CLANG!
Just as Luo Hefeng’s longsword was about to pierce Lu Panshi’s throat, the sharp clash of weapons rang out fiercely across the Martial Arts Arena.
The crowd whipped their heads around, only to see Luo Hefeng’s longsword deflected heavily, while Lin Huang slowly sheathed his Demon-Suppressing Blade.
"Brat, you dare meddle in my affairs!"
Luo Hefeng’s face instantly turned cold. He locked his deadly gaze on Lin Huang, his longsword still swirling with a chilling, fierce sword qi.
Lin Huang offered a faint smile. "Once he is knocked out of the ring, he loses. By chasing him out of the ring to kill him, you broke the rules. I am not at fault for stepping in to save him!
"Moreover..." Lin Huang’s voice rose slightly before he smiled nonchalantly. "So what if I am meddling?"
"You reckless fool!"
Luo Hefeng furrowed his brows, a thick murderous intent flashing in his icy eyes.
Lin Huang adjusted his sleeves and looked at Luo Hefeng with an indifferent expression. "What? Now that you’ve become the champion of the Outer Sect, are you going to kill me too?"
Luo Hefeng’s lips curled into a mocking sneer as he slowly sheathed his longsword. "A brat at the Earth Element Third Heaven isn’t qualified to make me lift a finger. But I will remember you. I hope you live a bit more cautiously from now on."
With that, Luo Hefeng swept his sleeves and headed toward the ring to accept the glory that belonged to the champion of the Outer Sect.
"Thanks!"
At Lin Huang’s feet, Lu Panshi barely lifted his eyelids and spoke calmly. His face betrayed neither sorrow nor joy, but his grip on the ancient spear tightened.
Lin Huang smiled faintly and helped Lu Panshi up. "After all, I am nominally a disciple of the Earth Institute as well. It was just a simple effort. However, you must not practice cultivation for a while, or it will damage your martial arts foundation."
Lu Panshi looked at Lin Huang and forced a stiff smile.
With Lu Panshi stepping down, the Outer Sect battle that had lasted for half a month finally came to an end.
The crowd of disciples gazed at Luo Hefeng in the ring. The sea of people stirred with fluctuating emotions—some excited, some dismayed. Yet there was no doubt about it; Luo Hefeng was truly the number one in the Outer Sect. From the very beginning, no one had ever doubted this point.
"The champion of this Outer Sect battle—Luo Hefeng!"
An aged voice rang out through the arena, followed by the appearance of a figure.
It was the Arbitration Elder for this Outer Sect battle, a rather peculiar old man! He wore a robe interweaved with red, blue, and green, making him look rather flashy and garish. The hair on his temples and the white beard on his chin were all tied into braids, swaying comically with every step he took. His name was Nan Yunlie.
At this moment, Nan Yunlie puffed his cheeks and glared at Luo Hefeng, appearing somewhat angry. "If there is a next time, you can roll up into a ball and get out of here!"
The smile on Luo Hefeng’s face froze.
Everyone present naturally understood Nan Yunlie’s meaning. Although the Outer Sect battles had rules where victory could be decided by life and death, Lu Panshi had already left the ring. To continue such a ruthless pursuit was quite unjustifiable. Moreover, they were fellow disciples after all. Unless there was a deep-seated blood feud, tormenting someone without killing them was a grave humiliation to a martial artist. This was a matter concerning a martial artist’s character.
"That brat with the surname Lu, from now on, this elder is your master!" Nan Yunlie casually declared after glancing at Lu Panshi.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
Luo Hefeng was somewhat furious, while Lu Panshi looked completely bewildered.
Nan Yunlie was an elder of Qilin Peak!
Countless disciples in Piaoxue Palace dreamed of joining Qilin Peak but failed to get their wish. Who could have expected that Nan Yunlie would take Lu Panshi as his disciple so easily?
Luo Hefeng narrowed his eyes, thick anger seeping from his gaze. He had originally intended to defeat Lu Panshi with an effortless and dominant stance to win Nan Yunlie’s favor. But he never expected that this wretched old man would actually take a liking to a guy he considered a mere insect!
"None of your damn business!"
Nan Yunlie snorted coldly and shot Luo Hefeng a glare. Strutting with his hands behind his back, his braided temples wildly whipping in the wind, he then announced with a face full of impatience:
"Starting tomorrow, the top ten of the Outer Sect battle will enter the Inner Sect!
