Chapter 50: The Shock of the Three Education Administrators

With just a brief sentence from Chen Ming, an immense danger completely engulfed Yu Tianheng. The toxic mist that had previously drifted harmlessly around him, unable to penetrate his body, relinquished its native toxicity in this instant and erupted as pure soul power.

"Boom!"

A massive shockwave burst forth. Yu Tianheng felt as though his body had been trampled by a ten-thousand-year soul beast, instantly beginning to twist and collapse. His proud physique and martial soul proved utterly useless at this moment, leaving him at the mercy of the violent impact to be torn to shreds.

Right then and there, Yu Tianheng had no means of self-rescue. And the explosion of the Venom Blast was merely the beginning.

The upper limit of the Venom Blast's power was limitless, depending entirely on the consumed soul power and the potency of the toxins. The soul power Chen Ming had accumulated after casting the Venom Cloud for so long was by no means a small amount. The unleashed might was something no Soul Elder could endure.

Naturally, this assumed the exclusion of special skills such as Invincible Golden Bodies or Teleportation.

Finally, at this critical juncture, Meng Shenji, acting as the referee, made his move.

At some unknown point, his Black Demon martial soul had possessed him. Eight soul rings—two yellow, three purple, and three black—revolved around him. The sixth black soul ring began to flash, and a strange force enveloped both Meng Shenji and Yu Tianheng.

Black Demon Martial Soul, Sixth Soul Skill: Illusory Nightmare.

Its effect was to "virtualize" a selected target for a few seconds, turning them into a state akin to a spiritual body. During virtualization, they were immune to conventional damage, ignored physical collisions, and suffered double the damage from spiritual attacks.

This soul skill could be used to control enemies and unleash a fierce wave of output against them. It could also be used to protect oneself and teammates, avoiding dangerous soul skills.

Meng Shenji sensed that the lethality caused by Chen Ming's Venom Blast was approaching the effects of a Soul Ancestor's fourth soul skill, or even a weaker fifth soul skill. Most importantly, this was an area-of-effect soul skill!

Without preparation, let alone Yu Tianheng, a three-ringed Soul Elder, even he himself would have suffered a blow if caught off guard.

After all, he was merely a spiritual-attribute soul cultivator whose body had entered a state of decline, meaning his physical constitution was not particularly outstanding.

The sturdy arena was completely shattered under the impact of the Venom Blast. A massive volume of stones and debris shot outward at high speeds, only to be intercepted by Bai Baoshan and Zhilin's soul skills before they could cause harm.

Once the soul skills subsided, the arena had vanished entirely, as if ravaged by a large horde of strength-attribute soul beasts. Only uneven pits of various sizes remained on the ground.

Witnessing this terrifying lethality, the observing students who had been watching the spectacle not far away were frightened nearly to death. The previously undisciplined crowd instantly plunged into chaos. Many tumbled to the ground, and those lacking courage even summoned their martial souls, triggering an even greater uproar.

However, the three education committee members were no longer in a position to manage those matters. Zhilin and Bai Baoshan rushed into the ruins, one heading straight for Chen Ming while the other went to check on Yu Tianheng.

Thanks to Meng Shenji's impeccable timing, Yu Tianheng successfully avoided the vast majority of the damage, only suffering the impact of the initial wave of the Venom Blast.

Although he felt as though he were on the verge of death, with multiple fractures throughout his skeletal structure and internal organs beginning to bleed,

on the Douluo Continent, such injuries still fell under the category of minor wounds.

As long as he didn't lose his limbs or an entire internal organ, he would fully recover within half a month at most, leaving behind zero lingering aftereffects.

Bai Baoshan eyed Chen Ming, noticing that aside from a layer of dust and the appearance of excessive soul power consumption, Chen Ming himself seemed completely unaffected. He finally let out a breath of relief, reached out, and patted Chen Ming on the back.

