82: Chapter 82: Star Sleep

Looking at Lin Qing, who had leaped directly in front of him, the arrogance and Battle Intent on Yan Jinghong's face instantly froze.

He stood stunned on the spot, his pupils shrinking slightly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

In his expectations, no matter how arrogant Lin Qing was, he would at most watch coldly from below the stage or strike back with a few words.

But Lin Qing had not only come, he had come so decisively and directly, without the slightest hesitation.

After a brief moment of shock, Yan Jinghong's face instantly turned flushed. Hundreds of thousands of gazes were now focused on this arena; everyone was watching him.

Lin Qing's unscrupulous actions were no different from slapping his face in public.

Yan Jinghong tightened his grip on the long saber in his hand as the majestic blood Qi of the Grade 4 Late Stage erupted, sweeping across the entire arena. He stared fixedly at Lin Qing, his voice trembling slightly with anger as he growled out word by word.

"Lin Qing, you actually dared to come!"

"A mere nobody from a middle-tier power like you actually dares to be so overbearing in front of me. Do you look down on the Qiushan Sect, or do you look down on me, Yan Jinghong?!"

Lin Qing stood opposite him, his posture upright and his expression consistently calm and indifferent. Looking at Yan Jinghong's exasperated state, he only spoke flatly:

"What? Are you strong?"

That casual sentence completely ignited Yan Jinghong's fury. His eyes turned bloodshot, and the blood Qi around his body surged frantically.

"Good! Very good! You'll know soon enough whether I'm strong or not!"

With a roar, Yan Jinghong no longer hesitated. He stomped his foot on the ground and charged straight toward Lin Qing.

Despite his extreme rage, Yan Jinghong did not truly dare to underestimate Lin Qing. Lin Qing's ability to toy with a Grade 4 Late Stage Disciple like a spinning top in public meant his strength far exceeded ordinary imagination.

Therefore, he had no intention of testing the waters. Just like Li Muyao's previous fighting style, Yan Jinghong went all out from the start, directly activating his Heaven-Tier Saber Art.

He wanted to use his strongest momentum to completely suppress Lin Qing from the beginning, giving the opponent no chance to react.

Yan Jinghong gripped the scabbard with his left hand and the hilt with his right, about to perform a Horizontal Draw-Slash. It seemed this Move was the primary technique in his Heaven-Grade Martial Arts.

Lin Qing could certainly have dodged, but there was no need!

Martial arts could indeed significantly enhance combat power based on one's own cultivation, providing a boost to a Cultivator's strength. A Heaven-Tier Saber Art was even more of a standout among them, its power far exceeding ordinary martial arts.

But even after the boost, could it catch up to Lin Qing?

Lin Qing advanced instead of retreating. Taking a step forward, his right hand shot out like lightning, accurately grabbing Yan Jinghong's right wrist as it held the saber hilt.

Yan Jinghong felt as if his wrist were being clamped by a pair of refined steel pincers. He struggled with all his might, but with his wrist held in Lin Qing's hand, it remained motionless, and he was completely unable to break free.

Filled with disbelief, Yan Jinghong jerked his head up to stare at the calm Lin Qing before him, his eyes filled with terror.

"How is this possible!"

He could not imagine that this youth, who did not appear particularly burly, actually possessed such terrifying, monstrous strength within his body!

Lin Qing met his gaze, his eyes still calm and indifferent. He spoke slowly, repeating those casual words from before.

"Are you strong?"

The moment the words fell, Lin Qing's palm suddenly exerted force.

"Ah—!"

Yan Jinghong let out an agonizing scream. The pain in his wrist was unbearable, and with a "clang," the long saber fell onto the arena, making a crisp sound.

In a duel between Martial Artists, if the opponent is holding a weapon, then disarming them is the most effective way to win. Of course, it is not as effective as a direct kill.

Once the opponent's weapon is knocked away, not only will their attack power drop significantly, but their psychological defenses will also be shattered, causing their Aura to plummet.

Thus, in this Heavenly Pride Competition, the audience had seen all sorts of disarming methods emerge one after another.

The moment the long saber hit the ground, Yan Jinghong's face turned deathly pale, and his eyes were filled with panic.

His strongest reliance was this Heaven-Tier Saber Art. Now that his weapon had been taken, he was like a toothless tiger before Lin Qing, completely devoid of the power to resist.

He wanted to speak to admit defeat, to beg for mercy, to say something.

But Lin Qing gave him no chance to speak at all.

His right hand jerked upward, and a terrifying force surged. Yan Jinghong's nearly seven-foot-tall body was easily flung into the air. Then, Lin Qing slammed him downward!

"Boom—!!!"

Yan Jinghong's body was slammed down from mid-air by Lin Qing, crashing heavily onto the hard stone arena.

With his body as the center, the arena instantly cracked. Dense fissures spread out in all directions like a spiderweb.

This simple lift and smash directly shattered most of the bones in Yan Jinghong's body, making it impossible for him to rise again.

With a calm expression, Lin Qing grabbed Yan Jinghong's right hand and tossed him aside. Yan Jinghong's body fell heavily onto the square.

The Disciples of the Qiushan Sect rushed forward to carry Yan Jinghong away, not even having the courage to look up at Lin Qing the entire time.

Lin Qing ignored the erupting cheers. Standing on the arena, his calm gaze slowly swept over the other arenas in the competition grounds.

Whenever he saw a Disciple from Songyun Temple stepping onto an arena, Lin Qing would head over to intercept them.

