King of Ten Thousand Years

"Celestial Evil Sword still lost!"

"Qi Yuntian is too strong. Even though Celestial Evil Sword had a last-minute breakthrough and his swordsmanship grew more powerful, he was still defeated!"

"Could it be? Is Qi Yuntian going to continue the legend from last time and take the title of King of the Celestial Pride again?"

The crowd erupted in heated discussion, gasping in amazement.

Qi Yuntian’s strength made most of the prodigies present feel hopeless, as if they could never catch up.

The upper echelons of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect all sighed.

To lose even after all that... It wasn’t Celestial Evil Sword’s fault. Qi Yuntian was just too strong!

"The rumors say Qi Yuntian possesses a Celestial Tier Martial Vein. I’m afraid it’s true."

"A Celestial Tier... Martial Veins are ranked Yellow, Mystic, Earth, and Celestial. The difference between each major tier is immense! It’s been hundreds of years since a Celestial Tier Martial Vein has appeared on the entire Dongchen Continent, hasn’t it?"

The higher-ups of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect discussed this in low voices.

"That’s right. Yuntian does indeed have a Celestial Tier Martial Vein. Furthermore, he could have broken through to the Earth Element Realm Second Layer long ago, but he has been suppressing his cultivation to keep this Celestial Pride Conference from being too boring."

Vice President Long said slowly.

Upon hearing this, the many Earth Element Realm masters in the area had varied expressions.

Ordinary people would do anything to raise their cultivation and strength as quickly as possible, yet Qi Yuntian was deliberately suppressing his.

If the other prodigies of his generation heard this, they’d probably be so crushed they’d want to crawl into a hole and hide.

"Celestial Evil Sword cultivates a Celestial Level Sword Technique, but its power is still slightly inferior to Qi Yuntian’s Palm Technique. What Palm Technique is he cultivating, exactly?"

Elder Bai Mei of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect frowned in thought.

Aside from that, Qi Yuntian’s actions in the final moment also puzzled them.

Qi Yuntian had no obvious injuries, yet when faced with Celestial Evil Sword’s weakened strike, he didn’t meet it head-on. Instead, he dodged.

The Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s upper echelons discussed it but came to no conclusion.

No one could discern the origin of Qi Yuntian’s Palm Technique.

On the Martial Arts Arena.

Qi Yuntian and Celestial Evil Sword stepped down, concluding the battle between the first and second on the Spirit List.

Qi Yuntian had used tyrannical methods to defeat Celestial Evil Sword head-on and claim victory.

"He’s too strong! Even two of me might not be his opponent!"

Ye Feng exclaimed, half-joking.

Shangguan Su and the Extreme Ice Fairy both shook their heads and sighed.

The other four great prodigies, who were once considered Qi Yuntian’s peers, all felt his strength was simply insurmountable.

"Hm?"

After stepping off the stage, Qi Yuntian glanced at Luo Tian.

So far, only the two of them remained undefeated, and Luo Tian’s Celestial Fate Qi was still higher than Qi Yuntian’s.

Qi Yuntian was slightly surprised.

He had crushed everyone in his path, never expecting that his final opponent would be Luo Tian, a cultivator at only the Peak of the Eighth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Luo Tian felt Qi Yuntian’s gaze, and an oppressive pressure instantly descended upon him, making him feel incredibly heavy.

His final opponent was Qi Yuntian!

This would be an unprecedentedly strong enemy and a monumental challenge!

Beside him, Ye Feng looked at Luo Tian, his expression slightly stunned.

Without anyone realizing it, Luo Tian had actually made it this far, only one step away from becoming the King of the Celestial Pride!

However, Luo Tian was destined not to take that final step.

Before him stood an insurmountable mountain.

No one was optimistic about Luo Tian’s chances.

Even though he had created many miracles along the way.

"Luo Tian is an absolutely stunning prodigy, but it’s a pity he ran into Qi Yuntian!"

"This year, the final battle to decide the King of the Celestial Pride is the least suspenseful one ever..."

Many spectators sighed one after another.

The upper echelons of the Yunxiao Sect had similar thoughts.

But they didn’t mind.

The Yunxiao Sect’s original goal was to achieve second place in the overall standings and have an individual place in the top three.

To be able to achieve both of these goals was already beyond their expectations!

What was most exciting was discovering Luo Tian’s talent and potential. In the next Celestial Pride Conference, the Yunxiao Sect would have the ambition to contend for the King of the Celestial Pride!

