23: Top 32!

The next day, the atmosphere at the Tianqiong Martial Arts Arena was even more fervent than the day before.

After the baptism of the elimination rounds, the remaining hundred Prodigies were all true elites of the younger generation in Qingzhou, possessing refined auras and soaring Battle Intent.

The drawing ceremony was simple and efficient.

On the giant light screen, one hundred names scrolled rapidly, matching randomly.

In the first round, Lin Hao's opponent was a Disciple from the "Hundred Beast Mountain" who excelled in beast-taming arts; the opponent himself had a cultivation of Spirit Sea Realm Ninth Layer and was accompanied by a Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer Iron-Clawed Goshawk.

However, under Lin Hao's ghost-like and peerlessly sharp Sword Intent, the protective Spirit Beast was intimidated by the Sword Intent in less than ten moves, retreating with a mournful cry, and the Disciple was subsequently struck in a vital spot by a sword strike, forcing him to concede.

Ye Chen's opponent was a Disciple from the "Thick Earth Sect" whose defensive Cultivation Technique was extremely formidable, allowing him to condense an indestructible rock armor.

Unfortunately, he encountered Ye Chen, whose strength could be described as monstrous.

No matter how the opponent defended, Ye Chen simply threw one punch! Two punches! Three punches!

With pure power suppression, he forcibly shattered the thick rock armor, sending his opponent flying out of the arena while vomiting blood; it was clean and decisive.

Lin Yun's luck seemed slightly worse, as he encountered a female Disciple from the "Mystical Sound Pavilion" who was proficient in music and skilled in Divine Soul attacks.

Sound waves were formless and struck directly at the Divine Soul, which happened to somewhat counter his illusion techniques.

However, Lin Yun's Starry Sky Annihilation Pupil was exceptionally profound; not only did he see through the trajectory of the sound waves, but he also used "Starlight Protection" to forcibly withstand several waves of attacks.

Finally, seizing the gap when the opponent paused to breathe, his eyes shone with brilliant starlight, and he launched a stronger illusion attack.

The female Disciple immediately fell into an illusion and, in a trance, walked off the arena herself.

All three easily advanced again, drawing gasps of shock from the spectator stands.

Especially Lin Yun, who won against a stronger opponent by specifically countering the Divine Soul attack, which caused people's evaluation of his Pupil Technique to rise to another level.

The second round, the third round... The competition became increasingly intense, and the remaining opponents grew stronger and stronger.

Prodigies of the Spirit Sea Realm Eighth and Ninth Layers appeared one after another, each displaying their Divine Abilities, with spells roaring and Sword Qi soaring to the heavens on the arena, dazzling the onlookers.

Lin Hao encountered an opponent whose swordsmanship was equally sharp and whose cultivation had reached the Peak of the Spirit Sea Realm Eighth Layer.

The two fought with speed, their sword lights weaving like a web; it was magnificent.

In the end, relying on his superior state of Sword Heart Clarity, Lin Hao captured a faint, imperceptible flaw in the opponent's sword moves and decided the outcome with a single strike.

Ye Chen encountered an extremely troublesome opponent, an assassin from the "Shadow Pavilion" with eerie movement techniques, a poisoned dagger, and a tricky, ruthless style.

Ye Chen was forced into a somewhat disheveled state at one point, with a few shallow cuts on his body, but relying on the toughness of his sacred body, he forcibly endured the attacks.

Finally, with a sudden "Wild Bull Roar", he stunned the opponent, followed by a punch that ended the battle.

Lin Yun's opponent was a Formation Genius who waved his hand to set up a trapping and killing Formation the moment he stepped onto the stage.

Lin Yun was trapped inside and found it difficult to escape for a while.

However, as he activated his Pupil Technique, he was actually able to see through the faint patterns of the Formation's nodes.

Ultimately, he used an illusion to disturb the opponent's mind, causing the Formation's operation to stall for an instant, which he seized as an opportunity to close in and defeat the enemy with one strike.

The three of them fought their way through, and all of them actually made it into the top fifty!

Their performance completely ignited the entire venue! Their posture as dark horses was undeniable!

