Hiss!
Feeling the terrifying aura of these two forces, the crowd was dumbfounded. The previous battle had already shocked them, but now they realized that both of these combatants had held back some of their power.
Only at this moment, the true peak duel could be said to have begun.
"Huo Ruohong hiding his true strength was already enough to shock me, yet I didn’t expect that Lin Chen had also hidden his strength."
"It seems that in the previous two rounds, Lin Chen wasn’t going all out at all. If it weren’t for Huo Ruohong’s appearance, who could have imagined that facing Bian Xinjie and others, Lin Chen could still reserve his strength."
"It’s unimaginable how Lin Chen thought of holding back even when facing Bian Xinjie and the others."
The martial artists present were shocked by Huo Ruohong, but even more so by Lin Chen’s performance.
No one thought Lin Chen had made a breakthrough in just a day or two. After Entering the Grade, each breakthrough takes time and can’t be accomplished overnight.
Bian Xinjie and Ling Tianhao’s faces were darkened.
Lin Chen had previously disguised his strength, making the two of them look like clowns. Recalling their words during the battle with Lin Chen made them feel ashamed.
On the spectator stand, Hou Zhantian squinted his eyes slightly. He was the only one who could confirm that Lin Chen was at the Ninth Grade realm before today. In just one night, Lin Chen had jumped from the Ninth Grade to the Seventh Grade.
A leap of Two Grades overnight, such progress was unprecedented.
He didn’t know how Lin Chen did it, but it was certainly impossible to inquire about it at the moment. Before stepping into Liang territory, not a word of this could be disclosed. A breakthrough of Two Grades overnight, if spread, would make the other Eight Kingdoms extremely wary and might push some to take reckless actions.
"Interesting!"
Huo Ruohong looked at Lin Chen, whose aura was no weaker than his own, with a look of surprise on his face, but a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Only such a battle could pique his interest.
Earlier, it was nothing more than child’s play.
Without a word, the two locked eyes and simultaneously left several afterimages at their original positions, dashing toward each other.
Rumble!
This time, neither side held back, and everyone saw Lin Chen like a blazing furnace capable of burning everything, while Huo Ruohong appeared as the King of Ice, with a huge Ice Phoenix silhouette emerging behind him.
It was a collision of ice and fire, and the energy unleashed by both sides made everyone present feel uneasy.
However, after a dozen breaths, the scene was in an uproar.
With a light roar, Lin Chen’s whole body surged with Qi Blood again, like a Flame War God, swinging palm after palm, forcing Huo Ruohong to retreat step by step.
No one expected that in this all-out battle, it was Huo Ruohong who fell into disadvantage.
Why!
"Lin Chen’s physical strength has already surpassed the Lower Grade martial artists. It’s not that Huo Ruohong is inferior to Lin Chen, but he’s at a disadvantage in close combat."
Some martial artists in the stands provided an answer, but his words were immediately rebutted by others.
"Being inferior in close combat is the same as not being as strong as Lin Chen. Isn’t physical strength part of a martial artist’s power?"
On the spectator stands, many martial artists from Liang Kingdom laughed at this, asserting whether it was ranged or close combat, it was all part of a martial artist’s strength.
Boom!
After another clash, Huo Ruohong retreated dozens of feet, a gloomy look in his eyes.
He hadn’t expected Lin Chen to be so difficult to deal with, and even when he wasn’t holding back, he still couldn’t gain any advantage. The opponent’s Qi Blood and physical strength did not fear his Ice Cold Martial Path Will at all.
"Let’s decide this in one move."
Huo Ruohong’s expression became serious. He crossed his arms, and the Ice Phoenix silhouette behind him emerged again, this time more vivid than before.
As the Ice Phoenix spread its wings, snow and wind instantly filled the air, converging into an Ice Sword.
"What cultivation technique is this?"
Strong figures from various countries saw the Ice Sword being formed, their eyes filled with curiosity. Top-notch Martial Arts Techniques of various countries were no secret to others.
However, the move Huo Ruohong unleashed did not match any of the Martial Arts Techniques known in the Han Kingdom to them.
Murong Zheng squinted his eyes slightly, exchanging glances with members of the Royal Family, each seeing a certain guess in the other’s eyes.
The cultivation technique Huo Ruohong executed wasn’t from the Nine Kingdoms, but was a technique left by a certain power from the Flame Dynasty in the past.
Huo Ruohong had obtained a Martial Path inheritance from a power of the Flame Dynasty.
"Ice Phoenix Tribulation!"
Huo Ruohong’s expression was icy, and as his voice fell, the Ice Phoenix cried out, its call echoing through the venue. The entire Ice Phoenix silhouette suddenly soared into the sky, then fiercely dived down, merging into the Ice Sword amidst the shocked gazes of everyone.
The Ice Sword’s radiance surged as it slashed toward Lin Chen.
"How can Lin Chen possibly block this sword?"
The disciples of the Han Martial Arts Academy, upon seeing this, became excited. With such a powerful strike, Lin Chen would certainly be unable to withstand it.
Hou Zhantian and Chen Shan on the spectator stand exchanged a glance, both ready to intervene. The might of Huo Ruohong’s move was extraordinary; they feared Lin Chen might be severely injured if he forcibly took it.
But just as the two prepared to stop it, Lin Chen let out a long howl, his Qi Blood retracted, replaced by an icy blue light enveloping his entire body.
"Canglan Energy?"
Seeing this scene, Chen Shan’s pupils contracted slightly. He remembered that Lin Chen once spent several days at Canglan Lake, obtaining some fortuitous encounter.
Lin Chen still has more tricks up his sleeve.
