The arena became completely silent when Lin Kai and Feng Jian stepped onto the main platform.
Thousands of eyes were fixed on them.
Even the elders in the spectator stands sat up straighter.
Feng Jian stood calmly with his long sword still in its sheath.
His expression was cold and indifferent, as if the person in front of him was not worth taking seriously.
Lin Kai stood opposite him, his gray robes moving slightly in the wind.
He kept his aura suppressed at Mid Stage 6, but his eyes were sharp and focused.
Elder Zhou floated above the platform and announced, “Final match of this round: Chen Yan versus Feng Jian. Begin!”
The moment the word “Begin” fell, Feng Jian moved.
He did not run.
He simply took one step forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
A sharp sword intent exploded from his body.
Many of the weaker participants in the audience felt their skin turn cold and instinctively stepped back.
Lin Kai’s eyes narrowed.
He immediately activated Void Eye.
In his vision, Feng Jian’s energy flowed like a sharp river of silver light, extremely pure and concentrated.
Feng Jian drew his sword.
A single silver arc of light flashed across the platform.
Lin Kai used Lightning Flash Step at full speed and barely avoided the attack.
Even so, a thin cut appeared on his left sleeve, and a drop of blood fell to the ground.
The crowd gasped.
“So fast!”
“Feng Jian’s sword intent is terrifying!”
Feng Jian did not stop.
He continued attacking with simple but extremely sharp sword strikes.
Every move was clean, direct, and carried heavy pressure.
Lin Kai moved continuously, using Shadow Step and Lightning Flash Step together to dodge.
He tried to get closer several times, but Feng Jian’s sword kept him at a distance.
“Your movement technique is strange,” Feng Jian said in a cold voice.
“But it is not enough.”
He suddenly increased his speed.
The sword light became denser, forming a net of silver arcs that covered the entire platform.
Lin Kai’s expression turned serious.
He could no longer only dodge.
A small black area spread out around him.
Inside the domain, the sharp sword lights slowed down slightly and lost some of their power.
Feng Jian’s eyes finally showed a bit of surprise.
“This power…?”
Lin Kai seized the chance and dashed forward.
He appeared beside Feng Jian and reached out with his right hand, trying to touch him and activate the devouring power.
But Feng Jian reacted extremely fast.
He twisted his body and swung his sword horizontally.
Lin Kai had no time to fully dodge.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest and took the attack head-on.
Clang!
The sword hit his arms.
A powerful force threw him backward, and he slid more than ten meters across the platform.
Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and his arms felt numb.
The crowd was completely focused on the fight now.
“Chen Yan actually blocked that?”
“Feng Jian is clearly stronger, but Chen Yan is not being completely suppressed.”
From the stands, Lin Feng watched with cold eyes.
“Still hiding your real power… How long can you last?”
Zhao Rong’s smile grew wider.
“This is getting better.”
Luo Qingya’s eyes stayed fixed on Lin Kai, a rare look of interest appearing on her usually cold face.
Lin Kai wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up straight again.
The Void Core inside him spun faster.
He could feel that Feng Jian was very strong — stronger than any opponent he had faced so far in the test.
But he still did not reveal his full strength.
Feng Jian looked at him and said coldly, “You are not ordinary. But if this is all you have, then you will lose.”
He raised his sword once more.
This time, a much stronger sword intent gathered around the blade.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
Lin Kai’s eyes turned colder.
He stopped suppressing his aura completely.
A dark and cold energy slowly rose from his body.
The Mid Stage 6 cultivation he had been showing began to rise, and a faint purple-black light appeared in his eyes.
Many people in the audience immediately noticed the change.
“His aura is getting stronger!”
“Was he hiding his strength?!”
Feng Jian’s eyes finally turned completely serious.
“So you were hiding it after all.”
Lin Kai did not answer with words.
He stomped the ground and shot forward like a black arrow.
This time, he used both Dark Flame Palm and the devouring power together.
Feng Jian swung his sword to meet the attack.
The black flame and the silver sword light collided in the center of the platform.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave exploded outward, forcing the supervising disciples to raise barriers to protect the audience.
When the light faded, both Lin Kai and Feng Jian had been pushed back several steps.
A shallow cut appeared on Lin Kai’s chest, while a black burn mark could be seen on Feng Jian’s right sleeve.
The entire arena was silent for a short moment.
Then the noise exploded.
“They are evenly matched?!”
“Chen Yan can actually fight Feng Jian like this?!”
Elder Zhou’s eyes shone with clear interest.
“This boy… is not simple at all.”
Feng Jian looked at the burn mark on his sleeve and then at Lin Kai.
For the first time, a small trace of fighting spirit appeared in his cold eyes.
“Again,” he said.
Lin Kai wiped the blood from his chest and raised his hand once more.
Black energy gathered around his palm.
“Come.”
The second round of their fierce battle was about to begin.
From the high stands, Lin Feng’s smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a much colder expression.
“Lin Kai… you really have grown.”
End of Chapter 19