Chapter 50: True Qi Breaking the Astral Barrier

“Breeze Stroking the Willows!”

As Ling Feng unleashed this technique, the crowd below the stage erupted in gasps.

By executing this move with Astral Qi, both its power, speed, and unpredictability had increased severalfold.

Was Ling Xiao still undefeated?

“A pity. That boy Ling Xiao could have maintained his winning streak, but unfortunately, he ran into Ling Feng with his condensed Astral Qi,” Ling Zhan, ranked fourth in the Hall of Geniuses, sighed from the spectator stands.

“If Ling Zhan says so, he must be right.”

“Let’s see how you dodge this!”

A look of venomous excitement flashed in Ling Feng's eyes; he knew victory was only a step away.

Many in the crowd wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Ling Chong, Ling Tie Shou, and Ling Zi Ran had all been defeated by Ling Xiao. Being narrow-minded, they remained resentful of their losses. To them, having a little beggar riding over their heads was a disgrace!

Ling Yu’s expression was even more vivid. Her pretty face flushed with excitement as she stood up tremblingly, eagerly awaiting the moment Ling Xiao would fall.

She wanted to cheer!

If it weren't for Ling Xiao, she too would have advanced to the semi-finals instead of being eliminated in this grand competition of ten thousand people.

As the incredibly eerie "Breeze Stroking the Willows Sword" technique closed in on Ling Xiao, some felt worry, some felt excitement, and of course, some felt joy.

However, facing this move, Ling Xiao simply let out a loud laugh. "Come then!"

He then threw out both his fists.

In that instant, a faint phantom of True Qi emerged from his body.

It was still a wild bull, but this bull was different. The phantom was significantly larger than before, and its horns were longer.

“It’s still a basic martial art?” a referee cried out in shock.

“No, that’s not right. This is no longer within the realm of basic martial arts; this should be at least a high-grade martial art!” The head referee shook his head. “This kid can actually modify martial arts himself?”

Ling Xiao certainly didn't have the ability to modify martial arts on his own; this was all thanks to the "Bull Demon Art" and his Mountain-River Martial Soul.

“Bull Demon Art: Demonized Wild Bull!”

With a roar, terrifying True Qi surged into his fists. Those fists acted exactly like the horns of a bull demon, thrusting directly against the sword qi of Ling Feng’s "Breeze Stroking the Willows Sword."

“A pity that even a high-grade martial art cannot contend with Astral Qi!”

“Hmph, Ling Xiao is truly overestimating himself. He’d be better off just admitting defeat!”

“He’s young; it’s normal to be arrogant,” many family experts on the stands remarked, none of them particularly optimistic about Ling Xiao's punch.

“Die! Ling Xiao, fall before me!”

Ling Feng roared, finally releasing the fury that had been building in his chest. First, countless willow-like strands of sword qi struck Ling Xiao simultaneously.

*Slap! Slap! Slap...*

The continuous attacks hitting Ling Xiao's body sounded like rain striking the ground.

“It’s not over yet!”

The willow-strand sword qi wasn't strong enough to break through Ling Xiao's defense. While Ling Feng was surprised, it was within his expectations. His true killing move was the "Wind Kill" hidden within the willow sword qi!

“Hmph! Your Astral Qi is nothing special!”

Ling Xiao felt somewhat disappointed. It seemed the concentration of Astral Qi determined its power. Ling Feng, who had only managed to form Astral Qi in one martial vein, truly wasn't qualified to force him to use his own Astral Qi, let alone his stronger moves.

“Get lost!”

Ling Xiao roared, his fists slamming into the gale composed of Astral Qi.

At that moment, Ling Xiao looked more like a bull demon encased in True Qi, his silhouette appearing to grow larger.

*BOOM!*

First, the willow-strand sword qi was blasted into fragments.

*CLANG!*

The Astral Qi that had condensed into wind was sent flying straight back!

“What?!”

“Such a domineering punch!”

“Is that still True Qi?”

“A high-grade martial art at Great Perfection! It must be! Good lad, I didn't expect him to not only upgrade the 'Wild Bull Strength' but also cultivate it to Great Perfection. Wait, no—even at Great Perfection, it wouldn't be this powerful. This is the Transformation Realm!”

“A high-grade martial art in the Transformation Realm! How is that possible?!”

The sharp-eyed experts finally discovered the crux of the matter. First, it was a basic martial art in the Transformation Realm, and now a high-grade one. Just how many secrets did this Ling Xiao still have hidden away?

While they were reeling in shock, Ling Feng’s face was filled with terror.

His Astral Qi was completely exhausted. Facing Ling Xiao's punch, he had no room to resist and could only hastily swing his sword to block.

*CLANG!*

The longsword was knocked flying!

*THUD!*

“AAAAAH—!”

It was clean and decisive. Ling Feng was helpless; his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, and the blood from his mouth sprayed through the air in a graceful arc. He flew over ten meters before crashing heavily onto the ground.

This scene stunned everyone! Including the disciples of the Hall of Geniuses, and even Ling Yihang!

Using True Qi to clash directly with Astral Qi—it was unheard of!

They had no way of knowing that Ling Xiao's body had been strengthened by the Mountain-River Martial Soul to a terrifying degree. For a martial artist of the same level, even comprehending Astral Qi was meaningless; it simply couldn't break his defense.

*Whoosh—!*

Retracting his fists, Ling Xiao calmed his surging True Qi. Although he wasn't injured, it was his first time facing an opponent with Astral Qi, and his internal True Qi was a bit turbulent.

“This... this is too domineering! He's only thirteen, yet he can create his own martial arts? And he used True Qi to overpower Astral Qi and won! Such a genius... even Ling Feifan couldn't compare!”

Many clan elders stood up, including the extremely powerful head referee. He had already thought highly of Ling Xiao, but this battle had left him utterly astonished!

“It seems I made a bit too much noise,” Ling Xiao scratched his head. He hadn't expected Ling Feng to be so fragile. He estimated that if his opponent had been Ling Yixue or Ling Yihang, he wouldn't have been able to win with True Qi alone. Ling Feng was still lacking in that regard.

“Ling Xiao wins!”

The head referee personally announced the victor of the match. Despite the shock, there were still two matches left; the elimination rounds had to continue.

“Feng'er!”

Ling Shisan turned into a blur, rushing toward his son and hurriedly injecting internal energy to help him heal.

“Feng'er, are you alright?”

“Father, I lost! I actually lost! How could I lose to that little beggar! Father, you must avenge me!”

Lying on the ground, Ling Feng was motionless. The backlash from his Astral Qi had caused him to reap what he had sown; his meridians were almost completely severed.

One couldn't blame Ling Xiao; that Astral Qi belonged to Ling Feng, and it was Ling Feng's own failure to control it.

Ling Feng was quickly carried away by the people from the Medicine Hall to be treated. It was estimated that he wouldn't be able to participate in the upcoming duel against Ling Yihang. However, it didn't matter; he wouldn't be able to recover within a month, meaning his participation in this year's grand competition was effectively over. The harsh words he had thrown at Ling Xiao had ultimately come back to haunt him.

“You monster! What grievance could my son have with you that you would use such a cruel method! You've shattered his meridians and torn his martial veins!”

Watching his son being carried away, Ling Shisan exploded in rage. Ignoring the rules, he leaped onto the combat stage. He knew the Ling family had rules against killing family members, but in his fury, he couldn't care less. Besides, even if he couldn't kill him, surely he could at least cripple Ling Xiao!