"Watch my spear!"
Liu Xing wasted no words. Knowing he was to show Tang Yan no mercy, he opened with the Liu Family's signature Overlord Spear Technique.
Sensing the aura of a peak Yellow Tier First Grade warrior, Tang Yan sneered inwardly. Though that strength was respectable, it was still far inferior to his own.
Tang Yan released a light surge of internal force and advanced with his sword in hand.
Seeing Tang Yan actually meet the spear head-on, everyone around them widened their eyes. Barring any surprises, a single exchange would decide the outcome.
Clang! The sound of clashing metal rang out. Everyone craned their necks in astonishment, unable to believe their eyes.
Tang Yan had actually blocked it!
With Origin Tier Eighth Grade strength, he had blocked a Yellow Tier First Grade warrior's all-out strike?
Before the crowd could react, Tang Yan had already turned defense into offense, his sword driving straight toward Liu Xing's throat.
Sensing the energy enveloping Tang Yan's sword, Liu Xing's expression changed sharply.
Damn it, how was this Origin Tier Eighth Grade strength? This was clearly Yellow Tier First Grade!
Unfortunately, Tang Yan's sword reached him before he could react.
The Cloudflow Sword was graceful as clouds drifting across the sky, flowing like clouds and running water, slipping through every opening. The sword shadows filling the air seemed slow, yet concealed countless transformations, with danger rising at every turn.
Old Master Tang could not help rubbing his eyes. His shock was no less than anyone else's.
It was not Tang Yan's internal force that shocked him, but the sword technique he was using. Wasn't that the Tang Family's signature Cloudflow Sword?
Why did it seem even more powerful in this brat's hands?
Watching Tang Yan's relentless offensive, Old Master Tang finally understood. Tang Yan was indeed using the Cloudflow Sword, but some of its moves had been modified.
Realizing what was happening, Old Master Tang seethed inwardly. This little bastard learned an enhanced version of the Cloudflow Sword, and he didn't even tell me?
Though both possessed Yellow Tier First Grade strength, Tang Yan's martial techniques and discerning eye were on a level others could not hope to match.
Under the barrage of attacks, Liu Xing was forced back step by step.
Though it seemed lengthy, everything had happened in just a few breaths.
"Yellow Tier First Grade! Tang Yan is Yellow Tier First Grade too!" Seeing Liu Xing steadily retreat, some of the more accomplished warriors immediately recognized the reason.
Liu Xing scrambled frantically, looking utterly pathetic, and soon left a gaping opening in his defense. Tang Yan's gaze sharpened. Seizing that opening, he kicked straight at Liu Xing's dantian.
Thud! Unable to defend himself, Liu Xing took the kick squarely. His body flew backward and slammed heavily into the ground.
The corners of Tang Yan's mouth curled upward. Another member of the Liu Family had suffered a serious injury to his dantian!
"Xing'er!" Seeing Liu Xing lying unconscious on the ground, Liu He cried out and reached his side in a few bounding leaps.
He pulled out a pill and put it into Liu Xing's mouth, then checked his pulse. His face grew increasingly livid. Looking coldly at Tang Yan, he said icily, "If anything happens to Liu Xing, you'll pay for it!"
"We already said that fists and feet have no eyes. Until someone yields, the fight doesn't stop. Even now, Liu Xing hasn't surrendered of his own accord. My not rushing over to give him a few more sword strikes was already an act of boundless mercy. Patriarch Liu, remember to send someone to deliver those three third-tier beast cores to the Tang Family tonight." Entirely unafraid of Liu He's threat, Tang Yan put away his sword and returned to the Tang Family's seats.
"You're already Yellow Tier First Grade?" Wu Xuan exclaimed as Tang Yan approached. The last time he had served as Lin Dongxue's sparring partner, he had only been Origin Tier Eighth Grade. Just a few days had passed, and this fellow had advanced so quickly?
"Heh, just a lucky break," Tang Yan said modestly.
Lin Xiao was inwardly speechless. No wonder that slippery Tang Yan had dared to fight Liu Xing. The brat had reached Yellow Tier First Grade himself.
