The Eternal Heart - Chapter 46
Chapter 46: Secret Spirit Technique
To Wang Lingyun, who proposed the “obstructive operation”, Chen Yu’s victory was undoubtedly a club right in his face.
Chen Yu established his position as a powerful dark horse after defeating Xu Jing, who was in the top 10 in the previous tournament.
Three great dark horses were born in this year’s Great Outer Sect Tournament. They were Tong Yuling, Chen Yu, and Cao Lei respectively.
In the past, the trio’s performance was unremarkable.
But the three of them defeated their opponents who were more or less in the top 10 this year and obtained six consecutive victories!
The one whose emotions were the most complex surrounding Chen Yu’s victory was still Le Feng!
Three months ago.
It wasn’t his original intention for the [Towering Cloud Step] to fall in Chen Yu’s hands. This was already an unexpected event.
Le Feng intentionally stepped forth and gave him a “Constituent Pearl Grass” to rope him in as a precautionary measure to prevent Chen Yu from divulging the [Towering Cloud Step] to others.
Of course, he never once thought that Chen Yu, who was once a borderline disciple, could cultivate the [Towering Cloud Step] to the realm of perfection.
It could be said that this was an unexpected event amongst unexpected events.
“How interesting.”
Nangong Li was holding his folding fan in a corner off the stage as he glanced at Chen Yu and Le Feng with interest.
Nangong Li realized that Chen Yu was not a simple person as early as the “Outer Sect Social Gathering”.
Naturally, he only had a little interest in Chen Yu. Nangong Li didn’t even consider Chen Yu as his rival.
Nangong Li only had one rival, and that was Duan Xiaolong!
Up until now, Nangong Li and Duan Xiaolong hadn’t encountered any rivals that could resist them for three rounds in the competition. Their true strengths could be said to be enigmatic and of unfathomable depth.
At the same time, it just so happened that Duan Xiaolong looked over at his old enemy, Nangong Li.
All of a sudden, the duo’s gazes met in the void.
Bang!
A wave of formless spiritual energy collided in mid-air.
Whoosh, hua~
The duo’s robes flapped in the wind, forcibly pushing the disciples in the vicinity back with the powerful yet formless airwaves that manifested.
After a brief moment of sounding each other out, Duan Xiaolong’s expression froze as his body trembled slightly. On the other hand, a strange expression on Nangong Li’s face.
Other than the seniors in the sect present on the scene, no one could see what kind of confrontation occurred between the both of them in that instant just now.
However, the powerful and formless Inner Breath on them was already not inferior to those at the Visceral Tempering stage. The unfathomable confrontation and sounding each other out made one feel fired up.
“A power struggle between two dragons!”
Many disciples were excited and looking forward to that eventual match.
It could even be said that the Great Tournament this year was a grand occasion that was rare to see in a decade.
No one knew what kind of spark would finally arise as a result of the power struggle between two dragons, in addition to three dark horses.
…
The knockout competition forged ahead into its eighth round!
Finally, there were no longer any weak disciples amongst those remaining at the current stage.
The following matches were remarkable. There were times where the disciples were locked in battle, unleashing various wonderful moves.
The three great dark horses continued with their successive victories.
With her profound Inner Breath and nimble swordplay, Tong Yuling easily defeated her opponent who ranked in the top 12.
Cao Lei surprisingly defeated Yang Fan, who ranked ninth in the last tournament, in 50 moves with the astonishing maturity of the [Metal Sand Palm].
“I lost! I actually lost to a low ranked martial arts skill!”
Yang Fan unwillingly walked off the stage as he held a silver spear in his hands. There were a few areas where his clothes were damaged.
Cao Lei cultivated his [Metal Sand Palm] to the pinnacle of perfection. He comprehended a hint of its true meaning unique to him, the might of the technique exceeding one’s imagination.
Chen Yu’s opponent in the eighth round only had the strength of the top 20, so his opponent immediately conceded.
Now, Chen Yu had significant fame for his fighting prowess in the Great Tournament. If one didn’t want to be kicked off the stage, it was best if they conceded first.
The eighth round of the competition came to an end when night descended.
As the “two dragons contending for hegemony”, Nangong Li and Duan Xiaolong still maintained their consecutive victories.
The three great dark horses similarly obtained eight consecutive victories.
As of present, there were only 12 or 13 people who still had successive victories on the field.
