CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 142: THE TERROR OF DRAGON ROARING NINE HEAVENS

"The competition is over. Congratulations to the victorious students. To those who have failed, don’t be discouraged. You will get another chance next year..."

The ten students from the Winged Tiger List who had qualified for the challenge competition had been determined. Dean Zi Hongyuan of the Purple Sun School rose from the stands to announce this.

"It’s over already..."

A series of sighs echoed in the Martial Arts Field.

Today’s matches were too exciting; many people were reluctant to see them end.

The crowd began to disperse.

"This year’s Purple Sun School really has a lot of talent; two dark horses have unexpectedly emerged! That Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan—their abilities are admirable."

"Yes, Bing Ruolan’s Floating Cloud Sword Technique is agile and elegant. She integrates offense and defense seamlessly, making it almost flawless."

"And Han Feng with his ’Single Stroke Sword’—I couldn’t even see clearly how he attacked before his opponent was defeated."

"’Spear Specialist’ Zhao Yifan also performed well; his silver spearplay was absolutely masterful."

"These few are all impressive, but the biggest dark horse this year is undoubtedly Luo Feng! When he defeated ’Cloud Eagle’ Li Yun, it seemed he didn’t even use his full strength," someone suddenly voiced.

The people around nodded in agreement.

"Luo Feng’s Qinggong abilities are actually on par with Li Yun’s; it’s unbelievable. With his strength, Luo Feng should be able to break into the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List. Breaking into the top five, however, is going to be difficult."

"Yes, although his Martial Arts realm is high, his Cultivation is only at the early stage of the seven-fold Essence storage Realm. Therefore, it’s basically impossible for him to defeat competitors like ’Ruthless’ Zhou Tong and others."

"Zi Yuan has been the champion of Purple Sun School for two consecutive years. I wonder if anyone will break her winning streak this year."

"That seems unlikely. Zi Yuan was one of last year’s Four New Talents; even though she was ranked last among them, her strength cannot be underestimated. The only person who can threaten her is Lin Yun, who is ranked second."

"Damn it! I wish the challenge competition would start right now! I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep tonight!"

"HAHAHA..."

The onlookers left the school grounds while chattering and laughing.

Luo Feng and Bing Ruolan also left the Martial Arts Field with the crowd, each returning to their own courtyard to prepare for tomorrow’s challenge competition.

「That night.」

In a house on Purple Spirit Peak of Purple Sun School.

BANG!

A gust of strong wind suddenly swept through the entire courtyard. A figure weaved and shifted within the courtyard, his fists striking like a hungry tiger or a Jiao Dragon, each punch creating a gust of wind, making the surrounding air chillingly sharp.

The figure was a tall youth with a distinguished bearing. Every punch he threw resulted in a sharp sonic boom, demonstrating terrifying power.

What was more terrifying was that he was not using Gang Qi; he was relying solely on his physical strength to train!

"Lin Yun, may we come in?"

A voice suddenly rang out.

The one training was Lin Yun, ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List.

A sharp light flickered in his eyes as he said, "Come in."

Two figures walked in side by side.

The small-eyed youth in front was Zhou Jian, followed by Li Yun, whom Luo Feng had injured earlier that day.

"How did it go?" Lin Yun saw the two looking downcast and frowned.

"Well..."

Zhou Jian’s mouth twitched, and he licked his lips without saying anything.

Yesterday, Lin Yun had tasked him and Li Yun to teach Luo Feng a lesson. Zhou Jian hadn’t dared to go on the stage during the day, so he couldn’t bring himself to speak up now.

"Lin Yun, you must avenge me!" Li Yun suddenly stood up, his handsome face looking hideous as he clenched his teeth.

Lin Yun glanced at Li Yun. Seeing his pale face, he asked, "Li Yun, are you injured? Who on the Winged Tiger List could defeat you?"

"It’s that Luo Feng!"

Lin Yun’s eyebrows twitched; a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Luo Feng?"