After all, he had never admitted that his strength was only Origin Tier Eighth Grade! Shameless though his behavior was, he had broken no rules. Lin Xiao could only announce the result: "Tang Yan wins!"
The Liu Family's senior members were filled with frustration. They had meant to disgrace the Tang Family, only to turn themselves into a laughingstock instead. They had tried to steal a chicken and lost their rice in the bargain.
"Since when have the Tang Family's people become so devious? You're clearly Yellow Tier First Grade, yet you deceived everyone under the guise of being Origin Tier Eighth Grade," Liu Changyu stepped forward and rebuked him angrily.
"I never said I was Origin Tier Eighth Grade. What does your mistaken assessment have to do with me?
Besides, what were your intentions in making an Origin Tier Eighth Grade warrior fight a Yellow Tier First Grade warrior?
Do you think the Tang Family deserves nothing but losses and bullying?" Tang Yan said coldly.
"Here in Cloud City, the Tang Family has always valued harmony. We won't provoke anyone, but that doesn't mean we fear anyone, nor does it mean we lack the strength to contend with them!
The destruction of the Four Seas Gang and Liu Xing's beating today are examples right before your eyes. Anyone who thinks the Tang Family is easy to push around is welcome to challenge us!"
Hearing Tang Yan's warning, some of the lineages allied with the Tang Family felt a surge of excitement, their resolve to follow the Tang Family growing firmer. Some of Cloud City's neutral lineages now also counted the Tang Family among their choices for allegiance.
Yet whether they were already allied with the Tang Family or merely considering it, they all felt a slight regret. If Tang Yan were a little stronger, the risks of siding with the Tang Family would be much lower. After all, if Old Master Tang truly passed away while Tang Yan's strength still fell short of the other lineages, the Tang Family would still be headed for decline.
Tang Yan had made this public appearance at the Mid-Autumn Gathering precisely to dispel those lineages' concerns.
As long as he displayed enough strength, he would surely raise the Tang Family's standing several more notches.
"Didn't you say anyone with Yellow Tier Third Grade strength could challenge the previous gathering's top eight? I want to challenge someone from your Liu Family who ranked in the top eight!" Tang Yan declared loudly.
What? Tang Yan wanted to challenge one of Cloud City's top eight? Had his strength really reached Yellow Tier Third Grade? For a moment, everyone was utterly astonished.
"I, Tang Yan of the Tang Family, challenge Liu Changyu of the Liu Family!" Tang Yan's voice echoed through the night sky. Under everyone's startled gazes, his aura climbed steadily.
Yellow Tier Second Grade!
Yellow Tier Third Grade!
His aura continued rising, layer upon layer, until it finally stopped at Yellow Tier Sixth Grade.
All of Bright Moon Lake fell deathly silent.
A few seconds later, an uproar erupted!
Young Master Tang, long known as Cloud City's foremost wastrel, had actually been hiding his prowess!
With Yellow Tier Sixth Grade strength, if he performed well enough, he would have absolutely no trouble placing among Cloud City's top eight.
The Liu Family members' faces grew increasingly grim. Their senior members naturally recognized the sword technique Tang Yan had displayed earlier as the Tang Family's Cloudflow Sword.
Yet someone had modified it, forcibly raising its power a full rank above its original grade.
With that advantage in martial technique, Liu Changyu probably could no longer carry out their plan to cripple Tang Yan.
"Young Master Tang, why not challenge me directly? If you can last twenty moves against me, I, Liu Zhi, will concede defeat. What do you say?" Liu Zhi stepped out of the crowd, and the uproar immediately subsided into silence.
As the acknowledged foremost warrior of Cloud City's younger generation, Liu Zhi was rumored to have already reached Yellow Tier Eighth Grade, a full two grades above Tang Yan.
And the stronger the warriors in a duel, the more likely even the slightest difference was to become the deciding cause of defeat.
Tang Yan kept his expression composed as he rapidly weighed his options.
Even if Liu Zhi was Yellow Tier Ninth Grade, he would still be capable of putting up a fight.
His primary purpose in entering this Martial Competition was not to win the championship and claim the reward, but to show the outside world that the Tang Family did not lack a successor, and seize the opportunity to win people's allegiance.
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