Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Defeating the Netherworld Pavilion

"I won!"

Fang Han felt as if his sword tip had struck a wall of solid iron, unable to advance another inch.

Seeing that it was the referee, Xuanyuan Jing, who had intervened, he knew the match’s outcome had been decided.

He released the power from his sword, retracted it, and stepped back, breathing heavily to calm the roiling qi and blood in his body.

"I... I lost?"

Pushed back, Huo Man staggered a few steps before finding his footing, his face flushing then paling in quick succession.

He knew that if the referee hadn’t intervened in time, he would have been severely injured and defeated.

In their exchange, he was the one who had lost.

Gazing at Fang Han, who now stood with his sword sheathed, Huo Man’s eyes filled with resentment before it all dissolved into a defeated sigh.

Xuanyuan Jing’s gaze swept over the two, lingering on Fang Han for a moment, before he announced loudly.

"Fang Han of the Qingxuan Sect is victorious!"

The voice echoed throughout the Martial Arts Arena.

After a moment of silence, a wave of fervent cheers erupted from the Qingxuan Sect’s direction.

"We won! Fang Han won!"

"Amazing! He defeated three people from the Netherworld Pavilion in a row!"

Huang Ling’er leaped for joy, an almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Yun Qianyue’s lips, and a hint of approval appeared in Li Feng’s eyes as he looked at Fang Han.

Elder Chen Xuan stroked his beard and nodded, the satisfaction in his eyes deepening.

In contrast, the Netherworld Pavilion’s camp was deathly silent, the atmosphere oppressive to the extreme.

The leading elder, Ming Gu, had an ashen face. He snorted coldly, clearly extremely displeased.

Mo Yuan and the others all had ugly expressions, their heads bowed low.

Four of their five members had been defeated, and three of them had been beaten consecutively by a single person. This was undoubtedly a great humiliation for the Netherworld Pavilion.

CLACK, CLACK, CLACK—

Without needing an order from the elder, Xin Wuming, the top-ranked new disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion, was already walking toward the stage.

He was dressed all in black, with a long black saber hanging at his waist, and exuded a cold, sinister aura.

’Xin Wuming, the number one new disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion... ’

Looking at Xin Wuming as he stepped onto the stage, Fang Han knew he had no chance of winning.

It wasn’t because he was intimidated by Xin Wuming’s title as the top new disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion. It was because after three consecutive battles, his Inner Qi had bottomed out, and he no longer had the strength to fight again.

Even if he wanted to test his skills against Xin Wuming, the number one new disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion, he was willing but lacked the strength.

"The Qingxuan Sect is swapping fighters."

Elder Chen Xuan had obviously noticed Fang Han’s current condition and immediately spoke up.

Fang Han bowed respectfully to the referee, Xuanyuan Jing, then walked off the stage with steady steps.

At the same time, Li Feng, cradling his saber, walked toward the stage. He gave Fang Han a slight nod as they passed each other.

’He didn’t send Huang Ling’er, but sent the second-ranked Li Feng directly.’

’He probably thinks the gap between Huang Ling’er and the opponent is too great. Not only would she fail to wear him down, but she might even get injured.’

"Very good. You’ve used up a lot of your Inner Qi. Go and recover for now," Elder Chen Xuan said with a gentle smile as he watched Fang Han return.

Fang Han’s performance today had truly exceeded his expectations.

Not only had he defeated Netherworld Pavilion’s fourth-ranked Mo Yuan and third-ranked You Ling, but he had even crossed a stage to defeat their second-ranked Huo Man, who possessed a Mid-Stage Eighth Grade Cultivation.

Defeating the first two was one thing, but defeating the last one was something he had never expected.

Mastery of the Gale Shadow Step had greatly enhanced Fang Han’s strength, a fact that could not be reflected on the Martial Arts Stele, which only tested Power of Attack.

In terms of true strength, Fang Han was probably now strong enough to compete with Li Feng.

"Yes."

Fang Han nodded, walked to the side, sat down cross-legged, took out a Peiyuan Pill and consumed it, and began his Cultivation to recover his spent Inner Qi and stamina.

