Chapter 53: Change of the Five Prodigies

By the shore of Moon Embracing Lake, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated following the battle between Fang Han and Lin Hu.

"Sun Zhang, get up here!"

Yue Shan, a tall, powerfully built, and dark-skinned disciple ranked eighth in the Yue Family’s Inner Hall, challenged Sun Zhang, the disciple ranked eighth in the Sun Family’s Inner Hall, by name.

The two had a long-standing grudge, and the moment they clashed, gusts of wind swept out. The muffled impacts of their fists and palms sounded like thunder.

Yue Shan’s attacks were forceful and heavy, while Sun Zhang’s Body Technique was nimble and agile. The two were evenly matched.

In the end, relying on his fierce courage, Yue Shan took a palm strike to his left shoulder to land a punch that sent Sun Zhang flying off the arena stage.

He staggered a few steps himself, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet he grinned broadly, utterly exhilarated.

"He Shuang of the He Family."

"Fang Rui of the Fang Family."

Afterward, He Shuang, a young woman from the He Family ranked sixth in their Inner Hall who was skilled with a pair of short swords, and Fang Rui, ranked eighth in the Fang Family’s Inner Hall, took the stage.

The two had no particular grudge; they were simply sparring to compare their skills.

He Shuang’s twin short swords danced like butterflies flitting through flowers, nimble and swift. Fang Rui’s Saber Technique, in contrast, was steady and solid, excelling in defense.

In the end, He Shuang proved superior and defeated Fang Rui.

"Fang Wen of the Fang Family."

"Yue Xing of the Yue Family."

Fang Wen, ranked fifth in the Fang Family’s Inner Hall, stepped onto the stage with a smile. After exchanging greetings with Yue Xing, one of the top six disciples from the Yue Family’s Inner Hall, they began their match.

Fang Wen’s Swordsmanship was intricate and precise, while Yue Xing’s was renowned for its speed.

Ultimately, Fang Wen managed to deflect Yue Xing’s sword and defeated him.

...

It was as if a fuse had been lit. The other top-ten disciples from the five great families leaped onto the arena stage one after another, some to settle old scores, others simply to test their skills.

However, these matches were merely appetizers before the main course.

Many eyes drifted involuntarily toward the five large pavilions at the center, landing on the five figures who possessed the most profound auras.

Finally, as another match concluded, a figure in the Lin Family’s pavilion rose to his feet.

Lin Ao, one of the Five Prodigies, was dressed in dark martial attire. His posture was as straight and unyielding as a spear, his expression cold and stern. His gaze swept across the other four families’ pavilions with an air of unquestionable dominance.

He did not speak, but simply raised a hand toward the Yue Family’s pavilion and made an inviting gesture.

"Lin Ao, I’ve been waiting impatiently for this!"

In the Yue Family pavilion, Yue Lingtian, another of the Five Prodigies, knitted his thick brows and let out a hearty laugh, his voice echoing across the lakeshore.

His figure shot up explosively, like a great ape leaping into the air. He landed on the arena stage with a BOOM, shaking the entire platform.

He wielded a pair of heavy, dark Eight-sided Muddled Copper Hammers. The wind howled as he swung them, and his presence was incredibly ferocious. He clearly followed the path of overwhelming technique with pure, brute force.

"Lingtian, please!"

Lin Ao’s voice was placid as he held a Bright Silver Long Spear, its shaft shimmering with a cold light.

"VMMMM—"

Yue Lingtian didn’t stand on ceremony. With a low roar, he slammed his twin hammers together, producing a deafening CRASH.

He charged toward Lin Ao like a rampaging beast, swinging both hammers with a power that seemed capable of splitting mountains and shattering stone.

"WHOOSH—!"

Facing such a ferocious assault, Lin Ao’s eyes remained ice-cold.

He remained rooted to the spot, only thrusting his long spear out like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave when the twin hammers were nearly upon him.

A glint of cold light, striking second but arriving first, landed with unerring precision on the weakest point of the left Copper Hammer’s momentum.

"CLANG!"

An extremely sharp, crisp sound exploded outwards.

Yue Lingtian felt a sharp, incredibly condensed Power travel through the hammer. It knocked his seemingly unstoppable strike violently aside, causing his entire center of gravity to waver.

Before he could react, the tip of the Bright Silver Spear was already on him like a shadow, transforming into several points of cold starlight stabbing toward the openings in his guard.

Horrified, Yue Lingtian could only swing his twin hammers desperately to block.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

The dense cacophony of collisions sounded like a downpour on banana leaves.

