After a brief rest, the tournament on the stage continued.
The defeated Ye Fei and Ye Yin took the stage to duel for fourth and fifth place.
The Fifth Elder announced loudly, “Placement match: Ye Fei, Ye Yin, take the stage!”
The two girls leaped onto the bluestone stage one after another, standing at opposite ends.
In this battle, Ye Fei no longer hid her strength.
She no longer suppressed her aura, and her vigorous, stable Houtian Ninth Layer spiritual energy slowly spread outward, a clear realm pressure enveloping the area.
Opposite her, Ye Yin tightly gripped her Mountain-Cleaving Saber, her state of mind open and at peace.
As a member of the Ye family's branch line, she did not have the abundant resources of the direct line; she relied entirely on her own bitter cultivation day and night.
By sheer force, she had fought her way into the top five. Reaching the top five of the family tournament was an unprecedented achievement for the Ye family's branch line in decades.
Ye Yin had long since stayed true to her heart, with not a shred of regret in her mind, only a calm, resolute will to fight.
“Let the match begin!”
As soon as the command was given, Ye Yin was the first to strike.
Executing her Mastery-realm Lost Track Steps to its limit, her figure shifted between illusion and reality as she suddenly lunged forward.
Pouring all her spiritual energy into her Mountain-Cleaving Saber, her Mastery-realm saber technique erupted. The wind of her blade was fierce and overbearing, her slashing momentum sharp and ferocious.
Yet, in front of Ye Fei, who had unleashed her full realm, such a fierce attack was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage.
Ye Fei's expression remained indifferent. With her Mastery-realm Spirit Snake Swim, she lightly stepped and drifted, easily evading all the incoming saber strikes.
Green light flashed from her Mastery-realm Soft Snake Whip as it tore through the air, carrying her Ninth Layer spiritual energy. In an instant, the long whip wrapped around the saber's blade, and her Ninth Layer spiritual energy crashed down with a boom.
The disparity in their realms was instantly laid bare.
Ye Yin only felt a massive force rebound along the blade of her saber. The webbing of her thumb throbbed with numbing pain, and her Eighth Layer spiritual energy was instantly suppressed, turning sluggish and chaotic.
She strained with all her might to break free, but the foundation of a direct line Ninth Layer genius was simply not something she could overcome at present.
With no intention of dragging things out, Ye Fei lightly flicked her fingers, and a sudden burst of energy erupted from the whip.
With a dull thud, the shockwave swept outward. Ye Yin stumbled back several steps, her long saber nearly slipping from her grasp. Her aura was completely shattered, leaving her with no strength left to continue the fight.
The entire match lasted no more than three to five exchanges, clean and decisive.
“Ye Fei wins!” the Fifth Elder announced loudly.
A clamor arose below the stage.
“Ye Fei at her full Ninth Layer strength is just too strong. They're not even in the same league!”
“She didn't even use her full strength when she fought Ye Ling earlier. This is her true power!”
On the high platform, the elders nodded in approval one after another.
The Great Elder spoke slowly, “Ye Fei has a steady temperament. She knows when to advance and retreat, and she understands how to hide her strength.”
“With her restraints lifted today, her combat power is clear at a glance. With the Ninth Layer pressing down on the Eighth Layer, the outcome was never in doubt.”
Everyone's eyes then fell upon Ye Yin, filled with recognition.
The Second Elder sighed with emotion, “Though defeated, she has won honor. As a branch line disciple, Ye Yin fought her way into the top five, achieving the best result for a branch line disciple in the Ye family in decades.”
“Her talent and perseverance are both top-tier. She is well worth nurturing.”
The clan members in the arena all agreed. For decades, branch line disciples had suffered from a lack of resources and limited foundations, always suppressed by the direct line. None had ever been able to touch the top five.
Ye Yin's achievement today had already been written into the records of the Ye family's tournament.
With this, fourth and fifth place were settled.
The atmosphere in the arena was instantly pushed to its peak. Next was the highly anticipated final battle at the summit.
Ye Chen, who had advanced on a bye; the undefeated Ye Ling; and Ye Ling, who dominated the rest of the competition—these three powerhouses stood poised to battle for the top three spots.
The top three would no longer draw lots; instead, a round-robin format would be used. The three would take turns facing one another, with the final rankings determined by the number of victories.
The Fifth Elder's voice reverberated through the arena, “First round: Ye Chen versus Ye Ling!”
As soon as the command was given, the entire martial arts arena instantly erupted into a clamor, drawing everyone's eyes.
The pre-match predictions began to lean entirely to one side.
