Chapter 10

On the stage!

Fengyun Yaqin, 18 years old, at the peak of the 5th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi!

Huo Huzi, 18 years old, at the early stage of the 6th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi!

The two young talents, ready to face off, were about to engage in battle!

Fengyun Yaqin's long sword was like a clear autumn stream, shimmering with waves of light. Under the impetus of Mystic Qi, the sword emitted a dazzling glow, as if it were about to shoot out and injure the opponent unseen!

On the other hand, Huo Huzi had a slightly peculiar appearance, with a slender upper body and a robust lower body, especially his feet, which were well-developed. Even without moving, they exuded a powerful explosive force. He held no weapon. The highest martial arts secret of the Huo family was a high-level Yellow Rank leg technique... Lightning Kick!

They were poised to strike!

Below the stage, in the Fengyun family's camp.

Fengyun Mo, whose face had been filled with joy, now tightened slightly, and said frankly, "The first battle, with Yaqin facing the Huo family's young man, is somewhat disadvantageous. I had planned that among the seven opponents, the two disciples of the Nalan family were both at the 5th rank of Mystic Qi. If our three 5th-rank Mystic Qi disciples from the Fengyun family faced the two disciples of the Nalan family, and then Xue and Gang dealt with any two 6th-rank Mystic Qi opponents, we might secure five spots. But now, with Yaqin, at the peak of the 5th rank, facing a 6th-rank early-stage opponent, she might be at a disadvantage!"

"Brother, I don't think Yaqin will necessarily lose! Her understanding of sword techniques is second only to Xue. She has already mastered about 60-70% of the Thirteen Deadly Swords. As for the opponent, the Huo family's young man, he seems to have only recently advanced to the 6th rank, and his Mystic Qi realm is not stable. He might reveal a weakness at a critical moment!"

Hearing this, Fengyun Mo's mood eased, and he nodded repeatedly.

As the saying goes, human desires are insatiable, and at this moment, Fengyun Mo was already calculating how to ensure that the Fengyun family would secure five spots in the 16-18 age group!

But, can everything go as one wishes?

"Fight!"

On the stage, Huo Huzi could no longer hold back and launched an attack!

He stepped forward with his left foot and pounced on Fengyun Yaqin like a fierce tiger!

In mid-air, Huo Huzi alternately kicked with his left and right feet, the momentum fierce and urgent. The sound of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning could be faintly heard as he kicked! Sharp leg winds, mixed with powerful Mystic Qi, assaulted Fengyun Yaqin!

Once a practitioner reaches the 6th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi, they can wrap their attacks in Mystic Qi, greatly increasing their power!

Fengyun Yaqin did not dare to be careless. Even before Huo Huzi reached her, the surging Mystic Qi leg winds were already rushing towards her!

Swish, swish, swish!

Fengyun Yaqin struck three times with her sword as fast as lightning, each strike aimed at Huo Huzi's legs. Her sword technique was light and sharp, deeply embodying the essence of the Thirteen Deadly Swords! She knew that Huo Huzi, being in mid-air, would have an unstable lower body, so she aimed to strike his legs first to gain the upper hand!

However...

These three cunning strikes did not even get close to Huo Huzi before they tangled with his leg winds!

The originally swift and agile sword techniques suddenly became sluggish and slow!

Buzz!

The long sword let out a mournful cry and bent abruptly! It was actually pressed and bent by Huo Huzi's leg winds!

"Ha ha!" Huo Huzi roared in the air, "Your sword technique is exquisite, and your speed is incredible, but this is a difference in realm, which cannot be compensated for by sword technique alone! The 6th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi is not something the 5th rank can match!"

"Bang!"

Huo Huzi's time in the air was very long. He made a turn in the air and delivered a powerful whip kick, like the autumn wind sweeping away leaves, directly aiming at Fengyun Yaqin's head!

This kick was fierce, directly shattering the surrounding air and producing a sonic boom. Moreover, a faint arc of lightning could be seen around Huo Huzi's whip kick!

The highest secret of the Lightning Kick... Super Lightning Kick!

This move had no tricks, relying purely on power and momentum to win!

Fengyun Yaqin, being at a lower realm, and having engaged in a direct attack at the beginning, trying to injure the opponent with quick and sharp sword techniques, now found her sword techniques ineffective and was instead at a disadvantage!