Time flew by as the sun rose and the moon set.

A day and a night passed in a flash, and soon it was the afternoon of the second day.

Very little time remained before the end of the first round of the competition.

After two days and one night of intense competition, the situation on the field had gradually become clear. Those Disciples with cultivation lower than the Grade 4 Middle Stage were no longer stepping onto the stages.

And Lin Qing finally waited for the last remaining Disciple of Songyun Temple. He immediately started heading toward that arena, prepared to completely finish off Songyun Temple.

But just as he was halfway there, a crisp voice called out to him.

"Senior Brother Lin Qing."

Lin Qing slowly turned around and looked toward the source of the voice. He saw Xing Mian standing not far away, dressed in neat, tight-fitting combat clothes, her posture upright.

When Yun Nian was fighting the Songyun Temple Disciple earlier, Xing Mian had been fighting on another arena and couldn't make it over immediately.

But she had seen everything the Songyun Temple Disciples had done, and a surge of anger had long been suppressed in her heart.

Meeting Lin Qing's gaze, Xing Mian spoke word by word:

"Senior Brother Lin Qing, leave this to me."

Looking at the determination in Xing Mian's eyes, Lin Qing nodded gently.

On the arena, that Songyun Temple Disciple saw Lin Qing walking toward his stage and was so scared his Soul was Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; he almost jumped off the stage on the spot.

But when he saw that the one who finally stepped onto the arena was a woman with delicate features, the heart that had leaped into his throat instantly settled back down, and his tense body relaxed considerably.

However, he didn't dare to speak arrogantly, fearing that if he wasn't careful, Lin Qing would jump onto the stage and slap him silly.

Xing Mian walked onto the arena, pulled a long whip from her back waist, flicked her wrist gently, and snapped it hard.

"Snap!"

The long whip cut a sharp arc through the air, striking the atmosphere and letting out a crisp, loud explosive sound.

Without any unnecessary words, the battle was triggered instantly!

That Songyun Temple Disciple roared, gripped his long saber, and advanced rapidly. He knew that when facing a weapon like a long whip, its power would be greatly reduced once he got close.

But his plan was already within Xing Mian's expectations; she gave him no chance to get close at all.

Her footwork was agile and elegant as her figure shifted and dodged across the wide arena. It turned out that Xing Mian had unknowingly achieved a Breakthrough to the Grade 4 Middle Stage.

On the arena, relying on her agile Movement Technique, Xing Mian consistently maintained a distance of Two Zhang from the Songyun Temple Disciple while her long whip danced continuously.

The long whip seemed to come alive in her hands. At times it coiled like a clever snake, and at others, it swept out like a sudden thunderclap.

Her Moves were precise and tricky. Every time the whip shadow struck, it cleverly avoided the opponent's parrying blade, specifically choosing to strike the opponent's wrists, shoulders, neck, and waist.

Lin Qing stood below the arena, watching Xing Mian on stage and nodding slightly. In nearly a month, Xing Mian had already practiced that Heaven-Grade Whip Technique to a level close to Minor Achievement.

With her skillful Moves and excellent control of rhythm, it was clear that Xing Mian indeed possessed a talent for the whip that far exceeded ordinary people.

On the arena, the Songyun Temple Disciple charged frantically but was consistently unable to get even half a step closer to Xing Mian. Instead, he was led around in circles by the agile whip, struggling to keep up and looking utterly pathetic.

Unable to get close and having his attacks repeatedly neutralized, he gradually became agitated, and more and more openings appeared.

Suddenly, a cold light flashed in Xing Mian's eyes as she caught a slight opening in her opponent's defense.

She jerked her wrist and then shook it with the momentum.

The long whip in her hand flew out like a bolt of agile lightning, precisely coiling around the junction of the opponent's saber blade and hilt. Before the opponent could react, Xing Mian exerted force in her arm and yanked backward!

"Clang!"

Having lost the protection of his long saber, the Disciple was instantly plunged into a desperate situation, forced to face Xing Mian's whipping empty-handed.

Xing Mian's eyes were icy, and she did not hold back. The long whip fell like raindrops, mercilessly striking the opponent's body.

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

Every time the whip landed, it left a bloody welt on the Disciple's body.

The Disciple scurried around the arena with his head in his hands, howling in pain. His miserable cries spread throughout the entire competition grounds.

After taking a dozen or so lashes, he finally broke down completely, quickly kneeling on the arena and clutching his head:

"Stop hitting me! I admit defeat! I admit defeat!"

Only then did Xing Mian stop her movements. The Songyun Temple Disciple, as if receiving a great pardon, scrambled and crawled off the arena.

The watching Disciples shuddered subconsciously at the sight.

"Too ruthless... that looks painful!"

"Those screams made my whole body go numb. That whip of hers wasn't soaked in salt water, was it?"

On the arena, Xing Mian turned to look at Lin Qing below the stage, her eyes filled with deep joy. She lifted her chin slightly, as if seeking credit from Lin Qing.

Lin Qing looked at her, a faint smile appearing on his face as he nodded gently to show his approval.

Then, Lin Qing no longer delayed and returned to the arena he had previously occupied.

The sun was not far from setting. If he wasn't standing on an arena when the competition ended, that would be a joke.

During the time he was away, no one had stepped onto Lin Qing's arena. His few battles had all been crushing victories, and his strikes were ruthless.

All the participating Disciples had labeled Lin Qing in their hearts as someone not to be provoked.