The confrontation between Chen Yu and Cheng Yun was just too quick. The outcome of the battle was already determined in just a few breaths.
“How can this be?”
Hu Yiba and Le Feng had startled expressions on their faces.
Previously, Chen Yu and Yuan Beitong exchanged over 100 moves and every attack was force meeting with force. As such, he originally thought that Chen Yu would have consumed a significant amount of his energy.
Who would’ve thought that Chen Yu would defeat Cheng Yun thunderously before the latter could stand firmly when he took the stage.
“He’s too strong, I can’t stand my ground at all.”
Cheng Yun walked off the stage with a bitter smile. He wholeheartedly accepted his defeat.
“It’s very likely that this fellow concealed his strength in his fight against Yuan Beitong as well. If we weren’t enemies, I would be somewhat bowled over by his strength and imposing attitude as well.”
Hu Yiba had a hint of a grave expression on his violent face for the first time. It was even to the extent of looking respectful.
Even though he was violent, rude, and unreasonable in the sect, he deeply respected those who were strong.
“Hu Yiba, Younger Martial Brother Le. Which one of you is going to come up? If you want to charge into the top three, you will undoubtedly have to pass this stage of mine.”
Chen Yu was still standing on stage.
He’s still proceeding with the battle?
All of the disciples offstage were stunned and in disbelief.
“I’m next, Martial Brother Chen.”
A charming young man with long fluttering hair nimbly landed on stage.
Chen Yu against Le Feng!
The showdown between the duo immediately attracted everyone’s interest.
One was a genius with emerging power in the outer sect whereas the other was a great dark horse who radiated like a comet.
Le Feng stood on stage and looked at Chen Yu, whose onslaught couldn’t be halted, with incomparably complicated emotions.
“Younger Martial Brother Le, I want to express my thanks before we fight hand-to-hand. You once gave me the opportunity in the battle with the Metal Brown Bear, and when you gave me the Constituent Pearl Grass during the Outer Sect Social Gathering as well…” Chen Yu said with a look of sincerity.
Even though both of them were competitors at this moment and Le Feng even used a few tactics on him, Chen Yu didn’t hate Le Feng from the bottom of his heart.
Not only did the top three of the Great Tournament get extremely generous rewards, but this was also a one-time opportunity for a carp to leap through the dragon’s gate.
Who wouldn’t strive for it if they had the opportunity to do so?
Le Feng launched a wheel battle against Chen Yu, which was permitted within the rules. This was a match to fight over their fate.
“Expressing your thanks?” Le Feng murmured as he comprehended the words he said.
Thank you for the Metal Brown Bear mission. You brought me an ample amount of Contribution Points and Metastones. Thank you for the battle with the Bear King. That [Towering Cloud Step] made up for the deficiency in my martial arts form. Also, thank you for giving me that Constituent Pearl Grass, which hastened my ascension to the perfect Bronze Skin level.
Chen Yu might not be able to have the strength he did today if he lacked any segment amongst those.
Outsiders didn’t know the implicit details behind this.
With Le Feng’s intelligence, he could roughly call certain things to mind in Chen Yu’s expression of thanks.
“I admired Younger Martial Brother Le’s innate strength in the past. Today, I am very fortunate to have this ‘fated battle’ with you.”
Once Chen Yu finished speaking, he silently circulated his boxing technique and inner breath.
“Towering Cloud Step!”
At the instant the duo’s gaze crossed, they rapidly moved with their martial arts form.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two figures that were graceful and abnormally quick missed each other on the tournament stage.
The attacks from both of them fell through at the same time!
“Their martial arts forms are exactly the same!”
“They’re both using the [Towering Cloud Step] with similar maturity and realm.”
Every disciple below had started looks as they watched this odd battle.
On stage.
Two figures with almost the same footwork crisscrossed on stage like a person dancing while facing a mirror.
The duo actually didn’t strike each other in the several times that they crisscrossed with one another.
Fiendish Cloud Fist!
Chen Yu broke the balance first. He stimulated the power of the mysterious heart as his speed abruptly increased somewhat.
Whoosh!
He took the unfair advantage and got close all of a sudden. A fuzzy dark cloud of fiendish qi was produced when he punched out with his fist. A stream of air erupted loudly as the might of the formless fiendish qi restricted the qi, blood, and Inner Breath in Le Feng’s body.
He suppressed his opponent by amplifying himself with fiendish qi. This was the superiority of the [Fiendish Cloud Fist] as a branch of the sect’s key technique.
“Soul Chasing Sword!”
The damaged treasured sword in Le Feng’s hand streaked out a long and narrow arc that was sharp and cold. It brought out a fuzzy sheet of sword light, as well as multiple afterimages.