Faced with Huo Huzi's Super Lightning Kick, Fengyun Yaqin had no time to dodge. She gritted her teeth, held her sword horizontally, and blocked!

Buzz!

In a flash, the long sword was bent again by the oncoming leg wind. Huo Huzi's kick only slightly paused, then quickly kicked Fengyun Yaqin's sword out of her hand, breaking it into several pieces in mid-air!

"Die!"

In an instant, Huo Huzi's kick struck Fengyun Yaqin's body, which she could not dodge!

"Bang!"

Fengyun Yaqin was kicked off the stage like a sandbag, her body flipping continuously in mid-air, with arcs of lightning crackling and burning her body!

When Fengyun Yaqin landed, her entire body was pitch black, with thick white smoke rising, and she was dead!

"Ha ha! I won! I won!"

Huo Huzi landed on his feet and howled wildly, but his face was pale, and he staggered, clearly having used too much force and now experiencing exhaustion.

Indeed, having just reached the 6th rank, he had significant problems with the distribution of his strength.

That fierce attack was truly Huo Huzi's all-out effort. If Fengyun Yaqin could have withstood the initial assault and found an opportunity to counterattack, she might have won.

"Yaqin!"

From the Fengyun family's camp, a middle-aged beauty and a middle-aged man rushed out, crying and carrying Fengyun Yaqin's charred body, sobbing uncontrollably!

"You... you were... too ruthless!" The middle-aged man, Fengyun Yaqin's father, glared at Huo Huzi on the stage, his eyes bloodshot, and said shakily.

"Enough, members of the Fengyun family, step back quickly and do not interfere with the competition! In the previous battle, the Huo family's disciple fought to win, and due to his recent advancement to the 6th rank, his control of strength was poor, and he did not intend to kill! Step back!"

The judge, Ximen, announced loudly, "In this Ao Han Sect selection, in the 16-18 age group of the Qiuhe City district, the first spot belongs to the Huo family!"

"Ha ha! Ha ha ha!"

The Huo family's camp naturally cheered and shouted in unison.

Some families were happy, while others were sad. The Fengyun family's camp was dejected and miserable. Losing the first battle was one thing, but one of their geniuses, Fengyun Yaqin, was directly killed by the opponent!

"The second battle, between the Fengyun family's Fengyun Kun and the Yelv family's Yelv Zhang!"

Before the Fengyun family members could recover from their grief, the judge had already announced the second battle!

In fact, this battle had almost no suspense!

Fengyun Kun's realm was similar to Fengyun Yaqin's, both at the peak of the 5th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi; while Yelv Zhang, the first genius of the Yelv family, was at the mid-stage of the 6th rank of Mystic Qi!

Seconds!

The moment they stepped onto the stage, Fengyun Kun was struck by Yelv Zhang's casual palm, flying off the stage, spitting blood, and his life hanging by a thread!

The second spot went to the Yelv family!

Yelv Zhang's victory also earned nods from the other families... "Well, this Yelv boy is almost the strongest genius in this age group among the six major families, with a mid-stage 6th rank Mystic Qi realm. Fighting such an opponent, the chances of winning are very slim. Now, the Fengyun family's cannon fodder has faced Yelv Zhang, and it's his bad luck, which also avoids the elimination of other major families' disciples by Yelv Zhang."

"The... second battle, is also lost..." Fengyun Mo's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and his previous confidence had vanished!

The third battle began!

According to the draw, it was still a Fengyun family disciple facing another Yelv family disciple.

Fengyun Rui, at the peak of the 5th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi; Yelv Tianlong, at the early stage of the 6th rank of Mystic Qi.

Unfortunately, Fengyun Rui did not create a miracle of defeating a higher-ranked opponent. Although he performed better than Fengyun Yaqin and fought Yelv Tianlong for 18 moves, he was ultimately split in two by Yelv Tianlong's family-inherited martial technique, a high-level Yellow Rank Flame Blade, and his body was burned to ashes!

Dead! Dead without a trace!

The Fengyun family lost all three of their first three battles, with all three disciples dying!

"Click..." Fengyun Mo's throat involuntarily made a sound of swallowing, his face ashen and his eyes vacant!

