Heavenly Summit Mountain, Daoyan Arena.
From the moment the world learned that Su Hongzhen had been personally recommended by the Daomen Xingzou of Mirage Palace, he was already destined to become the storm’s centerpiece of this Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.
Then, after Su Hongzhen and He An had sworn the Oath of the Broken Sword between them, and he had crushed Jia Hongtao—the contemporary prodigy of the Lightning-Severing Sect—with nothing but footwork, this Swordsman was completely thrust into the spotlight of this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.
The attention he received even surpassed that of Li Haoran, who had originally been hailed as the foreordained champion of Heavenly Summit Mountain.
Of course, the attention Li Haoran drew had not diminished because of Su Hongzhen’s sudden emergence.
On the contrary, it had climbed to another level.
“Tenth Arena Platform, Round Twenty-One, Kongshan Sect, Kongyuan Mountain Chief Disciple Li Haoran, versus Xia Song of the Crimson Phoenix Tower!”
The voice of the Star Heaven Sect manager disciple rang out from the arena platform.
Every gaze in the Daoyan Arena and on the viewing stand turned toward the direction of the tenth arena platform. In an instant, the battles raging on the other nine platforms seemed utterly forgotten by the crowd.
This chief disciple of Kongyuan Mountain stood tall and straight-backed on the platform, motionless.
Only when the occasional breeze swept by did the sleeves of his white daoist robe ripple ever so slightly.
A nobleman is like a green bamboo, gentle as a soft breeze.
These ten words could not have been more fitting to describe Li Haoran.
On the other side of the platform stood Xia Song, clad in the signature vibrant fiery red daoist robes of the Crimson Phoenix Tower.
However, even that fiery red robe of this Crimson Phoenix Tower Dao Inquirer had clearly lost much of its luster when his opponent was Li Haoran of the Kongshan Sect.
The Crimson Phoenix Tower was a first-rate cultivation sect in the Southern Region of Chenping Continent. It boasted three cultivators at the Myriad Transformations Realm and several at the Spirit Connection Realm, making it profoundly well-established.
This cultivation sect was renowned throughout the world for its fire techniques and held a firm place in the cultivation world of Chenping Continent.
But when it came to fire-based magical arts, the foremost authority of the era was still, without a doubt, Lingxiao Temple.
Whether in Thunder Techniques or fire techniques, Lingxiao Temple was the absolute authority of this world.
Su Hongzhen sat alone and quietly on the viewing stand.
His gaze, like that of the vast majority present, was fixed on the young man standing on the tenth arena platform, wearing the daoist robe of Kongyuan Mountain.
Though just about an hour ago, He An of the Unmoving Sword Sect had declared war against him again before the tens of thousands of cultivators in the Daoyan Arena, Su Hongzhen paid it no mind.
He had merely watched He An stand on the arena platform and unleash a single sword strike before he already understood the outcome of his next round.
Too weak. Not qualified.
That was Su Hongzhen’s judgment of the strength He An had displayed.
It was not Little Su’s arrogance, but a conclusion drawn purely from objective performance.
Li Haoran.
In the two days since arriving at Heavenly Summit Mountain, Su Hongzhen had heard that name no fewer than a hundred times.
Almost everyone believed Li Haoran would be the ultimate victor of this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry, which meant Li Haoran would be Su Hongzhen’s best benchmark for gauging the strength of his opponents in this assembly.
Su Hongzhen and Li Haoran had crossed paths briefly on Heavenly Summit Mountain.
He had to admit, his impression of Li Haoran was very favorable—or rather, no one could dislike Li Haoran’s “gentlemanly demeanor.”
Of course, there might be a few dark-minded individuals who would find the “sunlight too blinding.”
Li Haoran stood on the eastern side of the arena platform, while Xia Song of the Crimson Phoenix Tower stood on the west.
“Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Xia.”
Looking at the Crimson Phoenix Tower disciple standing across from him, clad in deep red robes with a nervous and uneasy expression, Li Haoran spoke calmly with a smile:
“I remember our last meeting was two years ago, when I accompanied Elder Tian of our sect to Ningshi Mountain Ferry in the Southern Region.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Song was briefly taken aback, then cupped his hands and bowed toward Li Haoran:
“I never expected that Chief Disciple Li would still remember this humble one.”
“Fellow Daoist Xia, what sort of person do you take me for?”
Li Haoran continued to smile and shook his head:
“I have long heard of the Crimson Phoenix Tower’s fire techniques renowned throughout the world. Today, I, Li, seek your guidance. Please.”
His voice remained calm and unhurried.
Xia Song took a deep breath, and his gaze grew more intense.
But after that brief exchange with Li Haoran, the tension that had been tightening his heart eased considerably.
What was there to be nervous about?
After all, his opponent was Li Haoran of the Kongshan Sect—the illustrious chief disciple of Kongyuan Mountain, and the strongest contender for the champion’s seat at this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.
However, after Su Hongzhen’s sudden rise, the phrase “strongest contender” might need the addition of “one of.”
“Chief Disciple Li, forgive my offense!”
Xia Song shouted loudly. Then, his hands moved rapidly through hand seals, and the air temperature within several zhang around him soared. Waves of heat surged, tinged with a fiery red glow.
Immediately after, Xia Song’s skin began to redden swiftly, and even the moisture within his body started to evaporate slowly.
Meteoric Fire Flying Star!
The crimson daoist robe Xia Song wore left a dazzling trail of flames in the air, like a comet streaking by, leaving fleeting fiery marks along the path of his movement.
In the blink of an eye, Xia Song appeared at Li Haoran’s side.
His right fist punched forward, carrying a force that could set the plains ablaze. The flames leaping on the surface of his fist condensed into fine sparks, scattering with the wind.
Meteoric Fire Flying Star was a combat technique refined by the Crimson Phoenix Tower by combining footwork, physical arts, and fire techniques, with its essence lying in using fire to drive the body.
Every step Xia Song took was accompanied by the crackling sound of fiery tails exploding.
As that right fist came crashing in, Xia Song then bent his left knee in a snapping kick, flames erupting like lotus blossoms around his ankle.
Then, twisting his waist sharply, his right palm swept horizontally, and the flames surging from his palm turned into several fine arcs of fire.
In just a few breaths, Xia Song had launched seventeen consecutive attacks.
Fist winds, leg shadows, and the fiery trails left by each move in the air seemed to weave together into an impenetrable net of flames, cascading toward Li Haoran.
And if one looked from the viewing stand toward the arena platform, the fiery marks and leaping flames left by Xia Song in the air truly resembled a firebird ready to take flight.