Jin Wuji began to regain his composure. Very soon, he would be issuing a challenge to Li Dong Yue, and after that, he would be facing the Fourth Prince directly.
The other competitors also began issuing their own challenges.
Ling Han did not stay idle. Because there was a limited half an hour’s time for rest, he had to make full use of his time. Otherwise, if two of the competitors ahead of him battled for too long, causing him to have to wait impatiently for the half an hour of resting time to pass, he might not have enough time to challenge all the way to the first place.
He issued a challenge to the seventh Stage Master.
This was a young man who looked to be about twenty years old. With a long sword strapped to his back and a tall, slender figure, he appeared very confident and at ease.
The typical weapons martial artists used were either sabers or swords. But the higher the cultivation level, the weirder and rarer weapons became common as well. For example, umbrellas, pagodas, mirrors, or even pens that, with a single wave, could split rivers and break mountains, possessing terrifying power.
“I am Lian Tao. Please offer your guidance, Brother Ling,” the young man said, clasping his hands in greeting.
“Please!” Ling Han clasped his hands in response.
“Ha!” Lian Tao drew his sword and it was as if the sword and the wielder had become one, flying towards Ling Han.
Seventh layer of Element Gathering Tier!
Ling Han fearlessly brandished his own sword in a parry. Although he was in the fourth layer of Element Gathering Tier, with the added support of the Five Elements Origin Nuclei, his actual ability could be compared to the eighth layer of Element Gathering Tier. He was no longer weaker than his opponent. Moreover, he still possessed the Lone Wolf’s Blood which could further increase his power. In terms of power, he would definitely not lose to any normal person in the ninth layer of Element Gathering Tier.
Otherwise, he would not have dared to say with such certainty and confidence that he would get the first place in this tournament.
“Ding, ding, ding, ding,” the two of them were soon embroiled in a fierce battle. Their respective swords continuously met each other in a clash, repeatedly producing fiery sparks due to the friction between their blades.
The reason why Lian Tao had been able to qualify for the Top Ten was because his cultivation level was high enough. However, he could not really be considered as a genius because he had not managed to produce Sword Qi. The sword arts technique he was using was also only a Yellow Grade low level martial arts technique. Additionally, he had only reached the minor accomplishment level in this sword arts technique.
The advantage of a high cultivation level was a stronger power, but now even the power he had gained from his cultivation level was no match for Ling Han. So how could he still possibly win?
After only a few moves, he had fallen into an absolute disadvantage.
‘There are three Black Grade alchemists standing behind this person. Additionally, it’s impossible for me to get the first place. Then there isn’t much of a difference between the seventh and eighth place anyways. Why don’t I do him a favor and forfeit directly? I will help him save some Origin Power this way!’ Lian Tao thought.
He suddenly retreated a few steps. Withdrawing his sword, he said, “I am no match for Brother Ling. I forfeit!”
Eh? He forfeited? Just like that?
When Ling Han looked at the knowing smile on his opponent’s face, understanding dawned on him. Lian Tao was deliberately doing him a favor. He could not help smiling in spite of himself. If he really had put in full effort, he would be able to instantly defeat his opponent in one move!
However, whether he needed it or not, Lian Tao had still done him a favor, so he nodded in acknowledgement at Lian Tao.
The two of them exchanged tournament stages.
Ling Han did not rest. This battle did not expend much of his Origin Power, so he immediately issued a challenge to the sixth Stage Master.
The Stage Master of this stage was Xia Zhong Guang, a genius that had just recently emerged in the past two years. He was in the eighth layer of Element Gathering Tier.
“Brother Ling, please!” Xia Zhong Guang said very politely. Although he was very proud due to his young age and had a very high opinion of himself, the fact that Ling Han had three Black Grade alchemists behind him still caused him to obediently put away his usually arrogant attitude.
“Please!” Ling Han replied politely. If a person treated you respectfully, so must you be respectful in response.
The two of them moved at the same moment. Xia Zhong Guang’s weapon was a spear and he had also managed to form Spear Qi. When he waved his two meter long spear in a dance, the might behind his movements was overbearingly powerful. It had fully displayed the unique trait of a spear, which was: the longer it was, the more powerful it was.
Chapter 72
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Ling Han used the Shocking Electricity Sword Arts, not displaying any weakness or conceding in any way.
Xia Zhong Guang was indeed very strong. With one wave of the spear, he actually managed to form two flashes of Spear Qi!
“Si!”
A round of surprised gasps broke out downstage. Two flashes of “Qi”, this could be considered a very outstanding accomplishment among the younger generation of Da Yuan City, especially since Xia Zhong Guang was really too young! He was only eighteen years old this year!
By the time he had reached the current age of the Fourth Prince, Li Dong Yue and Jin Wuji, how many flashes of Qi would he be able to form? Three flashes? Or even four flashes, the real sign of having stepped into the ranks of rulers?
‘Two flashes, huh?’
