huang Zheng. With a flick of her wrist, her longsword transformed into thousands of lights.

Huang Zheng remained calm and composed. He raised his giant claw and began to move it in a small area. A layer of pale blue light shone on the giant claw arm, completely blocking the sword beams. While blocking the sword beams, the third purple soul ring lit up, and a sinister aura immediately spread out. A faint purplish-black light covered the area within a 30-meter diameter.

Ye Guyi suddenly felt the surrounding light dim and subconsciously took a few steps back. She wielded a long sword in front of her with impenetrable speed. Although she blocked Huang Zheng's attack, she was forced to retreat and fell into a disadvantageous position.

A cold smile appeared on Huang Zheng's lips, and his fifth spirit ring lit up. Layers of purplish-black mist instantly rose from the ground and swept towards Ye Guyi's body.

Ye Guyi's originally illusory figure suddenly slowed down, and strong auras continuously entered her body. Behind her, a yellow light appeared, which was being frantically torn apart by the purplish-black light.

The light on the giant claw instantly intensified, and a three-foot blade of light fiercely attacked, heading straight for Ye Guyi.

Ye Guyi, whose soul was entangled, was already somewhat dazed. However, just as the giant claw was about to descend, suddenly, the tip of the longsword in her hand turned upwards and suddenly shone brightly. Instantly, the seven golden stars on the sword shone brightly, and the intense golden light, along with a layer of holy white halo, spread out abruptly.

The purplish-black light and shadow that was frantically eroding her soul behind her let out a mournful roar and vanished instantly, and the surrounding darkness also quickly dissolved.

"Clang!" The longsword struck the palm of the claw, forcefully blocking the claw that had already reached above her head. Her soul returned to its place, and a cold smile appeared on Ye Guyi's pretty face.

Immediately afterwards, the holy golden-white light struck Huang Zheng. Huang Zheng felt a warm sensation all over his body, and a large amount of purplish-black energy rose from his body. Under the violent tremor, he screamed and staggered backward.

Ye Guyi flashed forward, slashing out with her longsword. At the same time, the fifth-ranked black soul ring lit up, its terrifying power instantly reaching its peak.

"Holy Angel, interesting, but..." Ye Qi'an looked at Ye Guyi and smiled slightly.

Ye Guyi's right hand has now turned completely golden white, and a strong sword light covers the Seven Star Longsword in her hand. At the same time, two pure white wings appear on her back, and the longsword in her hand points forward. The huge sword light instantly engulfs Huang Zheng's body.

A massive golden-white lightsaber flashed past, and Ye Guyi stood proudly on the arena, while Huang Zheng and his soul tool had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, the aura around Ye Qi'an had become extremely cold. Led by the vice leader of the Holy Spirit Sect, the four elders all stood up. To them, this kind of sacred martial soul was an existence that could threaten the very foundation of the Holy Spirit Sect.

Just then, the vice leader of the Holy Spirit Cult raised his right hand and said, "We'll talk about it after the match."

"Yes." The four elders bowed in unison, but in their eyes, Ye Guyi was already a dead man.

Not only Ye Guyi, but even Shangguan Weier felt the chilling gaze from the Xishui Alliance. Shangguan Weier's heart tightened slightly, and she also sensed that something was wrong.

On Ye Guyi's pretty face, which was bathed in a holy light, she pointed her long sword diagonally toward the Xishui Alliance, her face full of arrogance and disdain. The tip of the sword trembled slightly as it was aimed at the expressionless Ye Qi'an.

"I'm going to kill her," Ye Qi'an said in a deep voice, walking towards the competition stage. At the same time, the aura emanating from his body blocked the Third Elder from making his move.

…(End of this chapter)