However, after his surprise, Ling Xiao felt joy and excitement instead.
The stronger the enemy, the greater his motivation. Without opponents, cultivation would lose its drive.
“You are very good!”
Feng Ming Wushan smiled and said.
“You are very good too.”
Ling Xiao also smiled and replied.
“Although you are very good, at best you only managed to block one palm from me. If you cannot even defeat me, how do you plan to challenge the other six Phoenix Children? Relying on that mouth of yours?”
Feng Ming Wushan changed his tone and said.
“Although you are also very good, you are merely passable. With your strength, you are still not my match. If you do not believe me, feel free to try.”
Ling Xiao stood there as his battle intent suddenly erupted.
Fighting Shangguan Hong had not been satisfying enough.
He believed that a battle with Feng Ming Wushan could truly unleash his potential.
Perhaps it would even lead to a breakthrough.
After all, he still had stronger moves he had not used yet.
“Have we been out of touch with the times for too long? Shangguan Hong defeating a third Cave Heaven Realm martial artist was already outrageous enough. Now Ling Xiao can actually block a palm from a Golden Phoenix Child. Just how strong is he?”
People watching this scene felt endless amazement.
“Qingxu Academy might really rise again. At the very least, this time Ling Xiao, Shangguan Hong, and that Long Chen should stand out in the Dragon-Tiger Selection. If Ji Mingkong can recover, she might also secure a spot.”
“Yes. Ever since Ling Xiao returned, the entire Qingxu Academy seems to have come alive all at once.”
“Exactly. As soon as Ling Xiao came back, he killed Star Phoenix Child and Heavenly Peng Phoenix Child. Now he has blocked a palm from the seventh-ranked Golden Phoenix Child. His strength really makes people look forward to more.
Just now he said he would challenge all ten Phoenix Children. Although his words were a bit arrogant, I think the ones ranked lower should start worrying.”
Although Ling Xiao had delivered a huge shock to everyone, most people still favoured the top-ranked monsters among the ten Phoenix Children.
After all, those few had broken through to the Cave Heaven Realm long ago, while Ling Xiao had only just broken through.
Moreover, including the Golden Phoenix Child Feng Ming Wushan, the top seven all possessed their own unique martial souls and bloodline powers. They were dual-talent martial artists.
Compared to them, Ling Xiao still fell short.
The fact that Ling Xiao was pushed back five or six steps after blocking one palm from Feng Ming Wushan today proved it.
They completely ignored the fact that Feng Ming Wushan had also retreated five or six steps. They probably thought he had done so on purpose, to avoid being ambushed by Shangguan Hong.
Of course, there was one point on which everyone agreed.
That was, Ling Xiao was undoubtedly the most talented and promising young person of this era.
He was only seventeen years old!
Among the top-ranked Phoenix Children, the youngest was Feng Ming Piaoxue, who was already eighteen. The others were mostly over twenty.
If Ling Xiao were given enough time, he might truly be able to challenge all ten Phoenix Children.
But would Ling Xiao have that time?
Many people had this doubt.
Today Ling Xiao had provoked all ten Phoenix Children and openly humiliated Emperor Feng Ming Wuliang. Could he really live that long?
Of course, if anyone knew what had happened last night in the wilderness outside the path to Qingxu Academy, they probably would not think this way.
Between Ling Xiao and Feng Ming Wuliang, there was no longer any pretence of courtesy. Their conflict was already public knowledge.
Ling Xiao refused to give Feng Ming Wuliang any face.
And Feng Ming Wuliang had silently allowed his own son to launch a sneak attack and attempt to assassinate Ling Xiao.
The hatred between them could no longer be resolved.
“If we could see a battle between the Golden Phoenix Child and Ling Xiao today, that would be perfect.”
The crowd looked up to the sky.
In the void, Feng Ming Wushan and Ling Xiao stood facing each other from afar.
Ling Xiao’s battle intent was extremely strong.
However, Feng Ming Wushan seemed to have no intention of fighting Ling Xiao.
“You know, I am not someone who enjoys fighting.”
Feng Ming Wushan smiled and said.
“You are afraid. You are afraid you will lose!”
Ling Xiao did not give Feng Ming Wushan any chance to save face. “Moreover, when you sneaked up on Shangguan Hong just now, you did not look like someone who dislikes fighting at all.”
“Afraid? Heh, I simply disdain it. My cultivation is far superior to yours. Even if I win, it is only to be expected. It brings me no benefit at all.”
Feng Ming Wushan remained very calm.
This fellow truly deserved to be the strategist beside Feng Ming Qishan. He was good with words and very patient.
Of course he was not afraid of Ling Xiao. As he said, his cultivation far surpassed Ling Xiao’s. Winning was natural. But if he capsized in the gutter, that would become a laughingstock.
“In the end, you still do not dare to fight.”
Ling Xiao sneered disdainfully, then withdrew his battle intent and said, “It is fine if we do not fight today. During the Dragon-Tiger Selection, I would like to see what excuse you come up with then! Let us go!”
Although he truly wanted to have a proper fight with Feng Ming Wushan, if Feng Ming Wushan refused to engage, he could not attack first.
Fighting someone without battle intent would bring no satisfaction even in victory.
He leaped away.
Shangguan Hong, Leng Mei, Yue Nu, and the other disciples of Qingxu Academy all followed behind him.
After this battle, Ling Xiao’s fame had truly shaken the world.
It was even more exhilarating than when he killed Star Phoenix Child and Heavenly Peng Phoenix Child.
The disciples of Qingxu Academy were especially delighted. In their eyes, Ling Xiao had already become the key to Qingxu Academy’s resurgence.
Feng Ming Wushan landed back on the high platform. Watching Ling Xiao’s departing figure, he suddenly sneered and said, “Ling Xiao, oh Ling Xiao. In my eyes, you are at best just a toad a little stronger than an ant. If you can survive until before the Dragon-Phoenix Selection, I will let you know what true fear feels like!”
He did not say this in a whisper. He spoke it openly in front of everyone present.
Everyone understood the meaning behind his words.
There were clearly two layers.
One was that he looked down on Ling Xiao. In his view, Ling Xiao was only slightly stronger than an ant.
The other was that someone was already targeting Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao probably would not live to see the day of the Dragon-Tiger Selection.
“Wushan, today we were lucky you came. Otherwise, no one could have suppressed that kid Ling Xiao. Do not be fooled by how he provoked you. It was all just bluster. How could he dare to really fight you?”
Feng Ming Wuliang said with a smile.
“Your Majesty is absolutely right. People say he blocked my palm, but they do not know that I only used sixty percent of my strength in that palm. I merely wanted to teach Shangguan Hong a lesson. There is nothing strange about Ling Xiao blocking it.”
Feng Ming Wushan bowed slightly and said, “This Ling Xiao is truly a frog at the bottom of a well. Utterly laughable. He would probably lose even against the eighth-ranked Thunder Eagle Phoenix Child, Ying Tianxia. If either of the two crown princes took action, he would be even less worth mentioning.”
“Indeed. He is just a human from the Heavenly Dragon Continent. The world he has seen is no bigger than the palm of a hand. Naturally he does not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth. But do you really plan to fight him?”
Feng Ming Wuliang asked.
