Directly enhancing his power to the level of an Intermediate Semi-Saint in an extremely overbearing manner, Peerless Sword's hair fluttered as he looked at Ling Chen with eyes full of disdain and said indifferently, "Now, I wonder how much of your laughable confidence is left?"

"I still stand by my words."

In front of Peerless Sword, Ling Chen's momentum appeared weak, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. Yet, his demeanor remained calm and composed, without any sign of panic due to Peerless Sword's significant increase in cultivation.

"I will do my utmost to defeat Your Excellency."

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Chen's eyes.

"Such a fool who can't see the situation, then be defeated by me!"

Upon hearing these words, Peerless Sword's expression suddenly turned icy. Immediately, True Qi surged out from within him, fully displaying the cultivation of an Intermediate Semi-Saint, transforming into nine Heavenly Dragons that let out deafening roars, causing the ring to tremble, and the wind and clouds to surge. Instantly, they crushed towards Ling Chen, aiming to suppress and smash the lone boat amidst the vast ocean.

"If you want to defeat me, at this level, it might not be enough."

Facing the terrifying force of Peerless Sword's frenzied suppression, Ling Chen's eyes suddenly sparkled, and the next moment, an extremely intense momentum erupted from him.

An ancient Saint King's wave emanated from Ling Chen's momentum, as if he was a legendary holy savior, a merciful king Buddha, with infinite merits, guiding all beings, all under heaven bowing down, appearing insignificant and trivial before this momentum.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang...

The nine Heavenly Dragons crushing towards Ling Chen exploded unexpectedly when they approached him, issuing astonishing explosions, and the boundless might vanished.

"What?"

Not only Peerless Sword was left stunned, but the entire Imperial Clan, all the geniuses participating in the Heavenly Sword Tournament, and the thousands of warriors in the stands were dumbfounded and utterly shocked.

Peerless Sword's current momentum could instantly suppress a genuine Intermediate Semi-Saint, yet it failed to suppress Ling Chen?!

"Ling Yu's cultivation has increased too!"

Suddenly, Sima Xiaoyao's pupils shrank sharply, and his face underwent a swift change.

"The same as Peerless Sword, he raised his cultivation by two levels to the Seventh Realm of Sky Apex!"

Gui Tianchou exclaimed in surprise.

"How is he doing this?!"

All the genius disciples were utterly stunned.

What they couldn't imagine was that Ling Chen also possessed a peerless combat technique to enhance cultivation!

Such level of combat techniques is exceptionally rare, even among the Eight major families, none possess such techniques. Where did Ling Chen acquire this from?

"Ling Lie, do you know the origin of this kid's combat technique?"

In the Ling Family region, Ling Zhen's eyes widened, shifting his gaze to Ling Lie, with an unmistakable expression of shock. He no longer called Ling Lie "Old Three," but directly addressed his name, indicating he was overwhelmed. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"How could I possibly know."

Ling Lie chuckled bitterly, then also looked with complex emotions at the slim figure on the ring, fighting Peerless Sword on equal footing.

"How much has this kid hidden from us..."

Based on their initial expectations, Ling Chen making it to the top ten would already be an exceptional achievement. But Ling Chen not only reached the top ten, but also barged into the top five, entered the top three, and now is fighting Peerless Sword for first place on the ring.

This felt like a dream to them.

Heavenly Sword Tournament first place.

Originally, it was a fairly distant honor, even unrelated to their Ling Family, but now it's right in front of them, almost within grasp.

It's impossible to not be excited.

All the Ling family disciples shared the same feeling, though there were a few exceptions.

"What's going on with Ling Yu?"

On the Imperial Clan's side, several elders displayed disbelief on their faces. Ling Chen's performance undoubtedly shook their absolute confidence in Peerless Sword.

"Heh heh, the little guy is actually quite interesting."

On the magnificent throne, Empress Yunyao's lazy voice resounded again, astonishing the nearby court eunuch, who thought the Empress was asleep, only to find her intrigued by the match, her beautiful eyes fixed on the ring's situation.

"Humph, even if he advanced two levels, so what? Royal Brother Peerless Sword's cultivation has already been elevated to the Intermediate Semi-Saint level; this kid is definitely not an opponent!"

Li Yifeng was initially also taken aback, but soon his face was filled with cold indifference as he shouted.

Peerless Sword is not only the foremost expert among the young generation of their Imperial Clan but also their belief and pillar. They would never believe there is any chance of Peerless Sword losing to someone else, not even the slightest possibility.

On the ring.

"So you had such a trump card, no wonder you were so fearless."

Peerless Sword's momentum was pushed back by Ling Chen, blocked at half his rivers and mountains; his expression also showed rare seriousness.

Yet, the next moment, the gravity in his eyes vanished without a trace, "But unfortunately, the gap between us remains uncrossable."

"From my view, gaps like these no longer exist."

The Red Sky Sword pointed diagonally downwards, the sword tip spewing streaks of red Sword Light, hissing, while Ling Chen stood steady, white clothes fluttering, eyes level with Peerless Sword.

"Is that so?"

Peerless Sword's lips curled into a sinister smirk, and immediately he raised the Treasure Sword high, endless Sword Momentum merging into the sword, calling for the winds and thunder, shaking the storm, clearly brewing an exceptionally powerful Swordsmanship.

"Swallow the Nine Provinces!"

When the Sword Momentum reached its peak, ready to explode at the slightest further accumulation, Peerless Sword acted. With a clang, a dazzling blue-white Sword Light radiated across the sky like a boundless sea, rippling. In the sea, a colossal creature broke the surface—it was a giant whale, not formed by True Qi, but by Sword Spirit Power; it was similar in nature to the Lightning Fox Ling Chen used initially, but compared to the Lightning Fox, this whale was more overbearing and terrifying.

The giant whale leapt with fierce killing intent, opened its mouth, and lunged towards Ling Chen. The experts observing near Ling Chen's position turned pale, as the whale's mouth opened, pitch black inside, enormous beyond measure, like an expanding black hole, poised to swallow the vast expanse of territory ahead. Involuntarily, they retreated several steps, hearts pounding with fear.

PS: Just returned home, another chapter is coming shortly.