On the Prodigy Ranking, the three's rankings began to soar rapidly; Lin Hao had risen to the sixties, Ye Chen to the seventies, and even Lin Yun had entered the top ninety!

On the spectator stands, the faces of the Young City Lord of Liuyun City and the others were as ugly as the bottom of a pot.

Although the Youth surnamed Chen had also advanced, the process was far less easy than for the three members of the Lin Family, and his ranking was outside the top fifty.

Finally, in the crucial drawing round to decide the top thirty-two.

The light screen froze.

Third Arena: Lin Hao (Lin Family of Qingfeng County) vs. Chen Feng (Liuyun City)!

Seeing this matchup, the entire venue erupted in an uproar!

"It's here, it's here! Enemies often cross paths!"

"That Spirit Sea Realm Ninth Layer from Liuyun City! Against the Sword Dao Genius Lin Hao!"

"Now we're in for a good show! With a three-layer cultivation gap, can Lin Hao still create a miracle?"

The Young City Lord of Liuyun City stood up abruptly, a ferocious and excited smile on his face:

"Brother Chen! Cripple him! Let him know the consequences of offending our Liuyun City!"

Chen Feng took a deep breath, cold light exploding in his eyes, as he stepped onto the arena step by step, staring fixedly at Lin Hao opposite him:

"I said it before, I hoped you wouldn't encounter me too early. Unfortunately, your luck has run out."

Lin Hao's expression was calm as he slowly stepped onto the stage, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground: "Less talk, let's see the real results under the sword."

The Elder referee gave the order: "Begin!"

Chen Feng made the first move! He knew well that Lin Hao's sword was fast and must not be allowed to seize the initiative!

His Spirit Sea Realm Ninth Layer cultivation erupted, and a huge blade burning with raging flames appeared in his hands; the blade's momentum was violent, like a volcanic eruption!

"Blazing Heaven-Burning Slash!"

His first move was a killing blow! The massive flame blade light tore through the air, carrying terrifying heat waves that could burn the eight wastelands, slashing down directly at Lin Hao!

The power was far more formidable than that of Lei Meng from that day!

Facing this violent strike, Lin Hao's eyes narrowed, and he did not take it head-on.

He pushed his Liuyun Step to the limit, his figure retreating as fleetingly as willow catkins, while the long sword in his hand struck rapidly, sending condensed cyan sword rays shooting like a storm toward the weak points of the flame blade light!

Chi, chi, chi, chi!

Sword rays and Saber Qi collided and annihilated each other continuously!

Lin Hao fought while retreating, seemingly falling into a disadvantage, forced to dodge constantly by the violent flames, in a precarious situation.

"Haha! I knew you wouldn't dare to take it head-on! Trash!"

Chen Feng laughed wildly, his offensive becoming increasingly fierce, the flame blade lights crisscrossing, almost covering the entire arena, intending to completely swallow Lin Hao.

On the spectator stands, Ye Chen and Lin Yun could not help but clench their fists.

The Young City Lord of Liuyun City and others wore smug expressions.

Only Lin Dao remained with his eyes closed, resting, as if he didn't care at all.

On the arena, although Lin Hao looked disheveled, his steps were not in the slightest disorder, and his eyes were terrifyingly calm.

He was observing, feeling the flow of the opponent's blade momentum and the operation of his Qi.

Although the opponent's offensive was fierce, the consumption was huge, and... it was not without flaws!

Now is the time!

Just at the moment when Chen Feng slashed down with another blade, when the old force had just faded and the new force had yet to be born!

Lin Hao's figure, which had been retreating, suddenly stopped!

The Qi within his body was far inferior to the opponent's, but at this moment, all his Qi, all his Divine Thought, and all his Sword Intent were highly condensed into a single point!

The Gale Sword Intent was not just about speed! It also possessed the essence of penetration and tearing!

"Break!"

Lin Hao let out a clear shout!

The long sword in his hand transformed into an extremely condensed, almost invisible cyan thread; it was no longer a point, but a pierce!

With a determined posture of going forward without hesitation, piercing through everything, he struck directly at the core of that flame blade light, the node where the power was circulating!

Breaking a surface with a point! But this time, it was the strongest point, condensing all his spirit and energy!

Chi——!

A slight yet extremely sharp, strange sound!

