Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

The duel between Ling Fei and Zhao Chen finally concluded. Zhao Chen was defeated by the Ninth Sword of Ling Fei's Celestial River Nine Swords.

The waves on the lake gradually subsided.

But the hearts of the cultivators around the lake remained in turmoil.

The aura of Zhao Chen's ultimate move had been overwhelming, its might utterly chilling.

That was an aura that only a cultivator of the Late Innate Stage could possess.

And yet, Zhao Chen had still been defeated.

Not only was he defeated, but he was defeated utterly. His body fell into the lake, seemingly frozen solid.

The sight sent a shiver of fear through many of the onlookers.

It wasn't hard for them to imagine: 'If I were to fight this Ling Fei, would I be slain in a single strike?'

Of course, they also knew that if Ling Fei hadn't held back, that final sword strike would have been enough to take Zhao Chen's life.

"Zhao Chen!" As the waves subsided and Zhao Chen fell into the water, Liu Fei's eyes flashed. He immediately swooped down from Wangfeng Tower. In just a few bounds, he appeared in the air where Zhao Chen was. He broke through the ice, and a youth behind him immediately pulled Zhao Chen up, leaping toward a distant Watchtower Pillar.

Without a word, the youth immediately began circulating his True Qi to dispel the Cold Qi from Zhao Chen's body.

Meanwhile, Liu Fei landed on a broken Watchtower Pillar ahead. He stared at Ling Fei, his eyes filled with deep apprehension.

'Zhao Chen is only ranked fourth on the Earth List, but he comprehended the Wind Wave Sword. His combat strength is more than enough to contend with the likes of me,' Liu Fei mused. 'Even I would have to go all out just to gain a slight edge. Yet, after this battle, Ling Fei is so calm and composed, looking as if he still has plenty of strength to spare. Just how powerful is he? Is he... truly from a Humble Family?'

At this moment, even Liu Fei couldn't help but see Ling Fei in a new, higher light.

The geniuses beside him all had furrowed brows, their faces etched with apprehension.

Now, when they looked at Ling Fei, there was no longer any trace of provocation in their gazes—only solemn respect.

They looked as though they were facing a formidable foe.

Ahead, Ling Fei stood with his sword in hand, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it swept coolly over Liu Fei and his companions.

His aura was now magnificent, and a keen edge emanated from him. He was like an unsheathed sword, ready to take on all challengers.

'Will Liu Fei challenge Ling Fei?' Seeing this, the distant cultivators' eyes burned with excitement.

With Zhao Chen's defeat, Ling Fei was now clearly on par with the top five geniuses of the Earth List.

However, they were more eager to see just how far Ling Fei could truly go.

With Liu Fei present, a battle between them would undoubtedly be the ultimate test of Ling Fei's true power.

Liu Fei stared forward, a battle-hungry light stirring in the depths of his eyes. Yet, if one looked closely, a hint of hesitation lingered on his brow. He did indeed want to fight Ling Fei, but he had no guarantee of victory. A loss would be a devastating blow to him.

After all, he was one of the top prodigies of the Earth List. If word got out that he'd lost to a new student, what would become of his prestige?

Therefore, Liu Fei could not afford to lose!

And even if he won, there was little to be gained.

And so, Liu Fei remained silent.

"Young Master Liu Fei, this Cold Qi is too powerful! I can't help Zhao Chen expel it!" Just as Liu Fei hesitated, a voice called out from the distance.

The speaker was the genius who had rescued Zhao Chen earlier.

"Oh!" Hearing this, Liu Fei's brow twitched. He turned to Ling Fei and said, "To be able to injure Zhao Chen so severely... you're quite somebody. I hope you continue to grow and one day compete with the true geniuses. Heh, that will surely be a sight to behold, won't it?" He cupped his fist toward Ling Fei and laughed heartily.

Then, with a flicker of movement, he was gone, reappearing beside Zhao Chen.