At the same time, he tried to cut in by combining his footwork and swordplay.
Clank, bang!
The fist and sword missed each other in mid-air.
Amidst things, Le Feng floated a few steps back.
Huh?!
Chen Yu was slightly shocked. That attack of his just now actually didn’t suppress the other party.
After pondering over it for a brief moment, he soon understood that that strong attack didn’t fully hit thanks to Le Feng’s ingenious coordination of his swordplay and footwork. He was even still trying to cut through to Chen Yu.
But Chen Yu’s fist was steaming with fiendish might. It was too strong. Le Feng wasn’t successful even after that skillful move of his.
On the other end, Le Feng only felt his arm go numb as he felt afraid in his mind. He was somewhat at a disadvantage since he didn’t strike him forcibly in the confrontation just now.
Ding, ding! Clang, bang!
The duo exchanged tens of moves in a row on the tournament stage. Those who were watching them were dazzled by the sight.
In terms of their martial arts form, both of them were utilizing the [Towering Cloud Step] in its perfect form.
But Le Feng practiced this footwork for a far longer time and even comprehended its essence. His footwork appeared even more elegant and paired with his swordplay flawlessly.
Chen Yu’s footwork was a little inferior to him in terms of its gracefulness and exquisiteness, but he had a constitutional advantage. He was surely superior to the other party in speed.
Bronze Statue Technique! Fiendish Cloud Fist!
A copper layer of simple and unadorned veins appeared on Chen Yu’s arm. He had already reached the Bronze Muscle level, so his boxing technique and strength clambered a step further.
Clank, clank!
Chen Yu was immediately forced to use his strength after a few consecutive moves. His qi and blood raged as he fought Le Feng to the point where the latter repeatedly retreated in defeat.
After 50 moves.
Clank! Le Feng’s damaged treasured sword fell to the ground as the hand he was using to hold it went numb.
“I lost, Younger Martial Brother Chen.”
Le Feng looked ashamed as he swiftly got off the stage.
He suddenly felt somewhat remorseful in launching the wheel battle stratagem against Chen Yu.
“Hu Yiba!”
With a smile on his face, Chen Yu looked at the violent man with the Yin-Yang head off the stage.
Hu Yiba was the tyrant of the outer sect. He was ranked fourth in the last tournament and even nearly entered the inner sect.
“Chen Yu!”
Hu Yiba sucked in a deep breath and solemnly said, “Your strength and imposing attitude bowled Hu over. If I’m not wrong, your goal is no longer the top three anymore.”
“That’s right. My goal is to be number one.”
Chen Yu didn’t deny it.
Hua!
There was a commotion on the scene. All of the disciples looked at Chen Yu in shock and felt inspired as well.
Contesting for number one!
It was very likely that he was the first person who dared to openly aim for number one aside from the two dragons in a power struggle in the Great Tournament up until now.
If this was during the knockout competition, everyone would think that Chen Yu was overestimating his capabilities.
But right now, Chen Yu defeated the great trio in strength, Yuan Beitong, Cheng Yun, and Le Feng, consecutively. He even did so skillfully and easily.
If things went off without a hitch, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to defeat Hu Yiba after this as well.
This strength was too formidable.
“Hehe! This is getting more and more amusing. This fellow does have the qualifications to challenge us.”
Nangong Li clapped the folding fan in his hands.
Duan Xiaolong glanced at Chen Yu with a proper look on his face. He nodded and said, “There’s one more opponent for the spot of number one.”
The two dragons in a power struggle acknowledged Chen Yu’s strength.
At this moment, everyone on the scene was impassioned all of a sudden. Their gazes were fixed on this great dark horse from the outer sect.
He surmounted all the difficulties that came his way and was already advancing to the top three. Was he hopeful and aiming for the first place?
If this was possible, it would be a great miracle in the outer sect!
“You must succeed…”
Mu Xueqing clenched her white fists tightly as though she had returned to the time when they were kids. She recalled the memory where that strong man stepped forward bravely beside her.
“Elder Brother Yu, if you can succeed, I might be able to convince my parents to unify us!”
A hint of water and mist appeared in Mu Xueqing’s clear eyes.
Her heart lit up with hope.
She previously made the greatest decision to draw a clear line in her relationship with Chen Yu, mostly due to pressure from her clan and parents.
“Chen Yu.”
Hu Yiba laughed at himself. “You actually are aiming for first place. I truly can’t bear to mention the path we walked on before as it falls into inferiority. This Hu deeply feels ashamed and doesn’t have the heart to have a battle with you. Why don’t I…pave the way for you instead!”
Pave the way for me?
Chen Yu was startled.
“I challenge Duan Xiaolong in the first place!”
