A slight lull ran over the crowd as Yin Long and the team he had challenged became the focal point of everyone's attention. The battle on the stage was still taking place, but the audience was more invested in observing Yin Long and Lan Yun, wondering exactly what they were planning. But the number of people who actually believed that the upcoming battle would be more than just a rare and somewhat interesting interlude was so low that it could be counted on one hand.

Yin Long had shown great strength and skill before, but it would still be a battle of 10 people versus two people and one Demonic beast. And even if the advantage in numbers was ignored, there was still a large gap in their cultivation levels that would be even harder to overcome. It wasn't so much a question about who would win, it was more about how long Yin Long and Lan Yun could last.

Yin Long could see the thoughts of the audience through the light in their eyes, but their thoughts had never mattered in the slightest to him. He marched to his own tune and did as he pleased, once he chose to do something, it wouldn't matter to him how others reacted to it. He stretched out his hand and rubbed Jin Wang's head, glancing at Lan Yun for a second.

"I'll be right back."

He stepped forward after he finished speaking and made his way through the seating area, heading for the section of the arena where the Winged-Blood competitors were sitting. No one from the Bloodgrass Territory tried to call out to him, he was rather reclusive after all, but a familiar figure walked up to him as he passed through the area belonging to the Starsong territory.

"Heh, I was wondering why someone like you would actually skip out on a chance as good as this clash. Looking at the speed with which you rushed in here, even going as far as to uttering a challenge just to remain here, did someone stop you from returning?"

Fang Yau let his yellow eyes roam over Yin Long as he spoke, the youth in front of him felt several magnitudes sharper than before. But since Yin Long's Qi was located in his soulsea and not in his body, his cultivation couldn't be measured at a single glance, especially if he chose to keep his soulsea locked up. So while he could detect that Yin Long had certainly grown stronger, he couldn't tell to which extent.

Yin Long wasn't surprised by Fang Yau guessing the truth, it wasn't too hard to figure out if you just understood the main part of his personality and matched it with the actions he had shown after barging into the arena. He gave a soft smile but didn't say anything about it, the act of holding Yin Long back like that wasn't one that could be considered terribly honourable so the truth would certainly impact the reputation of whoever orchestrated it.

Of course, it was uncertain if others would even believe him if he stated his guess. But that uncertainty didn't mean that Yin Long would be willing to take the risk, who knew if Emperor Starblood might just choose to erase others to maintain his own reputation. Fang Yau didn't know the full depth of the matter, but Yin Long's smile and silence showed that the perpetrator was someone they couldn't afford to go against. As such, he smirked in slight amusement and tactfully changed the topic, casually following Yin Long.

"So, where about do you put your odds, 60% or above? I'm sure you've already thought about it, but I still gotta remind you, just showing a grand enough strength in the battle won't be enough if you hope to go to the Province Championship. If you lose, you will be forever expelled from taking part in those types of competitions, so if that championship is your goal, you need to win."

The Underdog rule was fairly obscure thanks to the fact that it was rarely used, hence Fang Yau felt that it was best to give Yin Long a reminder so that he truly understood what sort of corner he had just pushed himself into. But Yin Long simply shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner, his answer causing Fang Yau to let out an involuntary chuckle.

"There's no point in talking about the odds. Defeat isn't an option, so there's no point in wasting time thinking about it."

"Heh, now those are some insane words that suit you nicely. I look forward to sparring against you in the Province Championship."

Determination and courage that bordered on the insane, that had been Fang Yau's original opinion of Yin Long. A man worth respecting and a future ruler should he not fall prematurely. But interacting with him a bit more made him realize that he had to add one more trait to him, an arrogance that bordered on the insane. He didn't show it in a typical way, most of it was contained in his seemingly carefree nature and the sheer belief he had in his own future.

A small smirk also crept up on Yin Long's face as he looked at Fang Yau, there was still a lot he could learn from this excellent sparring partner. His movements defied the common sense he knew of so he was a treasure trove of strange attacks and defence methods. Of course, the fact that Fang Yau had a very agreeable personality was a bonus, he was at least someone worthy of befriending.

