Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Zhao Chen spoke with arrogance.

But no one on the lake expressed any dissatisfaction.

Because he was truly a genius. Although he was only ranked fourth on the Earth List, Zhao Chen's true combat prowess was not much weaker than those ranked above him.

Some even believed that Zhao Chen's strength was more than enough to contend with the top few geniuses.

"Heh. Whether I can be a worthy opponent for Brother Zhao is something we'll only know after we fight," Ling Fei said with a hearty laugh after a brief moment of surprise.

"But of course," Zhao Chen said, his face a mask of pride.

"I wonder, though, if you can force me to use my full strength?" Ling Fei's eyes flashed as he stared at Zhao Chen.

At that moment, a soaring battle intent erupted from his body.

Ling Fei's robes billowed, fluttering loudly in the air.

The Long Sword in his hand was wreathed in a cold light, just like him in that moment—his edge was completely exposed!

'So he's this confident. Good. This is how a Sword Cultivator should be!' Seeing Ling Fei's brimming confidence, Zhao Chen couldn't help but exclaim aloud, seeming to be full of anticipation for the battle. He then flipped his palm, a Light Pattern flashed on the Sodium Ring on his finger, and a Long Sword appeared.

The sword, wreathed in a cold light, was also a Celestial River Sword bestowed by the academy.

The wind rises with the sword, the man moves with the wind!

Zhao Chen's lips parted, and a low voice followed.

Then, his Long Sword moved. A sudden gust of wind rose, and he took a large stride, moving with the wind as he advanced toward Ling Fei.

He looked as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through the air, having seemingly mastered the Mystical of the Wind.

Although he couldn't maintain it for long, it was still far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Innate Realm Cultivator.

'This Mental Realm!' As Zhao Chen moved with the wind, Ling Fei's eyes flashed. He immediately noticed how profound his opponent's attainments were in the Mystical of the Wind.

Although Ling Fei could also move with the wind, he couldn't control it with such ease and freedom.

Clearly, Zhao Chen was truly on the verge of stepping into the Late Innate Stage.

A fierce wind rose!

Before Ling Fei could think any further, the Long Sword in Zhao Chen's hand moved.

SWOOSH!

Zhao Chen's Long Sword swept out. Sword Qi howled as a fierce gale suddenly erupted, sweeping toward Ling Fei.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Instantly, massive waves surged across the lake's surface. The very heavens and earth seemed to be pulled in by the Sword Momentum of Zhao Chen's strike.

This was the state of one about to reach the Late Stage of Innate—the point of unity between heaven, man, and sword.

The fierce wind rolled in, wild and tyrannical. A wave of Sword Momentum had already reached Ling Fei, and he felt as if he were about to be drowned by the gale of Sword Qi.

'Sword Qi turning into wind?' Sensing the Sword Intent within this strike, realization dawned on Ling Fei. 'This must be the Sword Technique he comprehended!' he murmured to himself.

Ling Fei's body blurred, and he immediately shot to the side, trying to evade the sharp attack.

"Wind rises, waves curl!" But just as Ling Fei moved, Zhao Chen's Long Sword moved again.

With this strike, the gale howled and Sword Qi transformed into waves, rushing toward the direction Ling Fei had dodged.

At the same time, the lake's surface churned. As if resonating with his sword, it threw up towering waves that rose to block Ling Fei's path.

Just like that, Ling Fei's momentum was impeded.

The moment he faltered, the hurricane of Sword Qi was upon him, accompanied by waves of Sword Qi.

Zhao Chen's assault had clearly fused the momentum of the Celestial River with the momentum of wind and waves, allowing him to comprehend his current Wind Waves Swordsmanship.

Thus, a hurricane howled around Ling Fei, looking as if it would swallow him at any moment.

The hurricane screamed toward him, as sharp as a sword, clearly containing a piercing Sword Intent. Even with the storm several feet away, Ling Fei's skin began to sting with pain.

From a distance, it looked as though Ling Fei was about to be overwhelmed by this Sword Wind.

"Zhao Chen is on another level. He caught Ling Fei off guard with his very first move."

