As expected, Lu Chuyou’s words sparked excitement among the young disciples present.
The white-robed youth named He Qi stepped forward first, smiling as he approached, “I really want to test you, Junior Brother Lin Xiao. Please, enlighten me!”
With that, He Qi’s Martial Lord Second Stage aura burst forth unreservedly, exuding a surge of Haoran Righteous Qi, his momentum just shy of Chen Long’s.
Lin Xiao felt a wave of resignation. He Qi’s strength was likely just below Chen Long’s, which explained his skepticism about Lin Xiao being the top at the Southeast Region Youth Gathering.
It seemed he had no choice but to show his strength.
“Please!” Lin Xiao bowed slightly to He Qi, saying no more.
“Alright, Junior Brother Lin Xiao, be careful!”
With that, He Qi moved, his body radiating Haoran Righteous Qi as he charged toward Lin Xiao.
A powerful palm strike came crashing down.
“The disciples of the Qianglong Sect are indeed formidable!” Lin Xiao thought, inwardly marveling at He Qi’s unleashed power.
He Qi’s strength, if given the chance to participate in the Southeast Region Youth Gathering, might not have made the final ranking but wouldn’t have been far off.
However, since Lin Xiao could easily defeat Chen Long and even Lu Chuyou was no match, dealing with He Qi wouldn’t require much effort. Standing firm, a torrent of Yuan force surged from the chaos in Lin Xiao’s dantian. Clenching his fist, explosive physical power erupted. As He Qi’s palm, brimming with Haoran Righteous Qi, struck, Lin Xiao’s fist met it head-on.
Bang!
A loud collision rang out as their fist and palm clashed.
In that instant, everyone saw He Qi’s body fly backward, crashing in front of the crowd.
The young disciples of the Qianglong Sect widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
He Qi, one of the top young disciples in the sect, was defeated so easily?
And the opponent was only at the Eighth Stage Martial Venerable?
An Eighth Stage Martial Venerable defeated a Second Stage Martial Lord in one move?
“How is this possible?”
He Qi, sprawled on the ground, stared wide-eyed, utterly incredulous.
If Lin Xiao’s talent was so exceptional that he reached the Martial Lord realm before twenty and defeated him, that would be one thing.
But Lin Xiao was only at the Eighth Stage Martial Venerable. How could he possess such immense power?
What shocked him and the others even more was Lu Chuyou’s astonished voice, “I didn’t expect Junior Brother Lin Xiao to break through another stage, reaching the Eighth Stage Martial Venerable!”
Chen Long was equally stunned. At the gathering, Lin Xiao had already broken through in both Yuan and Spirit force. Now, so soon after, he had advanced another stage in the Martial Venerable realm?
This speed was astonishingly fast.
The crowd was even more shocked and skeptical. An Eighth Stage Martial Venerable who had just broken through another stage? Did that mean Lin Xiao, at the Seventh Stage Martial Venerable, had swept through all the top geniuses under twenty-five in the Southeast Region?
He Qi’s face grew even more incredulous. Did this mean Lin Xiao hadn’t even used his full strength to defeat him?
“Junior Brother Lu, are you saying that when he was at the Seventh Stage Martial Venerable, he could defeat you and sweep the others?” A youth around twenty-seven or twenty-eight stepped forward, addressing Lu Chuyou.
Lu Chuyou nodded, “You could say that.”
“I don’t believe it!” The youth, unconvinced, turned to Lin Xiao, “Junior Brother Lin Xiao, I am Yu Kewei, at the Fourth Stage Martial Lord, just slightly stronger than Junior Brother Lu. If you could defeat him at the Seventh Stage Martial Venerable, then at the Eighth Stage, you should be able to defeat me as well. I’d like to test you!”
Lin Xiao was speechless. Lu Chuyou was clearly stirring trouble with a provocative tone, mentioning only his Yuan force cultivation and not his Spirit force.
A Seventh Stage Martial Venerable sweeping through a generation of Southeast Region geniuses and low-tier Martial Lord youths from the eight major sects? Who would believe that?
But he didn’t need to explain. He simply nodded to Yu Kewei, “Alright!”
“Junior Brother Lin Xiao, here I come!” Yu Kewei’s body surged with dense Haoran Righteous Qi as he charged forward.
Close combat was the simplest way to test an opponent’s strength without using powerful techniques or causing too much commotion.
To truly verify combat power, they’d need a different battlefield, or the entire mountain might collapse from their fight.
In no time, Yu Kewei reached Lin Xiao, throwing a fierce, yang-charged punch.
Lin Xiao stepped forward, his right fist piercing the air, meeting the attack.
This punch combined not only Yuan force and physical strength but also the power of a Fifth-Grade Senior Spirit Controller.
After all, his opponent was a Fourth Stage Martial Lord, stronger than Lu Chuyou.
Of course, in close combat, Lin Xiao naturally had the advantage.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed, and a terrifying shockwave erupted. Yu Kewei’s body was sent flying, tumbling to the ground.
However, Lin Xiao controlled the force well, ensuring Yu Kewei wasn’t injured.
At this moment, Yu Kewei and the onlookers were dumbfounded.
Was Lin Xiao’s combat power really this strong?
An Eighth Stage Martial Venerable easily defeating a Fourth Stage Martial Lord?
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Lu Chuyou smirked proudly, “Now, do you believe it?”
“In fact, our third and twelfth rankings this time were not entirely based on strength.”
Lu Chuyou continued, “This Southeast Region Youth Gathering was fiercely competitive. Yang Xiu and Jian Wuqu from the Ling Jian Sect, Ren Jinghua from the Juedao Sect, Zheng Teng and Yao Yan from the Jiuxiao Sect, Xie Ya from the Evil Sect, and Ka Guqui from the Burial Sect all died.”
“Moreover, Yang Xiu, Jian Wuqu, and Ka Guqui from the Burial Sect all died by Lin Xiao’s hand. Otherwise, our rankings might not have been this high.”
“What? He killed Yang Xiu and Jian Wudi?” The crowd was stunned by Lu Chuyou’s words.
Yang Xiu, the top genius of the Ling Jian Sect’s generation, was considered the most likely to take first place.
Not only was Yang Xiu defeated by Lin Xiao, but he was also killed?
Lin Xiao had the strength to kill Yang Xiu outright, without giving him a chance to concede?
And even with such strength, he dared to kill someone from a powerful sect like the Ling Jian Sect?
Killing one wasn’t enough; he killed two!
One of them was Jian Wudi’s younger brother!
Wasn’t Lin Xiao too ruthless, too bold?
Though they found it hard to believe, Lin Xiao’s strength was evident, forcing them to accept it.
But his actions were truly shocking.
They could even imagine how thrilling the scene must have been. “Yes, Jian Wuqu and Yang Xiu were killed, with Sikong Jian present. In fact, Lin Xiao didn’t rely solely on Yuan force. He’s also a Fifth-Grade Senior Spirit Controller with spiritual energy, a mid-tier Earth Grade Dragon Vision, thunder attribute power, thunder martial intent, berserk martial intent, evil power, demonic energy, petrifying power…”
Lu Chuyou recounted Lin Xiao’s various talents, his battle agreement with Jian Wudi, the events in Shengshi City, and his clash with Sikong Jian.
The crowd was so shocked their jaws nearly hit the ground, unable to process it for a long time.
They looked at Lin Xiao as if he were a monster.
Only now did they realize what kind of figure had joined the Qianglong Sect.
His talent surpassed even the eight prodigies of the Southeast Region!
It even exceeded their Sect Leader’s! They could now guess that Lin Xiao was surely destined to be the Sect Leader’s direct disciple!
