Ling Tian Sword God

PUAH!

Yun Qinghong spat out another mouthful of blood, lacking the strength to even stand up.

In the final exchange of ultimate techniques, he was slightly outmatched. By the time he unleashed his Absolute Kill, he was already severely wounded. Otherwise, he would have been able to defeat Ling Chen.

However, martial duels don’t hinge on ’what ifs’; ultimately, it boils down to one’s strength.

Struggling to raise his eyelids, he looked ahead. In his vision, Ling Chen stood on the lake surface in his white garments, his long sword sheathed, his black hair billowing in the wind.

Simultaneously, everyone’s gaze fell upon Ling Chen.

Compared to Yun Qinghong, Ling Chen, although also severely injured, still retained about fifty percent of his previous aura. Yun Qinghong, on the other hand, probably had less than twenty percent left.

”Terrifying! Even a powerhouse like Yun Qinghong didn’t have a chance to counterattack against Ling Chen.”

”Yun Qinghong represents the pinnacle of the Four Outstanding Talents, yet Ling Chen has already surpassed them.”

Discussions erupted among the crowd. Although they couldn’t discern all the details, they could still grasp the key points: while Yun Qinghong’s defeat this time had an element of bad luck, Ling Chen was indeed superior in terms of strength.

Many sighed inwardly. Yun Qinghong’s encounter with Ling Chen was a tragedy. Had he faced another opponent of comparable strength to Ling Chen, he might not have suffered such a crushing defeat.

If Dustless really is Ling Chen, this guy is just too monstrous, Feng Piaoliu thought. We haven’t seen Ling Chen for about half a year. Even if his strength was very high back then, it wouldn’t have astonished us to this degree; after all, we’ve been astonished by him countless times. But now, we still can’t help but be amazed. If before, I could still catch a glimpse of Ling Chen’s back, now, I can’t even see his shadow. All I can see are the traces of his passage and the brilliance he left behind. This man has long left everyone else in the dust, far ahead of the younger generation.

”He is simply a flawless Swordsman,” Fang Baiyu muttered to himself, glancing at Ling Chen. As a Swordsman, Ling Chen is strong in every aspect. When every aspect is strong, that equates to absolute power, making him invincible among his peers. It’s like a wooden bucket: if there are no short staves, the bucket is complete and can be filled to the brim. If there is a short stave, the water cannot be filled, and some will always be lost.

”This young man is a talent seen once in a century,” Huyan Xiong remarked, a profound expression on his face.

”A prodigy for the ages!” Yue Ruohai exclaimed, equally shaken.

Sigh. It looks like I have a new target to pursue, Su Ziling thought, thoroughly impressed. He knew well that Yun Qinghong was hailed as the leader of the Four Outstanding Talents not because his innate talent or comprehension was vastly superior—others were not inferior to him in those regards. But in terms of comprehensive strength, Yun Qinghong was indeed a notch above the others. Even with Yun Qinghong, Su Ziling could spot some weaknesses. However, Ling Chen’s emergence had redefined the pinnacle of strength for the younger generation.

Naturally, people must keep moving forward. Although Yun Qinghong’s absolute strength was comparable to Ling Chen’s, he couldn’t match Ling Chen’s potential; his hope of reaching the Saint realm in this lifetime was bleak. Ling Chen, on the other hand, had a high likelihood of advancing to that realm. This was the difference in potential. Among peers, what matters is absolute strength. Over a lifetime, what’s compared is potential. The higher the potential, the faster one’s strength increases.ŸŸŸ

Yun Qinghong stuffed an elixir into his mouth and circulated his energy to assimilate some of its medicinal power before struggling to his feet, standing unsteadily in the center of Nine Dragons Lake.

”Dustless,” Yun Qinghong inhaled deeply and spoke slowly, ”I, Yun Qinghong, have never been defeated by anyone in my generation. You are the first person to defeat me.”

His words intensified the shock in everyone’s hearts.

