Chapter 288: Gale (II)

More than an hour later, Lin Zheyu was still sitting cross-legged on the arena in boredom. With no one coming up to challenge him, he felt rather uninterested. He had only just warmed up, yet it was already over, leaving him with an uncomfortable feeling of being stuck halfway. He simply stood up and began practicing the Barbaric Ox Fist in the arena.

Under the gazes of many martial artists watching, marveling, and admiring, Lin Zheyu felt something different. The looks of others seemed to turn into an invisible momentum, influencing his state of mind, strengthening his mental will, and reinforcing the Dominance true intent seed.

"Damn it, a bunch of cowards. If no one dares to come up, then I will."

Suddenly, a burly man stepped out from the crowd, gripping an execution saber as he leapt onto the arena. The blade was extremely wide, like a door plank, and looked quite imposing.

"It is Yue Qinghong. I did not expect him to come as well. His strength is no weaker than Wild Man Luo from earlier."

"No, I heard Wild Man Luo challenged him many times and lost every single time," someone exclaimed.

The murmuring among the martial artists below the arena vanished at once, and they all rushed excitedly to the betting tables nearby to place their wagers.

"I want to bet on Zhao Hao to win.

Uh

, is this a joke? The odds are so low. Forget it, I will take a gamble and bet on Yue Qinghong."

Many martial artists who originally wanted to bet on Lin Zheyu immediately changed their minds after seeing the odds. Lin Zheyu had only fought three matches so far, not even ten yet, so the maximum bet was only four thousand. With odds of one to ten, the winnings from a victory were not even enough to fill the gaps between teeth.

"Master Yang, this Yue Qinghong is the most outstanding descendant of the Yue Family in this generation and is quite famous even in Wuling City. The odds you set... Well, is the gap not a bit too large? Is the difference in strength between Yue Qinghong and Zhao Hao really that great?" The man in charge of the betting table could not help but ask after seeing the odds.

Yue Qinghong was a well-known figure in Wuling City. Although he did not know why Yue Qinghong did not attend the core gatherings of the martial exchange assembly and instead appeared here, this man's strength was extremely terrifying.

"Just watch and see. Yue Qinghong is strong, but his battle awareness is still inferior to that of Wild Man Luo from earlier. When he runs into Zhao Hao, whose movement techniques have reached a superb level, it will be difficult for him to fully display his strength," the old man surnamed Yang said with a smile.

He leisurely rocked his reclining chair and took a sip of wine. Catching a familiar figure approaching out of the corner of his eye, he turned his head with a smile and said, "Baizhong, you finally arrived."

"Greetings, Elder Yang." Huang Baizhong saluted the old man surnamed Yang.

"What do you think of that lad? A pretty good martial seed," Elder Yang said with a smile as he pointed at Zhao Hao.

"This Dominance aura is very solid. It seems he has condensed a Dominance true intent seed. A decent martial seed indeed." Huang Baizhong looked at Zhao Hao and nodded.

Those who could comprehend the true intent seed all possessed excellent martial temperaments. With such a mindset, they would go further on the martial path than those who comprehended other true intents. However, that was all. As one of the top sects in the Guanghua Region, the Wuji Sect had countless disciples with outstanding talent and aptitude who came to seek instruction.

Huang Baizhong had seen all kinds of genius martial artists. Among so many geniuses, only a handful truly managed to grow. Comprehending a Dominance true intent seed was only enough to make him look a bit more closely.

"

Heh

, keep watching. How long do you think that Yue Family boy can last?" Elder Yang said with a smile.

"You hold him in such high regard? Then I will watch carefully." Hearing Elder Yang ask this, Huang Baizhong could not help feeling surprised and looked curiously toward the arena. Anyone who could earn such attention from Elder Yang must have something extraordinary about them.

Bang!

Yue Qinghong leapt onto the arena and landed with a dull thud. The door plank wide execution saber in his hand made Lin Zheyu take a few extra glances.

"What an imposing saber," Lin Zheyu praised.

"Yue Qinghong, here to learn from your skills," Yue Qinghong said calmly.

"Zhao Hao," Lin Zheyu replied briefly.

The two clasped fists and saluted each other. As the referee gave the signal, Yue Qinghong immediately raised his saber and charged toward Lin Zheyu. The massive execution saber seemed weightless in his hands. With a light swing, it stirred up a terrifying gale that made Lin Zheyu's clothes flap loudly. His control over the wind was extremely strong, and Lin Zheyu could clearly feel the force of the wind generated by the broad blade acting upon his body.

"So you comprehended Wind true intent. But without true strength, it is somewhat lacking," Lin Zheyu said calmly. His figure flickered and instantly vanished from where he stood.

"You are saying that too early. Even without condensing true strength, with my powerful perception of the wind, every gale I raise is an extension of my senses. No matter how fast you are, I can sense your position through the wind." Yue Qinghong's voice came from within the raging wind.

