CHAPTER 143: CHAPTER 143: A MAN OF HIS WORD!

"No wonder the Teng Dragon’s Step requires someone with strong Soul Power to cultivate; the consumption of Yuan Qi alone is not something ordinary people can bear!" Luo Feng thought with a somewhat helpless smile.

He possessed eighteen Meridian Wheels, twice the average person’s! His Yuan Qi was inconceivably dense, and even now, he could barely execute Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens once. If it were anyone else, even with a Cultivation at the mid-term of the Essence storage Realm, it would not be possible.

Despite this realization, Luo Feng was not disheartened. Every journey begins with a single step. As long as I can reach the mid-term of the Essence storage Realm, executing Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens won’t be as difficult as it is now.

"The fourth level of Teng Dragon’s Step, Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens, already holds such power. If I can cultivate Teng Dragon’s Step to the fifth level, I wonder just how formidable Teng Dragon’s Gang Qi would be?!" Luo Feng muttered to himself, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

「The night passed quickly.」

The next day, the Purple Sun School’s training field once again buzzed with excitement, even livelier than the previous day. At the highest platform of the training field, ten golden chairs had appeared, shimmering resplendently under the morning sun.

The students of the Purple Sun School all looked towards the ten golden chairs on the platform, their faces filled with admiration. These ten golden chairs represented the top ten elite students of the Hidden Dragon List!

All the students privileged enough to sit on those golden chairs possessed incredible strength. They were always in the spotlight, admired by many!

By the time Luo Feng arrived at the training field, every seat had already been taken.

"Luo Feng, over here." In an open area of the training field designated for students qualified for the challenge match, Bing Ruolan stood on her toes and waved at Luo Feng.

Immediately, countless jealous and envious gazes shot towards Luo Feng.

This girl... Luo Feng thought. With a wry smile, he touched his nose and casually walked over to Bing Ruolan.

Bing Ruolan glanced at Luo Feng, her vivid blue eyes twinkling as she lowered her voice and chuckled, "Luo Feng, about the grove in front of your courtyard..."

I can’t hide it from her, Luo Feng thought, seeing the look in Bing Ruolan’s eyes. He chuckled and admitted, "Yes, I accidentally messed it up yesterday."

Bing Ruolan pursed her lips, a flicker of surprise in her bright eyes. "I thought it was you. I can never quite see through you," she commented.

Although she had been somewhat prepared for his answer, she was still taken aback when Luo Feng confessed.

Her gaze turned towards the ten golden chairs on the stage, her cheeks flushing as a ripple of yearning shimmered in her gem-like pupils. "In the previous two years, I could only watch the qualification challenge matches from the stands. I never imagined that I would one day stand here..."

Bing Ruolan’s small hands clenched tightly, her delicate nostrils flaring slightly, her voice tinged with excitement.

Luo Feng glanced around at the viewing stands, a smile spreading across his face. Two months ago, I was still worried about becoming an inner court student. Now, to be the focus of so many people... it’s impossible not to feel excited.

ROAR!

Suddenly, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the grandstands.

"Students from the Hidden Dragon List are here!"

"Look quickly! That girl in the front must be Zi Yuan, one of the top four rookies last year! Oh my God, she has already stepped into the late stage of the Essence storage Realm! Considering she’s not even sixteen years old yet, achieving such a feat is truly astounding!"

"The second one, Lin Yun, is also quite impressive. His aura is full, and his cultivation has already reached the peak of the mid-term of the Essence storage Realm. I heard he’s been training in the martial arts world this past year; I wonder how much his abilities have grown."

"There’s also ’Twin Sword Guest’ Yang Hong, ’Flower Picking Hand’ Xu Mei, Lin Lang, Zhou Tong, Nan Xiao... Such strong momentum! These are truly the elite of the Purple Sun School!"

All eyes turned towards the entrance of the training field. Standing there were ten people—the top ten students from the Hidden Dragon List.

Compared to the students on the Winged Tiger List, the aura of these individuals was far more formidable.

Walking at the very front, a clever-looking girl with large eyes and two braided pigtails, was Zi Yuan, one of the four top rookies from last year.

Zi Yuan walked into the training field, her sparkling eyes swept across the area, rested on Luo Feng, and lit up. She approached with a sweet laugh, "Luo Feng, as expected, you are here."

Luo Feng touched his nose, smiling casually. "I promised you I would be in the top three of the New Talents Conference; why would I go back on my word?"

Zi Yuan wrinkled her cute nose, her eyes flashed, and twirling her pigtails, she chuckled, "So you’ve already stepped into the Essence storage Realm; no wonder you’re so confident. But you have to defeat me to get into the top three in the New Talents Conference. How about challenging me in the challenge match later?"

Before Luo Feng could answer, Zi Yuan had already skipped off to the side.

"Remember to challenge me; I’ll show mercy!" Zi Yuan called back, waving.

Is she saying I’m destined to lose? Luo Feng thought with a wry smile.

In just a month, Zi Yuan had already reached the Essence storage Realm; her progress was remarkably swift.

Just then, a cold voice suddenly drifted over.

"Luo Feng, I never thought you’d actually be able to stand here today."

Luo Feng looked up to see Lin Yun strolling over. He smiled lightly, "Are you complimenting me? That’s quite flattering."

Lin Yun’s gaze turned cold, locking onto Luo Feng. "Luo Feng, if you’re a man, you should keep your word, right?"

"What do you mean?" Luo Feng lifted his eyelids slightly.

