Chapter 51: The Struggle for First Place

"Fifth level of the Martial Vein! Second layer of the Astral Qi stage! I am no match for him!"

Ling Xiao frowned. With his current state, it would be impossible to defeat Ling Shisan without a breakthrough.

However, escaping would be no problem.

But Ling Xiao did not flee.

He intended to try!

Perhaps in the midst of danger, he could actually break through against the tide?

True geniuses are all madmen; if one didn't dare to take even a little risk, how could they ever progress?

The opponent's aura was terrifying. That powerful presence, combined with the Astral Qi permeating his entire body, exerted immense pressure on Ling Xiao just by standing there.

Yet, the greater the pressure, the stronger Ling Xiao's fighting intent became.

The Astral Qi within his body was already stirring restlessly!

Ninety percent!

Ninety-two percent!

Ninety-three percent!

...

Ninety-nine percent!

Under the terrifying pressure, the True Qi within Ling Xiao's body continuously converted into Astral Qi. His third Martial Vein had already converted to over ninety-nine percent.

He was only one step away from breaking through to the fourth level of the Martial Vein.

It could be said that he could break through at any moment!

His accumulation was more than sufficient!

As expected, staying was the right choice!

Ling Xiao was filled with excitement. If he had turned and fled just now, even Ling Shisan might not have been able to catch him using the "Cloud-Soaring Steps: Dragon Transformation."

But achieving such massive progress would have been absolutely impossible.

"Lord Shisan, I merely blocked Ling Feng's attack. The reason he was seriously injured was due to his own Astral Qi backlash; what does that have to do with me?"

Ling Xiao spoke indifferently while continuing to temper the True Qi in his body.

"You brat! Even at a time like this, you dare to quibble? Fine! Out of respect for the fact that you are a disciple of the Ling family, I shall spare your life! But I must cripple you!"

With that, Ling Shisan no longer hesitated.

He struck directly toward Ling Xiao's chest with a palm.

"Enough!"

Just as Ling Xiao was preparing to use his Astral Qi to fight with everything he had, the Chief Referee intervened in time.

With a simple block, Ling Shisan's attack was neutralized into nothingness, losing all its power.

"Elder! He is ruthless and has harmed my son so cruelly. Are you just going to turn a blind eye to this?"

In front of the Chief Referee, Ling Shisan possessed no courage to resist. No matter how angry he was, he could still distinguish between strength and weakness.

If he dared to move, he would certainly not come out of this unscathed today.

"This is the Competitive Plaza! This is the venue for the Grand Tournament! It is not a place for your tantrums!"

The Chief Referee said coldly.

His meaning was clear: attacking Ling Xiao on the day of the Grand Tournament was unacceptable, but outside of the tournament, he would not interfere.

Ling Shisan seemed to understand the Referee's meaning. He shot a cold glance at Ling Xiao and said, "Kid, I'll give the Elder face today, but my son's vengeance will surely be avenged!"

Having said that, he turned and soared into the sky.

It could be said that compared to the insidious and cunning Ling Jiu, this Ling Shisan was straightforward, yet even more ruthless.

Ling Jiu still cared about Old Master Ling's opinion, but Ling Shisan did not care, because he knew he could never become the head of the Ling family—he lacked the talent.

Therefore, his claim that he would seek revenge on Ling Xiao was absolutely no lie.

"Young man, look after yourself. Everyone must take responsibility for their own actions; no one else can help you!"

The Chief Referee gave Ling Xiao a faint glance. He wasn't taking sides; he was simply stating a truth.

"This junior understands!"

Ling Xiao naturally knew what he had to face. But was he expected to show mercy when dealing with Ling Feng?

He couldn't do that.

To show mercy out of fear of the opponent's father would clearly damage his martial will.

It would be a losing trade.

"He actually won! He was actually fearless even when facing Ling Feng's father! What is going on? What on earth is happening..."

