CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 145: ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN

CLANG!

Zhou Tong flicked the blade of his sword, using the recoil to leap back.

"Your swordsmanship isn’t bad. I didn’t expect you to have some actual skill. Let’s see how many of my moves you can block!"

Zhou Tong’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He laughed loudly, stomped his right foot on the ground, and charged towards Bing Ruolan like a great eagle.

"Flowing Cloud Crosses the Peak!"

Bing Ruolan’s eyes were calm. She moved on the tips of her toes across the arena, her figure as light and elusive as a floating cloud as she slipped past Zhou Tong.

SWISH.

A small cut appeared on the sleeve of Zhou Tong’s left arm.

"Again!"

Enraged, Zhou Tong’s face turned the color of burning coal. He roared and charged recklessly around the arena like a wild bull. Each step he took left a new footprint on the platform.

Bing Ruolan, on the other hand, had calmed down.

As she fought Zhou Tong, she gradually became immersed in a peculiar sensation. It was as if she had returned to the Misty Swamp, practicing martial arts daily with Luo Feng, effortlessly dodging Zhou Tong’s ferocious attacks time and again.

The entire martial performance field fell silent. Everyone watched in astonishment, failing to comprehend what was happening. Zhou Tong was at an absolute disadvantage, powerless to fight back!

Luo Feng, however, was not surprised.

He had noticed earlier that Zhou Tong’s fist technique was somewhat similar to the Tiger Roar Fist.

The Furious Dragon Fist was fierce but lacked flexibility. With Bing Ruolan’s Light Martial Arts cultivation and her experience sparring with Luo Feng, defeating Zhou Tong was not difficult.

DING, DING, DING...

The two figures intertwined on the arena, exchanging more than ten moves in the blink of an eye.

"Ah! This is infuriating! How can you predict my attacks every time?"

After the fifteenth move, Zhou Tong threw a full-force punch but still failed to touch Bing Ruolan’s clothes. He roared in anger and stopped.

A faint smile touched Bing Ruolan’s beautiful eyes. She now understood what Luo Feng had meant earlier. Fighting Zhou Tong was no different from sparring with Luo Feng. Zhou Tong’s Light Martial Arts cultivation was far inferior to Luo Feng’s. Since she could always seize the initiative, how could Zhou Tong be her opponent?

"Will we continue?" Bing Ruolan asked, looking at Zhou Tong.

"Damn it all! I admit defeat!"

Zhou Tong glanced at Bing Ruolan, his unwillingness clear, and said indignantly. He had already used every skill he possessed but still hadn’t managed to touch Bing Ruolan’s clothes. Instead, he was the one who had suffered several wounds. Continuing would be pointless and would only make him a laughingstock.

"Bing Ruolan wins the challenge and is ranked fifth on the Hidden Dragon List," Elder Chen announced, glancing at Bing Ruolan with approval.

A low murmur spread through the entire martial performance field.

No one had expected this outcome. Zhou Tong, who usually never gave up until he achieved his goals, had been forced to surrender. It was simply incredible!

Hearing the result, Bing Ruolan finally smiled. She sheathed her sword and said politely to Zhou Tong, "Thank you for the match."

In terms of strength, Zhou Tong was superior to her. She had merely followed Luo Feng’s advice and capitalized on a few openings to win.

Zhou Tong was not a petty person. He waved his hand and said, "A loss is a loss. You fully deserve fifth place on the Hidden Dragon List! Congratulations."

With that, Zhou Tong returned directly to the sixth golden chair.

Bing Ruolan sat on the fifth golden chair and exhaled lightly. A charming blush appeared on her cheeks, and her beautiful eyes, filled with anticipation, turned to Luo Feng.

At this moment, among the Winged Tiger List students awaiting a challenge, only Luo Feng remained.

"Luo Feng, who do you want to challenge?" Elder Chen asked, his face expressionless.

SWISH!

