“Yeah, Miss Yulian’s not just beautiful, she’s strong too, beating Wang Zui and Ling Yixue back-to-back, if she takes down Ling Chen, that’d be downright exhilarating.”
“Hahaha, don’t get too excited, she’s the city lord’s daughter, Tianfeng’s top beauty, you can’t even crack the top four, what makes you think you’ve got a shot at her?”
“Can’t I just fantasize a little?”
“Sure, sure, that’s what they call a toad lusting after a swan.”
As the two bantered, the fight on the field kicked off.
Shi Yulian’s martial skills leaned toward softness and speed.
Coupled with her sharp mind and knack for strategy, even if Ling Chen outclassed her in raw power, winning wouldn’t be a cakewalk.
Ling Xiao smirked, he’d already sized up this fight.
Right off the bat, Ling Chen would stumble.
But as long as he didn’t lose outright, Shi Yulian would eventually wear down.
Those first twenty moves were key.
The fight unfolded just as he predicted.
Ling Chen tried mimicking Shi Yulian’s techniques but failed, floundering instead, falling into a defensive mess, nearly losing several times.
Lucky for him, his strength and reflexes held up, dodging disaster and avoiding an embarrassing defeat.
“Senior Sister Yixue, you just fought her, got a read on her style?”
Ling Yixue was on the fifth arena, Shi Yulian’s old spot, no one minded her taking it.
Ling Xiao, on the fourth, was close enough to chat.
“She’s tricky, no matter what you throw, she’s got an answer ready, her real weapon isn’t strength, it’s her brain,” Ling Yixue replied.
“Exactly, fighting’s an art, not just brute force, blending smarts with power makes you unstoppable,” Ling Xiao nodded, half to himself, half coaching Ling Yixue.
Shi Yulian was strong and clever.
But she was only peak fifth-layer Martial Vein.
Ling Chen was mid-sixth-layer.
Jumping realms isn’t for everyone, especially not this big a leap.
After twenty moves, Shi Yulian slipped behind, while Ling Chen grew fiercer.
He wasn’t dumb either, his battle smarts rivaled hers.
Four years out there, surviving life-and-death scraps, made a difference.
By forty moves, Ling Chen had her pinned, and he wasn’t just a copycat, he wielded two mortal martial fragments.
One was mimicry.
The other, scarier one, was “suppression.”
Against lower-realm foes, the longer the fight, the faster their momentum crumbled, across the board.
“Shockwave Fist!”
At sixty moves, Ling Chen unleashed Shi Yue’s copied move, blasting Ling Yixue off the arena.
She floated down gracefully, hair a mess, but her landing still oozed charm.
Worthy of Tianfeng’s top beauty, even losing looked good.
“You’re truly the Ling family’s young ace, I’m no match, I concede!” Shi Yulian took a deep breath, steadied herself, and bowed to Ling Chen.
No helping it, the realm gap was too wide, skill and wit couldn’t bridge it.
Especially since his weren’t lacking either.
“Ling Chen!”
“Ling Chen!”
Beating Shi Yulian spiked his popularity, especially among the Ling family, where disciples chanted his name.
To them, Ling Xiao was an outsider, Ling Chen was clan blood.
Ling Xiao’s strength bred jealousy, not joy.
Ling Chen’s power sparked cheers.
If the Ling family couldn’t fix this divide, the rift between clan-born and recruits would haunt them.
Ling Chen basked in it, his gaze sweeping the crowd, lingering on Ling Xiao with a flicker of disdain.
Then it shifted to Li Xinghui.
Shi Yulian held the third arena.
He held the second.
Next up, he’d challenge Li Xinghui.
“Li Xinghui, dare to face me?”
“Senior Brother Xinghui, teach this smug jerk a lesson!”
“Yeah, Li Xinghui, don’t let him get too full of himself!”
“Take him down!”
Ling Chen’s antics had ticked off plenty, especially the Stone, Wang, and Li families.
Li Xinghui rose slowly, eyeing Ling Chen, his astral energy seeping out, pressure creeping toward him.
“You’re not the only one in Tianfeng City who’s hit sixth-layer Martial Vein!”
Li Xinghui’s fighting spirit burned.
“Hahaha, Senior Brother Xinghui’s been hiding his strength all along!”
“Must’ve learned some realm-concealing trick, this’ll be good.”
“Didn’t expect you to be mid-sixth-layer too, no wonder you’re so calm facing me, but you’re still no match!” Ling Chen stood, hands behind back, robes fluttering without wind, exuding a sage-like air.
“Three moves!”
Li Xinghui said abruptly.
Three moves?
What’s that mean?
No way he’d beat Ling Chen in three, right?
The crowd erupted at his words.
Ling family disciples bristled, thinking Li Xinghui was too cocky.
Other families’ disciples cheered or jeered, it wasn’t their fight, they just wanted Ling Chen humbled.
“Junior Brother, you think Li Xinghui’s for real?” Ling Yixue asked Ling Xiao.
“He’s seen Ling Chen fight and still said it, I doubt he’s bluffing,” Ling Xiao replied.
He’d always pegged Li Xinghui as strong, not just in realm.
The guy must’ve had some wild encounter.
Ling Chen was tough, but against Li Xinghui, he might fall short.
Put it this way, Li Xinghui was like a mid-sixth-layer beast, Ling Chen just a mid-sixth-layer martial artist.
Normally, same-level martial artists can’t beat same-level beasts, especially not a smart one.
“That reminds me, before he was six, Li Xinghui was raised by a beast in the Fulong Mountains,” Shi Yulian chimed in from the third arena.
“No wonder,” Ling Xiao thought, always sensing a dormant beast in Li Xinghui, now it made sense with that backstory.
Ling Chen challenging Li Xinghui.
This pushed the Tianfeng Gathering to its climax.
Everyone figured this’d be the peak fight, wrapping up the event.
First and second would soon be clear.
“Three moves to beat me? Hahaha, big talk, I’d love to see how you pull that off!” Ling Chen’s body thrummed with fighting intent, brushing off Li Xinghui’s claim as a mind game, unfazed.
