"A mere second-rate family dares to be arrogant!"

Ling Tong’s face darkened, and he leaped onto the stage.

"Vanguard Assault!"

Seeing Ling Tong step onto the stage, Ma Mengqi also sneered, and his fierce spear suddenly swept out.

At the instant the spear swept out, it seemed as if thousands of troops were galloping, and the spear light transformed into four, vaguely resembling four cavalrymen clad in armor charging fiercely at Ling Tong.

Ling Tong defended with all his might, wielding his Treasure Sword horizontally to block Ma Mengqi’s frenzied attack.

Soon, Ling Tong was at a disadvantage.

"This is bad, Ling Tong isn’t using his most skilled 36 Pulse Sword Waves, but only concentrating on defense. If this continues, things look grim."

Seeing Ling Tong quickly fall into a disadvantageous position, Ling Xue also showed a worried expression.

"Ling Tong is very clever."

However, Ling Chen thought differently, a gleam appearing in his eyes. "Ling Tong’s skill is comparable to Ma Mengqi’s, but the opponent’s moves are ferocious, especially the first few; each strike is ruthless. Going head-on against them from the start would actually reduce his chances of winning."

"Now, Ling Tong has at least an eighty percent chance of winning."

"Oh?"

Ling Xue’s beautiful eyes lit up, but her lovely face still carried a hint of doubt.

But just as Ling Chen finished speaking, the situation on the stage had already changed drastically. Ling Tong seized the opportunity when Ma Mengqi’s offensive waned and launched a counterattack.

The 36 Pulse Sword Waves were unleashed one after another, and by the time he released the sixth wave, with a "clang," Ma Mengqi’s long spear was sent flying.

"Oh, won!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Well done, Ling Tong!"

The Ling Family’s disciples were all overjoyed.

"It’s just that he defeated a mere Ma Mengqi, a small victory, there’s no need to be so overly happy."

The speaker was a young prodigy from the Heavenly Wolf Family Ghost Family, the second figure only next to Gui Tianchou, named Gui Tianjian.

The Ma Family in Liang Province is a follower of the Heavenly Wolf Family, so Gui Tianjian naturally felt displeased with Ma Mengqi’s defeat.

"Just a small fry, no need to worry. What the Ling Family depends on is nothing more than a Ling Yuxuan. Second Brother, your skill now isn’t much inferior to mine; if you encounter Ling Yuxuan, you should have a fair chance to win."

Beside him, Gui Tianchou spoke indifferently.

"Don’t worry, Big Brother, my Greedy Wolf Sword Technique has been cultivated to the seventh style. No one in the Ling Family is my match." Gui Tianjian exuded full confidence.

"The Ling Family has made enemies on all sides. If they perform poorly in this tournament, we can seize the opportunity at the next court meeting to impeach and reduce Ling Tingfeng’s rank as Grand Marshal."

Not far away, an elder from the Xing Saint Family seemed to sense the situation and displayed a smile on his face.

"The Ling Family indeed has no shortage of enemies."

Ling Chen could feel the hostility in those gazes; among the Nine Great Families, apart from the Literature Saint Family and the Shen Dao Family, the other families more or less showed hostility towards the Ling Family.

The Literature Saint Family and the Shen Dao Family are both old aristocratic families and naturally have a good relationship with the Swordsaint Family, the Ling Family. Originally, the Xing Saint Family also got along well with the Ling Family, but due to events that happened twenty years ago, the two families ended up on opposing sides.

It’s safe to say, the position the Ling Family stands in is not too favorable.

On the surface, the Heavenly Sword Tournament appears to be a martial competition among the younger generation of aristocratic families, but underneath, turbulent currents flow, and strife abounds, far from as simple as it seems.

One match after another unfolded and concluded, and soon, someone from the Ling Family was up for another bout, it was Ling Hai.

Ling Hai’s opponent was a young expert from the Xing Saint Family named Xing Yunfeng. Xing Yunfeng was known as the Silver Moon Spear among the younger generation for a reason. With a silver long spear in hand, spear lights crisscrossed around him, as if submerged in a dark water with reflections of a waning moon.

However, Ling Hai was not an ordinary man. He was cultivating the Sky-breaking Sword Technique, and met each incoming attack head-on with his sword, stalwartly confronting Xing Yunfeng’s fierce spear.

"If that’s all you’ve got, then this next spear, you definitely won’t be able to block."

Xing Yunfeng looked at Ling Hai and said calmly.

Ling Hai only sneered, not taking his words to heart, "You and I are evenly matched. Defeating me with one spear is simply impossible, bring it on!"

"As you say!"

Xing Yunfeng took a deep breath, and his silver long spear spun.

Spear images whirled and Vitality Energy surged, and it seemed a terrifying vortex of True Qi appeared before Ling Hai, pulling in the air from all directions. As the spear speed increased, the pulling force intensified, and Ling Hai, who was in combat with Xing Yunfeng, suddenly found his body involuntarily drawn towards the spear tip.

"Not good!"

Ling Hai was shocked, True Qi erupted as he struggled to break free from the pull.

"Too late!"

A fleeting spear trace appeared in the air, already reaching Ling Hai.

"Break for me, Splitting Heaven Style!"

In desperation, Ling Hai was forced to reveal the third move of the Sky-breaking Sword Technique, Splitting Heaven Style, in an attempt to fight back with all his might.

However, before his move could even form, Xing Yunfeng’s spear had already pierced through the Sword Light, breaking the Sword Momentum gathered by Ling Hai. With a crack, Ling Hai’s protective True Element shattered, and his chest clothes were slit open. Had Xing Yunfeng not held back, this spear would have pierced his heart.

"I yield!"

Xing Yunfeng collected his spear and stood, his gaze indifferent.

"Xing Yunfeng wins!"

The referee announced the result. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

By the time the referee announced the result, Ling Hai was still in a state of disbelief. In terms of skill, Xing Yunfeng and he were evenly matched, possibly even slightly inferior to him. He couldn’t quite comprehend how he was so easily defeated. He didn’t even manage to use the Purple Extreme Sword Eye before being casually beaten.

When he realized something was amiss, it was already too late.

"Xing Yunfeng won, the experts from the Xing Family are really strong."

"Ling Hai is one of the ’Four Heroes of the Ling Family,’ ranking among the top five in the younger generation of the Ling Family, a pillar of strength, yet he was so easily defeated. With such a significant pillar of the Ling Family failing, the situation ahead is grim indeed."

"Xing Yunfeng’s strength ranks only around seventh or eighth in the Xing Family, yet he managed to defeat Ling Hai; it’s truly unexpected. Could it be that the Ling Family has truly declined?"

Ling Hai’s defeat gave everyone a common topic, which gradually shifted back to discussing the Ling Family itself.

On the Ling Family’s side, Ling Lie and Ling Zhen wore solemn expressions, feeling immense pressure.

They hadn’t expected that in a favorable situation, Ling Hai would be eliminated by the opponent.

However, while secretly cursing Ling Hai for incompetence, they could only accept this outcome.

Now, they could only pin their hopes on the remaining contestants.

"Cheer up, we still have that dark horse, Ling Chen. If we can secure two places in the top ten, it would be a notable accomplishment."

Ling Zhen consoled.

After all, among the Nine Great Families, the competition for the top ten spots means an average of one representative per family, with the royal family accounting for two. If the Ling Family could claim two spots, all the current criticism and doubts would evaporate.

Even if there are fewer in the top twenty or top fifty, that doesn’t matter. Two in the top ten would more than make up for it.