Immediately, Liu Fei began to circulate his Bloodline Power, attempting to dispel the Cold Qi from Zhao Chen's body.

"What a shame, Liu Fei didn't make a move." Seeing this, the crowd in the distance looked disappointed.

"So what if Liu Fei had fought?" someone said dismissively, as the others wallowed in their disappointment. "How long has Ling Fei even been in the Sword Tomb? He already has this much power. Give him another year, and how terrifying will he be? I say, in the entire Celestial River Academy, only Shangguan Wan'Er is worthy of being compared to him. Even Liu Rulong's talent in the Sword Dao is lacking in comparison; his strength lies only in his Spiritual Snake Bloodline."

In his eyes, Ling Fei's victory over Zhao Chen said it all.

Defeating Liu Fei would have just been icing on the cake.

Ling Fei's real rival should be an astonishingly brilliant Sword Dao prodigy like Shangguan Wan'Er.

"Indeed. Only Shangguan Wan'Er can compete with Ling Fei when it comes to the Sword Dao." This statement immediately drew murmurs of agreement.

As Liu Fei withdrew, Ling Fei simply raised an eyebrow, saying nothing more.

He now had a much clearer understanding of his own strength.

'If I go all out,' he thought, 'there's probably no one in the Innate Mid Stage Realm who can match me.'

He could even contend with ordinary cultivators of the Late Innate Stage.

'Time to head back.' Ling Fei scanned the area. Seeing that a large crowd had gathered, he prepared to depart.

After several consecutive battles, he had exhausted a great deal of his True Qi and needed to replenish it.

Seeing Ling Fei approaching, many people voluntarily parted to make way for him.

Li Li and her companions, however, were already waiting for him on a nearby Wangfeng Tower.

"Congratulations, Young Master Ling, on overpowering an Earth List genius!" Li Li said in greeting as Ling Fei arrived.

The sun had set, and the golden ripples on the lake's surface shimmered like the scales of a True Dragon, creating a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

The young women smiled sweetly as they looked at Ling Fei, creating quite an enviable scene.

"Heh, this was certainly a fruitful experience, but the path of Martial Arts is vast. This is still far from enough," Ling Fei said with a smile before departing with the others.

'This Cold Qi is too strong. It will take a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, aided by a Fire Attribute Medicine Liquid, to dispel it.' At that moment, Liu Fei realized that he could only temporarily stabilize Zhao Chen's injuries. Even trying to force the Cold Qi out with the full might of his Bloodline Power was useless. He decided to return to the academy at once.

Only now did he truly understand the sheer power of Ling Fei's Cold Dao True Qi.

The others all wore solemn expressions.

Then, the group left the lake.

'It seems only a genius at the Late Stage of Innate can keep this Ling Fei in check,' Liu Yuan thought from a distance, his gaze turning cold before he quietly departed.

Night had fallen.

But the news of Ling Fei sweeping through the Earth List's experts had already spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Celestial River Academy within a single hour.

"What? Ling Fei fought multiple Earth List geniuses, and even Zhao Chen lost to him?"

"Th-that's impossible! Zhao Chen's combat prowess is said to be astonishing. Few on the Earth List can even contend with him!"

As the news spread, it immediately caused an uproar.

Nearly everyone who heard the news reacted with utter disbelief.

"It's the absolute truth! I was there! You have no idea how spectacular that battle was!"

"I was there too! You should have seen the peerless style with which Ling Fei defeated four people! It was truly something to be envied!"

Eyewitnesses quickly began to confirm that the story was, in fact, true.

When speaking of the battle, their eyes burned with excitement, as if they wished they could have been Ling Fei themselves.

"So Ling Fei is actually that strong?!"

"He's only been at the academy for four months and he can already contend with Earth List geniuses. I can't imagine what heights he'll reach if he continues to grow."

After the news broke, everyone held high hopes for Ling Fei's future!