The battle erupted in the arena.

Clang!

Cheng Lixue’s thin figure stepped forward with a three-foot-long azure sword in hand as a formidable aura burst forth from his body with intimidating sharpness.

Everyone held their breath in excitement and focused on the battle, afraid to miss any details.

To the cultivators present, this was definitely a match between the peak of the younger generation. After all, Cheng Lixue’s formidable strength had already left a deep impression on them.

On the other hand, the dark horse, Lin Xun, was also no ordinary individual.

The duel between these two young experts naturally drew the attention of the entire martial arena.

Chla!

The air was ripped apart by a flash of azure. The attack was quick as lightning and frighteningly fierce. This was Cheng Lixue’s sword. It felt as if his entire being had become a drawn sword at this very moment.

Lin Xun’s black eyes gleamed brightly. Without hesitation, he drifted forth like a blur of illusory light and clashed against the opponent.

Lin Xun was happy with the strength Cheng Lixue had displayed.

Boom!

The fierce clash made the arena ripple.

Cheng Lixue was very strong. His sword was akin to streaking light, shining radiantly as it slashed through the air. Its fierceness seemed to make the sky change color and had a vague resemblance to the air of an ancient sword immortal.

On the other hand, Lin Xun fought with his bare hands. His presence felt ethereal as he gracefully drifted across the stage while his movements were relaxed and leisurely without any trace of anxiousness.

An uproar swept through the audience as the cultivators loudly applauded and cheered, creating a boisterous scene.

Compared to the boring and meaningless duels from before, this was undoubtedly much more entertaining and wonderful.

“As expected of the person who caught the eye of the Pine Sword Sect. His sword cultivation alone is remarkable among the younger generation!”

“The mysterious youngster isn’t bad either. It’s rare to see someone face Cheng Lixue bare-handed.”

“I wonder who will win.”

“It will definitely be Cheng Lixue!”

“I disagree, it could be the mysterious youngster!”

“Stop arguing, it’s too early to make such claims. Just continuing watching.”

The audience area was buzzing with conversation.

Boom!

Cheng Lixue’s aura grew increasingly ferocious. His clothes fluttered around him as the azure sword continued to stream through the air, releasing dazzling sword qi that could split mountains and rivers.

His sword dao made many cultivators gasp in amazement. They were flabbergasted and unable to imagine how such a youngster had achieved such deep and profound mastery of the sword.

In comparison, Lin Xun’s aura appeared very ordinary or to be more accurate, casual. Every movement gave off a very natural rhythm. Although didn’t do anything special, not once was he suppressed or pushed back by Cheng Lixue at any moment of time.

“One of them is displaying his full offensive might while the other is reserved and controlled. It’s impossible to tell who is stronger.”

Several older-generation cultivators sighed emotionally. They definitely did not possess such strength back when they were in their youth.

It made them sigh. The new generation was truly overflowing with talent!

“Chop!”

A stern look spread from between Cheng Lixue’s brows as his figure began to shine. Astonishing sword qi spurted from the sword in his hand, shaking heaven and earth as killing intent filled the area!

However, no matter how swift or ferocious his sword was, it was always easily neutralized by Lin Xun, who was even able to return each blow with a counterattack of his own.

Bang!

Lin Xun’s fist flew through the air like a white cloud emerging from a mountain peak. Although it didn’t seem like a serious attack, it caused Cheng Lixue to shudder.

“Strong!”

His expression grew increasingly serious, and his eyes were filled with a blazing light that resembled sword qi fiercely erupting from a sword.

It was exhilarating to face Lin Xun. The feeling of having such a worthy opponent filled him with a fighting spirit he had never experienced before and made his blood boil in excitement.

“This is the best!”

Cheng Lixue’s presence grew increasingly ferocious as his sword cried out. His aura roared in excitement and his black hair wildly danced around him as frightening battle intent surged from his body.

“Excellent!”

In the distance, the Pine Sword Sect Elder, Liao Zhen, was overjoyed.

He could tell that Lin Xun was an extremely formidable opponent for Cheng Lixue.

At the same time, fighting such an opponent stimulated Cheng Lixue’s potential, allowing him to hone his abilities in battle.

It was like how a piece of jade needed to be processed and refined to gradually bring out its brilliance and shock the world with its gorgeousness!

Liao Zhen clearly believed that Lin Xun was akin to an excellent whetstone that would sharpen Cheng Lixue!

“Cheng Lixue’s aura is growing stronger!”

The cultivators in the audience had also discovered that Cheng Lixue’s aura was steadily climbing amidst the battle, causing their expressions to change as their hearts jumped in astonishment.

This meant that Cheng Lixue possessed extremely frightening potential and talent which allowed him to grow during the battle.

In contrast, Lin Xun remained as carefree as a cloud. He was calm and composed, never displaying anything special from start to end.

“From the looks of it, the mysterious youngster is going to lose...”

Numerous cultivators concluded.

