With a single strike of the sword, a brilliant azure light shone!
Ling Hua was gathering all his profound energy, his hands tightly gripping the hilt, the azure veins on his wrists radiating. He clenched his teeth. Just as Ling Xing's azure sword light was about to reach him, he roared, "Come!"
With that roar, Ling Hua thrust his sword towards Ling Xing's azure light.
"Ding-dong."
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
The clang of swords clashed repeatedly, and someone let out a piercing cry, sending them flying backwards out of the arena. Fortunately, Ninth Elder Ling Fu used his cunning strength to prevent the person from suffering such a heavy blow.
The person who was thrown was none other than Ling Hua, who had taken Ling Xing's blow head-on. His high-grade, first-level longsword had been split in two, and blood was flowing profusely from the base of his hands. Without medicinal elixirs, it would take at least three months for him to recover. Ling Hua was carried off, and Elder Ling Fu announced, "Ling Xing wins."
As soon as the result was announced, the Ling family members below the stage exclaimed in surprise.
"Ling Xing is so powerful! He sent Ling Hua flying with a single blow."
"I didn't even see how he struck, and Ling Hua was already flying. If it had been a life-or-death fight, Ling Hua would have been beheaded."
"I wonder if Ling Xing is stronger this year, or Ling Li!"
...
Watching Ling Xing defeat his foe with a single blow, Fifth Elder Ling Yan, standing on the viewing platform, beamed with joy, clearly very satisfied with Ling Xing's performance.
Clan leader Ling Cang, sitting in the center of the viewing platform, frowned slightly, a hint of worry between his brows.
On the stage, Ling Xing had already sheathed his sword. He gently brushed his long hair, uttered a faint sneer, and said, "You're overestimating yourself!" Then he glanced in Ling Xiao's direction and gracefully departed.
"Ling Tian and Ling Xiao, please come on stage!" Elder Ling Fu's voice rang out again. Ling Tian, just like in the previous match, gracefully leaped onto the stage from the audience, his demeanor exceedingly elegant and graceful. Ling Xiao, on the other hand, calmly ascended the stairs. It wasn't that he didn't want to stand out, but there were so few beautiful women in the audience, and since they were all from the same clan, he felt it was pointless to waste his expression.
"Ling Xiao wasn't so lucky this time. A low-level profound practitioner actually made it to the second round. How unlucky of him."
"It's all because of his incredible luck that he could even retrain a wasted talent. It's no surprise he's made it this far."
"Ling Tian has already mastered a yellow-level sword technique, and he loves the spotlight. He definitely won't let Ling Xiao off easily like he did last time."
In the audience, the Ling family members discussed the upcoming battle between Ling Tian and Ling Xiao.
The competition had finally begun!
"Come on, show me the true strength of our Ling family's genius. I'll give you three moves," Ling Tian said, gesturing with a contemptuous finger at Ling Xiao. "Nonsense! This kid seems overly spoiled. I'll definitely teach him a lesson when we get back," Fourth Elder Ling Wei slammed the table in a low voice from the viewing platform. He glanced at Ling Cang in the center, as if afraid his grandson's behavior might offend Clan Leader Ling Cang. After all, Ling Xiao was Ling Cang's grandson.
Second Elder Ling Mo, standing nearby, said quietly, "It's normal for young people to be impulsive and arrogant. It's harmless." Second Elder Ling Mo, who had always been at odds with Clan Leader Ling Cang, took the opportunity to speak up for Ling Wei, who belonged to the middle faction. His intention was self-evident. Ling Cang, in the middle, nodded and said, "We've all been through our youthful recklessness. Ling Tian is a promising young talent. Fourth Brother, we must nurture him well and make him a pillar of the family as soon as possible!"
Ling Wei glanced at Ling Mo before finally saying to Ling Cang, "Ling Wei understands." In reality, Ling Wei was still feeling quite proud. Ling Lin and Ling Tian's talents were unrivaled among the younger generation, and it certainly made him proud. Even if Ling Tian was feeling cocky and conceited, Ling Wei didn't think it was a big deal. It was understandable for young people. He'd only said that to save Ling Cang's face.
Back on stage, Ling Xiao flashed a sly smile and shouted, "You said you'd give me three moves?"
Everyone in the audience heard Ling Xiao's words, and they couldn't help but sneer. Ling Tian naturally assumed Ling Xiao was stage-frightened and deliberately speaking loudly to bolster his courage. He immediately said disdainfully, "Of course. I, Ling Tian, am a man of my word. If you can force me to attack within three moves, I lose." Ling Tian spoke just as loudly, as if afraid the audience wouldn't hear.
Ling Xiao smiled and said, "Well, get ready. I'm going to attack."
Ling Tian made a very courteous gesture of invitation and said, "Come on! Forget three moves, even thirty. You might not be able to hurt me at all." Ling Tian was quite confident. He was a mid-level Xuanzhe. Even just a novice, he was strong enough to take on five low-level Xuanzhe at once without losing. Moreover, he had already mastered two yellow-level sword techniques. Taking on Ling Xiao, a low-level Xuanzhe who had only been in the game for two weeks, would be no problem.
"Then I'm coming. Wait," Ling Xiao said as he slowly walked towards Ling Tian, appearing to be strolling leisurely, not at all looking like he was about to attack. "Watch this!" Ling Xiao said, unleashing a seemingly ordinary, unrefined punch aimed at Ling Tian's face.
