Ling Yun's hair stood on end. Before the sword even arrived, the sharp killing intent had already brushed against his face, even causing his skin, which was hundreds of times stronger than that of an ordinary person, to feel a slight pain. The sharp sword light transformed into a terrifying and enormous sword wave, opening its all-consuming maw and full of fangs, ready to completely engulf him.
For a fleeting moment, Ling Yun even felt a sense of resignation, an instinctive feeling of defeat arising from facing an unparalleled sword aura. Deep down, he even harbored a desire to be consumed by it, or perhaps, after witnessing this sword strike, the meaning of life had already ended. Even death would be without regret. The young man even wanted to close his eyes, silently silencing all thoughts, and simply vanish from this world.
………
"No! I don't want to die, I want to live. I am who I am, and no one can make me submit. Even this invincible sword, I will use all my life and blood to seal it. I will not make anyone submit to me, but no one can make me submit, not even the gods who look down on all living beings!" A voice as loud as thunder suddenly rang in the boy's heart, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a raging blood-red flame.
Ling Yun suddenly opened his eyes, his clear pupils emitting a stunning golden light. A powerful spiritual field emanated from his body; the young man had instantly pushed his power to its limit. His body began to radiate a sun-like glow, becoming the brightest presence in the world in the blink of an eye.
"I have fused my life into my blood and scattered it in this world, leaving a mark that I have been here. Please remember, I, Lingyun, have never felt insignificant. I cherish my life simply because..." the boy said quietly, "I want to live on, no matter what, I will live on."
This was an extreme cry and inner monologue in the face of a life-threatening situation. In the blink of an eye, the boy's figure had transformed into a legend of light and fire, instantly illuminating the sky and colliding fiercely with Ye Feng's unparalleled sword strike. Time stood still at that moment.
At the heart of the duel, space seemed to have become a black hole, devoid of any color other than its bottomless blackness.
The conference room on the fourth floor of the Superpower Headquarters was deathly silent. Everyone was stunned by the earth-shattering duel. Even the deputy chief instructors wore extremely solemn expressions. In their years of experience in superpower warfare, such a brutal scene was almost unprecedented. The instructors were all dumbfounded, their eyes fixed on the image on the screen, motionless. Xia Zhen was completely mesmerized, her hand outstretched as if trying to touch something, but she froze in mid-air.
On the outer perimeter and the second level, all the superhumans watching the light screen were like clay or wooden statues, their faces showing only shock and no other expression.
a long time……
The vast river formed by the condensed sword light, which looked like a frozen scene, suddenly emitted a faint cracking sound. From the tip of the light sphere that Lingyun had transformed into, the sword light began to break apart inch by inch. It was as if an invisible and hidden entity was gradually devouring this sharp sword light that represented ice and fire without fear of any harm. The afterimage slowly disappeared, like a slow-motion shot in a movie, and the blue sky was revealed again.
The murderous aura, like rising steam, slowly ascended into the sky and vanished. The stagnant air began to soften.
The sword light continued to shatter inch by inch, until it reached the very tip, until it reached the expressionless young man who still held his arm outstretched, until the invisible severance swept from his empty hand onto his body. In the blink of an eye, Ye Feng's body was covered with countless deep, bone-revealing wounds, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
Ye Feng stared wide-eyed, a thin line of blood trickling down his face, as the light and fire gradually dissipated, revealing the pale-faced figure of the boy opposite him. He seemed unable to believe that the other party had actually blocked his earth-shattering sword strike.
He tried to say something, but then his body swayed and he fell heavily to the ground from mid-air.
Chapter 196 Freedom is More Precious
This sword strike had exhausted all of his spirit and blood, and even overdrawn most of his supernatural power, breaking through all of Ye Feng's previous limits. Even if Ling Yun did not dodge or evade and took the blow, Ye Feng would collapse from exhaustion after the sword force was used up, and it would be impossible for him to recover in less than two weeks.
However, once Ye Feng recovers, his strength will enter a period of rapid growth. This is the benefit of breaking through the limit. As the saying goes, "no destruction, no construction." Choosing to break through in battle is often the fastest and most correct way to improve strength. However, such breakthroughs are often rare and cannot be sought after. It is not possible to gain such profound insights in every battle. Otherwise, there would be too many masters in this world. Moreover, breaking through is challenging one's own limits, which involves a great deal of luck. If one does not handle it well, one will lose one's life. What breakthrough can one talk about then?
Ye Feng had chosen a perfect opportunity. When facing Ling Yun, he pushed his limits from the very beginning. If he could seriously injure or even kill Ling Yun, Ye Feng might even join the ranks of top-tier experts after recovering from his injuries.
However, Ling Yun's even stronger counterattack not only blocked this earth-shattering sword strike but also formed a knot in Ye Feng's heart. When Ye Feng fainted, his heart was not filled with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, but rather with extreme disbelief and unbearable resentment. He couldn't believe that Ling Yun could actually block his near-invincible attack. This emotional turmoil would become a mental demon on his future cultivation path, hindering his progress at crucial moments. Therefore, even if Ye Feng broke through his limits this time, his future achievements might not be as profound, or rather, he might stagnate due to the existence of this mental demon.
