Like a god of war

The Outer Sect tournament began in full swing the next day.

Ouyang would stay here for the next two days and watch every match between the outer disciples.

This was also the sect's way of ensuring the fairness of the Outer Sect tournament.

Standing atop the bell tower, Ouyang watched the outer disciples below pull out all the stops, making quite a spectacle of their battles on the arena.

Most outer disciples were only at the Qi Refining Stage, and even the exceptionally gifted had only reached Foundation Establishment.

Matches at this level were honestly terribly boring.

They knew only a few low-level spell arts.

They spat out a fireball, summoned a water arrow, or wielded a sword, stirring up their true qi to hack wildly with some low-level sword techniques.

Yet even battles this crude drew cheers from all around.

Compared with those unruly brats of his, these people looked like they were playing house. Ouyang nearly fell asleep watching them.

Only when Xiao Feng stepped onto the arena in a yellow set of Training Clothes did Ouyang's interest stir a little.

But to Ouyang's disappointment, although Xiao Feng could rattle off protagonist lines at the drop of a hat, he clearly had little actual combat experience.

Xiao Feng's opponent was merely a youth at the qi refining fifth layer, yet under the youth's fireballs and water arrows, Xiao Feng could only flee in a sorry state, occasionally getting hit and knocked to the ground.

"It seems the person you admire has nothing particularly outstanding about him, Senior Brother Ouyang!" Steward Sun remarked from beside him as he sipped his tea.

He had originally expected someone Ouyang valued to possess considerable ability. Yet Xiao Feng struggled so pathetically against a mere cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage that, in Steward Sun's eyes, his defeat was only a matter of time.

Ouyang shook his head. "The outcome hasn't been settled yet, Senior Brother Sun. You're drawing your conclusion a little too soon."

In the arena, Xiao Feng's Training Clothes had already been burned to tatters by his opponent's Fireball Art, and even his hair gave off a scorched smell.

The youth facing him had been worried about how powerful Xiao Feng, who could shatter iron-gold wood with one punch, might be. He had never expected Xiao Feng to scurry like a mouse under his spell arts. His guard involuntarily dropped, and he declared shamelessly, "Junior Brother Xiao, admit defeat, or I won't hold back anymore!"

Xiao Feng dodged a fireball and planted his feet firmly. He gave the youth a faint smile. "Is that so? Then I won't hold back anymore either!"

The youth's expression stiffened. He had not expected Xiao Feng to be so ungrateful, and he snapped in irritation, "Arrogant!"

His hands flew through spell seals, and a water dragon suddenly reared its head behind him before lunging to bite Xiao Feng.

Watching the water dragon snap toward him, Xiao Feng no longer chose to dodge. Instead, he charged straight at it!

Before everyone's eyes, the four- or five-meter-long water dragon twisted its body, opened its blood-basin maw, and bit viciously at Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng raised his arm, and the water dragon clamped its jaws straight onto it!

Gasps rang out all around. The Water Dragon Art was a spell that could only be mastered in late qi refining. No one had expected a youth at merely the qi refining fifth layer to be able to use it.

When they saw the water dragon bite Xiao Feng's arm, some people even closed their eyes, not daring to watch the bloody scene about to unfold.

But the water dragon failed to bite through Xiao Feng's arm. It did not even break his skin. Instead, Xiao Feng seized its head and slammed it hard against the ground.

The youth controlled the water dragon, trying to wrench it free of Xiao Feng's grip, but before Xiao Feng's absurd strength, even a late qi refining water dragon could not escape!

On the arena, Xiao Feng, clad in Training Clothes, pinned down the writhing water dragon as though subduing a real dragon and raised his fist.

One punch, and the wildly struggling water dragon instantly turned into mist and vanished.

Xiao Feng stood up and looked at the youth opposite him without so much as breathing hard. "Senior Brother, admit defeat, or I won't hold back."

The youth immediately panicked and fumbled at his robes, preparing to pull out his trump card: a dozen or so talismans he had made himself.

