124: Chapter 124 Flowing Wind and Shadows

Just as everyone in the arena was still struggling bitterly on the Second Layer, the suppression of the dual rules, coupled with the terrifying encirclement of the five Imperial Guard Commanders, finally made everyone realize that the Second Layer and the First Layer were completely different levels.

Top-tier teams stepped onto the thrones one after another. Some relied on tacit cooperation to forcibly occupy a throne, some fought with all their might to barely hold on, and others lasted only a dozen breaths before being blasted away by the joint attacks of the Imperial Guard Commanders, retreating from the domain in disgrace.

For a time, outside the three thrones of the Second Layer, people were constantly retreating with injuries.

Blood splattered into the void, screams rang out one after another, and the entire battlefield fell into a complete stalemate.

On the First Layer, one could still rely on crowd control skills to restrain the Golden Imperial Guards and barely stabilize the situation.

But on the Second Layer, the superposition of rules, high-level monsters, and point competition—three pressures descended simultaneously.

Even the prodigies at the top of the leaderboard could only barely occupy a spot, constantly maneuvering against the Imperial Guard Commanders; ninety percent of the Contestants in the arena would stop at the Second Layer at most.

As for continuing upward? Right now, no one dared, and no one had the ability.

...

On the periphery of the battlefield, a slender figure had yet to make a move.

The youth's clothes fluttered lightly, and a faint wisp of cyan wind always swirled around him; his temperament was solitary and detached from worldly affairs.

Feng Ling crossed his arms over his chest, quietly watching the entire throne battlefield.

He was the lone swift-wind prodigy who topped the arena with his A-Rank Talent [Flowing Wind, Treading Shadows], recognized by the entire competition as one of the prodigies capable of vying for the title of fastest.

His gaze constantly swept over all the thrones on the First Layer and Second Layer. The rules of each throne, the movement trajectory of each Imperial Guard, and the fighting style of each team were all taken in by him bit by bit.

After a moment, Feng Ling slowly exhaled.

"It's about time..."

"The rules of the four thrones on the First Layer have all been exposed."

"And the three thrones on the Second Layer have basically been tested as well."

His brain worked rapidly.

Throne No. 1 on the First Layer locks movement speed; he couldn't go there. No. 2 seals equipment, which has limited impact on him. No. 3 resets defense to zero; as long as he isn't hit, it's meaningless. No. 4 suppresses physical attacks; he wasn't planning on stopping to fight anyway.

What truly threatened him was the fifteen-fold gravity of Throne No. 2 on the Second Layer. This was the only place on the Second Layer that truly countered him, so he had to avoid it.

Aside from that, although Throne No. 1 would cause continuous loss of mana, as long as he rushed through, the consumption was completely acceptable. Throne No. 3 seals the five senses... also having limited impact.

He had no intention of stopping to fight; as long as he was fast enough, these rules wouldn't be able to catch up to him.

Thinking of this, Feng Ling looked toward the supreme Imperial Throne at the very top, a burning look gradually appearing in his eyes.

"His talent is at a disadvantage when it comes to the efficiency of killing monsters, so his points aren't very high."

"Staying below will only mean competing with everyone else for limited points."

"And the higher one goes, the higher the points will be."

"Besides... right now, no one has reached the top."

"As long as I am the first to rush up, the points for the entire top-layer throne will belong to me alone."

"By then, as long as I rely on my extreme speed to keep kiting and entangling with the monsters, I can steadily earn a huge amount of points."

The corners of his mouth slowly curled up; it was worth a gamble.

...

Meanwhile, the entire throne battlefield remained chaotic. On the First Layer, ten Golden Imperial Guards were constantly charging and killing; the moment they were killed, they would resurrect on the spot, stripping away all abnormal status effects, and charge at the Contestants in full state. On the Second Layer, five Imperial Guard Commanders were frantically suppressing all challengers.

The attention of all the monsters was almost entirely focused on the tower defenders within their respective domains. No one noticed that a cyan figure had already quietly walked toward the throne staircase.

