"The competition begins now!" The referee Elder just announced and turned to leave, leaving only Chu Feng and Chu Yue in the arena.
"Be careful, weapons are ruthless!" Chu Feng squinted his eyes and said lightly. Chu Yue took a deep breath, her face full of seriousness, tightly gripping the Longsword in her hand. She had a strong personality and admitting defeat was not part of her character; otherwise, she wouldn't have stood out among all the Chu Family's children.
Chu Ming, sitting in his seat, seemed rather calm but felt something was off about the competition between Chu Feng and Chu Yue.
"Make your move, or you won't even get the chance!" Chu Feng's robe fluttered, his robust body fully energized, transforming his entire Spiritual Power into three feet of Gang Yuan, which constantly emanated around him like a fiery person.
"Watch my sword!" Chu Yue shouted as countless blue water ripples burst from her sword, rushing towards Chu Feng with thundering momentum, cutting through the air along the way.
"Void Palm!"
Chu Feng lightly launched his palm, instantly clearing the air in front of him, the red Palm Seal rapidly enlarging before Chu Yue's eyes. Her eyes shrank, but she gritted her teeth and immediately faced the blue ripples head-on.
Puff puff puff
The red Palm Seal and blue ripples collided without producing explosive sounds, but the blue ripples' Sword Light instantly disintegrated, and the red Palm Seal, undeterred, reached Chu Yue in no time.
Puff
Chu Yue's face changed, and she was instantly struck away, spitting out five or six mouthfuls of blood while airborne. Her face turned as pale as paper, and she fainted upon landing.
Chu Feng looked indifferent as if he had done something trivial. The referee Elder quickly flew up, picked up Chu Yue, and after checking that she wasn't in mortal danger, breathed a sigh of relief and loudly announced, "Chu Feng wins!"
Bang
In the VIP stand, an elderly man with white eyebrows angrily struck the table in front of him, smashing it into pieces, and snarled at Chu Ziping, "Your son did well, very well!"
This white-browed elder, being Chu Yue's grandfather and the fifth Elder of the Chu Family, felt heartbroken seeing Chu Yue injured. Chu Yue's parents had passed away early due to a task for the Chu Family, thus he cared for Chu Yue especially dearly. At this moment, he had already forgotten the status gap between him and Chu Ziping. If it weren't for the clan gathering and various families present to avoid being laughed at, he would have already made a furious move.
"A martial artist should have a ruthless streak, or they can't accomplish great things." Chu Ziping, unfazed by the outburst, responded blandly.
On Chu He's face was displeasure as he retorted, "We are all family, there's no need for such harsh actions!"
"Precisely because we are family, we must give our all, teaching her the dangers of the martial world. Losing to a family member, at most she'll lie in bed for a month or two, but losing to an outsider, she may never wake up again." Chu Ziping didn't regard Chu He's words, speaking as an Inner Sect Elder of the Burning Fire Valley with his own reasoning. Chu He had a new table brought, slowly calming the fifth Elder's mood.
"Originally, Chu Yue would've been fifth, but her unconscious state now means the fifth must be chosen from the other disciples."
"I wonder who will be so lucky, if only it were me!"
"Stop dreaming! It will surely be a Chu Family disciple from the Fourth Layer of Transcendence Realm."
.....
Currently, only four people remain on stage, and since Chu Qiweng lost to Chu Ru, the rankings are now confirmed, placing Chu Qiweng fourth. Next is the competition to decide the top three.
Chu Ming stood up to draw lots, with Chu Ru and Chu Feng each taking positions at two corners, tense emotions swirling between them.
"Chu Feng, up to now you've only utilized seventy percent of your power, am I correct?" Seeing Chu Ming, Chu Ru instantly disregarded him, considering his explosive power impressive but his Spiritual Power thin as he was merely in the First Layer of Transcendence Realm. They believed dragging the fight would exhaust Chu Ming easily.
"Haha, apart from you, no one can make me use eighty percent of my strength!" Chu Feng sneered with a taut robe, his robust body looking even stronger.
"Watch your tongue, last year you didn't participate in the family gathering. Even though I took first place, I felt some regret. Today, I can finally resolve that regret." Chu Ru said coldly, firmly gripping her Treasure Sword, which buzzed in response.