"Xiaoming, calm down, calm down. This is just an exchange within the academy, not a life-and-death struggle. Don't be so hot-headed, don't be so impulsive. Whatever is on your mind... whatever the issue is, you can talk to us three old fellows! Just treat us like your elders! If anything happens, come to us!"

"Didn't we give you a token last time? If something comes up, show the token. Don't be so reckless!"

To be honest, after witnessing the exaggerated lethality of Chen Ming's second soul skill, Bai Baoshan felt as though his head had been struck by the Clear Sky Hammer, ringing incessantly.

If something happened to Yu Tianheng, they wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility. But if something happened to Chen Ming, they wouldn't be able to bear that either.

Putting aside the fact that Chen Ming was a top-tier genius destined to become a Titled Douluo, just consider tomorrow—tomorrow, he was scheduled to meet the Heaven Dou Empire's Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, at the Qibao Restaurant. And in a few days, once the Poison Douluo returned, the Poison Douluo would undoubtedly come looking for him.

Whichever one of them ran into trouble, Bai Baoshan felt the pressure bearing down on him was immense.

Naturally, deep within Bai Baoshan's heart, he also held a deep curiosity regarding Chen Ming's second soul skill.

Even though, to a Soul Douluo like him, a Soul Ancestor's fourth or fifth soul skill was nothing formidable, Chen Ming was merely a Spirit Grandmaster! For a second soul skill to rival the trump cards of a regular Soul King was simply going too far.

Venom Blast?

He had never even heard of this skill, and later searches in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's database yielded nothing, save for similar skills like Flame Blast or Ice Blast, which showed that such skills possessed power incomparable to conventional soul skills.

Yet...

Was this merely a matter of being incomparable?

With this kind of power and coverage, he would have fully believed it if someone claimed this was a Soul Emperor's sixth soul skill. And the consumption was merely enough to drain a single Spirit Grandmaster dry—was there any justice in this world?

Had his own lineage not been tool-type martial souls where any damage would lead to major consequences preventing arbitrary detonation,

Bai Baoshan would have wanted to establish an ancestral rule right then and there, commanding every future generation to absorb a soul skill similar to Venom Blast or Ice Blast.

To prevent further issues, Bai Baoshan gave Meng Shenji a look. Meng Shenji immediately carried Yu Tianheng off to the healing soul cultivators for treatment, while Bai Baoshan grabbed Chen Ming by the sleeve, leading him away into the distance. Zhilin summoned his martial soul and remained at the scene to maintain order.

Once they reached a deserted spot, Bai Baoshan thoroughly inspected Chen Ming and, finding only some superficial scrapes, led him to sit down on the grass, speaking to him earnestly and persuasively.

"Xiaoming, just treat us like the elders of your family. If anything troubles you, don't keep it bottled up inside; you can always talk to us. Never mind that Yu Tianheng belongs to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family; within the academy, he has only one identity, and that is a student."

"When someone provokes you like that, just flash the token and let us solve it for you. If you have any problems, tell us. If you want practical combat training, come to us too; we will arrange a good teacher to spar with you."

"Your talent is exceptionally brilliant, and you are bound to secure a spot on the academy team in the future. In days to come, even when stepping onto the stage of the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, you will undoubtedly shine brightly. Never let petty matters ruin your bright future."

"Rest assured, Yu Tianheng has no major issues and will recover after a few days of treatment. Should anyone from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan arrive, the three of us will handle it for you. From now on, Yu Tianheng certainly won't dare to come looking for trouble with you again."

"Many things cannot be clearly explained simply through words. But Xiaoming, you must remain extremely cautious. As your talent develops, you will inevitably surpass us, but make sure you aren't plotted against by those with ulterior motives before you fully mature!"

"Matters within the academy, the three of us will shoulder for you, but in the future..."

"Sigh..." Thinking of the relationship between the academy's head, Prince Xuexing, and the crown prince, Bai Baoshan sighed and fell silent.