The next moment.

A gale suddenly arose! Wind-type energy gathered frantically. Feng Ling's legs suddenly exerted force, and he instantly transformed into a pale cyan afterimage.

Swish—

The speed was fast to the extreme; the onlookers couldn't even react in time, only feeling a beam of cyan light streak past them.

"What was that?"

"Someone rushed past!"

Before the exclamation had even faded, Feng Ling had already stepped into Throne No. 3 on the First Layer.

Inside the throne, ten Golden Imperial Guards were fiercely fighting several teams, countless chains, frost, and vines binding the Imperial Guards tightly. A few Imperial Guards had just noticed someone intruding and had just turned around. Feng Ling had already turned into a gust of wind, sweeping past them.

Several golden spears flew over simultaneously, but only stirred up a gust of wind. The spear tips grazed past his clothes, not even touching the hem. The next instant, Feng Ling leaped up and charged directly toward the Second Layer.

...

And within Throne No. 1 on the Second Layer—there weren't many Contestants in this throne—the five Imperial Guard Commanders noticed him almost simultaneously.

Vast pressure swept across the world, and the five Commanders abandoned their enemies in front of them at the same time. Spears, giant axes, battle blades, chains, and spells; five attacks intertwined into a giant net, blocking all of Feng Ling's forward paths.

"Here it comes!"

Feng Ling's eyes brightened suddenly. Without the slightest panic, he instead stomped hard on the void. He was like a swallow in the wind, his body twisting in a bizarre manner three times in mid-air.

Swish!

The first spear grazed his shoulder, and the second giant axe fell almost brushing his head. The chains swept over, and he actually took advantage of the momentum to spin his body, passing through the gap in the chains.

Boom, boom, boom!

All attacks missed, the ground shattered with a roar, and dust filled the sky. But Feng Ling had already appeared dozens of meters away. Sure enough, he had bet right. Although the five Imperial Guard Commanders were powerful, they still couldn't catch up to his speed.

The wind-type energy in his body burned frantically once again.

"Wind King Step!"

Boom!

An even more violent wind-type energy exploded from beneath his feet, and his speed surged again. He truly seemed to have transformed into a wisp of swift wind. The rules of Throne No. 1 began to take effect. The mana in his body flowed away slowly, but this consumption was of no consequence to him now. Because—he would not stop at all.

Just as the five Imperial Guard Commanders were preparing to pursue, Feng Ling had already used his final leap to step onto the Third Floor staircase.

...

At this moment.

The entire battlefield suddenly went quiet for an instant, and countless Contestants looked up in unison. Everyone's gaze was locked tightly on that cyan figure standing on the Third Floor platform.

The next second.

Exclamations suddenly exploded.

"Look!"

"Someone rushed to the Third Floor!"

"Is he crazy?"

"He didn't even occupy the Second Layer, he rushed straight to the Third Floor!"

"Is this real?!"

"He actually passed through the First Layer and the Second Layer consecutively!"

"The five Imperial Guard Commanders attacked together, and they didn't even touch him once!"

The teams guarding the towers on the First Layer were stunned, and the prodigies struggling bitterly on the Second Layer also stopped some of their movements and looked back. Even the experts watching from outside the arena couldn't help but gasp.

"The speed... it's actually reached this level."

Someone couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

"If there is anyone in the entire arena who can do this..."

"I'm afraid it's only Feng Ling."

However, just as everyone was shocked, on the Third Floor Throne No. 1, the three golden figures sitting in front of the throne slowly opened their eyes.

Pressure, terrifying and far exceeding that of the Imperial Guard Commanders, descended with a roar as the three Imperial Guard Marshals stood up simultaneously. Their gilded armor collided, emitting a deafening roar. Their cold gazes, like locking onto prey, landed on Feng Ling at the same time. The entire Third Floor space was boiling with killing intent!

The smile on Feng Ling's face also slowly faded at this moment. He knew that the real test... was only just beginning now.