Other than the two dragons in a power struggle and the three great dark horses, they consisted of Hu Yiba, who ranked fourth last year, Yuan Beitong, who ranked fifth, Cheng Yun, who ranked sixth and Huang Yuan, who ranked seventh.
…
The ninth round of the knockout competition began on the third day.
At this moment, there were only 30 to 40 disciples who hadn’t been eliminated. All of the disciples who had -2 points were incomparably nervous.
The probability of encountering powerful disciples in the ninth round had increased to a great extent.
“Don’t worry, Younger Martial Sister Jiang! The chances of Chen Yu encountering us in the next round is getting higher and higher.”
Huang Yuan was vouching for them in front of the beauty with a look of self-confidence.
“I naturally believe you.”
Jiang Yun’er chuckled as her dimples resembled flowers when she smiled. A few elite outer sect disciples were infatuated and head over heels in love with her when they saw that.
For the sake of Metastones and a beauty, Hu Yiba, who ranked fourth, Cheng Yun, who ranked sixth, and Huang Yuan, who ranked seventh, were willing to stick out for her.
“Chen Yu, I want to see how many matches you can still win in a row.”
Wang Lingyun sneered in his heart.
In the end, these three great powerhouses still didn’t encounter Chen Yu in the ninth round.
On the other hand, Cheng Yun, who ranked sixth, encountered the outer sect genius, Le Feng.
“Le Feng is up against Cheng Yun!”
The gazes uniformly converged at the stage.
Cheng Yun was a young man with yellowy skin and looked a little old.
The main reason why he participated in the “obstruction operation” against Chen Yu was that he was quite interested in Jiang Yun’er.
Cheng Yun never thought that he would encounter the brilliant genius Le Feng before he encountered Chen Yu.
“Brother Cheng, let us begin,” said Le Feng with his fist cupped in his hand.
He wanted to charge to the top 5 and top 3, so this Cheng Yun was quite a significant resistance in his path.
“Younger Martial Brother Le is still not deploying his sword? Could it be that you think you can win by relying on your martial arts form alone?”
Cheng Yun calmly smiled.
Clank!
Le Feng unsheathed an incomplete treasured sword. It was akin to a cold arc that streaked across the night sky, emitting a cold, sinister, and penetrative aura.
Cheng Yun also took out a famous temporal sword that had excellent workmanship.
“Wind Chopping Sword!”
The famed sword in Cheng Yun’s hand resembled a gale. A transparent cold awn surfaced on the edge of the sword while an ear-piercing surge of air hovered around it.
The [Wind Chopping Sword] he cultivated was a very famous swordplay technique in the outer sect.
Chen Yu was included among those who had cultivated this swordplay before.
Pu, chi!
The air ripped apart when that sword slashed out. Spiraling wind and powerful air revolved around one another, sealing off the path Le Feng was following entirely.
When faced with an opponent of this level, Le Feng found it difficult to suppress him with his superior martial arts form alone.
“Soul Chasing Sword!”
Le Feng’s figure and his treasured sword turned into a single entity. His afterimage and the sword light intertwined. The sword moved with side strokes, which made it extremely thrilling.
Ding, ding, ding…
In the blink of an eye, the duo clashed swords over a dozen times in a single confrontation.
Everyone offstage held their breaths. It was very difficult to see the minute details of the confrontation with the naked eye, so they could only see a sheet of indistinct sword images and light.
Thump!
All of a sudden, a figure fell a few steps back at lightning speed and appeared to be cut in a rather sorry figure.
Cheng Yun looked alarmed as there was a hint of a bloody scar on his cheek.
With his sword in his hand, Le Feng turned around, wearing a smile on his face.
“Cheng Yun lost?”
“I didn’t get to see everything. It was too quick!”
The sound of discussions could be heard offstage.
They witnessed the power of the outer sect’s man of the moment, Le Feng, as well as the experienced Cheng Yun from the previous tournament.
“Number 49 wins.”
The referee waved the flag and announced that Le Feng was the winner.
…
“Martial Brother Cheng improved a lot. How could he lose so quickly?” Huang Yuan was startled as he asked.
“When swordmasters cross swords, they are only fighting for one line in determining who emerges victorious or suffers a defeat. Besides, Le Feng’s martial arts form triumphs over his by half. He even has an incomplete treasured sword in his hands,” Hu Yiba said a matter-of-factly.
His gaze streaked across Le Feng. This was an opponent he couldn’t neglect.
Having a slightly stronger martial arts form and weapon were all advantages!
Cheng Yun didn’t feel injustice in his defeat.
