The clash between Lin Feng and Lin Yang continued with a force that shook the entire arena. Both brothers pushed their Rank 3 abilities beyond their limits, unleashing techniques that left the crowd breathless.
Lin Yang, with his pride at stake, advanced again. His silver blade pulsed with the energy of his Time Attribute Dao Bone, each swing distorting the air around it. With a snarl, he slashed downward, and temporal waves exploded outward, each carrying a fragment of frozen time. The shards of condensed time energy sped toward Lin Feng, deadly and inescapable.
"Time Shatter!" Lin Yang declared, his voice brimming with power. The shards hurtled forward, distorting space and creating fractures in the air itself.
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. He planted his feet, his fiery aura blazing as he drew his sword back. With a defiant roar, he swung his blade upward. "Flame Dragon's Rampart!" A massive wall of searing fire surged up in front of him, meeting the temporal shards head-on. The flames crackled and twisted, colliding with the frozen energy and causing the arena to erupt into a maelstrom of heat and fractured time.
The impact was immense. Flames and silver shards exploded in all directions, forcing spectators in the first few rows to shield their faces. The High Elder of the Battle Hall, watching from above, frowned and reinforced the arena's protective barriers, ensuring the chaos wouldn't harm the audience.
The explosion sent Lin Feng skidding back several meters, but he remained on his feet, teeth gritted, eyes blazing. Lin Yang stumbled too, his composure cracking, but he refused to yield. The elder brother steadied himself and glared at Lin Feng.
"You think raw power will be enough?" Lin Yang spat, his aura growing more erratic as he summoned yet more temporal energy. His body began to shimmer, surrounded by rings of distorted time. "I'll show you the true strength of the Time Path!"
He thrust his sword forward. "Chrono Blitz!" Instantly, Lin Yang vanished, reappearing in a flash behind Lin Feng. His blade slashed downward, but Lin Feng was ready. He spun around, his reflexes honed to perfection, and parried the blow. Sparks burst into the air, and Lin Yang vanished again, appearing at Lin Feng's left this time.
Another slash, another parry. Lin Yang moved with dizzying speed, his temporal energy warping reality as he teleported around the battlefield, attacking from every possible angle. To the crowd, it looked as if Lin Feng were being besieged by a ghost.
Lin Feng's brow furrowed, sweat trickling down his face. He could barely keep up, each block and counter coming a heartbeat away from disaster. Lin Yang was relentless, pressing him with a ferocity that left no room to breathe.
"This is Lin Yang's true skill," an elder whispered in the stands, awe-struck. "He's using the speed of time itself!"
"Lin Feng can't keep this up," another disciple murmured. "It's impossible to counter something you can't see coming!"
But Lin Feng wasn't ready to fall. His fire roared in defiance, each flame fueled by his desire to overcome the chains that bound him. As Lin Yang attacked again, Lin Feng closed his eyes for a split second, feeling the heat of his flames, the rhythm of the battlefield.
Then, he moved.
Lin Yang appeared once more at his side, blade slicing downward. But Lin Feng twisted, his sword meeting Lin Yang's in a burst of fire and silver light. The impact sent a shockwave through the arena, and this time Lin Feng didn't just defend—he countered.
"Blazing Tempest!" Lin Feng roared, spinning his sword in a wide arc. A tornado of fire erupted from his blade, spiraling outward and forcing Lin Yang to retreat. The flames burned fiercely, a wild and untamed storm that forced the Time cultivator to reconsider his approach.
Lin Yang's smirk wavered. He steadied himself, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. How is he still standing? he wondered. How does he still have this much strength?
Lin Feng took a deep breath, his chest heaving. His arms ached, and his Qi reserves were being stretched thin, but he couldn't afford to falter. I have to push past my limits, he thought. I can't let him control the pace forever.
Lin Yang's irritation boiled over. With a snarl, he raised his hand, and the arena seemed to freeze. Every spectator, even the High Elder, felt the chill of temporal energy spreading across the stage. Lin Yang's Dao Bone glowed, and his silver aura flared brighter than ever.
"Time Convergence!" Lin Yang declared, pouring everything he had into the technique. The world around them warped, moments folding into each other like waves crashing onto the shore. Lin Feng felt his body slowing, his movements becoming sluggish. Time itself bent to Lin Yang's will, trapping him in a realm where every second felt like an eternity.
Lin Feng's vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed, his limbs felt heavy, and his flames flickered dangerously close to dying out. But somewhere deep inside, his will refused to be extinguished.
Not yet. Lin Feng's mind raced, searching for a way out. I refuse to be bound by anything—not even time.
He remembered Blazeheart's teachings, the gift of the Fire Path Codex, and the months he had spent honing his Dragon Fire. He called upon the power within him, feeling the flames ignite with a new ferocity, a primal force that refused to be contained.
His Dragon Fire surged, blazing so brightly that it seemed to defy the passage of time itself. Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, and he let out a roar that shattered the temporal bindings around him. "Inferno Ascent!" His flames exploded upward, forming a colossal dragon made of pure fire. The heat was intense, forcing Lin Yang to stagger back as the temporal realm crumbled under the force of Lin Feng's will.
Lin Yang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible!" he gasped, his voice trembling.
Lin Feng didn't let up. He advanced, his blade burning with dragon fire, each step forward sending shockwaves through the stage. The dragon of flames surged alongside him, its roar echoing throughout the arena.
"Lin Yang!" Lin Feng called out, his voice unwavering. "Time may bend, but it won't stop me from breaking through!"
Lin Yang gritted his teeth, pouring the last of his strength into one final technique. "Chrono Collapse!" he shouted, summoning a vortex of temporal energy that spiraled around Lin Feng, pulling at him with unrelenting force. Time fractured, trying to rip Lin Feng apart.
But Lin Feng's flames didn't waver. His blade swung in a powerful arc, slicing through the vortex. The dragon of fire followed, devouring the temporal energy with a roar of triumph. The explosion that followed lit up the entire arena, a flash of red and silver that left the spectators speechless.
When the dust settled, Lin Feng stood tall, his blade pointed at Lin Yang, whose legs buckled under the strain. Lin Yang collapsed to his knees, his aura shattered, his sword falling from his grasp.
The crowd was silent, the weight of Lin Feng's victory sinking in. Lin Yang, the prodigy of the Time Path, had been defeated.
Lin Feng exhaled, his flames slowly dimming, but his spirit remained unbroken. He extended a hand to his brother, his voice calm yet filled with determination. "You fought well, brother," he said, offering Lin Yang a chance to stand with dignity.
Lin Yang stared at Lin Feng, disbelief warring with grudging respect. Slowly, he reached out and grasped Lin Feng's hand, pulling himself up. The arena erupted into cheers, the Starfall Clan's disciples and elders finally releasing the breath they had been holding.
The High Elder rose from his seat, his eyes shining with approval and wonder. "A duel for the ages," he declared. "Both sons of the Starfall Clan have proven their worth. But today, it is Lin Feng who stands victorious!"
The crowd roared, and for the first time, Lin Feng felt the weight of his journey lifting, the fire within him still burning strong, a testament to the will that had carried him this far.