Duanmu Yu, who had been calm and composed on the stage, paled. He cried out in alarm and leaped down.
"Young Master, you must avenge me..." Lin XiaoXiao slowly awakened. Her cold eyes looked at Luo Feng on the arena platform, a hint of venom flashing within them.
"Don’t worry! Whichever hand he used to hit you, I’ll cripple that same hand later!" Duanmu Yu snorted coldly and leaped directly onto the arena platform.
When the audience in the grandstand saw Duanmu Yu go up on stage, their expressions universally changed.
"Duanmu Yu, you’re finally up. I told you, you’d regret this," Luo Feng said, his gaze calm as he looked at Duanmu Yu.
Duanmu Yu’s cold eyes locked onto Luo Feng, a trace of ruthless killing intent flickering within them.
"Luo Feng, do you dare make a pact with me? Today, in our duel, whoever loses must immediately leave the Purple Sun School! Furthermore, from this day on, if one of us sees the other’s name, they must keep a wide berth!"
As Duanmu Yu’s words fell, the entire martial arts arena erupted.
No one had expected Duanmu Yu to propose such a harsh agreement.
Only a few outer court disciples showed expressions of understanding. Some people were aware of the relationship between Luo Feng, Lin XiaoXiao, and Duanmu Yu. Now that Lin XiaoXiao had been seriously injured by Luo Feng, there was no way Duanmu Yu would let the matter rest.
"Leave the school?" Luo Feng’s gaze turned solemn.
"What’s wrong, Luo Feng? As this year’s Challenge King champion, you were so arrogant just moments ago. Do you only know how to bully a weak woman? Don’t you even have this much courage?" Duanmu Yu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture dignified, a mocking smile on his face.
Luo Feng’s eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled faintly. "Duanmu Yu, since you’re seeking death, I’ll agree to it."
Hearing Luo Feng accept Duanmu Yu’s condition, an immediate commotion swept through the crowd.
"Luo Feng actually agreed to Duanmu Yu’s condition? Isn’t he afraid of losing and having to leave the school?"
"Perhaps it’s to save face. I heard Luo Feng and Lin XiaoXiao used to be close, but they broke up because of Duanmu Yu."
"This Luo Feng is really unlucky. His strength is indeed formidable, but compared to Duanmu Yu, who’s in the top fifty of the Winged Tiger List, there’s still a significant gap."
The crowd buzzed with discussion. The examining elder nearby also frowned.
"Utter nonsense!" The examining elder waved his sleeve and stood up in anger. His wrinkled face twitched as he looked at Luo Feng on the stage.
What is Luo Feng thinking? Doesn’t he know when to advance and when to retreat? Can he really defeat Duanmu Yu now? How dare he agree to such a condition!
He had always admired Luo Feng. When he saw Luo Feng cultivate the Tiger Roar Fist to a transformative level, his appreciation for such talent had deepened. Now that the two had suddenly made such a pact, if Luo Feng lost, he would have to leave the school. This made the elder both shocked and furious.
Zi Yuan, who had been speaking up for Luo Feng just moments before, also fell silent, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly. She, too, thought Luo Feng’s decision was far too reckless.
Duanmu Yu’s ranking in the top fifty of the Winged Tiger List was no accident. Now that he had advanced to the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm, his strength further improved, a fact she could not ignore.
The noise in the entire martial arts arena gradually subsided.
「On the arena platform.」
Luo Feng and Duanmu Yu faced each other, their gazes cold.
One was a recently emerged new genius, the champion of this year’s Challenge King competition.
The other was a disciple from a prominent family, the one who had claimed the Challenge King title last year.
Although many believed this duel held little suspense, they were still eager with anticipation. A duel between two successive Challenge King champions was a first in the history of the Purple Sun School.
"Let’s begin." Luo Feng sheathed his Tiger Soul Saber, apparently not intending to draw it yet.
Duanmu Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he sneered. "If you don’t use your saber, you won’t even be able to take one of my moves. Do you think my strength is the same as Xiao Xiao’s?"
Luo Feng’s gaze was calm as he looked at Duanmu Yu. "I didn’t use my full strength just now," he said. "If you want me to draw my saber, you’ll need to be strong enough."
"This Luo Feng is truly arrogant! He dares to speak such words even in front of Duanmu Yu."
Hearing Luo Feng’s remark, a wave of hushed exclamations swept through the martial arts arena.
"Hahaha... Boy, you’re the first person to dare be so brazen in front of me!" Duanmu Yu burst into enraged laughter, his eyes suddenly fixing on Luo Feng. "Fine! Then take my first move! Wind Palm!"
Before his voice faded, his right hand suddenly erupted with a sharp aura. A layer of emerald green Qi Force materialized on his palm, emitting an icy chill.
"This is the high-grade Yellow Rank palm technique, Wind Palm! Duanmu Yu’s palm wind actually carries a biting chill! He’s clearly reached the Great Achievement Realm!"
"I also cultivate Wind Palm, but its power isn’t even half of this!"
Many inner court disciples in the stands, seeing the Qi Force on Duanmu Yu’s palm, couldn’t help but flinch.
"Die!" Duanmu Yu roared, his figure charging towards Luo Feng. His palm drove the cold Qi Force, viciously striking towards Luo Feng’s chest.
As the emerald light rushed towards Luo Feng, he gave a soft cry and threw a simple punch.
"Angry Tiger Coming Out of the Cave!"
The sounds of a lion’s roar and a tiger’s howl seemed to fill the martial arts arena as Luo Feng’s aura instantly surged. The power of this punch was several times stronger than his previous one!
Fist and palm collided. Luo Feng’s punch landed in the center of Duanmu Yu’s palm, and the radiating Qi Force tore thousands of small gashes into the arena floor.