Li Yun nodded and recounted in detail what had happened during the day. Finally, he glared fiercely at Zhou Jian and snapped, "Zhou Jian, you knew Luo Feng was not weak, why didn’t you tell me earlier!"

Zhou Jian flushed. "I thought Luo Feng couldn’t possibly be your match. Who knew he was so formidable?"

"So you just watched me lose face?" Li Yun’s face turned ashen, his words filled with rage.

Today, in front of everyone, he had been stripped naked and utterly humiliated. He couldn’t show his face in the school and only dared to come find Lin Yun late at night.

Zhou Jian, embarrassed and angry, argued, "What could I have done? You, the number one on the Winged Tiger List, weren’t even a match for Luo Feng. I’m only ranked eighth, what could I do?"

"Are you mocking me? Zhou Jian, I’ve disliked you for a long time! Today, I must teach you a lesson!" Li Yun snarled, his eyes red with anger.

Initially, Zhou Jian might have been a bit apprehensive. However, remembering Li Yun’s injuries, he immediately laughed coldly, "You want to fight? Li Yun, do you really think I’m scared of you!"

The two seemed on the verge of a fight when an angry roar suddenly erupted in the courtyard.

"Shut up, both of you! Haven’t you disgraced yourselves enough?"

Lin Yun snapped coldly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the quarreling pair. Li Yun and Zhou Jian immediately fell silent.

BANG!

Lin Yun punched out. With a flash of Gang Qi, a huge tree—so large it would take two people to wrap their arms around it—was instantly blasted into wood chips.

"Miscalculated! I didn’t expect Luo Feng to hide such strength!"

Lin Yun’s face grew dark. When he mentioned ’Luo Feng’, his eyes turned cold.

"Lin Yun, you must avenge me!" Li Yun couldn’t help but blurt out.

"Rest assured, tomorrow I will make him pay for what he has done!" Taking a shallow breath, Lin Yun said in a low, serious voice.

Zhou Jian cautioned, "Lin Yun, you’d best be careful. Luo Feng’s Qinggong cultivation is even above Li Yun’s; he’s not someone you can easily handle."

"Qinggong. Hmph! I’ve been traveling everywhere for the past year, visiting all sorts of experts, killing countless self-proclaimed Qinggong masters. Even ’Wave-Treading Ape’ Xu Jiang perished under my sword. In my eyes, Luo Feng is nothing more than an insignificant clown!"

Lin Yun spoke coldly. From his slow, measured voice, an unmistakable aura of grim, murderous intent could be felt.

"You killed ’Wave-Treading Ape’ Xu Jiang!"

Zhou Jian and Li Yun exclaimed in unison, both stunned as they stared at Lin Yun, their faces a picture of horror.

’Wave-Treading Ape’ Xu Jiang was a notorious figure in the martial world. His ’Wave-Treading Technique’ was an exceptional Light Martial Art. He could walk on waves for ten miles without falling, arriving and leaving without a trace! Well-known for his countless misdeeds, he was a three-star mission issued by the school!

Many students from the four great schools had attempted this mission, but due to Xu Jiang’s unparalleled mastery of Light Martial Arts, none had ever succeeded.

Neither of them had expected Lin Yun to have killed Xu Jiang.

In another residence on Purple Spirit Peak, the lamplight flickered.

Luo Feng was standing in the courtyard, practicing with his Tiger Soul Saber in hand.

His eyes were as calm as still water, but deep within the blackness of his pupils, a faintly alluring, blood-colored light could be seen flashing, sending chills down one’s spine.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH...

The light of the saber flickered, as a constant stream of somber black Saber Gang shot out, furrowing deep, horrifying marks across the courtyard. The chilling killing intent left one’s hair standing on end.

"HOOO..."

A few breaths later, Luo Feng let out a long sigh. The blood-colored light in his eyes gradually receded.

Eight breaths of time. It seems I’ve reached my limit.

