144: Pushing the limits

The Vice Hall Master of the War God Hall, a veteran War God, Over-Heaven Douluo Guan Yue.

He was an absolute veteran in the War God Hall, a figure from the same generation as Vast Sea Douluo, and also a powerhouse at the level of a Limit Douluo, though slightly inferior in Realm to Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie.

Guan Yue was quite low-key in the War God Hall and did not have a military identity like Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie.

He was a pure War God, and apart from the internal affairs of the War God Hall, he rarely appeared. Especially in the last few decades, he had rarely come to the forefront, but for this Youth Genius Competition, he was invited out by the Spirit Pagoda; it was unknown what price the Spirit Pagoda had paid.

Over-Heaven Douluo had his eyes slightly closed, floating there, giving the impression that he was asleep. However, anyone who knew his identity could not help but feel a sense of awe; this was, after all, a long-renowned Limit Douluo!

Even though the number of Limit Douluo today had long surpassed that of the ancient era, there were only a dozen or so in the entire Federation who could reach this level.

These old fellows were all existences standing at the very Peak of this World...

The War God Hall, which stood on equal footing with Shrek Academy, the Spirit Pagoda, and the Tang Sect, relied on the suppression of Vast Sea Douluo and Over-Heaven Douluo; the two of them were indeed the most powerful forces of the Federation government.

However, in recent years, the younger generation of the War God Hall had been struggling to bridge the gap, and until now, no new Limit Douluo had appeared. Once the Lifespan of these two reached its limit, there would likely be a gap.

From this, it was not difficult to guess the deep meaning behind Over-Heaven Douluo's appearance here. As the Federation's investment in the War God Hall had become greater over the years, those below had also begun to spare no effort in recruiting talent.

At this moment, Guan Yue nodded towards the direction of the podium, signaling that the drawing of lots could begin.

No one present would question the impartiality of this Over-Heaven Douluo. Every Limit Douluo had his own dignity, which could not be violated. Furthermore, no one would think that in such a small matter, this Limit Douluo would violate his own principles.

Guan Yue unhurriedly drew a nameplate from the machine: "I will now announce the results of the draw. First is the first challenger. Number one, Gongzi Yu..."

"Gongzi Yu? This..."

What surprised the entire audience, including Guan Yue himself, was that at the very start, the contestant at the top of the rankings appeared.

Everyone in the audience could not help but cast their gaze towards the white-haired youth who was ascending the stage. They were not only attracted by his handsome appearance, but more so by the doubts regarding his score.

How on earth was this child able to surpass two Spirit Emperors in score?

Guan Yue just glanced lightly at Shen Guyan, and a monstrous wave rose in his heart. As a Limit Douluo, how could he not see the Aptitude of the youth before him...

Not only him, but even the several powerhouses of the current age present, such as Sky Pillar Douluo, Holy Spirit Douluo, Sentimental Douluo, and the Spirit Pagoda Douluo, all had slight changes in their expressions.

Just from some features on his Face, they dared to conclude that Shen Guyan's age definitely did not exceed ten years!

Holy Spirit Douluo Yali had seen Shen Guyan before, and it was also in response to Old Master Shen's request that she concealed Shen Guyan's true identity.

But three months ago, this Little fellow was clearly still a Three-Ring Spirit Elder...

"Heavens! A Spirit Ancestor under ten years old! It's terrifying just to think about..."

"Little fellow, do not covet temporary Soul Power Rank; Foundation is the most important thing for a Spirit Master." Guan Yue suddenly spoke to remind Shen Guyan, his tone inexplicably containing the implication of an elder admonishing a Junior.

Clearly, all the Limit Douluos present could see that Shen Guyan's Soul Power was very unstable, as if it had been forcefully elevated by a large Family.

Holy Spirit Douluo frowned deeply; she felt that the Shen Family shouldn't have made such a low-level mistake, right?

"Thank you for the advice, Senior." Shen Guyan had no choice but to bow to Guan Yue. How could he not know the consequences of forcefully elevating Soul Power?

Shen Guyan wanted to cry but had no tears; this Soul Power was not originally his... And if this problem was not solved, it would likely affect his future Breakthroughs.

No matter which World's Cultivation system it was, an unstable Foundation was the most undesirable thing!

If one wanted to quickly stabilize the Realm and consolidate the Foundation, there was only one most suitable method, and that was: actual combat, bloody battle!

"Alright, your Soul Power Rank is a Level 40 Spirit Ancestor. Please choose the Rank range of the opponent you wish to challenge. Remember, do not be overambitious." Guan Yue urged repeatedly.

Hearing this, Shen Guyan took a deep breath. Regardless of whether he had a Fourth Ring or not, his current Realm had to be calculated as a Spirit Ancestor.

