The second match of the round-robin format: Ye Ling versus Ye Ling.
Before the commotion of Ye Chen's upset victory over Ye Ling could even settle, the second match began.
On the stage, Ye Ling and Ye Ling stood at opposite ends.
Although he had just lost to Ye Chen, Ye Ling still had confidence in his own strength.
He believed that Ye Ling only relied on her movement technique to dodge. Everyone said she was only at the Houtian Seventh Layer, skilled at taking shortcuts but useless in a direct clash.
As long as he pressed forward with all his might, he would surely win.
“Begin!”
As soon as the Fifth Elder's voice fell, Ye Ling rushed forward.
Executing his Wind-Treading Steps to their absolute limit, he channeled spiritual energy into his legs and leaped into the air.
His Mountain-Splitting Sword wrapped in Houtian Ninth Layer spiritual energy. The sword light was heavy and profound, sweeping in wide, powerful arcs. He poured all his strength into every strike, intending to crush Ye Ling in a single blow.
Ye Ling remained calm and unhurried.
With a light step, she executed her Flowing Cloud Movement Technique, her figure unfurling like clouds and drifting with the wind.
The wind of his sword howled as it arrived, seemingly fierce, yet it failed to even touch the hem of her clothes.
After only a few exchanges, Ye Ling had already seen through the flaws in his moves. Unwilling to waste any more time, she decided to end it.
A cold light flashed as her long sword left its sheath.
This strike carried barely any perceptible spiritual energy and lacked any grand momentum, relying purely on speed and precision.
Clang.
The tip of her sword precisely tapped the flaw in his sword force, sending a sliver of clever force slipping inside.
Ye Ling's spiritual energy instantly fell into chaos, and his grip on his sword suddenly failed. The long sword flew from his hand, and he stumbled back several steps, his aura shattered, completely robbed of the strength to fight on.
It took only a single move.
The Fifth Elder announced loudly, “Ye Ling wins!”
An uproar erupted below the stage.
In the crowd, Ye Ling's parents stood frozen on the spot, their faces filled with shock.
They had always known their daughter was diligent and possessed decent cultivation, but they had assumed she was merely somewhat talented among her peers, and that catching up to the top disciples of the family was already a rare feat.
Today's battle proved how wrong they were. The Houtian Ninth Layer Ye Ling had attacked with all his might, yet he was effortlessly defeated by their daughter's single, casual strike. It was a complete and utter domination, leaving him with no room to fight back.
Her father took a deep breath and sighed softly, “Ling'er is actually this powerful? This child hid it too well, keeping even the two of us in the dark.”
Her mother nodded repeatedly, filled with shock and joy. “She's always so quiet at home, never showing off. Who would have thought her trump card would be so formidable? To have made it all this way without ever revealing her true cultivation...”
Her father looked at his daughter standing calmly on the stage, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“Once the tournament is over, we must ask her properly just how far her cultivation has progressed.”
The two looked at each other, their hearts filled with shock and pride.
With both matches concluded, the situation was clear. Having lost both of his matches, the male Ye Ling was out of the running for first place.
The final match would be the true championship battle: Ye Ling versus Ye Chen.
Before the match, the atmosphere in the arena grew tense. Both clan members and elders held their breath.
Ye Chen's strength was obvious to all.
A fifteen-year-old at the Houtian Seventh Layer, he had a lean face, sharp features, and eyes as calm as a deep pool.
Possessing great perfection swordplay and great perfection movement techniques, and having previously defeated the Ninth Layer Ye Ling in a direct clash, his combat power was unmatched among his peers. He was universally recognized as the biggest dark horse and the favorite to win the championship.
Even though Ye Ling had easily dispatched her opponents multiple times, the crowd was still undecided.
“This is the true peak duel. Great perfection martial arts versus the ultimate movement technique.”
“Since Ye Chen could defeat Ye Ling, his combat power is already at the peak of his generation. I'm afraid Ye Ling's streak ends here.”
“Both of them excel at fighting above their realm. This battle will probably last for a hundred rounds.”
On the high platform, the elders looked solemn. Ye Ling's parents also wiped the smiles from their faces, staring intently at the stage.
