“Good, as long as you accept the challenge.”
Wang Zui sneered inwardly. Ling Yihang’s grudge—he’d make Ling Xiao pay for it. They were both from the Ling family anyway. He’d leave this Ling Xiao lying on the ground, unable to move.
“Make your move!”
Ling Xiao didn’t want to strike first. Once he did, his opponent wouldn’t stand a chance. He was genuinely curious to see what tricks Wang Zui had up his sleeve.
Wang Zui didn’t hold back. With a cold smirk, he lunged at Ling Xiao with startling speed.
His right hand was shrouded in a layer of black mist, a sight so unsettling it made one’s skin crawl.
“Poison technique!”
Ling Xiao frowned slightly.
“Hahaha, scared now, are you? Your defence might be strong, but it’s useless against poison techniques.”
Wang Zui laughed heartily, then thrust a palm toward Ling Xiao.
Just as the palm was about to land, Ling Xiao’s body suddenly turned into a flash of golden light.
In an instant, he vanished from where he stood.
Wang Zui’s palm struck nothing, leaving him dumbfounded.
“You’re right—defensive martial arts dread poison techniques the most. Too bad I don’t just defend; I dodge too!”
His “Soaring Cloud Step: Young Dragon” was a rare, top-tier movement technique, perfected to its fullest. If he wanted to evade, Wang Zui wouldn’t even touch a hair on his head.
“How’s this possible? This Ling Xiao’s too strong! That movement technique—it’s got to be top-tier too, right?”
“Probably. Top-tier movement plus top-tier defence—this guy’s strength might be way beyond what we imagined.”
“Talk about failing to see the gold beneath the jade.”
“Yeah, we all misjudged him.”
The experts from various families around them couldn’t help but gasp in shock. Even Ling Xiaotian and Ling Yin wore stunned expressions.
Ling Xiao had given them far too many surprises.
“Dodging’s useless—take this: Buddha’s Wrath Poison Lotus!”
“Run!”
“Everyone near the arena, get back!”
“Be careful!”
“This Wang Zui’s ruthless!”
The crowd panicked because the Buddha’s Wrath Poison Lotus was a secret technique paired with a unique hidden weapon. In an instant, it could envelop an area dozens of metres wide in toxic gas.
No matter how skilled you were, it wouldn’t matter.
“You’ve got no chance!”
Ling Xiao didn’t like people who used poison techniques—no particular reason, he just didn’t.
So he wasn’t about to give Wang Zui the chance to act.
Another flash of golden light, and before Wang Zui could even draw his hidden weapon, Ling Xiao struck him from behind, knocking him out.
Of course, against Wang Zui, a normal strike wouldn’t do. Ling Xiao used the Meteor Fist, smashing Wang Zui into the arena floor.
The scene left countless onlookers in terrified disbelief, hardly able to trust their own eyes.
Wang Zui losing to Ling Yihang could be chalked up to underestimating his opponent.
But losing to Ling Xiao? That was a clear, undeniable defeat with no room for excuses.
He’d had no chance at all.
Wang Zui was one of last year’s Four Young Masters, ranked even higher than Ling Feifan. His reputation in Tianfeng City and its surrounding areas was immense.
No one wanted to face him—his poison techniques were unpredictable and eerie.
Even Li Xinghui, if given the choice, wouldn’t want to cross Wang Zui.
Yet Ling Xiao had taken down this third-ranked Young Master so effortlessly, as if it were nothing.
It was almost too unbelievable.
“Looks like he beat Ling Feifan with real skill. If he can take down Wang Zui in one move, beating Ling Feifan must’ve been a breeze.”
“Who’d have thought Tianfeng City would produce someone like this? At this year’s Tianfeng Festival, the Ling family’s really stealing the show.”
“Yeah—first Ling Chen, then Ling Yihang, followed by Ling Yixue, and now Ling Xiao. Since when did the Ling family have so much talent?”
“Recruitment!”
Someone hit the nail on the head.
“Only the Ling family dares to bring in disciples from outside. Ling Yihang, Ling Yixue, and Ling Xiao aren’t even core Ling family members.”
“Seems we can’t keep sticking to old ways either.”
After easily defeating Wang Zui, no one dared challenge Ling Xiao for a while.
With top-tier defence paired with top-tier movement, most people wouldn’t even land a hit, let alone beat him.
Ling Xiao’s performance darkened Ling Chen’s expression.
Though Ling Xiao’s displayed cultivation was only at the peak of Martial Vein Fifth Layer, his “Nine-Turn Golden Body Art” had reached the Great Accomplishment stage. In Tianfeng City, that made him the strongest defensive talent among the younger generation.
Ling Chen was starting to feel a headache coming on.
The Grand Elder Ling Yin’s face wasn’t looking much better. When Ling Xiao defeated Ling Feifan back then, his strength hadn’t been this formidable.
Now, just over a month later, he was improving by leaps and bounds.
Could it be that his grandson’s revenge would have to fall on him to settle?
He’d originally planned for the younger generation to handle their own affairs—send Ling Feifan out to train, grow strong enough, and come back to defeat Ling Xiao.
That way, it’d be fair and square, convincing everyone.
But now, he wasn’t so sure.
Ling Feifan was a genius, sure, but compared to Ling Xiao, the gap was glaring.
“Grand Elder, have you noticed? Ling Xiao hasn’t even used his sword yet,” Ling Xiaotian suddenly remarked.
“What!”
Ling Yin’s expression grew even grimmer. That’s right—Ling Xiao had requested the Ice Glass Sword as his reward that day, and he hadn’t used it yet despite already being this strong.
Was this kid truly unstoppable?
No one else challenged Ling Xiao, and he opted to hold back for now. He only had two real targets—Ling Chen and Li Xinghui. He wasn’t planning to challenge anyone else yet. The main event could wait.
No rush.
The challenges continued in an orderly fashion. Some, unwilling to accept defeat, challenged Ling Yixue and Ling Yihang, but the results were grim—one-move losses with no hope of victory.
Soon, half an hour passed.
The Tianfeng City Lord called a pause to the festival, and servants brought out food and drinks for everyone to enjoy.
Perhaps eager to get back to the fights, everyone ate quickly. In less than fifteen minutes, the food and drinks were gone.
The Tianfeng Festival resumed.
After the meal, things heated up right away.
Shi Feiyu demanded to challenge Ling Yihang.
He didn’t pick Ling Yixue, knowing he wasn’t her match. Whatever secret technique she’d used in the final stage, he hadn’t even seen it—there was no way he could counter it.
But Ling Yihang was different.
Ling Yihang wielded a blade with masterful skill and had comprehended Blade Intent. Shi Feiyu, however, had trained in top-tier defensive martial arts, perfect for countering attacks.
If Ling Yihang’s strikes didn’t surpass Li Xinghui’s, Shi Feiyu had a shot at winning.
It might be a slim chance, but how would he know without trying?
Their battle pushed the Tianfeng Festival to another peak.
Ling Yihang’s blade work was domineering and unmatched, each strike carrying the force to split mountains and rivers.
Shi Feiyu’s defence was equally impressive, holding his own against Ling Yihang’s fierce, commanding blade techniques.
The fight lasted a full half-hour, with over five hundred exchanges, yet neither could claim victory.
But Ling Yihang’s realm was slightly lower than Shi Feiyu’s. As time wore on, his blade work naturally dulled.
Shi Feiyu was exhausted too, but his endurance edged out just a bit more.
