Chapter 1055: Lucky Bastard

The blazing flames poured forth, and before long, the once-connected stars began to burn.

"Though it hasn't yet reached the 'Incinerate All Things' level of the Flame Law, it should be enough to break this formation," Li Qing murmured. He then spread his arms and activated his Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art.

"Shatter!"

With Li Qing's low roar, the entire sea of fire erupted. The formation trembled violently as terrifying heat surged outward, even warping the very fabric of space.

In the next instant, the starry night sky shattered piece by piece, completely ignited by Li Qing's flames and reduced to nothingness.

Rumble!

The formation collapsed, and the eighteen formation flags spontaneously burst into flames.

At the center of the formation, the formation spirit, which had been controlling the entire magical formation, was startled. It immediately grabbed the eight-sided formation plate and fled.

Outside the Dao Discussion Arena, Body Integration Realm experts had already intervened to contain the fiery aftereffects. Otherwise, the spirit fire would have surged outward, engulfing the surrounding Imperial Palace.

Princess Qinghe's face was slightly pale. Her clenched fists slowly unclenched, revealing a look of dejection.

She realized that even if she had personally commanded the grand formation, she might not have been able to restrain Li Qing.

"Brother, your methods are truly extraordinary. I am deeply impressed. I concede this match," Princess Qinghe declared decisively.

"You flatter me, Your Highness," Li Qing said, cupping his fist in a respectful salute.

With this, only two contestants remained in Group B: Prince Louheng and Li Yu, the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister's Manor. The winner between them would become Li Qing's next opponent.

"This guy's luck is incredible. He's managed to face two Divine Transformation Realm opponents in a row."

"You can't put it like that. Princess Qinghe cannot be judged by the standards of an ordinary Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. Her Inverted Stars Formation is so formidable that even a Void Refinement Realm cultivator might struggle to escape."

"Still, he's facing Divine Transformation Realm opponents, isn't he? We haven't even seen him fight a real battle yet."

"It seems that's true. But in a competition like this, luck won't be of much use. Prince Louheng from Group B and that Li Yu are no ordinary figures."

"..."

Li Qing paid no mind to these discussions, treating them as nothing more than wind blowing past his ears.

Having struggled his way up from the lower realm, his state of mind had long since become as calm as could be. A mere few idle whispers were hardly enough to disturb his composure.

After all, what truly mattered was the actual exchange of blows.

Afterward, in the other groups, the three late void refinement realm cultivators all displayed thunderbolt-like methods and won their respective matches, emerging as the victors of their groups.

However, in Group B, the battle between Li Yu and the Fifth Imperial Grandson, Louheng, had suddenly become a deadlocked stalemate.

The two had exhausted all their means, clashing multiple times with everything from magic treasures to talismans. It seemed they were both about to run out of trump cards.

Prince Louheng said in a deep voice, "Hmph, the Prime Minister's Mansion's inheritance is indeed not simple. I wonder if Prime Minister Li has passed on the complete teachings of the Seven Styles of Hao Ran to you."

"However, I also happen to have mastered a secret technique from the Qilin Treasure Art. Even if it's just for the Royal Family's honor, I absolutely cannot fall here today!"

Li Yu, the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister's Manor, now had an extremely solemn expression. He naturally knew that the Royal Family possessed the inheritance of the Qilin Treasure Art, which was the very foundation of the Great Yu Kingdom's Royal Family.

His opponent was a member of the Royal Family, possessing incomparably noble status, but Li Yu also represented the honor of the Prime Minister's Manor.

Therefore, he truly had to fight with all his might in this battle.

Suddenly, a surge of Hao Ran Qi erupted from him. With the boost from this aura, Li Yu himself looked considerably more majestic.

"A gentleman is not a mere vessel!"

Along with this righteous and unyielding voice, the Hao Ran Qi within his body condensed into a ruler and struck out toward the Qilin phantom shadow ahead.

"True Qilin Treads the Nine Heavens!"

Boom!

The Dao Discussion Arena was instantly enveloped in immeasurable light. All the Body Integration Realm experts present, including the Empress herself, took action.

The chaotic aftershocks were completely suppressed, preventing them from affecting other buildings in the Imperial Palace.

The onlookers' expressions shifted rapidly, and they couldn't help but exclaim, "Though both are in the mid Void Refinement Realm, their displayed combat power is likely no less than that of the late Void Refinement Realm!"

"Indeed. Both Prince Louheng and Young Master Li Yu are rare heavenly prodigies."

"I wonder who will emerge victorious in this spell duel..."

"The Prime Minister's Mansion boasts an impressive inheritance, but I doubt it can surpass the Royal Family's Qilin Inheritance."

"That's true. After all, it originates from a True Spirit."

Before they could finish their discussion, the blinding light finally began to fade.

The Body Integration Realm experts who had suppressed the battle's aftermath were momentarily stunned. Beside them, Prince Ning wore a faint smile as he looked toward Li Qing.

In the center of the field, both Li Yu and Prince Louheng had collapsed unconscious.

Evidently, they had exhausted their entire strength in this battle, and the scale of their energy depletion was staggering. Even if awakened now, they would likely be unable to fight again.

"They are truly the fine young men of our Great Yu Kingdom! With such talented youths, how could our nation not prosper?" The Empress nodded in satisfaction before declaring, "In my opinion, this match should be declared a draw."

"Send them both to the imperial physicians immediately, lest they suffer any lasting injuries."

With the Empress having spoken, who would dare to object?

As a result, Li Qing became the sole victor of Group B.

For a moment, everyone present looked at Li Qing with strange expressions, thinking, This guy actually advanced another round.

They had all assumed Li Qing would stop here, not believing he could be a match for Lou Heng or Li Yu. They never expected him to enter the final group battle in such a manner.

"He's only at the early Void Refinement Realm. This kid's luck is just too good."

"The other three are all late Void Refinement Realm experts. He's a bit out of place, isn't he?"

"Heh, I bet he'll just forfeit later. Getting this far is already quite impressive."

At this moment, even Li Qing himself felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed his nose. He hadn't expected to advance to the next round in this way either.

However, he didn't feel overly lucky. In his view, while the two opponents he just faced were formidable, they weren't enough to stop him.

The next three, however, were truly formidable adversaries.

With this thought, Li Qing looked at his remaining three opponents.

The one recommended by Prince Huai: Yan Huizhi, from the great aristocratic Yan Family!

The one recommended by Prince An: an expert from the Elephant Camel Clan!

And the Prince of Liyang, clad in profound armor and commanding the Thirteen Heavenly Cavalry Legions!

None of these three were ordinary. They were far beyond the level of the minor skirmishes he had just faced.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Prince Huai chuckled.