Chapter 39: The Mysterious Ling Zhan

"Ling Zhan? I haven't heard of him either," Mo Yan shook his head, confirming that the name was unfamiliar to him.

Xiao Chen, standing beside him, chuckled, "Hehe, it seems he's like me, from somewhere else."

"Xiao Chen, I have a strange feeling about this Ling Zhan," the Ancient White Tiger transmitted his thoughts. The tone of his voice suggested he wasn't joking.

"Yes, Ling Zhan's attire is made of high-quality fabric, which isn't available in Tian Du," Xiao Chen nodded, scrutinizing Ling Zhan closely.

"I'm not talking about his clothes, you fool!" the Ancient White Tiger roared.

"If not that, then what?" Xiao Chen asked, puzzled.

"I'm talking about Ling Zhan's aura. He has an evil presence within him! Though it's well-hidden, it can't escape the senses of us divine beasts!" the Ancient White Tiger conveyed.

"An evil presence? Are you saying Ling Zhan is a bad person?" Xiao Chen asked in surprise, finding it hard to believe that a young boy could be evil.

"I'm not saying he's a bad person. I'm saying he possesses an evil power within him. He might not be bad now, but who knows what he will become as he grows up," the Ancient White Tiger explained.

"Whatever, bad or good, it has nothing to do with me," Xiao Chen shrugged, showing no concern.

Not only did the Ancient White Tiger notice something off about Ling Zhan, but even the powerful individuals in the pavilion seemed to sense something. Liu Yuntian was the first to frown and say, "Who is this Ling Zhan? Such a young age, yet he has a faint evil aura within him."

"He's well-hidden. I can't discern his cultivation! This kid is not simple!" Su Wanlin, the Su family head, also frowned, his face serious.

"Master, could it be that the young master is…" A master from the Ge family expressed concern, but swallowed the rest of his words.

Ge Xiong, the Ge family head, responded with a heavy expression, "Let's observe further. Tianming is not weak."

On the platform, the judge had already announced the start of the match. However, Ge Tianming didn't make a move, nor did Ling Zhan. Ling Zhan wore a faint, cold smile, appearing unhurried, and Ge Tianming mirrored this composure, as if both were waiting for the other to strike first.

"What's going on? Why haven't they started fighting yet?" After a long silence, impatience grew among the spectators.

As time passed, Ge Tianming began to lose patience and couldn't help but shout, "Hey, aren't you going to make a move? If you don't, you might not get the chance later."

Ling Zhan just smiled coldly, saying nothing, his eyes showing contempt. He beckoned Ge Tianming with a gesture, his arrogance evident.

"What an arrogant guy, even more so than Liu Feng!" Xiao Chen remarked, his face showing slight seriousness. Ling Zhan's gaze was all too familiar, reminding Xiao Chen of the times in Feng Yue City, stirring a bit of anger within him—not because of Ling Zhan, but because of the past memories it brought back.

Feeling belittled, Ge Tianming, the young master of the Ge family, could not tolerate such disdain. "Bastard!" he cursed, his inner energy surging rapidly, unleashing the formidable power of a late Nascent Realm cultivator.

"Hiss!"

The crowd gasped in shock at the overwhelming power emanating from Ge Tianming. They were stunned and speechless.

"How impressive! The Ge family's young master has reached the late Nascent Realm!" a cultivator exclaimed, visibly shaken.

"To reach the late Nascent Realm at such a young age, the genius of Tian Du is truly terrifying!"

"Look! The Ge family's young master has unleashed his full power in an instant! Ling Zhan must have a death wish to underestimate him like this!"

"Let's see how I turn you into a pig-headed fool!" Ge Tianming roared in fury, stomping the ground and propelling himself rapidly towards Ling Zhan, the force creating cracks on the platform.

Ling Zhan paid no heed to the spectators' remarks. As he watched the furious Ge Tianming charge at him, his cold smile only deepened, his expression mocking, like a strong man watching a weakling's futile struggle.

Ge Tianming's speed and explosiveness were astonishing, reaching Ling Zhan in mere breaths. He jumped, his fist, brimming with power, aimed squarely at Ling Zhan.

"Bang!"

