Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Chapter 172: 172 Impact

The third round of the Outer Sect competition on the Hidden Dragon Continent, ended without much commotion.

Those who were supposed to win did win, such as Feng Hang, Shen Xiao, Yun Xiao, and Ling Wan. Among these four, the first two are established talents ranked among the top two in the Mortal List, whereas the latter two have emerged as super dark horses.

After the third round, there was an equal number of eight talented disciples remaining both in the upper and lower brackets. This meant that the upcoming fights would be even more thrilling, especially if those four, as expected, encountered each other in the final showdown of their respective brackets.

Indeed, the performances of Yun Xiao and Ling Wan were already dazzling enough, but throughout the Outer Sect competition’s upper and lower brackets, there stood a mountain that loomed over each. Even if everyone favored Yun Xiao and Ling Wan, they still wouldn’t be seen as matches for Feng Hang and Shen Xiao.

If things were to go as the crowd expected, the final battle in the upper bracket would unfold between Yun Xiao and Feng Hang. But the gap of a Great Rank separated the two, and the outcome was not hard to guess.

Another night passed, and the fourth round of the Outer Sect competition was set to commence that day. It is worth mentioning that in this fourth round, Yun Xiao finally enjoyed the luxury of victory without a fight.

Yun Xiao’s opponent this round was Xuan Zhi, the Third Prince from the royal family. He knew clearly in his heart that if he really faced Yun Xiao on the competition stage of the Outer Sect, there was no way the lad named Yun Xiao would show any mercy.

In fact, during that night, Xuan Zhi had considered using his special status once more to exchange places with someone else and had even approached Feng Hang, but alas, all attempts had failed.

Unlike the previous case with Guan Tong or the genius from the third round, as the Outer Sect competition intensified, the remaining disciples were all outstanding figures within the Outer Sect, each aiming to go further.

At this point in the upper bracket, the strongest were undoubtedly Feng Hang and Yun Xiao, and no one wished to face them, thus rendering Xuan Zhi’s nocturnal efforts futile.

Since no one was willing to exchange places, Xuan Zhi was left to face Yun Xiao himself. After much consideration, he made the most correct decision, which was not to fight Yun Xiao.

While such a decision might damage his reputation as the Third Prince of the Empire, when compared to one’s life, how important could face really be?

At least Xuan Zhi was aware that during the Outer Sect competition, there was no way he could beat Yun Xiao. Since that was the case, why should he bring disgrace upon himself? Better to take the straightforward path.

”Kid, enjoy your moment in the limelight for a few more days. When you face Feng Hang, I’d like to see if you can still keep smiling,” Xuan Zhi thought bitterly, nearly grinding his teeth to dust as he watched Yun Xiao’s smiling face on the stage. He managed to regain some control over his emotions and turned his gaze towards Feng Hang, who had just won his match with ease.

Xuan Zhi was well aware that the relationship between Yun Xiao and that top-ranked talent of the Mortal List was not good. If they met on the stage, Feng Hang would certainly not show any restraint.

Such an arena showdown, like the event that had transpired the previous night, would not happen again. With no outside intervention, Xuan Zhi could not believe that Yun Xiao would be a match for a Meridian Rushing Realm prodigy.

The fourth and fifth rounds of the competition concluded within two days, and as expected by everyone, the four who broke into the final battles of the upper and lower brackets were Feng Hang, Shen Xiao, Yun Xiao, and Ling Wan.

There was no need to say more about Feng Hang and Shen Xiao. Yun Xiao continued to display an endless array of methods, truly a dark horse, but for that little fatty Ling Wan, everyone felt it a bit strange.

Because that little fatty’s fighting style was exceedingly dull, seemingly having only the one move of transforming into a fleshball. Yet every time he used this move, no one could withstand his attack, all being bounced out of the arena’s boundary, frustratingly defeated.

This bizarre scene not only amazed the onlookers, but also made Shen Xiao, Ling Wan’s final opponent in the lower bracket, somewhat anxious.

Except for Yun Xiao or their small team, nobody knew of Ling Wan’s special mixed qi. This unique physique, possibly the only one of its kind on the Hidden Dragon Continent, dazzled everyone the first time it was revealed.

It’s worth mentioning that as Ling Wan broke through to the final battle of the lower bracket with unstoppable momentum, one person’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot – Zhao Ningshu of the Zhao Family.

Zhao Ningshu had some suspicions about Ling Wan’s rising strength, but he never expected that this freak who was once looked down upon in his family would actually break into the top four of the Outer Sect competition, competing against Shen Xiao, a super talent in the early stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, for a position in the Inner Sect.

The psychological gap that arose from this was something that only those who experienced it firsthand could understand, as envy rooted in the depths of Zhao Ningshu’s heart spread uncontrollably and refused to fade.