"The Outer Sect battle ends here. I hope all disciples will study hard, train diligently, continuously forge ahead, brave the wind and waves, and improve every day..."
Nan Yunlie sounded entirely bored by his own words, even looking half-asleep, but the applause in the Martial Arts Arena surged like a tidal wave.
Every disciple clapped with all their might. Although they didn’t know why they were clapping, everyone else was doing it, so they couldn’t be left behind. Besides, an elder was speaking... they had to applaud!
Amidst the thunderous applause, Lin Huang looked at Luo Hefeng in the ring and the excited expressions of the disciples around him, his face turning slightly cold.
DONG!
DONG... DONG...
DONG DONG DONG DONG!
DONG!!
While applause thundered in the Martial Arts Arena, a heavy drumming suddenly rang through the air. It rumbled like a crushing mountain, vibrating so intensely that it made everyone’s eardrums ache.
The applause in the arena swiftly vanished.
The crowd’s expressions stiffened slightly as they looked in confusion at the young man beating the drum beside the ring.
The young man wore a set of white clothes and held the drumsticks in his hands. He stood as tall and sharp as a fierce spear, his expression restrained yet resolute. Within his clear eyes lay an incisive sharpness.
The drumming then stopped. No more, no less—exactly eight beats! Each beat had landed clearly in everyone’s ears, leaving them somewhat stunned.
"Battle Eight Directions?!"
A disciple suddenly reacted and screamed. His shrill voice carried a trace of excitement and trembling.
Subsequently, the faces of the disciples in the Martial Arts Arena drastically changed. All eyes fell entirely upon Lin Huang. Unbelieving, they rubbed their eyes and tugged at their ears.
Battle Eight Directions?!
Eight drum beats meant the Battle Eight Directions!
It was actually the Battle Eight Directions!
They wondered how this brat could possibly be qualified to strike the Eight-Direction Drum. Full of doubts, the crowd stared at Lin Huang in utter astonishment.
If there was only one person in the entire Outer Sect qualified to beat the Eight-Direction Drum, it would only be Luo Hefeng.
Or perhaps that guy named Jiang Huaiyin.
No one else possessed such strength.
Yet this guy...
"He truly doesn’t know the meaning of fear, daring to invoke the Battle Eight Directions. It hasn’t appeared in the entire Piaoxue Palace for years!"
"Let’s go, let’s go. It’s just someone digging his own grave, nothing worth watching."
"Don’t go. Wouldn’t it be quite fun to see how this kid gets beaten to death by everyone?"
...
Discussions buzzed wildly below the stage, but on the stage, Luo Hefeng’s face completely fell. Regardless of whether the challenger possessed the strength for the Battle Eight Directions, beating the Eight-Direction Drum at this specific moment was a direct slap to his face.
When Luo Hefeng saw the figure beating the drum, the expression on his face completely stiffened, his eyes brimming with intense murderous intent.
Off to the side, Nan Yunlie narrowed his eyes. He stared at Lin Huang with keen interest and chuckled dryly.
Ever since Lin Cangxue’s fall from grace, Piaoxue Palace had been peaceful for far too long. Now that someone had sounded the Eight-Direction Drum, it proved to be quite an interesting turn of events. Nan Yunlie then cleared his throat and feigned a stern expression.
"Youngster, do you know the rules of the Battle Eight Directions? This is no child’s play."
Lin Huang set down the drumsticks, turned around, and cupped his fists toward Nan Yunlie.
"To challenge eight martial artists whose cultivation realms are no lower than one’s own, among whom one must be two heavens higher!"
Lin Huang answered with a composed expression, then shot a glance at Luo Hefeng. Currently, in the entire Outer Sect, there were only three disciples at the Earth Element Fifth Heaven, and Luo Hefeng was one of them.
"This old man will give you a piece of advice. In the history of Piaoxue Palace, less than ten percent of those who attempted the Battle Eight Directions succeeded. You had better think this through!" Nan Yunlie said with a taut face.
Lin Huang smiled. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder, but I must take on the Battle Eight Directions. I have a reason that requires me to enter the Inner Sect."
"Start choosing your challengers then!" As soon as Lin Huang finished speaking, Nan Yunlie hurriedly spoke up, seemingly afraid that Lin Huang might back out.
Lin Huang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the thousands of people in the Martial Arts Arena...
The crowd looked at Lin Huang in the ring, whispering among themselves. None could have ever imagined that on this final night of the Outer Sect battle, an obscure disciple would suddenly spring up.