Before Elder Chen had finished speaking, Lin Yun, who was sitting on the second golden chair, suddenly stood up. His gaze swept over Luo Feng, turning sharply cold.

"Luo Feng, you just said you were going to challenge me. Surely you’re not going back on your word?"

As Lin Yun’s voice rose, the entire martial performance field erupted once more, all eyes fixed on Luo Feng.

Although they thought it impossible, many people hoped Luo Feng would challenge Lin Yun.

One was a rapidly rising dark horse; the other was the young genius ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List!

A clash between these two would undoubtedly be incredibly exciting!

"Lin Yun, it’s not your turn to be challenged yet, is it?" Zi Yuan, seated in the first position, looked at Lin Yun, her small face showing her displeasure.

Lin Yun ignored her completely, looking at Luo Feng and said tauntingly, "Luo Feng, as the top expert on the Winged Tiger List, don’t tell me you don’t even have the courage for one fight?"

Elder Chen frowned and was about to stop Lin Yun when a hearty laugh suddenly rang out.

"Lin Yun, you think too highly of yourself. You’re not qualified to intimidate me."

SWOOSH!

Luo Feng leaped and landed on the arena, looking at Lin Yun with his usual calm. "I challenge Lin Yun, second on the Hidden Dragon List!"

The martial performance field fell into an eerie silence for a moment. Then, WHOA! The stands erupted with cheers that shook the sky!

Originally, everyone thought this duel wouldn’t happen. They didn’t expect Luo Feng to surprisingly accept!

Regardless of victory or defeat, his courage in challenging Lin Yun was enough to earn awe.

Hearing Luo Feng’s words, a sneer touched Lin Yun’s lips. He crossed the dozen-meter distance in a single step, appearing ten paces in front of Luo Feng.

"I have to commend your courage. Unfortunately, you are also the most foolish person I have ever seen!" Lin Yun said coldly, looking at Luo Feng.

"Really?" Luo Feng raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "The outcome is still undecided; it’s too early for you to say that."

Lin Yun snorted contemptuously. "Don’t tell me you think you can beat me with your insignificant cultivation? In the academy, only Zi Yuan can threaten me!"

"How will we know without trying?"

Luo Feng remained composed as the Tiger Soul Saber appeared in his hand. He pointed the blade directly at Lin Yun and said, "I advise you, if you don’t go all out, you will definitely regret it."

Seeing Luo Feng take out the Tiger Soul Saber, gasps of astonishment rippled through the martial arts field.

"Huh, if Luo Feng weren’t holding his saber, I’d almost forget his most formidable martial art is the Sky Slayer Saber Technique!"

"He didn’t use his saber in previous matches. It seems he truly was hiding his strength. How astonishing!"

"This duel just got interesting."

Luo Feng suddenly drawing the Tiger Soul Saber immediately caused a considerable stir in the martial arts field.

A martial artist who cultivates Saber Techniques would have their strength greatly diminished without a saber.

A saber wielder with a saber in hand is on a completely different level of strength than one without.

Many people were inwardly speculating about Luo Feng’s true strength.

On the viewing platform, Zi Hongyuan said with a smile, "The Sky Slayer Saber Technique. I saw it once thirty years ago when I was a student, and I haven’t seen it since. Interesting..."

"I wonder who will win," the instructor next to him couldn’t help but muse.

"I’m betting on Lin Yun. Lin Yun was already second on the Hidden Dragon List last year. His rtiad experience and his cultivation level, honed over the past year, are far beyond what Luo Feng can compare to."

"I’m afraid that might not be true. True geniuses cannot be measured by ordinary standards. Back then, Lu Xiao Yun went from being an outer disciple to topping the Hidden Dragon List in only half a year," a rather old-looking instructor countered.

"Luo Feng is indeed a genius, but he’s not at Lu Xiao Yun’s level yet, is he?"

"That’s not necessarily true..."

Several instructors discussed animatedly, each holding their own opinion. However, most of them favored Lin Yun to win.