In other words, if he wanted to get a high score, he had to challenge an opponent one full Realm higher than himself.

The higher the Spirit Master's cultivation Rank, the greater the gap between each level would become. A Level 40 Spirit Ancestor challenging a Level 50 Spirit King was not the same concept as a Level 49 Spirit Ancestor challenging a Level 50 Spirit King.

Therefore, Shen Guyan's current Soul Power cultivation was in the most awkward position.

"I choose..." His gaze slowly swept across the contestants, and Shen Guyan took a deep breath.

"To challenge an opponent two Realms higher than myself."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was in an uproar.

Guan Yue, who was close at hand, showed an expression of frustration, as if disappointed that the youth had not lived up to his potential.

"Didn't I tell you not to be overambitious? A Spirit Ancestor challenging an opponent two full Realms higher—isn't that challenging a Spirit Emperor!"

"Scores do not represent a contestant's hard power!"

Leng Yaozhu in the backstage was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. This kid, he wouldn't still be obsessed with winning first place in this competition, would he?

Her heart was already in chaos. Why did this guy say that? Was it because of her? Was it because of their past promise?

"Gongzi Yu, I must remind you that regardless of whether you have just broken through to the Spirit Ancestor Realm, your opponent two full Realms above you is a Spirit Emperor. No matter how high your score is, you are currently only a Spirit Ancestor." Even though Shen Guyan had already spoken, Guan Yue overstepped his bounds to remind him once more.

"I know." Shen Guyan nodded at Guan Yue, a touch of fanaticism even emerging in his eyes.

"Is this kid a battle maniac?" Guan Yue was stunned. Even if he cherished talent, he couldn't lose his own Face for a guy who wasn't using his head.

"Since you have made your decision, I will say no more. Do you choose to challenge alone, or do you choose to have multiple people challenge with you?" Guan Yue still held a last shred of fantasy in his heart; if Shen Guyan had a deep friendship with one of the Spirit Emperors beforehand, he could naturally pull that Spirit Emperor to challenge the other Spirit Emperor, and at that time, the challenged party could at most choose one Spirit King as a companion to Face the enemy together.

"I choose to... challenge two Spirit Emperors alone." Shen Guyan's eyes were excited, but the words he spoke caused the entire audience to fall into a dead silence.

Leng Yaozhu was completely petrified.

Shen Guyan seemed to still be thinking about his score, asking: "Fighting two alone, challenging opponents two full Realms higher—if I win, can it count as a full score?"

"Of, of course it counts..." Guan Yue felt that this kid was abnormal; the heart of cherishing talent that he had finally raised had long since been smashed to pieces.

"Hmph, in this day and age, a Spirit Ancestor wanting to cross two full Realms to challenge a Spirit Emperor? Even if you were the Reincarnation of Sea God Tang San or Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, you would absolutely be unable to Face a Spirit Emperor wearing two-word battle armor!"

"That is an existence infinitely close to the Spirit Douluo level! This is just like saying Shen Guyan is now going to challenge Shen Guhong."

"Isn't that just purely looking for abuse?"

But it was too late to say anything now. The two Spirit Emperors, as the challenged party, walked onto the arena together, standing in a standoff with Shen Guyan from a distance.

How much time would it take for two Spirit Emperors to deal with one Spirit Ancestor? No matter how good their combat proficiency was, they couldn't help but feel disdain when facing Shen Guyan at this moment.

"This kid, is he trying to build momentum for himself? It's a pity he chose the wrong target!"

"The Spirit Emperors of Shrek Academy and Tang Sect are not comparable to those trash Spirit Emperors outside!"

"How strong is a Spirit Emperor with two-word battle armor? To give a simple example, if Shen Guyan's Spirit was not a flying type, the two Spirit Emperors would only need to fly high into the sky and bombard the area below to easily slaughter him."

Even so, the atmosphere of the entire venue was mobilized to the maximum extent. Overwhelming numbers of recording spirit tools flew about, determined to record this moment that was worthy of being written into history. They had even drafted the headlines for the news: "Final stage of the Youth Genius Competition, the Fourth Ring top-ranked contestant challenges two Spirit Emperors!"

Just as the whole audience was boiling with excitement, the various forces surging in the dark had all arrived at their positions, ready to make a move at any time...

"The match begins!"

The six spirit rings on Long Bow Three's body lit up in sequence: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. A powerful Soul Power fluctuation spread to the surroundings like surging waves. The Blue Silver King Spirit was activated first; countless thick Blue Silver Grass erupted wildly from the ground, like a group of baring fangs and brandishing claws pythons, rushing fiercely towards Shen Guyan. The surface of these Blue Silver Grass was covered with a faint dark golden light, evidently strengthened by the Spirit, and their toughness far exceeded that of ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

At the same time, Dai Zhongquan also launched his attack. His figure was agile, like a Leopard ready to strike. After his Blood Tiger Spirit possessed him, his body expanded rapidly, his entire body covered in a layer of blood-red fur, and his eyes flashed with the light of Bloodlust.

