That idiot from the Sword Sect turned out to be a lucky charm.

Winning by surprise sounds easy, but it's not so simple in practice.

Lin Zhifeng originally planned to defeat his opponent using only water-based sword techniques. However, when the fight actually started, he realized that he had underestimated the strength of the late-stage Golden Core disciple of the Sword Sect.

Although Yu Bin doesn't have a formal master, he's been in the inner sect for so many years and still managed to break into the top 100; his strength is truly not to be underestimated. It would be abnormal if I, a newcomer from out of town, could easily defeat him!

If plans change, then there's no need to hide anymore. Lin Zhifeng drew his left-hand sword, "Phoenix Cry," without hesitation.

Yu Bin was furious when he saw Lin Zhifeng pull out another treasured weapon. He didn't care whether the other party was the sect leader's son or what the consequences of injuring him would be. At that moment, he only wanted Lin Zhifeng to lose, to lose miserably!

Yu Bin's attacks became even more ferocious, each move aimed at Lin Zhifeng's vital points. Lin Zhifeng was no pushover either, coordinating his water and fire swords, unleashing both water and fire sword techniques simultaneously.

Those who hadn't made it into the top 100 and were just there to watch and learn; those in the top 100 who hadn't yet had their turn to play; and those who were strong enough to have already won all came to watch their group's competition out of curiosity.

Lin Zhifeng seemed to have split into two, possessing two incarnations simultaneously. He set fire with his left hand and splashed water with his right, each doing its own thing without any sign of being flustered or overwhelmed.

Yu Bin, his opponent, felt as if he were simultaneously fighting two opponents at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. Although he was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm and had a higher cultivation level, he was clearly at a disadvantage fighting two opponents at once.

The crowd watched in amazement, and Lin Jun's brothers were proud of him, puffing out their chests and cheering him on loudly.

The cheers also distracted Yu Bin. He glanced down at the ring, wondering which bastards were making the fuss.

This discovery was alarming; he found hundreds of people watching their match from below the ring. If he lost, he would lose face big time.

So he quickly composed himself and became even more ruthless.

Unfortunately, no matter what moves he used, Lin Zhifeng always anticipated them. After dozens of moves, not only did he fail to land a single blow on Lin Zhifeng, but Lin Zhifeng also managed to inflict several minor injuries on him.

Yu Bin became increasingly anxious, resulting in even more chaotic and disorganized attacks. Finally, half an hour later, Lin Zhifeng held a sword to his throat.

Lin Zhifeng said slowly, "Senior Brother Yu, you've lost!"

Yu Bin conceded defeat and left the stage dejectedly.

Lin Zhifeng, on the other hand, was in the limelight as Lin Jun and the others escorted him back offstage.

Someone pulled a chair out of their storage bag and arranged for Lin Zhifeng to sit down. The other brothers were busy serving him, some handing him towels, others fanning him.

Lin Zhifeng's lips twitched. Fine, let them be.

Lin Jun spoke first: "Well done, Little Lin! I didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve! So you've become this powerful since your soul returned! No wonder back then at the Sword Tomb, when ten thousand swords rang out, the two treasured swords of the mountain vied to go with you. I only have one request now, but I don't know if I should say it?"

Lin Zhifeng was amused by him. "Senior Brother Lin Jun, please speak. I will definitely agree to anything that I can do."

Lin Jun said, "If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you!"

"Hahaha..." Lin Zhifeng laughed loudly: "Senior Brother Lin Jun is really joking! Don't even mention that I only won one match, even if I made it into the top ten, there wouldn't be much reward to be had. Have you forgotten how poor our Sword Sect is? We dare not even think about wealth and honor!"

Lin Jun said, "What I mean is, when you become successful in the future, think of us brothers. What are you talking about?" After saying that, he muttered to himself, "I really can't talk to idiots with all that fancy stuff, he won't understand at all."

Lin Zhifeng said, "Senior Brother Lin Jun, I'll remember this grudge for insulting me."

Lin Jun hurriedly tried to explain again.

Lin Zhifeng stopped teasing him and said solemnly, "We brothers all met when we were both struggling. In the future, no matter who does well, don't forget to help the others and let's all make progress together. But we're all getting on in years, so let's not spend all our time eating, drinking, and having fun. We should have higher aspirations."

Lin Jun and the others said, "Tell me, what could be more fun than eating, drinking, and having fun?"

