123: Eighth level of the Spirit Sea Realm

The knockout tournament was still ongoing.

Soon, Ouyang Yunmeng also defeated her opponent and entered the top ten of the Grand Competition.

Her movements were agile, her swordsmanship sharp, and every move displayed refined martial arts and formidable strength.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Yunfei was locked in a fierce battle on the Arena; his opponent was a young man from the Heavenly Yin Sect at the Sixth Layer of the King Realm.

The battle between the two was exceptionally intense, with each trading blows and neither willing to give an inch.

Although Ouyang Yunfei was young, his martial arts talent was astonishing; at only sixteen years old, he had already reached the Sixth Layer of the King Realm. His fist techniques were fierce and powerful, with every punch carrying the sound of whistling wind.

Because the two were evenly matched, they battled for hundreds of moves before Ouyang Yunfei finally found an opportunity and blasted his opponent off the Arena in one strike.

"Haha, Sister, Brother Yang, I won too."

After defeating his opponent, Ouyang Yunfei was as excited as a child. His clothes were torn with several large holes, and bright red blood seeped out in many places, but fortunately, they were only superficial wounds.

His face was beaming with the joy of victory, and his eyes were filled with excitement and pride.

"Eat this to recover from your injuries; there is still the Ranking Battle tomorrow!"

Yang Lingchen took out a few top-grade healing pills from his space and handed them over. He was never stingy with his friends. Those top-grade healing pills emitted a rich medicinal fragrance, and one could tell at a glance that they were of extraordinary quality.

"Very good, all three of you have entered the top ten. Next is the Ranking Battle; rest well tonight and strive to achieve a good ranking."

A gratified smile appeared on Ouyang Qingcang's face; he was quite satisfied with the results of the first round. He looked at Yang Lingchen and the others, his eyes filled with anticipation and encouragement.

After the first round ended, the Immortal Sword Sect had secured three spots in the top ten, the Heavenly Yin Sect had three spots, Medicine King Valley had two spots, and the Tiantian Sect also had two spots.

Led by Ouyang Qingcang, the group from the Immortal Sword Sect returned to their Residence in Phoenix City.

After returning to his room, Yang Lingchen locked himself inside and then slipped into the haotian jade space.

At this moment, he was filled with determination, preparing to break through his cultivation level to the eighth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm in one go.

Only by breaking through to the eighth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm would he have the confidence to challenge for the title of champion in tomorrow's Ranking Battle.

"Why has Xiao Yu fallen into a deep sleep again?"

Yang Lingchen walked over to the wooden bed where Xiao Yu was sleeping and took a closer look.

Xiao Yu lay quietly on the bed, her face serene, as if she were having a sweet dream.

"I advise you to take her away now, otherwise, when she recovers her memories, you will die a miserable death."

At this moment, Ling'er inside the immortal demon sword spoke up. Her voice carried a hint of warning and worry.

"Will she recover her memories when she wakes up again?"

Yang Lingchen frowned and asked. His heart was filled with confusion and unease.

"If my guess is correct, she will fully recover in as soon as half a year, or at most two to three years."

"With her strength, she should be a top-tier existence on this continent, and the Yao Race has never had any good feelings toward humans, so it is hard to say whether she will harm you," Ling'er said. Her tone was serious, causing Yang Lingchen's heart to sink.

"I believe Xiao Yu will not harm me."

Yang Lingchen's eyes were incomparably firm. He believed in his intuition; although Xiao Yu was of the Yao Race, she would absolutely not harm him. In his heart, Xiao Yu was his friend, someone he was willing to trust and protect.

After confirming that Xiao Yu was fine, Yang Lingchen sat cross-legged and began to Cultivate.

As the Vast Heaven Art circulated continuously, the Spiritual Qi within the haotian jade space gathered toward Yang Lingchen's body in an endless stream. The Spiritual Qi surged like a tide, enveloping him within it.

Yang Lingchen refined the Spiritual Qi in his body bit by bit, and his cultivation level rose rapidly. He was fully focused, undistracted, and poured all his energy into his Cultivation.

Not long after, Yang Lingchen's Profound Energy reached the limit of the seventh layer of the Spirit Sea Realm. At this moment, he took out several supreme grade Medicinal Pills and swallowed them in one gulp.

Immediately, the Spiritual Qi in his body surged again, quickly breaking through the barrier.

"Boom... Boom... Boom...!"

"Eighth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm."

After breaking through to the eighth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, Yang Lingchen did not stop his Cultivation; instead, he continued to refine the Medicinal Pills, beginning to sprint toward the Middle Stage of the eighth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Yang Lingchen knew deeply that in this martial arts world, only by constantly strengthening himself could he protect himself and those around him.

In the blink of an eye, several more hours passed. Before dawn, Yang Lingchen finally raised his cultivation level to the Peak of the eighth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm. He let out a long sigh of relief, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

After washing up, Yang Lingchen left the haotian jade space and walked out of the room.

"Brother Yang, I was just about to go upstairs to call you! Hurry up, the Ranking Battle is about to begin."

As soon as Yang Lingchen went downstairs, Ouyang Yunfei pulled him toward the Outer Sect. By this time, Ouyang Yunfei had changed into clean clothes, and his injuries had mostly recovered.

At this moment, the people from the Immortal Sword Sect were already prepared and just waiting for Yang Lingchen.

"Good lad, you've actually broken through again."

Ouyang Qingcang said with a hearty laugh.