In everyone's eyes, although Ye Chen was the biggest dark horse of this tournament—his fifteen-year-old Houtian Seventh Layer cultivation was stunning, having advanced through byes and repeatedly defeated powerful foes with combat power far exceeding his ordinary peers—he had only recently made his breakthrough, and the gap in their realms was simply too wide.
On the other hand, Ye Ling was the grand young master of the direct line, the long-established number one of his generation, and a solid Houtian Ninth Layer cultivator. With his Mastery-realm Mountain-Splitting Sword and great perfection Wind-Treading Steps, his combat power was vigorous and overbearing. Having just won a fierce battle against Ye Fei, who was also at the Ninth Layer, his foundation, roots, and realm crushed his opponent in every aspect.
The two figures stepped onto the stage one after another, facing each other.
Ye Ling stood with his sword in hand, his Houtian Ninth Layer spiritual energy spreading heavily. His aura was steady and overbearing, his eyes carrying a hint of recognition for his junior, yet he also held the absolute confidence of certain victory.
Having experienced a hundred battles, he believed he could easily secure victory against Ye Chen, who was only at the Houtian Seventh Layer.
Ye Chen stood alone, his figure slender and youthful. His Seventh Layer cultivation was openly displayed, appearing completely ordinary, without a single shred of sharp edge about him.
“Let the match begin!”
As soon as the command was given, Ye Ling immediately went all out.
Suddenly executing his Wind-Treading Steps, he channeled spiritual energy into his legs, using the momentum to leap into the air and charge forward fiercely.
His Mountain-Splitting Sword slashed down with a boom, the sword force heavy and profound. Unleashing his Ninth Layer spiritual energy to its absolute limit, the wind of his blade howled, filled with immense momentum.
He wanted to end the fight quickly, intending to take down this dark horse junior in just a few moves.
But at the exact instant the blade was about to strike, Ye Chen moved.
Using some unknown movement technique, his figure spun lightly, evading the strike perfectly. His footwork was smooth and fluid, without a single flaw.
With his first strike hitting empty air, Ye Ling followed up with another, each strike faster than the last, unleashing one technique after another.
Yet Ye Chen was like a slippery eel, dodging left and right, managing to evade every single strike just in time. No matter how Ye Ling attacked, he simply could not touch him.
At the same time, Ye Chen also drew his sword. Though his cultivation was only at the Seventh Layer and his spiritual energy was far less robust than Ye Ling's, his swordplay was astonishingly exquisite.
Every move was executed to perfection—blocking when he needed to block, dodging when he needed to dodge, and occasionally counterattacking with a strike from an incredibly tricky angle.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The continuous clashing of their swords rang out as stray sword Qi scattered across the stage.
Everyone below the stage was dumbfounded.
They had expected Ye Ling to win in a few moves, but after fighting for so long, not only had Ye Chen not lost, but he also stood firmly on the stage, trading blows back and forth with Ye Ling.
Ye Ling grew increasingly anxious as the fight went on. He used every trick in his arsenal—using the Wind-Treading Steps to leap and ambush, slashing with all his might using the Mountain-Splitting Sword, executing technique after technique—yet he simply could not land a hit on Ye Chen.
Every time he was on the verge of landing a blow, the opponent would always evade or block with his sword at the perfect moment.
He had never encountered such an opponent. The other boy's movement technique and swordplay had both been trained to the absolute limit, leaving not a single flaw to exploit.
The crowd below fell into a dead silence. Everyone stood with their mouths agape, speechless.
“What... what movement technique is that?”
“Ye Ling's fierce onslaught was actually completely blocked?”
“He didn't use his full strength before at all!”
On the high platform, the elders all stood up, their eyes wide with shock.
“Great perfection! That is absolutely a martial art at the great perfection realm!”
“At fifteen years old, two martial arts at great perfection?”
After a prolonged battle, Ye Ling's spiritual energy consumption grew larger and larger, and anxiety began to creep into his heart. As he slashed out with a move, he was a fraction of a second too slow.
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed as he seized this flaw.
His long sword pierced forward, swift and precise, passing right through the gap in Ye Ling's sword force.
With a sharp clang, Ye Ling's wrist went numb, and his sword flew from his hand as he was forced back several steps by the impact.
The Fifth Elder froze for a moment before announcing loudly, “Ye Chen wins!”
The entire arena instantly erupted into a frenzy.
Before the match, everyone had believed Ye Ling was guaranteed to win. In the end, this Seventh Layer youth whom no one favored had actually managed to turn the tables and defeat the Ninth Layer Ye Ling, relying entirely on his two great perfection martial arts.
On the stage, Ye Chen sheathed his sword and stood still, his expression remaining calm, devoid of any smugness.
It was as if winning this match was nothing more than an ordinary occurrence.
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