Lin Yun looked down at Luo Feng with a condescending gaze, his eyes turning icy, his voice laced with provocation. "You said the other day you would defeat me. If you consider yourself a man, don’t go back on your word! In the upcoming challenge match, do you dare to challenge me?"

He didn’t expect Lin Yun to be more impatient than he was, Luo Feng chuckled lightly.

Shaking his head slightly, Luo Feng looked at Lin Yun. "You don’t have to try to provoke me. I stand by my words. I will challenge you myself later."

His gaze suddenly sharpened, and Luo Feng stated coldly, "And then, I will pull you down from the second place on the Hidden Dragon List!"

Lin Yun’s eyes darkened for a moment, then a cold sneer appeared on his face. He nodded. "Good! I’ll be waiting for your challenge!"

After giving Luo Feng a cold glance, Lin Yun turned and left. I’ve achieved my goal; there’s no need to continue this war of words, he thought.

An eerie silence fell over the stands; everyone stared at Luo Feng in stunned disbelief. Then, a low murmur began to ripple through the crowd.

"What abilities does Luo Feng possess to garner so much attention from both Zi Yuan and Lin Yun!"

Zi Yuan, as the top elite student on the Hidden Dragon List, and Lin Yun, ranked second, had both ignored other students on the list to single out Luo Feng. This was indeed quite strange.

"Lin Yun is friends with Li Yun and Zhou Jian. Yesterday, Li Yun was defeated by Luo Feng and publicly humiliated. He’s obviously trying to stand up for Li Yun."

"That’s not the point. Luo Feng actually agreed to challenge Lin Yun. Has he gone mad?"

"He probably had no other choice. If he didn’t agree, Lin Yun wouldn’t let him off. He might as well agree now and get it over with. Even if he loses, it sounds better to say he had the courage to accept. Besides, during the match, Lin Yun wouldn’t dare to be too excessive."

"That’s true. Luo Feng is really unlucky to have offended Lin Yun."

Learning that Luo Feng was going to challenge Lin Yun, most people couldn’t help but shake their heads in pity.

Luo Feng had risen powerfully and was now firmly in the first position on the Winged Tiger List, but compared to Lin Yun, who was second on the Hidden Dragon List, there was still a significant gap.

"Luo Feng, are you really going to challenge Lin Yun later?" Bing Ruolan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, worry apparent in her tone.

Luo Feng gave a faint smile and nodded confidently. "Don’t worry, he’s not my opponent. Have you forgotten the grove outside my courtyard?"

Bing Ruolan was taken aback. Remembering the horrifying marks in that grove, her expression relaxed somewhat.

Zi Yuan, Lin Yun, and the others walked onto the central stage one after another and took their seats in order of ranking. From left to right, they were Zi Yuan, Lin Yun, Yang Hong, Xu Mei...

President Zi Hongyuan personally stepped onto the stage. With a wave of his hand, an invisible pressure swept the entire training field, and all sounds instantly fell silent.

Clearing his throat, Zi Hongyuan proclaimed, "The Challenge will determine the winners of this qualification challenge. The top ten will represent the school at the New Talents Conference and will receive the academy’s full support and training!"

GULP...

A collective sound of swallowing echoed in the training field. All academies placed great emphasis on the New Talents Conference, hence they spared no effort in training their representatives. It was rumored that the top three might even receive guidance from powerful experts at the Spiritual Rotation Realm! This was no small matter!

Looking at the many pairs of eager eyes, Zi Hongyuan nodded in satisfaction and announced, "The Challenge officially begins! Each of you has one chance to challenge. You can only challenge those ranked above you on the Hidden Dragon List. If you win, you will take their place and can continue to challenge. If you fail, you will lose your right to challenge!"

BOOM!

Cheers erupted from the stands, everyone shouting the names of the students they supported.

Zi Hongyuan nodded to the side. An elder of the academy with a wrinkle-filled face stepped onto the stage, looked in Luo Feng’s direction, and said, "The first challenger, Zhao Xiong. Who do you wish to challenge?"

Zhao Xiong was a tall young man at the peak of the God Bravery Realm. He scanned Zi Yuan and the others on the stage and shook his head reluctantly. "I forfeit."

The students on the Hidden Dragon List are at least at the Essence storage Realm. With Zhao Xiong’s strength, there really is no hope, Luo Feng nodded to himself.

Next, the elder in charge of the Challenge read out a few more names; all of them forfeited.

People were not surprised. The ten winners of the qualifying competition might be able to stand out on the Winged Tiger List, but there was still a significant gap compared to the students on the Hidden Dragon List.

The elder continued, "Han Feng, who do you wish to challenge?"

Han Feng was a thin young man with a sword at his hip. His eyebrows were straight, his eyes sharp, and a subtle, piercing aura emanated from him.

This guy is a swordsmanship expert! Luo Feng thought, feeling a slight unease as he looked at Han Feng.

Han Feng took a step forward, his eyes sweeping across the stage before finally stopping on the ninth golden chair.

"I challenge the ninth-ranked Jiang Ping."

The elder nodded. "Han Feng challenges Jiang Ping, ninth place on the Hidden Dragon List!"

HUZZAH!

Cheers erupted from the stands; many had grown impatient as everyone before had forfeited.

Jiang Ping, who looked rather ordinary, stood up from his golden chair. He leaped directly onto an adjacent dueling stage and said to Han Feng, "Come up."

Han Feng didn’t speak; his figure flashed, landing in front of Jiang Ping.

"’Single Stroke Sword’ Han Feng, I’ve heard of you," Jiang Ping said resolutely, looking at Han Feng. "You only ever draw your sword once against an enemy, never a second move. Today, I want to test your sword."