Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 155 - 152: The First Battle

Chapter 155: Chapter 152: The First Battle

After Ye Xuan stepped down, the first round of the duel was also declared over. Although there were some twists along the way, in the end, the Heavenly Martial Hall still won the first round.

"Who will go first in this round?"

Leng Ruofeng looked at the two individuals beside him. The upcoming battles would be between the True Disciples, and one of them would likely have to fight two matches. Thus, the one planning to fight twice should go first.

In the second round of the contest, they didn’t need to win by a wide margin; winning two matches would be sufficient since they had already won the first round. Even if the second round ended in a tie, they would still have the advantage today.

"I will."

Ling Qianxue stood up from her seat. Her strength was undoubtedly the strongest among the three True Disciples, so it was only right for her to strike first in this battle.

The honor of the Sect weighed heavily in her eyes, so the task of fighting in two matches would most likely fall on her.

"Then be careful."

Leng Ruofeng and Yang Ting both nodded. As they did, Ling Qianxue leaped up, her feet like blossoming lotuses, gently landing on the high platform.

Ling Qianxue’s arrival on the platform instantly caused a tremendous stir, with a wave of fervor erupting among the disciple crowd. Being a goddess-like figure, her popularity was indeed terrifying.

As for the Wildfire Sect, the gaze directed at Ling Qianxue also conveyed a touch of amazement due to her extraordinary appearance and demeanor.

Swish!

In just a moment, a tall, lean figure darted out from the ranks of the Wildfire Sect and landed twenty meters opposite Ling Qianxue.

"Han Li of the Wildfire Sect, pleased to learn from you!"

The tall, lean man saluted Ling Qianxue, a glint flashing in his eyes. Despite her stunning impression, there was no distinction between genders in the arena, and in the end, only one could stand victorious.

"Begin."

Ling Qianxue’s face remained cold as ever. She was icy even toward her own people, let alone facing an opponent from the Wildfire Sect.

Without any further words, Han Li immediately enhanced his aura. Bending his legs slightly, leaning forward, his True Qi seemed to flow towards his legs, rapidly gathering a formidable force there.

Whoosh!

His figure suddenly blurred, rushing forward like a gust of wind, leaving behind a trail of afterimages, making it impossible for the onlookers to see Han Li’s real body.

"This Han Li has improved a lot compared to last year."

Seeing the incredible speed, Leng Ruofeng’s eyes flickered slightly. Last year, the opponent had not reached this level.

"Don’t worry, Junior Sister Ling should be able to handle it."

Yang Ting seemed quite confident in Ling Qianxue’s abilities.

"Barren Sky Blade!"

Suddenly appearing behind Ling Qianxue, Han Li swung his arm, releasing a long, thin arc of light that slashed fiercely towards Ling Qianxue’s back, carrying a trace of barren aura, fast as a flash.

Clearly, Han Li was aware of Ling Qianxue’s strength, and his attack was uncompromising, striking with full force.

Crack!

The light blade failed to hit Ling Qianxue, instead striking the platform, causing stones to splinter and leaving a deep gash.

Han Li frowned. In that instant, Ling Qianxue had anticipated and moved like a shadow exchange, causing her afterimage to shatter and his strike to miss entirely.

"Wildfire Demon Sky Finger!"

With his speed pushed to the limit, Han Li soared into the air, his body darting continuously, leaving behind trails of afterimages. In a moment, the arena was filled with his black Finger Lights, shooting out with extremely hot and violent fluctuations, fiercely targeting Ling Qianxue.

"True Lunar Barrier!"

Black light flickering in her eyes, Ling Qianxue plunged her sword into the ground before her, then her hands formed seals and pressed harshly on the hilt. Instantly, a dark aura barrier spread out, centering around her body, protecting a ten-meter radius.

Pup pup pup!

The sharp Finger Lights fiercely struck the black barrier, sparking brilliantly, yet they could not breach the defense.

Swoosh!

Just as the Finger Lights were completely blocked, Ling Qianxue’s sword suddenly thrust forward, moving incredibly fast, trailing a streak of blue light, and aimed directly at the blurred figure in mid-air.

Pfft!

The figure broke instantly, a silhouette with blood spilling from its mouth, flying backward, a faint sword mark visible on its chest.

"Did you see through my movements that quickly?"

Han Li’s expression was one of surprise and doubt. He had great confidence in his movement technique, known among the four true disciples of Wildfire Sect as the fastest. His selection for this match was deliberate, hoping to secure an initial victory. However, he didn’t expect to be countered so quickly.