Ever since he returned to his small courtyard, Luo Feng had been practicing the Bloodthirsty Technique, trying to extend its duration.

Through his practice, the Bloodthirsty Technique’s duration increased from an initial six breaths to eight. Nonetheless, it seemed he had reached a limit. No matter how hard he tried, the Bloodthirsty Technique couldn’t be improved any further. Beyond eight breaths, the terrifying murderous intent in the wristband would affect him, and he wouldn’t be able to maintain his sanity.

Unable to make a breakthrough, Luo Feng set aside the Tiger Soul Saber, deciding to practice other Martial Arts instead.

Even though he had won the qualifying contest with ease, he dared not let his guard down.

The most important battle would be the challenge competition tomorrow.

All the students ranked in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List would appear for the challenge competition, which included Lin Yun. These people constituted the true elites of the school! The power of each one should not be underestimated.

Since my Cultivation reached the seventh level of the Essence storage Realm, I can use the Teng Dragon’s Step against enemies. I wonder how powerful it is.

Since both the Thunder Rush Shock Cloud Step and the Furious Tiger Fist had hit a bottleneck and couldn’t be improved further in a short time, Luo Feng shifted his focus to the Teng Dragon’s Step.

Recollecting the contents of the Teng Dragon’s Step, Luo Feng began to practice.

OOOH...

A faint stream of dragon roars resonated through the courtyard. A gust of wind blew past, and eight flying dragons, baring fangs and brandishing claws, appeared beside Luo Feng, spiraling and soaring.

These dragons weren’t as ethereal as they used to be. Their bodies appeared as clear as glaze. Their fangs, sharp claws, and even Scale Armor were vivid, crystal-clear, and tangible.

Luo Feng’s gaze sharply turned to a copse tens of meters away.

Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens!

ROAR!

Accompanied by the dragon roars, eight glazed Qi Dragons shot out.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...

Amidst thunderous blasts, tree branches were sent flying. It seemed as though the entire Purple Spirit Peak was trembling.

"What’s happening?"

"What was that? Such a huge commotion!"

Inner court students and school instructors living on Purple Spirit Peak were all alarmed by this massive disturbance. Figures rushed out from their residences.

When they saw the forest, they all stopped, stunned.

In the middle of the forest, a clearing wider than three meters had appeared. The ground was covered with massive cracks—a horrifying sight.

"What... what is this?"

A group of inner court students, looking at the horrific aftermath, all swallowed nervously.

"It looks like it was caused by some powerful Martial Art. Someone must’ve been practicing here just now."

"This power is unbelievable. I wonder who left these marks!"

"It probably was one of the senior brothers or sisters ranked in the top few places of the Hidden Dragon List, or an instructor from the school! Once, I saw Elder Hua practicing in the back mountain; his punch blasted a hole in a distant mountain peak! That scene was quite similar to this one—truly terrifying!"

The crowd was astonished for quite a while before they finally dispersed.

When everyone had left, Luo Feng finally breathed out in relief.

Looking at the part of the forest that had been leveled, a joyful expression appeared in his eyes.

Impressive! This is the true Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens! I didn’t expect the Teng Dragon’s Step’s offensive technique to be this powerful!

The power of Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens surprised even Luo Feng.

The external release of Saber Gang from the Sky Slayer Saber Technique could only reach a dozen or so meters!

The forest was about thirty or forty meters away from the courtyard, yet Luo Feng felt as if he still had power left over.

The attack range of Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens was far greater than the Sky Slayer Saber Technique! Moreover, its power wasn’t inferior to the Sky Slayer Saber Technique; it was even considerably stronger.

"HUH..."

While rejoicing, a wave of sudden fatigue washed over him. Luo Feng shook his head, and his mind cleared a bit.

Feeling the drain of his Yuan Qi, he instantly understood.

Though Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens was awesomely powerful, it consumed a great deal of Yuan Qi.

That last attack had nearly depleted his reserves!