Chapter 110

The sixty-second round concluded, and the sixty-third round began shortly after.

In the following matches, Meng Huan, who wielded a sword, soon encountered Ye Chen, who also used a sword.

In fact, given Meng Huan's realm, defeating Ye Chen at this time posed no problem whatsoever; however, since he had already cultivated for several hundred years, and since the Zhenling Continent was naturally Ye Chen's home ground, he naturally would not usurp the host's role.

Therefore, after sparring with Ye Chen, Meng Huan chose to admit defeat, just as he had with other group members.

After fighting Meng Huan, Ye Chen soon encountered Li Daoxuan, the eldest disciple of the Heartless Sect.

This battle undoubtedly attracted great attention, with its viewership even surpassing the duels of other seeded competitors.

After all, Li Daoxuan possessed sixty percent of sword intent, and before the appearances of Ye Chen and Meng Huan, he had always been hailed as the number one swordsman of the younger generation in the Southern Zhuo Domain.

Since Ye Chen had previously defeated Meng Huan, if he were to defeat Li Daoxuan as well, he would undoubtedly become the new number one swordsman of the younger generation in the Southern Zhuo Domain.

In this battle, Ye Chen wished to experience the silent killing move Li Daoxuan had used against Sikong Sheng, so he likewise suppressed his own sword technique realm; for a time, the two fought on equal footing.

Until Li Daoxuan unleashed his silent killing move again, a wisp of sword light instantly slashed toward Ye Chen at a speed surpassing vision; for a moment, heaven and earth fell silent, an abnormal stillness prevailing!

Seeing Li Daoxuan deploy his ultimate move, Ye Chen finally grew serious.

"Seal!"

This sword strike of Ye Chen's was not for offense, but for blocking.

After all, Li Daoxuan's silent killing move was too fast and too swift; if he unleashed a sword technique of excessive power, he would not have time to strike, and if he employed the intent of a swift sword, it would merely be exchanging injuries with Li Daoxuan.

As for Ye Chen's other ultimate moves, those were entirely meant for dealing with Sikong Sheng and responding to other group members, so naturally they could not be revealed prematurely now.

Thus, he could only deploy the fastest sword technique possible to block!

Clang! Clang!

Countless sparks flew outward, instantly enveloping Ye Chen completely.

Yet Ye Chen's sword light flowed like water, protecting himself with not a single drop leaking through.

And Li Daoxuan's sword light did not dissipate entirely; instead, it trembled violently, as if seeking a flaw in Ye Chen to deliver a fatal blow.

And just at this moment...

The Star-Trace Sword in Ye Chen's hand quickly retracted a fraction, then slashed out at even greater speed, instantly severing the weakened silent killing move.

The sword light, broken into two segments, passed beside Ye Chen, soon crashing into the ground of the arena and leaving two sword marks dozens of meters long.

"He blocked it! Ye Chen blocked Li Daoxuan's silent killing move!"

"Who would have thought even Li Daoxuan is no match for him! From now on, the title of number one swordsman of the younger generation in the Southern Zhuo Domain has changed hands!"

The crowd in the stands grew excited.

Witnessing such a splendid duel between two peerless swordsmen was a rare occurrence for them.

While Ye Chen defeated Li Daoxuan, Pang Bo, Xiao Yan, and others also defeated their respective opponents; even Han Li relied on his formidable defensive capabilities to drag opponents one by one until they collapsed from exhaustion.

Of course, their performances were certainly excellent, but in the final ten rounds, the most dazzling performance still belonged to Sikong Sheng, the number one on last year's Qianlong List.

Facing Li Daoxuan, Sikong Sheng merely clenched one hand and directly dismantled the opponent's silent killing move.

Facing Tuoba Ku, although Tuoba Ku's defensive capabilities were formidable, once Sikong Sheng unleashed the Azure Heaven Dominating Fist, he defeated Tuoba Ku with extreme ease.

Facing Lin Yun, Sikong Sheng grew slightly more serious; thus, even though Lin Yun deployed his killing move again, he still could not withstand two punches from Sikong Sheng.

In the thirty-first match of the sixty-fifth round, Sikong Sheng encountered Yan Chihuo, the eldest disciple of the Fire Spirit Hall, who ranked second on last year's Qianlong List.

Yan Chihuo could be considered an old rival of Sikong Sheng; even though he had been defeated by Han Li, no one dared to underestimate his strength.