That violent and imposing flame blade light was actually forcibly pierced through from the middle by this slender cyan sword thread!

The sword thread's momentum did not diminish, and it pointed with extreme precision at the center of Chen Feng's eyebrows!

"What?!" The wild laughter on Chen Feng's face instantly turned into shock! He had completely not expected the opponent to dare to counterattack, and at the moment when his offensive was at its strongest!

He also hadn't expected this sword strike to be so fast! And so sharp!

He desperately wanted to bring his blade back to defend, but it was already too late!

He could only frantically mobilize his protective light and a heart-protecting mirror Magic Treasure that triggered automatically!

Ding!

The sword thread struck the heart-protecting mirror, emitting a crisp sound! The Profound Rank High Grade heart-protecting mirror was actually pierced by this point, its light flashing wildly, and it dented inward!

A sharp and piercing Sword Intent passed through the Magic Treasure and still stabbed into the center of Chen Feng's eyebrows!

"Ugh, ah!"

Chen Feng screamed, as if struck by a heavy blow, and his whole body flew backward, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena.

Blood seeped from his seven orifices. Although his life was not in danger, his Divine Soul had been injured by the Sword Intent, and he could not muster even a shred of Qi for a short time!

The whole venue was dead silent! You could hear a pin drop!

Everyone was staring at the arena, dumbfounded.

At that youth who stood holding a sword, his white clothes fluttering.

That youth with only Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer cultivation. That... youth who crossed three cultivation layers with a single sword strike, defeating his enemy in the blink of an eye!

The next moment, the earth-shaking uproar erupted like a tsunami!

"He won?! A Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer defeated a Ninth Layer?!"

"That sword strike... it was too terrifying! I couldn't see it at all!"

"Sword Intent! It was the power of Sword Intent! He actually managed to condense his Sword Intent to such a degree!"

The smile on the face of the Young City Lord of Liuyun City completely stiffened, turning into unbelievable horror and defeat.

He collapsed into his seat, muttering: "Impossible... this is impossible..."

Ye Chen and Lin Yun punched the air hard, filled with excitement.

On the high jade pavilion, the old man carrying an ancient sword opened his eyes abruptly, and a stunning, sharp light erupted in them: "Good lad! To be able to condense Sword Intent to this extent! Winning against a stronger opponent is no fluke! This child should enter my Canglan Sword Sect!"

On the arena, the Elder referee paused for a moment before announcing loudly: "Third Arena, the winner is Lin Hao!"

Lin Hao slowly sheathed his sword, his Qi slightly disordered, but his eyes remained bright and sharp.

He glanced at the unconscious Chen Feng, said nothing more, and turned to walk off the arena.

When passing by Lin Dao, Lin Dao still had his eyes closed, but said faintly: "Your force was scattered by a fraction; otherwise, that heart-protecting mirror wouldn't have been able to block it."

Lin Hao paused, and said respectfully: "Disciple understands." In his heart, he had gained a deeper understanding of the control of power.

After this battle, the name of Lin Hao thoroughly resounded throughout the entire Tianqiong Grand Meeting!

On the Prodigy Ranking, his name shot up like a rocket to the thirty-first position!

Ye Chen and Lin Yun were also greatly encouraged and performed excellently in the subsequent matches.

With his invincible strength, Ye Chen forcibly shattered the defense of a Spirit Sea Realm Ninth Layer opponent and advanced strongly!

Lin Yun encountered a counter, fought a bitter battle, and relying on his illusion techniques and the newly comprehended "Starlight Instant Step", he narrowly defeated his opponent and also broke into the top thirty-two!

The three members of the Lin Family all advanced to the top thirty-two!

This result completely ignited the entire venue! A small county-level Family with all three members making it into the top thirty-two was an extremely rare occurrence in the history of the Tianqiong Grand Meeting!

The Lin Family of Qingfeng County had already become the biggest dark horse of this Grand Meeting, bar none!

Countless gazes focused on those three excessively young yet shockingly powerful youths, and also focused on the white-clad Old Ancestor on the spectator stands who remained calm and unruffled throughout.

Everyone realized that the landscape of Prodigies in Qingzhou was likely to be rewritten because of the appearance of this Family.