Martial Arts Overlord

The man in black was forced back ten steps by the saber light, his figure slightly staggered, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Who are you? With such strength, you're certainly not a nobody!"

The man in black was at the peak of the Seventh Layer Essence Storage Realm. Seeing Luo Feng was only a teenager, he initially thought this mission would be easy. Unexpectedly, the opponent's strength was on par with his own.

Luo Feng sneered, "A dying man needn't know my name!"

BUZZ!

The Tiger Soul Saber trembled slightly as Luo Feng locked onto the man in black's aura.

"Die!"

With a slash of his saber, a pitch-black blade aura filled with killing intent erupted, stirring up a violent gale. The howling light was unbearable to look at directly.

It was actually the Sky Slayer Saber Technique!

"Arrogant brat! Blood Cloud Slash!"

With a roar, the man in black faced the oncoming blade light head-on, thrusting out the pitch-black short blade in his hand. The blade emanated a three-foot-long bloody light, and a foul, bloody wind assaulted the senses.

PFFT!

The blade light and sword aura shattered, forcing the man in black back several steps again.

BOOM!

Stomping heavily on the ground to steady himself, the man in black shot forward. He transformed into a black shadow, skimming along the ground and silently appearing behind Luo Feng.

A barely audible sound of air being displaced came from behind. Luo Feng's gaze was calm; his wrist trembled as he instantly swung the Tiger Soul Saber backward.

CLACK!

The man in black's thrust was blocked by Luo Feng, surprise flickering across his face.

His Ghost Walk was a Yellow Grade supreme Light Martial Art. In previous battles, it had proven invincible. Never before had he encountered someone whose Light Martial Arts surpassed his own, capable of seeing through his movements. He didn't expect it to be so readily exposed this time.

Damn it!

The man in black cursed under his breath, immediately raising the short blade to guard his chest.

BOOM!

The Tiger Soul Saber landed heavily on his short blade, sending the man in black flying backward. Everywhere he passed, the ground split apart. His clothes were torn in several places, making him look exceptionally battered.

"This is infuriating!"

The man in black seethed with anger and cursed.

From the beginning of their fight until now, he hadn't even managed to graze the corner of Luo Feng's clothes, constantly being toyed with.

What infuriated him even more was that the opponent also seemed to possess cultivation at the Seventh Layer of the Essence Storage Realm, just like him!

"I'll make you die without a whole corpse!"

The man in black, incensed with shame, erupted. His entire aura surged to its peak. Bloody Gang Qi erupted from his entire body, reeking of a foul stench. Achieving Human-sword Unity, he transformed into a crimson torrent, surging to slaughter Luo Feng.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The air around the man in black was torn apart by his sharp Qi Force, leaving countless cracks in the ground in his wake, as if he intended to annihilate everything!

"Interesting. Let's see how many of my slashes you can block!"

Luo Feng glanced at the man in black rushing over and sneered. The Tiger Soul Saber cut through the air as he slashed towards the man in black. Then came the second slash, the third, the fourth…

CRACK!

The blade light fell upon the bloody Gang Qi surrounding the man in black and was instantly shattered.

Luo Feng paid it no mind; his Yuan Qi surged within him as the Tiger Soul Saber continuously launched astonishing blade lights. In the blink of an eye, he had unleashed dozens of slashes!

The man in black initially had an unstoppable momentum, but after breaking through a dozen blade lights, the light of his bloody Gang Qi gradually dimmed.

At this moment, the man in black no longer held his previous arrogant bearing; his gaze was filled with dread.

Both were at the peak of the Seventh Layer Essence Storage Realm, yet Luo Feng's Yuan Qi was unbelievably abundant!

This overwhelming torrent of blade lights made him feel as if he weren't fighting one person, but dozens of peak Seventh Layer Essence Storage Realm martial artists attacking him simultaneously!

Unleashing thirty consecutive slashes, the stormy blade light completely devoured the man in black!