And facing the ultimate move Yan Chihuo deployed, the 'Instant-Kill Golden Flame Slash', Sikong Sheng extended for the first time the right hand he had kept behind his back, then directly unleashed a 'Fist Settles the Rivers and Mountains'.

This punch not only shattered Yan Chihuo's blade light, blasting all the fragmented pieces of broken blade light back at him, but even nearly exploded the arena's protective light curtain.

It must be known that previously, when Xiao Yan faced Lin Yun, it was only after deploying that dual-colored fire lotus that they unleashed such terrifying power.

But now, Sikong Sheng merely struck casually and produced such terrifying power; it was simply too bewildering.

Sikong Sheng's emergence of brilliance this time also silenced many spectators who had previously believed he would struggle to retain the first-place position on the Qianlong List competition, and they began to marvel at Sikong Sheng's strength in their hearts.

"Your strength is excellent; the power of your ultimate move has increased several times!"

After defeating Yan Chihuo, Sikong Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, rarely speaking; his praise seemed to be the greatest compliment Yan Chihuo could receive.

"You have indeed crossed into that level!"

Yan Chihuo, defeated by Sikong Sheng's punch, did not pay much attention to Sikong Sheng's tone; instead, he looked up and said, "Among the younger generation, you are indeed the strongest person I have ever met! I heard that after this Qianlong List concludes, you intend to travel to other domains for cultivation?"

"Correct!"

Sikong Sheng quickly replied, "In this Southern Zhuo Domain, I can no longer feel any pressure; only by traveling to other domains, sparring with more geniuses, and undergoing various life-and-death trials can I gain more opportunities, then enter the Spirit Sea realm, or even become a Life-and-Death Realm King!"

Yan Chihuo nodded slightly; after crossing into the Star Extreme realm, he too had such plans.

Afterwards, the dragon-shaped phantom behind Sikong Sheng roared and charged toward Yan Chihuo, then devoured a portion of the dragon vein qi from the latter's body.

The competition continued, soon reaching the sixty-sixth round.

This time, in the twenty-ninth match, Sikong Sheng encountered Murong Qingcheng.

Among the younger generation, both Sikong Sheng and Murong Qingcheng enjoyed immense popularity.

Among them, Sikong Sheng, bearing the King's bloodline and being the number one genius on last year's Qianlong List, naturally received the most attention; while Murong Qingcheng, the only female among the ten seeded competitors, possessed magnificent momentum, even attracting many geniuses of the younger generation, and thus also received enormous attention.

On the arena.

"Heavenly Demon Grasp!"

Murong Qingcheng struck first, and the Heavenly Demon field quickly acted upon Sikong Sheng's location.

Whoosh!

Only to see Sikong Sheng's figure flicker, instantly vanishing from his original spot.

"Field Slash!"

Seeing this, Murong Qingcheng quickly changed tactics, using the Heavenly Demon field to construct layers of defense around her body, preparing to withstand Sikong Sheng's upcoming attack.

"Fist Settles the Rivers and Mountains! Fist Dominates the Mountains and Rivers!"

Sikong Sheng had barely appeared when he swiftly threw two punches, though their power was far weaker than when he defeated Yan Chihuo.

But Murong Qingcheng's current strength was clearly weaker than Yan Chihuo's, so she ultimately lost to Sikong Sheng.

"Thank you for holding back!"

Murong Qingcheng, who had suffered little damage under Sikong Sheng's assault, spoke her thanks.

"Your strength is quite impressive!"

Sikong Sheng smiled slightly at Murong Qingcheng, then asked: "After the Dragon Pool Rankings end, I'll soon head to other realms for training. Would you be interested in joining me?"

"Sorry."

Murong Qingcheng rejected him decisively: "I do plan to train in other realms, but that's my personal plan—I don't want to be tied to anyone else."

"That's truly a pity!"

Sikong Sheng, rejected by Murong Qingcheng, didn't care much—he knew cultivation and strengthening were what truly mattered; everything else was secondary.

Though Murong Qingcheng was a woman of both grace and strength, in his heart he felt only a faint regret.

At that moment, Murong Qingcheng seemed to recall something, then glanced toward the direction where Ye Chen and the others stood: "I have a feeling this year's Dragon Pool Rankings won't end so simply."

In Murong Qingcheng's mind, Ye Chen's talent was undoubtedly terrifying—his cultivation speed was far faster than Sikong Sheng's right before her eyes.