Regardless of what others thought, the final four names of the upper and lower brackets were now settled. Whoever won one of these two battles would become the lucky ones to advance to the Inner Sect.

Of course, the champion of the Outer Sect competition still needed to be determined, which would decide who was the most dazzling talent among this cohort of Outer Sect disciples. It would also determine who would enjoy unique resources upon entering the Inner Sect.

......

Deep into the night, in the courtyard.

In Yun Xiao’s room, a slender figure sat cross-legged on the bed. In the palm of his right hand, he held a bright red crystal that was exceedingly conspicuous within the dimly lit room.

”A Third Rank Advanced Fire Spirit Crystal!”

Yun Xiao murmured to himself, looking somewhat conflicted and indecisive. Tomorrow was the final battle of the first half of the Outer Sect competition, and his opponent this time was Feng Hang, who was at the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm.

That person was the famed top genius of the Mortal List, an exceptional figure undefeated by anyone in the entire Outer Sect. Although it seemed that Yun Xiao had easily taken care of Guan Tong, facing a cultivator at the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, he didn’t have the slightest bit of confidence.

Therefore, after today’s round of the Outer Sect competition ended and he had returned to his courtyard, Yun Xiao locked himself in his room, knowing that if he could not advance his Meridian Qi Cultivation to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm overnight, his chances of winning tomorrow’s battle would not surpass ten percent.

And what else could help Yun Xiao break through to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm in such a short period? He had searched through all the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in his Waist Storage and ultimately set his sights on this Third Rank Advanced Fire Spirit Crystal.

When Yun Xiao took out the Fire Spirit Crystal, he couldn’t help but cast a glance towards a small figure in a corner of the room. It was the Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan, and the crystal was exactly what Chi Yan had given to him.

What puzzled Yun Xiao was that during the Outer Sect competition days, Chi Yan seemed to have fallen into a peculiar state, staying indoors without any concern for the outside world.

Yun Xiao didn’t bother with this, as he was more concerned about tomorrow’s battle with Feng Hang. He knew that since he had snatched away the Fire Spirit Crystal in Yurong Volcano, resulting in Feng Hang’s fruitless return, that person had harbored deep-seated hatred towards him.

Once they encountered each other on the Arena Hall, Feng Hang would definitely show no mercy, so Yun Xiao had to risk it all. In his view, only the Third Rank Advanced Fire Spirit Crystal might allow him to break through to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm in a short time.

”It seems I have to go all out!”

Yun Xiao stared at the Third Rank Advanced Fire Spirit Crystal in his hand for a long while, and finally gritted his teeth. With a low shout, he activated the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, and his right palm began to emit strands of burning hot aura.

”Ah, it hurts!”

The Third Rank Advanced Fire Spirit Crystal contained an extremely wild and powerful Fire Attribute force, a force that would have incinerated a common cultivator at the Late Stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm into ashes.

Fortunately, Yun Xiao himself possessed half of the Fire Attribute, in addition to harboring a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, and with the miraculous Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, aside from feeling the scorching sensation, he did not immediately lose control over his body.

To ensure he completely refined the Fire Spirit Crystal in the shortest time, Yun Xiao had pushed the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique to its limit, even activating the Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein on his right arm—luckily, the Golden Snake Worm did not emerge to cause trouble this time.

The entire room was enveloped in a rich Fire Attribute aura, which would likely burn the eyebrows and beards of any outsider present.

Yun Xiao had previously refined a Third Rank Middle Level Fire Spirit Crystal in the Yulin Mountain Range, so this process was familiar to him, and perhaps the time required would be even less than before.

The night passed quietly.

When the first rays of the morning sun spilled into the courtyard the next day, Ling Wan, Tan Yun, and the others were all up early. However, upon not seeing the punctual Yun Xiao in the courtyard, they exchanged glances.

”It seems Brother Yun Xiao must be at a critical moment in his cultivation; let’s not disturb him!”

Among them, Ling Wan was the strongest. After a brief sensing, he detected the unusual aura emanating from Yun Xiao’s room and spoke up.

Hearing this, Tan Yun nodded. There were only two battles in total today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. As long as Yun Xiao could make it to the Arena Hall before noon, there would be no delay.

”Let’s head to the Arena Hall first then!”

With a final glance towards Yun Xiao’s room, Tan Yun led the group, including Ling Wan, out of the courtyard. In their view, Yun Xiao would not miss such an important day, and there was no need for them to wait foolishly.

However, Tan Yun, Ling Wan, and the rest had no idea what was happening inside that room. In their unawareness, Yun Xiao could very well miss the decisive Outer Sect competition battle.

It was not until Ling Wan and the others had disappeared from the courtyard gate that a surge of formidable power suddenly erupted from the room, nearly shattering the doors and windows with its impact.