Ling Xiao glanced at Ling Tian, then burst into laughter. "Haha, thank you for letting me win! If you hadn't given me three moves, I wouldn't have had a chance of defeating you." He paused, then added, "A mid-level profound practitioner is no more than that." With that, he gracefully walked off the stage.
Ling Tian glared at Ling Xiao with wide eyes and roared, "I'll kill you." He instantly unsheathed his longsword, ready to strike Ling Xiao.
"How dare you!" From the viewing platform, the Fourth Elder snorted, and a powerful, invisible pressure swept toward Ling Tian.
Ling Tian froze in place, sweat dripping down his cheeks. A moment later, the Flaming Sun Sword in his hand fell to the ground, and he was forced to his knees by the pressure.
"Take him away! This is truly disgraceful!" Ling Wei shouted at the guards.
At this point, two guards hurriedly helped the pale-faced Ling Tian away from the scene. Ling Wei turned and bowed to Ling Cang, saying, "Clan Leader, I failed to discipline my grandson strictly. I will punish this wicked grandson severely when I return. Please be lenient."
Ling Cang waved his hand, saying, "This is just a child's dispute of loyalty. A few words of reprimand will be enough. The competition will continue."
"Thank you, Clan Leader, for your leniency," Ling Wei bowed again and returned to his seat. Regardless of whether Ling Tian's defeat was unjust or not, Ling Tian had actually threatened to kill Ling Xiao in front of so many people. And Ling Xiao was Clan Leader Ling Cang's grandson. Wasn't this a direct slap in the face of the Clan Leader? Ling Wei's palms were sweating. Although Ling Cang usually appeared very gentle, his strength was even greater than his own, and his killing methods were extremely decisive. Back when they were both young, he had witnessed Ling Cang single-handedly annihilate an entire army in the Desolate Mountains. The memory still lingered in his heart. For years, Ling Cang and Ling Mo had been squabbling openly and covertly, yet he remained neutral, primarily because he couldn't afford to offend either side. So, he simply kept to himself and remained a docile Punishment Elder. He didn't want Ling Tian's actions to upset this balance, as siding with either side would be a dead end.
The Ling Tian incident was merely a minor incident, forgotten with the start of the next competition.
Ling Hu faced Ling Li, the first clash of high-level Xuanzhe. No one favored Ling Hu. After all, Ling Hu had only just broken through to the high-level Xuanzhe level a little over a month ago, while Ling Li had already broken through for over a year, having reached the peak of the Xuanzhe level. Within the next three months, he would unleash his Xuanli and break through to the Xuanshi level. There was a significant gap between the two.
However, Ling Hu wasn't the type to retreat without a fight. He would at least fight with all his might, accepting defeat.
With the announcement from Ninth Elder Ling Fu, the final match of the second round began! After a brief exchange of greetings, Ling Hu and Ling Li began the battle without further ado.
Ling Hu was the first to attack. With a roar as terrifying as a tiger's roar, his fists surged forward like dragons emerging from the sea, smashing down on Ling Li.
Ling Li quickly retreated, one hand behind his back, and with a swift movement, a silver, crystalline spear appeared in his hand.
This was also a low-level, second-tier weapon, the Greedy Wolf Silver Spear. Forged from the bones of a second-tier snow wolf, it was incredibly tough and radiated the bloodthirsty, murderous aura of the Greedy Wolf, intimidating even before the fight.
With the Greedy Wolf Silver Spear in hand, Ling Li's eyes gleamed fiercely as he brandished the spear, charging towards Ling Hu, even faster than him.
Knowing he had no advantage over the weapon, Ling Hu didn't dare take the blow head-on. Instead, he dodged with a tiger's gait and delivered several punches to Ling Li's waist. Ling Li hadn't expected Ling Hu's swift reaction, but his eyes flashed with cold disdain. He changed the direction of his spear and shouted, "Rain of Arrows!"
Instantly, countless spear shadows pierced Ling Hu, like countless raindrops falling, carrying a cold aura that stung his face painfully.
Ling Hu couldn't avoid it, and his tiger fists and spear shadows collided.
"Ding-dong... Ding-dong..." A symphony of weapons clashed.
One mistake, and Ling Hu's shoulders were pierced with blood, several holes appearing in succession. The blood splattered in a terrifying manner.
Many of the underage Ling family members in the audience were pale with fear.
However, Ling Hu gritted his teeth and persisted. He seemed unconcerned with the injury and continued to look for an opportunity to strike back.
"Stubborn!" Seeing Ling Hu's stubbornness, Ling Li drew his spear and changed his tactics. In an instant, the rain of spear shadows transformed into a snake, its blood-soaked mouth wide open, and it rushed towards Ling Hu. "This is the Snake Spear Transformation. Its power is even more extraordinary than last year's. It looks like Ling Li is about to take that step," Ling Kuang muttered to himself, his eyes narrowed.
Not far away, Ling Xing's expression was solemn. He had always been close to Ling Li, but seeing Ling Li's seamless and seamless moves, he felt he was still a little behind. In the ring, even the slightest difference could mean the difference between success and failure.
"Wait, Ling Li! Today, your only opponent is me," Ling Xing clenched his fists, his resolve firm, and he silently muttered to himself.
This move would determine success or failure. Ling Hu clasped his fists together, his eyes widening as he rapidly gathered all his profound energy into them. "Tiger Leaps Over the Mountains."
His fists, like mighty hammers, met the serpent-like spear fiercely.
"Bang."
"Ah!"
