Ling Hu, nineteen years old, had just entered the High-level Xuanzhe realm. He practiced the Gray-level Xuanzhe technique, the Fierce Tiger Art, and excelled in boxing, possessing extraordinary power. Last year's competition saw him place fifth, a testament to his strength.
Ling Guang, twenty years old, had just entered the Intermediate-level Xuanzhe realm. He practiced the Gray-level Xuanzhe technique, the Heavy Blade Art. Last year, with the strength of a Low-level Xuanzhe, he had ranked tenth. Now that he had achieved another breakthrough, he had expected to move up at least two places. Unexpectedly, he encountered Ling Hu, who had broken through to the High-level Xuanzhe realm, right from the start. He secretly cursed his bad luck.
Beside the arena, the clan leader and the elders sat on the sidelines, watching the strongest of the younger generation compete.
Ninth Elder Ling Fujin explained the competition rules and announced the start of the competition.
Ling Guang bowed and said to Ling Hu, "Please show mercy."
Ling Hu politely replied, "Please!"
As soon as Ling Hu finished speaking, Ling Guang kicked off and leaped out, his movements incredibly fast, like a cheetah stalking its prey, leaving no room for defense. As he neared Ling Hu, he placed one hand behind his back and slashed with his heavy sword.
Ling Guang, a direct descendant of the Ling family and of considerable status, wielded a mid-level, first-grade broadsword. He followed Ling Hu's movements like a shadow, slashing towards his forehead.
A burst of astonishment erupted from the audience; no one had expected Ling Guang to strike first, taking them by surprise, and with such breathtaking speed.
The heavy sword emanated a chilling aura as it struck head-on, and any Xuan practitioner of the same rank would have been intimidated.
However, Ling Hu, a level higher than Ling Guang and possessing considerable experience in combat, calmly raised his hands and met the blow.
The Ling family members, who had never seen Ling Zhan in action, exclaimed in surprise. "He's desperate, daring to block Ling Guang's heavy sword with his bare hands."
"Perhaps he's overconfident, thinking he can easily win just by being one level higher. Looks like his hands are going to be ruined."
"What do you know? Didn't you see what Ling Hu's hands were wearing? What an ignorant idiot."
...
Ling Hu wasn't a fool. If he hadn't been confident he could block the blow, he definitely wouldn't have dared to use his bare hands. Because his hands were covered with his unique weapon, high-level, first-level golden gauntlets, supposedly made from the hide of a second-level mole beast, they couldn't be damaged by lower-level weapons. Therefore, Ling Hu dared to block the blow with his bare hands.
However, as if Ling Guang had anticipated this, the sword that was about to strike Ling Hu's face suddenly changed direction and swept towards Ling Hu's neck.
This unexpected change of tactics startled everyone in the audience, while the elders on the viewing platform gave him applause, seemingly very pleased with Ling Guang's change of tactics. Ling Hu raised his eyebrows and shouted, "Well done!" He then blocked the blow with his left hand.
"Ding!" Weapons clashed.
Under the full force of the heavy sword, Ling Hu retreated slightly, his left hand unscathed, demonstrating the true power of his gold-threaded glove.
Seeing his strike fail, Ling Guang shouted, "Heavy Sword, Shadowless."
He unleashed a powerful attack, sending countless sword shadows swirling around Ling Hu. Even before the strikes landed, a painful gleam of blade emanated.
This was Ling Guang's strongest attack yet. The gap between him and Ling Hu was significant, so he went all out from the start, aiming to catch Ling Hu off guard and defeat him before he could make a serious move.
The Ling family members on the sidelines exclaimed again. The audience was mostly at the martial arts apprentice level. Seeing the Xuanzhe level compete was a significant benefit for them, and it also allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities for advancement. Ling Xiao observed Ling Guang's sword moves from the side, muttering, "This move looks powerful, but it's just for show. It might work with a sword, but a heavy sword should be about concealing its edge and using its sheer force to break through a thousand pounds. This move completely misses the mark."
Ling Li, standing nearby, glanced at Ling Xiao before returning to the stage.
On the stage, Ling Hu also counterattacked with a fierce move. His entire body surged with energy. He let out a roar, like a tiger roaring through the mountains, deafening the ears. Simultaneously, his fists transformed into a sky full of fist shadows.
"Tiger Roaring Through the Mountains."
"Ding Ding."
The sword and fist shadows intertwined, emitting bursts of sound.
Ling Guang unleashed his full strength in one move, and just as his strength was exhausted, Ling Hu, just as his energy was rekindled, shouted, "Defeat me!" He parried Ling Guang's heavy sword with one punch and rammed another into his abdomen.
"Bang!"
Ling Guang instantly flew back out of the ring like a kite with a broken string. "Puff!" Ling Guang collapsed off the stage, a mouthful of blood spurting out.
Immediately, two Ling family guards carried Ling Guang off.
Elder Ling Fu, on the stage, then announced, "Ling Hu wins!"
"Wow! Big Brother Ling Hu is so fierce."
"Of course I am! One day I want to be like Big Brother Ling Hu! He's so amazing."
"Big Brother Ling Hu has always been my idol. I not only want to be as strong as him, I want to surpass him."
...
The supporting disciples of Ling Hu cheered for him.
Next came two other Ling family members. Both were low-level Xuanzhe. The match was evenly matched. After a fierce battle, both were injured. The one who stood up was declared the winner. However, regardless of the winner, they would not be able to participate in the next round.
The Ling family members in the audience watched this match with great enthusiasm, their eyes filled with a desire to break through to the Xuanzhe level as soon as possible. The third match began. Elder Ling Fu announced, "Ling Zhi and Ling Xing, come to the stage."
