Li Xinghui’s style was unorthodox, excelling in offense.
If he couldn’t defeat an opponent quickly, he’d surely lose.
His defense, energy, and other attributes lagged behind peers of the same realm, but his attack power was absurdly high.
Fighting someone like him required dodging his edge—losing in one move was entirely plausible otherwise.
“You’re Li Xinghui, right?” Ling Chen suddenly called out with a grin, looking up at the Li Clan’s tower.
“That’s me!” Li Xinghui replied, his voice sharp and cold, like an unsheathed blade.
“I heard you took down the other three young masters in one move last year. But that’s because I wasn’t there. This year’s showdown will show you what I, Ling Chen, am made of!”
Li Xinghui glanced at Ling Chen faintly, shaking his head. “You’re strong, but not enough to beat me. Him, though—I can’t quite read him.”
His gaze shifted abruptly to Ling Xiao.
The guy had a keen eye. Though Ling Xiao masked himself at the fifth peak of the Martial Vein realm, hiding any unique aura, Li Xinghui still sensed something extraordinary.
A martial artist’s intuition, perhaps.
“You!” Ling Chen’s face darkened.
He hadn’t expected Li Xinghui to dismiss him so casually while giving Ling Xiao such high praise.
“Hahaha!” Laughter erupted from the Li Clan’s side.
They thought Ling Chen was humiliating himself.
“Brother Chen, don’t take it to heart. It’s just a mind game to rattle you,” Ling Tieshou, standing beside Ling Chen, cautioned.
“No need to tell me that—do you think I don’t know? Li Xinghui, you’ve got guts. But soon, I’ll make you pay for underestimating me,” Ling Chen gritted his teeth. After four years of training abroad, he’d returned expecting to dominate Tianfeng City. Yet he’d stumbled within the clan, and now Li Xinghui was brushing him off. Fury burned inside him—he wanted to storm the stage and prove his strength right then.
“That guy Li Xinghui praised—must be Ling Xiao, the one who beat Ling Feifan,” someone murmured.
Tianfeng City wasn’t big; hiding something completely was near impossible. Over a month after the Ling Clan’s annual competition, it’d be laughable if no one outside knew Ling Xiao had bested Ling Feifan.
Li Xinghui’s words quickly drew the crowd’s attention.
“Fifth peak of the Martial Vein—pretty high realm. Beating Ling Feifan makes sense.”
“Gotta spar with him later!”
Tianfeng City had plenty of fifth-peak Martial Vein martial artists, even among the younger generation—dozens, none convinced of Ling Xiao’s hype.
“The City Lord arrives—!” a loud voice boomed, silencing the chaotic buzz instantly.
From a distance, the Tianfeng City Lord ascended the steps with his beloved daughter, Shi Yulian, gradually entering everyone’s view.
Breathing grew heavy across the scene.
Almost every eye locked onto Shi Yulian, the City Lord’s daughter.
Tianfeng City’s number one beauty!
The top expert outside the Four Young Masters.
Those titles shrouded her in mystery and allure.
No clamor—just the sound of swallowing.
Shi Yulian was tall, her pink attire adding a touch of charm and grace.
Her skin was pale as fine jade.
Her smile carried a maturity and allure beyond her years, like a ripe peach begging to be bitten.
Just sixteen, yet already so captivating—no wonder she was dubbed Tianfeng City’s top beauty.
But for some reason, seeing her, Ling Xiao thought of Ling Yu. The two women were cut from the same cloth.
He frowned slightly, losing interest in admiring her.
He hoped Shi Yulian only resembled Ling Yu on the surface—not inside too. That’d be a shame.
Deep down, he preferred women like Ling Yixue.
Few words, but genuine, unpretentious.
Plus, Ling Yixue’s beauty rivaled Shi Yulian’s—sometimes even surpassed it.
This “Tianfeng City’s top beauty” title—probably some bored flatterer’s gift to the City Lord.
“Ahem, everyone! Today, I’m hosting the Tianfeng Gala to unearth our city’s finest talents…” The City Lord’s voice snapped many out of their trance, fixated on Shi Yulian’s looks.
“Ling Xiao, don’t underestimate Shi Yulian. She’s not among the Four Young Masters, but rumor has it she had a breakthrough this year. Her strength soared—she fears no one outside the Four Masters,” Ling Yihang warned, noticing Ling Xiao’s indifference. “I bet she’s aiming to be the only female master this time.”
“Who’s that guy?” Ling Xiao asked.
He could weigh Shi Yulian’s worth easily enough. With his Mountain and River Martial Soul, no young talent here could escape his scrutiny.
His focus soon landed on another figure atop the City Lord’s tower.
“That’s Shi Feiyu, the City Lord’s adopted son. Ranked third in last year’s gala. His defensive skills are incredible,” Ling Yihang explained.
“Oh, no wonder I feel a kinship,” Ling Xiao chuckled. He’d noticed Shi Feiyu because of a peculiar aura—something inhuman.
“Probably because you both practice top-tier defensive martial arts,” Ling Yihang grinned, adding, “In Tianfeng City, the City Lord’s Mansion—Shi Clan—is the strongest. Then Li Clan, Wang Clan, and Ling Clan last.”
“Why’s that?” Ling Xiao asked, puzzled.
“It’s based on the Tianfeng Gala rankings. In recent years, only Ling Feifan from our clan cracked the top ten. The rest fell beyond that. The City Lord’s Mansion had all four entrants in the top ten, Li Clan three, Wang Clan two. Even outside the top ten, Ling Clan’s fighters ranked dead last—worse than some minor families,” Ling Yihang sighed. “You’ve probably heard—the gala decides each clan’s status, territory, and resources in Tianfeng City. We’ve been losing big lately.”
“This time might be different,” Ling Xiao said with a smile.
“Hmph, with the original lineup—Ling Feng as a joke and Ling Yun nowhere near the top ten—it’d just be me and Ling Chen making it,” Ling Yihang snorted. “The revised list looks better. Except for Yixue, us three guys should hit the top ten no problem.”
“You’re underestimating Senior Sister Yixue,” Ling Xiao chuckled. “This gala, Ling Clan will have four in the top ten—and high ranks too.”
“I believe you—your judgment’s sharper than mine,” Ling Yihang nodded. “Finally, our Ling Clan can hold our heads high. Otherwise, walking the streets feels shameful.”