Ling Tian folded his arms across his chest, tilted his body slightly, and easily dodged Ling Xiao's punch. He said contemptuously, "You think you can touch me with these rustic, unrefined punches? You're dreaming."
Ling Xiao pulled his fist back and shook it twice. "Damn it! You actually dodged it! Watch this one!" Ling Xiao swung his fist again, adding a bit of speed. As expected, Ling Tian dodged it once more.
The Ling family members in the audience were astonished by Ling Xiao's performance. "This, this isn't even the strength of a low-level Xuan practitioner! Even a Level 5 martial artist's punches are faster than his."
"Could it be that he knew he was no match for Ling Tian, so he threw a few punches before giving up?"
"I don't think he's such a wimp."
...
Ling Zhi, in the audience, stared at Ling Xiao with a puzzled expression. He'd been knocked unconscious by Ling Xiao's single move before, and he didn't believe Ling Xiao didn't even have the courage to fight. It seemed his two punches were just to distract Ling Tian; the third would surely be a surprise.
The elders on the viewing platform were equally puzzled by Ling Xiao's performance. Their thoughts echoed Ling Zhi's, believing that Ling Xiao's final move lay in the third. However, they all agreed that no matter how Ling Xiao managed to surprise Ling Tian, he couldn't defeat him. After all, the gap in strength was already there.
"This is your last move! Use whatever killing moves you have," Ling Tian sneered. Although he was conceited, he wasn't a fool. He had no doubt guessed Ling Xiao's intentions. Ling Xiao rubbed his nose and said, "Not bad, not bad. You're quite capable of dodging two of my punches. It seems I really can't defeat you if I don't take it seriously."
Ling Tian said, "Stop talking nonsense. You only have one last chance. Draw your sword, and cherish it."
Just now, Ling Xiao had only struck Ling Tian with his bare hands. However, any warrior's most powerful move usually involves the use of a weapon. Only a weapon can intimidate the opponent and unleash their full power. A subtle hint of cunning flashed across Ling Xiao's eyes, and he chuckled, "A mere mid-level Xuan practitioner like you isn't even worth my sword."
Ling Tian was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Haha, do you think you're still the Xuan practitioner you once were? You're just a small-time character who's just entered the realm. How dare you say that to me? Aren't you afraid of getting your tongue lashed out?"
On the viewing platform, Fifth Elder Ling Yan sneered, "These days, some kids just don't know how to advance or retreat." Ling Xiao had once teased the Fifth Elder in the cabinet, nearly causing his grandson, Ling Rui, to be expelled from the family. He hated Ling Xiao immensely.
Fourth Elder Ling Wei suppressed his laughter. He also believed that although Ling Xiao was able to cultivate again, he was confident that his grandson would never be defeated.
Would that really be the case?
The next moment, Ling Xiao's actions proved others wrong, and incredibly wrong. Ling Xiao said calmly, "I'm ready. I'm going to attack."
"Stop talking nonsense! Come on, don't waste time! This is your last chance," Ling Tian said confidently.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xiao began to move. His movements seemed slow, but they were actually incredibly fast. His footsteps were ethereal and mysterious, like a gust of wind, and he was instantly in front of Ling Tian.
"Flowing Water and Clouds"
"Catching the Wind and Catching Shadows"
Ling Xiao showed no mercy. His palms swift as flowing water slammed into Ling Tian's chest, leaving him unable to react. He then launched several consecutive Wind God Kicks, leaving Ling Tian powerless to defend.
Ling Tian felt a flash before his eyes, and Ling Xiao had already attacked him. He didn't even have time to react before he was struck. He was like a sandbag, sent flying without a chance to fight back.
Everyone, both in the audience and on stage, was stunned. They were dumbfounded as Ling Tian was blown away like a kite with a broken string. The Ling family members in the audience had no idea how Ling Xiao attacked. Only the deacons above the Xuanshi level who were watching the fight, and the elders on the viewing platform, saw clearly that Ling Xiao unleashed nine punches and nine kicks, a total of eighteen attacks, all landing on Ling Tian.
"This...this is impossible!" Ling Zhi exclaimed in wide-eyed shock.
Ling Xing, standing nearby, looked slightly surprised, but not overly shocked. He thought to himself, "Ling Tian is just a conceited idiot. But this is fine. Let me face him next time and see how I can cripple him."
Ling Kuang and Ling Lin, sitting with the deacons in the audience, were stunned. They could see that Ling Xiao's unusual footwork was incredibly fast, almost rivaling the speed of their Xuanshi-level counterparts.
On the stage, Fourth Elder Ling Wei and Fifth Elder Ling Yan's faces turned green. One was surprised that his grandson had actually been defeated, while the other was stunned by the speed displayed by Ling Xiao. Clan leader Ling Cang, seated in the center, finally cracked a relieved smile.
On the stage, Ling Xiao addressed Ninth Elder Ling Fu, "Elder, isn't it time to announce the results?"
Ling Fu finally reacted, "Oh... Ling Xiao wins this match."
At that moment, the audience erupted in roars. No one had expected that Ling Xiao, a low-level profound practitioner, could actually defeat Ling Tian, a mid-level profound practitioner.
"No... Impossible. I won't lose. Let's fight again!" Ling Tian broke free from the guards who were helping him to rest, roaring in rage, unable to accept the reality.