"So strong, how can Peerless Sword be so powerful at such a young age?" On the spectators' seats, many watching warriors looked at each other in disbelief.

Even though Sima Xiaoyao showed strength beyond the top of the first tier, he still did not pose much threat to Peerless Sword.

It even seemed likely that he had not forced Peerless Sword to give his all.

"Could it be that only Liu Mengru can make him go all out?"

Many geniuses thought to themselves, then turned their gaze towards Liu Mengru.

Among this year's Heavenly Sword Tournament contestants, the ones most hopeful to challenge Peerless Sword are Sima Xiaoyao and Liu Mengru. Now that Sima Xiaoyao has already been defeated, only Liu Mengru remains.

Compared to Sima Xiaoyao, Liu Mengru is evidently more competitive. Her ranking on the Ten Thousand Years Green History Wall is second only to Peerless Sword. Both have the same achievement, having passed the ninth stage, though Liu Mengru's name was left later than Peerless Sword's. Her aptitude allows her to stand shoulder to shoulder with Peerless Sword, making her the only one among the younger generation to reach this step. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

With Sima Xiaoyao's defeat, his Gold Ranking position immediately dropped to fourth, with the top three being Peerless Sword, Liu Mengru, and Ling Chen.

Though most people only recognize Peerless Sword's and Liu Mengru's rankings, Ling Chen's placement is mostly due to not having yet faced a truly formidable adversary, so he temporarily holds a spot in the top three.

Even so, Ling Chen's placement in the top three, albeit temporarily, has created a stir in the Ling Family's area.

"This kid, could he really make the top three?"

Ling Lie smiled slightly.

"Hard to say, but even this result is admirable, Third Brother, let's not be too greedy."

Ling Zhen chuckled beside him.

The whole Ling Family was celebrating, except for Ling Yuxuan's side, where faces were grim.

"No rush, with Ling Yu's prowess, there's no way he can hold the top three. He will soon be knocked down."

Ling Feng said coldly.

"True, Second Brother, don't let it bother you too much." Ling Hai glanced secretly at Ling Yuxuan.

But Ling Yuxuan didn't speak, his face was dark and silent, Ling Chen's rapid rise was embarrassing enough for him, especially since even if Ling Chen doesn't make the top three, he still has a strong chance for the top five, a result that far outstrips his inability to make the top ten.

With Sima Xiaoyao's defeat against Peerless Sword, it marked the end of the fourth round.

Ling Chen faced his fifth-round opponent, Murong Ziying.

Ling Chen looked at the beauty across the arena, his eyes wary despite Murong Ziying's lower ranking than his own, as many spectators likely felt that his strength wasn't superior to Murong Ziying's.

Murong Ziying's defeats were at the hands of Liu Mengru and Sima Xiaoyao, and among Ling Chen's vanquished foes, none were stronger than Murong Ziying.

"You're quite lucky."

Murong Ziying was similarly dismissive of Ling Chen's third-place ranking, believing his strength didn't deserve that spot.

"Luck is also a part of strength."

Ling Chen acknowledged, as it's true. His luck has been good; otherwise, if he had encountered Peerless Sword in the first match, the tournament wouldn't have been so favorable.

"Your luck ends here."

Murong Ziying's beautiful eyes suddenly flashed with brilliance, and she quickly extended her hand, forming seals with both hands. A mass of True Qi swiftly gathered like water, transforming into a water lotus on the arena. With a strike from Murong Ziying's jade hands, the water lotus flew out directly towards Ling Chen.

Ling Chen's pupils slightly contracted; this was the move Murong Ziying used during her battle with Liu Mengru.

This water lotus wasn't an ordinary move; it contained potent Water Intent, and although Water Intent doesn't have strong destructive power, it inherently includes a special "Soft Power" that's hard to neutralize and extremely troublesome.

Earlier, Liu Mengru used Yin and Yang Martial Arts True Meaning to break Murong Ziying's water lotus effortlessly, but it wasn't easy.

However, everything has its flaws, and the water lotus martial art Murong Ziying deployed also has its vulnerabilities.

Ling Chen's eyes flashed suddenly, then his hand moved naturally with the Red Sky Sword, launching a Blazing Thunder Cut, and simultaneously pushing the Sword Spirit Embryo to the limit to greatly enhance the sword's power.

Swish!

A slash cut through, the void trembled and distorted.

A fierce Sword Light slashed down.

Ling Chen contemplated; the water lotus was imbued with strong Soft Power. In such a case, only the sharpest sword could cut through it, leaving no chance for counterstrike!

Splinter!

The water lotus was split into two by a single sword, shattering into streams that dispersed.

"What?"

Murong Ziying's face changed suddenly. The Soft Power hadn't even erupted before it was aborted, broken instantly by Ling Chen. Among the younger generation, she thought only Peerless Sword, Liu Mengru, and Sima Xiaoyao could achieve this. Unexpectedly, someone like Ling Chen could do it too.

This guy has come this far, not just on luck!

However, by the time she realized this, it was already too late, for in the blink of an eye, Ling Chen was already before her, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, his eyes suddenly shot two beams of golden light.

The two golden beams transformed into sword shapes the instant they emerged, rushing into Murong Ziying's eyes with lightning speed, causing her to become momentarily dazed.

When Murong Ziying regained her senses, a crimson Treasure Sword emitting warmth was already resting on her neck.

"You."

Murong Ziying was stunned, as the opponent's rapid sequence of moves left her no room to counter, leading to an unexpected defeat.

She was careless for just a moment, and that moment, perhaps only a couple of breaths, was seized by Ling Chen, leading to an utter defeat with no chance for reversal.

"It seems my luck is quite good."

Ling Chen sheathed his sword and smiled lightly.

"I take back what I said earlier."

Murong Ziying's face turned serious, exhaling slowly as a look of seriousness appeared in her eyes, "I admit I underestimated you. And I'm not the only one; it seems everyone underestimated you. Your strength, what level has it reached?"

"I'm very much looking forward to your duel with Peerless Sword."

Though she was somewhat unwilling to lose this duel, she appreciated Ling Chen's strength. His ability, though not necessarily on par with Peerless Sword or Liu Mengru, was at least equal to Sima Xiaoyao's.

More importantly, Ling Chen is a swordsman, just like Peerless Sword, and there's an inherent incompatibility between swordsmen. A showdown between two top genius swordsmen is sure to be extraordinarily exciting.