Ten Thousand Dragons Technique-Chapter 248: Lacking in Real Combat—Will Lin Xuan Be Defeated?
The Imperial Clan Elders had returned. They activated the array, and Purple Mountain roared. The ground shook, revealing an ancient arena covered with the scars of swords and blades. This place had clearly witnessed countless battles and the rise of just as many prodigies. Now, everyone would continue their own battles on this very stage.
An Imperial Clan Elder announced in a resonant voice, "Congratulations on passing the elimination round. All of you are qualified to be ranked on the Hidden Dragon Chart; you are all dazzling talents of the Great Xia Country. The upcoming finals will determine your final rankings. The format will be a wheel battle. Each of you will fight the other ninety-nine contestants. You will gain one point for a win and no points for a loss. In the end, your rank will be based on your total score. The one with the most points will be number one on the Hidden Dragon Chart."
An uproar went through the crowd. What? A wheel battle! Everyone had to fight ninety-nine matches! In that case, there was no room for luck whatsoever.
If it were based on drawing lots, one could get lucky and face weaker opponents, leading to a winning streak and a good final result. A wheel battle, however, was different. Everyone had to face everyone else, meaning they would have to fight both the experts and the weaker cultivators. This wasn’t a contest of luck, but one of pure strength. The strong could sweep through the competition and ultimately claim the championship, while the weak would likely be trampled underfoot, never to recover.
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the top-tier talents flashed with a fierce light.
Chu Yue was so excited she practically jumped. "Hahaha, this is great!" She had been worried it would be a random draw. In that case, a lucky Lin Xuan might have been able to avoid many of the experts. But now, his good luck was useless.
She turned to Lin Xuan and declared, "Kid, when I meet you on the arena, I will not spare you! I will crush you under my heel and show you how powerful I truly am!"
The others shook their heads and sighed. "It’s over," someone said. "I’m afraid Lin Xuan is doomed."
"To break a record only to be trampled underfoot right after... how embarrassing."
"Alas, it can’t be helped. He’s too young and his cultivation is too weak. He can’t possibly beat the top-tier contestants."
"Give him a few more years, and he’ll surely surpass everyone."
"But right now, he’s no match for them."
"Sigh, I was actually hoping he’d win the championship, but it seems impossible now."
Everyone shook their heads, feeling it was a pity for Lin Xuan. He, however, simply smiled. What do these people know? My true strength surpasses all.
He looked at Chu Yue and said coldly, "When you face me, you’d best surrender immediately. Otherwise, your fate will be miserable."
"What did you say?" Chu Yue was furious. "You want me to surrender? To you? Are you worthy? Don’t think you can be so arrogant just because you broke my brother’s record. When it comes to real strength, you’re not even fit to carry my shoes!"
Lin Xuan replied, "My strength is above all else. Never mind you; even if you combined the strength of everyone in the top tier, they would still be no match for me."
Idiot! Chu Yue sneered, not believing him in the slightest. The others also burst out laughing, thinking Lin Xuan was all talk. Someone commented, "This Lin Xuan has gotten a huge ego. Does he think breaking one record means he can look down on everyone?"
"Just watch. He’s going to end up in a miserable state."
The faces of the top-tier cultivators darkened. Did this kid really look down on them so much? How outrageous. They all decided that when they encountered Lin Xuan, they would teach him a harsh lesson and show him his place.
Following a command from an Imperial Clan Elder, the finals at last began. The contestants stood on either side of the arena, array runes flashing beneath their feet. Whoever’s runes lit up would have to ascend the stage to fight.
Soon, the array beneath two people’s feet lit up. They immediately leaped onto the arena and attacked with their full strength, their battle shaking the heavens and the earth. The spectators watched, dumbfounded. "So strong!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
As expected, there were no weaklings among those who made it to the finals. These were all Nine-Star Martial Generals, and extremely powerful ones at that. Their battles were truly spectacular! The crowd cheered excitedly; a competition of this caliber was a rare sight indeed.
On the arena, the two fighters were from the Celestial Sword Sect and the Mad Blade Sect. One used Swordsmanship while the other used Sword Technique. Ethereal Sword Qi clashed with fierce blade light, but in the end, the prodigy from the Celestial Sword Sect was victorious.
"Hahaha, I won! I got one point!" The prodigy’s name was Xia Youhui. He laughed with excitement.
The prodigy from the Mad Blade Sect was not discouraged. It was only the beginning, and he still had plenty of opportunities. After returning to the side, he sat down cross-legged to recover his strength while watching the other matches.
The competition continued, with each battle proving more thrilling than the last. In the blink of an eye, ten matches had passed.
Just then, the array runes under Lin Xuan’s feet lit up. "Oh, is it my turn?" A smile touched Lin Xuan’s lips as he strode toward the arena.
The surrounding crowd broke into exclamations. "It’s Lin Xuan! Lin Xuan is taking the stage!"
"He’s finally going to fight!"
"I wonder what his true combat strength is like?"
"Who’s his opponent?"
"Damn, he’s not going to get taken out in a single move, is he? That would be humiliating!"
No one had ever seen Lin Xuan fight, so they had no idea what his capabilities were. At this moment, they all felt a sense of worry for him as countless eyes turned in his direction.
Even the top-tier prodigies focused their gazes on him. They wanted to see just how strong this record-breaking kid really was. Was he qualified to be a threat to them?
As for Lin Xuan’s opponent, he was no stranger to the crowd. It was the Sword Dao prodigy from the first match, Xia Youhui. His Swordsmanship was terrifyingly elusive.
"Hahahaha, looks like my luck is pretty good," Xia Youhui exclaimed, thrilled. Everyone says this Lin Xuan possesses Wushuang talent and has a Saint’s Appearance, but his cultivation is too weak right now. If I could defeat him here, wouldn’t I be able to boast about having defeated a youthful saint for the rest of my life? The thought filled Xia Youhui with excitement.
He stared at Lin Xuan and said, "Kid, I’m about to make my move. Don’t blame me for what happens. After all, these are the finals, and I have no intention of holding back."
"You talk too much," Lin Xuan said with a dismissive wave. "Just make your move. Use your strongest sword strike, because you won’t get a chance to make a second one."
The crowd was in an uproar. How arrogant! He was completely looking down on Xia Youhui! Xia Youhui’s face fell. How dare he underestimate me? He’s going to pay the price for that.
He drew the longsword from his waist and thrust it forward. In an instant, countless sword-shadows filled the air, enveloping Lin Xuan.
The crowd gasped. "What a terrifying strike!"
"That’s the Wind Following Swordsmanship! It’s a top-tier Swordsmanship from the Celestial Sword Sect, and Xia Youhui has already mastered it to perfection!"
"It’s over. Lin Xuan definitely can’t block that."
"He’s going to lose."
"Sigh, to think he’d lose his very first match. What a cruel twist of fate."
"Indeed. Is a peerless prodigy who broke a record really this fragile in the finals?"
"If I were him, I would have just listened to the Imperial Clan Elders and sat out the finals. Participating was just asking for humiliation."
No one was optimistic about Lin Xuan’s chances. In their eyes, his defeat was certain.
