Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 174: One hundred seventy-four. You are really too naive!

Chapter 174: One hundred seventy-four. You are really too naive!

"Yun Xiao, I thought you were going to play turtle and hide, but to my surprise, you actually had the guts to show up!"

Looking at Yun Xiao who stepped onto the arena and stood opposite him, Feng Hang suppressed the anger in his heart and instead spoke with sarcasm, implying that Yun Xiao was overestimating himself.

"Hehe, how could I miss the chance to cross hands with Brother Feng Hang?" Yun Xiao’s face bore a gentle smile, his words seemingly courteous, yet they held a hidden implication.

"Do you know that I, Feng Hang, never hold back in my strikes? If you lose your little life later, don’t blame me for not warning you!" Feng Hang’s statement was thick with intimidation; he didn’t take kindly to the young man’s demeanor.

Despite being merely a Meridian Gathering Realm Late Stage ant, he stood unafraid in front of Feng Hang, a Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage talent at the top of the Mortal List, which to some extent, was a slap in the face for Feng Hang.

Yun Xiao, of course, didn’t take such words to heart and continued with a smile, "On this matter, I happen to disagree with Brother Feng Hang. If I win later, I’ll make sure to spare your life, brother!"

Yun Xiao’s words were not at all concealed, allowing everyone in the hall to hear clearly, causing an uproar. Was this kid too full of himself or did he really think that defeating Guan Tong meant he could contend with Feng Hang?

Ignoring the thoughts of the surrounding talents, Feng Hang, upon hearing Yun Xiao’s words, laughed instead of getting angry and said, "Haha, I’ve seen those who are not afraid to die, but never someone as fearless as you. Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll just have to oblige you!"

As his words fell, it seemed Feng Hang had no desire to waste more words on Yun Xiao. He believed this young man’s ability in Meridian Qi combat was surely no match for his verbal sharpness; it was better to let strength speak the truth.

Whoosh...

A stream of Meridian Qi rose between Feng Hang’s hands, and in a moment, a somewhat ethereal tiger head took shape in front of him, much like the Tiger Head Meridian Technique that Guan Tong, who had fallen to Yun Xiao’s hands, had used.

However, whether in the scale or solidity of the tiger head, Guan Tong’s was far inferior to the one Feng Hang conjured.

After all, Guan Tong had only one foot in the Meridian Rushing Realm and was essentially at the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, while the Meridian Techniques manifested from external Meridian Qi could only unleash their full power in the true Meridian Rushing Realm.

Yun Xiao did not know if Feng Hang’s Tiger Head Meridian Technique was the same as the one Guan Tong used, but he was certain that if he were hit by this tiger head, the battle would likely end in an instant.

Therefore, Yun Xiao did not dare to underestimate his opponent and rapidly moved his hands in response. In a few breaths’ time, a Meridian Qi Great Sword formed in front of him.

For those Outer Sect geniuses who had seen Yun Xiao’s fight with Guan Tong, this Meridian Qi Great Sword was no stranger, but it sent a shock through the Inner Sect Disciples who came to watch the fight today.

It was truly unprecedented for an Outer Sect talent who hadn’t yet broken through to the Meridian Rushing Realm to be able to manifest the Meridian Qi Sword with external Meridian Qi, effectively overturning their cultivation beliefs.

It can be said that every cultivator who witnessed Yun Xiao’s external Meridian Qi for the first time would experience a brief shock, yet when some talents with powerful Power of Soul sensed the emergence of Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi Sword, they couldn’t help but gasp.

"Meridian Gathering Realm Peak..."

Just like Bi Luo and Yin Huan in the southeast corner of the Arena Hall, their Power of Soul was much stronger than those of the Outer Sect Disciples. At the moment Yun Xiao conjured the Meridian Qi Great Sword, they were already acutely aware.

During the recent Outer Sect tournament, both Bi Luo and Yin Huan, the brothers, hadn’t missed a single match, yet even yesterday, when Yun Xiao defeated the genius ranked seventh on the Mortal List, he was still at the Meridian Gathering Realm Late Stage.

Although Yun Xiao could temporarily reach the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm with the Ancestor Vein Power, at this moment, he obviously hadn’t activated the Ancestor Vein Power, and that aura of the Meridian Gathering Realm Peak wasn’t elevated by some Secret Technique – it was genuine peak Meridian Gathering Realm.

Neither had a good relationship with Yun Xiao, so upon realizing Yun Xiao had made another breakthrough overnight, aside from looking perplexed, their expressions turned gloomy.

Looking at the genius girl Mo Qing in the northeast corner, she too instantly sensed Yun Xiao’s advancement in Meridian Qi Cultivation, her beautiful eyes shining with surprise, leaving others to wonder what she was thinking.

As for Xue Gong beside Mo Qing, he too had some unusual thoughts due to Yun Xiao’s breakthrough, finding that this talent, once dazzling only in the Outer Sect, might one day become his greatest threat.

At the moment when Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi Sword took shape, Feng Hang, his opponent and the top of the Mortal List, would have definitely noticed his improvement in Meridian Qi. However, compared to the onlookers, he seemed much more composed.

