C24 Earth Soul Stage

Is this even human?

The three other youths on the stage, witnessing Su Yun enveloped in lightning, trembled as they swallowed hard.

They had felt the full brunt of that collision on the stage.

The horrifying Soul Power of lightning had nearly engulfed half the stage, and the mere ripples it sent out nearly stopped their hearts. They had no doubt that a direct hit would reduce them to ashes in an instant.

It was too terrifying!

Such Soul Power couldn't possibly come from a human!

Yun Yilan, standing behind Su Yun, harbored the same thought.

She had anticipated Su Yun's strength, but the reality still far exceeded her expectations.

Gazing at Su Yun before her, Yun Yilan was struck with shock, and a wry smile flickered in her eyes.

The thought of her wanting to help Su Yun now seemed laughable. With his strength, what need did he have for her assistance?

"Little beast, how dare you strike with such force!"

At that moment, a furious roar echoed across the square.

Lin Zongshan stood by the unconscious Lin Feng, glaring at Su Yun with a snarl.

"Scoundrel, how could you strike with such severity!?"

Yun Linguang and the Dong family, who had rushed to Yun Liyao and Dong Tianlong's sides, joined in the outcry.

The crowd finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

Hiss!

Seeing the state of Lin Feng, Yun Liyao, and the other two, sprawled beside the stage, the entire arena gasped in horror.

They were a bloody mess!

It was as if Lin Feng and the others had been scorched, their bodies barely recognizable beneath the charred flesh. If not for the faint breath of life, they could easily be mistaken for corpses.

Confronted with the enraged stares of Lin Zongshan and the others, Su Yun remained unfazed, not sparing them a second glance.

Merciless?

What a farce!

Since when did battle call for holding back?

Besides, there was no reason to go easy on Lin Feng and Yun Liyao.

Having killed Lin He, any chance of peace with the Lin family was long gone. Why show mercy to an enemy? And Yun Liyao? Not worth mentioning. As for Dong Tianlong and the Dong family youth, by accepting Yun Liyao's invitation, they had already marked themselves as foes in his eyes.

"Little bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

Lin Zongshan's patience snapped as he could no longer tolerate Su Yun's dismissive attitude. His youngest son, Lin He, had been slaughtered by Su Yun right before his eyes, and now his eldest was lying before him, grievously wounded. His fury, no longer containable, erupted with a vengeance.

Boom!

As all eyes watched, Lin Zongshan's body erupted with a massive surge of pale green Soul Power, and a green falcon spirit, more than twice the size of Lin Feng's, materialized above him.

"Screech!!!"

With a piercing cry reminiscent of an eagle's shriek, Lin Zongshan's hands transformed into talons, and he dove towards Su Yun in the arena like a colossal green eagle.

"This is bad!"

The abrupt turn of events caused Yun Yan's face to pale.

It was far too late to intervene.

"Stop!"

The black-haired middle-aged trio in the loft were caught off guard by the unfolding drama and bellowed in unison.

But Lin Zongshan was beyond reason, charging onto the stage and barreling straight for Su Yun.

"Watch out!"

Yilan's face blanched as she cried out a warning.

Su Yun hadn't anticipated Lin Zongshan's bold attack. His eyes hardened, and the lightning he had previously contained burst forth from his fists once more.

"Thunder Soul Fist!"

He met Lin Zongshan's charge with a direct punch.

Boom!

The arena erupted as the lightning-infused fist collided with the eagle claw, engulfed in Azure Wind. A maelstrom of Soul Power, charged with lightning and wind, swept across the stage.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The three young men on the stage were caught off-guard, sent flying and spitting blood as they tumbled out of the arena.

Yun Yilan, positioned directly behind Su Yun, was largely shielded from the Soul Power storm and remained mostly unscathed.

Yet in that moment, she had no time to concern herself with the chaotic energies around her. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stared, utterly shocked, at the spectacle before her.

Then, with a thunderous crash, a figure staggered backward, retreating to the very edge of the arena before finally steadying himself.

And that figure was unmistakably...

