Chapter 229: Tianyang Sword

Today was the tenth day of the ranking tournament.

Early in the morning, before dawn, the ranking battles for fifth to eighth places had already begun on the Sword Discourse Arena. Although Ling Feiyu, Shui Wushuang, Xiao Kuanglei, and Fen Juebi were all losers from yesterday's top eight matches, their ability to reach the top eight proved they were truly unparalleled geniuses among the current young generation.

Although Xiao Kuanglei was struck thirty-three times by Xia Qingyue yesterday, they were only superficial external injuries, and his collapse on the spot was merely due to his meridians being frozen. Today, he was largely fine. However, Fen Juebi, who had first damaged his vital essence yesterday and was then severely injured by Yun Che's despicable sneak attack, did not participate in today's competition for the fifth to eighth places. Even if he had been unharmed, he would not have been a match for the other three contenders, so his participation or absence would not have affected the outcome in the slightest. His absence, however, preserved his last shred of dignity to some extent.

Due to Fen Juebi's absence, the original four matches were condensed into three. In the first match, Shui Wushuang defeated Xiao Kuanglei. In the second, Shui Wushuang narrowly defeated Ling Feiyu. In the third, Ling Feiyu defeated Xiao Kuanglei.

Thus, Shui Wushuang ranked fifth, Ling Feiyu sixth, Xiao Kuanglei seventh, and Fen Juebi eighth. The rankings for the Xiao Sect and Burning Heaven Clan were also decided ahead of time: the Xiao Sect ranked fourth, while the Burning Heaven Clan, for the first time in centuries, dropped out of the top four, landing in fifth place.

The fundamental reason for this was the sudden emergence of Yun Che, the super dark horse.

White clouds drifted slightly in the sky. It was only nine o'clock when the ranking battles for places five through eight concluded. The morning sunlight felt somewhat weak, yet the excitement of everyone on the Sword Discourse Arena grew even higher, for the semifinals of the ranking tournament had finally arrived.

Before the ranking tournament began, many had already predicted the final rankings. Ling Yun's name was already renowned across the world, and his claim to the first-place position was undisputed. Below Ling Yun, various speculations circulated, but they generally revolved around a fixed group of individuals: Shui Wushuang and Mu Xuexin from Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, Ling Feiyu from Heavenly Sword Villa, Fen Jin from Burning Heaven Clan, and Xiao Kuanglei from the Xiao Sect.

However, among the four who entered the top four, apart from Ling Yun, none of the other three were anticipated. None were core disciples of sects known long beforehand, and few even knew their names. Even Ling Jie, who merely had the title of Heavenly Sword Villa Master's son, no one imagined he would possess the strength to make Ling Feiyu concede without a fight. After all, he was simply too young; everyone assumed he participated merely for experience.

What was even more astonishing was that, apart from Ling Yun, the other three were at most seventeen years old.

This was an unprecedented first in the history of the ranking tournament!

In the second semifinal match, the outcome of Ling Yun versus Xia Qingyue was already predetermined in everyone's eyes; even if Xia Qingyue was a prodigious genius, she could not create a different result. Therefore, the most anticipated match was the first, between Yun Che and Ling Jie.

One had entered the top four with True Profound Realm cultivation, while the other had entered at the age of sixteen. Each had set an incredibly astonishing precedent. It was no exaggeration to say that both were super geniuses rarely seen in centuries.

After yesterday's battle between Yun Che and Fen Juebi, no one dared to easily conclude that he would lose to Ling Jie. While he had displayed his terrifying true strength for the first time against Fen Juebi, it still seemed that he wasn't using his full power. As for Ling Jie, his ability to make Ling Feiyu concede directly proved that he had not unleashed his true strength at any point.

This was undoubtedly a historic, suspense-filled showdown: a battle between the lowest profound cultivation and the youngest participant in the ranking tournament's history!

Yun Che stood on the Sword Discourse Arena early, and then Ling Jie slowly walked up as well. Standing twenty zhang away from Yun Che, he grinned mischievously and greeted him, "Hehe, Boss, good morning."

Ling Jie's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for Ling Wugou to hear. Just as he was about to announce the names of both parties and their affiliations, he suddenly heard Ling Jie's address for Yun Che, causing him to tremble, his legs to go weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

"Oh! So you still remember to call me Boss, huh? I thought you'd reneged," Yun Che said, arms crossed, smiling.

Ling Jie quirked his nose, proclaiming spiritedly, "I, Ling Jie, am a true man. My word is my bond; I never go back on it. Only cowards renege."

"Oh, really?" Yun Che shot him a disdainful look. "I've been staying at the Villa for over ten days, and you, my junior, haven't even visited once. Aren't you a bit of an incompetent junior?"

"Uh..." Ling Jie's eyes widened, and his voice dropped to a soft, hesitant murmur. "I... I wanted to go, but Big Brother said it would create a bad impression. It really wasn't my fault." Knowing he was in the wrong, he quickly changed the subject, looking up and saying, "But Boss, you really didn't disappoint me. Back when everyone was mocking you, I knew you'd make them regret it. Hehe, just as I, Ling Jie, predicted, someone who can make me concede and become a junior can't be ordinary, right? But I never imagined you'd actually make it to the semifinals and even face me... Hmph hmph hmph, this is an absolutely fantastic opportunity!"

"Hmm? Opportunity?"

