Lan Yu wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, her gaze fixed on the youth before her.
"He's… not injured," she whispered in disbelief. Even after taking her full-powered strike, Lin Feng stood calmly amid the drifting snowflakes, his aura surging like a rising storm.
"Who are you?" Lin Feng asked, narrowing his eyes. He could tell she was stronger than Duan Yun and Jiang Yun combined—yet he'd never sensed her presence before.
"Lan Yu," she replied simply.
Lin Feng tilted his head. "Never heard of you."
Her brows twitched. "You don't know who I am?"
The surrounding disciples exchanged stunned looks.
"She's the strongest of the Six Talents!"
"And the third-ranked beauty of the Eastern Continent!"
"Lin Feng really doesn't recognize her?"
Lan Yu clenched her jaw. "You truly don't know me?"
Lin Feng scratched his head with a small smile. "No idea. Sorry."
Murmurs spread through the crowd. "He's too arrogant…" "Or maybe too honest…"
Lan Yu sighed, steadying her sword. "Forget it. Whatever grudge you have with them ends here. You won't kill anyone while I'm standing here."
Lin Feng chuckled. "And what makes you think you can stop me?"
As he spoke, three distinct auras flared around him—sharp sword intent, violent slaughter intent, and ancient dragon intent. The air trembled.
"He truly possesses three intents…" Lan Yu whispered, disbelief flickering in her eyes.
"How many lives has he taken to cultivate slaughter intent to this degree?"
"Azure Sword Art—Kill Any Under Heaven!"
A scarlet sword light erupted, tearing through the mist like a river of blood.
Lan Yu gritted her teeth. "Ice Dragon Sword Art—Third Stance!"
Their swords met.
BOOM!
Lan Yu was blasted backward, blood splattering across the frost-covered ground. Before she could recover, Lin Feng flashed forward, his blade cutting down in a ruthless arc.
Slash!
But a surge of icy energy countered.
BAM! Lin Feng was forced back several meters, boots grinding furrows in the earth.
Then the air shook with a dragon's roar.
ROAR!
Lan Yu's aura exploded outward as a spectral ice dragon coiled behind her.
"She's unleashed her Rank 5 Ice Dragon bloodline!"
"Lin Feng's in trouble this time!"
Someone shouted, "I heard Lin Feng also has a dragon bloodline!"
"Hmph," Lin Feng snorted, his killing intent spiking.
BOOM!
A colossal nine-headed dragon appeared behind him, its golden scales flickering with crimson light.
The crowd gasped.
"That's… not an ordinary bloodline."
"A dragon with nine heads? I've never heard of such a beast!"
Lan Yu's eyes widened, but she didn't hesitate.
"Ice Dragon Sword Art—Fifth Stance!"
Her ice dragon roared, exhaling a blizzard so cold that nearby disciples froze solid mid-breath. Frost raced across the battlefield.
Lin Feng squinted through the storm. "Her ice qi is even stronger than before…"
He stomped forward, and the nine-headed dragon mirrored his movement.
"Nine Dragon Heaven-Treading Step—First Step!"
ROAR! ROAR!
The two attacks collided.
BANG!!!
A thunderous explosion ripped through the air, space itself cracking under the pressure. Shockwaves hurled the onlookers into the trees.
When the dust settled, a massive crater yawned in the center of the field. Lan Yu lay within it, her armor shattered, blood staining the snow. Her eyes trembled with disbelief.
"She was the most gifted cultivator in the Eastern Continent for the past ten years," someone whispered. "And she lost to a boy barely fifteen…"
Lan Yu herself murmured weakly, "What… is he…?"
Lin Feng lowered his sword, exhaling slowly. "You're quite strong," he said sincerely.
Lan Yu just glanced at him, saying nothing.
"Lin Feng is arrogant…"
"No, he's a monster!"
"How could a half-step Legend realm defeat her?"
"He's only fifteen!"
"I heard he joined the Sword Sovereign Sect just two years ago…"
Lin Feng's gaze shifted toward Duan Yun and Jiang Yun—both pale, trembling, and barely able to stand.
He took a step forward.
But in a blur of icy light, Lan Yu appeared before them, sword raised.
"You can't kill them."
"Why?" Lin Feng asked. Though she was wounded, her will didn't waver.
"The Gathering of the Lower-Realm Geniuses is coming," she said, voice steady. "For the past thousand years, the Eastern Continent hasn't ranked in the top one thousand. If you kill them now, our continent's chances will fall even further."
"They're weak," Lin Feng said coldly. "What use are they?"
Lan Yu smiled faintly, bitterly. "I know… but still."
The two men behind her flinched.
"Lan Yu, how could you—"
"Quiet," she snapped.
Lin Feng sheathed his sword slowly. "Then tell me more about this Lower-Realm Gathering."
The forest fell silent. Snow drifted through the ruins of their battlefield, and the legends of the Eastern Continent seemed to shift forever.