Volume One, Chapter 28: The True Dragon Bloodline Reappears!

"Presumptuous! You are merely a novice who has just stepped into the Golden Core Realm, and you dare to challenge me? Very well! I shall grant your wish!"

Nie Xun had entered the Golden Core Realm over twenty years ago and currently held the second level of that cultivation stage. Ling Tiandu, standing before him, was only at the first level of the Golden Core Realm. As a Heavenly Elder of the Divine Hidden Academy, being provoked by Ling Tiandu in such a manner was beyond what he could tolerate. He took a step forward, his aura erupting as he prepared to strike.

"To deal with a mere Ling Tiandu, why would Elder Nie need to act?"

At that moment, a rainbow-like streak of light swept across the sky at high speed, whipping up a gale that caused the clothes of those below to snap violently in the wind. A man in white robes, carrying a long sword on his back, appeared before Nie Xun. He had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a spirited and magnificent air. Within his pupils, one could even discern the phantom images of ten thousand flying swords and a desolate sword graveyard. Anyone who laid eyes upon him was struck with profound awe; his mastery of the sword was truly unparalleled.

"Lin Danfeng, I thought you were going to play the coward and never show your face," Ling Tiandu said, a sinister grin curling his lips upon seeing the white-robed man. "In the past, you didn't even have the qualifications to make me draw my sword. Now that you have awakened your True Dragon Bloodline and just entered the Golden Core Realm, you dare to challenge me? You certainly have a lot of nerve."

Lin Danfeng was not only immensely powerful himself, but his background was also extraordinary: he was the young master of the Lin Clan, one of the four great clans of the Great Qian Dynasty. Ling Tiandu was likewise the young master of the Ling Clan, another of the four great clans. One could say they started from the same point and were of similar age, yet their reputations were worlds apart. Lin Danfeng had become a Golden Core expert years ago and was one of the four Holy Sons of the Divine Hidden Academy. As for Ling Tiandu, he had long been stuck at the Yuan Mansion Realm, struggling to break through, and was merely one of the thirty-two Holy Sons of the Great Qian Academy, far from being the best. Now that they met, the circumstances had shifted.

"Ling Tiandu! You seized my True Dragon Bloodline, that is the only reason you entered the Golden Core Realm..."

In a nondescript corner of the surrounding crowd, Mu Yi watched coldly. He had arrived long ago. Seeing his enemies, Ling Tiandu and Qin Wanqing, his heart was filled with boundless killing intent, but he knew well that he was far from being a match for a Golden Core expert. He still needed to wait for his time.

"Lin Danfeng, I may not have been qualified to cross swords with you before, but now, you are destined to be the one who falls to me." Ling Tiandu stared at Lin Danfeng. Energy belonging to the Golden Core Realm erupted from within both of their bodies. Instantly, everyone present, save for the Golden Core elders Nie Xun and Sima Xiangru, was forced to retreat a hundred meters by the shockwaves. Even Mu Yi was no exception.

"Is this the terrifying power of a Golden Core expert?" Mu Yi stared, his heart deeply shaken. It was his first time seeing a Golden Core expert in action. Of course, Ren Yuwei, who had briefly clashed with him before, was at least at the Golden Core level, but she had suppressed her cultivation, leaving Mu Yi unable to gauge the true extent of such power.

Boom!

As the crowd watched with bated breath, Ling Tiandu and Lin Danfeng finally struck.

"Cloud-Breaking Sword Art!" The moment Lin Danfeng moved, he unleashed one of the sixteen great foundational techniques of the Divine Hidden Academy. As he swung his blade, countless sword energies erupted, resembling white waves of air that instantly engulfed Ling Tiandu.

"The martial arts of the Divine Hidden Academy are useless." Ling Tiandu laughed, his sword moving with an appearance of casual ease, yet it fell like a violent storm. In an instant, their sword energies collided, leaving the massive plaza scarred and shredded by the immense force.

"Ling Tiandu, do not harm the innocent. Let us fight in the sky." Lin Danfeng let out a long cry, his body rising like a dragon into the high heavens. Ling Tiandu followed in pursuit. Their battle exploded in the sky. On the ground, both had held back, fearing collateral damage to their peers, but in the sky, they had no such concerns.