"Of course. That's the Wind Wave Sword that Zhao Chen comprehended himself. It's not something an ordinary person can withstand," a distant genius said with a respectful expression.

'Not bad. The fusion of the Wind Sword is indeed ingenious.' Faced with such Sword Momentum, Ling Fei couldn't help but praise it. Zhao Chen's attack was countless times more profound and powerful than those of the previous geniuses. He was a true Sword Cultivator, one who possessed his own Sword Intent.

However, although Ling Fei acknowledged Zhao Chen's attainments in Swordsmanship, he was still filled with confidence in himself.

As the hurricane-like Sword Wave swept in, Ling Fei stopped evading. His eyes flashed, and Sword Intent gathered around his body.

An aura of True Dragon Intent began to spread out as well.

Ling Fei landed on a Watchtower Pillar, pushed off with the sole of his foot to gain momentum, and then, Long Sword in hand, his body blurred and shot forward like a long rainbow, tearing through the wind.

True Dragon Emerges from the Sea, parting the waves as it goes!

In that instant, he seemed to merge with his sword, yet he also carried the True Dragon Momentum.

Thus, this strike was like a True Dragon Emerges from the Sea, but with the added sharpness of a sword.

Under the gazes of countless onlookers, Ling Fei, his body like a dragon yet also like a sharp Sword Rainbow, directly tore through the massive wave of Sword Wind sweeping toward him.

BANG!

The sword light broke through the waves with a muffled bang. In that patch of the Void, the hurricane scattered and the Sword Wave splashed apart, utterly defeated.

Ling Fei's Sword Momentum was like a dragon. After breaking through the hurricane of Sword Waves, he took the opportunity to thrust his sword toward Zhao Chen. Sharp Sword Qi erupted from his body, his Cold Intent was chilling, and his Dragon's Might was unstoppable. Wherever he passed, the hurricane of Sword Waves stirred up by Zhao Chen's strike completely disintegrated.

Then, an extremely cold Sword Intent surged forth, threatening to overwhelm Zhao Chen.

Before the Sword Qi even arrived, the Cold Intent had already seeped into his bones.

'This strike... it's so tyrannical!' Watching the massive wave of Sword Wind he had manifested get crushed in an instant, Zhao Chen's pupils suddenly shrank in astonishment. As he reeled in shock, a tyrannical wave of Sword Qi was already surging toward him like a tsunami. The sheer Sword Momentum made his heart pound with fear.

'This Ling Fei is no simple character!' In his surprise, Zhao Chen's body flickered. He used Move with the Wind to hastily evade Ling Fei's sharp attack.

His own Sword Momentum had already waned. If he were to hastily counterattack while caught off guard, he would be unable to match his opponent's strength and would likely be injured.

Only by first avoiding the brunt of the attack and then gathering his power for another strike could he hope to turn the tables.

Therefore, Zhao Chen chose to retreat.

His body moved with the wind. His mastery of wind control was clearly superior to Ling Fei's at this moment, so he easily dodged the sword strike.

After evading Ling Fei's tyrannical strike, Zhao Chen's body drifted down onto a nearby Watchtower Pillar.

At the same time, Ling Fei retracted his Sword Momentum and took the opportunity to land on another Watchtower Pillar.

On the lake, the two turned to face each other, their expressions solemn. Sword Momentum was quietly gathering around them.

After that first exchange, they had both gained a measure of each other's strength.

"Zhao Chen has already touched the threshold of the Late Innate Stage, and his proficiency in Martial Arts is slightly higher than Ling Fei's. However, Ling Fei's Sword Momentum is tyrannical and unstoppable, which seems to make up for that shortcoming. It will be difficult for Zhao Chen to win this fight!" some of the older students on the lake murmured.

These individuals had sharp eyes and could discern the two fighters' strengths and weaknesses at a glance.

"Heh, but that's what makes this fight so exciting!" one of the older students said with a carefree laugh.

"I wonder who will come out on top?" Many of the spectating geniuses on the lake were filled with anticipation.

Only Liu Fei wore a solemn expression.

"That brat can actually fight on par with a genius like Zhao Chen!" In the distance, the faces of Liu Yuan and Tang Hai had turned completely sullen.