“Those two useless fools, letting Ling Xiao kill them so easily. What were they even doing?” Hei Suo was livid, unable to comprehend.
Ling Xiao, with only peak Eighth-Tier Martial Vein cultivation, how could he so effortlessly slay two half-step grandmasters?
“Senior Brother Hei Suo, aren’t you overestimating Ling Xiao? He blocked Tuoba Shan’s attack, not necessarily with full effort, but it must have taken a huge toll. He looks relaxed, but he’s probably already internally injured,” Jin Ming said with a smile. “In the entire outer sect, only I dare to directly block Tuoba Shan’s arrow! Even the top-ranked Wang Feng wouldn’t dare!”
Of course, Wang Feng might neutralize the arrow through other means or prevent Tuoba Shan from firing it at all.
While Jin Ming’s strength lay in defense, Wang Feng, ranked first, excelled in movement techniques.
Hei Suo didn’t respond. He felt Jin Ming’s judgment was likely correct, yet something felt off. The chaotic scene prevented him from thinking clearly.
Ling Xiao’s triple kill had caused an earth-shaking uproar.
These weren’t three chickens or pigs, but three half-step grandmasters, ranked fifth, sixth, and within the top ten!
The massive shock stemmed from the sheer incredulity of the outcome.
Before the death challenge, no one believed Ling Xiao could win. Everyone thought he was doomed, perhaps able to kill one or two at best, but never the third.
Yet, the reality was Ling Xiao slaughtered all three as easily as butchering dogs or pigs.
The second challenge, a one-against-two, was so effortless it seemed he hadn’t exerted himself at all.
No wonder Jin Ming thought he was bluffing.
By killing Gongyang Nu and Tuoba Shan, Ling Xiao directly claimed the outer sect’s fifth rank, overtaking it outright, not just advancing incrementally.
“Interesting. Next, fifth-ranked Ling Xiao challenges third-ranked Jin Ming in a death match!” The Desperate Tower Master’s eyes gleamed with an unusual excitement.
Very excited.
It had been a long time since he’d seen such clean, decisive combat, or such a stunning upset of the weak overcoming the strong.
As a diversion from cultivation, this was quite entertaining.
He was eager to see if Ling Xiao could keep winning.
For Ling Xiao, even one loss would undo everything, as death meant losing it all.
He had to win, and only by defeating and killing Jin Ming could things truly change.
The onlookers gradually calmed down, realizing this too.
No matter how brilliantly Ling Xiao performed in the first three challenges, his greatest and only true opponent today was Jin Ming.
Dominating the outer sect’s third rank for two or three years, Jin Ming had even defeated a First-Tier Mortal Realm warrior.
With such strength and talent, calling him anything but a genius would be absurd.
He was practically a Mortal Realm powerhouse whose cultivation hadn’t yet reached that level.
“Ling Xiao, those three you killed weren’t my friends, but we’ve been together for a long time. If you choose to end yourself, I can leave you an intact corpse,” Jin Ming said, not using movement techniques but leaping onto the Desperate Tower with sheer physical power, pointing at Ling Xiao with commanding presence.
His frame appeared lean, but his aura was overwhelmingly fearsome.
As his aura erupted, the ruins of the Desperate Tower trembled, as if cowering before his power.
“Oh, is that so? Thanks for the kindness, Senior Brother Jin, but I’m not interested,” Ling Xiao replied lightly.
Boom!
A deafening blast.
Jin Ming’s aura surged even more terrifyingly, shooting upward like a volcanic eruption.
The surrounding air howled with “whooshing” winds.
Nearby bricks and stones turned to dust instantly.
The ground beneath his feet sank one or two meters deep.
A terrifying aura!
“This guy’s practically a monster!”
“Right, Jin Ming’s defensive martial arts were derived from the divine script of ancient demonic beasts. Even though it’s only a partial extraction, it still carries their terrifying aura.”
“This aura is stronger than some First-Tier Mortal Realm warriors.”
Ling Xiao frowned slightly but soon broke into a smile.
His expectations hadn’t been wrong.
This battle with Jin Ming would surely unlock greater potential in his body, elevating his strength further.
He didn’t dislike strong opponents, in fact, he was thrilled by them.
No wonder this guy could defeat a First-Tier Mortal Realm warrior. His physical strength was terrifying. Under the analysis of his Mountain River Martial Soul, Ling Xiao could gauge that Jin Ming’s physical strength matched or even surpassed that of typical First-Tier Mortal Realm warriors.
His body was nearly on par with those who ascended to the Mortal Realm through physical potential.
Compared to those who ascended via soul or internal energy potential, his body was far stronger.
In some ways, his physical strength even slightly outstripped Ling Xiao’s.
However, Ling Xiao’s growth was balanced across three aspects.
Currently, his body was close to the Mortal Realm.
His soul had already reached a saintly level.
His total internal energy had hit the Mortal Realm, though it wasn’t fully refined.
Internal energy potential manifested as cultivation progress, when Ling Xiao’s cultivation reached the Mortal Realm, his internal energy would fully enter that stage.
In comparison, Ling Xiao’s soul held the advantage.
His body was slightly inferior.
After all, Jin Ming focused on body refinement and had been a Moonlight Sect disciple for years, likely tempering his body since childhood, giving him a natural edge over Ling Xiao.
In internal energy, Ling Xiao had a slight advantage in quantity, while their quality was evenly matched.
Based on these factors alone, their strengths were very close, and a mutual destruction outcome was possible.
Yet, real combat wasn’t just about surface strength.
Jin Ming wasted no more words, stomping the ground and charging at Ling Xiao like a ferocious beast.
To Ling Xiao, it was as if a mammoth were charging toward him.
Faintly, he saw a shadowy figure behind Jin Ming, a mammoth, looming indistinctly.
Clearly, Jin Ming wasn’t using his full strength yet, only borrowing a fraction of his martial soul’s power without fully summoning it.
Mammoth Fist Technique!
Mammoth Charge!
As he charged, Jin Ming seemed to transform into a giant elephant. Each step on the ruins produced a deafening boom.
His fists became the mammoth’s sharp tusks, aiming to pierce Ling Xiao through.
This force felt utterly unstoppable.
Of course, that was for others.
