Chapter 116: Advancing to the Top Sixty-Four

Liu Feng’s mental energy surged frantically from his mind, converging entirely upon his golden flying sword. The sword let out a sound like the roar of a dragon, and then its blade blazed with a brilliant light, erupting like a golden sun with ten thousand rays of radiance.

Channeling his full mental capacity into the weapon, Liu Feng thrust the sword toward Sun Zhen. The golden blade, trailing a fifteen-meter-long arc of light, shot violently toward Sun Zhen’s chest.

Sun Zhen gathered his remaining mental energy and poured it all into his crimson flying sword. The blade flared with intense light, resembling a massive fireball. Controlling the sword with his mind, he sent it lunging toward Liu Feng’s heart, the blade slicing through the air with a long, red trail in its wake.

Like two meteors with long, glowing tails, the golden and crimson swords tore through the sky, colliding with explosive force.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The constant collisions between the two blades produced deafening echoes, forcing nearby spectators to cover their ears. The swords, like a golden dragon and a crimson dragon, danced and wove through the air, repeatedly clashing and snapping at each other, emitting a continuous, sharp metallic ringing.

"Those who command flying swords are truly powerful. If I were up there, I don't think I could withstand even a single strike."

"Using mental energy to control a sword makes it as fast as lightning; a martial artist's speed could never keep up with that."

"It’s hard to say who will win this now!"

"Liu Feng seemed destined to lose, but the flying sword has introduced a massive variable."

The many participating martial artists watched the fierce battle on the stage, each feeling the immense power radiating from the two fighters.

"Liu Feng and Sun Zhen are both geniuses; losing either one would be a loss for our Qingyu Kingdom," the Emperor remarked, watching the duel with a sigh.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed true. Given their current strength, both had the potential to make it into the top ten of this tournament. Now, when two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. This will only benefit the martial artists from the other kingdoms," the City Lord of Litian City added with a helpless shake of his head.

On the arena stage, the duel between Liu Feng and Sun Zhen reached its final phase. Because Sun Zhen had expended so much mental energy earlier, his crimson sword was now gradually failing to keep pace with the speed of Liu Feng’s golden blade.

"Clang!"

Finally, the golden sword collided with the red one once more, producing a sharp sound. Then, with a "clatter," the red sword was knocked away and fell to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Feng swiftly directed his sword to shoot toward Sun Zhen. The golden blade surged forward like a meteor piercing the sky, instantly appearing before Sun Zhen, its tip pointing directly at his throat.

"I concede!" Sun Zhen uttered the three words with resignation. His expression turned incredibly grim.

Liu Feng picked up the crimson sword and handed it back to Sun Zhen, saying, "It is not that your strength is inferior to mine; it is simply that your mental energy was depleted."

"Hmph! Next time we cross paths, I will surely defeat you," Sun Zhen said coldly as he took back his sword.

Liu Feng smiled faintly. "Very well, I shall look forward to it."

Without another word, both men quickly departed from the stage.

After registering his name with the City Lord, Liu Feng found a place to change out of his blood-stained clothing before returning to the contestant area.

"Congratulations! Congratulations! Brother Liu Feng has advanced to the top sixty-four!"

"That goes without saying. With Brother Liu Feng’s current strength, it wouldn't be surprising if he advanced to the top ten of this tournament."

"Indeed! Even if he took first place, I would find it only natural."

Several martial artists from the Qingyu Kingdom approached Liu Feng upon his return to offer their congratulations.

Liu Feng smiled modestly. "Brothers, let us not speak too soon. After all, there is always someone stronger; no one knows just how many young talents are hidden among the four kingdoms."

"Hmph! At least you have some self-awareness and aren't hopelessly arrogant."

"Saying that proves you still have some brains, and you aren't just someone with strong limbs and a weak mind."

As Liu Feng was speaking with the Qingyu martial artists, two discordant voices suddenly cut in. Their tone was filled with a sense of superiority that sounded particularly grating to the ear.

Liu Feng frowned slightly at their words but remained silent. However, the Qingyu martial artists did not have such mild tempers.

One of them retorted sarcastically, "Oh? So you two are stronger than Liu Feng, then?"

Another added, "They are indeed impressive; they can defeat Brother Liu Feng using nothing but their mouths."

"Haha! When you put it that way, I truly think you're right!"

"You're asking for death!" The two men, who had spoken with such condescension, were incensed by the mockery of the Qingyu martial artists. They both lunged forward to strike them.

Seeing the two men attack, a sharp glint flashed in Liu Feng's eyes. He threw out two quick punches, striking them directly in the palms.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed. The two arrogant martial artists were sent reeling backward, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

"You!" They glared at Liu Feng, too intimidated to voice their anger.

Liu Feng looked at them coldly. "This is just a small lesson. If you act out again without cause, it won't be as simple as suffering minor injuries."

"Fine! Let's see how long you can remain so arrogant." With that face-saving remark, the two quickly fled the area.

"Brother Liu Feng, you were too lenient. If it were me, I would have made sure they couldn't get back up," the martial artist who had been talking to Liu Feng said fiercely.

"Oh, brother, stop bragging. With your mediocre skills, it'll be a miracle if you don't get beaten down yourself!" another retorted, immediately dismantling his claim.

"Hey! Can't you let me play the hero in front of Brother Liu Feng just once?" the man said with a sheepish laugh.

Watching the two comic figures, a faint smile appeared on Liu Feng's face. He turned to Zhao Bochao and asked, "Bochao, have you seen Zhao Jun? How are his injuries?"

"That kid can already get out of bed and walk around. He’s back to being the same lively Zhao Jun as before," Zhao Bochao replied with a gentle smile.

"If Zhao Jun is fine, then I can rest easy," Liu Feng said, letting out a long breath of relief.

Just then, two more people stepped onto the arena stage. As they appeared, the spectators in the stands began to murmur.

"It's Lan Yun of the Wind-Chasing Sect!"

"And Zhang Yufeng of the Mengyue Kingdom!"