“Ah, is Big Brother Lin Xun going to lose?”

Xia Xiaochong’s eyes widened as she stared at the arena. Originally, she had been happy to see Lin Xun experience some setbacks, hoping that his arrogance would be taken down a notch.

When that moment arrived, however, she suddenly found herself not wanting to see Lin Xun lose. She felt conflicted as she mumbled to herself, “Winning is no good, but neither is losing. I really am too kind...”

If Lin Xun heard what she said, the corners of his mouth would probably twitch again.

However, he couldn’t care less about Xia Xiaochong at the moment because he was fully immersed in refining his martial dao.

Inside his body, his qi was changing to a completely new state.

His blood and qi were boiling!

His power was raging!

A strange power was rippling through his body, surging to his four limbs and skeleton like a wild horse. It made his skin faintly tremble as if it was desperately trying to suppress something.

His breathing began to follow a unique and powerful rhythm resembling a dragon-whale inhaling water or an ox regurgitating.

It was the seventh transformation of the Tribulation Dragon Nine Transformations―Yazi’s Rage!

It wasn’t a battle technique. Instead, it was a secret art that stimulated one’s potential.

The cultivation of this art would allow the user to enter a state of ‘rage’, allowing the user to release double the power in battle!

The Yazi was an ancient beast with a violent and irritable nature, which made it fierce, overbearing, bloodthirsty, and battle-hungry.

It had the body of a tiger, the head of a dragon, a sword in its mouth, and legs akin to heavenly pillars that could shatter mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon!

In the ancient era, there was a popular saying that the ‘Yazi will definitely retaliate’. It meant that if anyone provoked a Yazi, they would definitely be subject to its crazed revenge.

It was easy to imagine how terrible its temper was.

The technique was named ‘Yazi’s Rage’ because it allowed a cultivator to stimulate and squeeze out their potential, causing their combat power to soar during battle!

Rumble~

Lin Xun’s blood raged in his body as his potential was stimulated, producing a terrifying rumbling noise.

However, he was suppressing the secret art’s activation in order to better study and understand its machinations and essence.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

All of this could not be observed from the outside.

What everyone didn’t know was that while Cheng Lixue was sharpening himself in battle, Lin Xun was also using Cheng Lixue’s attacks to better understand the essence of Yazi’s Rage!

“The ancients once said that a man’s anger could leave five steps of blood, an emperor’s anger could leave a river of blood, and a Yazi’s anger could destroy mountains, the land, and the entire world!”

“This inheritance is terrifying. If cultivated to the extreme, it will allow me to double my combat power!”

“If activated, I will not even need to use the Broken Blade to kill a peak Cyclic Derivation expert!”

“However, this secret art has its disadvantages as well. It decreases the user’s vitality and consumes far too much power. It should only be used to break out of desperate situations and cannot be used in a long fight.”

Various insights came to his mind, deepening Lin Xun’s understanding of Yazi’s Rage.

However, this state of martial dao immersion was soon broken, causing Lin Xun to return to his senses.

Opposite him, Cheng Lixue stopped fighting and kept his sword, causing Lin Xun to be taken aback,

The watching cultivators were also stunned and confused. They had been so engrossed in the exciting duel and never imagined that it would suddenly come to a stop.

What’s going on?

Everyone’s gazes looked toward Cheng Lixue.

“There’s no need to continue, I admit defeat.”

Cheng Lixue wore a calm expression as his fierce, sword-like aura withdrew like the tide, returning to the unshakable pine-tree-like aura.

His words shocked everyone. No one could believe what was happening.

In the earlier battle, Cheng Lixue clearly had the upper hand while his aura was still steadily climbing. Why did he suddenly admit defeat?

It was puzzling and inconceivable.

“I’m not as good as you for now, but things might be different when the battle of the great age arrives.”

Cheng Lixue earnestly gazed at Lin Xun without revealing any emotion. He looked very calm, and there was no trace of any negative emotions someone should have after admitting defeat.

After saying this, he turned around and left, ignoring the crowd’s stunned gazes.

It was as if victory and defeat no longer concerned him.

It was because he had gained enlightenment!

In the earlier battle, he had achieved a new breakthrough in his understanding of sword dao, and there was no longer any point in continuing.

However, Cheng Lixue also felt complicated because the battle had made him realize that he was still lacking compared to Lin Xun...

No matter how strong he grew or how much his aura climbed, he could not even shake Lin Xun in the slightest!

Others might not know how terrifying Lin Xun was, but Cheng Lixue was able to strongly experience it as the other youth’s opponent.

He was a formidable opponent who would be very difficult to defeat when the battle of the great age arrived.

However, Cheng Lixue was unafraid. He believed in himself and his foundations.

“When the battle of the great age arrives, you and I will properly decide the victor between us...”

Cheng Lixue murmured in his heart as he departed under the puzzled, shocked, and confused gazes of the crowd.

His expression remained as calm as a lake from beginning to end.