Chapter 144: Victory in a Single Move [Subscription Requested]

"Wait, there is still one person who has not arrived."

Following the voice, the crowd saw a youth in white robes riding the spiritual qi from afar, and shortly after, he descended directly into the camp of the Lin family.

This youth was naturally Yang Xiao, who had hurried back from the Sea of Beasts. On his return journey, due to his extreme caution, he had not encountered any danger.

"Alright, everyone is here now, the competition can begin." Yang Xiao steadied his footing and spoke immediately.

Lin Tian was naturally overjoyed upon seeing Yang Xiao.

Lin Ling finally set her worries aside when she saw that Yang Xiao was unharmed.

At this moment, Lin Ke also wore an expression of relief.

"Brother Lin Ke, who is this young man? I don't seem to recall ever seeing him before," Feng Ye said, casting a glance at Yang Xiao.

"Brother Feng Ye agreed that our family could invite an external helper. This is the helper our family has invited, and he is a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect within the Heavenly Sword Mountain Range," Lin Ke explained.

"I see. I did indeed agree to that. Very well, since everyone has arrived, can the competition begin now?" Feng Ye said indifferently.

"The people on my side have indeed all arrived. We may begin the competition," Lin Ke confirmed. He cast a backward glance at the group, and when his gaze fell upon Yang Xiao, he noticed that the aura radiating from Yang Xiao was now significantly stronger than it had been before his trip to the Sea of Beasts. This unexpected discovery made him hold Yang Xiao in even higher regard.

"The first match is a duel of cultivation and techniques. I will send out two of my grand-disciples, Feng Shen and Feng Yi. Brother Lin Ke, please send forth your representative as well," Feng Ye said.

Following Feng Ye's words, Feng Shen and Feng Yi stepped out from the crowd. The two of them were biological brothers with somewhat similar appearances—both had slanted eyebrows and slightly squinted eyes. Though unconventional-looking, they were not entirely displeasing to the eye. Most importantly, their cultivation auras were quite extraordinary. Possessing the cultivation base of the late stage of Qi Condensation, they possessed enough capital to look down proudly upon their peers among the younger generation.

For reasons unknown, Feng Ye did not send out the man in black, Bu Yun, this time around. Instead, he allowed Bu Yun to stand beside him as a spectator, treating him with great intimacy and occasionally whispering a few words to him.

The representatives chosen by Lin Ke were Lin Hao and Yang Xiao. Originally, before Yang Xiao arrived, Lin Ke had intended to send Lin Tian into the arena. However, now that Yang Xiao was here, he naturally let Yang Xiao—who possessed a higher level of cultivation—take the field.

Just as Yang Xiao stepped into the center of the arena, he was challenged by Feng Yi, the younger brother of Feng Shen. This fellow seemed extremely displeased by what Yang Xiao had said upon his arrival; Yang Xiao's words had clearly carried an air of arrogance, which made him eager to witness Yang Xiao's true abilities and see if he possessed the capital to back up such arrogance.

"Since you are the fellow invited by the Lin family, let me test your high skills and see if you are truly qualified to stand in this Linlang Blessed Land arena," Feng Yi said without any courtesy. Clearly, he held little regard for Yang Xiao. After all, although Yang Xiao's aura was formidable, his cultivation realm was right there for all to see. No matter what, Feng Yi refused to believe that Yang Xiao could possibly be his match.

"Then please enlighten me," Yang Xiao said with a polite cupped-fist salute.

With Yang Xiao and Feng Yi's match underway, Lin Hao and Feng Shen had no choice but to wait a little longer for their turn. The arena was not very large, making simultaneous matches impossible. Furthermore, this competition was not particularly pressed for time, and with only a few matches in total, a slow, one-on-one format was of no consequence to anyone present.

Feng Yi did not stand on ceremony either. Stretching out his hands, he conjured two massive spirit-treasure hammers into his grip. Waving the hammers about, two colossal hammer afterimages manifested and smashed down toward Yang Xiao with truly ferocious momentum.

At the same time, Yang Xiao let out a sharp shout as dozens of sword beams erupted from his hands, meeting the illusory iron hammers head-on. Simultaneously, he rapidly formed seven or eight hand seals, causing a hazy mist to emanate from his body. This mist surged forward swiftly, enveloping Feng Yi entirely.

Only then did Yang Xiao's figure flicker as he vanished from his original spot. No sooner had he moved than two massive hammer afterimages plummeted from the sky, slamming precisely into the spot where Yang Xiao had been standing a moment before. These hammer afterimages possessed a near-tangible solidity, actually blasting two deep craters into the ground.

"Such formidable momentum!" Yang Xiao couldn't help but marvel at the truly extraordinary power of the opponent's hammer strike. To be hit by it would indeed be a deeply harrowing experience. The ground of the arena was exceptionally hard, and ordinary spirit treasures striking it would leave not the slightest trace; yet, the opponent's illusory hammers had managed to carve out such massive craters, which was truly terrifying.

Feng Yi's display of might also elicited gasps of astonishment from many of the spectator disciples. However, the scene that followed left them utterly baffled.

They saw Feng Yi brandishing his two large hammers, attacking the surrounding air indiscriminately, completely missing the spot where Yang Xiao was standing. Reduced to spinning around in circles, he looked nothing so much as a mocked monkey, shouting all the while, "You brat, if you have the guts, don't hide! Fight me one-on-one! What kind of skill is it to cower and hide?"

Just as the crowd was feeling bewildered, Yang Xiao cupped his fists toward Feng Ye and said, "Senior Feng Ye, does this round mean I have won?"

What was even more baffling was that Feng Ye sighed and said, "This match is indeed your victory. Quickly lift the illusion and let Feng Yi out."

Only then did the onlookers understand that Yang Xiao had just cast an illusion technique. Yet, this illusionary art was far too miraculous; it had actually managed to trap someone of a higher cultivation level than the caster within its grasp.

Regardless of how it happened, Feng Yi seemed utterly incapable of breaking free from the illusion. Moreover, because Feng Yi excelled in offense rather than defense, being trapped in the illusionary realm sent him spinning about in frantic circles, creating numerous vulnerabilities in his bodily defense. In light of this, Yang Xiao merely needed to launch a slight offensive from outside the illusion to catch Feng Yi off guard and deal him an unexpected blow, making victory an effortless endeavor.

It was precisely for this reason that Feng Ye had no choice but to declare Yang Xiao the winner of this match.

Feng Ye's declaration naturally set off a wave of animated discussion among the crowd. None of them had expected Yang Xiao to secure victory in a single move, let alone through such bizarre methods. At that moment, however, they all began to look at Yang Xiao in a completely different light.