The tenth round finally concluded as dawn approached.
With nine rounds left until the tournament’s end, the chief judge announced a pause in the matches.
During the break, someone took the chance to analyse the situation.
“Isn’t it interesting? I just calculated it. Aside from the six seeded contestants not facing each other, Hong Li and Long Chen haven’t fought any of the seeded players either.”
“Exactly. Hong Sanmei and Huo Mozun only lost to Ling Xiao. They haven’t faced the other seeded players, nor Hong Li or Long Chen. This is getting intriguing.”
“Right, with only nine rounds left, they’ve already fought most others. The upcoming matches will mostly be clashes between the strongest!”
“Absolutely, the next battles will be even more thrilling!”
As the break ended, the crowd fell silent, eagerly awaiting the eleventh round.
Though the final nine rounds increased the likelihood of top-tier matchups, some filler matches remained.
For instance, the first match of the eleventh round pitted Po Qianjun against Liang Xiao.
In the earlier elimination rounds, Po Qianjun had lost to Liang Xiao, who used the Soul Fusion Technique.
This time, however, he won.
It took a gruelling two hundred moves to secure a narrow victory.
This showed that Liang Xiao’s Soul Fusion Technique was merely a trick, offering no real boost to strength.
In contrast, after his battle with Ling Xiao, Po Qianjun’s strength had steadily improved. Though not explosive, it was enough to defeat Liang Xiao.
The second match was fairly exciting but still not among the top ten clashes the audience craved, leaving them slightly disappointed.
The more this happened, the greater their anticipation for the top-tier showdowns.
The third match was another non-elite clash.
As the audience’s frustration neared its peak, the fourth match finally brought two young titans to the stage.
One was Long Chen, the other Liu Taiyin.
Everyone knew Long Chen was a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, but few knew much else about him.
To many, he remained a mystery.
Long Chen’s strengths were his terrifying physical power and formidable defence.
His record was impressive, nearly earning him a seeded spot.
Even now, Long Chen was considered a rising star alongside Ling Xiao.
Qin Bixue, having competed in past Martial Arts Festivals, was only half-new.
Liu Taiyin, however, was a renowned figure.
As the chief core disciple of Xuanhuo Sect and formerly ranked fourth among the Holy Dynasty’s Six Young Masters, he was a seeded contestant.
Their battle was hailed as a clash between a rising star and a veteran genius, sparking immense interest.
Many wanted to know whether Liu Taiyin’s flames or Long Chen’s strength would prevail.
“Please, enlighten me!”
As a descendant of the Golden Dragon from the Dragon Lands, Long Chen was courteous and polite.
Liu Taiyin gave a wry smile. “You new stars are shining so brightly, you’re practically setting half the sky ablaze. I admit I may not be your match, but I must defend the honour of the older generation.”
“Make your move!”
Long Chen gestured invitingly.
“Alright, let’s test the strength of this new star.”
Without using his martial soul, Liu Taiyin condensed a punch with pure Tianyuan energy and launched it at Long Chen.
The terrifying punch, like a thunderbolt, seemed capable of piercing anything.
Boom!
Long Chen didn’t use his martial soul or even true essence energy, relying solely on physical strength to meet Liu Taiyin head-on.
In this clash, Long Chen took a slight loss.
But it was no major issue.
Relying solely on his dragon physique to overpower Liu Taiyin was unlikely. Though Liu Taiyin wasn’t as strong as Hong Sanmei, his experience was formidable.
To defeat him, Long Chen needed a better strategy.
“Good. You’re worthy of me getting serious. Let’s see how your defence compares to that old turtle’s!”
With that, Liu Taiyin attacked for real.
“Thirty-Two Hands Nine Yin Extreme Fire Sword!”
Until now, Liu Taiyin hadn’t used a sword, clearly deeming Long Chen worthy of it.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish…
The Thirty-Two Hands Nine Yin Extreme Fire Sword was Liu Taiyin’s signature move, a self-modified ultimate technique combining his martial soul with a rare jade-grade sword art.
Each move was not only dazzling but also immensely powerful.
Crucially, it was a chained sequence. Unless your skill far surpassed Liu Taiyin’s, breaking the chain to win was nearly impossible.
Unfortunately, Long Chen couldn’t achieve that.
But there was another way to counter a chained sword technique: brute force, dismantling it with overwhelming power.
For Long Chen, this wasn’t so difficult.
Liu Taiyin’s swordplay grew faster, more dominant, and smoother, with almost no flaws.
Compared to most swordsmen, his moves were exceptional.
Even Li Xuefeng’s swordsmanship from the Snow Mountain Sect couldn’t compare.
The Xuanhuo Sect members smiled with satisfaction, hearing the audience’s applause and praise.
Most spectators greatly admired Liu Taiyin’s swordplay.
“No wonder he’s one of the Holy Dynasty’s Six Young Masters. Winning won’t be easy.”
To Long Chen, the sword flashes were like rivers charging forward, nearly impossible to block or break.
If this continued, his defence would be breached.
Realising this, Long Chen decisively shifted into his human-dragon form.
As a dragon, his tenth form was complete, instantly boosting his strength and aura.
“That’s a martial soul transformation!”
“Exactly. If Long Chen had used this earlier, he’d definitely be a seeded contestant.”
“Seed or not, it doesn’t matter. He hasn’t faced many strong opponents yet. The real test is coming.”
“Thirtieth Sword!”
Liu Taiyin thrust his sword, tearing the void, the elements wailing in succession.
Bang!
Facing this strike, Long Chen felt his blood churn, his body in agony.
He hadn’t expected Liu Taiyin’s swordplay to grow stronger. He’d thought his human-dragon form would ensure an easy win.
Now, it seemed he’d underestimated the technique.
Should he shift to his Golden Dragon form?
Long Chen grew worried.
In Golden Dragon form, he could certainly win, but it would expose his identity.
