On the first arena.
Li Xinghui sat back down, his hair showing not a trace of disarray.
There wasn’t even a bead of sweat on his face.
In other words, up to this point, he’d barely expended any effort, securing victory with ease and nonchalance.
“Too terrifying!”
“Worthy of being the top of the Four Young Masters.”
“Among the younger generation, who else can stand against him?”
“Ling Chen, perhaps?”
At that moment, almost everyone’s gaze turned to Ling Chen.
They couldn’t think of anyone else qualified to challenge Li Xinghui.
If there was someone who could defeat him, it had to be Ling Chen.
Ling Chen relished this feeling of being the center of everyone’s expectations.
He stood up and leapt onto the first arena.
“Li Xinghui, I’ve finished regulating my breathing. If you need a rest, I can wait.”
Ling Chen smiled, projecting an air of magnanimity.
“No need. Three moves are enough to defeat you. Why rest?”
Li Xinghui rose slowly, looking at Ling Chen with a faint expression.
“Arrogant!”
Ling Chen’s gang qi erupted suddenly, the aura of a mid-stage Martial Vein Sixth Layer spreading out, forcing some nearby martial artists to step back.
After all, most of the young martial artists here were only at the peak of Martial Vein Fourth or Fifth Layer.
Facing this ferocious momentum, it was normal they couldn’t handle it.
Li Xinghui said nothing, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
Along with an eerie glint.
The entire crowd held their breath.
To most of them, this was the pinnacle showdown of the Tianfeng Gathering.
Missing even a blink would feel like a loss.
Among the crowd, four young martial artists, their auras concealed, lazily watched the impending fight.
“The strength gap is too wide!”
“Indeed!”
“A bit boring. Should we go up and have some fun?”
“Don’t mess around. We’re just here to gather intel, not to expose ourselves.”
“Heh, I was just kidding. These people aren’t worth our effort anyway.”
Through their languid gazes, one could see Ling Chen launching his attack on the arena.
Ethereal Steps!
An entry-level top-tier movement technique, Ethereal Steps, had been cultivated by Ling Chen to Great Success. When executed, he seemed to turn into a phantom, impossible to pin down.
That was the essence of “ethereal.”
The top disciples of the four great families all possessed top-tier martial arts.
Ling Chen was no exception.
“Nice movement, but useless!”
Li Xinghui faced Ling Chen’s technique with no change in expression, maintaining the same stance.
Still utterly unconcerned.
Ling Chen stayed silent. He wasn’t foolish—speaking now would let his opponent pinpoint his location by sound.
He circled Li Xinghui, shifting positions, searching for the perfect moment to strike.
He wasn’t in a rush.
Rushing in would only lead to Shi Yulian’s fate.
“Ling Chen’s movement technique has reached Great Success. It’s so elusive and unpredictable—Li Xinghui might struggle to beat him in three moves.”
Shi Yulian, sitting on the third arena, commented lightly.
“It’s pointless.”
Ling Xiao shook his head gently.
In front of a martial artist with a ten percent awakened fragmented martial soul, Ling Chen’s actions were like a clown’s performance—pure self-amusement.
Before, he hadn’t understood what gave Li Xinghui the confidence to claim victory in three moves, but now Ling Xiao saw it clearly.
Li Xinghui’s eyes must have gained some benefit from his martial soul, granting him a special pupil technique that could detect weaknesses in an opponent’s martial arts.
“No way. Even if you’ve got a grudge against Ling Chen, you wouldn’t judge him with such bias, right?”
Shi Yulian looked at Ling Xiao, puzzled.
“Bias?”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly, “Just watch and see.”
As they spoke, Ling Chen finally made his move.
Seizing what seemed like a perfect opportunity, a cold glint flashed in his hands as two sharp daggers appeared.
With Ethereal Steps, his strength lay in dagger techniques, giving him the air of an assassin or killer.
Two streaks of cold light formed a cross, slashing toward Li Xinghui’s back.
His speed was so fast that most people could only catch the cross-shaped gleam.
The crowd’s hearts tightened.
This cross of light was clearly Ling Chen’s attack. If it hit, Li Xinghui would surely be gravely injured.
After all, Li Xinghui excelled in offense, favoring unconventional tactics—his defense was notoriously weak.
But the next moment, everyone was dumbfounded.
Tiger Tail Slash!
Li Xinghui didn’t even turn his head. He simply leaned forward, then whipped his right leg toward the cross of light.
In that instant, it was as if a tiger’s tail lashed out.
Crack!
The strike was like a perfectly calculated move, executed with just the right force—not too much, not too little—shattering the cross of light.
But it didn’t stop there.
After breaking the cross, the Tiger Tail Slash continued toward Ling Chen.
Ling Chen tried to dodge, but no matter how fast he was, the move was faster.
With no other choice, he thrust both daggers downward.
Boom!
This clash put Ling Chen at a disadvantage. He was midair, unable to exert full strength.
Upon landing, his arms trembled, the webbing between his thumbs and fingers split open, with traces of blood seeping out.
As for Li Xinghui, he had no intention of pursuing, merely saying two words, “One move!”
Seeing this, Shi Yulian shot Ling Xiao a surprised glance. His keen judgment was astonishing.
Was it a fluke?
After all, Ling Chen often started off underestimating his opponents.
She decided to keep watching.
Landing, Ling Chen feared pursuit and didn’t dare pause. He immediately used Ethereal Steps again, turning into a blur once more.
But Li Xinghui not only didn’t move—he’d spoken those two words, making Ling Chen feel humiliated. In his anger, he launched a second attack.
Dozens of afterimages.
Dozens of blade shadows.
Ling Chen pushed Ethereal Steps to its limit. Though only one of the dozen blade shadows was real, in the heat of the moment, who could tell?
This move, while not as strong as the Shadow Sword Technique, was still impressive.
Yet it was still useless.
Li Xinghui was like a god, accurately identifying the true blade shadow. With a Fierce Tiger Claw, the shadow shattered.
What followed was Ling Chen’s shocked cry and the sound of tearing fabric.
How could this be!
Ling Chen was starting to lose confidence.
In these two consecutive attacks, he hadn’t held back at all.
Yet each time he struck, not only did he fail, but he ended up injured. What was the logic in this?
His mind grew chaotic.
The commanding presence he’d had at the start was long gone.
“Two moves!”
Li Xinghui stated calmly once more.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
“Chen’er, calm down!”
Ling Xiaotian shouted nervously from below.
But it was no use—Ling Chen was completely led by Li Xinghui now.
Li Xinghui had said he’d defeat him in three moves.
And now Ling Chen himself believed the fight would end in three.
So for his third move, he unleashed his strongest attack yet.
“Ethereal Kill!”
