In the sixth round, Ling Xiao faced a far stronger opponent, Hong Sanmei.
The people of Xuanhuo Sect always believed that Ling Xiao from Yuehua Sect didn’t deserve to be one of the six seeded contestants, insisting that the spot should belong to Hong Sanmei.
As a result, they were far from friendly toward Ling Xiao.
Even Hong Sanmei herself was eager to defeat Ling Xiao, proving the judges’ decision wrong.
Ling Xiao was reserved and understated, while Hong Sanmei, despite being a woman, exuded bold confidence. The two standing on the arena formed a striking contrast.
“Ling Xiao, don’t think I’m scared of you just because you beat Jian Wuji. That night, you did catch me off guard, but I must defeat you!”
Beating Ling Xiao would not only vindicate her but also make her the adopted daughter of the Holy Emperor, a princess of the Holy Dynasty.
For either goal, Hong Sanmei felt she had to defeat Ling Xiao, with no other option.
“Make your move. I’m quite fond of your Samadhi True Fire.”
Though Ling Xiao’s Hell Dragon Fire surpassed Death Dark Flame, both were of the same attribute, unsuitable for refining many elixirs, hindering his progress in alchemy.
This limitation also restricted his martial arts and formations.
Thus, Ling Xiao had always hoped to collect all twelve holy fires. With them, he could use different flames for different elixirs, the ideal approach.
He didn’t need to steal Hong Sanmei’s Samadhi True Fire martial soul, just its seed, which he could cultivate himself.
Hong Sanmei snorted coldly. “Liking it won’t help. The Samadhi True Fire chooses its master, and it only follows the strong! Take this!”
With a sharp cry, Hong Sanmei’s figure unfolded, crossing a hundred metres in an instant, appearing before Ling Xiao and striking with a palm.
This palm, infused with the potent Samadhi True Fire, made Ling Xiao feel as if he were melting.
It was Hong Sanmei’s signature move, the “True Fire Handprint.”
“Interesting. Let’s see what I can do!”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly. An opponent like Hong Sanmei was rare, and he wasn’t eager to end the fight quickly.
A shadow of the Ancient Hell Dragon appeared behind him, and he countered with a palm strike.
“Dragon Fire Handprint!”
Compared to the Samadhi True Fire, the Hell Dragon Fire was clearly more powerful.
With a loud boom, both stepped back. Even though Ling Xiao held back most of his strength, he still pushed Hong Sanmei back over ten steps.
He only retreated three.
“Fire Cloud Step!”
Unwilling to give up, Hong Sanmei, failing to gain an advantage with her palm, instantly used an entry-level jade-grade movement technique. Her figure twisted, transforming into a cloud of fire that enveloped the entire arena.
Her position was impossible to pinpoint.
Her next move was equally unclear.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang…
Seizing the moment, Hong Sanmei unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, all hitting Ling Xiao’s protective Tianyuan energy.
“Impressive power, but while it might work on others, it’s not enough against me!”
Ling Xiao’s Tianyuan shield, as tough as diamond, remained unscathed.
Hong Sanmei’s attacks were completely blocked, causing him no harm.
“Use whatever moves you have left. Once I strike, you’ll have no chance.”
Ling Xiao’s earlier palm clash with Hong Sanmei was merely to seize her True Fire seed.
It wasn’t his true attack, or he wouldn’t have struck so lightly.
“Fine, then witness my ultimate technique!
Samadhi True Fire Technique, Supreme Furnace!”
Calling it an ultimate technique wasn’t inaccurate.
Hong Sanmei’s move was unique, combining both defence and attack.
Though its attack wasn’t as strong as its defence, its brilliance lay in continuously refining the energy released by both fighters during combat, then enhancing the attack.
If the defence held, the resulting power would be terrifying.
“I never thought she’d use this technique against Ling Xiao. He’s tougher than expected!”
“But once Samadhi unleashes this, if Ling Xiao can’t end the fight quickly, he’s done for. The longer it goes, the more fearsome it becomes.”
“Yes, I wonder how Ling Xiao will handle it.”
Ling Xiao had no intention of handling it. Instead, he deliberately restrained his power, as if to help Hong Sanmei push the technique to its peak.
He was intrigued.
He had no interest in Hong Sanmei herself, but this technique fascinated him. He’d never seen it before and wanted to test whether he could face such a powerful attack with ease.
After dozens of strikes, Hong Sanmei kept retreating.
When she reached the arena’s edge with nowhere left to go, her eyes suddenly blazed with astonishing light.
“Ling Xiao, take this, Wrath of the Divine Fire!”
As one of the twelve holy fires, the Samadhi True Fire was immensely powerful.
Though often gentle for refining elixirs, when this divine fire raged, it could shatter even the best furnace.
At this moment, the Samadhi True Fire was truly enraged.
Its momentum was staggering, as if the entire arena would be incinerated by the roaring flames, utterly unstoppable.
“Oh? This is your strongest attack? Truly formidable!”
Facing this ferocious strike, Ling Xiao’s face lit up with a delighted smile.
Swoosh!
Behind him, a massive Hell Furnace appeared. Its lid opened, and a black-gold flame shot out, transforming into a giant dragon that swallowed the surging Samadhi True Fire whole.
The sky of flames vanished abruptly.
It felt jarringly incongruous.
It was as if an apocalyptic thunderstorm had built up, only for the clouds to part and the sun to shine suddenly.
The sensation was utterly abrupt.
Others merely felt uneasy.
But Hong Sanmei was so frustrated she wanted to spit blood.
“How is this possible! How can this be! Are you human or a ghost!”
Hong Sanmei couldn’t believe it was real. Even when she lost decisively to Qin Bixue, she hadn’t felt this hopeless.
Back then, she knew she still had her ultimate technique unused.
But today, she was truly despairing.
Her opponent was too strong, so powerful she saw no glimmer of hope.
“My goodness, this Ling Xiao is terrifying. Was he pretending all along, only turning the tide at the last moment to toy with Hong Sanmei?”
“Whether he was toying with her or not, this man is horrifying, unfathomably deep. Hong Sanmei may have lost to Qin Bixue, but to fare so poorly against Ling Xiao is beyond what I imagined.”