And he actually wanted to invoke the Battle Eight Directions!
In the eyes of the crowd, Lin Huang was undeniably joking with his life. It was simply far too arrogant.
Challenging eight people.
Fighting opponents two heavens above his realm.
How could this be something an ordinary person could achieve?
In the history of Piaoxue Palace, perhaps only Lin Cangxue alone could accomplish such a dominant feat. She had once used the Earth Element to kill a Celestial Element opponent—an act of extreme ferocity and tyranny.
But how could an ordinary person possess the talent and aptitude of Lin Cangxue? Moreover, this person had never even distinguished himself in the Outer Sect.
Did he wish to become famous overnight? That was simply too laughable.
Most of the disciples in the Martial Arts Arena fixed their gazes on Lin Huang. Looking at his unearthly appearance in white clothes, they felt a deep sense of absurdity and disdain in their hearts, their faces unconsciously wearing mocking expressions.
"He is Lin Huang, Lin Cangxue’s younger brother!"
When a disciple recognized Lin Huang and called out his name, the Martial Arts Arena fell into an even greater uproar. The look of contempt toward Lin Huang grew overwhelmingly heavier.
"Heh... So what if he’s Lin Cangxue’s younger brother? Does that mean he can attempt the Battle Eight Directions?"
"He really thinks he’s a big shot. Does he think that just because Lin Cangxue was once an East Spirit Legend, he is also a chosen prodigy?"
"He’s merely riding on Lin Cangxue’s lingering prestige to play the clown and grab attention. Besides, Lin Cangxue has long since fallen from grace and rarely shows her face in Piaoxue Palace. Yet this kid is parading himself everywhere. It’s truly the height of stupidity."
The boiling discussions drowned the Martial Arts Arena in a sea of noise. Off to the side, Nan Yunlie’s eyes glinted brightly. With unstoppable curiosity on his face, he looked exactly like a playful old child.
"The younger brother of that little girl Lin Cangxue? Interesting, very interesting!"
Luo Hefeng’s eyes swept back and forth over Lin Huang before he finally let out a frivolous laugh. "So you’re Lin Cangxue’s younger brother. No wonder you dared to speak to me like that just now. However, that bitch Lin Cangxue is worse than a wild dog now. I really don’t know where you get your confidence from."
In the ring, Lin Huang’s face instantly turned ruthless. His gaze toward Luo Hefeng revealed a trace of manic, resolute, and icy murderous intent.
"The first, Luo Hefeng!"
Lin Huang parted his thin lips and announced the first person he would challenge. The voice from his throat rolled like thunder, landing clearly in everyone’s ears.
"What guts indeed!"
Luo Hefeng raised his eyebrows in praise, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He had been worried that Lin Huang wouldn’t challenge him. A casual remark of his had made this kid fall right into his trap. He was truly stupid beyond belief.
"The second, He Baichuan!"
"The third, Yang Yehai!"
...
"The sixth, Guan Hanqing!"
"The seventh, Wen Daochang!"
When the crowd heard the seventh person’s name, their expressions couldn’t help but change. They hadn’t expected that aside from challenging Luo Hefeng, Lin Huang would also challenge Wen Daochang, the second disciple in the Outer Sect at the Earth Element Fifth Heaven.
Although he narrowly lost to Luo Hefeng, heaven only knew why Wen Daochang had suddenly abandoned the ring during the quarterfinals three days ago and sprinted madly in the direction of the latrines.
"Two opponents at the Earth Element Fifth Heaven. This Lin Huang truly is somewhat arrogant!"
"Wen Daochang stopped at the quarterfinals due to personal reasons and is holding in a belly full of fury. To think this fool would actually ram his head right into it, tsk tsk..."
Just as the crowd was brazenly criticizing him, they suddenly heard the name of the eighth person spoken by Lin Huang. Their breathing stagnated, and they dug at their ears. They genuinely suspected that they had heard wrong.
"The eighth, Jiang Huaiyin?"
"Did he just say, Jiang Huaiyin?!"
"It really is Jiang Huaiyin! The same Jiang Huaiyin who was just accepted as a Direct Disciple by Elder Hong Jiu a few days ago, thereby giving up on the Outer Sect battle!"
"That Jiang Huaiyin who never shows off yet has never suffered a single defeat!"
"Word has it that he even has some connection to Jiang Licheng, who is currently ranked second on the East Spirit Martial Marquis List..."