C10 Surpassing the Others

To everyone's astonishment, Lin Feng emerged victorious in the first round. The crowd on the stage buzzed with disbelief. Clearly, Lin Feng was not to be taken lightly. Who would have thought that in just a few short days, he would be able to defeat Zhang Li?

"Lin Feng's cultivation has improved at an incredible rate," Wang Meng thought to himself, taken aback by the rapid progress.

Zhang Li was a formidable opponent, a practitioner of Body Refining at Level Nine. How could Lin Feng, merely at Level Three, have possibly bested someone of Zhang Li's caliber?

Lin Feng had already caused a stir when he first joined the sect by lifting a cauldron meant for those at Level Eight, but to actually defeat a Level Nine disciple in an official match was beyond anyone's expectations.

Under the stage, the audience murmured and speculated amongst themselves.

The second round commenced with the thunderous sound of drums and gongs.

Lin Feng's next opponent was Huang He, a Level Eight disciple. Dressed in flowing green robes and a white shirt, Huang He approached with an air of confidence. They exchanged a respectful bow before unleashing their attacks.

Huang He was one of the direct disciples of the esteemed Gu Yi, making him a fellow sect brother to Wang Meng. Yet, his cultivation fell short of Wang Meng's.

Having witnessed Lin Feng's prowess from the sidelines, Huang He approached the battle with caution, his attention undivided.

The clash between them painted the sky with graceful arcs, their exchanges a dance of power and precision. They seemed evenly matched until, after a dozen or so exchanges, a muffled groan was heard.

Huang He was down, a large crater marking the spot of his defeat. Blood spilled from his lips, his expression one of bitter resignation. No one had foreseen that a Level Eight disciple would be taken down by an outer sect disciple at Level Three.

The crowd was taken aback once more. Could it be that Lin Feng, in his four years of quiet cultivation, had truly attained Level Eight without anyone noticing?

Yet, Lin Feng's bearing suggested he might have surpassed even that.

The competition for advancement to the Inner Sect had brought forth over fifty outer sect disciples. This meant that there were over fifty Level Eight practitioners vying for the chance. Those who succeeded would be officially inducted into the Inner Sect.

Lin Feng was clearly set on victory this time around.

After triumphing over Zhang Li and Huang He, he was now the center of attention among the fifty-plus disciples vying for promotion to the Inner Sect.

Even Gu Changqing was left scratching his head in bewilderment, while Wang Meng was so astounded he could have dropped his jaw.

Currently, Lin Feng stood on the fifth platform, where the clamor from all five platforms was deafening, with each match unfolding with intense fervor.

Each platform had its champion, and Lin Feng had claimed that title on the fifth, while Wang Meng held sway over the fourth.

The two exchanged distant, challenging glances, with Wang Meng's eyes brimming with unspoken challenge.

Lin Feng, for his part, was already contemplating a decisive battle with Wang Meng for the final round.

The next challenger, a disciple named Wang Yang, leaped onto the platform with a commanding air, offered Lin Feng a respectful bow, and then launched into his signature move, charging at Lin Feng with lethal intent.

Using his Ghost Shadow Mystery technique, Lin Feng effortlessly circled to Wang Yang's rear and floored him with a single palm strike. Wang Yang, radiating only a white glow, was not considered a true rival by Lin Feng.

Today, Lin Feng's real adversaries were the three individuals shrouded in blue light, signifying their Spirit Gathering Realm power.

These were his targets, his true competition.

With singular focus, Lin Feng surged towards this objective.

The trio in question were none other than Wang Meng, Lee Pei, and Xiao Rann.

To confront these three, however, he first needed to dispatch the numerous white-glow contenders and earn his place as a blue-glow challenger.

Thus, Lin Feng's strikes were executed with even greater agility and ferocity.

In no time at all, he had successively bested eight competitors.

On his end, Wang Meng had swiftly taken down six contestants in rapid succession.

Time seemed to stretch and fly by all at once.

The disciples in the running for promotion were all eager and ready, each convinced they would emerge victorious.

This particular promotion was an extraordinary opportunity.

Ascending to the Inner Sect meant receiving the sect's robust support, with access to Pills and secret manuals that far surpassed anything available to the Outer Sect. Driven by this, everyone was giving their all to secure their place within the Inner Sect.

This seemed to be the inevitable journey for every cultivator.

As such, the competition was fiercely intense.

Disciples pulled out all the stops, sparing no effort in their struggle for supremacy.

Lin Feng had already bested over ten opponents, while Wang Meng had secured his spot as the undefeated champion.

The much-anticipated duel between Lin Feng and Wang Meng was about to commence.

Both competitors were eagerly warming up, anticipating the moment of confrontation.

Meanwhile, the beautiful Zhan Shuining sat with poised attention, ready for her turn.

Whenever it was her time to compete, Wang Meng would protectively stand in front of her, shouldering the burden on her behalf.

Wang Meng assured her that she only needed to step in at the very end; he would take care of the lesser challengers for her.

Lin Feng, inching ever closer to triumph, had set his sights on Wang Meng.

At that moment, the champions of the five arenas were: Lee Pei, Xiao Rann, Zhan Shuining, Wang Meng, and Lin Feng.

Lin Feng had emerged victorious from the crowd bathed in white and green auras.

Now, it was time for the five arena champions to battle it out.

With a powerful leap, Lin Feng ascended to the fourth arena to face Wang Meng head-on.

Wang Meng gave him a scornful glance and scoffed.

This old rascal, Lin Feng, had spent four to five years in the outer sect and still seemed clueless. Yet today, he had somehow mustered the strength to break through to Body Refining Level Eight.

But even with this breakthrough, what did it matter? To Wang Meng, a direct disciple of Guu Yi, endowed with Spiritual Energy, Lin Feng was nothing but a sure defeat.

Long accustomed to being underestimated, Lin Feng wasn't bothered. On the contrary, he was determined to put Wang Meng in his place this time.

Lin Feng had secretly taken the Fire Spirit Grass meant for Wang Meng, and his power had surged, surpassing Level Eight.

Unaware of this development due to his disdain, Wang Meng was caught off guard, and Lin Feng narrowly won the first two rounds.

Lin Feng's precarious victories ignited envy in Wang Meng, who refused to believe he could lose to this upstart—a cultivator who, after three to four years, had only reached Body Refining Level Three. In his mind, defeat was impossible.

He was determined to knock this kid down, to beat him so badly he wouldn't dare step into the ring again.

So, Wang Meng painfully picked himself up and unleashed his signature move, his most lethal technique, hoping to take Lin Feng out in one fell swoop.

But to his surprise, Lin Feng nimbly evaded with the Ghost Shadow Mystery.

What? This kid actually mastered the Ghost Shadow Mystery? Where on earth did he secretly learn such a technique?

The Ghost Shadow Mystery was one of the Profound Purity Sect's guarded martial arts secrets. How could a mere Body Refining Level Three outer sect disciple possibly know it?

Fear crept into Wang Meng at that moment.

If he couldn't defeat Lin Feng today, what would become of his reputation?