This is another extreme negative consequence of breaking through in battle: if an attack that exceeds the limit is blocked, the opponent will gain the breakthrough, and you will not benefit much.
Ling Yun landed lightly on the ground, a trickle of blood flowing uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth. His face, which had been ashen, had regained its color by the time he touched the ground. Blocking Ye Feng's peerless sword strike hadn't left him unscathed; Ling Yun had also pushed himself beyond his limits in an instant. The backlash from his mental field and Ye Feng's sword force had penetrated through it and injured him. If it weren't for his self-healing ability quickly kicking in, Ling Yun wouldn't be much better off than the unconscious Ye Feng.
Fortunately, he also possessed the ability to heal himself. What made Ling Yun special was that even if both sides were injured, he could recover quickly. Moreover, the more severe the injury, the faster his power would increase after healing. Especially in battles like this, where he was severely injured after breaking through his limits and then recovered through self-healing, the benefits Ling Yun gained were explosive. He even had a profound realization, a deeper understanding and application of the essence of power that he gained after blocking Ye Feng's sword. After his mental field was completely depleted, the newly generated telekinetic power could almost condense into a tangible silver light. This was already much stronger than when he first entered the Superpower Headquarters, and it seemed that less than a week had passed.
This is very similar to the destruction and rebirth that Ye Feng has been desperately seeking, but even for ordinary superhumans, the process of destruction and rebirth takes a long time, at least until they have recovered from serious injuries. Ling Yun, on the other hand, can accelerate this process countless times simply through self-healing.
Looking at Ye Feng lying prostrate on the ground before him, Ling Yun felt a nameless pang in his heart. He didn't recognize this person, only knowing that this handsome but somewhat gloomy young man was the deputy leader of the second ability group, seemingly an ability user of the same level as Xia Lan, and quite promising at such a young age. Moreover, judging solely from strength, even if he couldn't match Xia Lan, he was at least nearly equal, but he was certain that Xia Lan could not unleash the earth-shattering sword strike Ye Feng had just delivered.
Only when the right time, place, and people are all in sync, along with a matching state of mind and immense luck, can one unleash that incomparably sharp and limit-breaking sword strike. Under other circumstances, even if Ye Feng were standing here unharmed, he could not possibly launch the same attack again. He wouldn't even be able to unleash a fraction of its power.
For some reason, despite achieving a breakthrough under Ye Feng's relentless attacks, Ling Yun felt no joy at being reborn. Instead, he was filled with nameless disgust and anger. He had absolutely no connection with Ye Feng, so he couldn't understand why Ye Feng was so ruthless towards him. This sword strike was extremely dangerous; if he relaxed even slightly, he would be immediately engulfed by the sword light, leaving not even bone fragments. Even if a god descended, he wouldn't be able to revive him. This Ye Feng was clearly trying to kill him completely!
"What grudge does he have against me? Why did he want to kill me?" Ling Yun pointed at Ye Feng and asked Xia Lan, who was still staring at him in a daze.
Xia Lan then snapped out of her daze. Her mind was still immersed in the unparalleled battle between the two young powerhouses. The sword light, as vast as a river, and the even more intense incarnation of light and fire, the boy in front of her had suddenly transformed into a god in the sky, leaving an indelible mark on her heart.
Just moments before, Xia Lan was stunned by Ye Feng's sword strike, which seemed to defy the very creation of heaven and earth. Then, she was immediately awestruck by Ling Yun's sun-like presence. Were these two people, these two powerful figures, truly ordinary? Xia Lan's heart was filled with shock, elevating Ling Yun's position in her heart to an unprecedented level.
"I don't know, but I guess it might have aroused his competitive spirit when the leaders were conveying your strength. Ye Feng is very competitive and rarely accepts that someone's strength is superior to his, so he probably wanted to compete with you." Although Xia Zhen didn't know Ye Feng's mentality, the two of them were rivals in daily life and had fought countless times. Naturally, she had a thorough understanding of this competitive but stubborn leader of the second group. With just one explanation, she analyzed Ye Feng's mentality in his move.
"If it's a contest, why resort to such ruthlessness? I almost died just now. Or did he receive orders from the commander to kill me to silence me for disobeying him?" Ling Yun said angrily, his eyes flashing coldly. This was the first time in his life he had been so angry. Even when he encountered many ruthless members of the Heavenly Eye Society before, he had never been this angry. At least the Heavenly Eye Society was an enemy, and fighting with them was a matter of life and death. But Ye Feng, who had just become a colleague, was now resorting to deadly violence based on a single decision of self-interest? What kind of behavior was this?
A palpable killing intent suddenly surged into Ling Yun's heart. He clenched his fists, thinking that he had been considering the interests of the Superpower Headquarters all along, yet despite his threats and inducements, the headquarters remained relentless, even sending superpowered individuals to obstruct his power. That Ye Feng had even suddenly attacked with ruthlessness, nearly taking his life. If that was the case, then why should he endure it? It seemed he truly had to unleash a massacre, otherwise people would misunderstand and think he was swallowing his anger.