But Xiao Feng gave him no further chance. He rushed up to the youth at incredible speed and punched him in the lower abdomen.

The youth felt all his internal organs churn. His mouth fell open, but he could not even scream before collapsing to the ground.

One punch!

One punch had defeated a cultivator at the qi refining fifth layer!

Standing on the arena, Xiao Feng swept his gaze around and immediately felt the exhilaration of finally holding his head high.

He had been capable of finishing his opponent off right from the start. But he had never fought a cultivator in the past five years and had simply wanted to see how cultivators battled.

That was why he had kept dodging without striking back.

Xiao Feng looked at the utterly silent audience below the arena. They had yet to recover from the shock of him defeating a qi refining fifth layer cultivator with a single punch.

Five years!

Do you know how I spent these past five years?

All the hardship of those five years finally bore fruit today!

In every battle that followed, Xiao Feng swiftly defeated his opponents under everyone's astonished gazes.

Often, before his opponent could even finish preparing a spell, Xiao Feng had already closed in with his unparalleled speed and ended the fight with one punch!

There were no flashy tricks, only an ordinary, simple punch. Every opponent needed just one punch!

Xiao Feng stood on the arena like a god of war!

His ranking also soared, climbing from outside the top thousand into the top twenty!

Reaching the top ten would be enough to qualify for the Sect Grand Competition!

Xiao Feng had never aimed for merely the top ten. Since he had entered this tournament, his goal would always be first place!

When the most outstanding disciple in the Outer Sect stood before him, Xiao Feng finally faced a difficult battle.

Ma Xingye, at the seventh layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, was known as the Outer Sect's strongest disciple!

He was said to be only sixteen years old and the young sect master of a vassal sect under the Azure Cloud Sect!

His mastery of the Earth Escape Art was nothing short of miraculous!

The power of Foundation Establishment spells surpassed that of Qi Refining Stage spells by far more than a single level.

When Xiao Feng closed in again and smashed his fist against the True Essence Shield in front of Ma Xingye, ripples spread across the shield, but it did not break.

Instead, an Earth Spike struck Xiao Feng and sent him flying.

Standing within his True Essence Shield, Ma Xingye swung his longsword, sending streak after streak of Sword Qi flying from its blade.

Thrown into the air, Xiao Feng could only shield his face with both hands and endure more than a dozen streaks of Sword Qi head-on.

In an instant, blood poured from Xiao Feng's body. His once-tough skin could not fully withstand foundation establishment realm Sword Qi.

Before Xiao Feng could land, a giant Stone Hand on the arena reached viciously toward him.

The solid Stone Hand closed tightly around Xiao Feng, leaving him unable to move.

The outcome was decided!

Watching Xiao Feng continue to struggle desperately, Ma Xingye kept one hand clenched to control the Stone Hand's grip and said with a smile, "Body tempering is a lesser path in the end. Until you reach foundation establishment, you're nothing but an ant!"

Ma Xingye had naturally seen Xiao Feng's god-of-war performance, so he had been doubly vigilant in facing him. It seemed he had worried needlessly. Xiao Feng, who had looked like a god of war on the arena just moments ago, remained utterly helpless before a foundation establishment realm cultivator like him!

Trapped in the Stone Hand, Xiao Feng's blood surged throughout his body, and veins bulged across his face as he fought desperately to break free. Yet he could not escape its grip.

Was he going to lose?

How could he possibly lose!

Xiao Feng roared, "I've made it this far! How could I possibly lose? My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's!"

The instant his words fell, every bone in Xiao Feng's body began to crackle. Powerful waves of energy surged out of him, and his brute strength shattered the once-solid Stone Hand on the spot!

Ma Xingye, who had kept his fist tightly clenched, staggered backward in disarray.

Atop the bell tower, Ouyang burst into laughter and raised his hands to applaud.

It seemed he was celebrating winning two spirit stones, but also expressing his admiration for Xiao Feng.