146: First!

Lin Hao strode onto the central Martial Arts Arena. He was clad in a green robe embroidered with golden trim, clutching a High Grade Magical Artifact, the "Golden Flame Sword," in his hand. The sword's blade blazed with scorching golden flames, and his Peak Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was unleashed without reservation, causing the lower-ranked Disciples below the stage to momentarily hold their breath: "Yang Kai! You injured my cousin, Zhao Qing, and today I shall let you know the consequences of offending me, Lin Hao!"

Yang Kai slowly walked onto the stage, the Azure Dragon Sword hovering before him, its blade wreathed in dual gold and silver Qi, yet still maintaining the fluctuations of Early Stage Foundation Establishment. A flurry of discussion immediately erupted below the stage: "Is Yang Kai crazy? Lin Hao is at Peak Late Stage Foundation Establishment; how dare he accept the challenge?" "Isn't this just suicide? Even if he won against many people before, he can't possibly cross two major Realms to defeat Lin Hao!"

Lin Hao also noticed Yang Kai's Qi fluctuations, his eyes filled with disdain: "Do you think that by sneakily defeating a few Middle Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, you can contend with me? Today, I will make you understand that the gap between Late Stage Foundation Establishment and Early Stage Foundation Establishment is as vast as the heavens!" He formed hand seals, and the flames on the Golden Flame Sword surged, transforming into a massive golden fire lion: "Golden Flame Sword Art, Third Form: Heaven-Burning Lion!"

The fire lion, carrying the might to incinerate everything, pounced towards Yang Kai. The air along its path ignited, emitting sizzling sounds. The Disciples below gasped in alarm, and Zi Ning clenched her fists tightly: "Yang Kai, quickly use your full power!"

Yang Kai, however, remained calm. He could clearly sense that while Lin Hao's fire lion was fierce, its flames contained a trace of violent Impurities, which was precisely the weakness he could exploit. The pure white Dao Foundation within his Dantian spun rapidly, and the gold and silver Qi surged wildly into the Azure Dragon Sword. The light on the sword's blade suddenly intensified, no longer the cool moonlight or a single golden hue, but rather a intertwining of gold and silver flames, as if containing the power of the sun and moon.

"Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Fourth Form: Cloud Flame Incinerating Heaven."

Yang Kai's voice was not loud, yet it clearly resonated throughout the entire central Martial Arts Arena. The gold and silver flames on the Azure Dragon Sword transformed into a fire bird with outstretched wings. The fire bird's left wing was the color of bright moonlight, and its right wing was a scorching gold, surrounded by a faint Heavenly Dao power. Wherever it passed, Lin Hao's golden fire lion actually began to melt!

"Impossible! How can your flames suppress my golden flames?" Lin Hao exclaimed in shock, hastily channeling more Qi into the fire lion. But before the gold and silver fire bird, the fire lion was like snow meeting the sun, instantly devoured. The fire bird continued to pounce towards Lin Hao. He tried to dodge, but found his body locked by the Heavenly Dao power, unable to move.

"Boom!" The gold and silver fire bird collided with Lin Hao's spiritual power shield. The golden flames instantly exploded, incinerating his protective spiritual power. Lin Hao spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily below the Martial Arts Arena. The Golden Flame Sword also flew from his grasp, its flames completely extinguished.

The entire venue fell silent. Everyone stared at the green-robed youth on the stage, their eyes filled with disbelief—Early Stage Foundation Establishment, defeating Peak Late Stage Foundation Establishment Lin Hao in a single move? This had exceeded everyone's understanding!

"The battle is over! The victor is Yang Kai, and his ranking rises to ninth place!" The enforcing Disciple's voice trembled, clearly shaken by this battle as well.

Yang Kai put away the Azure Dragon Sword and walked off the Martial Arts Arena. Zi Ning and Meng Yun immediately surrounded him. Zi Ning excitedly said: "Yang Kai, you're too amazing! That Cloud Flame Incinerating Heaven move was so cool!" Meng Yun also nodded repeatedly: "I was almost scared to death just now, I thought you were going to lose, but I didn't expect you to win in one move!"

Yang Kai smiled and took out his communication jade slip. The latest Azure Cloud Rankings showed that he had risen to ninth place. But he did not stop, his gaze falling on Wang Chen, who was ranked eighth.

After the challenge request was sent, Wang Chen quickly accepted. The battle location was set at Martial Arts Arena number ten. As soon as Wang Chen stepped onto the stage, he conjured two long swords. The green 'mother sword' focused on offense, while the white 'child sword' focused on defense, forming an impenetrable sword net: "Yang Kai, although you defeated Lin Hao, my Mother-Child Swords are not so easy to deal with!"