In the audience stands, the roar of the crowd was like a tide, not subsiding for a long time.

Fang Han, with his Early-Stage Eighth Grade Cultivation, had consecutively defeated three experts from the Netherworld Pavilion. His final battle was especially stunning, where he used his exquisite Body Technique and sharp Sword Skill to defeat the Mid-Stage Eighth Grade Huo Man, a feat that crossed a cultivation stage.

"This Fang Han from the Qingxuan Sect is incredible!" a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, exuding an air of authority, remarked while stroking his beard.

He was the Patriarch of the Commandery City’s Zhang Family, and his gaze was filled with scrutiny and amazement.

"I originally thought that among this generation of Qingxuan Sect disciples, only Yun Qianyue and Li Feng were worth watching. I never expected this third-ranked Fang Han to possess such combat prowess."

"His Body Technique is unpredictable, and his Swordsmanship has deeply grasped the true meaning of ’Split Wind.’ I’m afraid his true strength is not much inferior to the top-ranked disciples of the other sects," an Elder from the Thousand Skills Pavilion next to him nodded in agreement.

"After this battle, this boy Fang Han has thoroughly made a name for himself. In the upcoming matches, the disciples of the other five sects will likely see him as a formidable opponent."

"Heh heh, to have three of their people defeated in a row by a single disciple from the Qingxuan Sect... the Netherworld Pavilion has really lost a lot of face this time."

A member of a faction on bad terms with the Netherworld Pavilion sneered in a low voice, his tone dripping with schadenfreude.

These discussions clearly indicated the rise in Fang Han’s status in the eyes of the various factions.

It wasn’t just the audience; in the areas for the other five sects’ disciples, the gazes directed at Fang Han had also grown more serious.

Lin Zihua of the Lingyun Sword Sect, with his stern face and a longsword on his back, let his gaze rest on Fang Han for a moment before looking away.

Over at the Overlord Blade Sect, several disciples with wild auras were whispering to each other, glancing at Fang Han from time to time. They had clearly added him to their list of people to watch out for.

Even among the usually calm young monks of the Vajra Temple, the lead disciple named Wu Fan opened his half-closed eyes, a flash of curiosity in their clear depths.

Liu Yiyi of the Baihua Valley furrowed her lovely brows, as if weighing her chances of defeating Fang Han.

Mo Chen of the Tingyu Building had an obscure aura; a faint, almost imperceptible gaze swept over Fang Han.

On the stage, the referee Xuanyuan Jing saw that both sides were ready and announced in a deep voice.

"The match begins!"

Li Feng stood opposite Xin Wuming, who was dressed in black and exuded a cold, sinister aura, cradling his long saber.

Both were at Mid-Stage Eighth Grade Cultivation and specialized in Saber Technique. The moment they faced each other, an invisible clash of Saber Momentum filled the air, chilling to the bone.

"CLANG!"

Almost at the instant Xuanyuan Jing’s voice fell, two flashes of saber light emerged from their sheaths simultaneously!

Li Feng’s saber was as cold as ice, carrying a resolute, forward-charging determination.

Xin Wuming’s saber, however, was treacherous and venomous. Its Blade Momentum was erratic, like a viper in the dead of night.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG..."

The sounds of clashing metal became a dense flurry as two figures rapidly crisscrossed the stage, their saber flashes weaving through the air as Qi Force radiated outwards.

Li Feng’s Saber Technique was grand and sweeping. Each strike contained immense power and a cold killing intent, his assault like a surging tide.

Xin Wuming, on the other hand, had an agile Body Technique. His saber attacks were unorthodox, specifically targeting the subtle openings between Li Feng’s moves, attempting to use Skill Overcomes Force.

’His Saber Momentum is condensed and his chilling intent is palpable. As expected, Li Feng has already cultivated a Middle Grade Saber Technique to the Mastery Realm.’

Although Fang Han was regulating his breathing to recover his Inner Qi, he still kept a sliver of his attention on the stage.

When Li Feng had first entered the Sect, he had already reached Perfection in a Low Grade Saber Technique. Fang Han guessed that after more than half a year, Li Feng’s Saber Technique must have improved, and his Martial Technique’s Realm was likely no weaker than his own.

