“Xinghui, take a break for a bit.”
At the Li family patriarch’s words, Li Xinghui nodded and sat down to rest.
But the Tianfeng Gathering didn’t pause at this point.
Everyone knew it was nearing the end, and if they didn’t challenge now, they’d miss their chance.
So there were still plenty of fights during this time, though they were limited to those ranked sixth and below.
For the crowd, it served as an appetiser before the showdown between Ling Xiao and Li Xinghui.
After all, you can’t enjoy a feast without a little warm-up.
Half an hour later.
Li Xinghui stood up, his gaze burning as he stared at Ling Xiao and said, “I won’t underestimate you, but I won’t overestimate you either. You’d better use everything you’ve got, or you’ll lose even worse than Ling Chen.”
With that, Li Xinghui suddenly moved.
His figure flickered, transforming into the afterimage of a fierce tiger, appearing within three steps of Ling Xiao in an instant.
This was the first time Li Xinghui had taken the initiative to attack.
He likely assumed Ling Xiao relied on the Nine Transformations Golden Body Art and the Shadow Sword Technique.
So he aimed to break Ling Xiao’s defence, figuring that would essentially secure his victory.
Li Xinghui’s right hand formed a claw, trembling in the air, producing afterimages. From his fingertips, gang qi shot out as claw-like beams, each about three inches long.
Then his left hand followed suit, both hands striking simultaneously. The claw beams enveloped Ling Xiao, as if intent on shredding him to pieces.
“Gulp!”
Someone in the audience swallowed hard.
Facing Ling Xiao, Li Xinghui had unleashed a move he’d never used before.
“What a terrifying claw technique. I wonder if Ling Xiao can withstand it.”
Ling Xiaotian felt a twinge of nervousness.
Though he’d been unfair in some matters, overall, he still hoped to nurture Ling Xiao.
“Hmph, so arrogant. He deserves to die!”
Ling Yin snorted coldly, unimpressed.
He harboured nothing but resentment and displeasure toward Ling Xiao.
“He’s done for!”
Back in the pavilion recovering from his injuries, Ling Chen saw this and shouted in excitement.
Having lost to Li Xinghui himself, he naturally hoped Ling Xiao would lose even more miserably, sparing him some embarrassment.
But reality slapped him hard.
“Here we go!”
Li Xinghui’s主动 attack and stronger move were undeniably terrifying in power.
Yet instead of fear, it ignited Ling Xiao’s fighting spirit.
His opponent was using an advanced martial art.
Ling Xiao countered with an advanced martial art of his own.
Both were at the Transformation Realm of advanced martial arts.
One was an enhanced version of the Fierce Tiger Claw.
The other was an evolved version of the Meteor Fist.
Both were stronger, more distinctive, and more powerful than their original advanced forms.
His fists shot out, delivering six punches in an instant.
Boom, boom, boom!
Boom, boom, boom!
The claw beams clashed with the fist strikes, sparking dazzling fireworks.
The sparks flew, dust billowed, completely obscuring the two fighters’ figures.
The onlookers could only see the sparks flying from the dust cloud, unable to make out the two combatants.
Even so, everyone watched with rapt attention.
Li Xinghui had long been famous, holding a spot among Tianfeng City’s Four Young Masters for three consecutive years. Though he also trained in swordsmanship, his greatest focus remained on the beast fist techniques he excelled at.
These were martial arts chosen based on his fragmented martial soul, and their power was evident.
When fully unleashed, the traces of his claws were impossible to catch with the naked eye.
It was truly like the claws of a demon beast in the dark—only the occasional glint of cold white light was visible, not the beast itself.
In contrast, just two months ago, Ling Xiao had been a nobody.
Even within the Ling family, he was a punching bag anyone could bully.
But since awakening his Mountain and River Martial Soul, his strength had soared, rising like a comet. It was impossible not to take notice.
In a short time, he’d climbed from the bottom of the Ling family to the top tier of Tianfeng City’s younger generation.
A true prodigy!
Though he hadn’t drawn his sword, Ling Xiao’s fists were still fearsome.
The Meteor Fist was already known for its exaggerated power.
But in Ling Xiao’s hands, it gained new traits. Not only did its power remain undiminished, but it also became more versatile.
Between swings, his fists flowed like water, boundless as the sky, making it impossible for his opponent to predict their path or find a weakness.
Though Li Xinghui was faster, Ling Xiao’s every punch was more precise, as if he could see through his opponent’s attacks completely.
One punch often countered three of his opponent’s strikes.
It was almost unbelievable.
The two fought from the centre of the arena to its edge, from the ground to the air, then back to the arena.
Back and forth, up and down, they used only the Fierce Tiger Claw and Meteor Fist. Yet in their hands, these advanced martial arts displayed advantages that even many entry-level top-tier martial arts couldn’t match.
The stunning and intricate techniques left all the young martial artists present wide-eyed and speechless with awe.
They didn’t even dare blink, afraid of missing a moment of this thrilling battle.
Not just them—even the patriarchs and elders of the four great families felt their hearts tremble.
Given a little more time, these two youths would soon outgrow Tianfeng City.
It wasn’t just their terrifying strength.
More importantly, their potential and talent were utterly frightening.
Before them, no one in Tianfeng City had ever wielded advanced martial arts to such a degree.
Among the crowd, four young experts from Yun Kong City in Baiyun Province, mingling with the smaller families, couldn’t help but gasp.
“These two, purely in terms of talent and potential, are terrifying. Give them a few years, and they might break into the top ten in Baiyun Province!”
“Indeed, it’s almost unbelievable. Their mastery of martial techniques surpasses many veteran experts. That’s what’s most frightening.”
“But in the end, when two tigers fight, one must fall. Who do you think will win?”
“Li Xinghui, probably. He’s got a ten percent fragmented martial soul, making him stronger than Ling Xiao.”
“Maybe, but how can you be sure Ling Xiao doesn’t have a fragmented martial soul too?”
The crowd’s discussions below didn’t reach the two on stage.
Even if they had, it wouldn’t have affected them.
By now, the fight had clearly entered a stalemate, growing ever more intense.
“It’s been nine moves already. Li Xinghui said he’d end it in ten. I wonder what’ll happen?”
The audience hadn’t forgotten Li Xinghui’s earlier claim.
To keep his word, Li Xinghui would surely launch a fiercer attack on the tenth move.
“Tiger King Force!”
Sure enough.
Li Xinghui switched tactics, unleashing his top-tier martial art—the very move that had defeated Ling Chen.
A tiger’s roar echoed as a massive gang qi tiger shadow enveloped Li Xinghui’s body, lunging toward Ling Xiao.
“This time, Ling Xiao’s finished!”
Ling Chen declared once more.
He refused to believe he’d misjudged.
No matter how many moves had passed, he could excuse it by saying Li Xinghui hadn’t used his strongest Tiger King Force, giving Ling Xiao an opening.
But if Ling Xiao still stood after this move, he’d run out of excuses.
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
Ling Xiao laughed heartily. A long sword slid from behind him into his hand, and he thrust it forward.
“Back off!”
Shadow Sword Technique, Second Layer!
One thrust became three figures.
One was his real self, two were clones.
