Chapter 97: A Chance Encounter

The crowd below slowly regained their senses, still feeling a lingering fear as if they themselves had been the ones facing those nine sword auras.

"Is this the inherited sword technique obtained from the Imperial Realm cave dwelling?"
"Too powerful!"
"Who could possibly block that?"
"Perhaps Dong Wuwang’s innate protective energy could withstand it?"
"It seems Yu Zhantian is not the only dark horse this time; this Lin Cheng is also fiercely formidable..."
"Pfft, he’s just relying on an Imperial inheritance, what’s so great about that? Unlike our Senior Brother Wuwang, who climbed up step by step through his own efforts..."

Upon hearing this sour remark, those nearby shot him a sidelong glance. The path of cultivation relies on opportunity and fate—stop whining like a bitter fool! However, most people naturally couldn't stand to see others succeed; envy, jealousy, and resentment filled the air, and whispers were endless.

"Junior Brother Lin did not disappoint us. This sword technique must have been obtained from the inheritance, right?" the Wine Addict remarked with an appreciative look.

Fatty Lin and the others crowded around him, staring with the expression of someone who had just discovered a new continent.

"The Madman is truly going to make a name for himself now..."
"Little Junior Brother, when will you teach us, Senior Sister?" Han Meng asked with a playful smile.
"Sure, as long as you want to learn, I will teach you all," Lin Cheng replied magnanimously.
Niu Shisan chimed in: "It's a deal, I want to learn too..."
"I want to learn too..." Pang Bo scratched his head and said in a muffled voice.
Fatty Lin slapped him on the forehead: "What are you learning for? You use a spear and a bow..."
"Hahahaha..." the group burst into laughter.

Before they could finish laughing, Fatty Lin hooked his arm around Lin Cheng's shoulder and chuckled, "Madman, remember to teach me first."
The others: "..."

Only when the battle on stage began did they stop their playful banter and turn their attention forward.

The combatants were Yu Zhantian, the sudden dark horse from the West Sand Sect, and Ba Xing, a true disciple of the Divine Dao Peak of the Purple Sun Sect and a prized pupil of Master Shen Shang. As soon as the fight started, Yu Zhantian, clad in black armor, sent Ba Xing flying with a single punch, drawing gasps from the audience.

On the jade chair, Master Shen Shang narrowed his eyes, studying the black armor on Yu Zhantian before turning to Ximen Wudi. "I presume this armor is the Black-Veined Armor passed down by your sect's founder, Old Man Xisha?"

Ximen Wudi nodded with a smile. "I won't hide it from you, Brother Shen Shang, it is indeed that armor. Zhantian retrieved it from the ancestor's burial clothes mound..."
"Oh? Does that mean he has received the inheritance of Old Man Xisha?" The figures on the jade chairs could not help but look toward Ximen Wudi.

Only the Purple Sun Sect Leader and Master Cang Feng remained calm, unmoved, watching the battle below with indifference.

Ba Xing faced Yu Zhantian with a grave expression. A leaf appeared in his palm, and as he chanted a mantra while forming hand seals, it turned into a green light that drilled into his brow. When he opened his eyes again, a ripple of green light expanded, instantly permeating the entire arena. Yu Zhantian’s gaze faltered, and he stood frozen, seemingly trapped in an illusion.

Ba Xing’s eyes flashed, thinking this was the moment. He poured his spiritual power frantically into the iron hammer in his hands, which began to glow, and leaped into the air, aiming to smash it down onto Yu Zhantian’s head to seal the victory!

However, the sound of a watermelon exploding did not follow. Instead, Ba Xing was sent flying backward, sliding to the ground like a kite with a broken string, a striking trail of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Opposite him, Yu Zhantian twisted his neck, his eyes shimmering with a golden light as if he had golden pupils. Soon, the glow faded, and his eyes returned to normal. "Trying to trap me with mere illusions? You overestimate yourself!"