Chu Feng grinned without saying anything. After drawing lots, Chu Ming glanced at his own lot.
His match was in the second round; the first round was between Chu Feng and Chu Ru. He returned to his seat and closed his eyes, adjusting his state to the best condition.
In the VIP stand.
The Fourth Prince took a sip of tea, full of anticipation, saying, "Didn't expect Chu Feng and Chu Ru to meet so early, truly a dragon and tiger battle!"
Chu Ziping's face showed some joy, replying calmly, "This match will decide the first place. I see no need for the second match at all." Finishing, he glanced slantingly at Chu He.
"Too early to conclude, the outcome is unknown." Chu He said angrily, his eyes tightly watching Chu Ming, hoping he could suppress Chu Ziping's arrogant arrogance.
The Fourth Prince drank tea, knowing the irreparable conflict, while other key members of three families silently contemplated something.
After resting for a quarter hour, the first match between Chu Feng and Chu Ru was about to start. Chu Ming opened his eyes, watching Chu Feng and Chu Ru on opposite sides of the platform, tension lines drawing their serious expressions. Chu Family disciples below held their breath, eyes fixed on the two.
"The match begins now, stop when necessary!" The referee Elder slowly said, reminding them because both were family talents, and then he turned to leave.
As he left the platform, Chu Ru yelled, her body turning into a white mist, appearing within three meters of Chu Feng, her Longsword vibrating, bursting into dazzling Sword Aura like fireworks, enveloping Chu Feng.
Chu Feng had a cold smile, showing no fear towards Chu Ru's attack, stepping forward twice, each step releasing his Spiritual Power. After both steps, red Spiritual Power covered him, and with a snap, he casually launched a palm.
Puff puff puff...
Instantly, the Sword Aura broke inch by inch into dust. Chu Ru's face stayed unchanged; her Sword Momentum shifted like snowy mountains, striking the air continuously, splitting her body into eight, attacking Chu Feng from eight directions, eight Longswords, eight Sword Lights.
"Ice Kill!"
Eight Sword Lights fully erupted, enveloping Chu Feng entirely, heavy Sword Shadows nearly obscuring him, the Sword Light striking fiercely with thunderous force.
Chu Feng's face showed seriousness, breathing deeply. His hands suddenly turned ethereal, leaving residuals, fully releasing his Spiritual Power, with red Palm Seals lighting up on his hands.
"Thousand Illusion Palm!"
Puff puff puff....
In a flash, the Sword Light in front of him broke apart completely, without pause, he became a residual, dodging the Sword Light which only hit his residual. In a blink, he materialized at the opposite side of the platform, so thrilling that even Chu Family disciples below broke into cold sweat.
In the VIP stand.
"Seems Chu Feng will take first in the Chu Family gathering." The Fourth Prince thought, seeing Chu Ziping's composed calmness. The current situation showed Chu Feng and Chu Ru equally matched, but if Chu Feng used Profound Level Martial Technique, victory would surely tilt towards him.
In a flash, both fought over twenty moves, nearly balanced, but Chu Feng's face hinted impatience. He struck Chu Ru away, inhaling deeply, saying blandly, "I don't have the time to waste with you, take my strongest move!"
Then, a huge Fire Essence spread over his hand, devouring surrounding Spiritual Power, his hand blazing with immense force.
"My palm, Thousand Burning!"
Boom
A palm strike, air shattered instantly, all Spiritual Power drawn away, roaring with exploding flames. Chu Family disciples below were shocked, such attacks could kill them.
"Profound Level Martial Technique?" Chu Ming mused, prepared mentally, understanding Chu Feng's elite status in Burning Fire Valley and Chu Ziping's position as Inner Sect Elder. Providing a Profound Level Martial Technique for Chu Feng was difficult yet feasible.
In the VIP stand, seeing Chu Feng use Thousand Burning Palm, Chu Ziping displayed a proud expression, recalling the effort and cost for acquiring it, aiming for this family gathering's first place.
Chu Ru faced the approaching palm, feeling its heat wave, her expression changing. Yet, thinking of the first place rewards, her eyes showed determination.