Ling Hu screamed, his gloves shattered, blood gushing from his mouth. Despite this, Ling Hu did not retreat. "Hmm?" Ling Li raised a brow, sensing something was amiss.
Sure enough, Ling Hu had a trick up his sleeve. He leaped and grabbed Ling Li's Greedy Wolf Spear. With his other punch, he infused all his profound energy and roared, "Defeat me!"
A fierce tiger-like punch lashed out, striking Ling Li's vitals.
The roar was deafening, the momentum overwhelming, shocking the entire audience!
Ling Li's spear was restrained, and he hadn't expected Ling Hu's resilience, taking a solid blow to the abdomen.
"Bastard!" Ling Li cried out in pain, being knocked back several steps. He shook his spear, swung it, and instantly dislodged Ling Hu's hand.
"Greedy Wolf Bite," Ling Li, enraged by Ling Hu, unleashed his full strength for the first time, thrusting his spear towards Ling Hu's throat.
A ferocious wolf roared at Ling Hu, who didn't fight back. Seeing Ling Hu about to be slain by Ling Li's spear, Elder Ling Fu, standing nearby, shouted and tried to intervene, but he was too far away and it was too late.
The audience erupted in shock, as if they were about to witness Ling Hu's death.
Fortunately, Ling Li remained composed. Just as his spear was about to pierce Ling Hu's throat, the tip of the spear deflected slightly, striking Ling Hu's shoulder.
Blood splattered, and the tiger's body tumbled.
A hush fell over the scene, and after a moment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The Ling family wouldn't tolerate infighting; even the clan leader's grandson couldn't escape death.
Elder Ling Fu wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been frightened to death by Ling Li just now, and to have someone die in battle right under his watch was a sin. Ling Hu lay on the ground with a grim expression, struggling to utter, "Thank you...thank you...for your mercy."
Ling Li sheathed his gun, glanced indifferently at Ling Hu, and then gracefully walked off the stage. No one noticed a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of Ling Li's mouth. Clearly, Ling Hu's final counterattack had left him with internal injuries.
With Ling Li's victory, the three strongest Xuanzhe-level cultivators were finally determined: Ling Xing, Ling Xiao, and Ling Li. These three, along with Ling Kuang and Ling Lin, also at the Xuanshi-level, will participate in next year's Meteorite City Clan Young Generation Competition and enjoy the treatment of ordinary deacons. One of them could even gain the favor of the Grand Elder and become his successor disciple. The Ling family members in the audience were outraged by Ling Xiao's selection. A low-level Xuanzhe was among the top five. Even if he could become a mid-level Xuanzhe next year, his strength would be far less than what he needed to represent the Ling family in the competition. After all, except for a few small families who sent mid-level Xuanzhe in previous competitions, the lowest level of the other two families competing was a high-level Xuanzhe. This was a matter of family honor, and there could be no room for sloppiness.
Setting that aside for now, the competition wasn't over yet; a third round would still be held to determine the final rankings.
Ling Xing, Ling Xiao, and Ling Li each went up to draw lots. This wasn't an elimination match, but a round-robin tournament. The winner of two consecutive matches would be declared the strongest Xuanzhe. The two who each lost one match would face off in a rematch to determine the ranking.
For the sake of fairness, anyone injured during the competition could take the family-provided Huilu Pills after the match to recover and fight again, or they could choose to forfeit.
The drawing was quickly completed. In the first match, Ling Xing faced Ling Xiao, while Ling Li took a break. Ling Li reminded Ling Xiao again, "Don't force yourself."
Ling Xiao felt a warm sensation in his heart, and then, with a carefree smile, he said, "I should be telling you this. Don't hold it in. Find a place to spit out the blood now, and you'll feel better." With that, he walked onto the ring without looking back.
Others might not have noticed Ling Li's unusual condition, but Ling Xiao did. Ling Li was forcibly suppressing the churning of his blood. Holding it in this way could easily lead to a hidden illness. However, spitting out the reversed blood and channeling it with profound energy should not leave any sequelae.
Ling Li wore a strange expression, hesitated for a moment, then quietly withdrew from the scene.
Over here, before Ling Xing entered the ring, Ling Zhi, standing by, said to him, "Brother Xing, we can't let that bastard off so easily."
"Of course. Unless he's too cowardly to admit defeat... otherwise... hehe," Ling Xing licked his tongue and smirked. Ling Xiao and Ling Xing took the stage, and the crowd in the audience began to discuss the situation again. In short, no one expected Ling Xiao to pull off another upset, and the general consensus was that Ling Xiao was doomed to lose.
On the stage, Ling Xing, with a gentle smile, said, "You'd better admit defeat. You're too weak, not even on my level. Stop trying to fight."
Ling Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "Haha, you're just as cocky as that guy just now, and you still lost to me." After a pause, he added, "That guy just now was one level higher than me, so he let me have three moves. You're two levels higher, so shouldn't you let me have six? That's just ridiculous."
Everyone couldn't help but curse Ling Xiao inwardly when they heard his words. How shameless! He actually asked someone to give up their moves in public, and he actually thought it was natural. Ling Xing's face turned slightly green, and he immediately said, "On the ring, there's only victory and defeat, not concession. If you lack confidence, simply admit defeat, or I'll inevitably inflict some physical pain."
"Ah, it seems you're not as generous as that other guy just now. However, against a small-time character like you, there's really no need for you to yield. You... aren't qualified yet," Ling Xiao sighed, looking at Ling Xing with disdain.
At these words, everyone in the audience looked at him strangely.