The sky above the Central Continent was still split where Lin Feng's last battle had torn through the clouds.
The world whispered his name.
Lin Feng.
The dragon that soared above heaven, the boy who defied destiny.
From the stands, Lan Yu stood with a faint smile. Her silver hair fluttered in the wind as she watched the young man who had once shocked her.
"He's grown stronger than I ever imagined," she murmured.
Beside her, Li Yuexin, the Sect Master's daughter, nodded slightly, her clear eyes filled with admiration and a trace of something softer.
"He doesn't just fight for victory," she said quietly. "He fights as if the heavens themselves must acknowledge him."
The crowd still roared with Lin Feng's name when the envoy's voice echoed across the shattered arena:
"The second match of the Trial of Supremacy!
Lin Feng of the Eastern Continent — versus — Bei Tianhao, number one genius of the Northern Continent!"
A collective murmur swept through the stands.
"Bei Tianhao… he's the Frozen Emperor's successor!"
"He controls Frost Dao — not mere ice, but the very stillness of time itself!"
"They say even a Saint's divine sense freezes if it touches his domain!"
Lin Feng stood calmly at the center of the arena, sword resting against his shoulder. His azure robe fluttered in the icy wind that suddenly descended.
A figure emerged from the mist — tall, pale, and sharp as winter steel.
Bei Tianhao's eyes were colorless, crystalline like the surface of frozen lakes. His long silver hair drifted lightly as he approached, each step frosting the arena beneath his feet.
When he stopped ten meters away, the air between them crystallized into drifting snowflakes.
"Lin Feng," he said softly, voice cold as moonlight. "I saw your battle. Impressive… for one who still burns with mortal passion. But flames fade. Ice endures."
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"Let's see if your ice can endure my sword."
---
The envoy's voice thundered once more.
"Begin!"
A wave of frost burst outward from Bei Tianhao the instant the words fell.
The entire arena froze in an instant — even the air became sluggish, sound muted.
It wasn't just cold. Lin Feng realized with shock that time itself slowed.
"Domain of Stillness," Lin Feng muttered. "So this is his power."
Bei Tianhao raised his hand, and countless ice shards formed behind him — each carrying slivers of temporal energy.
"Frozen Time Art — Eternal Spear!"
He thrust his palm forward, and dozens of translucent spears shot out at impossible speed, warping space around them.
Lin Feng's sword flashed.
"Azure Sword Art — Fifth Stance: Void Cleaver!"
Each spear that neared him shattered into snowflakes as his sword's azure arcs danced through the frozen air.
But when one spear grazed his sleeve, the fabric instantly froze solid — time halting even the movement of his robe.
"Interesting," Lin Feng said with a grin.
He stepped forward, each motion breaking through the frozen air as he drew upon his Battle Intent, igniting his blood.
"Then let's make things a little warmer."
---
Boom!
Flames of dragon qi burst from Lin Feng's body, swirling into nine coiling dragons that roared across the arena. The frost cracked beneath their presence.
Bei Tianhao's eyes narrowed.
"So, the Nine-Headed Dragon Bloodline truly exists…"
He pressed his palms together, summoning an enormous glacier of pure spiritual energy.
"Frozen Heaven Art — Absolute Burial!"
The glacier crashed forward like a mountain. The world trembled beneath its weight.
Lin Feng stomped his foot, aura bursting skyward.
"Nine-Dragon Heaven-Treading Step — Third Step!"
The impact that followed shattered the glacier into billions of shards, scattering frozen dust into the air.
The shockwave blasted outward, forcing weaker cultivators to retreat. Even Lan Yu shielded her face from the icy wind.
When the frost cleared, both combatants stood firm.
Bei Tianhao's calm expression didn't waver.
"You broke my glacier. Not bad."
Lin Feng smiled.
"You'll need more than mountains to bury a dragon."
---
Frozen Domain vs. Dragon Domain
Bei Tianhao's hands glowed with icy light as he spoke.
