“No—!”
A cry of anguish rang out, and a figure darted from the crowd, catching the body of Li Xinghui as it was about to collapse to the ground.
It was Li Yunsheng!
Li Xinghui’s father.
The head of the Li family in Tianfeng City, one of the masterminds behind the attack on the Ling family.
“Heavens above, four moves to kill Li Xinghui? What was that sword strike just now? Its power felt almost as strong as a full martial soul’s attack!”
“Not quite that exaggerated, but it’s definitely stronger than Li Xinghui’s eighty percent remnant soul. It’s probably an issue of true essence quality. Ling Xiao’s foundation is too solid, his true essence is incredibly robust, likely not inferior to a Martial Vein Eighth Layer martial master!”
“Terrifying. This lad has made a name for himself in Yun Kong City today!”
“How does someone like him deserve this? I heard he was just a little beggar before. How did he become so terrifying? It makes one jealous!”
“A beggar turned genius—how can anyone accept that!”
Seeing the outcome, the crowd was universally shocked.
All were astonished.
But more prevalent were feelings of jealousy and discontent.
What they found hardest to accept was that Ling Xiao had been nothing more than a lowly beggar, not a scion of a prominent clan or a disciple of a major sect.
This stark contrast was unbearable, giving rise to their envy.
On the Hidden Dragon Camp’s side, Lin Ze and the others breathed a sigh of relief, now laughing heartily.
Ling Xiao’s performance had exceeded their expectations. This lad’s talent might be far greater than even Master Baiyun had suggested.
Lin Ze had made up his mind. Since Master Baiyun was unwilling to take Ling Xiao as a true disciple, he would do so himself.
A genius like this was absolutely worthy of inheriting his legacy.
In truth, when he had sent the Hidden Dragon Camp disciples to hunt down the traffickers of Dream Pills, his goal was to select a disciple.
In these chaotic times, he, as a general, lived a precarious life. His potential had reached its limit, and he feared he would never break through to the Transcendent Realm.
Ling Xiao had far greater prospects and was far more worthy of nurturing.
General September turned to look at Ling Yixue, sighing, “What is a peerless prodigy? Today, I truly understand. Ling Xiao—this name may soon become the most outstanding young talent in Baiyun Province, or even the Human Sacred Dynasty, capable of rivaling the prodigies of the Ninja Clan, Blue-Eyed Clan, and Barbarian Clan.”
“You’re still underestimating him,” Ling Yixue said, shaking her head, her eyes gleaming with intense excitement.
General September paused, suddenly recalling Master Baiyun’s words.
The Human Clan, Ninja Clan, Blue-Eyed Clan, and Barbarian Clan were merely low-tier races.
Though their appearances varied significantly, they still fell within the scope of human form.
But mid-tier and high-tier races were different.
Their forms were vastly different, and their talents far surpassed those of low-tier races.
Unless one could ascend to the Transcendent Saint Realm, it would be nearly impossible to enter the worlds of those races.
The Human Sacred Dynasty was vast, but compared to the entire world, it was but a drop in the ocean.
General September wasn’t well-versed in such matters. Looking at Ling Xiao, he thought perhaps this young man could one day show him what the outside world was truly like.
Holding Li Xinghui’s body, Li Yunsheng’s rage had reached its peak. He glared at Ling Xiao, roaring, “You butcher! You killed both my sons! I’ll fight you to the death!”
With that, he suddenly thrust a sword at Ling Xiao.
Clang!
A sharp sound rang out, and the space trembled violently. Ling Xiao’s robes fluttered wildly in the gust.
In front of him, General September appeared instantly, shattering Li Yunsheng’s sword qi with a single punch.
“Li Yunsheng, have you forgotten? This is Life-and-Death Cliff. Your son signed a life-and-death contract with Ling Xiao. In front of Governor Wan and General Lin, what do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s my son who died!” Li Yunsheng roared.
He knew his actions violated the rules, but Li Xinghui was his only remaining son, and this son’s talent far surpassed Li Xingyun’s.
He had always hoped his son would become Governor Wan’s right-hand man, allowing the Li family to return to Tianfeng City and reclaim control.
But now, with Li Xinghui killed by Ling Xiao, his dreams shattered like a broken mirror, impossible to piece back together.
He lost all reason, desperate to kill Ling Xiao at all costs.
“Yes, your son is dead, but this life-and-death battle was instigated by your son. You didn’t stop him before—on the contrary, you strongly supported it. Perhaps you thought Ling Xiao would be the one to die! If that had happened, you’d probably be thrilled, wouldn’t you?”
General September sneered, “Now that your son is dead, you’re angry? What were you doing earlier?”
“Enough!”
Governor Wan cast a cold glance at Ling Xiao, then turned to Li Yunsheng and said, “On Life-and-Death Cliff, fate decides life and death. Or are you, Li Yunsheng, planning to have the entire Li family buried alongside him?”
At these words, Li Yunsheng trembled and said no more, quickly leaving with his son’s body.
Before departing, he shot Ling Xiao a venomous look, as if he wanted to tear him apart and swallow him alive.
In truth, Governor Wan was also deeply displeased. This outcome had cost him face, and he wished he could kill Ling Xiao on the spot.
But as the governor, and with this being Baiyun Temple, there were things he couldn’t do in front of others.
Another person was equally furious—Feiyu.
It wasn’t just because Ling Xiao had killed Feimu and Feiyun. More importantly, Feiyu noticed that Shi Yulian, the woman he had brought back from Tianfeng City and treated as his own, was now staring at Ling Xiao in a daze.
This was utterly intolerable to him.
Perhaps the one thing a man cannot bear is seeing the woman he loves develop feelings for another.
Feiyu felt his pride had been severely challenged, and rage began to consume his fiery heart.
“Ling Xiao, don’t think killing Li Xinghui makes you something special. In my eyes, you’re nothing!”
On the surface, Feiyu showed little emotion, but inside, a storm of fury was raging.
Though he claimed Ling Xiao was nothing to him, he didn’t dare challenge Ling Xiao on Life-and-Death Cliff.
Because he feared death and lacked absolute confidence in winning.
Fortunately, he was close to breaking through to the Eighth Layer of the Martial Vein. When that time came, he would be the first to kill Ling Xiao. He absolutely couldn’t let this person continue to act so arrogantly.
Casting a venomous glance at Ling Xiao, Feiyu took a deep breath and simply closed his eyes.
He knew he needed to endure for now.
In Shi Yulian’s eyes, there was only Ling Xiao at this moment.
That young man in green robes had appeared out of nowhere at the Tianfeng City Grand Competition, rising like a comet, defeating all opponents, and ultimately besting Li Xinghui to claim first place.
Back then, she had sensed that Ling Xiao was no ordinary talent, so she tried to seduce him into joining the Shi family.
But the arrival of the Ninja Clan disrupted her plans.
She thought Ling Xiao’s story would end there.
A shooting star comes quickly and fades just as fast.
Yet today, seeing Ling Xiao kill Li Xinghui in four moves, she suddenly understood a truth: the saplings that grow into towering trees are those that have weathered countless storms.
Ling Xiao’s future was now entirely beyond the control of people like them.