When these two were called, the audience erupted in cheers, demonstrating their popularity among the younger generation of the Ling family.
Ling Li, standing beside Ling Xiao, said again, calmly, "Pay attention to Ling Xing."
Ling Xiao nodded knowingly, then looked toward Ling Xing.
He saw a young man, about twenty years old, wearing a cyan martial arts uniform that bore a passing resemblance to Ling Rui. He held a cyan longsword tied behind his back, his long, untamed hair flowing freely, giving him a somewhat otherworldly air. This was Ling Xing, Ling Rui's eldest brother, a high-level Xuanist. Last year, he had lost to Ling Li by only one move, placing fourth. He was a leader among the eighteenth generation. On the viewing platform, Second Elder Ling Mo telepathically informed the Fifth Elder beside him, "Fifth Elder, Ling Xing is expected to break through to the Xuanshi level in six months!"
Fifth Elder Ling Yan, with a smug look on his face, said, "Of the other youngsters, Ling Xing is the most promising, but he's still far behind Kuang'er. Zhi'er, for example, isn't much worse than him. He's only fifteen and has already broken through to the low-level Xuanzhe level. His talent isn't far behind Kuang'er's!"
Ling Mo smiled subtly and changed the subject, "When you return, you must supervise Ling Xing closely and help him break through as soon as possible. Ling Li will definitely become a Xuanshi within three months."
Ling Yan gave Ling Mo a subtle glance, then nodded silently.
On the stage, Elder Ling Fu announced the start of the match. Ling Zhi bowed to Ling Xing and said, "Brother Xing, please show some mercy!"
Ling Xing smiled and said, "I don't use weapons. If you can hold out ten times, you win."
Ling Zhi was the grandson of Second Elder Ling Mo, and Ling Xing was the grandson of Fifth Elder Ling Yan. They were from the same family and had a very close and friendly personal relationship.
Ling Zhi shook a high-level, first-grade spear in his hand and shouted, "Then I won't be polite. Watch out, spear!"
The spear snaked out, reaching Ling Xing's throat in an instant, so fast it was difficult to grasp.
Ling Xing showed no fear. With a calm, backward movement, his throat barely avoided Ling Zhi's spear. Simultaneously, before Ling Zhi could retract his spear, Ling Xing kicked out, infusing it with 50% of his profound energy, sending Ling Zhi's spear flying. The spear slipped from his hand, but Ling Zhi didn't give up. He leaped into the air, grabbed it again, and hurled it fiercely at Ling Xing below.
The spear's momentum was like a rainbow, leaving a gray shadow in the air.
"Well done!" Ling Xing exclaimed in appreciation, his back straight and his eyes blazing. Like a phantom, he dodged Ling Zhi's full-strength attack. Simultaneously, his palm transformed into a claw, grasping Ling Zhi's spear with one hand, and swiping sideways with a kick towards his shoulder.
The repetitive flips were so swift that they dazzled the Ling family members watching from the audience.
"Pah!" Ling Zhi received a kick, his spear snatched away, and he took two steps back, his expression slightly pale. Ling Xing threw his spear at Ling Zhi and said with a smile, "Brother Zhi, you lost!"
Ling Zhi caught the spear and nodded, saying, "It's not unfair to lose to Brother Xing."
Ling Zhi was only a low-level Xuanzhe, while Ling Xing was a high-level Xuanzhe. The difference in strength between them was enormous. Even without weapons, Ling Xing would easily defeat Ling Zhi.
Elder Ling Fu declared, "Ling Xing wins!"
Ling Xing and Ling Zhi stepped off the stage together. Ling Zhi whispered to Ling Xing, "Brother Xing, I'll have to teach that bastard Ling Xiao a lesson."
At the mention of Ling Xiao, Ling Xing's eyes flashed with a fierce gleam, and he said quietly, "Hmph, even if he's a Xuanzhe, so what? He's only a low-level Xuanzhe. I'll personally beat him back to his true form."
Ling Xing's family had long harbored deep resentment towards Ling Xiao's family, and recently, Ling Xiao had taken his anger out on Ling Rui because his brother Ling Rui was nearly expelled from the family. Naturally, Ling Xing wouldn't let Ling Xiao off easily. The next match was between Ling Li and another member of the Ling family, a low-level Xuanzhe. The outcome was a foregone conclusion, as Ling Li sent him flying with a single blow.
The next match was between two mid-level Xuanzhe. Ling Hua, who ranked sixth last year, emerged victorious after a hundred moves.
The final match of the first round of the Xuanzhe class pitted the mid-level Xuanzhe Ling Tian against the low-level Xuanzhe Ling Hong. It's worth noting that Ling Hong, the seventeen-year-old granddaughter of the Sixth Elder, was the only woman above the Xuanzhe level.
On the stage, Ling Tian folded his arms across his chest, glaring at Ling Hong with disdain. "You're no match for me. I don't want to embarrass you. Just admit defeat."
Ling Hong, a naturally unyielding person, heard Ling Tian's disdain and shouted, "If you want to defeat me, knock me off the stage first." With that, she drew out two shimmering, curved short swords, their brilliance dazzling in the sunlight. "It's actually a low-level, second-tier Twin Moon Sword!" Someone in the audience exclaimed as the sword was unleashed.
"I didn't expect the Sixth Elder to be so impressed with Ling Hong. He immediately equipped her with this Twin Moon Sword upon becoming a Xuanzhe. He's truly reckless."
"With the Twin Moon Sword in hand, Ling Hong's combat power will rise by at least one level. Winning won't be so easy for Ling Tian anymore."