“Yan Liehuo, you didn’t trouble me in the prelims. That was your luck. Concede, and I’ll let you walk away unharmed.”
Ling Xiao looked calmly at Yan Liehuo and said.
He wasn’t mocking or taunting, but genuinely well-intentioned.
Because if defeated by him, Yan Liehuo would be greatly affected, and his later matches would surely suffer.
“You!”
Yan Liehuo’s face flushed with anger.
“A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated. Even if I don’t beat you today, I won’t let you have it easy!”
“Wildfire Spear Technique!”
Roaring, Yan Liehuo unleashed all his Heavenly Yuan power. Crimson energy gathered in his spear, with furious flames bursting forth.
The spear thrust, flames roiling, like a ferocious beast lunging at Ling Xiao, radiating extreme danger.
“Sigh, why bother?”
Ling Xiao could see Yan Liehuo’s strike was powerful, likely his strongest move.
Against others, it might work, but against him, it was pure waste.
With a light raise of his hand, a sword gleam flashed, an air sword slicing through, turning into a golden beam.
The crimson flames seemed to sense danger, rapidly retreating, pierced back by this air sword.
Boom!
The air sword broke Yan Liehuo’s protective true essence, sending him flying.
One move ended it!
“I told you, conceding would’ve been better. Now you’ve not only revealed your trump card, but also wasted vast amounts of true essence and hard-earned Heavenly Yuan power. Why bother?”
Ling Xiao glanced at Yan Liehuo below, untouched by dust, and turned to leave the arena.
Seeing this, Xuanhuo Sect’s members paled.
Though Yan Liehuo wasn’t as strong as Liu Taiyin or Hong Sanmei, he was a core disciple, yet lost to Ling Xiao in one move.
This was unexpected, shocking.
Before entering the True Demon Forbidden Land, Ling Xiao was a nobody, barely known.
Yet today, he so easily defeated Yan Liehuo. His combat strength’s growth was terrifying.
More frightening, this fight showed Ling Xiao hadn’t even used full strength.
“Sigh, new talents rise with each generation. Ling Xiao’s likely at the Sacred Dynasty’s six young masters’ level. Liehuo’s far behind,” Liu Taiyin sighed. “Sanmei, we’ve got another tough foe.”
“Ling Xiao wins!”
The tenth group referee announced, his face showing astonishment.
As a Cave Heaven realm expert, he thought he’d seen through Ling Xiao, believing him just a soul technique specialist, weak elsewhere.
But now, soul techniques seemed just one of his skills. His strength far exceeded expectations.
“One move? No, Ling Xiao merely defended and defeated Yan Liehuo in passing!”
The referee muttered, “Now, the fight for first in the tenth group will be between him and Po Qianjun. Zhai Jun’s a bit behind.”
Many warriors watched this fight.
What was expected to be evenly matched turned completely one-sided.
“Wow, Yuehua Sect’s Ling Xiao isn’t just bold, his strength is staggeringly fierce.”
“Indeed, thinking carefully, no one’s lasted a single move against him.”
“His attacks are too weird.”
“Quite a surprise. Thought the tenth group lacked experts, just Feng Moting, Zhai Jun, and Po Qianjun. Now Ling Xiao’s one too, likely not weaker than Po Qianjun.”
“You’re right, I agree. His moves are so strange, you can’t see them clearly. How much strength did he use to beat Yan Liehuo?”
“I’d guess at least sixty or seventy percent, or it’d be too exaggerated.”
Hearing the crowd, Po Qianjun’s face darkened.
From that strike, he felt Ling Xiao used only half his strength, a formidable opponent.
Against Ling Xiao, his odds weren’t high.
If Ling Xiao used half his strength to beat Yan Liehuo, he had a fifty percent chance.
But if only forty percent, beating Ling Xiao would be tough.
“This kid can’t grow that fast, probably half strength,” Po Qianjun reassured himself, trying not to panic.
Being in the same group, he’d eventually face Ling Xiao, but whether they’d fight was uncertain. If both had enough points to advance, there’d be no need.
Back at his seat, Ling Xiao met Lan Yuer, resting after her match.
“Junior Brother Ling, how much strength did you use to beat Yan Liehuo?” Lan Yuer asked with interest.
“Not easy to say. Let me ask, how much strength do you need to crush an ant?”
Ling Xiao countered.
What!
Lan Yuer, Leng Hao, Dai Yuling, and others were stunned.
They knew Ling Xiao was strong, but never imagined Yan Liehuo was an ant in his eyes.
Crushing an ant needed no effort.
Goodness, Yan Liehuo was the fifty-first in last festival’s finals.
Gasping, Lan Yuer and Dai Yuling exchanged wry smiles.
They kept growing stronger, but felt further from Ling Xiao. This guy was truly a peerless genius, his breakthroughs insanely rapid.
Lan Yuer looked at Jian Wuji and Shengzi Ji Mingkong, smiling bitterly. “I pity Jian Wuji and Ji Mingkong. They thought they could easily crush Junior Brother Ling, but their hard-earned advantages were effortlessly shattered.”
Long Chen’s match had ended smoothly, within ten moves.
Seeing Ling Xiao and the dejected Yan Liehuo nearby, he understood.
As a proud dragon clansman, he felt no betrayal toward Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao was too terrifying.
In his heart, Ling Xiao was a complete monster, with calmness and composure beyond his years.
He had fearsome analytical and judgmental skills.
More terrifyingly, no matter how hard Long Chen tried, or how great his dragon clan talent, it was nothing before this monster.
But Long Chen didn’t understand.
He worked hard, but Ling Xiao’s effort was ten times greater.
This was a man who trained like a maniac, and with the Mountain River Martial Soul’s aid, his growth was entirely natural.