Lin Ao’s Spear Technique was a perfect fusion of ferocity and speed. Each thrust contained explosive power and piercing force, and it was all imbued with a cold, murderous intent.

In less than ten moves, Yue Lingtian was roaring in frustration, completely suppressed and forced onto the defensive, clearly at a disadvantage.

"Break!"

Lin Ao let out a cold cry. His long spear suddenly accelerated like a silver bolt of lightning, instantly tearing through the afterimages of the hammers and lashing viciously across Yue Lingtian’s hands.

BAM!

A sharp pain, as if his bones were fracturing, shot up from his hands. The Copper Hammers slipped from Yue Lingtian’s grasp and crashed heavily onto the arena stage, gouging two craters into the wood.

Yue Lingtian’s face flushed red, then drained of color. "I’ve lost," he finally said, dejected, his eyes filled with disbelief and frustration.

’Perfection Spear Skill... and the Late Stage Bone Refining Limit...’

In the Fang Family’s pavilion, Fang Hong, one of the Five Prodigies, watched the fight, his expression visibly growing grim.

If his judgment was correct, Lin Ao had not only achieved Perfection with his Spear Technique, but his cultivation had also reached the Late Stage Bone Refining Limit.

This placed an unimaginable pressure on him.

’So this... is the strength of the Five Prodigies?’

Fang Han’s expression also grew serious.

Although his current strength was already considered quite good among the younger generation, there was still a significant gap when compared to the level of the Five Prodigies.

Never mind Lin Ao—he wouldn’t have the slightest chance of victory even against the defeated Yue Lingtian.

"Miss Qingyan, if you please!"

Lin Ao withdrew his spear and stood tall, his breathing steady. He had clearly not expended much energy. His gaze turned to the He Family’s pavilion.

He Qingyan’s pretty face was like frost. With a cold snort, she floated gracefully onto the stage.

She wielded a pair of Water-Splitting Needles. Her Body Technique was light and uncanny, like a phantom’s, as she attempted to overcome force with skill.

However, Lin Ao’s Spear Technique became ethereal in response. Layers of spear afterimages, like a flurry of pear blossoms, completely sealed off all of He Qingyan’s unpredictable attacks.

No matter how He Qingyan shifted her Body Technique, the cold spear tip was always waiting for her on the inevitable path of her attack.

After seven moves, Lin Ao thrust his spear. The attack seemed direct, but it quivered subtly mid-flight.

It instantly swept aside her Water-Splitting Needles, and the spear’s tip came to rest on an acupoint on her shoulder.

"I surrender..."

He Qingyan’s body stiffened, her movements coming to an abrupt halt.

Feeling the cold touch and sharp edge on her shoulder, she bit her lower lip and unwillingly spat out two words.

Lin Ao had defeated another of the Five Prodigies.

"Sun Qing, please!"

Lin Ao lifted the tip of his spear slightly, his gaze already falling upon the Sun Family.

Sun Qing, another of the Five Prodigies, had a rugged face. With a low roar, he leaped onto the arena stage, wielding a Nine-Ring Thick-Backed Saber that radiated a fierce and domineering aura.

Having learned his lesson from the previous two fighters, he went on the offensive with his full strength from the start. The flashing light of his saber was like a bolt of white silk, sweeping toward Lin Ao.

"CLANG, CLANG, CLANG—!"

Lin Ao’s eyes remained indifferent. His Spear Technique changed again, becoming wide and sweeping as he decided to meet force with force.

The Bright Silver Long Spear seemed to come alive in his hands. Whether smashing, sweeping, or flicking, each blow contained the colossal force to topple a mountain. It met Sun Qing’s ferocious Saber Momentum head-on, pushing it back inch by inch.

The deafening clash of metal rang out as waves of energy rolled across the stage.

Sun Qing was forced back step by step, his arms aching and numb, inwardly horrified by the sheer tyranny of his opponent’s power.

On the thirteenth move, a simple, swift thrust from Lin Ao pierced through his net of saber light, the spear tip stopping three inches from his throat.

"My respects!"

Cold sweat beaded on Sun Qing’s forehead. He stared at the slightly trembling spear tip radiating a deadly, cold light. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a strained voice.

Lin Ao had defeated another of the Five Prodigies.

"Fang Hong, if you would!"

Finally, Lin Ao’s gaze settled on the Fang Family pavilion, landing on Fang Hong.

