The crowd's noise rolled like thunder as Long Chen and Wei Kun faced each other on the stone platform. The twin-saber youth's killing intent spread like icy blades, his sabers gleaming with a chilling light.
Wei Kun sneered, his voice cold. "Long Chen, don't think your earlier victories mean anything. You caught others off guard. But against my sabers, you'll find your arrogance cut to pieces."
Long Chen's golden eyes remained calm. His robe fluttered gently, his hands clasped behind his back. "Empty words. Draw your blades and let me judge their worth."
The arena trembled with tension. Even the elders leaned forward, sensing the bloodlust radiating from Wei Kun.
"Die!" Wei Kun roared, his qi erupting. His twin sabers slashed outward in a crossing arc, the air shrieking as twin blades of light split the stage.
Long Chen stepped forward. His arm rose, faint golden scales shimmering across his skin. With a single motion, he deflected both sabers, sparks showering the arena.
Clang!
The impact echoed like thunder. The crowd gasped.
"He blocked two sabers barehanded?!"
"Madness! His body is like steel!"
Wei Kun snarled, veins bulging as he poured more qi into his weapons. His sabers whirled like a storm, each strike heavier than the last. The air filled with crisscrossing arcs of saber light, surrounding Long Chen in a cage of death.
"This is my Saber Net Technique!" Wei Kun shouted. "Even Core Formation experts struggle against it. You're finished!"
The crowd leaned forward, breaths held. Even elders nodded slightly — Wei Kun's technique was indeed sharp.
But Long Chen only exhaled softly.
"Too weak."
His golden eyes flared, and his aura surged. Dragon qi roared from his dantian, shattering the saber light around him like paper. The phantom of a dragon's head emerged behind him, roaring at the heavens.
Wei Kun staggered, his body trembling uncontrollably. The invisible weight of Dragon Might crashed down upon him, freezing his movements mid-strike. His heart pounded with primal fear, his instincts screaming at him to flee.
"No… no! I won't bow to you!" Wei Kun roared, forcing his qi to surge once more. He gritted his teeth and unleashed his ultimate strike, sabers crossing in a blinding flash.
"Twin Saber Annihilation!"
Two arcs of saber qi howled forward, capable of cleaving through stone.
Long Chen's expression remained calm. He stepped forward, his palm glowing with golden light.
"Devour."
The dragon phantom behind him roared, its maw opening wide. The twin arcs of saber qi dissolved instantly, sucked into the golden flames surrounding his palm.
Wei Kun's eyes widened in horror. "You… you devoured my attack?!"
Long Chen's gaze sharpened. His palm struck forward, colliding with Wei Kun's chest.
BOOM!
Wei Kun spat blood as his body was launched backward, slamming into the protective barrier with bone-cracking force. His sabers clattered to the ground, their light extinguished.
The arena fell into silence.
Shockwaves Through the Sect
The announcer's voice trembled. "Winner: Long Chen!"
The crowd erupted in chaos.
"He devoured the saber qi itself!"
"That's not a technique—it's a monster's ability!"
"Even Wei Kun, backed by an elder, was crushed in a single strike!"
Above, the elders' expressions grew heavier. Some were pale, others thoughtful.
"That bloodline… even ancient texts speak little of such a devouring ability."
"He is dangerous. But if he belongs to us… perhaps even the Middle Realm sects will fear the Azure Cloud Sect."
Sect Master Ye Tianxing's gaze burned with intensity, though his expression remained unreadable. "The dragon spreads its wings wider."
Li Qingyue sat silently, her silver hair gleaming under the sun. Her violet eyes lingered on Long Chen, unblinking.
His calm demeanor, his effortless dominance, the devouring force that even erased saber qi — she had never seen such a thing.
Her lips parted slightly. "A dragon that devours the heavens…" she murmured softly. "Perhaps he truly is worthy of… testing."
The elder beside her glanced at her, shocked by her words. For Li Qingyue, who dismissed all men as ants, to say such a thing was unprecedented.
In the void, crimson eyes curved in a smile. Mo Lingxi's voice echoed sweetly.
"Devour, little dragon… devour until even your sect trembles. When you finally realize what you've become, it will be too late."
Her laughter faded, leaving only dread in the air.
Long Chen stepped off the stage, his robe unruffled, his golden eyes calm. Disciples parted before him instinctively, fear and awe written across their faces.
For them, the tournament was a chance to rise. For him, it was merely the first step.
The announcer's voice rose again.
"The semi-finalists have been decided!"
Four figures remained. Long Chen among them, his aura like a slumbering beast.
Tomorrow, the battles would decide who stood at the very peak of the Outer Sect.