148: The first person in the inner sect

"I lost." Su Qing slowly put away her Willow Leaf Sword and bowed to Yang Kai, "Thank you for showing mercy."

"You yield." Yang Kai retrieved his Azure Dragon Sword and nodded slightly to Su Qing.

"The first match, the winner is Yang Kai, entering the winner's bracket!" the law enforcement Disciple announced loudly.

The next few matches were equally spectacular. In the second match, Wu Feng faced Li Mo. Although Wu Feng had just been defeated by Yang Kai, his Peak Foundation Establishment strength was still formidable. His "Qingyun Mountain Suppression Fist" was incredibly fierce. Li Mo's "Gale Sword Art," though fast, struggled to withstand the power of the fist. In the end, Wu Feng won with an absolute advantage, entering the winner's bracket.

In the third match, Zhou Yi faced Zhang Lan. Zhou Yi's "Qingyun Sword Art" was perfected, his Sword Moves steady and grand. Zhang Lan's "Blazing Fire Sword Art," though fiery, was countered by Zhou Yi's Sword Moves. After dozens of rounds of intense battle, Zhou Yi ultimately won, entering the winner's bracket.

In the fourth match, Zhao Yan faced Wang Hao. Zhao Yan's "Poison Cultivation Technique" was extremely sinister. He unleashed a "Poison Dragon Dagger" coated in virulent poison. The green venom on the dagger emitted a pungent odor. Wang Hao's "Defense Cultivation Technique," though strong, was still corroded by the poison, and he eventually had to concede. Zhao Yan entered the winner's bracket.

In the fifth match, Chen Tao faced Liu Jie. Chen Tao's "Lightning Cultivation Technique" and Liu Jie's "Water Cultivation Technique" countered each other. The two fought intensely for nearly an hour, and in the end, Chen Tao won by virtue of his stronger spiritual energy reserves, entering the winner's bracket.

At this point, the five members of the winner's bracket were confirmed: Yang Kai, Wu Feng, Zhou Yi, Zhao Yan, Chen Tao; the five members of the loser's bracket were: Su Qing, Li Mo, Zhang Lan, Wang Hao, Liu Jie.

The Elder group announced: "After an hour of rest, the first round of the winner's bracket will begin: Yang Kai VS Chen Tao, Wu Feng VS Zhao Yan, Zhou Yi gets a bye! The loser's bracket matches will start simultaneously. The losers from the winner's bracket will enter the loser's bracket to compete with the winners of the loser's bracket for the final ranking!"

An hour later, the matches resumed. First up was Wu Feng against Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan's "Poison Cultivation Technique" had a certain suppressive effect on Wu Feng's "Qingyun Mountain Suppression Fist." He continuously released venom, attempting to corrode Wu Feng's spiritual energy shield. Wu Feng, relying on his powerful Physical Body and abundant spiritual energy, withstood the venom attacks, his fists, carrying the might of suppressing mountains, continuously striking at Zhao Yan.

After half an hour of intense fighting, Wu Feng seized an opening in Zhao Yan's defense and struck him in the chest with a punch. Zhao Yan spat out a mouthful of blood, his internal spiritual energy in disarray, and he had no choice but to concede. "Wu Feng wins, advancing to the next round of the winner's bracket; Zhao Yan loses, entering the loser's bracket."

Next, it was Yang Kai against Chen Tao. Chen Tao specialized in "Lightning Cultivation Technique" and held a High Grade Magical Artifact, the "Startling Thunder Sword," in his hand. Purple lightning coiled around the sword body. His spiritual energy, at the Peak of the Late Stage Foundation Establishment, was unleashed without reservation, and the surrounding air carried a tingling sensation.

"Yang Kai, I know you are strong, but my lightning power can counter most Cultivation Techniques. You may not necessarily win against me!" Chen Tao's eyes were sharp. With a flick of his Startling Thunder Sword, a purple lightning Sword Qi struck towards Yang Kai. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the air crackled with a "sizzle."

Yang Kai's expression was calm. The Azure Dragon Sword floated before him, golden and silver dual-colored magical power swirling around the sword body. He could feel that while Chen Tao's lightning Sword Qi was powerful, it carried a hint of unstable fluctuation—this was the characteristic of lightning power: great power but difficult to control.

"Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Third Move: Solar Flare."

A scorching golden flame ignited on the Azure Dragon Sword, with a faint black halo mixed within the flame. It transformed into a streak of light and met the lightning Sword Qi. "Boom!" The golden flame and purple lightning collided with a deafening roar. The lightning Sword Qi was instantly engulfed by the flame, and the golden flame continued to sweep towards Chen Tao.

Chen Tao's face changed drastically. He quickly circulated all his spiritual energy, and the lightning on the Startling Thunder Sword surged, forming a purple lightning shield. "Bang!" The golden flame struck the shield, and the lightning shield instantly shattered. Chen Tao was sent reeling backward by the aftershock, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Impossible! How can my lightning power be countered by your flame?" Chen Tao exclaimed in disbelief. He had never encountered a flame that could counter lightning.

Yang Kai did not explain, but merely continued to circulate his magical power. The golden and silver dual-colored halo on the Azure Dragon Sword lit up again: "Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Fourth Move: Cloud Flame Burning Heaven."