The green light exploded, and the two figures flew backward, staggering.
Seeing this, all the students in the martial arts arena were stunned.
Duanmu Yu’s cultivation was at the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm, and he had even used Gang Qi! A Martial Artist at the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm shouldn’t have been able to withstand even a single blow!
Yet Luo Feng, relying purely on physical strength, had countered him. After one exchange, they were surprisingly evenly matched! This simply defied common sense.
Duanmu Yu staggered back nearly ten steps before regaining his balance. His gaze on Luo Feng was gloomy. He had thought his palm strike would be enough to severely injure Luo Feng! This fellow’s strength is just as abnormal as the rumors suggest! He hadn’t expected to be repelled; his right arm even felt slightly numb!
Luo Feng stopped and dusted off his sleeves. Looking at Duanmu Yu, he said, "That’s one move. You don’t seem to have injured me."
Upon returning to Panlong City this time, Luo Feng had reviewed his family’s Martial Art, the Mad Lion Fist. In the past few days, he had been studying the Mad Lion Fist and Tiger Roar Fist in conjunction, gaining many insights. He felt his mastery of the Tiger Roar Fist had progressed further. He had chosen to clash head-on with Duanmu Yu precisely to test the power of the Tiger Roar Fist.
The result was beyond his expectations. The power of the Tiger Roar Fist now far exceeded high-grade Yellow Rank Martial Arts, even rivaling ultimate-grade Yellow Rank Martial Arts. Otherwise, with his cultivation at the late stage of the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm, it would have been impossible to clash head-on with Duanmu Yu and not be at a disadvantage.
"Don’t get complacent, kid! My specialty isn’t palm techniques, but Swordsmanship!" Unable to overpower Luo Feng with a single move, and with the latter completely unscathed, Duanmu Yu grew somewhat exasperated and angrily drew his sword.
With a light shake of his sword, the sound of a dragon’s roar echoed throughout the training grounds. Duanmu Yu sized up Luo Feng coldly, sword in hand, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
"You will definitely lose to this move! Fiery Sun Scorches the Sky!"
Duanmu Yu, longsword in hand, abruptly rose several feet. A three-inch blade aura erupted from the sharp sword in his hand, blazing like fire, so bright it was hard to keep one’s eyes open. The searing heat made one’s scalp tingle.
"What kind of Swordsmanship is this? To have such terrifying power!"
A wave of astonished cries broke out in the training grounds.
"This must be the Three Thousand Raging Suns Sword Technique that Duanmu Yu cultivates! An ultimate-grade Yellow Rank Martial Art, its power is extraordinary! Luo Feng is finished this time."
"For Luo Feng to force Duanmu Yu to use his ultimate technique, the Three Thousand Raging Suns Sword Technique, is already an incredible feat."
"So what? If he loses today, he’ll have to leave the Purple Sun School. From then on, I’m afraid he’ll just fade into mediocrity."
Amidst the discussions, Duanmu Yu leaped up, his sword, like a brilliant sun, descending upon Luo Feng’s head.
A searing heat seemed to penetrate Luo Feng’s very pores. His gaze was sharp as he glanced askance at Duanmu Yu and said grimly, "You are qualified to make me draw my saber."
As soon as his voice fell, his Tiger Soul Saber slashed out.
His power pushed to its utmost limit, a three-foot black saber gleam erupted from the blade. The temperature in the training grounds plummeted, as if all light and heat were devoured by that pitch-black radiance.
Saber and sword collided. A dull boom echoed through the training grounds as sharp Gang Qi scattered wildly, leaving the entire arena platform riddled with holes.
In this second clash, Duanmu Yu was once again forced back, yet Luo Feng hadn’t moved an inch.
"Sky Demon! This is the fourth stage of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique! Good lad! To think you’ve actually cultivated the Sky Slayer Saber Technique to the fourth stage! After ’Ghost Spirit Saber’ Duan Yuntian thirty years ago, you’re the second person to achieve this!"
In the stands, the examining elder excitedly slammed the table and shot to his feet. His eyes, fixed on Luo Feng, shone with a bright light as he roared with laughter.
Zi Yuan stood to one side, looking at the young man on the stage holding his saber. Her lips parted slightly, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. I never thought he would actually succeed in cultivating it...
At this moment, the entire martial arts arena was deathly silent; only the examining elder’s laughter reverberated for a long time.
Everyone was stunned by this unbelievable scene!
A Martial Artist at the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm not only unleashed Saber Gang but also repelled a Martial Artist at the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm! What terrifying strength was this?
In a corner below the arena stage, Lin XiaoXiao stared blankly at the high-spirited young man on stage, who wielded his long saber. Her fingers were clenched so tightly, and her lips pressed so hard, they looked as if they might bleed.
Young Master, you must defeat him...
"Impossible! How could you have cultivated the Sky Slayer Saber Technique to the fourth stage and not gone mad? This is absolutely impossible!" Duanmu Yu’s handsome face was now somewhat distorted. Clutching his sword, his eyes were fixed on Luo Feng, a crazed look filling them.
"Duanmu Yu, you are not the only genius in this world. Just because you can’t do something, do you think others can’t either?" Luo Feng’s gaze remained calm, but he exuded a terrifying pressure. This aura far surpassed that of an ordinary Martial Artist at the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm, striking a chill deep into the hearts of onlookers.
"I don’t believe it! How could I, Duanmu Yu, be inferior to a brat like you from some remote backwater!" A ferocious expression twisted Duanmu Yu’s features. Suddenly, he extended two fingers and, with two sharp taps, pressed them against his Dantian below his navel. Then, he moved them upwards, inch by inch...
With every inch his fingers moved, the flush on Duanmu Yu’s face deepened. Finally, his eyes turned a demonic, crimson red!