Martial Arts Overlord

Outside the house, the moonlight was like water.

Luo Feng sat on his bed, eyes slightly closed, surrounded by absolute silence.

Suddenly, an eerie fluctuation emanated from his body, and dark Gang Qi instantly flashed from him.

PSSH! PSSH! PSSH! PSSH!

The moment the Gang Qi appeared, a piercing shriek of air being torn suddenly rang out.

Countless Qi blades writhed around Luo Feng, each narrow, sharp, and curved like a saber. When they struck the ground, they instantly left terrifying slash marks, a shocking sight!

"Huh!"

In another room, Zi Hongyuan, who was meditating, wore a puzzled expression. Just a moment ago, he had vaguely sensed an extremely domineering, sharp aura whistling past. But when he regained his senses, it had already disappeared without a trace.

Bing Ruolan's room was next to Luo Feng's. Upon sensing that strange aura, she frowned slightly, her sapphire-like eyes instinctively glancing towards Luo Feng's room.

Luo Feng exhaled slowly. He awoke from his deep meditative state. Staring at the Gang Qi faintly writhing around his body, he was momentarily stunned, then a look of joy spread across his face.

"Slaughter Qi transformed into blades! The sixth level of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique!" Luo Feng's voice was filled with excitement. He had been cultivating the Sky Slayer Saber Technique for some time now. Breaking through from the fifth level of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique was no easy feat; it required long-term tempering.

Originally, Luo Feng had thought that breaking through to the sixth level of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique would still require a period of accumulation; he never expected to achieve it today.

Exhaling deeply, as if expelling a breath of stale air, Luo Feng smiled to himself. "I didn't expect sparring with Hu Yitian to be so beneficial! What a pleasant surprise!"

If Hu Yitian knew about the massive benefits Luo Feng had gained from their spar, he would definitely be dumbfounded. Sparring between Martial Artists could indeed increase their strength. But for someone to break through a bottleneck in a single night, as Luo Feng had, was as rare as a phoenix feather.

Standing up, Luo Feng closed his eyes and circulated his Sky Slayer Gang Qi with full force. After a moment, Luo Feng moved.

With a wave of his hand, a blade of black Qi shot out and slashed the ground.

PSSH!

Stone fragments flew everywhere. A slash mark over half a foot deep appeared on the stone floor, its edges smooth and flat.

Slaughter Qi transformed into blades... Is this the power of the sixth level of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique?

Looking at the slash mark on the ground, Luo Feng's brow twitched. Wanting to test the full power of the sixth level of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique, he took a deep breath, pushed his Yuan Qi to its limit, and lunged towards the wall.

PSSH! PSSH! PSSH!...

When Luo Feng was less than two feet from the wall, its surface immediately caved in, crushed stone fragments flying in all directions. Luo Feng's toes tapped the ground lightly, and he retreated a step.

Before him, the section of wall he had approached now bore a humanoid indentation, surrounded by cracks, as if it had been shredded by countless blades.

"This Sky Slayer Gang Qi is impressive!" Luo Feng couldn't help exclaiming in astonishment, his eyes filled with joy.

The Teng Dragon's Gang Qi from his Teng Dragon's Step had formidable defensive power, but it lacked offensive capabilities. This Sky Slayer Gang Qi, however, perfectly compensated for that weakness. The combination of the two would surely unleash unexpected power!

"Oh no!" Luo Feng exclaimed as he calmed down a moment later. Looking at his utterly wrecked room, he couldn't help but give a bitter smile. I truly got carried away.

The entire room, aside from the humanoid indentation on the wall, was covered everywhere with slash marks. The bed had been shredded into a pile of wood chips by the Qi blades!

Shaking his head, Luo Feng sat down on a nearby stool and began his Yuan Qi cultivation.

「A silent night passed.」

DONG, DONG, DONG...

Early the next morning, the melodious chimes of a bell drifted from Tianlan School, the sound spreading in waves for more than ten miles.

In his room, Luo Feng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled. His breath, sharp as a sword, shot out for a meter, lingering in the air before dispersing.

It's finally about to begin.

Taking a breath, Luo Feng stood up. He suddenly sensed many people gathered outside. When he opened the door, he saw Zi Yuan and the others standing there, seemingly discussing something.

"Senior Brother Luo Feng, what happened last night?" asked Zhou Tong, a student on the Hidden Dragon List.

"Could it be that someone dared to attack Senior Brother Luo Feng? Was it someone from Wanluo School?" another person said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, the expressions of the others all changed. Clearly, the incident with Wanluo School the previous day had deeply affected everyone.

"No one attacked me." Luo Feng shook his head.

"Then what's this?" Zhou Tong asked, pointing at the wall. On the wall was a humanoid indentation, surrounded by sharp marks, clearly caused by some kind of sharp weapon.

Luo Feng chuckled in realization. "That was just an accident during my cultivation last night. Nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yuan frowned slightly, her beautiful eyes revealing a hint of surprise, but she didn't ask any further questions.

"Let's go. The New Talents Conference should be starting soon." Luo Feng called out, and everyone headed towards Tianlan School.

The road to Tianlan School was bustling with people; heroes from all sides had gathered. This group included high-ranking members of large families, deans from other academies, gang leaders, City Lords from nearby cities, and renowned masters from the martial world.

"Dean He, you're here too!"

"Of course, I have to attend the New Talents Conference. This is the foremost event of the four major academies, gathering the top young talents of the Flowing Cloud Region. Our academy simply cannot compare. This time, I've brought a few outstanding students from our academy to observe and broaden their horizons."

