Novel Full Chapter 281: Lin Mo - Azure Cloud Swordsman!
Chapter 281: Lin Mo – Azure Cloud Swordsman!
Inside the main pavilion, Shuan Chu and Qin Ling exchanged a glance.
At this point, Shuan Chu was no longer the only one feeling depressed and embarrassed. Even Qin Ling was beginning to feel somewhat awkward.
What was happening at this year’s Tea Gathering?
Had she also misjudged Li Yun from the very beginning?
Qin Ling silently asked herself that question. After taking a slow breath, she decided not to voice any more opinions.
She would simply watch. She wanted to see how far this Li Yun could truly go, and whether her judgment had indeed been wrong.
“It is truly irritating. Even if he has some skill, I cannot stand that expression on his face.”
“Is there no one who can suppress his arrogance and stop him from continuing to stand on that combat stage?”
“Even Xu Feng was defeated.”
“I suppose that aside from the giants on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, very few people here can keep him down.”
Voices of dissatisfaction spread throughout the summit. Many spectators were clearly displeased. After all, being repeatedly humiliated by Li Yun’s words and actions was not something anyone enjoyed.
On the combat stage, Xu Feng looked utterly miserable.
His condition was pitiful. Blood stained his robes, his breathing was unstable, and his earlier confidence had long since disappeared. He remained standing only through stubborn will.
Yet even as he stood there, he no longer knew whether he should leave the stage or continue fighting.
If he chose to continue, he knew full well that even at full strength he was not Li Yun’s opponent. Now that only a fraction of his power remained, stepping forward again would be no different from walking willingly toward defeat.
“Did you not say you would make me kneel and beg for mercy?” Li Yun said coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade. “Did you not say you would smash my mouth? I am standing right here. Come and make me kneel.”
Every word struck like a slap across Xu Feng’s face.
Xu Feng’s expression flushed red with humiliation and fury. “Li Yun, do not be so overbearing. I was only careless.”
“Careless?” Li Yun sneered. “You can still find excuses at a time like this? If I had not held back just now, you would have died three times over from that counterattack alone.”
Xu Feng trembled with rage. He spat out another mouthful of blood, raised a shaking finger toward Li Yun, and found himself unable to speak.
“Li Yun, are you not going too far?”
A new voice rang out from a pavilion positioned diagonally across the summit.
“Since you have already defeated Xu Feng, why continue kicking a man while he is down? That is not the conduct of a true strong person. With a temperament like yours, you will not go far on the martial path.”
A young man rose slowly as he spoke. His expression was arrogant, and his brows slanted sharply toward his temples, giving him a naturally imposing appearance. He looked down toward the arena as though judging someone beneath him.
“And who are you?” Li Yun asked as he lifted his head.
The young man smiled faintly. “Lin Mo.”
“It is Lin Mo!”
“Finally, a real expert has appeared.”
“This Lin Mo is one of the top prodigies of Cloud Stream Sect.”
“Defeating Li Yun should be effortless for him.”
The crowd instantly became excited. Many faces brightened as if hope had finally arrived.
Although the Southern Martial Domain contained countless sects, everyone paid close attention to the top geniuses of the major powers. Names such as Lin Mo were naturally well known.
“Lin Mo, come down and fight!” Li Yun said without hesitation.
Li Yun naturally knew who this man was.
Lin Mo was not from one of the Four Great Sects. He belonged to Cloud Stream Sect, a force regarded as one of the strongest second-rate sects in the Southern Martial Domain. While it could not compare directly with the Four Great Sects, it was still a power no one dared to underestimate.
As for Lin Mo’s strength, he had already reached the third level of the Essence Qi Realm.
He was vastly stronger than Xu Feng.
“You are not my match. I simply cannot stand your constant grandstanding.” Lin Mo said as he slowly shook his head, showing no intention of stepping onto the stage.
“Are you afraid you will end up like Xu Feng and Hu Ming?” Li Yun asked with a smile.
Lin Mo remained calm and continued to shake his head. “It is not fear. I simply disdain lowering myself.”
Li Yun’s eyes turned cold. “If you are unwilling to come down and fight, then what right do you have to comment on me? If a cultivator at the third level of the Essence Qi Realm does not even dare challenge someone at the fourth level of the Qi Sea Realm, then you might as well call yourself trash.”
A chill instantly flashed through Lin Mo’s eyes.
“You are trying to provoke me.”
Li Yun shrugged lightly. “You are not worthy of being provoked by me, because I do not consider you an opponent.”
He then glanced around the summit with open indifference.
“In my eyes, everyone here is an ant. You are simply a slightly larger ant than the rest.”
The moment those words fell, many expressions changed.
“Good. Very good.” Lin Mo said in a low voice as anger began to rise within him. “Since you wish to taste defeat so badly, I shall grant that wish myself.”
With a single step, he leapt down from the pavilion and landed upon the combat stage.
The instant his feet touched the ground, his aura changed completely.
He became sharp like a drawn sword and biting like the edge of a blade. Even the folds of his clothing seemed to carry killing force. A fierce and refined intent spread through the air, making nearby disciples instinctively tense.
“I wonder how Li Yun intends to win this time. Lin Mo is known as the Azure Cloud Swordsman. His strength is second only to the geniuses of the Hidden Dragon Ranking. He is nothing like Xu Feng or Hu Ming.”
“Of course he is not comparable to them. Xu Feng is only within the top five of his sect, while Hu Ming can barely rank seventh. Lin Mo is the second-ranked true disciple of Cloud Stream Sect. His strength is terrifying.”
“More importantly, he is a swordsman. Their battle prowess is always exceptional. Aside from the geniuses on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, I do not think anyone here can defeat him.”
“Let us watch carefully. I only hope Lin Mo finishes Li Yun within a few moves. I am tired of seeing that arrogant face.”
Expectations for Lin Mo rose immediately across the summit.
Even Xin Lu’s expression relaxed somewhat. With Lin Mo stepping forward, the matter was nearly certain in his eyes.
Among those present, Lin Mo was one of the very few people Xin Lu truly acknowledged. Other than himself, only the Hidden Dragon Ranking giants could reliably suppress him.