Le Feng’s popularity soared after this match. He won the adoration and worship of numerous female disciples. A few male disciples also admired his strength and elegance.
Aside from Le Feng’s battle, there was another match that was of interest in the ninth round.
“Nangong Li is up against Yuan Beitong!”
The crowd was in an uproar. The degree of interest in this battle even triumphed over Le Feng’s match.
On stage, Nangong Li held a folding fan in his hands as he looked at the robust man that resembled a mighty tiger standing across from him.
That robust man was a good half a head taller than regular people. Before he engaged in battle, he pounded his fists together like metal hammers as banging sounds could be heard. That barbaric aura that hit one directly in their faces made one’s heart palpitate.
“This is Yuan Beitong? The outer sect’s number one God of Strength?”
Chen Yu became very interested.
Yuan Beitong ranked fifth in the last Great Tournament. His greatest advantage was his innate divine strength.
He was born with this “innate divine strength” and wasn’t acquired like Chen Yu’s after fusing with the mysterious heart.
Mountain Cutting Fist!
Yuan Beitong let out a low roar. His vigorous Inner Breath and low vibrating roar darted out with his fists, like a millstone ripping the air. Any fist of his could crush a cow or a tiger to death.
Peng! Peng!
At the moment those punches were launched, the ground faintly shook as the frightening strength set off a gust of air.
Bang, pop!
Nangong Li’s folding fan suddenly whipped Yuan Beitong’s arm. The latter took a few steps back as he violently shouted.
At the instant Nangong Li floated in the air, he retreated about two meters away.
“He really has great strength, vigorous Inner Breath, and rather quick reflexes. He’s proven himself to be fifth place in the last Great Tournament. He can even fight me head-on.”
Nangong Li wore a smile on his face.
Naturally, such behavior was a little self-deprecating to himself. After all, the other party was a person with innate divine strength, yet he still stubbornly fought him face-on.
“But alas, let’s end this.”
Nangong Li left an afterimage where he was and slapped the folding fan in his hands towards Yuan Beitong.
It was still a frontal assault this time.
Meow~
When everyone was feeling puzzled, Nangong Li opened his mouth and produced a strange sound resembling the cry of a cat.
That strange voice made people feel dazed while their minds trembled.
The minds, qi, and blood of all the disciples offstage, including Chen Yu and the others, violently shook.
“What is this attack?”
Chen Yu was overwhelmed with shock. What they bore was only a hint of the aftermath.
“Ah!”
Yuan Beitong, who was on stage, suddenly swayed. He held his head in his hands and appeared to be jittery and in pain.
He bore the entire force of that strange sound. His entire being was giddy with his head spinning while there was a buzzing in his brain.
Bang, peng!
At the instant Yuan Beitong went stiff, the fan swept over his body.
Bathump!
Yuan Beitong’s tall and sturdy body rolled off the tournament stage.
After he regained consciousness, he yelled, “What sorcery was that? How can I, your father, lose—”
The group of disciples offstage looked at each other. The expressions they had when they looked at Nangong Li was one of deep reverence.
“It’s actually a secret spirit technique!”
“As expected from the young master of the Nangong clan. He can cultivate the secret spirit technique at such a young age.”
A few experienced and knowledgable seniors in the sect saw through the mystery.
Secret spirit technique!
Chen Yu had a vague feeling that this formless and intangible attack was a threat to him.
The ninth round in the competition soon came to an end.
This round, Chen Yu’s opponent wasn’t from the top 10, so he easily won.
“It’s already the tenth round!”
Chen Yu was excited in his mind. Those who advanced into the tenth round in the knockout competitions in the previous years were good enough.
At this moment, there were only 30 to 40 people whose names were still lit up on the Array Board.
The knockout competition was approaching its coda!
The probability of encountering a powerhouse in the tenth round was even higher. It was considered to be normal to encounter people like Duan Xiaolong and Huyiba.
Chen Yu was about to reach the tenth round very soon.
He finally encountered a powerful opponent this time.
“Hahaha… Chen Yu! Your Grandfather Huang finally matched up with you.”
A fat young man with a rounded face laughed heartily as he leaped onto the stage in an extremely complacent manner.
“Huang Yuan!”
A few disciples had afraid expressions when they saw the fat young man.
On the other hand, Hu Yiba and Cheng Yun looked somewhat regretful in the Circle of Villains.
Could it be that this fatty Huang Yuan would get the Metastones and even be the one to hold a beauty in his arms? This scene was too much for people to even dare to accept anymore.