Douluo: I am the True Master

In the eyes of ordinary people, soul masters who primarily relied on long-range soul-guided weapons were generally weak in close combat. 

And at this moment, the unbridled desire in Jing Hongchen's eyes clearly signaled his intention to attack Wei Na! 

Xu Jiujjiu, who had remained passive until now, stepped forward to intercept Jing Hongchen. 

The two women—Xu Jiujjiu excelling in close combat and Wei Na specializing in long-range attacks—seemed to form a seamless partnership. 

But then, something astonishing happened! 

Instead of striking Wei Na as expected, the Retribution Sword in Jing Hongchen's hand clashed violently with the starlight spear wielded by Xu Jiujjiu. Blinding sparks erupted in the sky, accompanied by an overwhelming surge of soul power. The mere residual force caused the ground below to crack. 

Xu Jiujjiu was slightly surprised, feeling as though the old man had somehow anticipated her anticipation. 

As the current head of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen was not only a Level 10 soul mentor but also the principal of the Sun Moon Imperial Academy. He was exceptionally well-versed in combat theory. 

As the saying goes, "To capture the bandits, first capture their leader." With his sharp insight, he immediately recognized that Xu Jiujjiu was the more troublesome of the two. 

After all, publicly available information about Wei Na stated that her martial soul was her brain—a spirit-type martial soul with little to no close-combat capability. Xu Jiujjiu, on the other hand, inherited the Star Crown martial soul of the Star Luo imperial family, which granted her powerful auxiliary abilities and formidable offensive and defensive capabilities. Coupled with the enviable battle armor she wore, it was clear which opponent posed the greater threat. 

However, concealing one's true intentions was a basic skill for any competent fighter. At first, Jing Hongchen pretended to stubbornly target the seemingly weaker Wei Na. 

Now, having chosen to directly confront Xu Jiujjiu, Wei Na didn't hesitate. She unleashed the two fully charged Level 9 soul-guided ray cannons. 

Jing Hongchen didn't dodge—it was exactly what he had anticipated. 

But his battle plan was far from simple. 

To think he could defeat a peer-level unparalleled Douluo through mere exchanges would be arrogant even for him. Thus, Jing Hongchen unleashed his hidden move! 

At the moment of impact, Jing Hongchen suddenly hurled a massive spider web from his hand, enveloping Xu Jiujjiu. 

"In the end, you're still just two young girls with glaringly insufficient combat experience. No matter how strong the Tian Xing Douluo is, your forcibly elevated strength has its limits." 

A cold sneer lingered on Jing Hongchen's lips as he was blasted back several dozen meters. His once-magnificent Red Dust Golden Toad Battle Armor was now stained with two dark marks. 

But to Jing Hongchen, it was all worth it. After regaining his footing, he immediately charged back into the fray. 

Every Level 94, Level 9 soul mentor in the Sun Moon Empire was no ordinary fighter. Their overall strength could match a Title Douluo at Levels 97 or 98 under the traditional cultivation system of the Douluo Continent. And Jing Hongchen, having broken through to become a Level 10 soul mentor, was even more formidable. 

Though his Level 10 skills couldn't compare to Kong Deming's, the knowledge Ye Wen had disseminated allowed Jing Hongchen to develop the Red Dust Golden Toad Battle Armor—a device capable of temporarily enhancing other soul-guided tools to Level 10 standards. 

Though it couldn't match the four-word battle armors Ye Wen had crafted for his six disciples, it wasn't far off. It was more than worthy of being called a battle armor. If he ever obtained a complete four-word battle armor, replicating it might not be out of the question! 

This was the true value of a top-tier soul mentor in this era! 

The spider web Jing Hongchen had thrown earlier was a special Level 9 soul-guided device made from the silk of a 90,000-year-old Cave Spider Emperor, reinforced with rare metals. It was a powerful binding tool capable of restraining even a Level 98 Title Douluo for a short time. 

Moreover, while bound, the target's soul skills were significantly hampered. 

It was truly a soul master's nightmare. 

With the enhancement of Jing Hongchen's Red Dust Golden Toad Battle Armor, the web's capabilities were further amplified to the point where it could restrain an unparalleled Douluo. 

The reason Jing Hongchen hadn't used this god-tier soul-guided device before was simple: both Xuan Zi and Xiao Ding possessed absurdly high defenses. Even if they were briefly restrained, their ability to fly allowed them to escape easily by simply increasing the distance. 

Using it against them would have been a waste of effort. 

It was somewhat impractical… 

But against someone like Xu Jiujjiu, it was perfectly suited! 

With his discerning eye, Jing Hongchen could tell that the two women's strength lay entirely in their battle armors. Without them, they were merely Soul Sages! 

If this web, enhanced to Level 10 standards, could affect Xu Jiujjiu, it would create an opening. 

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, Jing Hongchen saw that while Xu Jiujjiu was protected by a circular shield, the glow of her soul power flickered erratically—clear evidence that she was affected. 

"Gotcha!" Jing Hongchen's heart screamed in triumph. 

At this moment, he was already envisioning the outcome: after severely injuring Xu Jiujjiu, the lone long-range soul mentor Wei Na would be no match for him in close combat. Victory would be virtually guaranteed. 

The two women seemed to realize this dire possibility as well. Xu Jiujjiu's expression darkened, dismayed by their unfortunate start. She immediately activated her seventh soul ring, causing it to emit a brilliant black light as she unleashed the True Body of the Star Crown! 

However, Xu Jiujjiu's unstable soul power caused her to drop from unparalleled Douluo status, while Jing Hongchen remained at that level. It seemed certain that she would be gravely injured. 

"Jiujjiu!" Wei Na cried out in alarm, attempting to fire another soul-guided ray to support her. 

But the distance was too close, and Wei Na lacked the precision needed to aim effectively. 

Facing the descending Retribution Sword, Xu Jiujjiu's eyes filled with regret. 'Truly, old ginger is always spicier,' she thought bitterly. 

"Such a pity…" 

But at this moment, a slightly dissatisfied voice echoed through the battlefield, followed by an intense wave of absolute cold. 

Unbeknownst to anyone, Huo Yu'er had appeared in front of Xu Jiujjiu. Her emerald diamond-covered gauntlet firmly grasped the Retribution Sword! 

"This can't be!" Jing Hongchen's mind screamed in disbelief, unwilling to accept what he was seeing. 

The Retribution Sword had been enhanced to Level 10 standards, yet it had been effortlessly blocked!? 

But the seasoned Jing Hongchen quickly realized why. 

A clash between unparalleled Douluos should have caused catastrophic destruction, yet his strike had barely left a mark. 

The only explanation was that this space had been sealed off by an even stronger soul power. 

"A domain!" Jing Hongchen thought grimly. 

And it didn't stop there. Jing Hongchen, having withdrawn his sword, glanced around. 

"This freezing aura… could it be extreme ice?" 

But facing the now-terrified Jing Hongchen, Huo Yu'er made no move to press the attack.

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