In their earlier excitement, they hadn’t considered this too deeply. But Yun Qinghong’s reminder made them recall his past achievements. Yun Qinghong had displayed monstrous talent from a young age and had never been defeated in nearly a thousand battles, large and small. The few draws he’d had were only in encounters with opponents at the level of the Four Outstanding Talents. This defeat, however, was unprecedented.

And Ling Chen, who had broken Yun Qinghong’s undefeated record, was also the first to officially defeat him. Most importantly, both were prodigies and, in a way, stepping stones for each other. When one falls, it is destined that the other will shine even brighter.

The victor of their first duel was Ling Chen.

On the lake’s surface, Ling Chen stated, ”Among my generation, I too have never met my match.”

This simple, straightforward sentence left many people stunned. They didn’t know if Ling Chen intended it, but his words implied that Yun Qinghong had not defeated him either. In other words, up to this point, Ling Chen also remained undefeated, even against an opponent like Yun Qinghong.

Indeed, he had never lost. His early undefeated record involved some luck, but his current undefeated status was due to an unstoppable momentum; no one in his generation could defeat him.

When he was weaker, luck played a part in his unbeaten streak. For instance, when Ling Chen first entered the Martial World and only had the cultivation of a Martial Artist, there were many young people who could have defeated him. However, as he grew progressively stronger, the element of luck gradually diminished. He no longer needed luck; no one in his generation could contend with him in battle.

”When an undefeated meets an undefeated, one must eventually lose. Unfortunately, I was the one who lost,” Yun Qinghong said, a bitter expression on his face. Experiencing failure for the first time undoubtedly brought negative emotions. However, this defeat also seemed to unlock some shackles within him, making him feel lighter. From now on, his motivation was even stronger. Before, he fought to remain undefeated—for himself. Now, he fought to defeat Ling Chen—also for himself, but the significance was entirely different.

”Everyone inevitably faces defeat. Wait for me up ahead!”

Standing ramrod straight, Yun Qinghong’s aura was weak, yet his fighting spirit, instead of diminishing, surged. A forceful, explosive presence erupted from him, carrying the distinct quality of breaking through to a new level after destruction.

The crowd watched in amazement. In their eyes, Yun Qinghong seemed even more formidable than before. As the former leader of the Four Outstanding Talents, he truly possessed immense potential.

”Well done, Yun Qinghong! Well done, Ling Chen!”

Suddenly, an old man in white robes emerged from the crowd. He laughed heartily, looking at the two of them with great admiration.

”Who is this man?”

Numerous gazes, filled with surprise, fell upon the old man in white robes.

”I am Mo Tao, an Elder of the Myriad Dao Sect.” The old man in white robes smiled, cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, and after introducing himself, he continued, ”After this Nine Dragons Lake Sword Symposium, the annual World Master List will be officially updated next month. Sect Leader Dustless, you will be at the top of the World Master List, the future number one master in the world.”

”Me? The number one master in the world?” Ling Chen was taken aback. He hadn’t challenged Huyan Xiong, so how could he be the number one master in the world?

”There’s no need for confusion. Although you did not defeat Huyan Xiong, according to the analysis of our Myriad Dao Sect, your strength has already surpassed his. That is why we have ranked you as the number one master.”

After speaking, he turned to Yun Qinghong. ”Yun Qinghong, although you were defeated by Dustless, based on current information, you will be ranked third, or possibly even higher.” Mo Tao said with a grin.

”Even higher? Doesn’t that mean Huyan Xiong will be pushed down to third place?” someone exclaimed in shock.

”With Dustless ranked first, he has surpassed many veteran masters. This will surely cause an uproar in the Jianghu!”

Being ranked second on the World Master List might be acceptable, but the top position carried too much weight. Even for Huyan Xiong, the first position was quite unstable because there were still many hidden veteran masters in the world. Although they were not willing to compete for such empty fame, it didn’t mean they would idly watch a junior like Ling Chen ascend to such a high rank.