In the crowd, Ling Yu, who had been flushed with excitement, now had a face as pale as death, almost devoid of any color.

She had originally expected Ling Feng to defeat Ling Xiao so that she could return the humiliation she had suffered back onto him.

But instead, she had fallen from the clouds directly into an abyss, feeling utter despair.

Was this the same little beggar she used to bully at will?

Without realizing it, he had grown to such a level.

It was impossible not to feel regret.

Ling Yu truly regretted not persevering, not staying by Ling Xiao's side.

That waste, Ling Feng, was indeed useless.

A trace of venomous resentment flickered in her eyes as she stared coldly at Ling Xiao, seemingly contemplating something.

Since Ling Feng was heavily injured, the battle between Ling Yihang and Ling Feng naturally could not proceed.

Thus, the most exciting moment arrived.

"This is the final match of the elimination rounds: Ling Yihang versus Ling Xiao!"

Currently, these were the two disciples maintaining winning streaks.

The former was the number one of the Elite Hall, while the latter was the biggest dark horse of this elimination round.

This naturally drew the attention of countless people.

Ling Shuang, ranked third in the Genius Hall, arrived.

Ling Yun, ranked second in the Genius Hall, also arrived.

Only Ling Feifan had yet to appear.

"Oh? That's a bit unexpected. I thought it would be Ling Yihang and Ling Yixue competing for first place, but I didn't expect a dark horse to emerge. This is interesting!"

Like Ling Yixue, Ling Shuang was a girl. Her looks were average, but she had an excellent figure—likely a result of martial training.

Her personality was quite different from Ling Yixue's; though a girl, she was very fiery.

Upon arriving at the spectator stands, she smiled and shared her thoughts while looking at Ling Yihang and Ling Xiao on the stage.

"Junior Sister, who do you think will win between these two?" Ling Yun asked calmly.

"I can't tell," Ling Shuang said, shaking her head.

"You can't tell?"

The surrounding crowd was somewhat puzzled.

In their minds, the result was obvious. Ling Yihang had long since mastered the conversion of Qi into Astral Qi and was already a peak third-level Martial Vein warrior.

Meanwhile, Ling Xiao had not even revealed any Astral Qi as of yet.

By that comparison, it was obvious that Ling Yihang would win.

"Exactly, I can't tell. This Ling Xiao is very mysterious. I think he definitely has other trump cards. Although I haven't seen his previous battles, a woman's intuition is usually very accurate," Ling Shuang said with a smile.

"Even if he has trump cards, he couldn't possibly be a match for Ling Yihang. Can you guarantee that Ling Yihang doesn't have trump cards of his own?" Ling Yun countered.

"That's why I say I can't tell. These two, including that Ling Yixue, will all be disruptors in this grand final. You all better be careful; it's quite possible that three people from the top ten will be pushed out," Ling Shuang giggled and stopped talking.

Because the two on the field were already locked in.

"Surrender. You are no match for me!"

Ling Yihang kept his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the sky as if Ling Xiao wasn't even worth a glance.

His words proved his contempt and disdain for Ling Xiao.

"That remains to be seen!" Ling Xiao said indifferently.

"You have already qualified for the finals; why insist on making a fool of yourself? My only opponents are the top four of the Genius Hall." Ling Yihang maintained his arrogant demeanor.

"Perhaps that is only because you haven't encountered them yet," Ling Xiao replied with composure.

"Fine. In that case, if you can withstand three of my moves, I will concede." Ling Yihang did not want to waste time.

"Then you are destined to lose!"

Ling Xiao actually didn't want to waste time either. After all, the real battle was meant for the finals; this was merely the elimination round.

Even if he took first place, it would only be the first of the Elite Hall.

"First move!"

Ling Yihang stopped wasting words and threw a plain, unremarkable punch.

The punch was simple, not even considered a martial technique—just a casual strike.

However, this punch was condensed with Astral Qi.

That was enough!