Luo Feng looked towards the stage.
There stood Fang Li, holding the Tiger Roar Knife in his hand, his cheeks flushed.
"Begin!"
With a low shout, Fang Li's muscles tensed as he swung the knife towards the anvil at his side, his momentum like a tiger.
The surrounding Martial Artists burst into cheers.
Luo Feng, however, shook his head.
Fang Li's strength is at its limit. It's impossible for him to leave a foot-long mark on the anvil with the Tiger Roar Knife.
CLANG!
Just as expected, Fang Li stumbled as he lifted the knife above his head. The Tiger Roar Knife slipped from his grasp and plunged into the stage.
"Challenge failed!" a middle-aged man in brocade robes, sitting behind the stage, announced solemnly as he returned the Tiger Soul Saber to the table.
"Another failure…" a sigh rippled through the crowd.
Fang Li, his face crimson with embarrassment, hurriedly leaped down from the stage and vanished in an instant.
"Heh heh, see? That Tiger Soul Saber weighs nearly eleven thousand pounds. Lifting it is already difficult, let alone leaving a foot-deep mark on the anvil!"
The saber-bearing youth chuckled, but seeing Luo Feng walking towards the stage, he frowned. "Hey, don't tell me you're thinking of going up there too?"
"This saber is to my liking," Luo Feng stated. "I'm taking it!"
He was taking it!
The saber-bearing youth was stunned. He hadn't expected Luo Feng to be so audacious and sneered, "Don't blame me for not warning you. With your strength, I fear you can't even lift the Tiger Soul Saber. I advise you not to go up there and embarrass yourself."
"Whether I can or not, I'll only know after I try," Luo Feng said calmly, continuing towards the stage.
"You don't appreciate good intentions! Let's see how you make a fool of yourself!" The saber-bearing youth was somewhat exasperated. His cultivation was at the late stage of the Fourth Level of the Rigid-Soft Realm, one level higher than Luo Feng, yet even he didn't dare to entertain any thoughts about the Tiger Soul Saber.
"I believe in him." Bing Ruolan, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke. Her ethereal voice left the saber-bearing youth, who had wanted to utter a few more mocking words, momentarily stunned.
Luo Feng ascended the stage. At that exact moment, another figure also stepped onto it.
Luo Feng glanced up and couldn't help but give a wry smile.
What a coincidence...
The figure was none other than Li Tianyang!
Li Tianyang also saw Luo Feng. He strode to the middle of the stage and sneered, "Heh heh... Luo Feng, do you want the Tiger Soul Saber too? Too bad, it's destined to be mine!"
"That remains to be seen." Luo Feng stood before Li Tianyang, his tone casual, but his aura was in no way inferior.
"Huh, two people on the stage at the same time? This is a first."
"Those two seem to know each other. I wonder who they are."
"The one on the left is Li Tianyang, a genius from the Purple Sun School's Outer Courtyard. His cultivation is at the mid-stage of the Fifth Level of the Iron Bone Realm. I've heard that his Horizontal Practice Martial Art, 'Iron Mountain Wall,' has reached the Small Success realm. Perhaps today he'll be the one to claim this Tiger Soul Saber. As for the young man named Luo Feng, I don't recognize him," a Martial Artist who knew Li Tianyang commented.
"That Luo Feng is merely at the mid-stage of the Rigid-Soft Realm; he's probably no one famous. For him to think he can claim the Tiger Soul Saber is sheer arrogance. If I were him, I wouldn't even go up there; he'd just be asking for humiliation."
"Maybe he just wants to go up and make a fool of himself…"
Ripples of laughter spread around the stage. Everyone favored Li Tianyang and was dismissive of Luo Feng's attempt.
"Humph, arrogant! The Tiger Soul Saber can only belong to me, Li Tianyang!" Li Tianyang snorted coldly, reaching for the Tiger Soul Saber, but a figure blocked him.
"Wait!"
Luo Feng stopped Li Tianyang and said calmly, "Li Tianyang, don't you understand the principle of 'first come, first served'? I ascended the stage first, so naturally, I should go first."
