152: Chapter 152 Xiang Liu

After a period of rest, the second round of the competition began as scheduled.

Both Xiang Tian and Xiang Yuan fought their way through the rounds with ease.

When facing their opponents, they remained calm and composed, advancing easily without expending much effort.

In contrast, most of the other Disciples were exhausted from their battles.

Some were even defeated and forced to leave the arena.

After several matches, the Qi within Xiang Tian grew increasingly thick and powerful.

His cultivation reached a Breakthrough, directly hitting the Peak of the Martial King Realm.

"Your Highness, your cultivation has improved again!" Xiang Yuan's gaze fell upon Xiang Tian, his face full of shock.

"Cultivation in the Martial King Realm is not so easy to upgrade. Ordinary people might not even be able to break through a single level after years of hard practice, yet you have reached the Peak so quickly—it's as simple as drinking water!"

Xiang Tian waved his hand indifferently.

"No need to make a fuss; it was merely following the natural flow."

As the two were chatting, the Second Elder's booming voice spread across the entire competition arena once more.

"Number 33 versus Number 99! Will both Disciples please take the stage immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Tian moved his body and instantly soared onto the competition stage.

The next second.

A beautiful figure leaped onto the stage and landed opposite him.

The woman was dressed in a black, tight-fitting outfit, which perfectly outlined her proud figure.

Her brows and eyes were cold, and a faint aura of the Martial Emperor Realm emanated from her body.

"Xiang Tian, to think you could advance to the top twenty; you have truly made this Young Miss look at you with new eyes." The woman raised her eyes, looking Xiang Tian up and down.

A hint of playfulness flashed in the depths of Xiang Tian's eyes, and he teased her intentionally.

"Beauty, staring at me like that, could it be that you have fallen for this Prince?"

Upon hearing this, the woman...

not only did not get angry, but instead curled the corners of her mouth.

She slowly walked a few steps closer to Xiang Tian.

"Oh? Do you dare to engage in Dual Cultivation with me? I fear you won't live past tomorrow."

Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming even more playful.

"To be able to Dual Cultivate with a beauty like you for a night, even if it meant death, would be worth it."

Suddenly!

The woman's figure flashed suddenly, and she gripped two curved blades gleaming with cold light in her hands.

The blades radiated a bone-chilling cold as they struck directly at Xiang Tian's heart, her movements crisp and decisive.

"Clang!"

The sharp sound of metal clashing was piercing and unpleasant.

Xiang Tian tilted his body slightly, easily dodging the fatal blow.

At the same time, he shook his head and sighed with feigned regret.

"Sigh, beauty, you have disappointed me too much. I had actually thought you truly wanted to engage in Dual Cultivation with me."

A long blade had already appeared in his hand; it was the replica of the Demon Blood Blade.

"Hmm?" The woman's gaze fell upon the Demon Blood Blade in Xiang Tian's hand, and her dark brows furrowed slightly.

"What kind of weapon is this? The aura is so strange; it makes me very uncomfortable."

Xiang Tian shook the Demon Blood Blade in his hand, his smile deepening.

"Want to know? Accompany me in Dual Cultivation once, and I will tell you."

"If you won't say it, then I will beat you until you do!" The woman's expression sank.

The provocation in her eyes turned into cold intent, and she gripped her two curved blades, launching another attack.

The blade light was sharp, and every move was fatal.

The pressure of the Martial Emperor Realm around her grew increasingly intense.

"Clang!"

Blade clashed with blade, and sparks flew everywhere.

The area below the stage instantly erupted in excitement.

"Holy crap! Xiang Tian is actually able to fight Xiang Liu to a draw? How is this possible!"

"Didn't Xiang Liu advance to the Martial Emperor Realm last year? Xiang Tian is only at the Peak of the Martial King Realm; this is a battle across a major Realm!"

"I have to say, we all misjudged him before; this cheap Prince is actually so formidable!"

The difficulty of fighting across a major Realm can be imagined.

Yet Xiang Tian fought with ease, his expression composed, showing no signs of being suppressed whatsoever.

Everyone furrowed their brows, their eyes fixed tightly on the two people fighting on the stage.

Xiang Xiaozhi's eyes were wide round, her face full of amazement.

"Big Brother Xiang Tian is actually this strong! He's much more powerful than I imagined!"

Xiang Yuan, standing beside her, also looked filled with emotion and nodded, saying.

"Little sister, the Prince is definitely a once-in-a-century Genius; it's just that he is too low-key."

"Brother, you don't need to say anything; do you think I don't know how many women he has?" Xiang Xiaozhi rolled her eyes.

"As his little sister, wouldn't all his women have to spoil me? In the future, no one in the Prince's residence will dare to bully me."

