Ling Tian Sword God

Wei Qingyi clutched his chest with his left hand. He wasn't actually injured; he knew Ling Chen had intentionally pulled back on his final blow. Ling Chen's control over his strikes was as masterful as his Swordsmanship; both were completely at his command. Losing to him was not disgraceful, and Wei Qingyi had even learned something from their duel.

"Senior Brother Wei, are you alright?" a lady in a cyan robe rushed forward to help Wei Qingyi to his feet.

"I'm fine."

Wei Qingyi glanced at Ling Chen in the distance. He wished to ask if this was the full extent of Ling Chen's strength, but he refrained. He feared the answer might be too overwhelming.

"Senior Brother Wei, it was just one defeat. You don't need to take it too hard," the cyan-robed lady consoled, mistaking his silence for disappointment.

"Haha, what are you thinking? Of course, I'm not disheartened. Even though I lost, I can still advance to the next round as the runner-up in my group. This is just a minor setback."

Wei Qingyi shook his head. It was far too early to lose heart. However, after this tournament, he would need to train doubly hard under The Master of the Cyan Robe Association. His current strength was still far from his ultimate goal.

The Martial World Tournament continued. An eye-catching duel was taking place on Dueling Platform Seventeen.

Ling Chen recognized one of the duelists: Lin Mo, the "Eternal Saber Guest," with whom he had crossed swords at the City of Ze's tournament. The other was a woman, cloaked head to toe in black robes. Even her eyes were invisible under the shadow of her hood, and only half of her face was visible.

"May I know the name of Your Excellency?" Lin Mo asked. Although he didn't know the black-robed woman, he sensed a bizarre aura emanating from her, making him cautious.

"There's no need. The battle will end in an instant. Knowing my name would be meaningless."

The black-robed woman suddenly lifted her head, her eerie blood-red eyes locking onto Lin Mo. In the center of her pupils, ancient black runes seemed to swirl, sending a chill down Lin Mo's spine.

Those eyes? Ling Chen, too, was surprised. The eyes were so demonic, like two rubies drenched in fresh blood. Just being stared at by them was extremely uncomfortable.

"Take my strike!"

Feeling uneasy under pressure, Lin Mo unleashed his Longevity Swordsmanship, swinging his saber in a mighty arc towards the black-robed woman.

Seemingly letting out a soft, cold snort, the black-robed woman's blood-red eyes suddenly widened. An invisible wave of force radiated outwards. Simultaneously, Lin Mo's vision was filled with a ghastly scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and he was engulfed by an overwhelmingly oppressive willpower.

SPURT!

In a single exchange, Lin Mo coughed up blood and was flung off the dueling platform.

"What terrifying Pupil Technique!"

A solemn expression appeared on Ling Chen's face. Pupil Techniques, strictly speaking, are a type of Illusion Technique. The difference is that Pupil Techniques can instantly deliver psychological blows to an opponent. Illusion Techniques, on the other hand, involve many aspects such as Illusory Realms, Illusory Beasts, and Mind Attacks. Pupil Techniques can only be cultivated by those with specific talents, whereas Illusion Techniques have less demanding requirements and can be cultivated by almost anyone.

Standing beside Ling Chen, Xiao Muyu, her expression also grave, commented, "There were rumors about a 'Blood Pupil Family' in the Earth Country in the past. The members of this family were all masters of Pupil Techniques, capable of killing with a single glance. Later, under the siege of many Jianghu experts, this family was ultimately destroyed, and all its members were killed. It's unexpected that descendants still exist in the world."

I see. Ling Chen nodded in understanding. His gaze then shifted to Young Master Ye. The woman with the blood pupils seemed to be affiliated with him. Those three are all highly formidable. If they belong to the same faction, then that faction's strength is truly terrifying.

Witnessing Lin Mo's defeat, Shangguan Qiushui sighed, "This year's competition is extremely intense. Many Heavenly List fighters have been defeated. I wonder how many of those ranked on the Heavenly List will remain after the first round of the Martial World Tournament concludes."

Xiao Muyu said, "Based on the current situation, at least 30-40% of the fighters will be eliminated."

This meant over ten people would be eliminated, which was not a small number, and even that was a conservative estimate.

Ling Chen remained silent. The first stage of the competition had indeed eliminated many. Contestants ranked below twentieth were in great danger. Even those ranked in the top ten couldn't afford to be complacent, as they all faced enormous pressure.

But how could newcomers rise if the veterans weren't eliminated?

In every age, new talents arise, each leading for a time. Now, fortune's wheel has turned, and it's time for the new generation to take the helm.

For every seasoned young expert eliminated, a new young talent would take their place. Divine Intent Sect alone had Ling Chen, Ling Yin, Xiao Muyu, and Yu Qingxuan, who were virtually guaranteed a place on the new generation's Heavenly List. If luck was on their side, prominent members of Divine Intent Sect like Li Liuxing, Qu Ling Feng, and Xiahou Lin also had a chance to advance to the second round.

At this juncture, it was largely clear who would advance to the second round and who would be eliminated.

Young Master Ye, Xue Wu Ya, Fu Tian Jue, and other young masters of similar caliber continued their dazzling performances, sweeping their respective groups with undefeated records. Meanwhile, leaders of the younger generation like Young Master of Myriad Dao, Nie Wu Xiang, and Feng Piaoliu also maintained strong momentum, remaining undefeated and showing the potential to challenge these established young masters.

After a fierce round of competition, the final thirty-six qualifiers had finally emerged.

Every single person who stood out from over eight hundred young talents was undoubtedly among the cream of the crop in the Martial World. None of them had advanced solely on luck; if luck played a part, it was only a minor factor.

As all thirty-six participants stood together, their collective Dragon Vein Qi resonated. High above, a giant dragon seemed to surge and writhe, stirring the entire coliseum into an uproar.

「The ballot draw of the second round began thereafter.」

Each of the thirty-six participants would draw a token indicating their opponent's group from the first round.

Ling Chen walked up to the ballot box, casually reached in, and pulled out a token. Clearly displayed on it were the characters for "Group Eight," meaning his opponent would be the runner-up of Group Eight.

However, when Ling Chen saw the runner-up from Group Eight, he couldn't help but be stunned.

The person was none other than Xue Jingfeng, the 'Ghost Killing Sword,' whom he had fiercely dueled in the Sword Contest of the City of Ze. To Ling Chen's surprise, Xue Jingfeng showed no particular reaction.

It seems he didn't recognize me. A faint smile touched Ling Chen's lips. Back in the City of Ze, I used a pseudonym. Facing Xue Jingfeng is a good thing for me. Why? Because Xue Jingfeng is also a swordsman. Meeting another swordsman often provides a chance to gain more knowledge. Therefore, I prefer to duel swordsmen. We can exchange insights through our swordsmanship, and even if there's a winner and a loser, we can always shake hands and make peace in the end.