Hu Yiba took in a deep breath. The Overlord Halberd in his hands trembled as he pointed right at the first name on the Array Board.
Challenging Duan Xiaolong!
Everyone present was in an uproar again as they looked at Hu Yiba with incomparable astonishment.
Chen Yu was astonished as well.
Pave the way for you?
Hu Yiba, this evil tyrant of the outer sect, actually made such a decision.
“Sure.”
Duan Xiaolong swayed with a tranquil expression and landed on the tournament stage.
Chen Yu had an odd look on his face as he had no choice but to walk off the stage.
On stage, the battle between Duan Xiaolong and Hu Yiba began at once.
“The overlord won’t return!”
The Overlord Halberd in Hu Yiba’s hand swept out. It spurred tremendous power and profound Inner Breath. There was a kind of aggressiveness and heroism that didn’t return once it left when he used this move.
Offstage, Chen Yu, Le Feng, and the others were emotionally moved by this.
In terms of strength and the profundity of Inner Breath, this Hu Yiba was still above Le Feng. The Overlord Halberd in his hands was even a half treasured weapon.
“You have the qualifications for me to use my sword.”
The simple and unadorned broadsword in Duan Xiaolong’s hands softly trembled. As blade light flashed and vibrated, one could faintly hear the sound of thunder intertwining.
That sword had yet to be used, but everyone present could feel the oppression of a gigantic wave that was about to descend.
“This oppressive feeling is comparable to someone at the Visceral Tempering stage…”
All of the disciples were speechless as they were dumbstruck.
This was the first time Duan Xiaolong used his sword since the start of the competition.
He hacked out with his sword and let out a sheet of blade light and afterimages. A stream of dazzling light awns could faintly be seen with the naked eye as it flashed past in the stream of air and strong wind.
The sound of thunder could faintly be heard in mid-air.
Clank~
The Overlord Halberd, that was extremely heavy, collided directly with that thunderous sword. All of the disciples present felt their qi and blood churn as their minds swayed.
“This sword!”
Hu Yiba looked aghast and turned pale. He rapidly withdrew a few steps as his arm went numb.
The simple and unadorned broadsword in Duan Xiaolong’s hand didn’t move a single inch. On the other hand, there were some damages and tears on Hu Yiba’s clothes.
“The Overlord’s Wild Dance!”
A hint of craziness appeared in Hu Yiba’s eyes. The Overlord Halberd in his hands violently cried out and danced in a disorderly manner. A violent stream of halberd images swirled up and almost gave rise to a small tornado.
Clank, clank, clank!
In a split second, the Overlord Halberd and the simple and unadorned broadsword crossed blows several times in mid-air.
Buzz!
In the final attack, the sword light from the broadsword in Duan Xiaolong’s hand resembled a sudden clap of thunder while the sound of thunder could be heard. It had a kind of supernatural might to it.
Clank, chi—
Sparks sputtered when such a frightening sword hacked the Overlord Halberd. A nick that was half an inch deep was immediately hacked out.
Wah!
Hu Yiba spat out blood as his figure fell back a couple of meters. There were bloodstains and scorch marks left on his shoulder.
“That sword seemed to have brought out lightning and thunder. This might already exceed the category of ordinary martial arts…”
Chen Yu wore a grave expression.
Duan Xiaolong, who was famed for possessing the number one combat power in the outer sect, was a little more terrifying than he imagined.
Perhaps, ordinary martial artists who were almost at the Visceral Tempering stage were not a match for him!
“Rolling Thunder Blade!”
“This boy actually cultivated the [Rolling Thunder Blade] almost to perfection. This level of comprehension is rare even in the inner sect.”
A few of the higher-ups in the sect cried out in bewilderment on stage.
“Chen Yu, this is all I can do.” Hu Yiba staggered as he got off the stage.
The battle intent in Chen Yu violently surged. He felt that the mysterious heart in his body hastened in its throbbing out of some excitement.
He was about to take the stage and issue his challenge.
“Wait a second.” A familiar voice could be heard.
Chen Yu glanced out from the corner of his eyes. The person who spoke was Le Feng.
“I still have one opportunity to issue a challenge. I challenge Nangong Li, ranked number one!”
Le Feng took the stage.
Hmm?
Nangong Li was stunned. His body flipped in the air before he landed on stage.
“Le Feng, are you…”
Chen Yu was startled as he found it a little unexpected.
“Martial Brother Chen, if I knew that you had the strength to strive for number one earlier on, I wouldn’t use such methods on you. Treat this as my way of making it up to you.”
Le Feng silently took the stage with his long hair flowing behind him as he faced Nangong Li, the number one genius in the outer sect.