Ling Tian Sword God

"Third match, Ling Chen versus Tian Sha!"

The first wave of battles had just concluded when, following the referee's announcement, the arena once again erupted with excitement.

Ling Chen's performance in the previous battles had already won the admiration of most. It could be said that Ling Chen now possessed strength comparable to the top three on the Heavenly List. Meanwhile, Tian Sha, who had previously defeated Du Yifeng, the "Blade of Benevolent King," and had easily won almost every subsequent match, demonstrated indisputable strength, at least comparable to the top five on the Heavenly List.

"A bunch of blind fools! You can't even begin to comprehend the extent of my strength," Tian Sha sneered, a mocking smirk on his lips as he displayed his disdain for the crowd's discussions.

"Finally, it's my turn."

Ling Chen had anticipated this battle for a long time; he had never craved a fight so intensely.

Ling Yin waved her small fist. "Brother Ling Chen, beat that bastard to a pulp!"

"Alright, I will," Ling Chen replied, patting Ling Yin's head.

"Ling Chen, that man is very powerful. Be careful," Xiao Muyu, still weak, couldn't help but remind him from the side. She worried that if Ling Chen underestimated his opponent, he would suffer a great loss.

"Don't worry!" Ling Chen said just those two words before his figure flickered, and he leaped onto the martial arts competition stage.

"Kid, you know full well I'll cripple you, yet you're still so eager to fight me. Could there be anyone more stupid than you in this world?" Tian Sha looked at Ling Chen as if he were an idiot. Clearly, in his eyes, Ling Chen was nothing more than an overconfident fool.

"You think you're strong?" Ling Chen retorted with a cold smirk. "To deal with trash like you, I can knock you off this stage even without my sword. Believe it or not?"

"What?!" Hearing this, the smile on Tian Sha's face froze.

It wasn't just Tian Sha; Ling Chen's words silenced the entire venue.

Everyone knew Ling Chen was a Genius Swordsman who had defeated Wei Qingyi and then Xue Jingfeng in the earlier stages of the tournament. Yet now, Ling Chen claimed he could knock Tian Sha off the stage without even using his sword. Wasn't that too outrageous?

Without his sword, a Swordsman's power would be severely diminished, by at least sixty percent. Could Ling Chen defeat Tian Sha with only forty percent of his strength?

That seems impossible.

Young and reckless, unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, even figures like Xue Wu Ya thought Ling Chen was merely boasting, unable to control his tongue, and had uttered reckless words.

On the Divine Intent Sect's side, Great Elder Shangguan Hong grew anxious. He's overstepped. If Tian Sha takes him at his word, how will Ling Chen save face? If Tian Sha called his bluff, he would, at most, temporarily lose some face. But if Ling Chen lost, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face; he would be eliminated, losing his chance to dominate this Martial Arts Tournament.

The Divine Intent Sect's hopes of anyone reaching the Martial Arts Monument rested solely on Ling Chen and Nie Wu Xiang. If Ling Chen failed, it would be like losing an arm. With only Nie Wu Xiang left, their chances would be far slimmer.

Xiao Muyu sighed. I did remind him earlier, but he didn't take it to heart at all.

Nie Wu Xiang also shook his head. Ling Chen has been winning too easily; it's inevitable he'd get a bit complacent at this point. He, too, clearly thought Ling Chen had misspoken and was now in a bind.

Stay rational, Ling Chen, Shangguan Qiushui silently prayed.

On the stage, Ling Chen had already unstrapped the Cloud-hidden Sword and the Heavenly Mansion Sword. With a flick of his palm, both swords flew off the stage and impaled the ground.

It's over. Seeing this, Great Elder Shangguan Hong's last glimmer of hope was shattered. Ling Chen's actions were tantamount to cutting off his own retreat.

What is he thinking? Even Xu Ruoyan found it hard to understand what Ling Chen was doing.

"Fine! I'd like to see how you'll fight me without your sword!" A cold glint flashed in Tian Sha's eyes. The more arrogant Ling Chen behaved, the more satisfying it would be to crush him underfoot later.

"Sha Hun Palm!" With a sudden stomp, Tian Sha thrust a palm at Ling Chen. Dark cyan Ghost Patterns materialized on his palm, and faint, ghastly howls echoed as the energy surged towards Ling Chen. Mid-air, it transformed into sweeping waves with explosive momentum.

"Azure Mountain Fist!" Ling Chen concentrated all his True Qi into his fist; the vast True Qi seemed to converge, forming a majestic azure mountain.

Nie Wu Xiang frowned. This is not good. Ling Chen's boxing technique is far inferior to his Swordsmanship Attainment. Although Ling Chen's Azure Mountain Fist was proficient, everyone present was a martial arts genius with outstanding attainments in a specific area, be it Swordsmanship, blade techniques, palm techniques, or spear techniques. Ling Chen's boxing could only be considered skillful, not exceptionally so.

Tian Sha sneered contemptuously. He thinks that shoddy boxing of his can match me? If I'm defeated by his half-baked boxing, how can I still call myself a Genius of the Demonic Way? What a joke!

"Oh really? Then I'll make sure you can't laugh anymore!" A cold smile touched Ling Chen's lips. Then, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. As he threw the punch, his eyes suddenly glowed with an azure light, and a dragon's roar erupted! From his fist, formidable azure Dragon Power surged into the mountain of True Qi.

BOOM!

Tian Sha's Palm Power was instantly crushed by the mountain of True Qi.

"How is this possible?" Not just Tian Sha, but most of the onlookers were astounded. Using only his boxing technique, Ling Chen had actually broken Tian Sha's attack.

"Surprised already? The real shock is yet to come!" Having gained the upper hand with one punch, Ling Chen moved with agility. His fists rained down with immense, explosive power in rapid succession. Each punch felt as majestic as a towering mountain, as overwhelming as a surging sea of clouds, exuding an irresistible force.

"Damn it! Dark Flame Palm!" Tian Sha was both surprised and furious. He couldn't believe Ling Chen had changed his fighting style to be so aggressive and offensive. In previous matches, Ling Chen was clearly the type to counter his opponents' moves, rarely initiating an attack. Now, his own fighting rhythm was completely disrupted, leaving him no chance to counterattack. Finally spotting an opening, Tian Sha gathered True Qi into his right palm. He rubbed it at high speed, forming a ball of True Qi fire, and swiftly launched it.

In reality, Ling Chen hadn't changed his style; he had temporarily forsaken his identity as a Swordsman. Now, Ling Chen was simply a warrior—specifically, a warrior of the Refined Body School. Possessing Dragon Blood, Ling Chen's body and strength were comparable to a Third Grade Exotic Beast. His fighting style naturally became fierce and overbearing, abandoning his previous cool and elegant approach.

"Break!" Ling Chen didn't even glance at the fireball, directly shattering it with a single punch.

"Dragon Beast Fist!" Fully activating the Dragon Blood within him, a faint dragon shadow materialized around Ling Chen's entire right arm. Executing the Wind Shadow Step, he shot forward like a cannonball.

"Demon Shroud Shield!" Tian Sha no longer dared to underestimate Ling Chen. Instantly, dark True Qi surged out, coalescing into the phantom of a shield before him. This shield phantom was thick and heavy, covered in intricate patterns. Due to the compression of True Qi, sparks occasionally sputtered from its surface.

THUD!

The fist struck the shield, producing a deafening impact. CRACK! Tian Sha's feet actually sank into the platform, driven down by the tremendous force of the punch.