Lin Zhifeng said, "Our cultivation levels are too low, and it's incredibly boring being stuck in the Sword Sect. We should quickly break through to the Nascent Soul stage so we can apply to go out and do those missions; or travel to the mortal realm; or slay demons; or explore secret realms..."

Seeing the longing looks on the faces of these spoiled brats, Lin Zhifeng smiled and said, "The outside world is vast, I want to go out and see it!"

“Okay! I’ll go back and ask my dad to get me some Nascent Soul Pills.” Lin Jun was the first to agree.

The other members of this small group also had some financial resources, and they all expressed their insistence on including me.

Lin Zhifeng nodded and promised, "Go ahead and work hard. As long as you break through to the Nascent Soul stage, everyone will have a chance to go out and have fun!"

They were making a racket and didn't realize the competition was over. Lin Zhifeng then went up to draw his opponent for the second round.

Although his opponent in this round was not one of the top ten seeded players he had previously favored, his strength was much greater than Yu Bin's.

This opponent's name is Wu Di, a sword cultivator in the late stage of the Golden Core realm. He is a disciple of the elder in charge of reception affairs within the inner sect.

Compared to Lin Zhifeng and his ilk who relied on in-game currency to reach the Golden Core stage, Wu Di steadily and surely advanced step by step. Furthermore, with his master's guidance, his skill level far surpasses Lin Zhifeng's.

Lin Jun and his team, including Lin Zhifeng himself, all felt that they probably couldn't win this round.

However, Lin Zhifeng was not afraid. He was going all out and wouldn't be afraid of losing. He would just consider it as accumulating combat experience.

The two stepped onto the arena, introduced themselves, and exchanged greetings. The elder announced the start of the fight, and without further ado, the two began their battle.

Lin Zhifeng launched a full-force attack with his dual swords of water and fire, but Wu Di calmly parried with his sword.

The two exchanged blows, but gradually Lin Zhifeng began to lose ground. He was frequently struck by Wu Di's sword strikes, sustaining numerous minor injuries.

Lin Jun and the others were all worried for Lin Zhifeng, but Lin Zhifeng felt that he could hold on for a while longer.

As Wu Di unleashed his ultimate move, "Ten Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart," countless sword shadows hurtled towards Lin Zhifeng. One of them was a real sword, and being hit by it would be extremely dangerous. Even being struck by the other phantoms would leave wounds on his body.

Seeing that Lin Zhifeng was unlikely to escape unscathed, the younger members of the group couldn't bear to watch any longer and covered their eyes.

Lin Zhifeng remained calm. In this moment of crisis, he suddenly remembered that water-based abilities could be upgraded to ice-based ones. Previously, when he cultivated alone, there were parts where he lacked direction, always feeling like he was still separated from the path. Now, in this critical situation, his potential was awakened, and he had a vague idea—why not take a gamble and try? If he succeeded, he would advance; if he lost, he would at most suffer a serious injury. At worst, he'd be bedridden for a month or two!

These thoughts flashed through Lin Zhifeng's mind in an instant, and he made a decision without hesitation. He stopped dodging and focused all his mental energy on the sword in his right hand.

Just as Wu Di's sword shadow reached him, a miraculous scene unfolded.

All that could be seen was an ice shield, ten meters in diameter and about one meter thick, appearing in front of Lin Zhifeng.

The next second, countless sword shadows struck the ice shield. The ice shield disappeared after being hit by the illusory swords, leaving deep sword marks; the real sword pierced the ice shield and continued forward, but was eventually slowed down by the obstruction.

The ice shield was also pierced, first a huge crack appeared, and finally it shattered with a bang as the real sword continued to penetrate forward.

Debris flew everywhere, and Lin Zhifeng, who was a meter away, was covered in debris, with one or two spots on his face where blood was visibly seeping out.

Lin Zhifeng ignored his minor injuries, and with a quick movement of his two swords, he easily blocked the real sword, whose speed and power had been reduced by the ice shield.

The onlookers cheered loudly. No one expected that despite such a huge difference in strength, Lin Zhifeng would remain calm in the face of danger and achieve another breakthrough.

Yes, having grasped the mysteries of ice, Lin Zhifeng's cultivation level has leaped from the early stage of Golden Core to the middle stage.

Wu Di hadn't expected his opponent to break through in the match, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for his opponent.

The two of them exchanged blows and fought again. It was truly hard to say who would win this match now.