"Yun Xiao, if ascending to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm is the trump card you dare to show on the stage, then I must say, you are far too naive!"

As he controlled the Meridian Qi Tiger Head, a mocking sneer surfaced on Feng Hang’s face, evidently considering himself, a genius in the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, far superior to Yun Xiao, whether he was at the Late Stage or Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm.

It’s not just about the ordinary peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm. Didn’t you see Guan Tong, who was half a step into the Meridian Rushing Realm and ranked third on the Mortal List, not daring to compete with Feng Hang and Shen Xiao for the Fire Spirit Crystal at Yurong Mountain?

It’s another level of cultivation entirely, with great rank divisions that countless cultivators across the Nine Dragons Continent have gleaned over many years.

There is a fundamental difference between the great ranks, and talents capable of fighting across ranks generally only exist in legends of higher planes, never to appear on the Hidden Dragon Continent.

At least, in the hearts of the several Great Elders among the northern seats, this is the thought; even when they were at the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm themselves, they wouldn’t dare claim they could contest with a cultivator at the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm. Such is the ingrained concept of cultivation.

"Whether it’s too naive or not, wouldn’t we know after the fight?"

Yun Xiao neither agreed nor disagreed with Feng Hang’s words. As soon as his statement fell, the Meridian Qi Giant Sword was already swiftly summoned, with its tip directly aimed at Feng Hang’s vital spot in his chest. A hit would leave Feng Hang, despite being a genius of the Meridian Rushing Realm, with a fate not much different from Guan Tong’s.

Yet, with Feng Hang’s strength, how could he possibly allow Yun Xiao to puncture him so easily? Especially at this moment, he faced a ferocious Meridian Qi Tiger Head. Under their collision, he was absolutely confident of victory.

Boom!

Seeing the Meridian Qi Giant Sword approaching rapidly, a cold smirk flashed in Feng Hang’s eyes. The next moment, the tiger head in front of him opened its jaws wide and swallowed the Meridian Qi Giant Sword whole.

"Not good!"

In just an instant, Yun Xiao realized he had lost connection with his Meridian Qi Sword. Clearly, the power of the Tiger Head had dissolved the sword, leaving not even a trace of its presence.

"Is that all you’ve got?"

On the other hand, Feng Hang appeared quite smug. Hearing his voice laced with mockery, his handprints changed abruptly. The Tiger Head, seemingly without much loss of Meridian Qi, charged angrily towards Yun Xiao, as if intent on crunching off his head.

"It seems I’ve underestimated the strength of these Meridian Rushing Realm cultivators!"

Seeing this, Yun Xiao chuckled bitterly to himself. To tell the truth, although he had briefly clashed with Feng Hang at Yurong Mountain, it had been a very brief encounter, with many of Feng Hang’s techniques not yet revealed.

Indeed, Yun Xiao had refined the high-grade, Third Rank Fire Spirit Crystal and had broken through to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm overnight. However, because of this sudden, nouveau-riche-like breakthrough, he still wasn’t adept at controlling this level of power.

This was the first time Yun Xiao was facing an enemy with the true power of the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, and his opponent was no less than Feng Hang, a superb genius at the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, imposing tremendous pressure on him.

Fortunately, Meridian Qi Cultivation was never Yun Xiao’s strongest suit. At least, having ascended to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, his speed and reflexes had improved significantly. It wasn’t easy for the Meridian Qi Tiger Head to catch him.

Seeing there was no time to counter the Tiger Head with Meridian Techniques, Yun Xiao made a split-second decision. He ducked low and, in the nick of time, dodged under the Tiger Head. Then, with a push from his feet, he lunged directly towards Feng Hang’s person.

Yun Xiao’s reaction speed was indeed extremely fast. Even when the Tiger Head missed its target, unlike controlling the Meridian Qi Sword, it couldn’t be guided like an arm to turn around and attack him again — this was a matter of technique.

Yun Xiao, a reincarnation of the Long Xiao Battle God, possessed many techniques from the higher plane of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud. On the Hidden Dragon Continent, reaching the Meridian Rushing Realm was merely a basic convergence of external Meridian Qi, and to achieve the same mastery over the techniques, one would likely need to reach the Meridian Union Realm.

Generally speaking, a human’s speed could never surpass the speed of Meridian Techniques, which is why a cultivator of the Meridian Rushing Realm, when fighting someone of the Meridian Gathering Realm, wouldn’t have the chance to strike with their technique a second time should the first strike miss.

But Yun Xiao was an aberration, an anomaly. As the Meridian Qi Tiger Head seemed about to snap his head off, somehow, he managed to avoid it.

Moreover, in the moment that Feng Hang was taken aback, Yun Xiao had already closed the gap. Perhaps in terms of physical strength, the disparity between him and this number one talent on the Mortal List wasn’t that wide.

Yun Xiao, whose body had been tempered by Stone Heart Marrow, now possessed a strength comparable to that of a high-grade, Third Rank Peak Vein Demon. Moreover, with his breakthrough to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, a mere comparison of physical strength would surely not fall too far short of Feng Hang’s. This is what they call exploiting one’s own strengths to target the enemy’s weaknesses.