Subsequently, Dai Zhongquan stomped his feet hard on the ground, rushing towards Shen Guyan like a blood-colored lightning bolt. His sharp tiger claws flashed with a cold light, as if they could tear apart everything blocking his path.

The ones to initiate the attack were actually the two Spirit Emperors!

Facing the joint attack of the two Spirit Emperors, Shen Guyan did not panic. The canglang sword broke out of the sword casket, the sword body flashing with a cold blue light, like a deep, mysterious pool.

Shen Guyan circulated the Soul Power in his body, unleashing "Eight Desolations" from the Six Harmonies of the Vast Sea. Streaks of blue Sword Qi slashed towards the oncoming Blue Silver Grass like surging waves. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the Blue Silver Grass broke one after another, turning into countless fragments scattered on the ground.

However, Long Bow Three's attack did not stop there. He grasped the air with both hands, and those severed Blue Silver Grass actually recombined in mid-air, turning into a huge Blue Silver Grass Dragon, baring fangs and brandishing claws as it rushed towards Shen Guyan again. On the other side, Dai Zhongquan had already arrived in front of Shen Guyan, his tiger claws carrying a sharp whistling wind, slashing fiercely towards Shen Guyan's chest.

Shen Guyan flashed, unleashing the Great Teleportation Technique movement technique, disappearing from the spot like a ghost.

"What Spirit Ability is this?"

Dai Zhongquan's tiger claws missed, grabbing directly onto the ground, and several deep claw marks instantly appeared on the hard ground. Meanwhile, Shen Guyan appeared on the side of the Blue Silver Grass Dragon, waving the canglang sword again, and a more powerful Sword Qi slashed out.

"First Spirit Skill, Speed, Two Poles—"

This Sword Qi contained the entire essence of the Six Harmonies of the Vast Sea, and the profound Sword Intent directly slashed the Blue Silver Grass Dragon into two segments.

Long Bow Three saw that the attack of the Blue Silver King Spirit was broken, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. However, he had already approached his opponent by this time, and he immediately switched his Spirit; the Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his hand.

Long Bow Three raised the Clear Sky Hammer high, his fifth spirit ring shining brightly, "Clear Sky Star-Shattering Strike"! The Clear Sky Hammer, carrying an earth-shattering Aura, smashed fiercely towards Shen Guyan. The air emitted a sharp whistling sound under this powerful force, as if it were being torn apart.

Dai Zhongquan also took the opportunity to assist Long Bow Three. His star crown Spirit cast a beam of starlight, enveloping Long Bow Three, causing his speed and power to be greatly improved.

"Boom!" The ground shattered.

Relying on the Great Teleportation Technique, Shen Guyan retreated rapidly, once again distancing himself from Long Bow Three. With Shen Guyan's current strength, fighting two Spirit Emperors head-on was not a wise move; he had to find their weaknesses and win by surprise.

Long Bow Three and Dai Zhongquan looked at each other, seeing a trace of gravity in each other's eyes. They had originally thought they could easily take down the opponent, but they didn't expect him to be so difficult to deal with.

Everyone had not expected that Shen Guyan could actually hold on until now. The atmosphere in the arena also became increasingly tense. The audience held their breath, staring fixedly at the three people in the center of the arena, afraid of missing any exciting moment.

Long Bow Three initiated the attack, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer with a whistling sound, and waves of Soul Power emanated from the hammer's body.

Suddenly, he threw the Clear Sky Hammer towards Shen Guyan. The Clear Sky Hammer turned into a black meteor, flying towards Shen Guyan with powerful impact force.

On the other side, Dai Zhongquan seized the opportunity, pouncing from another direction, blocking Shen Guyan's path. He activated the Blood Tiger Spirit's Spirit Ability, and five blood-colored claw rays, like sharp blades, slashed towards Shen Guyan's body.

The two Spirit Emperors had already formed a pincer movement against him!

To this, Shen Guyan followed suit, actually throwing the canglang sword in his hand towards Dai Zhongquan.

A smile of success instantly appeared on Dai Zhongquan's Face. No matter what Shen Guyan did, he saw it clearly, simply because his Blood Tiger Spirit was not a pure attack system Beast Spirit, but a mental system Beast Spirit!

This had to bring up the father of the legendary Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao from ten thousand years ago, and those unknown stories...

Dai Zhongquan's first four spirit ring Spirit Abilities were none other than the four great divine skills that Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao relied on to become famous: Mental Detection, Mental Sharing, Mental Disturbance, and Soul Shock!