Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

He Tianming was sent flying, his Heart Spirit dazed. He was utterly crestfallen, unable to recover from the blow for a long time.

On the high platform, Sect Leader Yuan swept his arm, pulling He Tianming to his side.

"Lian Shuang's Swordsmanship is transcendent, reaching a realm where she can strike at will. She has even comprehended a profound Sword Dao Mystical. She is not someone an ordinary person can oppose. It's only natural that you lost this time," Elder He said to He Tianming from the high platform, hoping to guide the younger man.

Otherwise, if He Tianming was unable to recover from this setback, it would be a waste of a promising talent.

"How can she be that strong?" Even after landing on the high platform, He Tianming's eyes remained fixed on Lian Shuang on the battle stage below.

This defeat had clearly become an obsession for him.

"Perhaps she's one of those legendary prodigies," said Elder He.

A few of the Elders nearby also drew a sharp breath, looking ashamed of their own inferiority.

It was hard to imagine how powerful Lian Shuang would become once she stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm.

And if she reached the Divine Mansion Realm, how utterly peerless would she be then?

"Her talent is far greater than we ever imagined!" Grand Elder Fang sighed.

Before, they had all considered Lian Shuang a once-in-a-millennium genius.

But now, it seemed they had still underestimated the young woman.

Now, when the crowd looked at Lian Shuang, their gazes held a new level of gravity.

A gravity that seemed to surpass even the importance they placed on Ling Fei.

After all, if Lian Shuang continued to develop, she might truly be able to sweep across the entire Southern Wilderness on her own.

If that happened, couldn't the Lingyun Sect usher in a thousand-year golden age?

"The Sword Dao Mystical she has comprehended does not belong to our Lingyun Sect," Sect Leader Yuan said, his eyes flashing.

"Oh?" Hearing this, the nearby Elders were all stunned.

The Five Elements Swordsmanship was the Lingyun Sect's Sword Dao Treasure Manual!

This style of Swordsmanship was renowned throughout the Southern Wilderness, and one could only manifest it by mastering the Mystical of the Five Elements.

Sect Leader Yuan had dabbled in it as well, but the Sword Dao was not his greatest strength.

"Her true expertise isn't the Five Elements Swordsmanship. That final strike just now—that is the true foundation of her art," Yuan Huaitian said via voice transmission, his eyes flashing.

"This... How is that possible?" The Elders were taken aback.

Then, they all fell silent.

Indeed, upon careful reflection, the Five Elements Swordsmanship truly seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg of what Lian Shuang had revealed.

That final strike was her true technique.

And even that was merely a glimpse of her power.

'If it isn't the Lingyun Sect's Swordsmanship, then does it belong to another sect?'

The crowd grew suspicious.

Upon further thought, there seemed to be no such Swordsmanship in the entire Southern Wilderness.

"Perhaps she had a fortuitous encounter and obtained an ancient legacy," Sect Leader Yuan said nonchalantly, showing no intention of probing further.

After all, the Southern Wilderness was full of ancient ruins, and it was quite common for people to rise to prominence after obtaining some long-lost legacy.

For instance, both the Marsh King and the Yuan Feng Pill King were connected to ancient legacies.

For them, as long as Lian Shuang was a member of the Lingyun Sect and was willing to fight for it, that was enough.

The nearby Elders nodded slightly, but as they looked at Lian Shuang on the battle stage, they felt increasingly that the young woman was utterly unfathomable.

On the competition stage, the Sword Lotus receded. Lian Shuang stood proudly, holding a blue Long Sword.

"In this match, Lian Shuang is victorious!" An elder darted onto the stage to announce the result.

He then scanned the crowd, a sly grin on his face. "Does anyone else wish to challenge Lian Shuang?"

Witnessing such a clash of geniuses had put the old man in an excellent mood.

"Challenge Lian Shuang? Are you kidding, old man?" The crowd below rolled their eyes, looking at the elder on stage with disdain.

Even He Tianming was crushed before Lian Shuang. Wouldn't they just be asking for a beating if they went up there?

"Ahem, young people should have some ambition! It's just a spar, what's there to be afraid of?" The elder seemed to realize that asking someone to go up now was a bit shameless. He gave an awkward laugh, tilted his head back, and adopted an air of telling the younger generation not to care about face.

"Pfft!" An uproar erupted from below the stage.

The volley of disdainful looks made the elder's face flush with embarrassment.

He quickly laughed. "Haha, if no one else is coming up, then this competition is over."

"Wait." Just as the elder was about to declare the event over, the perpetually cold-faced Lian Shuang suddenly spoke.

This took everyone by surprise.

Holding her blue Long Sword, Lian Shuang walked with graceful steps, her long hair flowing, until she reached the edge of the competition stage.

Then, a light flashed in her usually indifferent eyes, locking onto one of the viewing stands ahead.

There sat the geniuses of the Lingyun Sect's new generation, Ling Fei among them.

'Don't tell me Junior Sister Lian Shuang is going to challenge me!'

'Oh no, I don't want to go up there and make a fool of myself.' As Lian Shuang's gaze swept over them, each of the geniuses wailed internally.

It was obvious they were afraid Lian Shuang would pick one of them for a spar.

However, their status required them to maintain a forced smile.

The scene made those nearby unable to stifle their laughter.

Only when Lian Shuang's gaze shifted and finally settled on one young man did they secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, along with their relief came a wave of embarrassment.

'So she never had any intention of fighting us in the first place!'

Everyone's gazes then followed Lian Shuang's, landing on that same young man.

Upon seeing who it was, everyone in the Martial Arts Arena was stunned.

"Ling the Pill Master!" Gasps of astonishment were heard, and everyone wore a peculiar expression.

