On the training ground, Su Cheng effortlessly deflected Qian Renxue's sword strikes, preemptively disrupting her moves every time she attempted to strike.
"If that's all you've got, then you're bound to lose," Su Cheng quipped casually while launching his own attacks.
He was clearly gaining the upper hand now.
Qian Renxue pursed her lips, finding it difficult to comprehend.
The force behind her opponent's strikes remained unchanged, and the accompanying soul power was of Soul Emperor level, so why were his sword strikes so fast?
Observers like Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, although powerful, could understand only so much; after all, they lacked the firsthand experience.
At this moment, Qian Renxue felt extremely frustrated.
Her diagonal sword strike was intercepted midway by a diagonal thrust, instantly halting her move.
Before she could even switch tactics, another strike came from the side, forcing her to defend.
Even more frustrating was that while Su Cheng seemed poised to strike, he effortlessly transitioned into a hanging sword stance at the peak of his attack, forcing her to change tactics as well.
After dozens of exchanges, each of Qian Renxue's attacks seemed to achieve only a fraction of their intended effect.
Moreover, as time passed, Su Cheng's speed of attack was gradually increasing, and his swordsmanship was becoming smoother.
Qian Renxue realized that if things continued like this, even if she managed to deplete his soul power, she would still inevitably lose.
Gathering her strength, the first soul ring lit up, and golden light began to gather between her hands.
"Can't hold back anymore, huh?" Su Cheng chuckled lightly but made no move to defend.
With Qian Renxue now absorbing the power of the fourth ten-thousand-year soul ring and with the boost from her fourth soul skill, he could probably win using his usual tactics, but it wouldn't be a sure thing and would require more effort, with an element of gambling involved.
So, Su Cheng opted for a direct counterattack.
His second and third soul rings lit up in succession.
"Second Soul Skill: Sharpness!"
"Third Soul Skill: Sword of Weightlessness!"
At the moment when the third soul ring twinkled, his attack had already descended.
The speed was so fast that it completely exceeded Qian Renxue's reaction limit. At this point, her first soul skill hadn't even fully activated yet.
No, it wasn't just Qian Renxue.
The elders watching couldn't understand how this strike came down so quickly.
"This doesn't make sense. How can his soul skill activate in an instant?" Golden Crocodile Douluo voiced the confusion of everyone present, then turned to Qian Daoliu. "Big brother, do you know why?"
"Well, um..." Qian Daoliu was also puzzled. "I'm not sure, maybe his third soul skill is special?"
"Even if it's special, it still needs soul power to activate, right? Even big brother needs time to use a soul skill."
"Yeah, you can't just have an attack-type soul skill without his own soul power support, can you?"
The other elders chimed in with their opinions.
Qian Daoliu: "..."
On the training ground at this moment, Su Cheng wielded a sword martial soul almost twice its original size, as if carrying the force of a thousand catties, striking down.
Meanwhile, Qian Renxue's soul power was circulating, her first soul skill still brewing, and her third soul skill's angelic protection was yet to be released.
Helplessly, she hastily raised the golden light giant sword in her hand, combining it with the unfinished first soul skill to defend.
"Shing—clang!"
The light blade shattered, and Su Cheng's giant sword hung just inches above Qian Renxue's forehead. A gust of wind blew, causing her golden hair to flutter.
The precise control of power proved that Su Cheng hadn't yet used his full strength.
"... Teacher, I lost again," Qian Renxue said with a slightly disappointed expression, but not particularly dejected.
She hadn't thought it impossible for this outcome.
Though confident in herself, her teacher had always been someone capable of miracles.
After her mood calmed slightly, she immediately asked the question that had puzzled her the most after this battle.
"Why can you strike so fast?" Qian Renxue immediately realized the inappropriate timing and hastily added, "Never mind, I'm not really that curious."
"It's okay, I don't mind explaining," Su Cheng said with a smile, unperturbed by the curious and probing gazes around him. "This is a new soul skill I've been researching, called the 'Vein Severing and Qi Continuation Technique.'"
As he spoke, the third soul ring lit up again, and the sword martial soul, which had returned to its normal state, instantly expanded into a giant blade. "Rather than calling it a soul skill, it's more like a special technique to assist in the release of soul skills."
"Vein Severing... Qi Continuation Technique," Qian Renxue murmured as she watched Su Cheng once again unleash a soul skill in an instant.
Not just her, but the Title Douluos watching from afar were also silently pondering the meaning of this name.
"Different soul skills operate differently based on their method of activation, the characteristics of the soul rings, and the final release method. But the common point is that they all require soul power to flow through most of the body's meridians to unleash their full power."
While others nodded inwardly at his words, their expressions grew increasingly puzzled.
These were all common knowledge. What did they have to do with the instantaneous activation of soul skills?
"That's right," Su Cheng glanced at her and nodded slightly.
Qian Renxue, on the other hand, seemed to have a moment of realization.
"Teacher, when you mentioned 'Vein Severing,' does it mean..."
"In fact, when using soul skills, there's no need for soul power to flow through the entire body. As long as it circulates through specific meridians, it's enough to unleash its power."
"In a soul master's attack, whether it's a normal strike or using a soul skill, the flow of soul power is instinctive. By suppressing this instinct, you can release a soul skill ahead of time."
"The key is knowing exactly which meridians need to be activated when using a soul skill."
This was also why he didn't mind others hearing the principles behind it.
Just this first point alone, the patterns of soul power circulation for each soul skill, were not something ordinary people could easily comprehend unless they possessed his level of medical knowledge and understanding of the human body.
In addition to this, there were other points to consider, such as how to block ineffective soul power circulation and the technique he used to chain attacks together.
But these contents were obviously not something the eavesdroppers nearby could listen to for free.
Of course, in the end, it was just a skill.
If there really was someone who could understand the energy circulation in the human meridians like him, and had a thorough grasp of their own techniques and soul skills, then knowing the principles and replicating these methods wouldn't be difficult.
Su Cheng himself was like this. Just with a single train of thought, he smoothly used this technique in today's battle and defeated opponents who were stronger than him in all aspects.
After listening to his explanation, Qian Renxue fell into silent contemplation for a while.
But she soon realized that even if she understood the specific principles of this "Vein Severing and Qi Continuation Technique," she couldn't use it at all.
"Teacher, please teach me."
"Of course," Su Cheng couldn't help but laugh. "Developing this technique was originally prepared for you. With my martial soul aptitude, no matter how fancy my fighting style is in the future, there's nowhere to use it anyway."