Ling Han smiled softly, and with a wave of his sword, two flashes of Sword Qi similarly appeared.
“Pu!”
Everyone once again choked. They hadn’t even recovered from their first shock, and here comes another? Ling Han had also managed to form the second flash of Sword Qi? Could Da Yuan City be about to emerge as a new power? One genius after another appeared in close succession!
Xia Zhong Guang was also extremely astonished. Indeed, he had formed the first flash of Qi through hard work and effort, but the second flash was something he had obtained when he accidentally entered into an ancient tomb, where he came into contact with a strange stone plaque. He had lost consciousness at that point, and “saw” many memories that were now his own. After he woke up, he discovered that he had somehow formed a second flash of Spear Qi.
Could it be that Ling Han had somehow obtained this kind of chance encounter too? If he hadn’t, then he really was too terrifying. To be able to form two flashes of Sword Qi at the young age of seventeen years old, he was practically a monster!
Xia Zhong Guang continued to be on the offensive for a long while yet did not seem to be making any progress. He could not help feeling a bit dispirited, and when he recalled that Lian Tao before him, he could not help thinking, ‘There are three Black Grade alchemists standing behind this person, while I am obviously no match for the Fourth Prince. Then, what difference is there between the sixth and seventh place? Why don’t I take this chance to do him a favor then?’
When his thoughts turned in this direction, he resolutely ceased his attack and said, “Brother Ling is indeed extraordinarily strong, I forfeit!”
Why was there another forfeit? Weren’t they obviously locked in a stalemate, with neither fighter having an advantage over the other?
Aside from those few who had attended the Fourth Prince’s banquet a few days ago, the rest was very confused. But still, Ling Han had showed that he had formed two flashes of Sword Qi in this battle, and so indeed proved that he was more powerful than Lian Tao. So Lian Tao’s forfeit could be claimed as him having “foresight”.
Could it be that Ling Han was actually even more powerful than what he had shown up to now, and that was the reason why Xia Zhong Guang had
simply forfeited the battle?
Ling Han shook his head, smiled and said, “Brother Xia is too humble.”
“Let me offer my best wishes that Brother Ling may obtain an even better result. Let us be on closer terms in the future please!” Xia Zhong Guang leapt onto the seventh tournament stage.
It was at this moment that Jin Wuji too had issued a challenge–the other party being Li Dong Yue. There was no suspense about the result. Within a mere ten moves, Li Dong Yue had been defeated by Jin Wuji. The longing he felt to enter into Hu Yang Academy also intensified with this loss.
Holding onto this momentum firmly, Jin Wuji continued on to challenge the Fourth Prince.
Ling Han had no interest in watching the battles of others. After a short rest, he continued on to challenge the fifth Stage Master.
The fifth Stage Master was Liu Yu. He was also a genius that had only emerged within the last two years.
Because these two big battles were ongoing at the same time, majority of the spectators went over to watch the battle between the Fourth Prince and Jin Wuji. Only people like Ling Dong Xing, Liu Yu Tong and Li Hao paid attention to Ling Han’s battle.
“Brother Ling, please!” Liu Yu was also very polite. It could be argued that no one in the whole of Rain Country dared to ignore the existence of a Black Grade alchemist, and there were as many as three such alchemists standing behind Ling Han.
“Please!” Ling Han brandished his sword in an elaborate wave. His first move was two flashes of Sword Qi. Since he had already revealed a portion of his true prowess, he did not continue to hide it.
Liu Yu could be said to be tied with Xia Zhong Guang in terms of prowess. Since Xia Zhong Guang was no match for Ling Han, naturally Liu Yu wasn’t either. After exchanging a few tens of moves, Liu Yu could not help thinking, ‘There are three Black Grade alchemists standing behind this person, and in any case, I wouldn’t be able to get the first place, so why not do him a favor…’
As a result, Liu Yu too very frankly forfeited.
Thankfully, most of the spectators’ attention had been drawn to the huge battle between the Fourth Prince and Jin Wuji. Otherwise, there’d definitely be suspicions about this tournament being feigned.
Ling Han again rose to a higher ranking, and ahead of him only stood four people–Baili Teng Yun, Li Dong Yue, Jin Wuji, and Qi Yong Ye.
Who would have thought this would happen before the tournament?
Ling Dong Xing could not help growing excited. If Ling Han managed to defeat Baili Teng Yun, he’d gain the right to battle with Jin Wuji and the Fourth Prince. Getting the first place was no longer a dream.
The great battle between Qi Yong Ye and Jin Wuji was still continuing. The two young geniuses both made a very powerful display. One was using palm techniques while the other was using fist techniques. They have both formed “Qi”, and there were as many as three flashes on each side, so they already possessed the preliminary demeanor of a ruler.
And it was at this moment that Ling Han issued a challenge to Baili Teng Yun.
Ling Dong Xing became even more anxious. If Ling Han emerged victorious from this battle, then he’d doubtlessly be able to defeat Li Dong Yue and ascend to the third place.