Massive explosions roared, with destructive energy surging like a tsunami. Those below watched in terror, as if the end of the world had arrived. Qin Wanqing raised her beautiful face, her eyes as clear as autumn waters, fixed on the battle above. She seemed to possess absolute confidence that her man would emerge victorious. Yet, she was unaware that among the crowd, a gaze filled with deep hatred was fixed upon her. That person was, naturally, Mu Yi.

Ten minutes later, the battle in the sky reached a white-hot intensity.

"Lin Danfeng, your strength is indeed formidable, but it is a pity that you lack the reinforcement of the Heaven and Earth Saint Body." Within Ling Tiandu's body, the sound of a nine-heavens dragon roar erupted. "Now, I will let you see the true power of my True Dragon Bloodline!"

Finally, Ling Tiandu unleashed his ultimate technique. Golden energy gathered in the sky behind him, rapidly forming a golden dragon a hundred meters long. The moment the dragon appeared, it obscured the horizon. Below, the crowd felt a strong pressure from the depths of their souls, instinctively wanting to kneel and kowtow. This feeling was so intense that even the Golden Core experts Nie Xun and Sima Xiangru were not immune. Fear appeared in their eyes, a primal instinct taking hold.

"The True Dragon Bloodline! That was originally my bloodline..." Mu Yi stared fixedly at the giant dragon in the sky. It was his! But now, it had become the weapon Ling Tiandu used to suppress all others.

"Lin Danfeng, you are destined to fall to this strike!" Dragon shadows flickered in Ling Tiandu's pupils. "Tyrant Dragon Fist!"

He punched with his right arm, and the hundred-meter golden dragon dived forward.

Boom!

A massive mushroom cloud rose in the sky. A moment later, a figure in tattered clothes plummeted to the ground.

"It's Senior Brother Lin! Senior Brother Lin has actually lost!" The disciples of the Divine Hidden Academy watched in shock as Lin Danfeng hit the ground. He was a powerhouse at the third level of the Golden Core Realm, the face of the Divine Hidden Academy, and one of their four peerless geniuses. Yet, he had been defeated by Ling Tiandu, who had only just stepped into the first level of the Golden Core Realm.

"To be injured so severely..." Nie Xun hurried to Lin Danfeng's side, finding the once-great genius unconscious and gravely wounded.

"Hahaha! Is that it? Is this the pride of your Divine Hidden Academy, one of the four great geniuses, the so-called 'Infinite Sword God' Lin Danfeng?" As the victor, Ling Tiandu descended, his arrogance boundless. "Your Divine Hidden Academy is truly going from bad to worse; it is simply pathetic!"

"Ling Tiandu! You have already won! Why must you insult our Divine Hidden Academy?" Nie Xun was incensed.

"Insult? That your Divine Hidden Academy is even worth my insult is already your honor." Ling Tiandu laughed loudly. "In this world, if you want respect, you need strength. I am standing right here. I will continue to accept challenges from your academy. If any of you can defeat me, I will apologize." He stood proudly, hands behind his back, deliberately humiliating everyone in the academy.

"Ling Tiandu, of our four great geniuses, besides Lin Danfeng who was not in seclusion, the other three are all currently cultivating and cannot come out to fight you," Nie Xun said with a grim expression. "Otherwise, how could you be allowed to act so arrogantly here?"

"Oh? Is that so? Since the other three geniuses cannot come out, I won't make things difficult for you." Ling Tiandu stepped back, and three young men walked up from behind him. "These three are Qing Shan, Tian Lei, and Meng Hao from my Great Qian Academy. They are all at the peak of the tenth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm and are ranked within the top thirty of the Mountain and River Rankings. Today, I will let them seek guidance from the core disciples of your Divine Hidden Academy."

So, this was all a premeditated plan! Elder Sima Xiangru of the Great Qian Academy had brought Ling Tiandu and his group of a dozen to stir up trouble. The students of the Divine Hidden Academy were filled with indignation.

"I am Qing Shan. My strength is mediocre on the Great Qian Academy's Mountain and River Rankings. I am here to request a bout with the experts of your Divine Hidden Academy's Mountain and River Rankings." Qing Shan stepped forward. "Which of your core disciples is the best fighter?"

Arrogant! Extremely arrogant!