Champion

Just then, the aura around Lin Hao began to recede. His eyes were shut, and his expression was calm, as if the boundless force of Space Strangling had nothing to do with him.

"Has he given up?" Liu Qingmeng kept her eyes fixed on Lin Hao. Honestly, she hadn't expected him to give her so much trouble.

She had thought her Time Ability would let her win with ease. But to her utter surprise, Lin Hao had seen through her ability after just a brief exchange and counterattacked. That had thrown Liu Qingmeng into a difficult position. If she hadn't also possessed Space Ability, she might have already lost.

But reality had no "ifs." Seeing Lin Hao give up resisting under Space Strangling, Liu Qingmeng let out a long breath of relief.

"It's over." The corners of Liu Qingmeng's lips lifted in a lovely curve. It wasn't just Liu Qingmeng—every Wu University student and principal at the scene, even the two Gods of War, had already sentenced Lin Hao to death.

Just as everyone thought the match was over, the entire platform suddenly began to tremble. It wasn't just the platform; the whole arena shook violently.

"What's happening? Is it an earthquake?" The audience panicked. Jiang Tianhai swiftly raised a barrier over the stands, then turned toward the platform with a strange look in his eyes.

The aura around Lin Hao shifted from receding to erupting. But this time, it wasn't the aura of Black Lightning. It was an aura wrapped in a terrifying killing intent. It easily kept Space Strangling at bay. The platform continued to shake as Lin Hao's aura grew stronger and stronger. At the same time, his appearance began to change. His expression was indifferent, and his blue robe turned black. His short, jet-black hair gradually turned white, until it was a head of pure white hair that quickly grew down to his waist.

Lin Hao's eyes remained shut, his expression cold, as the pressure radiating from him continued to mount. Just then, an ancient-looking black Sword Box appeared behind him.

Lin Hao opened his scarlet eyes and held two fingers together like a sword before his chest. He murmured, "Break!!!"

The instant the word left his mouth, a terrifying wave of aura swept across the entire platform, centered on Lin Hao. The platform shattered inch by inch, while Liu Qingmeng's Space Strangling and Space Lockdown vanished without a trace.

Every student and teacher from the Wu Universities stared wide-eyed at what was happening on the platform. Even Fang Wei and Jiang Tianhai were stunned. The only people present who had seen Lin Hao like this before were probably Jiang Weiwei and Su Xiaorui.

"What's happened to Great God Lin? Did he transform?"

"That aura is terrifying. I can barely breathe."

"Great God Lin looks so cool like this!"

Gasps and cries of astonishment rang out from the crowd.

At Headquarters, a handsome man suddenly knitted his brows. "That aura has appeared again." He tore open a rift in space around him and vanished in an instant.

On the platform, Lin Hao raised his head slightly and looked at Liu Qingmeng's horrified face. Then he spoke coolly. "You're strong, no doubt. But this is where it ends."

Sword Qi surged around Lin Hao. He roared, "Sword, come!"

All at once, dark clouds gathered over Modu Martial University. Purple lightning rolled through the thick clouds, and the crashing thunder sounded like demons from the Netherworld Abyss roaring. The Sword Box hovering behind Lin Hao began to tremble, then slowly opened. The Zixiao Sword flew out and landed in his hand.

Lin Hao gripped Zixiao, and all three levels of Sword Intent flowed into the blade. Then Zixiao gave a light tremor, slipped from Lin Hao's hand, and hovered before him. Lin Hao pointed two fingers at the sky. Zixiao shot upward like a meteor and plunged into the clouds. The instant it vanished into them, thunder boomed across the sky, as if the end of the world had come. Countless purple swords of light hovered among the clouds. Lin Hao murmured, "Battle Skill: Shadow Hunter Sky Breaker!" Countless purple swords of light plunged down like a rainstorm.

Faced with that vast sword rain, Liu Qingmeng froze for a moment before her gaze sharpened. A flash of golden light flickered in her eyes. The densely packed swords vanished in midair as if a river of mud had poured into the sea. By then, sweat glistened across Liu Qingmeng's forehead. Facing Lin Hao now, she didn't dare be careless. Her figure flashed and disappeared. But when she tried to use Time Stop again, she found she couldn't move within ten meters of Lin Hao.

The effect of Time Stop passed in an instant. Liu Qingmeng stood frozen ten meters from Lin Hao. "Why? Why don't my skills work on you anymore?" She was aghast. This was the first time she had ever found her abilities ineffective against an enemy.

