Chapter 1460: Not Tough at All

"Come!"

As soon as Xu Qing stepped onto the stage, he did not attack recklessly like Wu Jian. He lowered his stance slightly and took up a defensive posture.

Ling Feng's strength was purely physical and extremely powerful. The best approach was to wait for him to attack first, then counter.

On the high platform, Donghuang Xuanyi gave a slight nod. Xu Qing was experienced. From Ling Feng's earlier fight with Wu Jian, he had already found a small opening.

In battle, attacking often exposes a gap in defense. If the opponent seizes that moment, especially someone like Ling Feng with overwhelming strength, one punch is enough to decide the match.

That was exactly how Wu Jian lost.

Learning from that, Xu Qing chose not to attack. Instead, he activated a defensive technique. He stood steady on the stage like a great bell, unmoving.

"Eight Gates Returning Heaven Lock!"

Xu Qing let out a low roar. At once, energy flowed around his body like ripples, forming a faint glowing shield on his surface.

He spread his hands slightly and stayed fully on guard.

This was a defensive technique with almost no blind spots. No matter where the attack came from, he could rely on his energy shield and quick counters to deflect it and push the opponent back.

Ling Feng gave a faint smile and said calmly, "Ready?"

Xu Qing snorted. "Just attack!"

Ling Feng's strength came from his body, and his raw power was terrifying. But his weakness was also obvious.

His cultivation level was still low. Maintaining that level of power would drain him. Once his energy dropped, his speed would slow. When that happened, he would not be able to keep up with a Great Emperor. No matter how strong he was, he would just be a brute.

Xu Qing's plan was simple. Wear him down!

With the Eight Gates Returning Heaven Lock, he believed he could outlast Ling Feng and win.

"Alright, here I come!"

Ling Feng smiled and charged forward like lightning.

Xu Qing had thought things through, but his understanding was incomplete.

Ling Feng's Dragon-Elephant Divine Strength was powerful, but his soul attacks were even more dangerous!

Xu Qing felt a slight unease. He trusted his defense, but Ling Feng's smile made him uneasy.

As Ling Feng's punch came in, Xu Qing stared without blinking.

Then Ling Feng suddenly grinned. "Senior Brother, staring into my eyes comes with a price."

Xu Qing froze for a moment. He sensed something was wrong, but could not tell what.

"Terrifying Gaze!"

By the time he realized it, it was too late.

In an instant, it felt as if two steel needles stabbed into his mind, then split into countless fine strands, piercing through his entire sea of mind.

"

Ah!

"

Xu Qing clutched his eyes, his body trembling violently. No one could see what he was experiencing, but it was far worse than the beating Wu Jian had taken.

He had focused only on defending against Ling Feng's strength and completely ignored his mental attack. He had even stared directly into Ling Feng's eyes to track his movements.

That mistake cost him everything.

Under such focus, taking a direct hit from the Terrifying Gaze severely damaged his soul. Without top-tier medicine or rare treasures to heal it, his future progress would likely stop here.

"

Hehe!

"

Ling Feng did not stop.

The moment Xu Qing's defense broke, Ling Feng threw a heavy punch.

Bang!

With a loud crash, Xu Qing's head was smashed straight into the ground, leaving a deep dent with cracks spreading outward.

Blood flowed instantly.

"Ah! What kind of attack was that? My sea of mind! my soul source!"

Fear spread through Xu Qing. Compared to physical pain, the damage to his sea of mind was far worse.

"I told you, staring into my eyes has a price."

Ling Feng's gaze turned cold. Anyone who touched his companions had to pay!

Xu Qing shuddered. Without thinking, he rolled toward the edge of the stage, trying to escape.

But Ling Feng did not let him.

Boom!

Ling Feng moved like lightning and stomped down, driving Xu Qing's entire body into the ground.

"

Ugh!

"

Blood mixed with stomach fluid spilled out. Xu Qing felt dizzy, and before he could react, Ling Feng grabbed his ankles and swung him into the air.

"Not good!"

Xu Qing's face turned pale. The wind roared in his ears as Ling Feng swung him like a hammer and smashed him down.

Bang!

The already cracked stage shattered further. Dust and debris flew everywhere.

Xu Qing lay there, blood pouring from his head. He spat out another mouthful of blood, along with several broken teeth. He looked like he had just crawled out of a pile of corpses.

The older elite disciples turned pale.

Even Xu Qing had been defeated!

And this was only the beginning!

Ling Feng kept swinging him by the ankle and smashing him into the ground again and again.

Each impact made the watching elites flinch.

They could only watch as Xu Qing was beaten until he was covered in blood.

Brutal! Completely brutal!

After a long while, Ling Feng finally let go and tossed Xu Qing off the stage.

He shrugged. "Sigh, too fragile. Next!"

The Great Emperor experts in the waiting area felt their scalps go numb.

Ling Feng stood there in white robes, calm in a pool of blood, with a faint smile on his face.

He looked toward Yuwen Liang and said lightly, "Senior Brother Yuwen, I would also like your guidance. Care to step up?"

His gaze turned cold.

This man was the one behind everything.

The selection used a best-of-five format. Ling Feng had already won two rounds. There was no way he would let Yuwen Liang escape the third!

"You!"

Yuwen Liang swallowed hard. His legs felt heavy, and he could not move.

In terms of strength, he was close to the peak Human Emperor level, similar to Feng Shaoan. He could even defeat early-stage Great Emperors, which was why Donghuang Xuanyi valued him.

But at best, he was on the same level as Xu Qing.

He was nowhere near Donghuang Xuanyi.

With Wu Jian and Xu Qing both crushed, how could he dare step forward?

Author's note: As mentioned earlier, experts at the level of the Ten Young Emperors can already defeat ordinary early-stage Great Emperors. Ling Feng's current true strength is roughly in the upper-middle tier among the Ten Young Emperors.