Chapter 40

*Clang*

The first clash between the fine steel sword and the iron sword produced a harsh metallic screech. Zhong Zhenhai, at the True Qi Realm, was indeed not comparable to the previous opponents. Even Ling Dao had to take several steps back to steady himself.

"Why do you claim to want to defeat me, yet you are so easily defeated?"

Zhong Zhenhai sneered and attacked Ling Dao again. At the True Qi Realm, his strength far surpassed that of the Body Transformation Realm martial artists. Using True Qi to drive his sword techniques, he was far superior to those in the Body Transformation Realm. If Zhong Zhenhai couldn't secure the first place, who else could?

"Xia Xinyao, how confident are you in dealing with Zhong Zhenhai?"

Deputy Sect Master Zhuang Xin had somehow already stood beside Xia Xinyao. Psychologically, Zhuang Xin did not want Zhong Zhenhai to win, as Zhong Zhenhai had taken advantage of a loophole and should have been an inner disciple.

"Ten out of ten!"

Xia Xinyao looked at Zhong Zhenhai in the arena and said confidently. Even at the True Qi Realm, she did not take him seriously. To become the senior sister of the outer disciples of the Sky-Cleaving Sword Sect at the age of fourteen, her strength was undeniable.

"Oh? So confident?"

Xia Xinyao was of superior talent, a top-notch genius. Without a True Qi Realm martial artist, her winning the first place among the outer disciples would be normal. However, Zhuang Xin did not expect Xia Xinyao to have the ability to defeat Zhong Zhenhai, and with such confidence.

"Just stepped into the True Qi Realm, defeating him is no problem. However, my intuition tells me that guy is even more terrifying!"

Even at fourteen, Xia Xinyao had a terrifying intuition. They say a woman's intuition is the most accurate. What truly caught Xia Xinyao's attention was not Zhong Zhenhai, but Ling Dao. Zhong Zhenhai's displayed strength was not a match for her.

But someone like Ling Dao seemed to have no limits, and no one knew how strong he truly was. Such an opponent was the most terrifying, as you couldn't gauge his true strength, making him hard to deal with.

"Even Xia Xinyao thinks so?"

Zhuang Xin gave Ling Dao a deep look. He truly couldn't understand why a fifteen-year-old boy would give him such an inexplicable feeling. Over the years, he had never seen such a disciple.

"Unable to withstand a single blow?"

Ling Dao shrugged. It seemed that just the strength of five thousand pounds in one hand was not enough to defeat Zhong Zhenhai. He needed to enhance his strength to have eight thousand pounds in one hand, which was still within a normal range.

The limit for Body Transformation Realm martial artists was ten thousand pounds of strength, but Ling Dao had already surpassed this limit. If he used his full strength, it would definitely raise the suspicions of the elders of the Sky-Cleaving Sword Sect, putting him in a precarious position.

With eight thousand pounds of strength in one hand, Ling Dao instantly turned the tide. Zhong Zhenhai had about twelve thousand pounds of strength in one hand, making him stronger in pure strength. Unfortunately, in terms of swordsmanship, he was far behind Ling Dao.

"Shadowless!"

Ling Dao's long sword suddenly turned into a bolt of lightning, stabbing towards Zhong Zhenhai's chest. Using eight thousand pounds of strength in this strike, it was completely different from before. This strike was incredibly fast, and Zhong Zhenhai could barely block it.

"The real battle has just begun!"

In the next moment, Ling Dao displayed unparalleled sword skills, even Xie Ling'er was captivated. If Ling Dao's speed in his battle with Xie Ling'er was already fast, it could no longer be described as such now.

"What's happening? There are four of him?"

In the four directions around Zhong Zhenhai, four Ling Daos appeared. The four Ling Daos attacked simultaneously, striking Zhong Zhenhai from all directions. Even as a True Qi Realm martial artist, Zhong Zhenhai was now completely on the defensive.

In fact, there was only one Ling Dao, but his speed was so fast that the afterimages of his previous positions had not yet dissipated. Not only was his sword speed fast, but his own speed was also incredibly fast, which was why he could achieve this.

"If he had shown this earlier, I wouldn't even bother fighting him!"

Xie Ling'er pouted. She originally thought her sword was the fastest among the outer disciples, but now she realized she was much slower than Ling Dao. Even Xia Xinyao watched Ling Dao intently, his sword skills were truly remarkable.

"Do you think this can defeat me? Dream on!"

Zhong Zhenhai, who was being pressed, suddenly roared, his True Qi surging. He instantly charged at one of the Ling Daos, not knowing which was the real one, but his luck was good.

Zhong Zhenhai had just entered the True Qi Realm and could not yet project True Qi outside his body. However, using all his True Qi to perform the Thirteen Heaven-Cleaving Techniques, it seemed to have the power to cleave a small world.

A crisp sound echoed as the two swords clashed again. Ling Dao felt a jolt in his iron sword, and it broke into two pieces, the tip flying off. He was left with only a broken sword.

After so many battles, Ling Dao's iron sword had already developed many notches. At this moment, it finally could not withstand the pressure and broke into two pieces. Seeing this, Zhong Zhenhai laughed loudly.

"Your sword is broken, what will you use to fight me? Hahaha..."

Even Deputy Sect Master Zhuang Xin shook his head. Ling Dao had a chance to win, but now that his sword was broken, defeat was certain. The elders sneered, Ling Dao's defeat was a great thing for them.

Only Xia Xinyao believed Ling Dao could still win. Even with a broken sword, Ling Dao's expression remained unchanged. If he didn't have enough confidence, he wouldn't be so calm. She was somewhat looking forward to seeing how he could win with a broken sword.

"A broken sword is enough to defeat you, Zhong Zhenhai!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Dao's figure disappeared from Zhong Zhenhai's sight. Zhong Zhenhai's face changed, and he became serious, having already experienced Ling Dao's speed. Without hesitation, he turned and his fine steel sword was ready.

"How can this be? No one?"

If Ling Dao was behind Zhong Zhenhai, Zhong Zhenhai was confident he could defeat him with one strike. Unfortunately, he didn't see Ling Dao, only the shocked expressions of the outer disciples in the audience, giving him a bad feeling.

Then, Zhong Zhenhai felt a sharp pain in his head as Ling Dao descended from the sky, stepping on his head. He then flipped gracefully to the ground, the broken sword in his hand perfectly positioned at Zhong Zhenhai's neck!