The rising sun cast down countless soft rays of light, warm and bright, a beautiful sight to behold.
On the vast training grounds, everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, a sense of absurdity rising in their hearts.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Ling Xian already possessed the strength of the fifth level of Qi Refinement, but they couldn't believe how someone they considered a good-for-nothing could possess such powerful strength.
The path of cultivation is very difficult; every minor realm requires a long period of arduous training to break through, even the simplest and most basic Qi Refinement stage. The fifth level of Qi Refinement is considered a mid-tier level in the entire Qing City. Among the collateral descendants of the Ling family, even Ling Bai, who had a good father to provide him with cultivation resources, had not reached it.
And a fourteen-year-old boy, without any background, meaning no one provided him with cultivation resources, yet he had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement. How high must his talent be to achieve this?
Could it be... that Miss Ling of the Ling family provided him with cultivation resources?
Many people thought of that rumour and couldn't help but maliciously speculate.
Feeling the killing intent, Ling Bai shivered and feigned calmness, saying, "What a Ling Xian. It seems your skill at being a kept man is not small. Did you latch onto Miss Ling to achieve your current cultivation?"
"Hmm?"
Frowning, Ling Xian was puzzled. His cold eyes swept over the strange gazes directed at him, and a bad premonition rose in his heart.
"It seems I was right. You kept man, you pretty boy, bah!" Ling Bai's face was full of disdain, but a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes.
In his opinion, how could a recognised good-for-nothing suddenly possess cultivation stronger than his? It must be that Ling Tianxiang gave Ling Xian some treasure, allowing him to cultivate and rapidly advance to the fifth level of Qi Refinement.
It must be!
Ling Bai gritted his teeth, the hatred in his heart growing stronger.
"Kept man?" Ling Xian's eyes turned cold, and the mighty spiritual power of the fifth level of Qi Refinement roared out, vast and overwhelming, enveloping the entire training grounds.
A chilling killing intent permeated the air.
"Ling Bai, you'd better explain to me what exactly is going on?" Ling Xian looked at him coldly, a flicker of anger in his heart.
"Explain what? What's there to explain? You, good-for-nothing, relying on Miss Ling, you only have your current cultivation. Otherwise, how could a good-for-nothing who couldn't cultivate possibly have higher cultivation than me?" Although Ling Bai was intimidated by the killing intent, his hatred clearly surpassed his fear. He sneered, "You kept man, you pretty boy, I am the number one among the collateral descendants. Even if your cultivation is one level higher than mine, you are no match for me. Today, I will make you beg for mercy on your knees, so Miss Ling can see how worthless you are!"
Saying that, he waved his hand, and a three-foot-long green sword appeared out of thin air.
He was very confident. Although Ling Xian's cultivation was one level higher than his, thinking of the powerful sword art his father had gone to great lengths to acquire for him, which allowed him to fight above his level, he couldn't help but feel invigorated. He looked at Ling Xian smugly and laughed arrogantly, "Pretty boy, if you kneel and kowtow to me now, it's not too late. Otherwise, I will make you wish you were dead!"
Ling Xian said nothing, but his expression grew even colder, a murderous intent thoroughly aroused.
Clearly, Ling Bai's words had completely enraged him.
Being called a "pretty boy" and a "kept man" repeatedly, anyone who heard it would be furious and want to kill him. Ling Xian was no exception. He took a step forward, his robes fluttering, and a majestic aura swept across the entire training grounds, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
"Ling Xian, die!"
Ling Bai roared and waved the green sword in his hand. Streaks of sword light roared out, overwhelming and encompassing, mixed with surging spiritual power and continuous momentum, rapidly striking towards Ling Xian.
The Canglang Sword Art.
It possessed the continuous and endless sword intent of the ocean, each strike stronger than the last.
Moreover, they were connected end to end. As long as one sword light hit, it meant one had to withstand an infinite number of subsequent sword lights. It was one of the Ling family's top sword arts. The previous patriarch once used it to defeat two masters of the same rank, making it one of the strongest sword arts in Qing City.
Ling Xian's expression tightened. He didn't know what kind of sword art this was, but he could feel that it was very strong. Looking at the sky full of sword lights, each one surpassing the last, layer upon layer of sword shadows, superimposed on each other, it had a momentum that could overturn mountains and seas!
His eyes flashed, and Zhutian Xia shone forth. His black and white pupils flowed with a mysterious aura. Immediately, the speed of the countless sword lights in his eyes slowed infinitely, so slow that Ling Xian could clearly see the trajectory of each sword light.
"It's here!"
Among the countless sword shadows, there was one sword light that clearly didn't keep up with the speed of the previous one, leaving a slight gap. This meant that the weakness of the Canglang Sword Art. As long as this sword light was broken, the overall sword momentum would stagnate, and the subsequent sword lights would be unsustainable.
Ling Xian fully circulated the spiritual power within his body, forming a spiritual power barrier around himself. Then, he endured the frontal sword lights and punched out, unstoppable!
"Boom!"
The fist, condensed with all his spiritual power, struck the sword light, instantly dispersing it into nothingness. The overall momentum of the Canglang Sword Art instantly disintegrated, and the continuous sword lights that followed also dissipated.
The Canglang Sword Art, renowned in Qing City, was thus easily broken by Ling Xian with a single punch!
"This is impossible! How could the Canglang Sword Art be broken? Impossible, what kind of demonic art did you use?" Seeing the subsequent sword lights disappear, Ling Bai was stunned for a moment, then roared frantically, his face full of disbelief, even more shocked than seeing Ling Xian's cultivation being higher than his!
