Hearing Ling Xiao’s claim of defeating Li Xinghui within six moves, Lin Ze shook his head and sighed.
General Jiuyue gave a wry smile, “Ling Xiao is still too young, too impulsive. There’s no need for this. If he fails to win in six moves, will he really take his own life? That’s far too costly.”
“I don’t think so,” Ling Yixue’s icy gaze held firm belief. Having come from the Ling Clan in Tianfeng City with Ling Xiao, she understood him better than anyone else.
General Jiuyue shook his head with a bitter smile, “Miss Yixue, do you really believe Ling Xiao can defeat Li Xinghui in six moves? That’s highly unlikely! Though I’m displeased, if I’m not mistaken, Li Xinghui’s strength surpasses both Shi Lei and Hua Nongying in our Hidden Dragon Camp. I recall Ling Xiao needed fifty moves to defeat Hua Nongying, didn’t he?”
Ling Yixue didn’t respond, only showing a faint smile. When Ling Xiao fought Hua Nongying, he was merely honing his skills; otherwise, the battle would have ended in ten moves. Now, Ling Xiao was more than twice as strong as he was then.
No one at the scene favored Ling Xiao. Even the Hidden Dragon Camp’s geniuses shook their heads, thinking Ling Xiao was overly arrogant. Usually so composed, why was he acting so out of character today?
Over at Tianren Academy, Feiyu and Feiliu sneered. They had planned to avenge Feimu and Feiyun, but Ling Xiao’s foolish bravado suggested he’d end up killing himself today. Such a death would be not only foolish but humiliating, a laughingstock.
Lu Xing, who had fought Ling Xiao, muttered, “Truly courting death!” Having faced both Ling Xiao and Li Xinghui, he knew their strengths. He thought Ling Xiao might defeat Li Xinghui, but in six moves? That was sheer arrogance.
The Hidden Dragon Camp’s Shi Lei and others hoped Ling Xiao could win in six moves, as Li Xinghui’s earlier words had been too insulting, dismissing their camp entirely. Yet even they found it improbable.
“Arrogant fool!” Li Xinghui roared, his clothes billowing without wind. A vivid white tiger phantom appeared behind him, white light bursting from his body. With a step, the solid rock ground cracked, and he lunged like a beast, his hands clawing like a tiger’s, tearing through the air.
*Crack!* The air itself seemed to split as silver-white claw lights shot from his hands, expanding in midair into massive tiger claws five times larger, bearing down on Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao stood motionless, showing no intent to dodge or retreat. His once-ordinary aura suddenly turned sharp. Behind him, the phantom of the Blood Blade Ancestor grew clearer, its eyes gleaming with sinister charm—a figure who defied convention.
“My heavens, both their fragmented martial souls have reached seventy percent! They’re evenly matched!” a voice exclaimed from the crowd.
Li Xinghui’s progress was remarkable. Back in Tianfeng City, his fragmented martial soul was only ten percent formed, now it was seventy. Yet it seemed unstable, likely boosted by drugs. As governor of Baiyun Province, Wan Ben had far more resources than Lin Ze, backed by the Ren and Blue-Eyed Clans.
Ling Xiao ignored the crowd’s shouts. Drawing his Ice Glass Sword, waves of terrifying sword qi surged from within, his entire being like a sharpened blade, steadily amassing power for a devastating strike.
“First move!” Ling Xiao thrust his sword. His shout accompanied a shift to an eerie, unpredictable stance, his swordplay erratic, his figure ghostlike, defying logic.
*Rip!* The silver-white tiger claws tore through Ling Xiao’s body—but it was only a meaningless afterimage.
*Boom!* Behind the afterimage, a massive rock shattered under the claws, showcasing Li Xinghui’s terrifying power.
Before the crowd could react, Ling Xiao’s sword struck from an uncanny angle, aimed at Li Xinghui’s heart. In a life-and-death battle, Ling Xiao held nothing back—mercy here was suicide, as Li Xinghui could kill him.
“How can this swordplay be so bizarre!” Li Xinghui was stunned, unprepared for such a terrifyingly strange technique. He had struck first, seemingly about to hit Ling Xiao, yet in an instant, the tables turned. Ling Xiao seized the initiative, leaving him on the defensive.
Despite his shock, there was no time to marvel. Danger loomed, and he frantically channeled his true essence. “Amethyst Divine Art!” With a shout, true essence surged to his chest, silver-white light condensing into a peculiar, diamond-shaped amethyst shield, solid as if real, its defense formidable. Simultaneously, a purple-blue aura enveloped him, another effect of the Amethyst Divine Art.
Seeing this, Ling Xiao’s lips curled into a disdainful sneer. His Ice Glass Sword pressed forward unchanged, now infused with more Snow Lotus true essence, its piercing power amplified.
*Chink!* The seemingly sturdy amethyst shield offered no resistance, pierced through instantly. It shattered like glass, failing to block anything.
“Impossible! How could the amethyst shield break!” In his agitation, Wan Ben instinctively smashed a nearby boulder, its fragments scattering. Nearby Tianren Academy disciples fled, some bloodied by the debris.
Wan Ben’s reaction was understandable. The Amethyst Divine Art was a top-tier defensive technique of Tianren Academy, capable of withstanding quasi-Mortal techniques for a time. No martial artist of the same realm should breach it quickly. Yet Ling Xiao, at early Seventh Layer, shattered it with one strike.
“His true essence must be entirely quasi-Mortal!” The true master of Baiyun Temple, Yiran, observed clearly, speaking softly to Wan Ben, unbothered by the flying debris.
“Quasi-Mortal true essence? This kid cultivated a quasi-Mortal inner technique?” Wan Ben was stunned again. Tianren Academy had quasi-Mortal inner techniques, but they weren’t easily mastered. Without peak Mortal Body aptitude, failure was likely, even risking madness. Even for peak Mortal Bodies, comprehending quasi-Mortal techniques was no simple feat.