The golden and silver dual-colored flames transformed into a firebird with outstretched wings, rushing towards Chen Tao with the might to incinerate everything. Chen Tao knew he couldn't resist, but he still refused to concede. He unleashed all his spiritual energy, and the lightning on the Startling Thunder Sword formed a giant Lightning Dragon, meeting the firebird.

"Boom!" The firebird and the Lightning Dragon collided, purple lightning and golden and silver flames intertwined, forming a massive energy storm. Chen Tao was sent flying by the energy storm, crashing heavily onto the martial arts stage. The Startling Thunder Sword also flew out of his hand, his internal spiritual energy completely depleted.

"I lost." Chen Tao lay on the ground, looking at Yang Kai on the stage, his eyes filled with helplessness.

"Yang Kai wins, advancing to the next round of the winner's bracket; Chen Tao loses, entering the loser's bracket," the law enforcement Disciple announced.

At this point, only Yang Kai and Wu Feng remained in the winner's bracket, with Zhou Yi getting a bye, awaiting the final match. The loser's bracket matches had also concluded: Zhao Yan defeated Su Qing, Chen Tao defeated Li Mo, and Zhang Lan defeated Wang Hao. Next, the loser's bracket would hold a round-robin tournament to determine the final third to tenth rankings.

The Elder group announced: "In half an hour, the final match of the winner's bracket will begin: Yang Kai VS Wu Feng. The winner of this match will be the ultimate first place in the Qingyun Peak Inner Sect Grand Competition, and the loser will compete with the winner of the loser's bracket for second place!"

The half-hour rest period quickly passed, and the area around the central martial arts stage was once again crowded with Disciples. Everyone knew that this match would determine the final ranking and witness the birth of a new Peak in the Qingyun Peak Inner Sect.

Wu Feng walked onto the martial arts stage. His injuries had mostly recovered with the help of Medicinal Pills, and his eyes burned with fierce Battle Intent. He looked at Yang Kai, his tone grave: "Yang Kai, I lost before, but that was because my magical power was insufficient after continuous battles. Now I have recovered to my Peak, and in this match, I will not lose again!"

Yang Kai nodded slightly, the Azure Dragon Sword once again floating before him: "I look forward to it."

"The match begins!" the law enforcement Disciple announced loudly.

Wu Feng took a deep breath, unleashing his Peak Foundation Establishment spiritual energy without reservation. His body instantly swelled by a circle, muscles bulging, his clothes stretched taut. He clenched his fists, light green spiritual energy coiling around them, and a rumbling sound emanated from the air, "Qingyun Mountain Suppression Fist, First Move: Mountain Suppressing Strike!"

The fist, carrying the might of suppressing mountains, slammed towards Yang Kai. Wherever the fist wind passed, the ground was pressed into a depression. Yang Kai could feel that the power of this punch was stronger than before; clearly, Wu Feng had used his true strength.

Yang Kai did not dodge. The pure white Dao Foundation in his Dantian spun rapidly, and the golden and silver dual-colored magical power instantly surged throughout his body along the "shortest closed loop." He formed hand Seals, and the golden and silver dual-colored flames on the Azure Dragon Sword surged, "Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Fifth Move: Light-Dark Annihilation."

This was a new Move Yang Kai had comprehended during his seclusion, a Fusion of the etherealness of the Immortal Dao and the domineering nature of the Demonic Path. Golden and black light simultaneously lit up on the sword body, forming a massive Sword Qi that slashed towards Wu Feng's fist.

"Boom!" The Sword Qi and the fist collided with a deafening roar. The spiritual energy Seal formation around the martial arts stage flickered violently, and the light green energy barrier almost shattered. Yang Kai and Wu Feng were both sent reeling backward, a trace of blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

"Your strength is indeed formidable!" Wu Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, "But I'm not finished! Qingyun Mountain Suppression Fist, Second Move: Ten Thousand Jun Break!"

Wu Feng's fist struck out again. The power of this punch was even stronger than before. The light green spiritual energy on his fist actually transformed into a giant fist shadow, pressing down on Yang Kai like a mountain. Yang Kai took a deep breath, his Divine Sense raised to its limit. He could feel that although this punch was incredibly powerful, there was a flaw in the center of the fist shadow—this was due to the unstable spiritual energy caused by Wu Feng forcefully increasing his punching power.

Yang Kai no longer held back. The pure white Dao Foundation in his Dantian spun to its extreme, and the golden and silver dual-colored magical power surged madly into the Azure Dragon Sword. The light-dark Sword Qi on the sword body surged again, "Flowing Cloud Swordplay, Fifth Move: Light-Dark Annihilation—Extreme!"

The massive light-dark Sword Qi, carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth, precisely struck the central flaw of the fist shadow. "Crack!" The fist shadow instantly disintegrated, and the light-dark Sword Qi continued to slash towards Wu Feng. Wu Feng's face changed drastically. He wanted to dodge but it was too late. He could only circulate his last bit of spiritual energy, forming a spiritual energy shield in front of him.

"Boom!" The light-dark Sword Qi struck the shield. The shield instantly shattered, and Wu Feng was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the martial arts stage, unable to get up again.

"I... I lost." Wu Feng lay on the ground, looking at the sky, his eyes filled with unwillingness, but also a hint of relief—he had used all his strength, yet he still couldn't defeat Yang Kai. He was convinced by this defeat.

"Final match, winner Yang Kai! First place in the Qingyun Peak Inner Sect Grand Competition!" The voice of the law enforcement Disciple resounded throughout Qingyun Peak.