Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Prince Long mixed grace with intimidation. His very presence was so imposing that no one dared to defy his authority.

"This matter concerns Ling Fei's life and death. I must discuss it with the others before making a decision," Han Beihai said.

"Very well. I will await your news," said Prince Long.

Han Beihai exchanged a look with the Elders beside him, and they all flew toward the distant Council Hall.

Watching the Elders fly away, the students of Celestial River Academy were filled with worry.

"Will the Elders agree to this demand?" On a balcony somewhere, Shangguan Yurou's face was etched with concern.

"They're making Ling Fei fight a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, and he can't even use his Soul Secret Technique. How can he possibly win?" Mu Xue said indignantly.

"Exactly! And he has to win three matches in a row. Is that even possible?"

"Prince Long is clearly just giving the academy a way to save face while using it as an excuse to execute Ling Fei!" Immediately, an uproar erupted among the students.

While the students worried for Ling Fei, a chill also ran down their spines.

"Just as I thought. In the end, students from Humble Families always die at the hands of the powerful elite." Chen Feng shook his head again and again, his face a mask of helplessness.

As they saw it, if the academy agreed to these terms, Ling Fei was as good as dead.

But now, the Empress' Decree had been issued, and Prince Long himself had come to oversee the matter. Could Celestial River Academy possibly hold out?

...

「Inside the Council Hall.」

"What do you all think?" Han Beihai asked, his gaze sweeping over the Elders beside him.

"Prince Long has come with the Empress' Decree, and he's even offered a concession. We no longer have any grounds to refuse," one of the Elders said. "Otherwise, we'll be charged with gross disrespect, a crime we won't be able to escape. At this point, our only hope is that Wan'Er succeeds in gaining an audience with the Celestial Emperor."

"That's all we can do for now," the other two Elders agreed, nodding.

"But making Ling Fei fight three geniuses, and on top of that, requiring him to win three matches in a row... that's simply asking the impossible!" said Vice Dean Zhou.

Some of the others present remained silent.

'What else can we do now but let Ling Fei accept the challenge?'

"Zhou Tao, go to the Sword Tomb to see Ling Fei. Find out what he thinks," Han Beihai said, his eyes glinting.

"You want me to see him?" Upon hearing this, Vice Dean Zhou's face twisted into a bitter expression. 'How can I possibly bring myself to tell him?'

"You must understand, I want to protect him too," Han Beihai said, his face a mask of helplessness. "But I cannot allow the thousand-year foundation of our Celestial River Academy to be destroyed!"

"Fine. I'll go see him." Vice Dean Zhou gritted his teeth, then stood and left.

...

「Inside the Sword Tomb.」

Ling Fei was still comprehending the Sword Dao.

He had now been here for a full six days.

Over these six days, he had continuously fused his Sword Intent, and his understanding of the Sword Dao had deepened significantly.

Inside the Sword Wall Space, Ling Fei was completely focused. 'A sword can take ten thousand forms. Wherever my intent reaches, the sword's form shall manifest!'

'Sword Intent, form a dragon!' With a stir of his Heart Spirit, a stream of Sword Qi imbued with True Dragon Momentum shot toward the sky.

Vaguely, the Sword Qi seemed to transform into a True Dragon.

Its momentum was far beyond anything ordinary, even surpassing the Sword of Sword Intent that Shangguan Wan'Er had unleashed in her moment of desperation.

Ling Fei nodded. 'Not bad. This is how it should be,' he mused. 'But it's still not enough. While my Sword Intent and True Dragon Intent have completely fused, the Cold Dao Mystical has not. Only by integrating the Cold Dao Mystical can I push my combat power to its absolute limit.'

If he could fuse all three of these Mysticals, Ling Fei was confident he could contend with a Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivator.

'Should I lead with the Cold Dao Mystical, the True Dragon Mystical Technique, or the Sword Dao Mystical?' Ling Fei pondered continuously.

The Cold Qi contained True Dragon Power.

Sword Intent, however, was a Mystical of Martial Arts that he controlled with his will alone.

'Wherever my intent reaches, all the Mysticals should be unleashed at once. Only then will my opponent be left utterly defenseless,' Ling Fei murmured to himself, a glint in his eyes.

With that thought, he resumed practicing his Sword Forms.

SWISH!

Within the Sword River, Ling Fei unleashed one strike after another.

ROAR!