Yang Kai's Divine Sense stirred, and the Azure Dragon Sword simultaneously responded to the attacks of both swords. His Divine Sense could clearly track the trajectory of the Mother-Child Swords. As soon as the mother sword thrust before him, the Azure Dragon Sword was already blocking; when the child sword ambushed from the side, he anticipated it in advance and deflected it with a single sword strike. After several rounds, Wang Chen gradually felt overwhelmed. He found that Yang Kai's sword always landed precisely on the weaknesses of his sword moves, as if he could see through his thoughts.

"Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Third Form: Solar Flare." Yang Kai no longer delayed. Golden flames ignited on the Azure Dragon Sword, transforming into a streak of light that pierced through the sword net and pressed against Wang Chen's throat. "I lost." Wang Chen gave a bitter smile and put away his Mother-Child Swords.

Throughout the rest of the day, Yang Kai continued his unstoppable advance. He challenged Zhang Hao, ranked seventh. The opponent specialized in "Qingyun Thunder Art," but Yang Kai used the power of the Heavenly Dao to guide the lightning into the ground, causing the opponent to be struck by his own lightning. He challenged Li Xuan, ranked sixth. The opponent's "Formation-Breaking Fist" was incredibly powerful, but it couldn't break through his gold and silver Qi shield. He challenged Chen Tao, ranked fifth. The opponent's "Poison Mist Art" hadn't even fully dispersed before it was incinerated by his Solar Flare.

By the evening of the second day, the Azure Cloud Rankings was updated, and Yang Kai's ranking had astonishingly risen to second place!

This result sent the entire Qingyun Peak into a frenzy—a Disciple who had just entered the inner sect, rising from two hundred and three to second in just two days! This had never happened in the history of Qingyun Peak! But because of this, Yang Kai also aroused the apprehension of the top few Disciples. The Disciples ranked second to fifth privately discussed and decided to team up to target Yang Kai—they would take turns initiating challenges, hoping to exhaust Yang Kai's Qi through a war of attrition and prevent him from reaching first place.

On the morning of the third day, the grand competition entered its final day. Yang Kai had just finished a battle when Zhao Yan, ranked fourth, sent a challenge request; after defeating Zhao Yan, Sun Ming, ranked fifth, initiated a challenge; having just defeated Sun Ming, Zhou Yi, ranked third, came knocking. In just one morning, Yang Kai fought three consecutive battles. Although he won every match, he also consumed a significant amount of Qi.

"Yang Kai, are you still alright?" Zi Ning handed him a Spirit Pill, her face full of worry. "They are clearly doing this on purpose, trying to wear you down."

Yang Kai took the Spirit Pill and swallowed it. The pure white Dao Foundation in his Dantian spun rapidly, and the Heavenly Dao power accelerated the absorption of the Medicinal Pill's potency. His Qi instantly recovered by more than half: "It's fine, they're just a bunch of clowns."

In the afternoon, Wu Feng, ranked second, initiated a challenge. Wu Feng was at Peak Foundation Establishment, only a step away from the False Core Realm. He specialized in "Qingyun Mountain Suppression Fist," capable of shattering boulders with his punches. The battle location was set at the central Martial Arts Arena. As soon as Wu Feng stepped onto the stage, he unleashed his full power, his fist, carrying the might to suppress mountains, smashed towards Yang Kai: "Yang Kai, you've fought so many times consecutively, your Qi must be almost depleted. Don't blame me for taking advantage; blame yourself for being unpopular!"

Yang Kai circulated his Qi, and a shield of gold and silver Qi formed before him. With a "bang," the fist struck the shield. Yang Kai was shaken back two steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—this was the first time he had been injured in this grand competition. But he did not panic. The Dao Foundation in his Dantian rapidly healed his injuries, while simultaneously mobilizing more Qi: "Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Fifth Form: Light and Darkness Annihilation."

As this sword was unleashed, even the sky darkened, and it surged towards Wu Feng with even greater power than before. Wu Feng tried to resist, but found that his fist power was like paper before this Sword Intent, instantly devoured. The surging sword light pierced through his body. Wu Feng grunted, and a mouthful of fresh blood splattered onto the ground.

"I lost." Wu Feng stood stunned, unable to believe that he had actually lost.

"The battle is over! The victor is Yang Kai, and his ranking rises to first place!"