"Domain of Frozen Eternity — Manifest."
A colossal circle of blue sigils spread from beneath him, freezing even the ambient qi in the air. Space itself warped and solidified into still crystal.
Time slowed again. The entire world seemed to move at half speed.
Lin Feng felt his heartbeat drag. His blood thickened. His sword arm felt as heavy as a mountain.
"In this space," Bei Tianhao's voice echoed like thunder in a void, "you cannot move faster than my will."
For a moment, Lin Feng's figure blurred — as if trapped within a dream of ice.
Then, a low rumble came from within his chest.
Roar!
The nine-headed dragon behind him awakened, its roars shaking heaven and earth. The frost shattered where the sound touched.
"Dragon Domain — Break the Sky!"
Golden scales of qi enveloped Lin Feng as he unleashed his Dragon Domain — fiery energy erupting outward, melting the frozen world inch by inch.
The collision of domains sent waves of distortion through reality itself.
Spectators could no longer see what was happening — only flashes of blue and gold, of frost and flame, of dragon and storm.
---
The Turning Point
Bei Tianhao clenched his fist.
"Time Reversal — Thousand-Year Flash!"
His figure vanished. For a heartbeat, Lin Feng couldn't sense him — until a blade of condensed frost pierced through his chest.
Blood splattered onto the icy ground.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"He's… hurt?"
"Bei Tianhao struck through time itself!"
Lin Feng coughed lightly, then looked down at the wound. Frost spread across it instantly, sealing it shut.
He smirked.
"A clever trick… but it won't work twice."
Azure light burst from his body as he gathered all four of his intents — Sword, Battle, Slaughter, and Dragon — into a single devastating force.
His aura surged violently, making even the envoys shift in interest.
"Sword of Destiny Manual — Fourth Stage Unlocked!"
Behind him, his sword will manifested into a colossal azure dragon wielding a sword of light.
Bei Tianhao's eyes widened for the first time.
"Impossible. He broke through mid-battle?"
Lin Feng lifted his sword.
"Azure Sword Art — Seventh Stance: Heaven's Judgment!"
Bei Tianhao unleashed his strongest art in response, summoning the phantom of the Frozen Emperor himself.
"Frozen Heaven Emperor Art — Absolute End!"
Two divine forces collided — dragon and frost, heat and cold, life and stillness.
The impact exploded into a pillar of light that pierced the heavens, shattering the arena's barrier completely.
For a long moment, the world seemed to vanish — replaced only by roaring energy and silence.
Then, slowly, the light faded.
Lin Feng stood at the center, sword planted into the ground, breathing steadily.
Across from him, Bei Tianhao knelt, his silver hair dusted with snow, his chest marked by a faint azure slash that bled shimmering frost.
He tried to speak, but his voice cracked.
"Your sword… it doesn't cut the body. It cuts the path of fate itself."
Lin Feng's eyes gleamed faintly.
"And fate has chosen the East."
Bei Tianhao chuckled weakly before bowing his head.
"Then… I yield."
---
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
Lan Yu exhaled slowly, a smile tugging at her lips.
"He's surpassed even the legends of our continent."
Li Yuexin's eyes softened, her heart tightening as she watched Lin Feng's calm expression.
"And yet, he looks as if victory means nothing to him."
The envoy's voice rang out, powerful and divine.
"Victory — Lin Feng of the Eastern Continent!
By defeating the Southern and Northern genius, he now stands as the unmatched first among the lower realm!"
Golden light descended upon Lin Feng once again, the emblem of the Eastern Continent blazing behind him.
He looked up into the heavens where the Higher Realm envoys watched silently, their gazes unreadable.
He could feel it — destiny calling, yet danger growing sharper with each triumph.
The stronger I rise, he thought, the closer the heavens watch me.
He tightened his grip on his sword and whispered quietly:
"Let them watch. I'll carve my path through heaven itself."