「On the stage.」

With the Tiger Soul Saber in hand, Luo Feng’s entire aura changed. His dark, profound eyes were like an ancient well, seeming to pierce people’s hearts. His presence was even stronger than Lin Yun’s, stunning everyone.

Lin Yun glanced at the Tiger Soul Saber in Luo Feng’s hand, his expression dark. He said with a cold laugh, "I’ve long heard that the Sky Slayer Saber Technique’s power is comparable to Profound Level martial arts. Today, I’d like to experience it for myself!"

His words were calm but laced with mockery.

Everyone knew that while the Sky Slayer Saber Technique was powerful, it was extremely difficult to cultivate. To match the power of a Profound Level martial art, one had to achieve the sixth stage of perfection.

Hearing the sarcasm in Lin Yun’s words, Luo Feng remained unmoved.

Although his Sky Slayer Saber Technique hadn’t reached the sixth stage of perfection, after using the Blood Thirst Technique, its power already far surpassed ordinary peak Yellow Level martial arts!

SWISH!

Before Lin Yun finished speaking, he suddenly shot towards Luo Feng, a sword gleaming with a chilling light having appeared in his hand at some unknown point.

The distance between them rapidly closed.

"Fall before me!"

Lin Yun let out a cold shout. His sword twisted rapidly, like a silver snake, its tip carrying a bone-chilling intent as it stabbed towards Luo Feng from an unbelievable angle.

The angle of the sword was very strange, shifting left and right, making it impossible to predict its direction.

"That’s the peak Yellow Level martial art, Silver Snake Swordsmanship! Lin Yun’s signature technique!"

A wave of exclamations erupted from the surroundings.

The Silver Snake Swordsmanship was insidious and vicious, its attack angles tricky and ever-changing, making it incredibly difficult to defend against.

In last year’s New Talent Competition, Lin Yun had used the Silver Snake Swordsmanship to defeat many experts from other academies, ranking eleventh!

A year had passed, and Lin Yun’s Silver Snake Swordsmanship had improved even further. The sword light flickered erratically, clearly having reached an extremely profound level!

Amidst the crowd’s astonished gazes, Luo Feng also moved.

A faint tiger’s roar seemed to echo across the arena as the Tiger Soul Saber slashed out.

SWISH!

The saber’s trajectory was simple and unadorned, but the moment the blade descended, a horrifying aura instantly swept across the entire martial arts field! It was as if it wasn’t a saber descending, but an entire mountain peak!

CLANG!

The saber and sword collided. Lin Yun was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected Luo Feng to be able to block his Silver Snake Swordsmanship.

But he paid it little mind. With a flick of his wrist, the sword tip quivered like a viper’s fang, evading the saber’s edge and stabbing once more towards Luo Feng’s chest!

What vicious swordsmanship.

Luo Feng felt a chill on his chest. He raised an eyebrow, and his figure instantly vanished, reappearing behind Lin Yun as a dark, cold saber gleam whistled downwards.

Such speed!

Lin Yun’s brow twitched, but a cold smirk appeared at the corner of his lips. He coldly spat out four words, "Sky Mang Gang Qi!"

BOOM!

A terrifying aura radiated from his body as Lin Yun’s momentum surged. In that instant, a layer of jade-green light appeared about a foot around him.

CLANG!

The dark Saber Gang struck the jade-green Gang Qi, emitting the sound of clashing metal as ripples spread across the protective aura.

THUD, THUD...

Luo Feng retreated several steps.

"Late stage of the Seventh Level of the Essence storage Realm!"

The entire martial arts field erupted in astonished cries as everyone stared at Lin Yun in disbelief.

Lin Yun’s aura had far surpassed the mid-stage of the Seventh Level of the Essence storage Realm, reaching the late stage!

Lin Yun turned around, his eyes filled with triumph. He looked at Luo Feng and laughed, "Luo Feng, if you think you can defeat me, you’re at least ten years too early!"