Lin Hao beckoned, and Zixiao flew back into his hand. "Heh. You have both space and time Law Power, and I have a law of my own." As his cool voice faded, the aura around him surged again. Liu Qingmeng realized she seemed to have entered a mysterious domain. Within its bounds, the Spiritual Power throughout her body was suppressed by half. She even felt as if she could barely move.

Liu Qingmeng sensed danger and tried to escape with a space skill. But she found she couldn't use it.

"How can this be?" Liu Qingmeng had never encountered anything like this before, and panic seized her.

Lin Hao's cool voice rang out. "In my domain, trying to use Law Power is pure wishful thinking."

"A domain?" Liu Qingmeng wasn't the only one astonished. Fang Wei and Jiang Tianhai were stunned as well.

"That's right. This is my domain skill. I call it Sword Domain!" Lin Hao's quiet voice pierced Liu Qingmeng's heart like a thousand arrows.

Lin Hao said nothing more. He held Zixiao upright before him. Triple Sword Intent flowed into the blade once more. In that instant, Zixiao began to tremble violently. The purple lightning wrapped in the clouds overhead seemed to hear a summons, and poured into the sword. Lin Hao's voice rang out, calm and unhurried. "Beneath Zixiao, Ten Deaths No Life. Battle Skill: One Sword Opens the Heavens!" The moment the words fell, the sky cleared and the clouds dispersed. Only a sword beam wrapped in terrifying purple lightning came crashing down with Lin Hao's slash.

Every student's legs went weak at the sight of that sword beam. It was as if the Reaper's scythe were swinging down toward them. Liu Qingmeng had lost all her earlier composure. Her beautiful eyes widened; for an instant, it was as if she saw Death beckoning to her.

"Not good!" The two Gods of War reacted fastest. They rushed above the platform and released the aura of Divine-level Experts, stopping the terrifying sword beam in its tracks. At the same time, a crack suddenly opened in the sky and rapidly widened. A handsome, middle-aged man wearing a cloak stepped through it. He looked calmly at the terrifying sword beam, then turned his eyes toward the platform.

"So this is the little fellow? Not bad." He waved a hand, and the sword beam instantly broke apart into countless purple specks of light, vanishing without a trace.

Jiang Tianhai and Fang Wei hurriedly flew into the air. "Greetings, Lord Han Feng."

Han Feng smiled and nodded. "Finish organizing this Hundred Schools League first. Then bring that little fellow to see me."

The two hurriedly bowed in agreement.

At that moment, Lin Hao willed Zixiao to fly back into the Sword Box. Jiang Tianhai and Fang Wei also descended onto the platform. They looked at Lin Hao, whose appearance had returned to normal, then at Liu Qingmeng, whose mouth hung slightly open, and shook their heads with wry smiles.

"I hereby announce that the champion of this year's Hundred Schools League is Shancheng Martial University!"

The entire arena fell silent. There were no cheers, only a deathly stillness. Everyone was still so shocked by what had just happened that they couldn't recover.

After a long while, the students from Shancheng Martial University were the first to cheer. Their cries swelled in wave after wave. Teachers and students from Shancheng Martial University and Jiangnan Martial University rushed toward the platform.

The team members lifted Lin Hao together and tossed him into the air. Jiang Weiwei, Su Xiaorui, Fang Yao, Lin Yueyue, and Lin Xiaorou stood nearby, smiling as they watched. Lin Xiaorou bounced up and down, clapping and cheering.

Xing Tianhe walked over to Liu Qingmeng, whose face was full of bitterness, and gave her a helpless smile. "Qingmeng, remember: there's always someone beyond the one before you, and a sky beyond the sky. You're so talented. Someday, you'll surely be his equal." Xing Tianhe offered her a few words of comfort.

Fang Wei and Jiang Tianhai didn't stop the students from fooling around. They only watched with amused smiles. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, they exchanged bitter smiles. With Lord Han Feng taking an interest in Lin Hao, what chance did they have? Their wager had been for nothing.

After everyone had celebrated for a while, Jiang Tianhai finally broke in. "Lin Hao, come with me. Someone important wants to see you."

The principals were startled. There was hardly anyone in the world whom even a God of War would address as "sir." Could it be...?

When Jiang Tianhai nodded to them, a storm surged in their hearts. That kid Lin Hao was about to soar to new heights.

Fang Wei led the principals in overseeing the rest of the competition, while Jiang Tianhai took Lin Hao to the VIP lounge at Modu Martial University.