The youth moved to Ling Xiao’s side with an odd footwork, his strange blade slashing again.
In that short distance, the peculiar blade tore through the air, producing a shrill, whistling sound.
The friction caused the air’s temperature to spike, even sparking visible flames.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that, even with true essence protection, a direct hit from this blade would likely result in bloodshed.
Clang!
To everyone’s surprise, faced with such a sudden change in technique, Ling Xiao didn’t budge. Without even glancing, he swung his left fist, striking the strange blade with perfect precision.
That fist glowed with brilliant golden light, as if encased in gold.
This was the effect of combining the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique with the Tianlong Golden Body.
The violent impact nearly knocked the blade from the languid youth’s hand.
This time, he couldn’t hide his shock.
His blade, a fine mortal treasure, infused with robust true essence and top-tier martial skills, couldn’t withstand the power of a single punch from an advanced martial technique?
What kind of absurd joke was this?
“Get lost!”
Having deflected the blade with his left hand, Ling Xiao’s golden aura flared even brighter, faintly exuding the majesty of a dragon soaring in the wild.
He pivoted, his right fist unleashing a barrage of punches, each one brimming with power, shattering the air around them.
Boom, boom, boom…
Ninja Clan Secret Technique—Shield of Protection.
Seeing no way to dodge, a shadowy figure behind the youth surged forward. True essence poured into the figure, forming a barrier that shielded him completely.
But this genius from Tianren Academy clearly underestimated the force of Ling Xiao’s punches.
After blocking a few blows, the shadow shattered instantly, and the youth was forced back, retreating frantically to avoid being sent flying.
Watching this, General September’s face showed surprise, quickly turning into a radiant smile.
Truth be told, he’d initially been worried for Ling Xiao, fearing he might suffer against this languid youth.
After all, the opponent was at the late seventh stage of the martial vein, while Ling Xiao was only at the early seventh stage.
But now, he saw his concerns were unnecessary.
It seemed Ling Xiao hadn’t even used half his strength, yet he’d effortlessly repelled his opponent. This kid was terrifying.
General September finally understood that Ling Xiao’s true terror wasn’t his strength, but his intelligent approach to combat.
Ling Xiao’s fights were calculated to perfection—exploiting his opponent’s weaknesses, spotting flaws in their techniques, choosing the optimal moment and method of attack, and coordinating everything flawlessly.
This allowed Ling Xiao to achieve with just half his strength what others could only accomplish with eighty or ninety percent of theirs.
In today’s world, General September had never seen anyone else capable of this.
Not among the Twelve Tiger Guards, not Marshal Lin, not Wan Ben, and certainly not at Tianren Academy.
This, perhaps, was Ling Xiao’s most fearsome trait.
Of course, the genius youth from Tianren Academy wasn’t weak either. He likely hadn’t used his full strength yet, so the fight ahead might grow even more thrilling.
General September smiled, suddenly brimming with confidence in Ling Xiao.
“Hee hee, Senior Brother, if you don’t get serious, you’re going to lose!” the lively girl called out to the languid youth with a giggle.
Clearly provoked, the youth stomped the ground with a loud “bang,” halting his retreat.
The impact cracked the ground beneath him.
The poor ground of Qianlong Camp—nearly every battle left it scarred and pitted. Perhaps that’s why they kept it as bare earth.
Otherwise, if it were any other surface, shattering it once would be heartbreaking.
“Ling Xiao! You’re impressive—worthy of making me use my full strength!”
With that, black flames erupted around the youth, growing fiercer and fiercer. Even the breeze passing by turned scorching hot.
The shadowy figure behind him solidified, its expression turning ferocious, also wreathed in black flames, gripping the strange blade with both hands.
The black flames flowed through its arms, merging into the youth’s blade, setting it ablaze. The eerie black fire sent chills through the onlookers, unsettling their qi and true essence.
“Black Sun Prison Break!”
The youth roared, and together with the ninja spirit, he slashed at Ling Xiao.
The two blades merged into one, forming a massive blade of true essence and black fire, over ten metres long.
It cleaved through the air toward Ling Xiao.
The blade’s speed was blinding, its power overwhelming, tearing through the space ahead and igniting the air completely.
A crackling sound rang out, like a wildfire consuming a forest.
“Hee hee, Senior Brother’s finally getting serious! This strike’s power and speed are unbeatable—his opponent can’t block or dodge. He’s done for!” the lively girl said to the chubby youth with a grin, her tense expression relaxing.
“Hmm.”
The chubby youth merely nodded. He knew better than anyone the power of the languid youth’s strike—few at Tianren Academy could withstand it.
At that moment, the ease on General September’s face gave way to worry.
The genius youth’s technique was far more powerful than he’d anticipated, reaching the level of quasi-mortal martial arts.
Ling Xiao hadn’t trained in quasi-mortal martial arts, so facing this move would put him at a disadvantage.
With his cultivation also lagging behind, the situation looked grim.
“Why worry, General September? My junior brother will definitely win. This genius from Tianren Academy is impressive, but he’s nothing compared to him,” Ling Yixue’s voice sounded in his ear.
“You’re certainly confident,” General September said with a wry smile, unsure where Ling Yixue’s faith in Ling Xiao came from.
Perhaps it was bias.
After all, both she and Ling Xiao hailed from Tianfeng City, and their bond seemed close.
Of course, he hoped Ling Xiao would win. If he did, Qianlong Camp would finally have its moment of vindication.
“Die!”
The genius youth poured nearly all his true essence into this terrifying strike, his face paling slightly.
But he had no regrets, confident in the power of his blow.
As the massive blade descended, Ling Xiao let out a faint smile.
“Now that’s a move worth facing.”
It wasn’t arrogance—he genuinely needed a strike this strong to test his golden body defence.
Roar~~
A dragon’s cry echoed.
Ling Xiao’s golden aura blazed brighter, even enveloping the black bear soul behind him in radiant gold.
General September watched in shock, thinking to himself, “No way—has this kid already mastered the Tianlong Golden Body?”