Moreover, Ling Qianxue’s strength had evidently increased significantly over the last year.

"It seems she has successfully advanced to the Second Grade Martial Sect."

Ye Xuan stroked his chin. Ling Qianxue’s move was fleeting, but he still noticed her power had significantly improved since their last encounter.

The aura of the Second Grade Martial Sect was something he couldn’t miss.

"She’s forced me to use my trump card."

Han Li’s gaze turned extremely solemn. He suddenly bent over, his True Qi boiling throughout his body, trembling violently as it converged towards his back. At the same time, the flesh on his body began to squirm painfully.

With a burst, it seemed as though something had ruptured. A pair of transparent True Qi wings sprouted from Han Li’s back. As these True Qi wings formed, his figure also suddenly shot forward, increasing his speed.

"Fierce Wind Assault!"

Han Li’s figure blended into the air, like a gust of wind, a cloud, striking at Ling Qianxue with all his might.

"True Lunar Scripture, Ten Directions Yin Slash!"

Facing Han Li’s elusive attacks, a gleam of light concentrated in Ling Qianxue’s clear eyes. With one sweep of her sword, a vast and chilling wave unleashed. The moment her sword moved, a deadly technique from the True Lunar Scripture was revealed. Under Ling Qianxue’s penetrating gaze, she instantly spotted the flaw, leaped into the air, and struck with a fatal blow.

Puff!

Han Li was hit first, spitting blood as he was sent flying.

Seeing this, Ling Qianxue let out a sigh of relief. However, at that moment, a cold glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes. Suddenly, the True Qi wings on his back fell off, and under his manipulation, they transformed into numerous True Qi blades, explosively striking at Ling Qianxue in her moment of relaxed vigilance!

"Not good!"

Her beautiful face suddenly turned pale, and Ling Qianxue, caught by surprise, hastily parried with her sword, deflecting the True Qi blades in front of her. Yet, caught off guard, her hands moved a beat too slow, and two of the blades struck her, immediately drawing blood from her mouth.

Boom!

With great pain on her body, Ling Qianxue appeared in front of Han Li and struck his chest, blasting him completely off the fighting stage.

"First match, Heavenly Martial Hall’s Ling Qianxue wins!"

As Han Li was bombed off the stage, the referee also announced the result, and cheers like a tidal wave erupted from the disciples.

Still, Ye Xuan’s expression wasn’t as excited as everyone else’s; instead, he slightly furrowed his brows. Ling Qianxue had been too careless. This wasn’t an internal Sect sparring but a decisive duel where their opponent was clearly too gentle and ended up being counterattacked, leaving her with a serious injury.

This was certainly not a good thing. With one true disciple down on the side of Heavenly Martial Hall, and given that Ling Qianxue, having fought the first match, was the strongest among the three true disciples, she might likely have to fight again. Perhaps knowing this, Han Li, even at the risk of defeat, aimed to injure Ling Qianxue, which, although they lost the first match, could give them an advantage in subsequent fights.

Thus, although they won this first match, it left a significant hidden concern.

Leng Ruofeng and Yang Ting sitting in the front row shared Ye Xuan’s worries. Ling Qianxue’s injuries could potentially disrupt their strategies.

"Junior Sister Ling, are you alright?"

After Ling Qianxue stepped off the platform, Leng Ruofeng and the other person looked at her anxiously, knowing her condition could affect future matches.

"It’s nothing, just a minor injury."

Ling Qianxue shook her head, her expression normal, seemingly not too troubled by her condition.

"Stubborn woman."

Leng Ruofeng and Yang Ting might not notice, but Ye Xuan could see it. Han Li’s sudden attack had held his full force, almost half of the True Qi in his body had transformed into those two blades. Being hit by such an attack was hardly a minor injury.

From his estimation, Ling Qianxue had lost at least forty percent of her fighting capacity. Claiming it was a minor injury was merely verbal defiance, a stubborn front.

Having lost forty percent of her combat strength, there was no way she could recover soon, even with the best healing pills.

"Alright, I’ll take the next fight."

Leng Ruofeng nodded. He hadn’t noticed anything amiss; after nodding, he turned his gaze towards the platform, where a burly youth from Wildfire Sect was stepping forward.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Both competitors almost simultaneously leaped onto the platform, their opposing auras immediately flaring intensely.

"Heavenly Martial Hall’s Kun Hall, Leng Ruofeng."

"Wildfire Sect, Luo Cheng."

Both declared their names, their expressions cold. The next moment, having gathered sufficient momentum, they both started moving briskly, and the fierce winds immediately filled the entire platform.