Li Tianyang's strength was not to be underestimated. Luo Feng worried that if Li Tianyang truly managed to leave a foot-long mark on the anvil with the Tiger Soul Saber, then he himself would lose his chance.
"First come, first served? HAHAHA... what a ridiculous notion! There's only one principle in this world: strength speaks, and the strong are revered!" Li Tianyang laughed heartily, his powerful aura pressing down on Luo Feng as he reached for the Tiger Soul Saber behind him.
Luo Feng's gaze turned icy. Although his strength was inferior to Li Tianyang's, he wasn't afraid. With the speed of his Teng Dragon's Step, Li Tianyang wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
"Young sirs, please calm yourselves."
Just as Luo Feng and Li Tianyang were on the brink of a clash, their tension palpable, the brocade-robed middle-aged man on the stage suddenly stood up. With a wave of his hand, Luo Feng felt as if his limbs were bound, the air around him growing incredibly heavy.
Such spiritual depth in his Martial Arts! A master of the Seventh Level of the Meridian Wheel Realm, the Essence storage Realm! Luo Feng regulated his breathing and quickly freed himself from the terrifying pressure, looking at the approaching brocade-robed middle-aged man in astonishment.
Li Tianyang's expression turned ugly, but he didn't dare act rashly. Although his strength had reached the mid-stage of the Fifth Level of the Iron Bone Realm, he was insignificant before a master of the Seventh Level of the Essence storage Realm.
The Meridian Wheel Realm has nine levels. The first six levels are known as the Tempering Body Scripture stage, primarily for 'tempering the physique'; the latter three levels are called the Spirit Containing Realm, where one can utilize Yuan Qi to combat foes. The strength between these stages is on completely different tiers. Even a master at the peak of the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm would only face defeat against a master at the initial stage of the Seventh Level of the Essence storage Realm.
The brocade-robed middle-aged man walked to the center of the stage and smiled. "I am Ling Xiaotian, Pavilion Master of Tianding Pavilion. You two young sirs are arguing about the order, presumably because you're afraid that if the other person acts first, you'll lose your chance. I have a proposal: both of you will take turns using the Tiger Soul Saber. If neither can leave a foot-long mark, then the matter is dropped. If both of you manage to leave a foot-long mark, then whoever's mark is deeper will obtain the Tiger Soul Saber. How does that sound?"
After Ling Xiaotian finished speaking, he looked at Luo Feng with interest. Given Luo Feng's cultivation, Ling Xiaotian didn't think Luo Feng could even lift the Tiger Soul Saber. But he was, after all, a master of the Seventh Level of the Essence storage Realm, and he couldn't help but feel curious when he sensed the strong self-confidence Luo Feng naturally exuded.
Luo Feng thought for a moment, decided the proposal was reasonable, and nodded. "Okay."
"Humph, regardless, the Tiger Soul Saber will be mine today!" Li Tianyang snorted coldly and rushed to the table in a few strides. "I'll go first!"
Luo Feng remained indifferent, standing by and quietly waiting. His goal was to obtain the Tiger Soul Saber, not to argue with Li Tianyang.
Seeing Luo Feng so composed, Ling Xiaotian's interest in him deepened.
Li Tianyang stood by the table and asked Ling Xiaotian, "Can I use Martial Arts?"
"Please, go ahead," Ling Xiaotian nodded.
Li Tianyang gave a cold sneer, scornfully glanced at Luo Feng, and roared, "Iron Mountain Wall!"
RIP! RIP!
Suddenly, Li Tianyang's muscles began to swell, stretching his clothes and ripping them in several places. His muscles, like steel, bulged with explosive power.
"The 'Iron Mountain Wall,' a Yellow Rank Mid-Grade Horizontal Practice Martial Art, cultivated to the Small Success realm at such a young age. Not bad," Ling Xiaotian observed, nodding slightly.
Li Tianyang grinned smugly, grabbed the hilt of the Tiger Soul Saber, and lifted it with a surge of Qi; it looked quite effortless.
"Good!"
A round of cheers went up around the stage, all eyes fixed expectantly on Li Tianyang.
"Luo Feng, try not to wet your pants in fright later," Li Tianyang said, walking to the anvil and turning back to laugh at Luo Feng.