Lin Zongshan!

As everyone turned their attention back to Su Yun, they were astonished to see that he had merely swayed slightly before steadying himself firmly in place.

"This..."

Shock was written all over the faces of the spectators as their mouths hung open in disbelief.

Su Yun had just gone head-to-head with Lin Zongshan, and the latter had actually come out worse for wear?

Heavens!

Were their eyes deceiving them?

This was Lin Zongshan, the esteemed Great Elder of the Lin family, a revered Soul Cultivator at the Soul Controlling Stage!

Yun Yan, who had been charging toward the arena, skidded to a halt, his eyes wide with astonishment as he stared at Su Yun.

His son-in-law had managed to repel Lin Zongshan, a man of equal strength?

"How dare you!"

Amidst the collective shock of the crowd, a frigid voice cut through the air, sending a chill across the square with its terrifying presence.

The middle-aged man with black hair on the pavilion gazed down at Lin Zongshan with icy detachment. With a flick of his wrist, a formidable surge of Soul Power streaked down with the speed of lightning.

Puff!

Lin Zongshan had no time to react before he was struck, coughing up a mouthful of blood and sent flying out of the arena.

He slammed into the plaza's perimeter wall and crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold!

The crowd audibly gulped, their faces etched with fear as they looked up at the black-haired middle-aged man standing resolutely on the pavilion.

Earth Soul Stage!

The previously amiable-looking middle-aged man was, in fact, a formidable Earth Soul Stage expert!

"So this is the Earth Soul Stage..."

Feeling the overwhelming aura, Su Yun involuntarily took a deep breath.

His own Soul Power seemed to falter under its weight.

Since receiving the Divine Hammer and awakening his Thunder God Holy Body, this was the first time he had experienced such an oppressive force!

"Openly attempting to sabotage my sect's selection process is an unforgivable offense!"

The black-haired middle-aged man declared sternly, "Effective immediately, anyone associated with the Lin family is hereby banned from participating in my sect's selection. Moreover, my sect will refuse to accept any disciples with ties to the Lin family!"

The Lin family members in attendance blanched at his pronouncement.

His words effectively severed their future prospects of joining the High Sect!

Members of the Dong family, who had been seething with rage at Su Yun, instinctively recoiled. Their fury dissipated as quickly as smoke in the wind, as if doused by a bucket of ice water.

In the arena, not a soul questioned the validity of the black-haired middle-aged man's statement.

The Earth Soul Stage spoke volumes in itself!

Before such a presence, the cultivation families of Yunhe City paled into insignificance.

With a frosty tone, the man shifted his focus to Su Yun on the stage, his eyes gleaming as though he'd discovered a treasure.

That piercing stare caused an involuntary shudder from Su Yun.

The middle-aged man chuckled at the reaction, then turned his attention to Yun Yilan and the three other youths who had been blasted off the platform by the surge of Soul Power. He declared with a booming voice, "Congratulations to the five of you for making it through the selection process!"

With a flick of his wrist, he sent five exquisitely crafted wooden tokens, enveloped in Soul Power, floating down to land before Su Yun, Yun Yilan, and the three youths.

"This token signifies your discipleship within the Yuntian Sect. The moment you receive this token, you are officially disciples of our sect!"

The three youths, though battered from their fall, couldn't contain their excitement as they clutched their tokens.

They had made it; they had triumphed in the selection!

Their eyes brimmed with gratitude as they looked towards Su Yun on the platform.

Without Su Yun's decisive move to eject Lin Feng and his companions from the ring, the challenge of securing these tokens would have been daunting!

Envy filled the eyes of the onlookers as they gazed upon Su Yun and the other four.

Joining the Yuntian Sect was akin to a carp transforming into a dragon. Wherever they would go in the Tiancang Empire, respect would follow. But perhaps most enticing were the cultivation resources within the Yuntian Sect—resources beyond the wildest dreams of the average person.

For them, reaching the Earth Soul Stage, or even ascending to the same level as the black-haired middle-aged man, was not out of the realm of possibility!

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