"Junior Luo, a prodigy as stunning as Qi Yuntian only comes along once in a millennium. He won’t be able to participate in the next Celestial Pride Conference. No one will be able to stop you then!"

Ye Feng said calmly.

He hoped that Luo Tian wouldn’t be too crushed by Qi Yuntian.

"Mm!"

Luo Tian nodded slightly, his consciousness entering the Celestial Book World.

’Celestial Book, deduce my chances of victory...’

Soon, the Celestial Book gave its answer.

Luo Tian’s probability of victory was... thirty percent!

"Hm?"

Luo Tian was a little surprised.

This result was much higher than he had expected.

When Luo Tian fought Celestial Evil Sword, his chances of winning were less than fifty percent, and Celestial Evil Sword had been completely defeated by Qi Yuntian.

He had estimated that against Qi Yuntian, his odds of winning should be less than twenty percent!

’Could it be that I have some way to counter Qi Yuntian, or that he has some kind of weakness?’

Luo Tian wondered.

"Luo Tian, Ye Feng!" the judge suddenly announced.

Luo Tian was right next to Ye Feng, and the two exchanged a glance.

"Junior Brother, what I said before about you forfeiting? It no longer counts. Let’s have a spar!"

Ye Feng said with a faint smile.

Before the final matches, he had told Luo Tian, Qiao Hai, Yi Jingwen, and the others to forfeit immediately if they were matched against him.

At that time, no one had expected Luo Tian to make it this far.

Now, he was taking back those words.

Ye Feng estimated that even if he fought Luo Tian with all his might, he would most likely be the one to lose.

"Alright!"

Luo Tian agreed.

Although the two were from the same sect, they were merely acquaintances and had even had some friction in the past.

CLANG!

Ye Feng immediately drew his sword. A brilliant white sword light, imbued with a grand and majestic aura, shot to the sky before slashing down fiercely.

"Hm?"

Luo Tian sensed that Ye Feng’s strike lacked the determination to win.

’Does Ye Feng think he’s not as strong as me, so he’s given up on winning?’

Luo Tian didn’t let his guard down. Even if Ye Feng wasn’t in top form, the strength of the fourth-ranked on the Spirit List was nothing to scoff at.

His Sword Intent erupted. He activated the Celestial Sword Technique and slashed out a sharp, icy sword light.

DING! BANG!

The two sword lights clashed, and Luo Tian’s swordsmanship was slightly superior.

He immediately went on the offensive. His Sword Momentum surged violently, kicking up a layer of gale-force Cold Mist that instantly enveloped Ye Feng.

DING DING DING!

Ye Feng’s eyes narrowed. His True Essence surged out, and his swordsmanship became domineering again, shattering Luo Tian’s assault!

But he didn’t take this opportunity to attack.

’Senior Brother Ye...’

This battle felt awkward and strange to Luo Tian. ’What is Ye Feng thinking?’

The next moment, he suddenly understood!

’Only defending and not attacking... isn’t this the same as being a sparring partner?’

’And the point of a sparring partner is to make the person they’re training... stronger!’

In the viewing area, the Grand Elder of the Yunxiao Sect sighed and said, "It’s hard on that boy..."

At this final, critical moment, Ye Feng had abandoned personal honor and chosen to consider the bigger picture for the Sect.

If Ye Feng were to truly compete with Luo Tian, it would only drain Luo Tian’s energy and might even get him injured, which would affect his subsequent matches and potentially cause his ranking to drop!

Of course, the same could happen to Ye Feng himself.

Thus, he made a concession: he would only defend and not attack, acting as Luo Tian’s sparring partner.

"Senior Brother Ye..."

Luo Tian was moved.

Before, when Ye Feng had told the others to forfeit against him, it might have seemed selfish. But now that the tables were turned, he was also willing to sacrifice himself.

"Luo Tian, you think you can take second place in the Celestial Pride Conference with attacks like that?"

Ye Feng suddenly shouted.

"That was just a warm-up!"

Luo Tian’s gaze instantly became incomparably firm, shining with a sharp edge.

SWISH! SHHIIING!

His entire body seemed to transform into a sharp sword as he launched a swift assault, his swordsmanship rapid, incisive, and precise!

Since Ye Feng had chosen to be his sparring partner, Luo Tian had no more reservations. He completely immersed himself in his swordsmanship, cultivating his Sword Techniques and comprehending the Celestial Sword Technique and even Sword Intent.