Ba Xing slowly rose, wiped the blood from his mouth, and said in a low voice, "You win."
Yu Zhantian was the victor.

---

"Fifth match, Dongfang Yu of the Green Sun Sect versus Li Yuan of the West Sand Sect!"
"Will both sides please take the stage."

As the presiding elder finished, Dongfang Yu stepped onto the stage with his hands behind his back, landing gracefully. He gently flicked his folding fan, appearing like a dashing young nobleman, which made many female disciples below gaze at him in infatuation, wishing they could throw themselves at him.

"Show-off!" Niu Shisan didn't bother to lower his voice, spitting out the words.
"Madman, when you meet him later, beat him to death for me..."
"That's right, don't worry about fellow-disciple ties; this bastard is no good, he's been wanting to stab us in the back for a long time..."
The group chattered away.
Lin Cheng asked, "Do I look like a good person to you?"
"Yes."
"No."
...

Li Yuan, the granddaughter of the West Sand Sect’s Supreme Elder and his favorite, was the only female powerhouse to make it into the top ten. She floated onto the stage, glancing around. When her eyes swept toward the Green Sun Sect side, they lingered on Lin Cheng for a moment before moving on.

Watching the yellow-robed girl, who was both graceful and playful, Lin Cheng stroked his chin. At that moment, Xu Xin'er walked up to him, her red lips parting: "Do you know her?"

Lin Cheng knew what she was implying and said softly, "We've met once."
"Met once? Oh." Xu Xin'er’s face was calm, though her inner thoughts were unknown.
Lin Cheng raised an eyebrow and teased, "What, are you jealous?"
Xu Xin'er glared at him and huffed as she turned away.

On the arena, the two figures had already begun to clash. Dongfang Yu’s movements were elegant and sharp; as his folding fan opened and closed, the sound of wind and thunder could be heard. Li Yuan held a delicate pagoda, which glowed with green light; with a flick of her jade fingers, streams of cold current shot out toward Dongfang Yu.

"Water Curtain Descending!" Li Yuan shouted. Several cold streams converged and condensed, forming a curtain of azure water that instantly enveloped Dongfang Yu. The curtain emitted a bone-chilling aura, as if a spring from the Nine Netherworld had been brought into the world. Even through the barrier of the array, the audience below felt waves of cold air.

Inside the pagoda, the cold currents continued to pour out, and the icy water curtain trapping Dongfang Yu grew increasingly frigid. The color of the water shifted from azure to a sinister black. Before long, the entire arena was shrouded in the black water curtain, as if it had truly become a battlefield in the depths of the Nine Netherworld.

Cold, eerie, deadly, and terrifying. The interweaving of these auras made even Lin Cheng shudder, thinking, *this girl is quite fierce.*

As for Dongfang Yu, despite having his vision blocked by the black curtain, he showed no panic. A jade pendant at his waist emitted a faint green light, forming a protective shield around him that prevented the chilling aura from penetrating his body, keeping his clothes dry.

Li Yuan shifted her hand seals, and a long spear condensed within the black water curtain, thrusting out violently.

*Crack!*

A fissure appeared on Dongfang Yu’s green protective light. He frowned; it seemed he had underestimated his opponent. The spear pushed forward again, and the protective light shattered with a boom. The surging cold current swept over him, and he had to tremble his spiritual power to resist the cold from invading his body.

No longer composed, the once-calm Dongfang Yu spun his folding fan in his palm, creating a whirlwind that pushed the cold current to both sides, forcefully carving out a path.

"Fan Controlling the Heavens!"

With a light shout, the water curtain reversed, surging toward his fan. In an instant, the black cold current that had engulfed the entire arena condensed into a black sphere of water in front of his fan. Li Yuan’s pagoda dimmed, no longer emitting any cold current.

"Using your own power against you!"
Dongfang Yu curled his lips into a cold smile, and with a wave of his fan, the black water sphere shot straight toward Li Yuan.