He was already accustomed to Yang Lingchen's talent and ability for Cross-Rank Challenge.

At the same time, Ouyang Qingcang placed increasing importance on Yang Lingchen; after all, geniuses capable of Cross-Rank Challenge throughout history were always the top Prodigies of their era.

If the Immortal Sword Sect could produce an epoch-making powerhouse in the future, then the Immortal Sword Sect would have the chance to become the most powerful Sect in this world.

"I was lucky to break through."

Yang Lingchen said sheepishly. His expression was modest, but his eyes revealed confidence and determination.

"It is good that you broke through; I look forward to your performance today."

Ouyang Qingcang nodded and said. His gaze was filled with anticipation and encouragement.

The group from the Immortal Sword Sect boarded the beast carriage and headed toward the Martial Arts Plaza.

Arriving at the Martial Arts Plaza once again.

Today, the Martial Arts Plaza was bustling with people and heavy traffic; the entire perimeter of the plaza was packed tight.

Even many princes and princesses of the Phoenix Divine Dynasty had personally come to watch the battle; they sat on luxurious viewing stands, surrounded by numerous guards and palace maids.

Compared to yesterday's knockout tournament, today's Ranking Battle was even more attractive. Because today, the strongest Genius of the young generation of the Four Great Sects would be born.

Regarding this Four Sect Grand Competition, external predictions named four favorites to win the championship: Hong Tianyi of the Heavenly Yin Sect, Ouyang Yunmeng of the Immortal Sword Sect, Ximen Ting of the Tiantian Sect, and Xiao Shaoyang of the Medicine King Valley.

Among them, Hong Tianyi of the Heavenly Yin Sect was the biggest favorite for this Grand Competition; his strength was unfathomable, and it was said that he had already reached the Eighth Layer of the King Realm, and he was rich in combat experience with cruel methods.

As for Yang Lingchen, although he was very strong in the knockout tournament, because his cultivation level was truly too low, his predicted ranking was only tenth.

At this moment, Yang Lingchen noticed ten chairs placed on the edge of the Arena, with a ranking number from one to ten carved into each chair. The seat of the champion looked the most high-end, followed by the runner-up and the second runner-up; the materials and decorations of the chairs were extremely luxurious, highlighting the nobility and importance of the rankings.

In the direction of the Heavenly Yin Sect.

"Yi'er, if you kill Yang Lingchen, you must bring his storage ring back to me, understand?" The Cult Master said solemnly. His eyes flashed with greed and murderous intent.

"Rest assured, Father, this brat will definitely die today."

Hong Tianyi's voice was incomparably cold.

Hong Tianyi hated Yang Lingchen to the bone.

Just then, the eunuch presiding over the Ranking Battle walked onto the Arena and said loudly:

"The drawing of lots begins now; whatever number you draw, sit in the corresponding position."

As the presiding eunuch's voice fell, the ten participating contestants began to go up on stage one by one to draw lots.

The drawing was completed quickly; Yang Lingchen's luck was not very good, and he drew number seven.

Ouyang Yunfei drew number eight.

Ouyang Yunmeng had pretty good luck and drew number two.

Number one was drawn by Xiao Shaoyang of the Medicine King Valley.

"Now that the drawing is complete, everyone has three opportunities to challenge. You can challenge your ideal ranking, or you can directly challenge the throne of the champion."

"The challenge now begins. We invite the contestant ranked tenth to come on stage and choose the opponent you wish to challenge," the presiding eunuch said loudly.

Ranked tenth was Yi Bin from the Medicine King Valley; his strength was at the Sixth Layer of the King Realm.

"Brat, come out and accept your death!"

Yi Bin looked around the Arena and finally chose to challenge Yang Lingchen first.

Because before the Ranking Battle began, the Valley Master had instructed him that he must kill Yang Lingchen.

Furthermore, judging by cultivation level, everyone except Yang Lingchen was at the Sixth Layer of the King Realm or higher, and he did not have much confidence in dealing with the others.

"You are truly asking for it."

Yang Lingchen sneered, his eyes filled with disdain. He stood up, wielding the heaven-reaching staff; as for people from the Medicine King Valley, as long as he encountered them, he would absolutely not let them off.

"What do you mean?" Yi Bin's face was gloomy.

"Besides looking for death, what else could it mean?"

As soon as Yang Lingchen finished speaking, he turned into an afterimage and smashed toward his opponent rapidly. His speed was extremely fast, and he arrived in front of Yi Bin in an instant.

"Bang."

Facing this lightning-fast strike from Yang Lingchen, Yi Bin had not yet reacted and was directly sent flying backward by the staff strike.

His body traced an arc in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Before he even landed, Yang Lingchen charged up again, swinging his staff.

"Bang... Bang... Bang...!"

Another round of wild swinging followed; Yang Lingchen's staff fell like a raging storm, each strike carrying formidable power.

With the final staff strike, Yang Lingchen, just like playing baseball, directly smacked his head off.

Yi Bin's head traced an arc and landed straight in front of the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley.

After doing all this, Yang Lingchen made a throat-slitting gesture toward the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley and Zhang Donghai once again.

Now, he and the Medicine King Valley already had an irreconcilable hatred, so there was absolutely no need to give them a pleasant look.

"Clap."

"Little Bastard, you are courting death."

The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley was so angered by Yang Lingchen's action that his face instantly turned livid; he slammed a palm onto the chair. If not for his concern for the Phoenix Divine Dynasty, he would have already charged onto the Arena.