The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

After the Discipline Elder announced the beginning of the life-and-death duel, he promptly stepped off the Life-and-Death Stage. Immediately, the surroundings of the stage erupted with the energy of a formation, creating a dark yellow barrier that enveloped the entire platform.

In the blink of an eye, the dark yellow hue gradually faded until it became completely transparent. Although the disciples around the stage couldn't see the barrier, they knew that the Life-and-Death Stage was now entirely sealed by the formation.

This way, no matter how intense the battle on the stage became, the soul power would be unable to affect the spectators. At the same time, the formation's barrier also ensured that the two participants could not escape, and the duel would only end with one of them dead.

As Lin Qian faced Lei Qian, who was standing still with his soul power activated and all his vital points exposed, Lin Qian couldn't help but find his opponent somewhat ridiculous.

A faint white soul power also began to flow from Lin Qian's body. However, to everyone's surprise, the soul power extended from his body, forming strange small square characters that connected into rings of various sizes, wrapping around Lin Qian's legs.

"Speed boost!" Lin Qian suddenly called out, and the ring of strange characters immediately contracted and merged into his legs.

Next, Lin Qian raised his hands, and a different ring of soul power coiled around his arms.

"Power boost!"

Another word left Lin Qian's mouth, and the ring of soul power, like the one before, merged into his arms.

"Perception boost!" Soul power erupted from Lin Qian's eyes, and he followed it up with more.

"Iron Wall."

"Battle Frenzy."

"Tailwind."

"Insulation."

"Repulsion."

"Battle Intent."

With each word Lin Qian uttered, his body emitted a corresponding burst of soul power.

Finally, after all the soul power reactions on his body reappeared, Lin Qian let out a loud shout.

"Double Blessing!"

As the final word left his mouth, all the previous soul power reactions on his body retracted into him.

The disciples surrounding the Life-and-Death Stage stared blankly at Lin Qian, utterly confused.

"What is this fool doing, talking to himself?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's lost it, knowing he's about to die."

Lost his mind?

"Impossible," Wei Wushuang muttered, shaking his head as he listened to the disciples' speculations. He knew his disciple had an iron will, and losing his mind was out of the question. Moreover, Wei Wushuang had a hunch that the words Lin Qian was saying, and the soul power reactions on his body, held some deeper meaning.

On the Life-and-Death Stage, Lei Qian also frowned as he watched Lin Qian. "What are you doing? Trying to stall for time? Coward!"

In Lei Qian's eyes, Lin Qian was merely putting on a show to delay the fight. He suspected Lin Qian was following his grandfather's guess and planning to use some soul tool to drag the battle out for the full two hours, thus ending it inconclusively.

"You guys have never played games, so of course you don't understand what buffing skills are. Before a battle, it's best to activate all the buffs you can," Lin Qian said with a grin as he stretched his limbs. "You can think of this as a soul technique I created myself."

A self-created soul technique?

The spectators around the Life-and-Death Stage, including Lei Qian himself, burst into laughter again.

"Hahaha, Lin Qian, do you even know what it means to create a soul technique?" Lei Qian mocked, pointing at the young man in front of him. "Honestly, you call yourself the Young Emperor, but your behavior today is nothing but that of a laughable fool, spouting nonsense without knowing your place."

Spreading his arms with a smirk, Lei Qian continued, "Well, since you're all buffed up now, come and hit me. Remember, I promised you three free hits—"

Whoosh!

Before Lei Qian could finish his sentence, a sharp whooshing sound pierced the air. Lin Qian, who had been standing at a distance, suddenly appeared right in front of him.

At the same time, the soul power surged violently from Lin Qian's body as he closed the gap in an instant.

An overwhelming imperial aura, exuding from the young man who had just closed in on him, surged outward, suppressing all around him.

Lei Qian's pupils contracted as he stared in disbelief at Lin Qian, now only inches away.

"How is this possible? His speed..."

Before Lei Qian could fully process his shock, pain erupted from his abdomen.

In that moment, Lin Qian had mercilessly driven a fist, wrapped in blazing white soul power, straight into Lei Qian's stomach. The punch tore through Lei Qian's lightning-infused soul power barrier like it was nothing, landing solidly in his abdomen.

With his first strike landing, Lin Qian followed up with a left uppercut, viciously smashing into Lei Qian's chin, sending his body—previously bent over in pain—flying into the air.

Just as Lei Qian's feet left the ground by an inch, Lin Qian sprang into the air with him, delivering a powerful kick.

The terrifying force of Lin Qian's kick, combining his physical strength and concentrated soul power, whipped through the air like a long whip, slamming into Lei Qian's torso.

Bam!

The force was so overwhelming that Lei Qian spat out a mouthful of bile, his body sent flying before slamming into the barrier, which shimmered with a faint yellow ripple.

Lei Qian crashed into the barrier and then was bounced back by the impact, landing face-first on the ground, utterly humiliated.

The jeering laughter that had filled the air moments earlier was abruptly silenced, leaving the entire area in stunned silence.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Qian's fluid three-hit combo shattered Lei Qian's protective soul power and sent him flying, all in a matter of seconds.

Too fast!

Most of the outer disciples couldn't even comprehend what had just happened.

Even among the outer disciples, Bai Ren, who had the highest cultivation, had only seen a black blur before Lei Qian was sent flying.

The disciples sent by the peak-level inner disciples also widened their eyes, staring at Lin Qian in disbelief.

As for the inner disciples who had been incessantly cheering for Lei Qian, their faces burned with embarrassment.

They had mocked Lin Qian, claiming he wouldn't even be able to scratch Lei Qian's protective soul power.

Yet, with a single punch, Lin Qian had not only shattered Lei Qian's barrier but also knocked him down in the most humiliating manner.

"Qian'er?" Lei Heng's previously relaxed expression hardened into disbelief as he stared at the Life-and-Death Stage. The scene that had just unfolded was beyond anything he could have imagined.

"This kid... Did he actually complete the Nine Cycles of Nirvana?" On the arbitration platform, Qin Wushuang completely lost his usual composure as sect master and exclaimed in shock.

Qin Wushuang's outburst sent shockwaves through the crowd around the Life-and-Death Stage.

Lin Qian had actually completed the Nine Cycles of Nirvana—a feat they had never imagined.

When Lin Qian first joined the sect, he had gone from the third level of the Gathering Soul Realm to the Elemental Soul Realm and had completed two cycles of Nirvana within a year.

Such rapid cultivation and a powerful body had driven many of the disciples, especially the inner disciples, to envy.

When it was later revealed that Lin Qian couldn't use Yuanqi Weaponization and had no hope of breaking through to the Nirvana Realm, their envy turned to schadenfreude, and they began to mock him mercilessly.

"Even if he can't break through to the Nirvana Realm, Lin Qian's cultivation speed is... terrifyingly fast," the Discipline Elder thought, his stoic face hiding the turmoil within.

Meanwhile, on the Life-and-Death Stage, Lin Qian watched Lei Qian struggle to his feet, a cold smile playing on his lips. "They say my body is strong and my soul power is deep, that I can fight Nirvana Realm cultivators wielding Yuanqi weapons barehanded."

"And you, exposing all your vital points and letting me land three free hits—did you get your head stuck in a door on your way out this morning?"