He quickly passed through the area where the Starsong Territory was seated and reached the Winged-Blood Territory's area, walking directly towards the slightly empty section where Xiao Yin Yu was sitting. The two received a few stares when they stopped but Yin Long didn't bother with them, Fang Yau standing a bit behind him as he looked on in amused curiosity.

Not only was Xiao Yin Yu ranked second among all the people taking part in this competition, but she was also someone who could be considered extremely stunning, almost on par with Lan Yun. It was unknown just how many men had lost themselves in her blue eyes when faced with her, remaining dumbfounded for a while until they regained themselves.

But would Yin Long, who could even resist Lan Yun actively trying to seduce him, end up in such an embarrassing state just by standing in front of someone. The answer was obviously no, his calm gaze not even wavering as he flung out his arm and tossed a brown gourd to Xiao Yin Yu. She didn't show the slightest suspicion or mistrust as she caught the gourd and inspected it curiously, Yin Long giving a slight explanation to finish his business here.

"That's the best wine I currently have on me, but I'll give you a better one when we reach the location of the Province Championship, consider it my thanks."

The team he challenged could have easily rejected his challenge, which was likely to also make the other teams reject his challenge if he were to aim for them. But Xiao Yin Yu had nodded her head and made the other team accept his challenge, if she hadn't, it would have been much harder for him to take part in another fight during this clash.

Yin Yu removed the cork from the gourd and took a swig without even bothering to check the contents first, a soft light flashing through her eyes as she downed the wine. She couldn't help but smack her lips when she removed the gourd from her mouth, but Yin Long had already started to walk away again and simply gave a casual wave of his hand.

"Oh, that's quite a strong one, trying to get me drunk, are we?"

"If that one's enough to get you drunk, then you'll be a terribly boring drinking partner in the future."

The corners of Yin Yu's lips curved up slightly as she looked at his departing back, what a terribly interesting man. Ignoring the fact that he was one of the few men who didn't treat her differently due to her appearance or her strength, just the arrogance he showed made him worthy of some attention.

After all, how many people could so casually imply that they would win a battle where they were heavily disadvantaged? She took another swig of the wine, leaning back in her seat while smirking at the departing Yin Long.

"Heh. Whether you win or lose, I'll search you out for some sparring, you'd best be ready then."

Yin Long didn't stop walking when she spoke, he just turned his head slightly as the corners of his lips curved up into a faint smirk that contained unmistakable excitement. As the second-ranked person, Xiao Yin Yu's strength didn't need to be questioned, she also used a strange sword and style that Yin Long could learn a lot from, sparring with her was something he was going to do whether she wanted to or not.

He returned to Lan Yun, Fang Yau returning to his own seating area as he eyed the stage with great interest. He had fought Yin Long twice already so he felt that he had a decent grasp on how strong he was, at least how strong he was before he vanished for a month. So he wanted to see just what he would pull out to ensure his victory, he wanted to see exactly what changes Yin Long had gone through.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Yin Long's group of three were standing by the barricade that separated the arena from the seating area, calmly observing the battle that was taking place. It was already nearing its ending stages so it would soon be their turn to step up. Yin Long placed his hand on Jin Wang's head and gave it a few rubs, his gaze calm as he moved his eyes over to the enemy team.

"About where would the two of you say that your strength lies right now?"

There was one fact that was universally true for everyone in Yin Long's group, they could easily contend with people of a higher cultivation realm. Yin Long was the prime example, but that didn't mean that Lan Yun and Jin Wang were less dazzling, it was just that they had the bad luck of ending up in Yin Long's shadow recently. Lan Yun followed his gaze, inspecting the enemies with a ruminative gaze before giving a slightly uncertain answer.

"I should be able to tie up both the one at the 7th and the one at the 8th at the same time."