"I brought my son along as well. He just stepped into the sixth level of the God Bravery Realm and is already arrogant, looking down on everyone. This time, I want him to witness these top talents so he understands that there's always someone better and a sky beyond the sky. Hopefully, it'll keep him from causing trouble for me every day."

"..."

Discussing amongst themselves, the crowd headed towards the martial arts plaza of Tianlan School.

「Tianlan School – Martial Arts Plaza」

Luo Feng murmured in surprise as he arrived, "So many people."

When Purple Sun School held its challenge tournament last time, there were only about 10,000 spectators. However, the number of people in the martial arts plaza now was several times greater. In the middle of the martial arts plaza were ten giant platforms. The platforms were square, three meters high, and lined up side by side. Surrounding the ten platforms was a circular spectator stand. From a distance, the stand appeared as a veritable sea of people, a dense mass of heads packed tightly together.

Bing Ruolan, walking beside Luo Feng, chuckled lightly at his comment. "It's natural," she said. "The New Talents Conference is the annual grand event of the four major academies. All influential figures in the Flowing Cloud Region will attend."

Luo Feng nodded, and they headed into the plaza.

Along the way, Luo Feng learned that the New Talents Conference was divided into two rounds. The first round was the qualifiers. Forty students from the four major academies would be randomly assigned to ten groups. Each group would include one of the Four Great New Talents from the previous year. Only the top four from each group would qualify for the second round. The second round was the ranking competition. The qualifiers would compete for the title of this year's Four Great New Talents!

Upon entering the martial arts plaza, Luo Feng followed the others to the Purple Sun School's spectator area. Next to it were the observation areas for Wanluo School, Floating Snow School, and Tianlan School respectively.

"Luo Feng, your parents are over there." Bing Ruolan pulled at Luo Feng's sleeve and pointed towards a corner of the spectator stand.

Following her gaze, Luo Feng saw his father, Luotian, and his mother, Yang Qing, in the VIP section of the spectator stand. Luotian and Yang Qing gave Luo Feng a slight smile, their eyes full of anticipation and pride. They had never imagined that Luo Feng would one day represent Purple Sun School in the New Talents Conference.

Luo Feng nodded to them and then looked around with a slight frown.

"What's wrong, Luo Feng?" Bing Ruolan noticed Luo Feng's expression and asked.

Luo Feng replied, "My father mentioned that my elder brother would come, but I haven't seen him yet. I hope nothing has happened."

As he spoke, Luo Feng's brow suddenly furrowed; he felt two icy gazes lock onto him. One gaze came from the Wanluo School contingent, undoubtedly from Wan Feng, who had lost face the previous day. But the other gaze, surprisingly, came from the direction of Tianlan School, which puzzled Luo Feng.

Following the line of sight, Luo Feng's eyebrow rose as he recognized the person staring at him.

Luo Feng muttered to himself with an enigmatic smile, "Fancy meeting an acquaintance here." He wasn't particularly bothered by it. He assumed that Xiao Yu still remembered the incident that happened in the Misty Swamp, unaware that there were other reasons involved.

By this time, all competitors from the four academies had arrived. A large wooden box was carried to the center of the plaza for the drawing of lots.

Four figures stepped out from among the participants first and walked towards the lottery box. From left to right, they were 'Heavenly Fragrant Woman' He Qin, 'Traceless Young Master' Ji Wufa, 'Thunderbolt Spear' Wan Feng, and 'Little Purple Sun' Zi Yuan.

The sight of these four ignited a wave of fervent cheers from the audience.

"Last year's Four Great New Talents are all here! They've all become much stronger in just a year!"

"The one who improved the most is clearly Heavenly Fragrant Woman, He Qin. In just one short year, she has stepped into the eighth level of the Hell Realm!"

"Ji Wufa is also remarkable. Having comprehended Sword Intent, his gaze alone is enough to make my scalp tingle. His strength cannot be underestimated!"

"These four have such strong auras; their future achievements are limitless."

"This year's New Talents Conference is going to be spectacular!"

As the Four Great New Talents from the previous year stood together, an imposing aura, as if they could command the winds and clouds, emanated from them, drawing glances from the prominent figures in the stands. Many of the competitors were deeply shaken by the aura emanating from the four of them.

Luo Feng's expression remained calm. If I allow myself to be overwhelmed by their aura now, he thought, I'll lose any hope of ever defeating them. One can lose the fight but not the spirit. If I already believe I'm inferior, then I've already lost.

After Zi Yuan and the other three drew their lots, the remaining participants began to come forward one by one. A short while later, it was Luo Feng's turn. He reached into the lottery box, picked out a wooden token, and looked at it. It read: 'Group Three, Number Seven. Seeded Participant: Zi Yuan.'

The person in charge of registration noted down Luo Feng's name and group number.

After drawing his lot, Luo Feng returned to where the Purple Sun School participants were gathered. Bing Ruolan, also holding a wooden token, smiled and said, "Luo Feng, I'm Group Two, Number Four. The Seeded Participant is Ji Wufa. Which group are you in?"

"Group Three, Number Seven. The Seeded Participant is Zi Yuan."

"You're in the same group as Zi Yuan?" There was a hint of envy in Bing Ruolan's beautiful eyes as she said, "You're really lucky. Ji Wufa has comprehended Sword Intent; I'm probably not his match."

Luo Feng smiled. "The top four from each group will advance to the ranking competition, and qualification is based on the number of wins. With your strength, you'll definitely make it. Don't worry."

Bing Ruolan nodded.

At this moment, the entire martial arts plaza suddenly went quiet.

From the rear of the martial arts plaza, a peerless beauty glided forward as if treading on air, landing silently in the center of the field. The peerless beauty possessed an exquisite face, her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her figure was captivating. A dress the color of water flowed around her like gentle waves, her elegance truly unparalleled.