Having a sparring partner as powerful as Ye Feng was incredibly effective, allowing Luo Tian’s cultivation and comprehension to progress at an extremely fast pace!

His swordsmanship became more and more exquisite. His understanding of the Celestial Sword Technique’s Second-Layer, the Ruyi Realm, improved slightly. Through constant practice and experimentation, his proficiency with the Nine Heavens Sword Technique increased, and his Fifth Technique, Furious Sword Torrential Rain, broke through to the Small Success Realm!

Meanwhile, Ye Feng also felt the power of Luo Tian’s swordsmanship and found things worth learning from it.

’If Luo Tian’s cultivation were the same as Qi Yuntian’s, he would definitely win!’

He thought in shock.

Offstage.

"Hm, is Ye Feng acting as Luo Tian’s sparring partner?"

The Extreme Ice Fairy saw through it.

"What’s the use? Does he think practicing for a little while will be enough to defeat Qi Yuntian?"

The Extreme Ice Fairy showed disdain, but deep down, she was a little jealous of Luo Tian.

Qi Yuntian watched the battle, a flicker of light in his eyes.

For him, the stronger his opponent, the better!

The battle was not intense and lasted for quite some time.

ROAR!

Suddenly, on the Martial Arts Arena, Luo Tian slashed out with a fiercely unparalleled sword light, stirring up a terrifying storm that let out a furious roar!

Ye Feng adopted a defensive strategy. After quickly throwing out a few slashes, he held his Treasure Sword horizontally in front of him and activated his True Essence Shield.

BOOM! PFFFT!

The ferocious Gale Sword Qi charged over, instantly enveloping Ye Feng and rapidly wearing down and shattering his True Essence Shield!

Ye Feng was knocked back several dozen meters, his face flushing then turning pale.

"What a powerful strike!"

Below the stage, a glint flashed in Celestial Evil Sword’s eyes!

’I did it. I’ve successfully executed the Nine Heavens Sword Technique’s Sixth Technique...’

A look of joy appeared on Luo Tian’s face.

He hadn’t even used his full strength just now, yet Ye Feng, the fourth-ranked on the Spirit List, had been sent flying several dozen meters while defending with all his might. This showed how powerful this Sword Technique was.

"I forfeit!"

Ye Feng took a deep breath.

"Luo Tian wins!"

The result was announced, and the two walked off the Martial Arts Arena.

"Luo Tian, you’re in good shape. The King of the Celestial Pride is out of reach, but you must do your best to fight for second place!" Ye Feng said, acting as if nothing had happened.

The final rankings were determined by the amount of Celestial Fate Qi, and most prodigies still had one chance to issue an active challenge. For example, Shangguan Su and Celestial Evil Sword could still challenge Luo Tian again.

"Don’t worry!"

Luo Tian nodded heavily, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to comprehend what he had gained from the battle.

Under the intangible pressure, Luo Tian found that he had made significant progress.

Even his cultivation had advanced.

Time flew by without him noticing.

The final tournament reached its last round.

"Luo Tian, Qi Yuntian!"

The judge announced solemnly.

The two who had maintained their winning streaks until now had finally met. One of their streaks was about to be broken.

And in everyone’s hearts, this was also the final battle for the King of the Celestial Pride!

WHOOSH!

Qi Yuntian slowly flew down onto the Martial Arts Arena.

Luo Tian opened his eyes and stepped onto the stage, staring at Qi Yuntian, who was floating in mid-air. He was like a giant mountain peak, exuding a monstrous momentum that seemed capable of crushing all other prodigies!

"Begin!"

The moment the judge’s voice fell, Qi Yuntian attacked immediately. A brilliant rainbow light flashed, and a pillar of light shot through the air, striking Luo Tian head-on.

Qi Yuntian’s Palm Technique was undoubtedly Celestial Level. Its speed and power had reached their limits, making it seem like a collapsing mountain peak—unstoppable!

BANG!

Luo Tian slashed with his sword, and an Icy Cold Sword Qi shot out like a bolt of lightning. When it collided with the palm strike, it was instantly shattered to pieces.

"So strong!"

Clashing head-on, Luo Tian gained an even deeper understanding of the power behind Qi Yuntian’s Palm Technique!

The overwhelming momentum and pressure felt irresistible, as if he could only be swallowed by it!

HUMMM!

Luo Tian activated his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body at full power to defend, but was instantly knocked back more than ten meters, the vital energy and blood in his body churning!