The entire arena fell silent, and everyone’s heart was in their throat. They already had a premonition that the hierarchy of Liangshui City’s younger generation was about to be completely overturned.

Before today, no member of the Five Prodigies had ever managed to defeat the others in succession. At most, one might defeat a single rival before being defeated by another due to exhaustion.

But Lin Ao had done it.

Fang Hong’s eyes were grave. He rose to his feet and walked onto the arena stage, his steps steady. With each step, his aura swelled, rising like a great mountain.

He wore a pair of Hundred Refinements Boxing Gloves, clearly skilled in Fist and Palm techniques.

Without wasting words, they moved at the same time!

"BOOM—!"

Fang Hong threw a punch, the force of his fist so heavy and solid it felt as if he were pushing an invisible mountain forward to crush his opponent.

This was one of the Fang Family’s fundamental fist techniques—Mountain Suppressing Fist!

"WHOOSH—!"

Lin Ao’s long spear moved like a dragon, a point of cold light tearing through the air to stab directly at the incoming fist.

"BANG!"

Fist and spear collided, creating a massive, muffled boom like the beat of a giant drum. A shockwave of Qi Force exploded out from the point of impact, causing the clothes of the spectators below to flap wildly in the wind.

"BANG! BANG! BANG—!"

Both fighters staggered for a moment, then immediately engaged in a fierce, high-speed battle.

Fang Hong’s Fist Technique was heavy and fierce, his movements wide and powerful. Every punch and kick he threw contained terrifying force.

The qi and blood in his body surged, faintly emitting the sound of a rushing river. He had obviously reached an extremely high level within the Late Stage of the Bone Refining Realm.

Lin Ao’s spear moved like a dragon, at times incomparably ferocious, at others nimble and cunning. The Perfection Level of his Spear Technique was on full display in his hands.

The Bright Silver Spear seemed to be an extension of his body, moving as easily as his own arm as he unleashed one killing blow after another.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged over a dozen moves. Powerful Qi crisscrossed the stage as their figures blurred, leaving the audience dazzled and drawing constant gasps of amazement.

"Hah—"

After more than ten moves, Lin Ao let out a long cry.

The qi and blood throughout his body erupted, and a faint, blood-red aura seemed to coat his Bright Silver Long Spear.

"Blood Battle Eight Directions!"

He had unleashed the ultimate killing move of his Perfection Breaking Army Spear Technique.

The spear’s afterimages instantly multiplied, transforming into countless blood-red pythons that lunged at Fang Hong from all directions, eager to devour him.

Fang Hong’s pupils shrank. He pushed his Mountain Suppressing Fist to its absolute limit, striking out with both fists to meet this ultimate killing blow head-on.

"BOOM—!!"

An earth-shattering boom resounded as the entire arena stage shook violently. Wooden planks from the stage shattered into splinters that flew in all directions, obscuring the view.

When the flying splinters cleared, Fang Hong was standing at the very edge of the stage. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and a gash had been torn across his chest by the spear’s tip.

"Excellent Spear Technique. I have lost."

Fang Hong looked at Lin Ao, who stood before him with spear in hand. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a heavy voice.

Sweat beaded on Lin Ao’s temples. Defeating four of the Five Prodigies in succession had consumed a massive amount of his energy.

However, his aura had climbed to its absolute peak. As he surveyed the arena, no one dared to meet his gaze.

At that moment, there was no longer any dispute as to who was number one among Liangshui City’s younger generation!

The sun began to set, its lingering rays dyeing the surface of the lake a golden red.

The grand gathering came to an end. The disciples of the great families departed one after another, their hearts still reeling with shock.

And two pieces of major news spread rapidly via the disciples returning from the gathering.

First: Lin Ao of the Lin Family, relying on his cultivation at the Late Stage Bone Refining Limit and his Perfection Realm Breaking Army Spear Technique, had successively defeated the other four prodigies—Yue Lingtian, He Qingyan, Sun Qing, and Fang Hong—to claim the title of number one among Liangshui City’s younger generation.

Second: Fang Han of the Fang Family, at only seventeen years of age, had already entered the Middle Stage of Bone Refining and had cultivated his Qingfeng Swordsmanship to the Realm of Perfection. His exceptional Talent and terrifying comprehension were arguably the greatest among all of Liangshui City’s youth.

One represented the supreme combat strength of the present, while the other represented the greatest potential for the future.

That night, the names Lin Ao and Fang Han resounded throughout Liangshui City, becoming the focus of countless discussions and expressions of awe.