Ling Wuhen and Ling Yixue left.
Ling Xiao gazed at the towering tree outside the courtyard, murmuring to himself, “The world is vast. Eventually, I’ll have to go out and see it.”
Now that he had become the top figure among the younger generation of the Ling Clan, his next step was to step beyond the clan and test the mettle of Tianfeng City’s young talents.
Eighth-level peak demonic beasts!
The blue-robed woman!
The rivalry of ten thousand clans!
All of this stirred his nerves, filling him with an intense desire to venture out and make his mark as soon as possible.
Once he had no equal in Tianfeng City, that would be the time to leave.
A person needs motivation to progress. Becoming invincible means losing direction.
“There’s still a month until the Tianfeng Gala. I’ll aim to cultivate both the Heavy Shadow Sword Technique and the Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique to the great success stage.”
With that thought, Ling Xiao didn’t hesitate. He returned to the training room.
Meanwhile, the four major clans of Tianfeng City, along with numerous other families, were also preparing for the Tianfeng Gala.
Typically, the four representatives sent by each of the major clans were the top four from their annual competition.
This was why the Tianfeng Gala was held after the annual clan contests.
But there were exceptions.
For instance, in the Ling Clan, Ling Chen had returned, Ling Feifan was out gaining experience, and Ling Zhan and Ling Shuang had chosen to seclude themselves for intensive training.
The four to be sent were still under discussion.
However, as the top-ranked member of the Genius Hall, Ling Xiao was almost certainly guaranteed a spot at the gala.
So he didn’t need to worry about that. Focusing on his cultivation suited him better.
Ten days later!
Inside the training room.
Ling Xiao thrust his sword, and it split into four figures before swiftly merging back into one.
Of those four figures, one was his real body, and three were shadow clones!
After ten days of hard training, he had finally broken through to the third level of the Heavy Shadow Sword Technique!
For a technique with only five levels, this was already a very high stage, allowing a single strike to produce three shadow figures.
If he added his martial soul clone, that made four. Combined with his real body, he could turn a one-on-one fight into five against one, catching opponents completely off guard.
“As expected, once my realm improved, the bottleneck at the third level of the Heavy Shadow Sword Technique vanished. It seems shifting my focus to raising my cultivation earlier was the right call!”
Holding the Ice Glass Sword, Ling Xiao’s face lit up with satisfaction.
In just ten days, he had broken through to the third level of the Heavy Shadow Sword Technique. The fourth level, while it wouldn’t increase the number of shadow clones, would boost each clone’s attack power by an additional twenty percent.
That meant raising their strength from thirty percent of his own to fifty percent.
Ling Xiao was currently at the early sixth level of the Martial Vein, but his actual combat power likely rivalled that of a late sixth-level martial artist.
Fifty percent of his strength would be at least equivalent to a third-level Martial Vein martial artist.
That level surpassed many disciples in the Ling Clan’s Elite Hall by a wide margin.
Of course, with his realm improved, he still chose to mask his template at the peak fifth level of the Martial Vein for now.
This wasn’t about pretending to be weak. The more trump cards he had, the greater his chances of victory. Keeping his true strength hidden was another ace up his sleeve.
When progress on the Heavy Shadow Sword Technique slowed again, Ling Xiao paused and shifted his focus back to the Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique.
Currently, his Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique was at the sixth turn.
If he could reach the seventh turn before the Tianfeng Gala, not only would his defence improve drastically, but it would also produce a special effect.
The seventh turn could forge a true golden body. When activating the Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique, his body would take on a golden hue, with a thin film-like layer adhering to his skin. It offered astonishing defence and could even reflect enemy attacks.
Though the cold energy in the Cold Pool Golden Liquid within his Mountain and River World had been depleted, the golden liquid itself remained unused.
With this golden liquid, he had enough to push the Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique to the seventh turn.
