“That’s the Blood Calamity Lin Yun, right? He’s ranked 54th, decent among the bottom fifty, if he faced someone in the mid-forties, he might stand a chance, but against 26th-ranked Jiang Cheng, it’s probably another crush.”
“I know this guy, he made a name for himself at the Thousand Sects Battle, but that was with his war pet, this arena’s all about personal strength, no way he beats Jiang Cheng!”
“Yeah, at the Thousand Sects Battle, he couldn’t even beat Hao Yuntian one-on-one, only won after unleashing his pet, it hasn’t been long since then, how much could his strength have grown?”
…
As Lin Yun and Jiang Cheng took the stage, countless eyes turned to the arena, chatter erupting.
Lin Yun’s fame outshone Jiang Cheng’s by miles, before this, Jiang Cheng was a nobody in the Xingwu Empire, but snagging 26th in the first round proved his chops.
Lin Yun’s feats in the barrier space, though impressive, weren’t broadcast live, so the crowd didn’t know the details.
“No clue how strong Lin Yun is now,” the sect leader’s deep gaze fixed on the arena, a flicker of worry in his heart, he’d never pinned down Lin Yun’s true strength.
“Sect Leader, relax, this match is no sweat for Lin Yun, he took out Gu Dong, Jiang Cheng’s nothing,” Mo Qing said.
“What?”
The sect leader, Aunt Mei, Elder Zhang, and the other disciples, all jolted at Mo Qing’s words.
“Mo Qing, you said… you said Lin Yun eliminated Gu Dong?” Aunt Mei couldn’t help repeating.
“Yep, Zhi Jin and I, we were right there,” Mo Qing smiled.
“Didn’t see that coming, Gu Dong got knocked out by Lin Yun! I was wondering, how’d Gu Dong get eliminated, who did it? Mystery solved, it’s this Lin Yun guy,” the sect leader chuckled.
Outside the front hall.
“Mule or horse, this’ll show it,” Emperor Xingwu lounged on his throne, sipping celestial brew, eyes on the arena.
“This guy… he can win, right?”
Jin Yao’er watched that lean figure on the stage, a mix of hope and nerves.
On the arena.
Lin Yun and Jiang Cheng, faced off.
The crowd’s heated chatter, much of it reaching Lin Yun’s ears, he knew damn well, most didn’t rate him in this fight.
“Time to prove my strength,” Lin Yun muttered.
Most folks pegged Lin Yun as a pet-reliant guy, his rep built on that, leading everyone to underestimate his own power.
Lin Yun had vowed, today he’d show them all, strip away the pet’s halo, he was still a force!
“The infamous Blood Calamity Lin Yun, finally my turn to face you,” Jiang Cheng grinned.
“Jiang Cheng, if I recall, you said if we met, you’d beat me,” Lin Yun eyed him.
“Damn right I did, didn’t expect the heavens to actually pair me with you, so today, I’ll step on your fame, make my name ring out!” Jiang Cheng boasted.
“If you want me under your foot, you’ll need the strength to back it up.”
Lin Yun spread a hand, drew his Saint Spirit-grade sword, unleashed his peak First-Order Great Vehicle Realm aura, no holding back.
Though he hadn’t hit Second-Order, his realm strength had still climbed.
“First-Order Great Vehicle’s still just First-Order, watch me take you down!”
Jiang Cheng’s words dropped, he raised a hand, a sword appeared, a godly-tier weapon.
His Third-Order Great Vehicle Realm aura, fully bared.
“Chaos Sword Record!”
Whoosh!
Jiang Cheng’s sword, laced with killing intent, ripped through the void, roared toward Lin Yun, a fierce onslaught!
A normal Second-Order Great Vehicle cultivator couldn’t block this, a First-Order might get pulped!
Every eye in the crowd, locked on the arena.
Another one-sided stomp? The first 25 matches, nearly all crushing victories!
Could Lin Yun stop this ferocious strike?
Ninth Layer of Taixu Power, erupt!
Divine Sense, erupt!
Clang!
Lin Yun’s sword met it head-on, shockwaves exploded, energy surged wild!
The raw, brutal force, sent Jiang Cheng stumbling back, each step thudding the ground, “boom boom boom.”
Lin Yun, unmoved, stood firm!
Whoa!
The crowd gasped in unison.
“This guy… he’s kinda strong! Jiang Cheng’s the one eating it on this move!”
Everyone thought Jiang Cheng would steamroll, but Lin Yun held his ground.
“Nice!”
Jin Yao’er, seeing this, couldn’t help clapping and cheering.
On the arena.
“Jiang Cheng, if that’s all you’ve got, forget about stepping on me,” Lin Yun said, staring him down.
Jiang Cheng’s face, darkened to the max!
That clash, it shook him too, this guy was way tougher than he’d figured?
He’d just thrown out his signature sword art, divine sense, mysteries, plus his Third-Order Great Vehicle Realm, his divine sense only pseudo-god sixth-tier, decent, but compared to Lin Yun, a solid gap.
“Lin Yun, guess I underestimated you, fine, behold my full power!”
“Seventh Layer of Taiyin Power!”
Jiang Cheng’s strength spiked sharp.
“Sword Rain, rise!”
With a wave, raindrops formed around him, turned into hundreds of sword streaks, linking into a tiger phantom, letting out a sky-shaking roar, then lunged at Lin Yun!
The tiger stomped the void, warping and collapsing it!
“Interesting!”
“Mysteries, fuse!”
Wind and fire mysteries, merged on his sword, then it flashed into a sword beam, slashed at the tiger of sword rain.
Tenth Layer of Taixu Power!
As the beam closed in, power spiked again, laced with fierce divine sense ripples.
Boom!
The beam, with stunning force, struck the tiger, it shuddered hard, then blew apart, raindrops scattering across the arena, splashing on Lin Yun.
This move, smashed by Lin Yun flat!
“Mystery fusion!”
“That Lin Yun, he hit Great Vehicle with mystery fusion!”
The crowd below, buzzing with shock.
Mystery fusion, plenty of prodigies had it, but mastering it, that marked real talent.
And at forty, pulling it off, that’s what blew minds.
On the arena.
“How!” Jiang Cheng’s face twisted as his move shattered.
“Jiang Cheng, looks like you’re about tapped out, now it’s my turn to strike, better watch yourself!”