Fortunately, in the fourth battle, the Fengyun family's disciple was given a bye, and a Hu family disciple faced a Chen family disciple.

The result of the battle was a narrow victory for the Chen family disciple. Although the Hu family disciple lost, he was not injured.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through Fengyun Mo's mind... "Why, when our Fengyun family's disciples fight, are they always directly killed, while the disciples of other families, when they fight, clearly only fight to a point and do not use lethal force?"

Thinking of this, memories of the past came flooding back... "Back then, my son Fengyun Baisheng and my daughter-in-law Zhao Linlin were forced to their deaths by the five major families, and even my grandson Wuhen almost died! This..."

His peripheral vision caught the clan leaders and elders of the five major families, all smiling and chatting happily.

Fengyun Mo's heart sank to the bottom... Could it be that the five major families, envious of the Fengyun family's rise in Qiuhe City, are planning to suppress us together!

This speculation made Fengyun Mo's back shiver with cold!

He looked at the upcoming Fengyun Xue and Fengyun Gang, a strong sense of foreboding rising in his heart!

"Brother! Please don't worry! Although our Fengyun family has lost three consecutive battles, the next two battles are worry-free! Look, the remaining two battles are our two disciples against the Nalan family's two disciples! It's obvious that the two disciples of the Nalan family are all at the 5th rank of Postnatal Mystic Qi. How can they be a match for Xue and Gang? The last two spots in the 16-18 age group will definitely belong to our Fengyun family!"

At this point in the selection, the spots are distributed as follows:

Nalan family: 2 spots;

Hu family: 1 spot;

Chen family: 1 spot;

Yelv family: 2 spots;

Huo family: 1 spot;

Fengyun family: 1 spot.

If the Fengyun family secures the last two spots, they will have three spots, still allowing them to maintain their position as the top family in Qiuhe City!

"Yes, the last two spots, our Fengyun family must not lose!" Fengyun Mo forced himself to regain his composure.

On the judge's platform...

"Alas... the Fengyun family is declining!"

"Oh? Brother Ximen, why do you say that? There are still two more battles. If the Fengyun family wins, they will still be the top family in Qiuhe City!"

"I think the two disciples of the Fengyun family are unlikely to defeat the two disciples of the Nalan family! Look, the two disciples of the Nalan family are using concealment pills to disguise their true realms as 5th rank, but in reality, they are at the 6th rank. The Nalan family is so calculating; how can they not have a chance of winning? With a calculated attack, the Nalan family will surely win!"

"Then, even if the Fengyun family loses the last two spots, they will only temporarily become a lower family. In five years, they will have another chance to rise again!"

"Ha ha, Brother Dashe, you must have seen clearly that the Fengyun family's young generation, in the 10-12 age group, is simply no match; and the 13-15 age group is not much better! Their strongest age group, the 16-18, has almost been completely wiped out! I can predict that the Fengyun family will have a talent gap, and in five years, their competitiveness will weaken even more. In ten years, the Fengyun family will likely be gone from Qiuhe City!"

"Indeed, Brother Ximen, your words are very reasonable. Let's not talk more and continue the competition!"

"The fifth battle, between the Fengyun family's Fengyun Tiegang and the Nalan family's Nalan Wuyou!"

Ximen announced loudly.

Fengyun Tiegang, a 6th-rank Postnatal Mystic Qi warrior, stepped onto the stage with a fine steel sword, but he couldn't help but laugh... "Ha ha! Interesting! This match-up is really interesting! In the previous battles, the 6th-rank strongmen of the major families all appeared, but the last two battles left me and Fengyun Xue to face two 5th-rank warriors who are no match! Ha ha ha! I will definitely secure a spot!"

On the stage.

Nalan Wuyou also held a sword, standing confidently. The Nalan family's inherited martial technique, like the Fengyun family's, was sword technique.

"Nalan boy, if you don't want to get hurt, listen to my good advice and bow in defeat, and roll off the stage!" Fengyun Tiegang looked at his opponent with a sneer. "The difference in realm is an unbridgeable gap!"

"Ha ha ha ha!" Nalan Wuyou laughed without anger. "The Fengyun family can only rely on a conceited, narrow-minded clown like you to save face. It's laughable, pitiful, and tragic! Ha ha ha ha!"