Finally, he unleashed a single strike. The Sword Qi transformed into a dragon and lunged forward. The dragon's momentum was immense, and its Cold Qi formed an Ice Seal within the Void.

The next moment, the Sword Qi pierced through the ice-sealed Void.

He had clearly succeeded in fusing the three Mysticals.

After successfully integrating the fusion into his Sword Form, he activated his Willpower. Without even using a sword, Sword Qi erupted from his body, soaring skyward like a multitude of Qi Dragons.

The moment these Qi Dragons appeared, an Ice Seal formed on the Void before them.

The next moment, the dragons of Sword Qi pierced through the ice-sealed Void.

'It's complete.' At this, Ling Fei's heart leaped with joy.

Now, he had not only mastered controlling these three Mysticals through his Sword Forms, but could also perfectly fuse and command them with a mere thought.

His strength had clearly increased by a huge margin.

'If my Cold Chi Dragon Qi were to condense into Gang, the power of this Sword Form would be even greater,' Ling Fei murmured.

'But I still have immense True Dragon Power in my body, and on top of that, I have the Dragon Bone.' These were Ling Fei's hidden trump cards.

Having achieved this breakthrough in his Swordsmanship, Ling Fei withdrew his Heart Spirit from the Sword Wall.

'I wonder how many days have passed?' Ling Fei's thoughts quickly returned to the matter that worried him.

"Ya!" As Ling Fei's Heart Spirit returned, Yiyi, inside the Dragon Bone Space, seemed to sense it and let out a soft chirp.

"Little one, it would be wonderful if I could be with you every day." Seeing Yiyi's adorable smile, Ling Fei felt himself relax a little.

At the same time, a strange longing rose in his heart. 'How wonderful it would be to just cultivate with this little one every day, free of all worries!'

Unfortunately, he still had a mountain of trouble to face.

Just then, the entrance to the Sword Tomb opened. Vice Dean Zhou crossed the Sword Bridge and walked toward Ling Fei.

Upon seeing Ling Fei, a look of distinct pity appeared on Vice Dean Zhou's face.

"Vice Dean Zhou!" Seeing the man's expression, Ling Fei's own face turned solemn. He knew at once that something must have happened.

"Ah, Ling Fei..." Gazing at the young man before him, Vice Dean Zhou hesitated, the words catching in his throat. He truly couldn't bear to tell him the cruel truth.

"Vice Dean, if there is something you have to say, please say it. I... can take it," Ling Fei said, his expression earnest.

"Alright!" Seeing Ling Fei's resolve, Vice Dean Zhou stopped hesitating. His gaze hardened. "After you entered the Sword Tomb, Marquis Yun attacked... Now, Prince Long himself has arrived, bearing the Empress' Decree. He demands that you appear and fight three geniuses. They are at the Half-step Celestial Spirit Realm, the Initial Stage of Celestial Spirit Realm, and the Early Stage of Celestial Spirit Great Success. You must win all three matches in a row to resolve this crisis. Otherwise, I'm afraid no one will be able to protect you."

"Marquis Yun... the Marquis of Eatern... Prince Long!" Hearing Vice Dean Zhou's explanation, Ling Fei now understood the gravity of the situation.

He understood in his heart how much pressure Celestial River Academy had been under to protect him. They must have truly reached their limit to have come to him now.

'Fight three geniuses, some at the Celestial Spirit Realm... and win three times in a row!' Ling Fei's gaze narrowed as he mentally calculated his odds.

He had crossed blades with a Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivator before, so he knew just how powerful they were.

"In these three matches, you are forbidden from using your Sound Wave Secret Technique. You can only use Martial Arts," Vice Dean Zhou added. "Your opponents are also forbidden from using external aids, such as Magic Swords gifted by their elders."

"I can't use the Sound Wave Secret Technique?" Ling Fei's brow furrowed, but he wasn't overly concerned. 'Since they know my secrets, of course they would restrict it. This demand was within my expectations.'

"But even if I win three matches in a row, will they really let this matter drop?" Ling Fei asked, his gaze lifting to meet the Vice Dean's.

"Prince Long is the current Celestial Emperor's younger brother and is highly respected. His word carries significant weight," Vice Dean Zhou said. "But as for the final outcome, I can't make any guarantees. Still, this is your only chance right now. We've had no news from Wan'Er, so every moment you can stall for is a victory."

"I understand." Ling Fei nodded slowly. Then, looking up with a resolute expression, he declared, "If that's the case, then I will fight!"