Chapter 40: Prominent Figures

Just like his name, Ling Hu looked quite fierce and imposing. He stood about 1.9 meters tall, not much different from Ling Zhan.

Furthermore, he was heavily muscled.

Standing opposite Ling Xiao, he didn't look like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy at all; he looked more like a grown man.

He didn't even need to strike; just standing there, his aura as a third-level Martial Vein practitioner was enough to make any warrior below the second level tremble.

"Come on! Strength isn't built on empty words!"

Ling Xiao stood there and beckoned him with a wave of his hand. A mere third-level Martial Vein warrior posed absolutely no threat to his current self.

"Arrogant! If you dare use basic martial arts again, I'll show you what real power is!"

"Tiger Fist!"

Ling Hu roared as he lunged toward Ling Xiao, his body appearing as if it had transformed into a ferocious tiger, his momentum quite impressive.

Although it was also an intermediate martial art, it was far more powerful than the intermediate techniques used by the second-level Martial Vein warriors Ling Xiao had encountered previously.

As his True Qi erupted, the power of Ling Hu's punch reached its peak.

His speed and instantaneous explosive power were terrifying!

"No wonder you're confident about ending my winning streak. This punch is indeed quite good. I reckon an ordinary peak third-level Martial Vein warrior wouldn't dare clash with you head-on."

Facing the attack, Ling Xiao was actually speaking while simultaneously performing his own attacking movement.

"But meeting me is destined to be your tragedy. Down you go!"

"Bull Force!"

As his voice fell.

Ling Xiao's fists struck again.

The arena looked as if it were a duel between a fierce tiger and a mighty bull.

"Damn, this kid is way too bold! Facing Ling Hu's Tiger Fist, he actually uses the basic Bull Force?"

"Hmph! He's looking for death!"

Boom!

This was an absolute collision of pure strength.

A figure was sent flying directly backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Ling Hu's stout, 180-jin body landed flat on his back in a humiliating sprawl, his nose smashed and bleeding.

Two of his incisors were even knocked out.

Ah—!

How could this be!

The jaws of the spectators dropped to the floor.

"Number 9588 wins, thirty-three consecutive victories!"

Only after the referee announced the result did many people realize what had happened.

This was simply monstrous!

Another single move!

Another basic martial art!

Thirty-three consecutive wins!

Many people who had looked down on Ling Xiao immediately shut their mouths; their faces were stinging from the slap of reality.

Hadn't they said Ling Xiao didn't dare use Bull Force against a third-level Martial Vein warrior?

As it turned out, not only did he do it, but he won in a single move!

"Let's go!"

Ling Ziran left with a dark expression.

His only thought now was to encounter Ling Xiao as soon as possible and teach him a lesson personally; otherwise, Ling Xiao's prestige would soon surpass his own.

"Brother Ziran, that Ling Xiao is hard to deal with. I'm afraid we won't be able to win."

As Ling Yu spoke these words, a cunning smile flickered across the corners of her mouth; this was clearly an attempt to sow discord.

"Hmph, don't worry. That Ling Hu is only ranked 140th and has only learned intermediate martial arts. I am ranked 20th, and I have learned advanced martial arts!"

Ling Ziran was indeed provoked.

That was just the nature of men.

Even if they were only fifteen or sixteen-year-old youths, they wouldn't want a beautiful girl saying another man was stronger than them.

Moreover, Ling Ziran truly hadn't realized how powerful Ling Xiao was; the reason Ling Xiao could maintain his winning streak was simply that his opponents were too weak.

Ling Yu smiled and said, "Alright, Brother Ziran, don't be angry. Let's focus on our own matches first. We'll have a chance to meet eventually."

As time went on, more and more people began to follow Ling Xiao's progress.

Thirty-four consecutive wins!

Forty-five consecutive wins!

Sixty consecutive wins!

Ninety consecutive wins!

A miracle!

An absolute miracle!

The referees were all shocked.