Back when he decided to lay down his own life, Yin Long had decided to hand over the role of the Lang clan's dark blade to Lan Yun. He said that she had above average talent, it had just been buried a bit thanks to the work that his mother made her do. And time had proved his words correct, after not seeing each other for a month she had already pushed herself all the way up to the 6th Immortal Door.

She had risen an entire three sub-realms, Yin Long couldn't even behind to imagine just what sort of training she had gone through, and what sort of resources she had gotten to use. Jin Wang also observed the enemy, letting loose a low growl and using a claw to make a mark in the stone floor beneath him. Yin Long glanced at the mark and didn't doubt Jin Wang's assessment, nodding his head straightforwardly.

"Alright, then I'll leave the 7th and 8th to you, I'll do my best to deal with the last two but we're definitely going to have to work together."

There was a small fact that neither of them noticed, they had directly disregarded the six cultivators ranging from the 1st to the 6th Immortal Door in their words. All their focus had been placed on the final four cultivators, the one at the 7th, the one at the 8th, and the two at the 9th Immortal Door. Carefree arrogance, it was truly an apt description of Yin Long, it was also the influence he had on others, imparting them with the same trait.

The battle on the stage ended shortly after Yin Long and Lan Yun finished their incredibly short strategy meeting, not even discussing exactly how they would work together. But there was simply no need for it, the two didn't need words to explain how the other should work with them, especially when it was only them on the battlefield. They only had to move, and the other would follow up to finish things up.

Their opponents rose from their seats and moved over to the stage, taking up their positions as they locked eyes with Yin Long. Lan Yun smiled softly when she saw the solemn expressions of the 10 people, hopping over the barricade along with Yin Long with a light laugh.

"Alright, let's go and show the world just how dazzling my prince is."

Yin Long had stepped onto the stage three times to spar, his skills had definitely made others sigh in awe. After all, his strange abilities and sheer technique allowed him to overcome enemies several sub-realms over him. But she was confident that this battle would be different and would show the onlookers exactly who Yin Long was, all because there was an important difference between this battle and the previous ones.

The two people and one beast stepped onto the stage, one radiating intense bloodlust, one an enticing charm, and the third radiating a carefree calmness that made him seem like a lazy young master. Yin Long stretched out his right arm, his white sword appearing in his grasp, the tip just barely touching the stage.

Jie Yue hopped onto the stage and drew the attention of the crowd, dragging things out a little as she spoke, raising the tension of both combatants and audience alike. But in the end, she was forced to announce the start of the battle and hop down from the stage. And the moment she left the stage, Yin Long's calm gaze flashed slightly.

"This isn't a battle for you, you'd best leave this stage."

A strange scene occurred the moment his words dropped, the six people at the 1st to 6th Immortal Door on the enemy team started to move strangely. Their bodies turned stiff and started to twitch slightly, the weakest ones raising their own weapons to their throats. The two at the 5th and 6th Immortal Door managed to resist slightly, the veins on their arms bulging and writhing as they tried to halt their own movements.

The man at the 5th Immortal Door eventually failed and placed the tip of his spear against his own throat, the sharp edge drawing a few drops of blood. The woman at the 6th Immortal Door grit her teeth so hard that two of them shattered, a hoarse roar erupting from the depths of her throat.

Several of the veins in her arms and legs burst open, but she managed to break free and charge forward. She couldn't give Yin Long a moment to rest or he would just subdue her again, she had to attack immediately to occupy him, that way the others could break free as well. She stomped the stage with all her might and crossed the distance between them almost instantly, brandishing her greataxe as she swung it at his head. He was simply too strange and mysterious, a moment of hesitation or mercy could mean instant defeat.

But as she swung her axe, what entered her eyes was Yin Long's still calm gaze, his black eyes tugging at her soul and causing fear to creep up from the depths of her being. And under her gaze, he stretched out his left arm and placed his palm in front of the swinging axe.

