Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

In the middle of the lake, Shangguan Qingmu drifted down onto a Watchtower Pillar.

After landing, his expression turned solemn as he quickly circulated his True Qi to expel the Cold Chi Sword Energy that had invaded his body.

Fortunately, he had only been hit by a minor aftershock, so the Cold Chi Sword Energy it contained wasn't very dense. He was able to suppress it rather quickly.

Then, he raised his head and looked forward.

Upon seeing Ling Fei standing there with his sword, Shangguan Qingmu couldn't help but take a deep breath.

'Originally, when I first made my move, I thought using fifty percent of my power would be enough. I figured Ling Fei could, at most, force me to use sixty percent of my Sword Intent.'

But who would have thought that he would use one hundred percent of his Sword Intent, only to be defeated?

The stark contrast made it difficult for his heart to find peace.

At the same time, he could clearly sense that Ling Fei grew stronger the longer the battle went on.

'His Cold Qi is overwhelming, and his talent is nearly unparalleled. In all of Celestial River Academy, who could possibly improve their Sword Intent so much in such a short time?' At this point, Shangguan Qingmu held Ling Fei in extremely high regard. 'A figure like him is probably a rare sight even among the Three Great Academies.'

"Perhaps only Wan'Er can compare to him. Liu Rulong is strong, but he's still missing something," Shangguan Qingmu murmured.

Then, he sheathed his long sword, securing it at his waist.

"Haha, Young Master Ling, you truly live up to your reputation as the once-in-eight-hundred-years genius of our Celestial River Academy. I admit defeat." After sheathing his sword, Shangguan Qingmu cupped his hands and laughed heartily at Ling Fei. Although defeated, he wasn't angry or ashamed. On the contrary, he was completely and sincerely impressed by Ling Fei.

'A genius like this deserves respect.'

After all, he had personally witnessed Ling Fei's swordsmanship before!

Back then, when Ling Fei sparred with Shangguan Yurou, his skills were nothing special.

Yet, only a few months had passed, and he had already grown to this extent, looking for all the world like a Swordsmanship Master.

How could one not be impressed by such an achievement?

"Brother Qingmu, you're too kind." After returning his long sword to his Sodium Ring, Ling Fei cupped his hands toward Shangguan Qingmu with a smile.

'This sparring session with Shangguan Qingmu has truly benefited me greatly.'

'After all, at the beginning, I struggled just to deal with thirty percent of Shangguan Qingmu's Sword Intent.'

'If his opponent had used his full strength from the very beginning, how could I have possibly defended myself?'

Later, Shangguan Qingmu had continuously adjusted the intensity of his Sword Intent based on Ling Fei's strength, which in turn gave Ling Fei the opportunity to grow.

This was what being a true sparring partner meant.

The two exchanged a smile, then flew together toward the Wangfeng Tower ahead.

There, Shangguan Yurou, Huang Xiaoman, Mu Xue, and the others were already waiting with eager anticipation.

"Congratulations, Young Master Ling, on reaching the Late Stage of Innate!" Shangguan Yurou and the others all congratulated Ling Fei as he drifted down onto the Wangfeng Tower's platform.

Given Ling Fei's current cultivation speed, it was almost certain that he would one day enter the Martial Arts World he yearned for.

Everyone was happy for Ling Fei.

Huang Xiaoman was no exception, feeling an inexplicable joy in her heart.

Afterward, the group flew toward the lakeshore together.

Along the way, the other geniuses looked at Ling Fei with faces full of envy.

'A genius like him will most likely dominate the Empire in the future!'

...

The group chatted and laughed all the way back to the academy.

"Young Master Ling, keep it up! I'm rooting for you. Who knows, maybe one day you'll even surpass my sister."

As they were about to part ways, Shangguan Yurou said to Ling Fei, her face full of passionate excitement.

Previously, after hearing her sister's insights on the Sword Dao, she had felt it would be incredibly difficult for Ling Fei to surpass this heaven's favored daughter.

But now, after seeing his battle with Shangguan Qingmu, her confidence in Ling Fei was restored.

This filled her heart with anticipation.

'If that day really comes, it'll be spectacular, won't it?'

"Surpass your sister?" Hearing Shangguan Yurou's words, Ling Fei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Ever since he had entered the academy, he had been hearing the name Shangguan Wan'Er.