By the time they reached the ninetieth round, because many of the weaker disciples had been eliminated, the remaining contestants were mostly third-level Martial Vein warriors.

For a period of time, Ling Xiao encountered ten third-level Martial Vein warriors in a row, and he managed to defeat every single one of them easily with a single move.

And he was still using the basic martial art, Bull Force.

Perhaps stimulated by Ling Xiao, Ling Ziran's fighting style suddenly became much more ruthless.

As a result, by the ninetieth round, most disciples would proactively surrender as soon as they stepped onto the stage, allowing Ling Ziran to win even more easily.

Both men had ninety consecutive wins.

So far, they had not met.

In truth, the referee group did not particularly want the two to face each other.

Since they were both standouts among the tens of thousands, it would be a better outcome if they could both successfully reach a hundred consecutive wins to enter the next round.

During the meal breaks, the most discussed topic was still Ling Xiao and Ling Ziran.

"Senior Brother, that Ling Xiao uses basic martial arts to defeat his enemies in a single, decisive move! Meanwhile, Ling Ziran uses sheer strength to force many people to surrender automatically. If these two were to face each other, who do you think would win?"

"In my opinion, Ling Ziran has a better chance of winning. After all, Ling Ziran knows advanced martial arts. No matter how well Ling Xiao uses his basic martial arts, they are still just basic martial arts; they will be useless against Ling Ziran!"

"Mhm, that makes sense. As expected of your insight, Senior Brother! I also think Ling Xiao is quite good, it's just a pity he hasn't learned better martial arts!"

"I don't quite agree. I think Ling Xiao has a better chance of winning."

By this point, Ling Xiao had already gained fans.

"Why do you say that?"

"I watched the duel between Ling Xiao and Ling Tiehand. The lightness skill and movement technique Ling Xiao used was something even Ling Yixue might struggle to match. And in this elimination tournament, Ling Xiao hasn't even used that movement technique yet."

"That's not necessarily true. Ling Ziran hasn't used his advanced martial arts yet either; he's been using intermediate martial arts all this time."

While the battles on stage were heating up, debates were unfolding below.

Previously, Ling Xiao had no status in the Ling family, so it was impossible for him to have supporters.

However, this ten-thousand-person elimination tournament had granted him a following.

Most of these people had experiences similar to his; they were all recruited from the outside and had suffered bullying.

To them, Ling Xiao was essentially their hero archetype!

After eating and resting for about half an hour, the competition resumed.

The sky was gradually darkening. It was estimated that by the time Ling Xiao completed his hundredth victory, the day's matches would come to an end.

The rest would continue tomorrow.

Warriors were human too; they needed rest.

However, to his surprise, in the ninety-first match, he actually encountered Ling Yu!

The girl who had once been both loved and hated by him.

But now, he felt only disappointment and disdain.

Standing on the stage, Ling Xiao looked at Ling Yu indifferently.

"Didn't expect this, did you, Ling Yu? That little beggar you used to bully has now become your nightmare!"

"Hee hee, Brother Ling Xiao, don't say such unpleasant things. Come to think of it, I was young back then and didn't know how to cherish a little beggar. I was a bit willful, but I never did anything too extreme."

Ling Yu looked at Ling Xiao with a giggle and actually walked toward him slowly, showing no intention of defending herself.

"What's going on with these two? This is a martial arts competition, not a chat session. Why are they talking?"

The people below were getting restless; the behavior of the two on stage felt boring to them.

"Is that so? Do you really think I don't know? The one who poisoned the food that time and killed several of my Beggar Sect brothers—wasn't that you?"

"Hee hee, Brother Ling Xiao really loves to joke. How could I do such a thing? Do I look like that kind of person?"

Ling Yu walked up to Ling Xiao with a giggle and actually reached out to grab his arm.

A strange, eerie light flickered in her eyes.

"Secret Technique—Soul Sucking Art!"

(End of Chapter)