Under the stirring of his execution saber, the entire arena was filled with surging gales, yet his voice was transmitted with perfect clarity.

"Is that so? Then I would like to experience it."

Lin Zheyu's figure drifted unpredictably around Yue Qinghong like a ghostly shadow. The fierce gales made his clothes flap loudly, yet they did not affect his speed whatsoever.

Crack, crack, crack.

Because his movement speed was too fast, his clothes snapped against the gales, producing cracking sounds. As Lin Zheyu moved rapidly, the sharp crackling echoed across the entire arena.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, the execution saber slashed out from within the gale, chopping fiercely toward Lin Zheyu's back. Lin Zheyu abruptly shifted to the right, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The saber continued to slash again and again. Just as Yue Qinghong had said, relying on his powerful perception of the wind, the gales raised by the execution saber seemed to transform into extensions of his senses. With this ability, he could quickly lock onto Lin Zheyu's position. Unfortunately, his speed was still too slow.

The corner of Lin Zheyu's mouth lifted slightly as he said calmly, "If this is all the strength you have, then you should step down."

As his words fell, his speed increased once more. The Violet Thunder Dominance Fist breathing method was activated. Thunder rumbled, mixed with the howl of gales, while snapping sounds rang out as his clothes lashed against the wind.

"Go ahead and see if you can get within two meters of me," Yue Qinghong said calmly.

He was extremely confident in his own strength. With the enhancement of the Wind true intent, his perception within two meters of his body was terrifyingly sharp. As long as the opponent dared to approach, the execution saber in his hand would come crashing down.

Clang.

Lin Zheyu did not reply. What Yue Qinghong was an incomparably fierce punch. The fist clad in a tungsten glove slammed straight into the body of the execution saber. The blade trembled violently, producing a terrifying clang. Yue Qinghong felt the horrifying force transmitted through the blade, and his expression changed drastically. He exerted all his strength, gripping the saber handle with both hands as he struggled to stabilize it.

An inch longer meant an inch stronger, while an inch shorter meant an inch more dangerous. This execution saber followed the same principle. Its power was indeed formidable, but to Lin Zheyu, the excessively broad blade made its attack trajectory far too obvious. With the Wind true intent augmenting his perception, Yue Qinghong's awareness was truly terrifying. The moment Lin Zheyu approached, the execution saber would slash down with a sharp whoosh. Since he could not get close directly, striking the opponent's saber achieved the same effect.

Not good!

Yue Qinghong's heart tightened as he focused all his strength on stabilizing the execution saber. Within his perception, Lin Zheyu was closing in at an astonishing speed. By the time Yue Qinghong tried to swing his saber, it was already too late. The moment spent steadying the trembling blade had cost him nearly a full second. For a martial artist like Lin Zheyu who excelled in movement techniques, a single second was enough to decide the outcome of a battle.

Rumble. Crack.

Thunder roared as the fist surged forward, piercing through the turbulent wind raised by the execution saber. His sleeves snapped loudly in the rushing air.

Swoosh!

His fist halted abruptly just one millimeter from Yue Qinghong's throat.

"You have lost."

A calm voice rang out, causing Yue Qinghong's arm, which was about to bring the saber down, to freeze instantly.

The raging winds swirling around them came to a halt. Cold sweat streamed down Yue Qinghong's forehead. In that brief instant just now, he had felt death looming extremely close. If that punch had landed, even if he did not die, he would have been gravely injured.

"Thank you for showing mercy." Yue Qinghong stepped back and cupped his fists.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and said solemnly, "I will come again. We will meet again in two days."

"Alright." Lin Zheyu nodded in reply.

After Yue Qinghong leapt down from the arena, he swept his gaze across the spectators below. Though he said nothing, the terrifying presence pressed down on them, leaving them unwilling to meet Lin Zheyu's eyes.

"What incredible movement techniques. Such overwhelming strength, to the point that one punch nearly made Yue Qinghong lose his grip on the saber," Huang Baizhong exclaimed, admiration evident in his eyes.

No wonder he had earned such high regard from Elder Yang. With this level of strength, even within the Wuji Sect, only the very top dozen or so genius disciples could contend with him.

"Not bad, right? That youngster is probably trying to borrow the momentum of others to nurture his Dominance true intent seed and accelerate its condensation. If he can keep winning and obtain the title of a hundred undefeated victories, he might even directly condense Dominance true intent," Elder Yang said with a cheerful smile.

His insight was exceptionally sharp. Seeing Lin Zheyu absorb the emotions and gazes of the spectators below the arena, with his presence continuously rising, he immediately discerned Lin Zheyu's intentions. Just as he had said, Lin Zheyu indeed harbored such thoughts. He simply felt that each victory planted a seed of invincibility in the audience's hearts. As fear and admiration toward him took shape, his Dominance true intent seed would also surge and grow stronger.