Now, it seemed his guess was correct.

On the stage, Li Feng and Xin Wuming fought fiercely for over a hundred moves, the situation a stalemate.

Xin Wuming’s strange Saber Technique was indeed causing Li Feng quite a bit of trouble, his blade dangerously grazing the corner of Li Feng’s clothes several times.

But Li Feng’s Saber Momentum remained unshaken. He fought steadily and surely, gradually forcing Xin Wuming onto the defensive.

Finally, after more than two hundred moves, Li Feng seized a moment when Xin Wuming was slow to recover his breath. His Saber Momentum suddenly surged, and he fiercely unleashed the move "Frosty Earth."

The saber light was like a bolt of white silk, carrying a chill that could freeze everything, sealing off all of Xin Wuming’s escape routes.

Xin Wuming’s expression changed drastically. He hastily raised his saber horizontally to block.

"CLANG—!"

With a deafening crash, Xin Wuming felt an irresistible force slam into him. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, and his long saber was knocked from his grasp.

The force sent him stumbling backward until he fell flat on his butt, his face deathly pale.

"The first Sect match is over. The Qingxuan Sect is victorious!"

Xuanyuan Jing stepped forward in time to stop Li Feng from attacking further and announced the result.

With this, all five disciples from the Netherworld Pavilion had been defeated. The Qingxuan Sect had won the first sect-versus-sect showdown!

Of course, what drew the most attention was that the Qingxuan Sect had only dispatched three disciples. Two disciples, including the top-ranked Yun Qianyue, had not even fought.

Without a doubt, it was a victory won with overwhelming dominance.

"Haha, excellent!"

Elder Chen Xuan clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his face filled with relief and pride.

Not only had they defeated their old rival, the Netherworld Pavilion, but what was most praiseworthy was that they had done so with only three people and with overwhelming superiority.

This brought him immense satisfaction.

In contrast, the Netherworld Pavilion’s leading elder, Ming Gu, was a grim-faced old man whose complexion was now ashen. His chest heaved violently. With a cold snort and a flick of his sleeves, he turned away, refusing to even look at Xin Wuming and the others as they trudged off the stage in disgrace. He was clearly furious.

Not only had they been defeated, but they had been defeated at a huge disadvantage, causing him to lose all face.

"The second Sect match: Lingyun Sword Sect versus Overlord Blade Sect!"

On the stage, Xuanyuan Jing did not delay. His resonant voice echoed across the Martial Arts Arena, announcing the start of the second Sect match.

As soon as his voice fell, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Arena was ignited once more!

Lingyun Sword Sect and Overlord Blade Sect—one reigned supreme with the sword, the other revered the saber. Due to a conflict in ideals, the two sects had a long-standing feud, and their relationship was every bit as hostile as the one between the Qingxuan Sect and the Netherworld Pavilion.

This clash of saber and sword was undoubtedly another highlight of the day!

The first to appear from the Lingyun Sword Sect was a disciple named Lin Qing. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a delicate face, and held a three-foot green-edged sword.

His opponent was a sturdy youth from the Overlord Blade Sect named Wang Gang, who wielded a Thick-Backed Machete.

After stepping onto the stage, he provoked him without any courtesy.

"You weakling from the Sword Sect, watch how Grandpa here is gonna chop you to bits!"

"You brute from the Overlord Blade Sect, stop your boasting!" Lin Qing retorted, his face ashen with anger.

The moment they clashed, neither held back.

Lin Qing’s Swordsmanship was swift and sharp, his sword flashes like rain, enveloping Wang Gang’s vital points.

Wang Gang’s Saber Technique, in contrast, was fierce and domineering. Each swing was powerful and heavy, breaking through skill with raw force.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—"

After a dense flurry of exchanges, Lin Qing, relying on his superior speed and precision in Swordsmanship, landed a sword strike on Wang Gang’s wrist.

Xuanyuan Jing intervened in time. Wang Gang’s wrist was only grazed, but it still signified his defeat.

Lingyun Sword Sect took the first victory.