It must be said that Xiang Xiaozhi's line of thinking was exceptionally unique.

Xiang Yuan heard this.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Haha, Little Sister, you are still the thoughtful one! You are their sister-in-law; this status is indeed uniquely advantageous."

"Hmph! You have no ambition; you actually wanted me to be Big Brother Xiang Tian's bed-warming maid before. I can't believe you thought of that!"

Xiang Xiaozhi snorted coldly and rolled her eyes again.

Xiang Yuan scratched his head in embarrassment and chuckled sheepishly.

"Hehe! Wasn't I just desperate and grasping at straws? I really had no other choice at the time, which is why I came up with that idea. However, although Xiang Tian might be a bit lecherous, his character should be fine; otherwise, Her Highness the Princess wouldn't have taken a fancy to him."

The crowd below was amazed, and the high-level members of the Xiang Family on the high platform were naturally watching the entire competition, their expressions varied.

The Third Elder was the first to be unable to hold back, calling out in an excited tone.

"Patriarch, the Prince is truly awesome! The Peak of the Martial King Realm going head-to-head with the Martial Emperor Realm without falling behind—this talent is simply Heaven-Defying!"

Patriarch Xiang nodded slightly.

"It is indeed surprising. For the Martial King Realm to be able to fight across levels against the Martial Emperor Realm—looking throughout the history of our Xiang Family, there has never been such a Disciple. But the strange thing is, why did his talent test show such poor results?"

Once these words were spoken, the various Elders on the high platform looked at each other in dismay.

Staring at each other, all of them were full of confusion.

They also couldn't figure it out.

Why the gap between Xiang Tian's talent test and his actual strength was so large!

After a moment.

Patriarch Xiang turned his gaze to the Grand Elder and asked slowly.

"Grand Elder, if I remember correctly, Xiang Liu is your granddaughter, right?"

The Grand Elder nodded: "This child is indeed my granddaughter, it is true, but she is not my biological one. She was someone I picked up and raised while I was traveling abroad back then."

The Third Elder's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

He smiled and teased: "Grand Elder, haven't you noticed? The two people fighting on the stage, a talented man and a beautiful woman, with comparable strength—they are actually quite a match! If we could bring them together, it would be a fine story."

The Grand Elder shook his head gently.

"Third Elder, you are mistaken. I have heard that there are already many women living in the Prince's residence, and all of them are enamored with the Prince. Although I think highly of the Prince's talent and strength, I do not want my granddaughter to marry over there and suffer grievances."

"That is a reasonable point." Another Elder chimed in.

"For major life decisions like marriage, one should respect the wishes of the Junior; it cannot be forced."

The Grand Elder nodded.

"That's right; all of this ultimately depends on Liu'er's own wishes. I will not force her to do anything."

The Grand Elder's words received unanimous agreement from the other Elders.

Everyone stopped talking and once again turned their gaze toward the competition on the stage.

At this moment.

The fight had already entered a white-hot stage.

Both sides' attacks were becoming increasingly fierce, and the waves of Qi were becoming stronger and stronger.

"Go!"

Xiang Tian let out a low shout, and the hand seal he was holding changed.

Nine short swords instantly flew out, stabbing directly at the various vital points around Xiang Liu's body.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

"Clang!"

Xiang Liu reacted extremely quickly, waving her curved blades rapidly, forming an airtight net of blades.

She forcefully blocked these nine short swords and snorted coldly at the same time.

"Hmph! Only knowing how to use hidden weapons to hurt people—what kind of skill is that?"

A playful smile tugged at the corners of Xiang Tian's mouth.

"Beauty, this is not even my strongest attack; you had better be careful."

As his voice fell, the Qi around his body surged violently.

Above his head, a huge, fiery red crescent moon slowly emerged.

The crescent moon was shrouded in raging flames, emitting a scorching aura.

"Phoenix Slash!"

Xiang Tian let out a low shout and pinched a seal with his fingers.

That fiery red crescent moon instantly slashed toward Xiang Liu, unstoppable and with infinite power.

As soon as this move was unleashed, the entire competition arena instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately afterward, there was an even greater uproar.

All the Elders furrowed their brows, their expressions shocked.

"He actually possesses phoenix blood!" The Grand Elder's body trembled.

He stood up directly, his gaze fixed tightly on Xiang Tian on the stage, his face full of disbelief.

phoenix blood is the Bloodline of an ancient Divine Beast and is extremely rare.

How could Xiang Tian possess it?

The other Elders also stood up.

Their expressions were extremely shocked, and their eyes were filled with horror.

More and more people were rushing toward the competition arena, wanting to find out what was happening.

Meanwhile.

Inside a small courtyard at the back of the Xiang Family mountain.