Although Hou Zhantian is the head of Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy, he is naturally not unfamiliar with the Canglan Power of the rival Canglan Martial Arts Academy. Noticing Chen Shan’s slight nod, he temporarily held back his impulse to make a move.
Lin Chen squinted his eyes and, facing Huo Ruohong’s sword, slowly raised his right hand and said softly, "Canglan Finger!"
A bolt of ice-blue energy shot forth from his fingertip, explosively growing the next moment, manifesting as an ice-blue dragon shadow that clashed with Huo Ruohong’s Ice Phoenix Sword amidst the crowd’s astonished stares.
In an instant, the ice sword shattered, and the phantom of the Ice Phoenix materialized from the sword’s body, only to be torn apart by the ice-blue dragon shadow the next moment.
Huo Ruohong’s eyes narrowed in disbelief at this scene.
His strongest technique was broken so effortlessly by Lin Chen.
Impossible!
At this moment, Huo Ruohong no longer retained his previous calm demeanor, his expression turning ferocious. His greatest pride was never being the number one genius of Han Kingdom or topping the Hidden Dragon Celestial List, but this Ice Phoenix Tribulation.
This technique transcended the Nine Kingdoms. From the moment he successfully cultivated the Ice Phoenix Tribulation, he no longer saw the martial artists of the Nine Kingdoms. His targets were the martial geniuses of the Flame Dynasty.
"This is impossible!"
The disciples of the Han Kingdom Martial Arts Academy collectively exclaimed. Many martial artists in the stands instinctively stood up, while icy rage filled Lu Qiguang’s old eyes.
On the stage, Huo Ruohong knelt on one knee, the Ice Phoenix’s phantom behind him let out a mournful wail, disintegrating into countless ice shards that drifted down. His right arm hung limply as Lin Chen’s Canglan Finger had pierced right through it.
In the stands, Murong Yan’s eyes sparkled repeatedly. She had confidence in Lin Chen, had expected him to win, but had not anticipated such an easy victory.
From start to finish, Lin Chen suppressed Huo Ruohong. Until the end, Huo Ruohong had no chance of turning the tide.
The whole scene fell into dead silence, with the residual waves of the ice-blue dragon shadow still roaming the air. It was not until the judge announced, "Lin Chen wins," that everyone present snapped back to reality.
On the spectators’ seats, martial artists from the Liang Kingdom, along with the disciples of the Liang Kingdom Martial Arts Academy under the stage, including many other astonished martial artists, erupted in thunderous cheers.
No matter the nationality, at this moment they cheered for Lin Chen’s strength.
"From today onwards, the first position on the Hidden Dragon Celestial List changes hands. Lin Chen officially ascends to the top of the Hidden Dragon List Celestial List."
"I can say without exaggeration that Lin Chen is absolutely the first genius in the past three hundred years of the Nine Kingdoms."
The voice of a foreign martial artist trembled. Over the years, many genius martial artists have emerged in various nations, each claiming to appear once in several hundred years, like Liang Kingdom’s martial genius Pei Qingming, known as the first genius in three hundred years of Liang Kingdom.
However, martial artists from other countries did not agree with Pei Qingming’s title and even believed that their own nation’s martial geniuses were not at all inferior to Pei Qingming.
But facing Lin Chen this time, martial artists from the Nine Kingdoms had no objections.
The top spot on the Hidden Dragon Celestial List, reaching it at merely eighteen, younger than Huo Ruohong by a year—if such a genius can’t be called the first genius of the Nine Kingdoms, who else could hold that title?
Looking at Huo Ruohong, kneeling on one knee, Lin Chen’s expression remained calm as he turned and walked off the stage.
From this moment on, he could no longer hide; he would be exposed in front of martial artists from the Nine Kingdoms, his every move watched by warriors from every nation.
"According to the rules, Hundred Battle Martial Arts Academy ranks eighth in this tournament."
The judge’s announcement made the Han Kingdom martial artists, already feeling distressed, even more upset. Not only did Senior Brother Huo lose, dropping from first on the Hidden Dragon Celestial List, but the Hundred Battle Martial Arts Academy was also directly judged to be in eighth place.
However, everyone had heard what Senior Brother Huo said earlier. Even if the martial artists from the Han Kingdom were unwilling, they could only grit their teeth and accept it now.
"In this match, Canglan Martial Arts Academy defeated Hundred Battle Martial Arts Academy, directly advancing to the semi-finals."
Semi-finals?
Hearing the judge’s words, other Martial Arts Academy disciples had strange expressions. If Lin Chen and Huo Ruohong had fought until both were seriously injured to win, others might still have a chance to compete for first. But Lin Chen was unscathed, his strength unaffected, so who could take first place from Lin Chen for Canglan Martial Arts Academy?
"Fight for second place!"
This was the thought of disciples from the other academies at the moment. As for the first place... better to give up that idea early.
Lu Qiguang’s expression changed for a while before he suddenly said, "My Han Kingdom withdraws from this ranking competition."
These words caught the attention of strong adventurers from other countries in the stands.
Withdraw from the ranking competition?
"Brother Lu, what do you mean by this?" Murong Song asked, frowning.
"In the future fights, my Han Kingdom Martial Arts Academy won’t participate. As for the ranking... whatever."
Lu Qiguang did not offer much explanation and instead addressed the disciples of the Han Kingdom Martial Arts Academy: "Let’s go."
Lu Qiguang even left without exchanging greetings with the Emperor of Yan, directly leading the Han Kingdom disciples away.
This sudden event caused everyone present to look at each other in dismay.
What does this action mean from the Han Kingdom?
Is it because they felt they couldn’t seize first place, so they simply gave up the ranking?
Or is it...
At the thought of a possible reason, martial artists from various countries suddenly looked grim.

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