Ling Tian Sword God

ROAR!

With the atmosphere around them growing more intense, the iron gates surrounding the square suddenly swung open. From behind those gates, a number of fierce Exotic Beasts strode out, projecting an aggressive aura.

These beasts may only be First-grade Exotic Beasts, but they still had an imposing and formidable presence.

Ling Chen, wearing his Dou Li, stood on a rooftop, watching the events unfolding inside the arena.

He had trained the little girl for a month; of course, he would come to see the results, even if she ended up losing. For the first round, their opponent is an Exotic Beast. Not to be underestimated.

Across the arena from Nina stood a Spotted Black Tiger, its vast body towering dozens of meters tall. Its whole body was lined with black spots, its claws gleaming ominously in the light. Before this beast, Nina appeared to be no more than a mere ant.

”Spotted Black Tiger, a mid-tier First-grade Exotic Beast. To test the young ones, these members of the Barbarian Tribe really have guts,” Ling Chen commented offhandedly, observing this scene.

After all, Exotic Beasts are ferocious and hard to tame, unlike human warriors. If they lose control, they could very well end up killing the trialists.

ROAR!

In the center of the square, a beastly roar suddenly rang out. The Spotted Black Tiger sprang towards Nina.

WHOOSH!

With a swift motion, all that was left was an afterimage at her original location as Nina herself had already moved several meters away.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Black Tiger repeatedly pounded the ground, yet with her agility, Nina each time effortlessly dodged its attacks without sustaining any injuries.

”Hmm?”

Watching this, Wutugu’s eyes sparkled with interest. He was fully aware of Nina’s level, yet the strength she was currently exhibiting was undoubtedly much more impressive than before.

Sitting beside him, Alagu’s face initially darkened, then he let out a cold laugh.

”Just by dodging, she can’t beat the Black Tiger,” Alagu said.

”What’s the rush?” Wutugu replied, in no hurry. After all, he had already mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario. Losing was expected; a win would be a pleasant surprise.

In the middle of the square, after successfully dodging a dozen times, Nina finally came to a stop. By this time, the Spotted Black Tiger was obviously exhausted. Its bulky frame was a disadvantage; its repeated, futile lunges quickly drained its energy. Nina, however, was agile and lightweight, easily conserving her strength.

ROAR!

Seeing Nina come to a halt, the Black Tiger suddenly pounced, swiping a claw at Nina’s forehead.

This time, Nina did not dodge. She stood her ground, her eyes flashing fiercely, and then she shouted, ”Azure Mountain Fist!”

As her shout rang out, a green True Qi suddenly converged on her right fist. With a brief flash, Nina advanced instead of retreating. As she neared the Spotted Black Tiger, she suddenly leaned back and slid under the Black Tiger’s large frame, then drove a punch into its abdomen.

BOOM!

The punch, forceful and heavy, propelled the Black Tiger backward, its Fist Strength penetrating deep and shaking its internal organs.

The Black Tiger flew backward, foaming at the mouth. Dizziness set in, and it collapsed, completely knocked down.

”What?!” A look of shock appeared on Alagu’s face. The Black Tiger was taken down?

”Good! Well done!” Wutugu exclaimed, suddenly jumping from his seat and bursting into laughter, feeling immensely cheerful. The child he had thought worthless had suddenly risen to the occasion! It was beyond his imagination.

Zhuoma was also greatly surprised. This waste managed to knock down the Black Tiger? With Nina’s strength, she shouldn’t be a match for the Black Tiger, let alone knock it down.

”How did Nina suddenly become so strong? Did she have some kind of revelation?”

”Who knows. She is, after all, the Clan Leader’s daughter; she won’t always remain useless.”

”Her strength has improved so quickly. Could she have received advice from an expert?”

The Elders of the Barbarian Tribe were buzzing with whispers, each of them greatly amazed.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Ling Chen watched on from his spot on the rooftop. She learned and applied. Not too shabby. Nina’s victory was expected. If she couldn’t even pass the first round, his month of teaching would have been wasted.

”Hmph, she only passed the first round by luck,” Alagu huffed. ”The first round merely qualifies her for the competition; the second round is the real contest. Nina doesn’t have the strength, and cleverness alone won’t help her make it into the top three. That is a pipe dream.”

”You said the same thing earlier too, but what was the result?” Wutugu retorted, overjoyed and unaffected by Alagu’s mockery. Passing the first round is enough. Even if Nina doesn’t make it to the top three, it doesn’t matter. Through her performance, Nina has proved she is by no means useless. Knocking down the Black Tiger with one punch is accomplishment enough. Wutugu didn’t expect Nina to make it into the top three anyway. After all, the opponents were very strong. A month ago, Nina was at the bottom among these young members of the Barbarian Tribe. The possibility of her soaring to the top now was too small.

After a series of battles, only twelve participants passed the first round.

The second round involved one-on-one battles. The victors advanced to the next round, meaning only the winners could compete for the top three.

Nina’s first opponent only had strength at the Sixth Layer Realm, and she easily claimed the first victory.

For the second battle, Nina’s opponent was Zhuoma.

”Trash, your luck has run out now that you’ve met me,” Zhuoma said, assuming a horse-riding stance, a teasing smile on her face. From a young age, she had been the strongest amongst her peers, and her Barbarian Power had even reached the Ninth Heavy Realm. Nina, no matter how much she improved, would not be able to catch up to her.

”Just come at me,” Nina replied. Guiding with her left hand, she assumed the Martial Arts stance Ling Chen had taught her and took a deep breath. Zhuoma’s power indeed surpasses mine by a wide margin, but after the training from Ling Chen, I’ve vastly improved. I’ve reached this point, and I absolutely cannot stop now!

”Mountain Shifting Palm!” Zhuoma roared, her body poised, all her strength gathering into her right hand before she unleashed a palm strike.

Mountain Shifting Palm is simply among the crudest of human-level martial arts. As the people of the Barbarian Tribe aren’t very skilled in Martial Arts, the techniques they practice are quite primitive—at least in my view, they are far from refined, Ling Chen mused.

Nina’s eyes narrowed as she sighted her opponent. She too jolted forward, her fist colliding with Zhuoma’s Palm Power.

BOOM!

The Air Energy exploded, and both figures were pushed back simultaneously. However, Zhuoma only retreated two steps before launching herself forward again, her palm barreling down towards Nina’s face.

This move is potent and extremely fierce! Nina thought.

In this critical moment, Nina recalled Ling Chen’s words echoing in her mind: ”The Art of Boxing focuses on form and intent. Power is the least important. If you can fully incorporate both form and intent, even with insufficient power, your results will be twice as good with half the effort.”