The other spectators were also stunned for a moment, then there was an uproar.
"The Ling family's top-notch Canglang Sword Art was just broken like that?"
"Oh my god, did I really see that correctly? The previous patriarch once used this sword art to fight two masters of the same rank and won. It was broken so easily? I must be dreaming."
"Unbelievable, if I saw Ling Xian defeat Ling Bai, I wouldn't be too shocked, after all, he's one level higher in cultivation, but to be able to see through the weakness of the Canglang Sword Art, that's incredibly powerful!"
His black and white pupils disappeared, and Ling Xian's expression was calm, as if breaking the Canglang Sword Art was effortless. In fact, it was indeed very simple. In the eyes of these people, and even all of Qing City, the strongest sword art was truly nothing in the face of the powerful discerning ability of his supreme Heavenly Eye, Zhutian Xia.
Zhutian Xia was the fourth-ranked Heavenly Eye on the list. Its most basic discerning ability could see through the weaknesses of all divine abilities and Dao arts in the cultivation world. What was a mere Canglang Sword Art?
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible..." Ling Bai muttered in a daze, his soul lost. He had practised the Canglang Sword Art for a long time, spending ten years barely cultivating it to the second level. He originally thought he could rely on this sword art secret manual to wreak havoc and dominate the family martial arts competition, but he never expected it to be so easily broken by Ling Xian, shattering all his beautiful dreams. This was a huge blow to him, and even his spirit seemed to have been severely damaged.
"Nothing is impossible. Every spell has its weakness. As long as you concentrate, you can find it," Ling Xian said calmly.
"I don't believe it! How could the family's supreme sword art have its weakness discovered by you, a pretty boy? You must have been lucky, yes, that must be it." Ling Bai deluded himself, his eyes suddenly bursting with a burst of light. He fully circulated the Canglang Sword Art, preparing to unleash thousands of sword lights at Ling Xian again.
However, his sword only managed to be raised high, and before he could even summon the sword light, Ling Xian flashed, instantly appearing in front of Ling Bai, wrapping his right hand in spiritual power, and grabbing the sharp longsword.
"Crack!"
With a forceful grip of his right hand, the longsword shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground.
"Apologise now, and I can let bygones be bygones." Ling Xian's expression was indifferent.
"Bah, you good-for-nothing, do you think you can climb over my head just by latching onto Miss Ling? Dream on!" Ling Bai sneered darkly, provoking, "So what if your cultivation is a bit higher than mine? My father is a collateral branch elder. If you dare to harm even a single hair on me, I'll make sure you die a miserable death!"
"Dare not harm you?" Ling Xian snorted coldly and decisively kicked him in the abdomen, shattering his spiritual power shield and sending his body flying high.
Without hesitation, he stomped his right foot on the ground, and his entire being shot out like an arrow from a bowstring. In the blink of an eye, he caught up to Ling Bai's soaring body, grabbed his ankles with both hands, and slammed him hard onto the ground!
"Bang!"
A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and Ling Bai felt as if his body had fallen apart, screaming in pain, "Damn it, Ling Xian, you good-for-nothing, you dare to hurt me, I'll kill you!"
"Kill me? Then I'll kill you first." Ling Xian's eyes were cold. Not only did he pick a fight for no reason, but now that he was beaten like this, he still didn't repent and instead clamoured to kill him. He truly deserved to die!
"Damn it!" Feeling that genuine killing intent, Ling Bai's heart was filled with terror. He struggled to stand up, ignoring his injuries, and forcibly circulated his cultivation technique, condensing all his spiritual power. His right hand instantly turned fiery red, enveloped by a scorching heatwave, and he slapped it out fiercely!
"Flaming Palm!"
"Fire-attribute spell?" Ling Xian's eyes narrowed as he confidently struck out with his right palm. While he had yet to cultivate any spells, his spiritual power was far from ordinary; beneath that seemingly unremarkable exterior lay the fierce strength of the fifth level of Qi Refinement.
"Boom!"
The two palms met, erupting in a huge wave of air. Ling Xian's right hand, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, swept away everything, unstoppable. First, it dispersed the scorching spiritual power swirling around Ling Bai's palm, and finally, it fiercely struck his chest.
"Pfft!"
Ling Bai staggered back more than ten steps, spitting out another mouthful of fresh blood, his gaze filled with terror as he looked at Ling Xian.
A moment of silence.
The training grounds were completely silent, everyone standing motionless. After a long while, they collectively gasped.
"Defeated, defeated! Ling Bai, the number one among the collateral descendants, was defeated by Ling Xian with just one palm!"
"It's not surprising. Ling Xian has the cultivation of the fifth level of Qi Refinement, while Ling Bai only has the fourth level. The difference is too great. What was truly shocking was seeing through the weakness of the Canglang Sword Art earlier!"
"First breaking the Canglang Sword Art, then defeating the number one among the collateral descendants, heavens, this good-for-nothing is about to rise!"
The spectators all stared blankly at the awe-inspiring Ling Xian, their eyes filled with shock, fanaticism, envy, and other emotions.
They believed that after this battle, Ling Xian's name would not only resound throughout the entire collateral branch, but even the important figures in the main branch would be shocked!
Because Ling Xian had broken the Canglang Sword Art, which was revered as the supreme sword classic by the Ling family!
"In the face of powerful strength, all struggles are futile." Ling Xian's expression was calm as he looked at the terrified Ling Bai and said indifferently, "Now, can you explain it to me?"