Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Meng Hongchen remained silent.

She simply watched Lu Ren quietly in the arena, a strange light flashing in her large, light blue eyes.

The young man stood in the center of the training ground, sunlight shining on him, surrounded by the gasps and discussions of tens of thousands of people.

His expression was indifferent, as if he had done something trivial.

Meng Hongchen gently bit her lower lip.

Just how strong is this person?

On the referee's stand, Xuan Ziwen remained silent for a long time.

He looked at Lu Ren again, his eyes now completely changed.

He had completely forgotten all his impatience and disdain from before.

"This kid..." he muttered to himself, "is interesting."

His gaze fell on Lu Ren, filled with the curiosity characteristic of a researcher.

"I'm starting to wonder what his soul skill is. What were those invisible slashes just now?"

The previous irritation had long since vanished, replaced by intense curiosity.

He had even begun to conceive in his mind how to design a soul tool to defend against this invisible attack.

On the platform, Lin Jiayi cleared his throat and said loudly:

"Next challenger, please come up."

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Then, everyone's eyes turned to a certain direction in the stands.

Sitting there were the two strongest young members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Without even a moment's mourning for Xia Xuanchen's defeat, the person who rushed onto the stage immediately was... Xiao Hongchen!

Upon seeing this, the surrounding people immediately erupted in discussion:

"It's Xiao Hongchen! He's finally about to make his move!"

"Xiao Hongchen is a level 49 Soul Master, a specialist in Soul Tools, and also the grandson of the Hall Master. His strength is extraordinary!"

"This is going to be good! Xiao Hongchen will definitely expose Lu Ren's tricks!"

"I bet Xiao Hongchen will win! His soul tool is specially made by Mingde Hall, much better than Xia Xuanchen's!"

Xiao Hongchen stood up.

His movements were slow, but each step carried a sharp and imposing aura. The surrounding students subconsciously made way for him and stepped onto the training ground.

He took each step with tremendous force, as if he wanted to crush the ground.

He stopped ten meters away from Lu Ren.

"Laughing at the Mortal World, Level 49 Soul Master".

He paused, a proud smile curving his lips:

"Martial Soul: Three-Legged Golden Toad"

Lu Ren glanced at him.

Xiao Hongchen was hailed by the Sun Moon Empire as the greatest genius in history.

Unfortunately, he was ruined in the later stages due to excessive drug use.

"Lu Ren".

He gave a brief response.

Xuan Ziwen's voice broke the silence from the referee's table:

"The second round begins!"

The moment he finished speaking, Xiao Hongchen released his martial spirit. A flash of golden light appeared, and a leg emerged from his tailbone.

That leg was entirely gilded, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. Then, a surge of golden soul power swept over his entire body like a tidal wave, completely enveloping Xiao Hongchen.

In the three-legged form of the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul, Xiao Hongchen slightly bent his knees and squatted down. Four soul rings, two yellow and two purple, slowly rose from his feet, revealing his Soul Master cultivation level as the light flowed.

His back was slightly hunched, and countless golden protrusions suddenly rose from under his robes, like dormant golden scales, radiating a warm and heavy golden halo, and a metallic aura wafted over you.

The first and third spirit rings lit up at the same time!

Xiao Hongchen swung his arms out suddenly, and hundreds of gleaming metal spheres flew out and hovered around him, forming an impenetrable metal barrier that firmly protected him in the center.

The next second, with each metal sphere as its core, thick metal cannon barrels suddenly grew out of thin air, their walls gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Hongchen transformed into a metal hedgehog covered in cannon barrels, exuding maximum intimidation.

"I don't know what your ability is."

Xiao Hongchen's voice came from the gaps in the metal cannon barrel, filled with almost manic excitement.

"But as long as you nip it in the bud from the start, everything will be fine!"

He threw his head back and laughed wildly, his eyes surging with bloodthirsty fighting spirit, and roared:

"Let me see what you're really capable of!"

The second and fourth spirit rings lit up immediately afterward.

Countless tiny golden specks suddenly appeared in the air, surging wildly towards Xiao Hongchen with the force of an ocean embracing all rivers.

The moment each point of light touched his body, it burst into a circle of pale golden flames, and the rich metallic soul power instantly boiled, as if he had drawn upon the metallic energy of the entire trial ground.

As the light merged in, the hundreds of cannon barrels simultaneously lit up with dazzling golden light. There were a total of 128 barrels, each of which was a level 4 soul-guided cannon, with power far exceeding that of ordinary soul-guided devices.

"Clang..."

The ear-piercing metallic scraping sound of the cannon barrels being aligned rang out. All the cannon barrels automatically locked onto Lu Ren, and even the cannon barrel behind Xiao Hongchen bent on its own, precisely aiming at the target. This ultimate control over metal had long surpassed the scope of ordinary soul masters.

Xiao Hongchen's face broke into a confident smile.

This was the first time he had shown his full strength in front of the entire academy. This attack was the pinnacle of his current cultivation level, and even a Soul King-level expert would have no chance of withstanding it.

He was absolutely confident that Lu Ren couldn't stop him!

Even if they manage to block it, they'll probably be seriously injured.

As the greatest genius in the history of the Sun Moon Empire, he is not only skilled in soul tools, but his own martial soul is also far from weak like that of ordinary soul masters.

The Three-Legged Golden Toad, an extremely rare beast spirit, possesses a unique ability to control metal.

He can control any type of metal.

He can even use the energy from rare metals to aid his cultivation.

The Sun and Moon Empire has no shortage of rare metals.

Goodbye, Lu Ren!

Laughing at the world, he shouted.

One hundred and twenty-eight cannons lit up simultaneously, their dazzling light converging into a golden sea.

However, in the next second, all the cannon barrels were cut in half at the same instant.

The cut was smooth and even, as if it had been swept horizontally by an invisible knife.

The cut surfaces of the 128 cannon barrels slid off neatly and crashed to the ground with a crisp "clanging" sound.

The golden light went out.

Xiao Hongchen's smile froze on his face.

He looked down at the cannon barrel that was now only half intact in his hand, then looked up at Lu Ren, and then looked down at the scattered metal fragments on the ground.

How... is this possible?

Was it that invisible slash again?

How did you do that?!

The audience was silent.

The next second, Lu Ren moved.

He was so fast that he appeared directly in front of Xiao Hongchen in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Hongchen's pupils suddenly contracted.

Before he could even see how Lu Ren got there, a fist rapidly enlarged in his field of vision.

Immediately following was a dazzling burst of black light, and the fist slammed solidly into Xiao Hongchen's face, instantly caved in his handsome face, and the sound of his nose breaking could be clearly heard.

Black Flash!

Xiao Hongchen was struck as if by a cannonball; his feet left the ground, his body bent like a bow, and he flew backward.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

He crashed through three rows of seats, scattering debris everywhere, before finally embedding himself in the back of a seat in the fourth row of the audience, where he lay amidst the chaos, completely silent.

The entire room fell silent.

The training ground, which housed tens of thousands of people, was so quiet that you could hear the wind blowing through the dome.

All eyes were on the boy standing in the center of the arena.

Lu Ren withdrew his fist, glanced down at the remaining black light on his knuckles, and shook his hand.

Then he raised his head and looked at Xiao Hongchen, who was embedded in the back of a chair in the audience, with a calm expression.