Supreme Dragon Martial Soul-Chapter 280: The Eighth Prince Arrives! Offense and Defense!

Chapter 280: Chapter 280: The Eighth Prince Arrives! Offense and Defense!

A scorching sun hung high in the sky, casting thousands of golden rays!

As the half-hour rest drew to a close, the entire Outer Sect Martial Arts Square erupted once more, becoming several times livelier than the morning!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Outer Sect Great Elder Qin Yun stood up, preparing to announce the rules of the Top Hundred Ranking Battles.

At that moment.

A burst of commotion suddenly arose from within the square.

Many raised their heads to look toward the sky.

In the clear azure skies, three human figures slowly flew closer.

Each of them tread upon a stunning rainbow trail beneath their feet, exuding an overpowering aura that showcased unfathomable cultivation. At the very center stood a youth garbed in golden brocade.

The youth’s figure was tall and upright, radiating an air of nobility. Yet his slightly narrow eyes lent him an overall sharp and severe demeanor.

This individual was none other than Jin Min, the Eighth Prince of the Great Yue Dynasty and a central figure in the Crown Prince Hall!

Seeing Jin Min arrive, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Square grew even more feverish.

Especially the disciples of the Crown Prince Hall, each one appeared utterly elated, chanting fervently, "Senior Brother Jin Min!"

No one had anticipated that the Eighth Prince Jin Min would personally come to watch the Outer Sect tournament.

Only a select few seemed to grasp the reason behind his appearance, and their gazes collectively fell upon Luo Cheng.

Luo Cheng furrowed his brows slightly.

Jin Min had undoubtedly come with him in mind, and this could only mean trouble.

Soon, Luo Cheng’s brows relaxed again.

On the arena stage, battles with disciples from the Crown Prince Hall would be subject to fairness, especially with the multitude of powerful guests and faction leaders present. Jin Min wouldn’t dare act rashly!

Moreover, his mentor Chen Xuan would never sit idly by!

The Eighth Prince Jin Min slowly descended onto the high platform where the elders were seated.

"Eighth Prince!"

A few elders immediately rose from their seats.

Jin Min nodded, offering a faint smile, "I’ve merely come out of boredom to take a look—you need not mind me."

With that, Jin Min casually seated himself, his gaze landing on Luo Cheng. An icy smirk flitted across his cold expression.

His purpose here was, unsurprisingly, Luo Cheng.

A worthless figure who had suddenly gained the power to instantly defeat a Tongxuan Realm Third Layer Peak martial artist—this development had caught Jin Min off guard.

The youth beside Jin Min noticed his expression and remarked, "Senior Brother Jin, is this the Luo Cheng you were referring to? He’s only at the Tongxuan Realm Second Layer, and his awakening was of a Wasted Martial Soul. Simply insignificant—there’s no need for you to trouble yourself over him."

Jin Min replied indifferently, "You only know half the story. Five months ago, this man was still at the Body Tempering Realm."

"From the Body Tempering Realm to the Tongxuan Realm Second Layer in five months!"

The two Inner Sect disciples beside Jin Min both lost their composure, their eyes bulging in disbelief. One exclaimed:

"That’s impossible! Such growth speed—awakening a Wasted Martial Soul aside—even a genius awakening a Nine-star Martial Soul wouldn’t match this pace!"

Jin Min hadn’t uttered a word. Luo Cheng’s speed of growth left even him deeply astonished.

"Haha, none of this matters now. Soon enough, he’s just going to become a corpse anyway."

Jin Min chuckled softly. He was confident that no matter how strong Luo Cheng’s combat prowess might be, he wouldn’t survive this Outer Sect tournament.

Not to mention anyone else—Jin Min had absolute confidence in Qi Guyun!

Qi Guyun had already successfully condensed a Divine Bridge, his Sword Dao Realm reaching Sword Heart Perfection. On top of that, he had mastered the Imperial Family’s secret techniques. In terms of combat power, he was practically comparable to a true Awakening Vein Realm martial artist. Killing someone like Luo Cheng would take no effort at all.

Jin Min’s goal here was simply to witness it firsthand.