The two slowly stepped onto the stage and stood facing each other.
Ye Chen was composed, his breathing steady. He knew this was the final match. Though Ye Ling appeared to be only at the Houtian Seventh Layer, she had easily crushed the peak-state Ye Ling. Her strength was unfathomable.
He focused his essence, energy, and spirit to their absolute limits, quietly gathering momentum with his great perfection swordplay and movement technique, fully prepared to give this fight everything he had.
Ye Ling remained as serene as ever. Her spiritual energy was completely restrained; to outsiders, she still seemed to possess an ordinary Houtian Seventh Layer cultivation, releasing not a shred of pressure, quiet and calm as always.
“The final battle begins!”
As soon as the Fifth Elder's voice fell, Ye Chen struck immediately.
Unleashing his great perfection movement technique, his figure became elusive and untraceable, shifting left and right unpredictably.
His long sword left its sheath with a chilling gleam as he executed his great perfection swordplay to its fullest.
He pushed his Seventh Layer spiritual energy to its peak, his sharp sword force weaving a dense web of strikes that descended upon Ye Ling. This was the strongest killing move he could muster.
The eyes of the entire crowd were locked onto the stage.
Yet, what happened next once again shattered everyone's expectations.
Faced with Ye Chen's flawless, great perfection martial arts, Ye Ling still chose to evade.
Her Flowing Cloud Movement Technique was as light as a gentle breeze, executed with absolute natural fluidity.
Though Ye Chen's sword strikes were swift and his angles tricky, he could not touch her in the slightest.
No matter how he increased his speed, changed his moves, or launched multi-directional assaults, he could not even brush against her sleeve.
In just a few exchanges, Ye Ling had already discerned every single flaw in Ye Chen's swordplay.
There was no need for a prolonged struggle, no need for a sudden burst of power, and certainly no need to reveal her true cultivation.
A flash of sword light.
This strike was incredibly fast and exceptionally precise, with barely any perceptible spiritual energy driving it.
With no grand momentum and no violent shockwaves, she relied solely on the absolute perfection of her swordplay to pierce directly into the single, tiny flaw in Ye Chen's great perfection sword force.
Clang.
The sword rang out crisply.
A gentle yet overbearing force traveled up his blade, instantly disrupting the perfectly circulating spiritual energy within Ye Chen's body.
His flawless swordplay abruptly shattered, his movement technique froze, and his spiritual energy spiraled out of control. The long sword in his hand trembled as all strength drained from him, leaving him unable to attack or defend.
It took but a single move.
The victor was decided.
The Fifth Elder froze for a moment before declaring loudly, “In this match, Ye Ling wins!”
As soon as the words fell, the dead silence in the arena instantly erupted.
“One strike. Another one-strike instant defeat.”
“Even Ye Chen, who defeated Ye Ling, couldn't take a single strike from her.”
“She is clearly only at the Houtian Seventh Layer, so why is her combat power this terrifying?”
On the high platform, the elders stood up one after another, their faces filled with shock.
Even straining their vision to the limit, they still could not penetrate Ye Ling's restrained aura, completely unable to fathom her true realm.
They only felt that this girl's talent, temperament, combat power, and foundation made her a genius rarely seen in the Ye family in a century.
Off the stage, Ye Ling's parents stared dumbfounded before chuckling helplessly.
From beginning to end, their daughter had never even gone all out.
Throughout the entire tournament, she had been holding back—crushing all the geniuses of her generation with the least amount of effort and the simplest of moves.
Her father sighed softly, “This child hid herself too well. From start to finish, no one has been able to see her true strength.”
Her mother's eyes were filled with pride as she said with a soft huff, “As expected of my daughter.”
On the stage, Ye Chen sheathed his sword and stood quietly, his expression calm, without a single trace of resentment.
He had given his all, holding nothing back of his great perfection martial arts, yet he was defeated by a single, casual strike from his opponent.
It was not that he was too weak, but rather that Ye Ling's attainment in the sword and her understanding of combat had long since surpassed his by several levels. They simply were not on the same plane of existence.
Rate on N.U.
