Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 159: One hundred and fifty-nine, none of them are optimistic

Chapter 159: One hundred and fifty-nine, none of them are optimistic

"Kid, no matter how cunning you are, today you will fall to the prince’s scheming!"

On the platform, Xuan Zhi, staring at the somewhat silent youth in coarse clothing below, finally seemed to find a sense of superiority. It was truly he who had been at the losing end ever since encountering Yun Xiao.

As the Third Prince of the Royal Family, it was a breeze for Xuan Zhi to exchange number tags with Guan Tong, and the latter was more than willing to do so, especially since Yun Xiao also once left Guan Tong with a disheveled appearance.

In Xuan Zhi’s eyes, no matter how tricky Yun Xiao’s methods, no matter if he had defeated the Meridian Gathering Realm Peak’s Gao Zheng with ease, facing Guan Tong, a cultivator who was half a step into the Meridian Rushing Realm, would certainly not bode well.

The reason Guan Tong was able to hold the place of third on the Mortal List was not something that mere common Meridian Gathering Realm Peaks like Gao Zheng could compare to. He was half a level stronger than the average cultivator at that peak.

It was uncertain whether it was due to Xuan Zhi’s true strength or some silent agreement between them, but in this second round, this Third Prince of the Empire miraculously defeated a genius ranked twelfth on the Mortal List who was at the Meridian Gathering Realm Peak.

"Tsk tsk, such a convincing performance!"

Below the platform, Yun Xiao watched the stumbling retreat of the Mortal List genius, who then directly conceded with a bow, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he murmured to himself.

It seemed that this Third Prince did indeed have an extraordinary reach, or perhaps he had offered the twelfth-ranked genius on the Mortal List some irresistible benefits, which easily allowed him into the third round.

However, if Yun Xiao could see through this, so could many others. It was just that at this time, no one exposed Xuan Zhi. After all, like the earlier exchange of number tags, his opponent had agreed voluntarily.

One must admit, the Royal Family truly has deep pockets, and coupled with some family-bred geniuses, they really dare not offend such a colossal existence. With a mixture of coercion and persuasion, that genius had no choice but to compromise.

The following few fights did not witness any major surprises; they were victories by geniuses ranking high on the Mortal List. In the blink of an eye, it was already the second round of the upper half of the competition.

Yun Xiao had drawn the green tag numbered twenty-eight, so his opponent for the second round was the victor holding the number twenty-seven. It was originally supposed to be Xuan Zhi, but due to the Third Prince’s trickery, the number tag had been switched with Guan Tong’s.

So when the moment arrived, everyone saw that the ruthless individual ranked third on the Mortal List and the brilliant new talent who dazzled yesterday were standing opposite each other on platform number two.

Regarding Guan Tong, who was third on the Mortal List, there was likely not a single person in the audience unfamiliar with him—a prodigy with astounding talent, only slightly inferior to Feng Hang and Shen Xiao, was almost invincible amongst the Outer Sect’s younger disciples.

As for the youth named Yun Xiao, although he had made a splash yesterday, and had cooperated with the Great Elder Lu Zhan in reviving Song Tian, who then broke through to the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage, their understanding of his Meridian Qi combat abilities was one-sided.

Admittedly, yesterday Yun Xiao had severely injured Gao Zheng with just a few moves, even burning off one of Gao Zheng’s right palms. Such unpredictability was indeed hard to guard against upon a first encounter.

But it was precisely after the battle with Gao Zheng that many believed Yun Xiao only had peculiar methods and caught Gao Zheng off-guard.

Once the opponent was prepared for such cunning tricks, their effectiveness would inevitably diminish. For example, the formidable Ancestral Vein Fire—would someone as astute as Guan Tong let it easily touch his skin?

The answer is obviously no. And disregarding Yun Xiao’s peculiar speed and that powerful Ancestral Vein Fire, how much could this new Outer Disciple, who had only been around for three months, actually accomplish? Not many held him in high regard.

After all, Yun Xiao’s opponent this time was formidable — the third-ranked on the Mortal List. Even those veteran Meridian Gathering Realm Peak talents would likely meet defeat at the hands of Guan Tong.

Even Song Tian, standing beside Tan Yun, did not know much about Yun Xiao. Seeing him anxious and rubbing his hands, he lamented, "Alas, that fellow Guan Tong has half a foot in the Meridian Rushing Realm, Yun Xiao junior brother, he..."

"Don’t worry, Brother Song Tian, although Guan Tong is formidable, Yun Xiao has many moves he hasn’t shown yet!" Tan Yun seemed quite confident in Yun Xiao, even displaying a smile as she spoke.

"Is that so?" Hearing this, Song Tian was somewhat bewildered. To be honest, even though Yun Xiao had saved his life yesterday, combat prowess with Meridian Qi wasn’t something that could be won simply by excelling in the Meridian Refining Technique.

After all, Yun Xiao was only in the Meridian Gathering Realm Late Stage. Even if he possessed Ancestor Vein Power, Guan Tong also had an Ancestor Vein. When compared, Guan Tong’s chances of winning were still much greater.