"Senior Brother Jin, I heard some news. Last night, Dreamli Peak experienced an unusual phenomenon, which even alarmed the Supreme Elder who has been in seclusion for years. Dreamli Peak has now been designated as a forbidden area! Word is, Yun Mengli’s cultivation breakthrough might have caused this..." a youth spoke.

At these words, Jin Min’s face twitched, an unmistakable flash of jealousy glimmering in his eyes. "I’ve heard about this too. What are you trying to say?"

The youth replied, "If this news is true, and Yun Mengli emerges from seclusion, her status and reputation will surely skyrocket. This Luo Cheng, whom she personally nominated and fiercely protected—Yun Mengli even killed several Outer Elders on his behalf. If we kill him, considering Yun Mengli’s temperament..."

Hmph!

Jin Min interrupted dismissively, "And so what? Luo Cheng will die in the arena, killed during a fair match. Yun Mengli would have no ground for complaint! Besides, since when did the Crown Prince Hall fear a mere woman?"

"Yun Mengli’s Green Bird Martial Soul may indeed be extraordinary, but in the end, it’s only a Ten-star Spiritual Martial Soul. Nangong Jue awakened an Eleven-star Earth-level Martial Soul—far superior to hers!"

The youth nodded, "Senior Brother Jin is right..."

As the trio conversed.

The Outer Sect Great Elder Qin Yun rose and announced the rules of the Top Hundred Ranking Battles.

Compared to the challenge matches and phase competitions, the ranking battles were far more complex, utilizing a points system.

The Top Hundred disciples were divided into ten groups of ten based on their rank.

Starting with the tenth group, battles were conducted without random draws—each participant had to face all others in their group!

Each victory earned two points, a draw earned one point, and a loss yielded zero points.

When all matches were concluded, rankings were determined based on final points!

The top three of each group could advance to the next group’s battles, progressing forward until the final rankings for the Top Hundred List were decided!

After announcing the rules, Qin Yun cleared his throat and raised his voice:

"Now, the Top Hundred Ranking Battles officially begin!"

Boom!

As his words fell, the entire square burst into thunderous commotion. The refereeing elders at each arena immediately began drawing lots.

"First Arena: Rank 98 Lin Fei vs. Rank 91 Song Hao!"

"Second Arena: Rank 95 Li Xiong vs. Rank 97 Yuan Lingshan!"

"Third Arena: Rank 93 Xu Wei vs. Rank 100 Gou Xi!"

...

The Outer Sect disciples whose names were called each ascended to their respective arenas and began their battles.

All those who had made it to the Top Hundred were capable of dominating martial artists of the same tier. Their duels were stunningly intense, eliciting waves of cheers that echoed like avalanches throughout the square.

Luo Cheng, ranked thirty-sixth on the Top Hundred List and placed in the fourth group, had some time before his match and decided to observe the ongoing duels to gain practical combat insights.

These Top Hundred disciples each possessed distinctly different battling styles and techniques, broadening Luo Cheng’s horizons.

For instance, Rank 97 Yuan Lingshan wielded two peculiar crescent-shaped moon wheels as her weapon. When she danced with them, they resembled a frosty moon, slicing the ground into countless arc-shaped gashes!

Her opponent, Li Xiong, was proficient in a cultivation technique called the Xuan Force Cloud Art, which created a layer of force fields around him, offering impenetrable defense.

The two had drastically different combat approaches—one employing unpredictable attacks, rendering defenses futile, while the other stood solid as a mountain, countering dynamic moves with stillness. They were evenly matched, exchanging nearly a hundred blows without a clear victor.

Finally, Yuan Lingshan managed to identify a crack in Li Xiong’s defense through relentless offense, landing a decisive strike that shattered the force field and claimed victory, earning herself two points.

"Impressive!"

Luo Cheng nodded inwardly, simultaneously realizing:

Even the wisest can err!

No matter how impeccable the defense, there will always be a weakness. The best defense is indeed a stronger offense!

Soon, the tenth group’s battles concluded, and the top three scorers advanced to the ninth group, where they would face twelve opponents each!

Next came the ninth group, then the eighth, seventh, sixth...

Finally, it was time for Luo Cheng’s fourth group battles!