"Lin Feng, draw a card. The name you see on the card is your opponent!" declared Fan Tian Gang, coming back onto the battle stage. He took out some cards and had Lin Feng pick one. There were three black cards in his hand.
Lin Feng didn't hurry to pick one. He first glanced at the three people.
Xuan Yuan Mu, Luo Chen and Jian Ya. They were all quite strong. Luo Chen was mysterious and discreet, Jian Ya was a powerful sword cultivator.
Lin Feng picked a card, turned it around and read it: Jian Ya!
As expected, Lin Feng instantly sensed some powerful sword energies. Jian Ya was excited to fight against Lin Feng.
"I will not be merciful because you know my teacher," said Jian Ya. He was holding a sword on which it was written, "Sword Lights Never Disperse". Everybody could read it clearly.
Patriarch Zi Jian smiled, and looked excited. The fact that Lin Feng and his disciple had the opportunity to fight was great.
"If you were merciful, it'd be extremely dangerous for you," said Lin Feng, smiling calmly and sounding confident. Jian Ya looked focused, firmly holding his sword.
"Alright, Lin Feng vs. Jian Ya. So the other battle is Xuan Yuan Mu vs. Luo Chen," said Fan Tian Gang, putting the cards away. The semifinals could begin.
"First battle, Lin Feng vs. Jian Ya. Start!" shouted Fan Tian Gang. Both fighters released powerful sword energies. Black sword lights and white sword lights appeared. The space was filled with piercingly-cold sword energies. Many people's hair bristled.
Lin Feng was holding his God's Sword, and made a cutting motion. A trail appeared in the air, turning into a real empty void of strength. Jian Ya raised his left hand and threw his black sword at Lin Feng's chest. He was completely merciless.
Lin Feng remained focused, holding his sword in his right hand. He blocked Jian Ya's attack and then used force to push him back.
Jian Ya's expression changed, he hadn't thought Lin Feng's knowledge of swords was so advanced.
Jian Ya rotated. A black hole appeared, absorbing strength emerged from it and started pulling at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng jumped above Jian Ya's head, his God's Sword turning into a million extremely sharp swords. They all moved towards Jian Ya as Lin Feng also punched out at him.
Jian Ya was startled, and raised his left hand. His black hole pulled on Lin Feng. At the same time, Jian Ya released sword strength, which pushed Lin Feng's swords away.
As Lin Feng's fist approached Jian Ya, the black hole also moved towards his chest. Lin Feng released even more strength in his fist and punched Jian Ya's sword strength away. The black hole turned into a black sword again and moved back into Jian Ya's hand. Lin Feng jumped and released space and time strength. A space cage appeared around the black sword.
Jian Ya attacked with his black sword. Lin Feng blocked it with his hand. The black sword was a spiritual being already, so it didn't want to be in Lin Feng's grasp. It took the initiative to attack and cut at Lin Feng's chest.
Lin Feng smiled coldly. He released forbidden strength, which surrounded the black sword. There was an eruption of power, and Jian Ya's chest suddenly felt extremely sore. His black sword shook violently, escaping from Lin Feng's hand and falling down onto the stage.
Jian Ya's expression changed. He let go off the God's Sword and turned into a light beam, flying towards the black sword extremely quickly. Everybody held their breath. Patriarch Zi Jian looked at Lin Feng angrily, and saw he was smiling. Lin Feng raised his left hand and grabbed his God's Sword again.
At the same time, Jian Ya flashed up and managed to grab the black sword before Lin Feng. He looked at it nervously and released his own sword intent to check the black sword. It wasn't injured, it was fine.
Jian Ya turned around to continue fighting, but he realized he wasn't exactly on the stage anymore. He was off of it, which meant he had lost.
"You lost," Lin Feng stated. He landed back on the stage and smiled. His God's Sword disappeared.
Everybody was astonished. Jian Ya had already lost! What a miserable defeat! His plan had been completely ruined by Lin Feng. Lin Feng had made him leave the stage without noticing it. He hadn't lost because of strength!
Lin Feng was sly. Of course, Lin Feng was strong too. The first time, he had used sword strength to injure a strong cultivator, and now he had slyly made Jian Ya leave the stage. It had been a fierce fight while it lasted, however!
Jian Ya was stunned with regret. He wished he could start all over again, but Lin Feng's sword attacks were really good, too. He was a good sword cultivator, no weaker than Jian Ya. He had nothing to be ashamed of.
"I lost, indeed," acknowledge Jian Ya, and flew back to Patriarch Zi Jian. He had been eliminated!
Patriarch Zi Jian glanced at his disciple. Jian Ya lowered his head, not daring to look his teacher in the eyes. Patriarch Zi Jian sighed. Jian Ya was a good disciple. His connection to his black sword wasn't deep enough, though. Lin Feng had noticed it and taken advantage of that weakness.
"Little boy, after the competition, give me give bottles of good booze. Otherwise, I won't forgive you!" shouted Patriarch Zi Jian at Lin Feng telepathically. He sounded unhappy because his disciple had been the victim of Lin Feng's sly strategy.
Lin Feng smiled awkwardly, and told him it wasn't a problem.
"Lin Feng wins. He's qualified for the final!" stated Fan Tian Gang. Everybody sighed with amazement. As the competition progressed, it seemed that Lin Feng was getting closer and closer to becoming Holy Fifth!
Lin Feng was already a Supreme Elder. Even though holy cultivators and Supreme Elders were similar ranks, they belonged to different groups. Holy cultivators were Holy Shrine members, while Supreme Elders managed the God's Sect.
If Lin Feng became Holy Fifth in the end, he'd become the first person to have two high ranks in both groups!
"Second battle, Luo Chen vs. Xuan Yuan Mu. Start!" said Fan Tian Gang. The winner of that battle would fight against Lin Feng in the final.
Luo Chen jumped forwards, looking like he was in a frenzy. He raised his left hand and punched at Xuan Yuan Mu. Luo Chen wasn't acting discreet anymore. He seemed much stronger than during his previous battles.
Xuan Yuan Mu hadn't even had time to properly come onto the battle stage before Luo Chen was attacking him. He didn't go panic, also punching out. Their fists collided and sparkled. Xuan Yuan Mu was two steps away from the stage. Since Luo Chen had already attacked, he had struck back.
Xuan Yuan Mu jumped and kicked out at Luo Chen's chest. Luo Chen raised his left foot as well. Their feet collided. Their strength exploded and rolled out in waves thousands of meters away. Weaker disciples ran away as quickly as they could.
Their battle was different from Lin Feng and Jian Ya's battle. Lin Feng and Jian Ya hadn't fought in close combat, they could maintain some distance when fighting with swords. But Luo Chen and Xuan Yuan Mu used their physical strength. It was a true melee fight!
"Arhat Chaos Imprints!"