Especially now that his cultivation had broken through to the sixth level of the Martial Vein, cultivating the Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique felt noticeably easier. The obstacles he’d faced before had almost entirely vanished.
“The Nine-Turn Golden Body Technique is a superior top-tier martial art. Once I reach the seventh turn, I’ll have the confidence to defeat Ling Chen.”
Before, he’d been at a disadvantage against Ling Chen.
That day, if Ling Wuhen hadn’t intervened, he wouldn’t have been able to drive Ling Chen off. At best, he could’ve held his ground, but it would’ve been a messy fight.
Ling Wuhen could help him once, but not forever. To earn face and respect, he needed his own strength to be formidable enough!
Around the same time, a powerful aura surged skyward from the back mountain of the Ling Clan, felt by the entire clan.
“Mid-sixth level Martial Vein cultivation? And why does this aura carry a strange, fearsome sensation?”
Ling Xiao frowned slightly.
He was very familiar with that aura—it had to be Ling Chen’s.
Ten days ago, Ling Chen had already been at the peak of the early sixth level of the Martial Vein, so this breakthrough wasn’t surprising.
After all, since his return, Ling Chen had been nurtured with the full support of the Ling Clan, even gaining access to the fourth floor of the library.
But what worried Ling Xiao was that strange, fearsome sensation in the aura.
Could it be the influence of a fragment of a mortal-level martial art?
“Hahaha, Ling Chen, my dear grandson, your performance truly amazes your grandfather! Breaking through to the sixth level of the Martial Vein at seventeen, shattering a record in Tianfeng City that’s stood for over fifty years! And now you’ve broken through again!”
Ling Xiaotian looked at Ling Chen, stroking his beard with great satisfaction as he praised him:
“What shocks me even more is that you’ve comprehended the mysteries of two fragments of mortal-level martial arts. If you’re not the top genius of Tianfeng City, then who is?”
“If it weren’t for Grandfather Clan Leader and the supreme elders working together to clear my martial veins and temper my body, I wouldn’t have broken through to the mid-sixth level so quickly, nor would I have grasped the mysteries of a second mortal-level martial art fragment!”
Though Ling Chen was proud, he didn’t dare show the slightest arrogance in front of the four elders present.
After all, these four elders all had cultivations above the seventh level of the Martial Vein.
The seventh level and beyond marked the qi explosion stage—true martial masters!
A step beyond martial disciples into martial masters!
The difference between the sixth and seventh levels might seem like just one stage, but it was a chasm as vast as the heavens and earth.
For a martial novice to advance to a martial disciple, one success in a hundred was considered fortunate.
For a martial disciple to become a martial master, one success in a thousand was already impressive.
One in a hundred versus one in a thousand—the gap was enormous.
“Good that you know humility. For now, don’t trouble Ling Xiao. Work together with him to bring glory to our Ling Clan, understood?”
Ling Xiaotian said with a smile, “With the two of you in our Ling Clan, why should we worry about not suppressing the other three major clans in the future? Why should we fear not taking first place at this Tianfeng Gala!”
“Rest assured, Grandfather, the Tianfeng Gala is nothing. These past years, I just wasn’t around. Now that I’m back, the title of Tianfeng City’s top young master will naturally belong to our Ling Clan.”
Ling Chen’s words brimmed with confidence, showing no regard for the other martial artists of Tianfeng City.
“Don’t get careless. Among the four major clans, the strongest is the city lord’s daughter, Shi Yulian! You mustn’t underestimate her!”
Ling Xiaotian frowned, offering a reminder.
“Shi Yulian is only at the peak fifth level of the Martial Vein. Why should I fear her? Grandfather, you’re worrying too much. That said, she’s known as Tianfeng City’s number one beauty—maybe I’ll bring her back as your granddaughter-in-law.”
Ling Chen laughed and shook his head, but seeing Ling Xiaotian about to say more, he continued, “Of course, Grandfather, rest assured. With twenty days left until the Tianfeng Gala, I won’t slack off in my training!”