In the northern seats, the Great Elder Lu Zhan and Second Elder Fu Du, who were previously indifferently watching the platform’s battles, now seemed to be awakened by something. They both perked up, their gazes sweeping back and forth between the two on the platform, which further affirmed the suspicions in the mind of Su He sitting nearby.

On the second arena, Yun Xiao was not concerned with the various thoughts of the onlookers below the stage. At this moment, his eyes only saw Guan Tong. This guy was definitely not as easy to deal with as Gao Zheng.

As everyone thought, Yun Xiao’s easy victory over Gao Zheng yesterday by catching him off guard within a few moves was indeed a surprise. If there were to be a rematch, the result might not be as good.

However, in front of Guan Tong, Yun Xiao knew that his usual tactics were no longer a secret. In the Yulin Mountain Range, inside the Yurong Volcano, he had already clashed with Guan Tong, or rather, had made a move in front of him.

Thus, Yun Xiao knew that to win this time, he must use some methods Guan Tong was unaware of, and for him, who was once the Long Xiao Battle God in his previous life, this was all too easy.

People thought Yun Xiao only had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, but they were utterly mistaken. He had many techniques that were rarely seen in the Hidden Dragon Continent. Once displayed, they might even astonish the two Great Elders watching from the sidelines.

"Hehe, Yun Xiao, didn’t expect us to meet in the arena so soon, did you?"

As for Guan Tong across from Yun Xiao, his face bore a smug expression, filled with triumph whether due to the machinations from his association with the Third Prince or his own plots. He harbored deep hatred for the young man in rough clothes in front of him.

Regarding his own strength, Guan Tong was very confident. Even though Yun Xiao had shown some unpredictable techniques before, he had never faced him in a head-on battle for three hundred rounds.

This also indirectly indicated that Yun Xiao was well aware of his own abilities and knew that he was no match for Guan Tong in a direct fight. This was Guan Tong’s genuine belief, and to be fair, he was not wrong.

"Yes, I originally thought this would be a walkover, but now it seems I’ll have to expend some more effort!"

Guan Tong’s slightly mocking words were met with a nod from Yun Xiao, who smiled in response, instantly igniting the anger of this genius ranked third on the Mortal List.

"Yun Xiao, stop boasting with your words. Today I will make sure you cannot leave this second arena!"

The next moment, as anger flashed across Guan Tong’s face, his Meridian Qi surged forth, forming a somewhat ethereal tiger head before him.

"Wow!"

Seeing this, many of the Outer Sect geniuses below the arena were taken aback, realizing some among them did not know Guan Tong could now gather his Meridian Qi externally, which marked a clear distinction between the Meridian Rushing Realm and the Meridian Gathering Realm.

"It seems Brother Guan Tong has made significant progress with his Meridian Qi lately. Is it possible Yun Xiao will lose without being able to withstand even a single move?"

Many felt emotional and envious. Guan Tong’s external gathering of Meridian Qi undoubtedly indicated he was on the cusp of truly entering the Meridian Rushing Realm, a level these cultivators in the Late Stage Meridian Gathering Realm or at its peak longed for.

Yun Xiao had already experienced Guan Tong’s techniques, and now, different from when he had set out for the Yurong Volcano, if the difference was only one realm, perhaps he would not feel so difficult to contend with.

Whoosh!

While Guan Tong was gathering his Meridian Qi into a tiger head, Yun Xiao’s fingers rapidly moved through the air. Then, under the astonished gaze of everyone, a somewhat ethereal three-foot-long sword materialized before him.

"What? Is this... external Meridian Qi gathering?!"

When they saw that sword, though ethereal yet tangibly composed of Meridian Qi, besides a few Outer Sect geniuses who had seen it before, even Elder Su He seated to the north almost popped his eyeballs out in shock.

It made sense for Guan Tong, at the brink of a breakthrough into the Meridian Rushing Realm, to externalize his Meridian Qi and perform the Tiger Head Meridian Techniques, as he had begun to master some of the Divine Skills of the Early Stage Meridian Rushing Realm.

But how strong was Yun Xiao’s cultivation? Everyone could sense his Late Stage Meridian Gathering Realm aura very clearly. How could such a level of cultivation externalize Meridian Qi in a technique?

Moreover, Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi Sword appeared to be even more condensed than the tiger head formed by Guan Tong. What was the meaning of this? Many Outer Sect disciples were baffled.

Somewhere, Xuan Zhi, who had just descended from the arena not long before, felt his victorious mood dissipate instantly as Yun Xiao brandished the Meridian Qi Sword. He seemed to feel a tingling pain on both sides of his face, as if it were stimulated by the sword on the arena stage.

Xuan Zhi would never forget the humiliation the Meridian Qi Sword had inflicted on him. Those two strikes had almost disfigured him, biting at his heart like ants whenever he thought of it. As long as Yun Xiao remained alive, that feeling would never fade.