However, nearly half a year had passed, and he still had yet to meet this heaven's favored daughter.

"Haha, we're all optimistic about your chances!" Shangguan Qingmu said with a smile.

Now, he also thought very highly of Ling Fei and was filled with anticipation.

"You can do it!" Mu Xue and the others all said, their faces full of hope.

"I hope I'll have the chance to witness your sister's skill in the Sword Dao," Ling Fei said with a smile, also filled with anticipation.

'Right now, I desperately need a genius to sharpen my skills against.'

After talking for a bit more, everyone went their separate ways.

However, the news that Ling Fei had reached the Late Stage of Innate and had not only fought Shangguan Qingmu but had actually gained the upper hand, had already spread throughout Celestial River Academy.

Ling Fei once again became the focus of everyone's discussions.

This time, however, although everyone was surprised, they weren't as shocked as they had been in the past.

It seemed everyone had grown accustomed to the various miracles this young genius kept creating.

In their eyes, it was only natural that Ling Fei would break all sorts of records.

"Now that Ling Fei has reached the Late Stage of Innate, he's already surpassed the geniuses on the Earth List. The next step is to see him compete against the geniuses on the Celestial List!"

"However, while the geniuses on the Celestial List are strong, the only one who can truly be compared to Ling Fei is Shangguan Wan'Er."

"I really hope we get to see a fierce battle between the academy's two great geniuses!"

Although people were no longer as shocked by the improvement in Ling Fei's strength, they were still filled with anticipation.

Almost everyone was looking forward to seeing an even better performance from Ling Fei.

They looked forward to the brilliant sparks that would fly when he finally clashed with Shangguan Wan'Er.

...

「Cold Vein Cultivation Room」

'The only reason I gained the upper hand this time was because the boost from my True Dragon Momentum allowed me to contend with Shangguan Qingmu's sword strike.' Ling Fei sat cross-legged on the Cultivation Platform, his Heart Spirit replaying the battle. He understood that this victory didn't mean Shangguan Qingmu was weak.

On the contrary, Shangguan Qingmu's sword strike had been incredibly sharp and fierce, enough to make one's heart palpitate in fear.

But Ling Fei had been continuously comprehending the True Dragon Visualization Image, and his True Dragon Momentum had grown steadily stronger.

Now, with a single thought, his True Dragon Intent would condense and the Cold Chi True Qi in his body would circulate, giving him the sensation of transforming into a dragon and taking flight. The True Dragon Power contained within his body had long since surpassed its previous levels. This time, by fusing his True Dragon Intent with his swordsmanship, he had produced a miraculous effect.

'Unfortunately, I'm not a True Dragon, after all,' Ling Fei thought with a hint of regret. 'However, the True Dragon Visualization Image is no ordinary martial art. It's said that after a cultivator reaches a certain realm, they can achieve Qi Condensation and Transformation. Their combat power at that stage will be even more astonishing. I'll continue to accumulate True Dragon Intent; it will definitely be useful in the future.'

Soon, Ling Fei calmed his emotions.

'As long as I persist in my cultivation,' he believed, 'I'll have my chance to erupt with power.'

And so, Ling Fei continued to immerse himself in cultivating the True Dragon Visualization Image, the True Dragon Refining God Technique, and various types of Sword Intent.

「Three days later」

News spread from the academy: Shangguan Wan'Er had successfully broken through to the Celestial Spirit Realm.

As soon as this news broke, Celestial River Academy was thrown into an uproar.

This was because Shangguan Wan'Er had only been at Celestial River Academy for a year and a half.

Such a cultivation speed was truly enviable.

There were even rumors that Shangguan Wan'Er should have broken through to the Celestial Spirit Realm long ago.

Her breakthrough had only been delayed until now because she was condensing the extremely difficult-to-master Sword Gang Qi.

Even so, she had still broken the record for this achievement.

"Now that Shangguan Wan'Er has entered the Celestial Spirit Realm, it's going to be difficult for Ling Fei to catch up to her!"

"There's a difference in the time they've spent cultivating, after all. It's a pity. Otherwise, if they could fight at the same realm, how spectacular would that be?"

The students of the academy expressed great regret over this.

If it wasn't a battle between those in the same realm, it would ultimately lack a sense of fairness.