Top three, that was impressive enough. Could he still ask for more?
“Brother Ling!” Baili Teng Yun was also very polite towards Ling Han. He did not even put on any airs as the Young Sect Master of the Baili Sect. He was even friendlier than he had been with the Fourth Prince. After all, if the Fourth Prince did not manage to inherit the position of the Da Yuan King, then his status could not be compared to even himself as the First Prince would definitely do his utmost to suppress him. [1]
But Ling Han was different. There were three Black Grade alchemists standing behind him.
“Please!”
“Please!”
The two fighters respectively spoke a word of invitation. Baili Teng Yun directly drew his Staff of Destruction and said, “Brother Ling is very powerful. If I do not try my best, then that would be the greatest disrespect to Brother Ling.”
“Haha, then let me also experience the might of a Spirit Weapon,” Ling Han said with a smile as he lightly waved the long sword in his hand, producing a soft hum.
“Take care then!” Baili Teng Yun harnessed the black staff and charged in a ferocious attack towards Ling Han. Seven seals lit up in close succession and half a black skull appeared, pouncing towards Ling Han.
This black skull contained a sliver of will of a powerful warrior. Initially, it would be able to create an invisible pressure on a martial artist in Gushing Spring Tier and directly shatter the spirit of a martial artist of Element Gathering Tier. However, because too much time had passed, this Spirit Weapon had also experienced serious deterioration. Its power had long since degraded from how it initially was and this skull could only produce a limited effect on a martial artist of Element Gathering Tier now.
But if it wasn’t because for that, Baili Teng Yun wouldn’t have been able to wield this Spirit Weapon with his current strength.
Though Ling Han was no longer the powerful warrior of Heaven Tier he had been in the past and there only remained a sliver of will of a warrior of Heaven Tier within him, Heaven Tier was still Heaven Tier. Even if it was a mere sliver, it was enough to sweep away all challengers without contention. This black skull was not able to affect him the slightest bit.
He used the Shocking Electricity Sword Arts. His sword was like a rainbow; “ding, ding, ding, ding,” the sword and staff repeatedly clashed, creating friction. Two flashes of Sword Qi moved unhindered, and there was no sign of Ling Han falling into a disadvantageous position.
“Quick, look there. Ling Han is having a great battle with Baili Teng Yun!”
“What, he’s actually so powerful?”
“No wonder Xia Zhong Guang and the others forfeited so fast previously. They had already known that Ling Han was so powerful!”
“Damn, when did this kind of freak appear? He’s just in the fourth layer of Element Gathering Tier, and he’s actually powerful to this extent!”
More and more people were attracted to that battle. They felt that a single pair of eyes was not enough for them. They wanted to watch the clash of the strongest between the Fourth Prince and Jin Wuji, but they also wanted to watch the battle of the brightest of the younger generation between Ling Han and Baili Teng Yun.
Chapter 73
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
There were only a rare few that knew that Ling Han had not yet displayed his full abilities, because he had only used two flashes of Sword Qi while his limit was actually four. And only Ling Han knew that he had not yet stimulated Lone Wolf’s Blood, which would actually upgrade his battle prowess to yet another level.
This was mainly because Ling Han’s will was strong enough, so the influence of the Staff of Destruction on the battle was barely visible. This meant that Baili Teng Yun’s attacks were mostly dependent on his own power, and he was on a lower level than Li Dong Yue, so how could he possibly be a match for Ling Han?
In this fierce battle and clash of the young generation, Ling Han was gradually gaining the upper hand!
“Hey! Hey! Even Jin Wuji hadn’t had such an easy time fighting him, right? Does that mean that Ling Han is even stronger than Jin Wuji?” Someone exclaimed in shock.
“That can’t be… the power behind every one of his attacks is inferior to Jin Wuji’s, so how is it possible that he’s stronger than Jin Wuji?” Someone else immediately retorted.
“But why did Jin Wuji have such a hard time during his battle, yet Ling Han so easily got the upper hand?”
“This…”
None of them knew about the fact that the Staff of Destruction had the ability to suppress the opponent’s spirit, so of course they did not understand why Ling Han could easily suppress Baili Teng Yun when his attacks were obviously on a weaker level than Jin Wuji’s attacks. They were still perplexed even after much t
hought.
Meanwhile, Baili Teng Yun had started thinking, ‘The few people before me had obviously done Ling Han a favor. If I don’t do the same, he may resent me! Moreover, I obviously can’t get the first place anyways, so what difference is there between the fourth and fifth place?’
When his thoughts took this turn, he quickly drew his staff back and retreated. He said, “Brother Ling is indeed very powerful. I forfeit!”
Damn, why was there another forfeit again?
The spectators were just starting to get excited from watching the battle. How come this Baili Teng Yun did the same as those before him, giving up just like that? What kind of background did this Ling Han have, causing every opponent of his to do him favors like that?
Ling Han stepped onto the fourth tournament stage, and he only had three opponents left ahead of him.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 44