After all, when she first met Ye Chen in the Three Rivers City of Tongling Nation, he was only at the early stage of Baoyuan Realm, and his sword intent was merely minor mastery—equivalent to rank thirty to forty on the Dragon Pool Rankings.

Yet barely a year has passed, and now he has reached the late stage of Baoyuan Realm, and his sword intent has risen to six-tenths mastery—such terrifying cultivation speed is far faster than even the top disciples of the Liupin Sect!

Moreover, when Murong Qingcheng previously fought Ye Chen, she had sensed he was still holding back some strength—he might truly be able to challenge Sikong Sheng.

Besides, Ye Chen's companions beside him each appeared extraordinary—they could not possibly have merely stumbled upon an ancient inheritance and obtained a precious scripture, as others claimed!

On the other side, after hearing Murong Qingcheng's words, Sikong Sheng also glanced toward Ye Chen and the others, though his gaze settled mostly on Xiao Yan, then said calmly: "Don't worry—I will end this competition without hesitation."

Sikong Sheng spoke these words without lowering his voice, so both Murong Qingcheng and the young generation and vast crowd outside the arena clearly heard him.

"Sikong Sheng has such confidence—his strength must be far more than what he's shown!"

"His current displayed strength is already terrifying—could he still be hiding more?"

The surrounding spectators buzzed with discussion.

Yan Chihuo, who had already deduced Sikong Sheng had entered the True Qi Refinement stage, looked at Ye Chen's group with a hint of malicious satisfaction—what did it matter that they defeated him? They'd all still fall before Sikong Sheng!

When this scene reached the eyes of the chat group members, it left them deeply displeased.

【Xiao Yan: This Sikong Sheng is quite the show-off. Even in the original plot, didn't he get defeated by Brother Ye Chen?】

【Pang Bo: Xiao Yan, you're probably just jealous he stole your spotlight! But to be fair, Ye Chen, he was just trying to poach your girl—can you really tolerate that?】

【Xiao Yan: Big Brother Pang, Murong Qingcheng didn't even respond to Sikong Sheng—stop stoking the fire! But Sikong Sheng will definitely face one of us in the next round! I've only one thing to say: whoever he faces, we all must win—no losses allowed!】

【Han Li: You guys are truly vile! Even in the original plot, when Ye Chen defeated Sikong Sheng, he still came in second! If you treat him so brutally now, won't you crush his spirit entirely?】

【Xiao Yan: Sikong Sheng was already low-class to begin with—what's wrong with crushing him a bit? Besides, we're actually helping Big Brother Pang fish!】

【Pang Bo: What do you mean helping me fish? If you guys grab those scriptures after we win, don't even think about keeping them!】

Roar!

As the chat group chatted, the dragon-shaped shadow behind Sikong Sheng swiftly devoured part of Murong Qingcheng's Dragon Vein Qi, leaving it just one step away from nine zhang!

Just one more victory, and Sikong Sheng's dragon-shaped shadow would reach nine zhang—something unseen for over a thousand years. If he could reclaim the top rank, his dragon shadow might even reach an unprecedented nine zhang five!

Of course, every remaining undefeated competitor was no easy foe—besides Sikong Sheng, these included Ye Chen, Xiao Yan, Pang Bo, and Han Li.

Yet after Sikong Sheng demonstrated his ability to shatter the protective barrier effortlessly, most spectators had already awarded him the top spot in this year's Dragon Pool Rankings, with second, third, fourth, and fifth to be decided among Xiao Yan's group.

……

As for the Yunyun Sect members watching from the stands, they were now utterly stunned.

They had known Ye Chen and his friends were extraordinary, but never imagined they'd be this extraordinary—having defeated every genius except Sikong Sheng.

"Master!"

The Yunyun Sect's Grand Elder glanced repeatedly at Sect Master Luo Xinglie, then anxiously whispered: "So many of the top ten in this Dragon Pool Rankings are from our sect—could this cause trouble?"

"Don't worry."

Luo Xinglie glanced at Lu Qingshan beside him, who remained calm, then quickly whispered back: "I've already arranged everything—it won't go wrong. If it does, we'll die protecting Ye Chen's safe return to the sect!"

"Understood!" The Yunyun Sect's Grand Elder immediately replied solemnly in a whisper.

He had lived half his life in the Yunyun Sect—he saw it as his home. If anyone dared harm the sect's geniuses, they'd have to walk over his corpse first!

……

Amid the murmurs of the audience, the sixty-seventh round of matches finally began!