"Exactly, exactly!" Ling Jie grinned. "Even though I call you Boss without reneging on my word, there's still a tiny bit of reluctance in my heart. After all, you only parried three of my swords back then; you didn't defeat me. To be a boss, you should at least be stronger than your junior, shouldn't you?"

"So?" Yun Che touched his chin, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Ling Jie swept his hand over his spatial ring and took out a sword scabbard carved from white jade... Yes, it was a white jade scabbard, not the Earth Profound sword he had used in previous matches. As he stroked the smooth scabbard, a piercing sharpness, difficult to ignore, began to infuse Ling Jie's smile: "If I were to enter tomorrow's final, I would never be a match for Big Brother. So, in this battle, I will use my absolute full strength! I want everyone in the world to remember the splendor of Ling Jie! If you want me, Ling Jie, to willingly become your junior, then defeat me here on this Sword Discourse Arena, when I am using my full power! If you win, you'll be my Boss from now on. But if you lose... well, I might consider taking you on as my junior."

"Good!" Yun Che nodded directly, his gaze becoming solemn and serious. "If I can't even defeat you, then of course I have no right to be your Boss. In that case, draw your sword. Let me see your true strength!"

Ling Jie deftly shifted his hand, opening the white jade scabbard. With a flash of orange light, a slender sword, entirely orange-yellow and about five feet five inches long, flew into Ling Jie's hand.

*Clang...*

As the orange sword emerged, it spontaneously let out a long, resonant hum, and a sword aura quietly diffused outwards. This sword aura was not intense or sharp, yet it possessed incredibly astonishing penetrative power. Within a mere two breaths, it completely enveloped the entire Sword Discourse Arena. Everyone seated at the edge of the arena felt a gentle sword aura quietly cover them, drawing their minds and gazes irresistibly to the orange blade. Upon closer inspection, one would notice the space around the orange sword slowly twisting in small distortions.

"What kind of sword aura is this? It's utterly unheard of... Wait! An orange sword, could it be..."

"The Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword!!"

"That's right! It is indeed the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword, one of the three Heavenly Profound Divine Swords of Heavenly Sword Villa! It's said Ling Yun conquered the Heavenly Lovebird Sword at seventeen, but Ling Jie is only sixteen and has already subdued the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword!"

"Heavenly Sword Villa truly produces an abundance of geniuses. Ling Yun is already incredibly talented and dazzling, but who would have thought Ling Jie would be even more remarkable! Ling Yuefeng having these two sons must bring him immense comfort for his lifetime."

"It seems it's basically impossible for Yun Che to defeat Ling Jie, who can wield the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword, in this battle."

Yun Che had not heard of the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword, but the moment it was drawn, he sensed its extraordinary and astonishing sword aura. The surrounding murmurs filled with deep surprise also made him understand the sword's exceptional nature. Without a doubt, this was a Heavenly Profound sword renowned throughout the world!

This ranking tournament finally saw the first appearance of a Heavenly Profound artifact!

With the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword in hand, Ling Jie's entire aura abruptly changed. He seemed to transform into a sword himself. His whole body vibrated with a lofty sword qi, and his eyes no longer held any trace of his playful nonchalance, but instead emitted a sharp, cold gleam like a keen blade.

Yun Che took half a step back, and with a wave of his right hand, the heavy, unsharpened Overlord's Colossal Sword descended from the sky, embedding itself with a thud before him, half of its blade sinking deep into the ground. Yun Che grasped the hilt with both hands and, with a slight exertion of force, the Overlord's Colossal Sword roared upwards amidst flying debris, its mountain-like, heavy, and domineering aura surging directly towards Ling Jie.

However, the Overlord's Colossal Sword was ultimately only an Earth Profound artifact, differing in realm and level from the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword. Its supremely domineering aura did not suppress the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword's aura much at all; instead, it was subtly cut through by the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword's gentle sword qi.

The difference between a Heavenly Profound artifact and an Earth Profound artifact was like fine steel against straw. In terms of weaponry, Yun Che was at an absolute disadvantage. Yet, his aura showed no weakness. With a swing of his heavy sword, the wind howled deafeningly, "Come on."

"First match of the top four battles: Yun Che of the Azure Cloud Imperial Family versus Ling Jie of Heavenly Sword Villa... Let the battle begin!"

"Jie'er not only immediately drew the Heavenly Mandarin Duck Sword, but even then, his aura showed no relaxation. It seems he takes this battle with Yun Che very seriously," Ling Yuefeng said slowly, watching the two on the Sword Discourse Arena.

"Yes," Ling Yun nodded. "After all, Yun Che is the only person Little Jie has truly admired in this world, apart from me. Half a year ago, Yun Che, with True Profound Realm level three cultivation, forcefully blocked three of Little Jie's sword attacks, which greatly impressed him, and he kept talking about it for a long time. But at that time, Yun Che's overall strength was far inferior to Little Jie's. In the past six months, Little Jie's strength has advanced rapidly, but if he were to be defeated by Yun Che this time, he would likely be completely convinced of Yun Che's superiority... perhaps even more so than mine."

Ling Yun's words made Ling Yuefeng's brow twitch. After a moment of silent thought, he suddenly said, "If that's the case, Yun Che absolutely cannot win this battle. Yun'er, if Jie'er is at a disadvantage, help him with the Heavenly Lovebird Sword!"

Ling Yuefeng's words startled Ling Yun, who then understood something and nodded slightly. "I understand."