"Is Junior Sister Lian Shuang going to spar with Ling the Pill Master?"

"Ling the Pill Master is strong, but he's only in the Profound Pill Realm. Profound Spirit Treasures are forbidden in these spars, so how can he compete with Junior Sister Lian Shuang?"

"What is Junior Sister Lian Shuang thinking?" For a moment, everyone was utterly bewildered.

Then, all eyes turned back to Lian Shuang.

Clearly, they all wanted to see just what this Junior Sister Lian Shuang was planning.

Even the Elders on the high platform looked on in surprise.

"Junior Brother Ling, it seems Junior Sister Lian Shuang has her eyes on you!" Yuan Chong, who was beside Ling Fei, laughed. "She isn't planning to spar with you, is she?"

"Ahem." Ling Fei coughed dryly, equally surprised. He raised his gaze toward Senior Sister Lian Shuang on the stage.

Their eyes met.

Yet, Ling Fei still couldn't detect much emotion in Lian Shuang's eyes.

As such, even he couldn't guess what the young woman was thinking.

"Ling the Pill Master, will you come up and spar with me?" Lian Shuang asked from the stage, her long eyelashes fluttering as she stared at Ling Fei.

For once, her voice lacked some of its usual iciness.

"What! Junior Sister Lian Shuang is challenging Ling the Pill Master?" The words sent the entire audience into an uproar.

"Well, Junior Brother Ling, I can finally confirm that Junior Sister Lian Shuang isn't interested in you. Otherwise, why would she challenge you in front of everyone? Isn't she just trying to make you lose face? Haha," Yuan Chong said quickly, looking at Ling Fei with mock sympathy.

In his eyes, sparring with Lian Shuang was asking for a beating. Going up there would be nothing but public humiliation!

"Ahem." Ling Fei looked embarrassed but ignored Yuan Chong, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at Lian Shuang.

It was as if he was trying to read something in her eyes.

"Is Ling the Pill Master unwilling?" Lian Shuang asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Haha, Senior Sister Lian Shuang, your Swordsmanship is superb. My skills are still shallow; I'm afraid I'm not quite ready for a spar with you," Ling Fei said with a smile.

After watching her fight, he knew for a fact that his own control over Mystical was inferior to hers.

"Haha, why must you be so self-deprecating, Ling the Pill Master?" Lian Shuang laughed brightly, her slender hand smoothing her flowing blue hair in a gesture of effortless charm.

Below the stage, the disciples stared, their eyes wide and unblinking.

"Junior Sister Lian Shuang can be so... alluring?"

"Such charm... who in this world could possibly match it?" For a moment, many disciples' hearts pounded in their chests, utterly captivated.

Ling Fei, however, simply watched Lian Shuang calmly, waiting for her to continue.

"You were able to defeat Li Xun back when you were in the Profound Pill Realm. Even though you used a Profound Spirit Treasure, your skills are not to be underestimated. Now that you've entered the Celestial Pill Realm, your strength must be even greater. It's hard to say which of us is stronger," Lian Shuang said, a rare smile gracing her lips as her hand toyed with her hair. "Besides, if you don't test yourself in a spar, how will you ever know your true strength? How will you find your limits?"

"Junior Sister Lian Shuang smiled again! I can't take it anymore."

"The ancients said a beauty's smile could topple nations. Lian Shuang's smile makes me feel like my soul is about to leave my body!" many of the young men exclaimed, appearing incredibly excited.

Even geniuses like Huang Feng, Zhao Fan, and He Tianming were deeply moved.

Lian Shuang was usually cold and impassive towards them, yet now, she was smiling at Ling Fei.

It was a faint smile, but it was the first time they had ever seen it!

"Is this how geniuses are treated?" Many looked on with envy, wishing they were in Ling Fei's shoes.

If they were him, they could chat a little longer with this peerless beauty.

"Ah, if only I had Junior Brother Ling's talent for Alchemy," Yuan Chong said with a wide grin.

If Lian Shuang smiled like that while talking to him, he would die a happy man.

"Wait, what? Did Junior Sister Lian Shuang just say Junior Brother Ling has entered the Celestial Pill Realm? That... that's impossible!" Amidst his envy, Yuan Chong's eyes suddenly flashed as he recalled her words. He turned to Ling Fei, his face a mask of astonishment and his eyes wide with shock.

"Ling the Pill Master entered the Celestial Pill Realm?" The nearby geniuses also recalled her words and realized Lian Shuang had indeed said that.

Instantly, countless gazes filled with shock and disbelief converged on Ling Fei.

"Junior Brother Ling, have you really entered the Celestial Pill Realm?" Yuan Chong couldn't help but ask.

"I have indeed," Ling Fei said with a smile, shrugging.

"What! You've entered the Celestial Pill Realm! No wonder your aura feels so much stronger. But didn't you just enter the Profound Pill Realm a short while ago?" Great waves surged in Yuan Chong's heart.

One had to remember, Ling Fei had only joined the sect a year ago!

Reaching the Celestial Pill Realm in just one year... how many people could possibly match that cultivation speed?

"Ling Fei has entered the Celestial Pill Realm?" Now, even some of the Elders on the high platform looked astonished.

A moment ago, they had all been focused on Lian Shuang's performance and hadn't paid much attention to Ling Fei.

Upon hearing this, they were all inwardly shaken.

One by one, the Elders released their Heart Spirits to probe his cultivation.

"It is indeed the aura of the Celestial Pill Realm." As they sensed it, their eyes flashed with surprise.

"Excellent! He's reached the Celestial Pill Realm so quickly. I wonder what his combat strength is like now?" The Elders on the high platform were all filled with anticipation.