Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

"Quick, go save Wu Hailiang!" a genius on the nearest Wangfeng Tower exclaimed.

At that moment, they realized Wu Hailiang was in grave danger.

The surface of the lake had frozen over where Wu Hailiang had fallen, preventing his body from sinking.

"Ling Fei's Cold Qi is that powerful?" a few people nearby asked, their faces grim.

"Let's go," Liu Fei finally said.

As he spoke, he moved, rising with the wind like a Spiritual Snake.

One by one, the other geniuses followed behind him.

"Liu Fei is on the move!" As Liu Fei shot forward, countless geniuses watched with eager anticipation.

"Is he going to fight Ling Fei?" The atmosphere over the lake grew tense, and countless eyes were fixed on Liu Fei.

After all, Liu Fei was the number one genius on the Earth List!

A year ago, he had entered the Sword Tomb.

That time, his Light of Sword Intent had shot up a full 7.8 zhang!

A truly impressive height.

For comparison, Liu Ming's Light of Sword Intent had only reached 8.1 zhang this time.

After a few quick leaps, his body as agile as a swallow, Liu Fei appeared where Wu Hailiang had fallen into the lake.

His brow furrowed tightly upon seeing Wu Hailiang nearly frozen solid.

'Hailiang is a master in his own right, yet he was defeated so miserably. This Ling Fei is no simple character,' Liu Fei thought.

Then, a Long Sword appeared in his hand.

SWISH!

The Long Sword moved, stabbing into the layer of ice on the lake's surface.

Then, with a flick of his Sword Momentum, he broke the ice.

As Liu Fei broke the ice, a young man swooped in from behind. He grabbed Wu Hailiang's arm and sped toward a nearby Watchtower Pillar.

In an instant, they landed on separate Watchtower Pillars.

Liu Fei stepped forward and circulated his Bloodline Power, working to expel the Cold Qi from Wu Hailiang's body.

The ice crystals on Wu Hailiang's body began to melt, and the Cold Qi within him was gradually brought under control.

Beside Liu Fei, several geniuses stared ahead, their faces grim.

There, Ling Fei stood with his sword in hand, his gaze piercing as he quietly watched Liu Fei and his group.

The Earth List geniuses on the surrounding Watchtower Pillars also watched Ling Fei in silence.

However, their eyes were filled with apprehension.

Originally, they had all come aggressively, eager to witness the skills of this new genius for themselves.

It all stemmed from their unwillingness to acknowledge Ling Fei. Every one of them had been itching for a fight, eager to step forward and defeat this so-called genius.

But now, no one dared to step forward rashly. The Cold Intent seemed to seep into their restless hearts, chilling their fervor.

The two sides faced each other in a standoff, neither making a move nor speaking a word.

The atmosphere over the lake grew strangely quiet.

A short while later, Liu Fei finally finished expelling the Cold Qi from Wu Hailiang.

However, a hint of fatigue now showed in his eyes. The effort had consumed a great deal of his Bloodline Power.

Even so, a trace of Cold Qi still remained within Wu Hailiang's body.

This Cold Qi had penetrated to his very bones; Wu Hailiang would have to expel it slowly on his own, as it was beyond Liu Fei's ability to help further.

When Liu Fei stood up, everyone around him turned to look at him, as if they all saw him as their leader and were awaiting his command.

"A Cold Essence Spirit Body and a prodigy of the Sword Dao... you truly live up to your reputation." Liu Fei raised an eyebrow and looked at Ling Fei. "It's no wonder you were able to best Brother Ming and become the number one new student. I'm quite curious about your strength myself. Zhao Chen, why don't you go and test his skills?"

As he finished speaking, he glanced at a youth in brocade robes beside him.

The other geniuses' gazes immediately shifted, all falling upon the same brocade-robed youth.

Zhao Chen...

This was the fourth-ranked genius on the Earth List. He had once entered the Celestial River Sword Tomb to gain enlightenment on the Celestial River Sword Technique. He was on a completely different level than Wu Hailiang.

"Zhao Chen?" Ling Fei's eyebrow arched as he looked over.

He had seen the Earth List rankings before and had some recollection of the name.

"Hehe, Young Master Ling, your Sword Intent is truly formidable. While I admire it greatly, it also makes me itch for a challenge. I wonder if Young Master Ling would be willing to indulge me?" Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhao Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. With a smile playing on his lips, he gave a small salute to Ling Fei.

"Haha, I have long heard of Young Master Zhao's fame. It would be a great pleasure to fight you. How could I possibly miss such an opportunity?" Ling Fei laughed heartily.

Zhao Chen was ranked fourth on the Earth List and had even comprehended the original Celestial River Sword Technique in the Sword Tomb. Such a person could be called a true genius.

A battle with Zhao Chen would be the perfect opportunity for Ling Fei to test the fruits of his recent cultivation. He wanted to see how his current combat power stacked up against a true genius from the Earth List and gauge the difference between them. This would give him a better understanding of the strength of the academy's top talents.

"Young Master Ling is as straightforward as one would expect from a Sword Dao genius!" Zhao Chen laughed loudly in response.

But deep in his eyes, a powerful Sword Intent was already beginning to gather.

Seeing this, Liu Fei led the others in retreat, moving to a nearby Wangfeng Tower.

And so, in the area near the Celestial River Windy Pass, only Ling Fei and Zhao Chen remained, facing each other in a standoff.

"The fourth-ranked genius of the Earth List versus the top-ranked genius of the Human List. I wonder what kind of sparks will fly?"

"Can Ling Fei remain as unstoppable as he was just now? Zhao Chen comprehended Sword Intent a year ago and is now on the verge of reaching the Late Stage of Innate!" The crowd was filled with anticipation. They all acknowledged Zhao Chen's strength and regarded this battle with the utmost seriousness.

"I hope Young Master Ling wins," Li Li and the other girls murmured, gazing at the distant young man.

They felt an inexplicable sense of confidence and hope in Ling Fei.

But alongside their hope, their hearts were also filled with nervousness.

After all, Zhao Chen was a genius of the Earth List, on the cusp of the Late Innate Stage!

The gap between them was undeniably vast.

On the lake, Ling Fei and Zhao Chen stood in a standoff. Though neither had moved, a sharp Sword Momentum began to emanate from them both.

Under the pressure of this Sword Momentum, the crashing waves and wind nearby seemed to meet an invisible barrier.

A few feathered cranes flying past shrieked in alarm and scattered, their terror-stricken faces showing they had felt the terrifying Sword Momentum from below.

"Last year, I entered the Sword Tomb and comprehended the complete Celestial River Sword Technique. During that time, I grasped Sword Intent. Since then, I have perfected that intent and developed my own unique Swordsmanship. I may not be the most talented," Zhao Chen began suddenly, clasping his hands behind his back and raising an eyebrow at Ling Fei, "but I can say with confidence that there are few in the Celestial River Academy at my level who can stand against me. I hope you will be one of them." His voice was filled with pride.

Zhao Chen was only seventeen years old, incredibly young.

Yet, in the eyes of the Cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Martial Arts, he was like a transcendent Swordsmanship Master.

It was only natural for him to be so proud.

'He developed his own Swordsmanship?' Ling Fei wasn't bothered by Zhao Chen's arrogant attitude. Instead, the meaning behind his words piqued his interest. 'Did he comprehend the Celestial River Nine Swords, like I did?' he wondered. 'If so, this battle will truly be something to look forward to.'