The Final Match

The second match: Su Yu versus Chu Feng!

At the referee's announcement, two figures stepped onto the arena one after the other.

Chu Feng wore a fitted black outfit, the scar on his face especially striking in the sunlight.

He clasped his fists in salute, his voice low and firm. "Brother Su, your strength is extraordinary. I, Chu Feng, know I'm no match for you. But how can a warrior's path end with retreating without a fight?"

Su Yu gave a slight nod, his blue robes fluttering in the breeze. "Please, Brother Chu."

"How about we settle it with one move?"

Chu Feng made the proposal suddenly, his right hand already resting on the hilt of his saber.

He knew full well that after seeing Su Yu defeat Lin Mo decisively yesterday, his own chances of winning were slim.

But a son of the Chu Family would rather lose standing than surrender on his knees.

Su Yu raised his Sword Finger slightly as the Azure Edge Sword slowly slid from its sheath.

The blade glinted with a cold, piercing light in the morning sun.

In an instant, both men struck!

Three Thunderclap Forms: Thunder Moves the Nine Heavens!

Chu Feng brought his long saber down, dazzling lightning coiling around its blade like heavenly punishment descending upon the world.

The savage saber qi tore up every last paving stone on the arena, and the air filled with a scorched, acrid stench.

Su Yu's expression did not change as his sword turned lightly.

Nine Cloud Patterns appeared out of thin air, interweaving into a mysterious design before him.

Cloud Scatter!

The Cloud Patterns burst apart, transforming into a sky full of sword qi.

The sword qi seemed soft as willow fluff, but the instant it touched the lightning, it erupted with a thunderous blast.

The moment the two forces collided, a blinding white light engulfed the entire arena.

Boom—

As the shock waves surged, Chu Feng staggered back more than ten steps before finally dropping to one knee.

The web between his thumb and forefinger split open. His long saber plunged deep into the ground, barely keeping him upright.

When he looked up, Su Yu's sword tip had stopped three inches from his throat.

"You let me win."

Su Yu sheathed his sword, then reached out to help Chu Feng up.

Chu Feng shook his head with a wry smile. "Brother Su, your swordsmanship is profound beyond measure. I, Chu Feng, accept my defeat wholeheartedly."

He brushed the dust from his clothes and leaped down from the arena with easy grace.

"Winner: Su Yu!"

In the stands, an elder of the Chu Family gave a small nod.

Though defeated, Chu Feng had won honor. His performance had brought plenty of pride to his family.

The Su Family's seats, meanwhile, erupted in cheers, and Su Mei excitedly waved her handkerchief.

After half an hour of recuperation, Su Yu and Lin Tian had both returned to their peak condition.

"The final match: Su Yu versus Lin Tian!"

As soon as the announcement rang out, the entire Training Ground burst into an uproar.

Cheers and chatter rose one after another as every eye focused on the arena.

The long-awaited showdown had finally arrived, and the grudges between the two would be settled today.

In the Su Family's section, Su Yun sat with his back ramrod straight.

His expression was calm, but his slightly constricted pupils betrayed his nervousness.

Su Mei clenched both hands into fists and stared fixedly at the arena, her lips trembling as she prayed in silence.

Though Su Yan was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, a blazing conviction burned in his eyes. "Brother Yu will definitely win!"

In the Lin Family's section, a sickly flush spread across Lin Xuan's pale face.

He gripped the armrests so tightly his knuckles whitened. Images of Su Yu defeating him kept flashing through his mind, and then he pictured his older brother stomping Su Yu into the ground. A twisted, vicious smile crept across his lips.

"Brother, make sure he wishes he were dead..."

Lin Xuan murmured under his breath.

The audience buzzed with discussion.

"I'd say Lin Tian has the better odds."

A burly man with a full beard slapped his knee.

"After all, there's a two-level gap in their cultivation. That's a real difference."

But the young scholar beside him shook his head. "Not necessarily. Su Yu's mastery of the sword is probably beyond what even an ordinary Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator can reach."

"Don't forget," a veiled woman interjected. "Lin Tian hasn't shown his true strength yet. I hear he trained in the Lin Family's forbidden grounds..."

"Hah, you make it sound as if Su Yu's already played all his cards."

An old man in the front row sneered.

"That kid hasn't even been out of breath once this whole time. Do you really think that's the limit of his ability?"

"This time, I'll make you kneel before me!"

A cold glint flickered in Lin Tian's eyes, and the long sword in his hand gleamed with a chilling blue light.

Su Yu's face was icy as a violent whirlwind of sword momentum suddenly surged around him. "The score between you and the Su Family ends today!"

In an instant, Su Yu's aura climbed step by step, revealing his cultivation at Qi Refining Level 8.

Even more astonishing, the Gale Sword Momentum swirling around him was more than twice as powerful as it had been yesterday. Its sharp sword qi carved crack after crack into the arena floor.

Lin Tian's pupils narrowed. The contempt on his face faded slightly, but he soon sneered again. "Qi Refining Level 8? Against me, you're still—"

Before he could finish, Su Yu's figure suddenly blurred!

Swift as Wind, Fast as Lightning!

A blue afterimage flashed past, moving so fast that even the air burst with a sharp boom.

Lin Tian only had time to raise his sword to block. His Spirit Snake Dances Wildly technique had barely begun to unfold when a tremendous force slammed into him.

Amid the bursting shock waves, Lin Tian stumbled back seven steps, each one stamping a spiderweb of cracks into the stone floor.

Su Yu, however, stood firm as a boulder, his sword pointed straight at Lin Tian's throat.

"What...?" The audience erupted.

No one had expected Su Yu to suppress Lin Tian in their very first exchange, despite only being at Qi Refining Level 8!

Su Mei's tightly clenched hands loosened slightly, and a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.

Lin Xuan, meanwhile, went deathly pale and shook his head in disbelief. "Impossible... This can't be..."

"You're asking for death!"

Lin Tian's handsome face twisted. A humiliation unlike anything he had ever felt drove him into a rage.

His Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation erupted, and his blue sword momentum transformed into a vicious giant serpent that lunged at Su Yu, fangs bared.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two exchanged more than ten moves in an instant. As sword qi crisscrossed the arena, the Protective Formation began to shudder violently.

Every clash sparked dazzling flashes of spiritual light, leaving the audience dazzled.

Su Yu's sword momentum spread like a net from heaven, sealing off every avenue of retreat.

His seemingly light sword moves were in truth heavy as a thousand catties, and every clash left Lin Tian's body quaking.

Lin Tian finally went completely berserk, his spiritual power surging once more.

"I'll kill you!"

The pressure of Qi Refining Level 9 at its peak swept across the arena. The blue phantom serpent even began to grow a single horn, as if it were on the verge of transforming into a dragon!

"Good heavens! Lin Tian was hiding his cultivation too?"

"So this is his true strength?"

Exclamations rang out across the stands, and everyone held their breath.

The match had already become far more spectacular than anyone had expected!