A woman was sitting quietly, regulating her breath, when she sensed the scorching aura coming from the sky.

She slowly opened her eyes, and her dark brows furrowed slightly.

"What kind of aura is this? So scorching, and it even carries the pressure of an ancient Divine Beast... The main line of the Xiang Family actually has such a Genius?"

As her voice fell, the woman stood up instantly.

She sped toward the direction of the competition arena.

When she arrived at the competition arena and saw that familiar figure on the stage...

her body suddenly froze, and the confusion in her eyes instantly turned into monstrous rage.

Her teeth gnashed with a clatter, and she squeezed two words out from between her teeth.

"Xiang Tian!"

"To think that I could meet you here." The woman clenched her fists tightly, her body trembling slightly.

"Very well, I will definitely not let you leave the Xiang Family alive!"

On the stage.

The fight was still intense.

As the Phoenix Slash fell, the entire space trembled because of it.

The scorching waves of Qi swept across the entire arena, and even the protective barrier around the stage shook slightly.

"Hmph!" Xiang Liu's expression was grave to the extreme.

Not daring to be the slightest bit careless, she snorted coldly.

She immediately put away the two curved blades in her hands and pressed her palms together.

She chanted words, and the golden light around her body surged.

"Bodhi Seal!"

She struck out with a palm forcefully, and a huge golden palm print slowly emerged.

It met the fiery red crescent moon that was slashing down.

"Boom!"

The fiery red crescent moon and the golden palm print collided violently.

The explosion was deafening, and the waves of Qi were monstrous, sweeping across the entire competition arena.

The Disciples below the stage retreated one after another, their faces full of horror.

"It's a good thing there is a protective barrier! Otherwise, we would all have been affected by these waves of Qi!"

"Is Xiang Tian really only in the Martial King Realm? This power is even more formidable than an average Martial Emperor Realm, right!"

"Too strong! It's simply Heaven-Defying!"

"Although that's what is said, compared to Xiang Jue, it's still a bit lacking, right?"

"That's right! But what is Xiang Tian's cultivation? What is Xiang Jue's cultivation? If we really compare them, who is stronger and who is weaker is not yet certain!"

Everyone spoke one after another, arguing endlessly.

Although they still didn't want to easily admit Xiang Tian's strength verbally.

But with the facts right in front of them, they had to be convinced.

That woman looked at Xiang Tian on the stage, her expression becoming increasingly gloomy.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart, turned around, and left quietly.

Waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

On the stage, smoke and dust filled the air, blocking everyone's line of sight.

When the smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

Both Xiang Tian and Xiang Liu were covered in injuries, both collapsed on the ground, unable to get up, their breathing weak.

"This..." Seeing this, the Second Elder was suddenly in a difficult position.

He had no choice but to cast his gaze toward Patriarch Xiang, who was sitting on the high platform, waiting for his instructions.

Patriarch Xiang's gaze swept over the two people on the stage, and he spoke slowly.

"Second Elder, let's treat today's competition as a draw."

He paused.

He added: "Due to the immense fluctuations from the two's battle, the protective barrier has been damaged. This competition is suspended for half a day and will continue tomorrow."

As his voice fell, Xiang Xiaozhi and Xiang Yuan immediately moved their bodies.

They flew onto the stage swiftly, wanting to help Xiang Tian up.

"Do not move."

Just as the hands of the brother and sister were about to touch Xiang Tian.

Patriarch Xiang, accompanied by a group of Elders, hurried over and stopped them.

"Third Elder." Patriarch Xiang turned his head.

The Third Elder nodded and immediately stepped forward.

He took out a Medicinal Pill and carefully placed it into Xiang Tian's mouth.

As for Xiang Liu, she had already been carried away by the Grand Elder.

Patriarch Xiang looked around at the crowd below the stage.

"Today's competition ends here; everyone, disperse."

"Yes, Patriarch!"

The people in the audience responded in unison, then left the venue in an orderly manner.

Along the way, they were still discussing the heart-stopping competition that had just taken place.

One day later, in a guest room on the main Peak of the Xiang Family.

"Ouch, my head hurts so much!"

On a large, soft bed.

Xiang Tian slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly.

He reached out to rub his swollen forehead; his mind was still a bit groggy.

"Big Brother Xiang Tian, you're finally awake!"

Xiang Xiaozhi, who was nearby, heard the movement and immediately leaned over.

"Xiaozhi!" Xiang Tian shook his head and slowly sat up.

"How long have I been asleep? How is the competition going?"

Xiang Xiaozhi quickly explained: "You've been asleep for a day! The Patriarch specifically postponed the competition for a day to let you heal properly; the remaining matches will only continue tomorrow."