As match after match commenced, it soon came time for the battles among the top ten seeds.

After Pang Bo struck again, defeating Tuoba Ku and devouring his Dragon Vein Qi, the Head Referee announced: "Match thirty-three of the sixty-seventh round: Sikong Sheng versus Ye Chen!"

Huà!

The moment Head Referee Luo Jiacheng spoke, the entire arena erupted in excitement.

The last undefeated geniuses were finally about to clash!

"I never expected the first to face Sikong Sheng would be Ye Chen!"

"It seems the Star-Level referees think Ye Chen is the weakest among the final five!"

"I wonder how much of Sikong Sheng's true strength Ye Chen can force out?"

As the crowd buzzed, Pang Bo beside Ye Chen slapped his shoulder and grinned: "Ye Chen, you lucky bastard—you got this lucky draw first!"

"I'll leave Sikong Sheng to you—but don't use all your best moves, or you'll be in trouble when you face me!"

Pang Bo didn't lower his voice, and since everyone present was at least Baoyuan Realm, they all clearly heard him.

Upon hearing this, not only did the spectators react, but even the several Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain disciples standing beside Sikong Sheng were enraged.

One Marquis Xuan Kong Mountain disciple shouted angrily: "Senior Brother! These two are too arrogant—they actually think their pitiful strength can threaten you!"

"They're just jumping monkeys—why bother with them?"

Sikong Sheng let out a cold laugh, then took a single step and instantly appeared on the martial arena.

Seeing this, Ye Chen gave a slight nod to Pang Bo and the others, then pushed his movement technique Clone Shadow to its absolute limit, likewise appearing on the martial arena in an instant.

The eerie speed displayed by Sikong Sheng and Ye Chen naturally drew the attention of everyone present.

Sikong Sheng could be ignored—his speed had always been terrifying—but Ye Chen had never before shown such terrifying speed.

"Your strength is indeed quite impressive; even Yan Chihuo is no match for you!"

Sikong Sheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and an aura of looking down on the whole world instantly erupted from his body, causing even the light barrier of the martial arena to begin trembling slightly: "However, compared to me, your strength is still far too weak. If it were that Xiao Yan beside you, I'd still be interested in playing with him a bit! As for now… three moves—I only need three moves to defeat you!"

After hearing Sikong Sheng's arrogant words, the expression on Ye Chen's face still showed nothing at all.

Under Sikong Sheng's world-slighting aura, the blue robe on Ye Chen's body fluttered sharply, as if he himself were a peerless treasured sword, slicing that aura clean in two.

"Sikong Sheng!"

Ye Chen said calmly: "Bring out your full strength, or else you absolutely will not be able to withstand three strikes of my sword!"

Seeing Ye Chen return his own words to him verbatim, Sikong Sheng could not help but fly into a towering rage.

"Good, very good!"

Sikong Sheng said coldly: "It seems if I don't bring out a bit of real strength, every Tom, Dick, and Harry will think they can take my place!"

"I only hope your ability can match your words—don't be so easily crushed by me!"

"Fist Overlord Jianghe!"

"Fist Stabilizes the Rivers and Mountains!"

Sikong Sheng laughed from sheer fury, instantly throwing both fists out, blasting through the air directly toward Ye Chen's position.

Boom boom boom!

Two utterly different fist-qis, like flood dragons crossing the sea, churned the rivers and overturned the seas, roaring toward Ye Chen with unstoppable momentum.

Although Sikong Sheng had not used his ultimate trump card, 'Half-Step True Yuan,' he had simultaneously unleashed two ultimate moves from Heaven Overlord Fist, merging two utterly different fist-qis together—their might was simply unimaginable.

In his view, let alone the Ye Chen before him, even Xiao Yan, who had earlier displayed that Dual-Colored Fire Lotus, would find it very difficult to withstand this strike!

Yet facing Sikong Sheng's terrifying-to-the-extreme strike, a trace of disdain could not help but appear on Ye Chen's face.

"I've already said it—don't hold back your full strength, you won't last three strikes of my sword in my hands!"

As threads of sword light flashed through his eyes, the Star Trace Sword in Ye Chen's hand instantly leapt from its sheath. Seven layers of sword intent erupted in an instant, and accompanied by the terrifying artistic conception of the ultimate move 'Heaven-Shattering Clouds,' it actually split those two fist-qi apart on the spot, then, carrying astonishing might, blasted off toward Sikong Sheng, whose face was filled with astonishment!

(End of this chapter)