CRACK!

"AH!"

The ground was gouged with shocking, deep scars from the slashes. The man in black's Gang Qi shield held for a moment before he screamed. He vanished within the blade light, exploding into a shower of blood mist, truly dead with no whole corpse left!

"Persistent evildoing leads to self-destruction!"

Luo Feng coldly snorted, stowed away the Tiger Soul Saber, and headed towards the area where Bing Ruolan was battling the other man in black.

"Flowing Cloud Crosses the Peak!"

In the dense wild grass, Bing Ruolan's robes fluttered. She moved like a graceful butterfly dancing, the snow-white thin sword in her hand emitting soft hums. Like a flowing cloud drifting past a mountain peak, her movements were erratic and unpredictable. She struck out at the man in black with lightning speed, her attacks relentless.

FZZT! FZZT! FZZT!

The man in black retreated, parrying with his sword, but sword lights frequently pierced his defense, striking his body.

His black robe was already riddled with holes. If not for his cultivation being higher than Bing Ruolan's, allowing him to maintain a Protective Gang Qi, he would have likely died by her sword long ago.

Luo Feng nodded approvingly.

Although Bing Ruolan's cultivation was inferior to the man in black's, her swordsmanship realm and the quality of her sword technique were both superior to his, allowing her to gain the upper hand.

Seeing Bing Ruolan was not in danger, Luo Feng decided not to intervene.

This man in black had only recently reached the peak of the Seventh Layer Essence Storage Realm and was a suitable opponent for Bing Ruolan.

Bing Ruolan didn't notice Luo Feng's presence. Seeing that her Floating Cloud Sword Technique couldn't injure the man in black, Bing Ruolan's beautiful eyes focused, and her sword momentum instantly changed!

"Star-piercing Swordsmanship, Second Stance: Star Shattering Void!"

The Silver Snow thin sword hummed, its light condensed into a single line. Transforming from a gentle spring breeze to a summer downpour, it pierced towards the man in black with a sharp, wind-breaking sound.

PFFT!

Before the man in black could react, his Protective Gang Qi was instantly pierced, leaving a bloody hole in his shoulder.

After succeeding with her first move, Bing Ruolan pressed her advantage. Her momentum shifted from extremely slow to incredibly fast. The Silver Snow Thin Sword transformed into a terrifying crescent moon of sword light, slashing out like a sudden thunderclap illuminating the night sky.

Star-piercing Swordsmanship, Third Stance: Shocking Thunder Illuminating the Sky!

"Impossible! How can I lose to you!"

The man in black's expression changed drastically!

Engulfed by the sword light, he understood its terror most clearly.

If the previous sword strike was merely a ripple, this one was a monstrous tidal wave—utterly unstoppable!

SPLATTER!

The crescent sword mark didn't pause for an instant as it struck the man in black. Its immense power easily tore through his Gang Qi shield, bisecting him at the waist. He couldn't be more dead.

"Phew..."

After killing the man in black, Bing Ruolan let out a light breath. Beads of fragrant sweat dotted her forehead, glistening like jade pearls.

"Ruolan, congratulations on mastering the third stance of your Star-piercing Swordsmanship!"

Luo Feng walked over, clapping his hands.

Only then did Bing Ruolan realize Luo Feng was standing nearby. A blush crept onto her delicate cheeks. She glanced around but didn't see the other man in black and asked, puzzled, "Where's the other man?"

"It's better if you don't know." Luo Feng flashed a mysterious smile.

Hearing this, Bing Ruolan grew even more curious and looked around.

When she saw the terrifying, intersecting blade marks on the ground nearby and the large patch of earth stained crimson with blood, she immediately realized what had happened. Her small face paled slightly, and she quickly averted her gaze.

"I told you not to look."

"How was I supposed to know? You... you didn't even tell me!" Bing Ruolan huffed, her voice a mixture of complaint and annoyance.