His Qi burst forth once more, the blood from the woman's burst bloodvessels rushing over to him and coiling around his outstretched hand. The axe collided with the streams of blood with a soft plop and was halted in its tracks, the muscles in Yin Long's leg tensing slightly so that he wasn't pushed aside.

The woman was dumbfounded as she looked at her blocked attack, but the next thing she saw was a white blur flash in front of her eyes as Yin Long swung out with his weapon. He slashed her from her right thigh all the way to her left shoulder, blood splashing forth and staining his white robes as the woman staggered back and fell down.

But what was even stranger was that there was a very faint and nearly fully transparent mark left in the air, following along the exact path of Yin Long's attack. He let go of the woman's axe and allowed it to fall to the ground, stepping past the mark and picking up the bleeding woman. He flung out his arm and tossed the woman off the stage and into the hands of the medical personnel from the Winged-Blood Territory that was already rushing over.

The audience looked at the scene with shock and dumbfoundedness, only Fang Yau and Xiao Yin Yu looking at the stage with gleaming eyes. Yin Long's gaze landed on the five remaining people that held their own weapons to their throats, his voice sounding out again, his blood-stained visage sending a chill down the spine of those who saw it.

"This isn't a battle for you."

The five people could only smile bitterly, his words were the unpleasant truth. This wasn't a battle they could interfere in, they would be nothing more than cannon-fodder, the only purpose they would serve would be more blood for Yin Long to control. They felt the rampaging blood in their bodies calm down slightly, Yin Long allowing them to control their own bodies again so that they could step down from the stage.

His sword slashed upwards the moment he eased up the control he exerted over their blood, a stone spike that was rising from the stage getting sliced in half so that it missed him. He slashed out four more times, four invisible sharp blades dissipating as he cut them in half.

His gaze landed on the two people that had attacked, the ones at the 7th and 8th Immortal Door. The two people at the 9th Immortal Door were already rushing over, the two weaker people serving as support from the rear. But Yin Long didn't even spare the two in the back another glance, Jin Wang and Lan Yun rushing out to deal with them.

The blue-haired and brown-eyed man at the 9th Immortal Door, probably the team leader's right-hand man, frowned at the sight and altered his direction slightly. But just as he moved his body, he felt a dangerous sharpness lock onto him, a sense of danger surfacing in his mind.

His eyes shot to the side, his pupils shrinking fiercely when he saw what was coming for him. The transparent marks that lingered in the air after Yin Long's previous slashes had all left their original positions and were coming directly for him, forcing him to dodge or block rather than head out to halt Lan Yun and Jin Wang.

Yin Long swept out with his white sword once more, the tip of his blade drawing a line through the air and shooting it forward. In the end, the law of the sword was one of the two laws that Yin Long was the most proficient in, his Qi could become as sharp as a sword with just a thought. But was that really all there was to the law of swords, sharpness and swords?

Yin Long didn't think so, and his techniques showed the beginning stages of that as well. Each slash of his sword would leave behind the might that his sword had unleashed, the law of swords forcing it to linger and fall under his control so that he could launch it and direct it as he pleased. The brown-eyed man stepped forward and blocked the incoming attacks, the team leader continuing his charge at Yin Long, who held his sword ready as he welcomed him.

Looking at the battle that was unfolding, Fang Yau and Xiao Yin Yu simultaneously felt their fingers tremble slightly. Both of them had leaned forward without noticing it, their eyes wide open as they observed the battle with immense interest.

Looking at him, they both realized that this was a fundamental fact they had completely forgotten about. Cultivators focused on the laws and used them to fight, controlling the surrounding world for their attacks. But other than the time he used his law of space to launch an attack on Fang Yau in the first battle, when had Yin Long actually used his laws?

They couldn't think of a single instance and realized that Yin Long had simply been using his swords and nothing else, it was to the extent that he had practically only used his Qi to strengthen himself. And that was why Lan Yun was confident that this was the battle that would show the world who Yin Long really was. All because this wasn't a spar where he aimed to improve his skills, it was a battle he aimed to win.