Luo Feng gave a faint smile and said nothing.
Humph, let's see how long you can keep up that act, Li Tianyang thought.
He snorted coldly, his gaze suddenly sharpening. He fixed his eyes on the anvil, and the saber flashed.
SLASH! The Tiger Soul Saber sliced into the anvil, leaving a deep gash.
Ling Xiaotian walked over, glanced at it with an approving look, then announced loudly, "One foot and seven inches! More than a foot!"
ROAR!
Cheers erupted around the stage. Everyone looked at Li Tianyang with envy; some had even begun to congratulate him on obtaining the precious saber. In their eyes, Luo Feng, with only a cultivation at the mid-stage of the Fourth Level of the Meridian Wheel Realm, couldn't possibly compete with Li Tianyang.
The outcome seemed all but certain!
"He didn't listen to my advice. Let's see how he'll get himself out of this mess now," the saber-bearing youth below the stage muttered, glancing at Luo Feng.
Phew... Li Tianyang, however, secretly wiped cold sweat from his forehead. The Tiger Soul Saber was extraordinarily heavy. If not for his cultivation of the Horizontal Practice Martial Art, Iron Mountain Wall, it would have been impossible to make such a deep cut.
"Luo Feng, it's your turn! Don't you dare chicken out," Li Tianyang said, turning to Luo Feng with a provocative expression.
Luo Feng ignored him and walked to the anvil.
Ling Xiaotian was about to pull the Tiger Soul Saber from the anvil when Luo Feng stopped him. "Pavilion Master Ling, I'll do it myself."
"You will?" Ling Xiaotian paused, looking at Luo Feng intently. Pulling the blade from where it was embedded in the anvil was no easy task. Ling Xiaotian was somewhat unsure at this point whether Luo Feng was truly confident or just posturing to make a spectacle of himself.
"He's just bluffing!" Li Tianyang sneered from the side.
Luo Feng walked up to the anvil, reached out to grip the hilt, and tried to use thirty percent of his strength to pull it. The Tiger Soul Saber trembled slightly but wasn't dislodged.
"HAHA, Luo Feng, I think you'd better give up!" Li Tianyang burst out laughing at this sight.
Ling Xiaotian, standing beside them, also shook his head slightly. He was about to step forward to help Luo Feng pull out the saber when, with a CRACK!, the stage beneath Luo Feng's feet suddenly split, and the Tiger Soul Saber was yanked free with a SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
Luo Feng casually flourished the saber. The blade sliced through the air, its whistle like a faint, eerie hiss, akin to a tiger's roar.
"Good saber!" Luo Feng nodded in admiration.
The mocking voices around them died down into an eerie silence. Everyone stood dumbfounded, staring at Luo Feng. The saber-bearing youth standing beside Bing Ruolan had his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
How can he be so strong! he thought.
Li Tianyang's expression was grim, his palms slick with cold sweat, but his words were still sharp as he sneered, "So you pulled it out. What's so great about that?"
"Truly, youth breeds heroes! I am impressed!" Ling Xiaotian laughed heartily, looking at Luo Feng with anticipation.
Luo Feng stood with the saber before the anvil, not swinging immediately. The Tiger Soul Saber weighed over eleven thousand pounds; even if he exerted all his strength, Luo Feng wasn't completely confident he could surpass Li Tianyang.
I can use Martial Arts. I wonder if this will work…
Luo Feng closed his eyes, the power exertion method of Tiger Roar Fist surfacing in his mind. After a moment of deduction, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the Tiger Soul Saber slashed straight down at the anvil.
BOOM!
A deafening noise reverberated above the stage, sending dust flying everywhere.
When the dust settled and they could see the situation on the stage clearly, a peculiar sound of sharply indrawn breaths came from all around.
Luo Feng stood with the Tiger Soul Saber in hand. Before him, the three-foot-high anvil had been cleaved in two. Perhaps because the force was too great, half of the stage had collapsed!
Ling Xiaotian was stunned for a long moment before he recovered his senses and loudly announced, "The mark is over three feet deep! Luo Feng wins!"