Luo Feng shook his head and sighed with a wry smile. Getting the upper hand in a verbal spar with Bing Ruolan is truly not easy.

Walking over to the corpse of the man in black Bing Ruolan had killed, Luo Feng reached out and retrieved a money pouch.

The pouch contained a stack of gold banknotes, roughly estimated at three to four million taels of silver.

Just what I needed.

Luo Feng's eyes lit up slightly as he pocketed the gold banknotes.

After purchasing the Sky Collapse Fist secret manual, he only had a few hundred thousand taels of silver left, practically broke.

This silver was a timely relief.

If I'd known, I would have left you a whole corpse.

Looking at the bloodstains on the other side of the ground, Luo Feng shook his head in regret.

"We should rest a bit before we continue our journey."

Luo Feng looked up at the sky and said to Bing Ruolan.

The two led their horses to a clean spot, and each consumed a pill to recover the Yuan Qi they had expended.

「Time passed.」

After taking their pills and resting for a short while, the two mounted their horses and resumed their journey towards the Purple Sun School.

The rest of the journey was uneventful.

「Eight days later, they finally returned to Qingfeng Town.」

In Qingfeng Town, they found an inn for a meal. Afterward, Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan returned to the academy together.

At the plaza before the academy, Luo Feng was about to take his horse to the stables when he suddenly saw three figures standing at the academy entrance: Yang Hong, Zi Yuan, and Xu Mei.

Seeing Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan, Xu Mei and the others came up to them, Xu Mei smiling, "Luo Feng, you're finally back."

They had gone through life-and-death situations together cultivating in the Ghost Howl Forest. Luo Feng was also very happy to see them again. He nodded and smiled, "How did you know we were coming back today?"

"Just now, Junior Brother He Yun, who is responsible for the academy's procurement, said he saw you in Qingfeng Town," Xu Mei explained.

She looked Luo Feng up and down and asked, "Why did it take you so long to return? If you hadn't come back soon, Senior Sister Zi Yuan had already decided to go back and find you."

"I was not!" Zi Yuan's face flushed red as she hastily denied it.

Luo Feng watched this with amusement and said, "Sister Cang Nanyue and I encountered some trouble in the Ghost Howl Forest…"

Luo Feng briefly explained what had happened in the Ghost Howl Forest.

Of course, he omitted the details of helping Cang Nanyue undress to treat her injuries in the cave, as well as matters concerning the Grand Momentum and Yuan Qi seeds.

"A Demon Sect Elder!"

Bing Ruolan was also hearing this for the first time. These few short sentences left her and the others aghast!

"To think there are so many Demon Sect disciples in the Ghost Howl Forest. It seems the rumors of the Demon Sect wanting to invade the Hundred Territories again are not baseless!" Yang Hong said, frowning.

Xu Mei, normally calm, also looked a little pale. She nodded and said, "This matter is no small thing. It's best to inform the Dean."

"Mm, once I've settled in, I'll go and explain this to the Dean."

Luo Feng also knew that the appearance of a Demon Sect Elder in the Hundred Territories was a serious matter.

Zi Yuan, who had been silent, suddenly asked, "Luo Feng, have you reached the peak of the Seventh Layer Essence Storage Realm?"

Luo Feng nodded. "I broke through over ten days ago."

Hearing this, Xu Mei and Yang Hong's eyes widened. "How do you cultivate so quickly!"

They remembered that just a month ago, Luo Feng had only broken through to the late stage of the Essence Storage Realm.

In less than a month, he had broken through again!

This cultivation speed, even hearing it firsthand, was somewhat unbelievable to them.

Luo Feng rubbed his nose and concocted an excuse, "I had some insights watching Sister Cang Nanyue duel with the Demon Sect Elder, so I broke through quickly…"

That must be it.

Yang Hong, who was well-informed, nodded. "Duels between experts contain their understanding of Martial Arts, which is extraordinary! Watching such duels is greatly beneficial to our cultivation!"