Xia Lan stared in surprise at Ling Yun, who suddenly exuded a strong killing intent. She wondered why this young man suddenly possessed such sharp eyes. "I reckon he didn't initially intend to kill you. He just really wanted to have a match with you. But after he made his move, he couldn't control that sword strike. I saw it very clearly from the side. That sword strike wasn't at his normal level of strength. It was probably an attack triggered by some state of mind or certain conditions. Sometimes, breakthrough attacks are beyond the control of even the superhumans themselves."
This time it was Ling Yun's turn to be surprised. He glanced at Xia Lan and was surprised that this young girl had such a profound understanding of power. His anger lessened a bit.
With a slight exertion of telekinesis, a mental energy field rapidly circulated through the veins around his body. In the time it took to speak, his self-healing had already restored all his injuries. His copying technique had even compiled and stored the data of Ye Feng's sword strike into Ling Yun's brain. However, over 90% of Ye Feng's sword strikes were about mastery, with only 10% being technique. This mastery was something that could only be understood intuitively, not explained in words. Only the person attacking could experience it, but it couldn't be described in language. Therefore, even with the data of that sword strike, Ling Yun couldn't recreate Ye Feng's attack. Only by constantly experiencing the feeling of that moment, becoming familiar with it, and finding the mindset that matched that time, could he reproduce the style of that sword strike.
On the other hand, this also reveals a drawback of the copying technique: it possesses only rational logic but lacks depth and spiritual connection. Just as a computer has incredibly powerful computing capabilities but lacks emotional intelligence, in the later stages of cultivation, one often relies on comprehension and spiritual understanding to enhance their power—something precisely lacking in the copying ability.
"Take him back." Ling Yun pointed calmly at the unconscious Ye Feng. "You saw it clearly. He tried to kill me. I was just retaliating. Moreover, the leaders and instructors on the fourth floor, as well as the people and trainee ability users on the second floor and the outer perimeter, all saw what happened. It's very clear who is right and who is wrong. Even if it was just a retaliation, I could have killed Ye Feng, but I didn't. However, from now on, I owe the Ability Headquarters nothing!"
Xia Lan nodded silently. On this point, no one could say anything. Besides, Ling Yun owed the Superpower Headquarters nothing. On the contrary, he saved the lives of the remaining superpowered individuals at the most dangerous time. Even if it was unintentional, he was still a meritorious person. On the contrary, the Superpower Headquarters' actions were extremely disheartening.
"Did you all hear that clearly? I'm leaving here now with my head held high and my chest out, all aboveboard." Ling Yun looked up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought. His head appeared enlarged in the light screen in front of all the ability users. "If anyone stands in my way again, I will no longer hold back my power. Life and death are in the hands of fate. Whoever obstructs me is my enemy."
After saying these words aloud, the boy leaped into the air, turning into a faint black dot and disappearing into the boundless sky.
Chapter 197 I'm going to be arrogant to the very end
Xia Lan watched Ling Yun's figure disappear into the air with a somber expression. A flood of complex emotions surged through her, leaving her unable to articulate her feelings. She had always been resolute, decisive, and efficient, handling matters with both decisiveness and unwavering resolve. Moreover, this proactive approach had proven to bring unexpected benefits.
But now, Xia Lan felt more lost than ever before, even experiencing a sense of panic and vulnerability. It was as if the principles she had always firmly believed in and adhered to had suddenly been altered and taken away. The young woman couldn't find a path to continue firmly on her path, and couldn't help but feel flustered. Was what she was doing right or wrong? Was what that boy said really right? If it was right, why had she never heard it before? If it wasn't right, why were his words hitting her heart again and again?
Xia Lan sighed softly, her hand stroking her hair, unintentionally revealing the girl's troubled thoughts. After thinking for a moment, she took a few steps slowly, looking at Ye Feng who was still unconscious, and after a long while, she said as if to herself, "When you wake up, I hope you will have a correct attitude towards yourself."
As she spoke, Xia Lan gently pointed at Ye Feng, and her telekinetic power quickly enveloped Ye Feng, lifting him into the air. After a moment's hesitation, Xia Lan, carrying the unconscious Ye Feng, gradually disappeared into the third layer of the barrier. Both of them were ordered to intercept Ling Yun here, as the leaders wanted to test just how much the most promising young team leader had grown.
It's clear that while both team leaders performed admirably—Xia Lan being exceptionally talented and Ye Feng exceeding everyone's expectations—these two most promising and talented young powerhouses were defeated by the younger, seemingly ordinary boy, Ling Yun. Moreover, they were defeated again after demonstrating their strongest abilities. What does this signify?
It's not that we didn't try, it's just that Ling Yun is too powerful. If Ye Feng were to wake up, he would definitely say this with a bitter smile. If he were still in the mood, this would have been the best opportunity for the leader to give him a chance to redeem himself. But even after Ye Feng exhausted all his efforts and even pushed his limits, he still couldn't stop Ling Yun from leaving.
At this moment, there was no need for any more superhumans below the instructor level to intercept Ling Yun. After witnessing that shocking scene, no one would believe that this ordinary boy had the strength of a trainee superhuman. His strength had far surpassed that of ordinary superhumans and could even reach the level of an instructor!