Ling Zhan remained calm, unflinching, the cold smile still on his face, which irritated everyone who saw it. But as Ge Tianming's fist approached, Ling Zhan swiftly countered. With a loud thud, his right hand caught Ge Tianming's fist. Despite Ge Tianming's immense strength, Ling Zhan didn't budge an inch!

"What?" Ge Tianming was shocked by how effortlessly Ling Zhan blocked his punch.

The spectators were equally astonished. At the youth division platform, silence reigned as all eyes were glued to the boy named Ling Zhan.

"This guy must be in the Golden Core stage!" Xiao Chen frowned, realizing that only someone in the Golden Core stage could block a full-strength attack from a late Nascent Realm cultivator so easily.

"How powerful! He hasn't even used his inner energy yet! Xiao Chen, this guy might be a formidable rival for you!" the Ancient White Tiger transmitted, equally shocked.

"The Ge family's young master's attack was easily blocked by that boy!"

"This can't be real! How did he block it?"

"Did I see that right? The Ge family's young master is a genius!"

As the crowd was engrossed in their discussions, Ling Zhan finally spoke, slowly releasing his grip on Ge Tianming's fist. Ling Zhan sneered, "Is this all the strength of one of Tian Du's three great geniuses? How disappointing."

"Impressive! Who is this Ling Zhan?" Liu Feng frowned, equally puzzled and secretly astonished by Ling Zhan's strength.

"This guy is extraordinary! And he hasn't even used his inner energy yet!" Su Gutian's expression also turned serious.

"Damn it! You bastard!" Humiliated by Ling Zhan, Ge Tianming was enraged. Clenching his teeth, he launched another attack.

"Bang!"

But this time, Ling Zhan also attacked, faster than Ge Tianming. The latter's expression changed rapidly, turning his attack into defense. However, he underestimated Ling Zhan's power. With a loud bang, Ling Zhan's punch forced Ge Tianming to retreat several meters despite using both palms to block it.

"How is this possible?" Ge Tianming looked at Ling Zhan in shock, unable to believe his incredible strength.

"This can't be real! Since when did Tian Du have such a powerful boy named Ling Zhan? He just repelled the Ge family's young master with one punch!" Mo Yan exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"So fast!" Xiao Chen's face grew slightly more serious.

"What do you mean by fast?" the Ancient White Tiger asked, confused.

"Ling Zhan has already activated his inner energy, but it was so quick, it disappeared in an instant," Xiao Chen explained. Though fleeting, he had sensed it, and a surge of battle intent rose within him.

In the pavilion, the heads and experts of the three great families couldn't remain seated any longer. They stood up in shock. Ge Xiong, astonished, said, "He's in the Golden Core stage! Who is this Ling Zhan?"

"What a remarkable young man, his strength might be on par with Feng'er," Liu Yuntian remarked, equally astonished.

"This boy named Ling Zhan isn't from Tian Du. If not from here, then having such formidable cultivation at this age, he might be a disciple of a major force on the Tian Yue continent," Su Wanlin speculated, eyeing Ling Zhan intently.

On the square, after repelling Ge Tianming, Ling Zhan sneered, "Your strength is too weak, unable to withstand even one punch from me. I suggest you surrender, or else you'll be too ashamed to show your face after I beat you."

"Damn it! Who is this Ling Zhan? He's going too far!" Su Gutian fumed. Ling Zhan's humiliating words made him want to rush onto the platform himself.

"Calm down! It's beneath you! Stay composed!" Liu Feng sternly stopped the furious Su Gutian.

"Wind Shadow Technique! Ice Technique! Ice Palm!" Ge Tianming, his face dark with rage, emitted a chilling killing intent, his inner energy surging wildly. He quickly formed hand seals, unleashing a powerful icy force.

"An ice-attribute Mysterious-level technique, huh? Hmph!" Ling Zhan scoffed, showing no fear.

Ge Tianming charged with a ferocity like a raging wolf, his speed doubled from before. In a flash, he appeared before Ling Zhan, his palm striking down with great force.

"Not bad, your speed and strength have increased!" Ling Zhan sneered, lightly tapping the ground with his toes, leaping high to avoid Ge Tianming's attack.

"Icy Limit!" At this moment, Ge Tianming's hands shifted again, his powerful inner energy surged. Around him, dozens of icy swords formed, shooting rapidly at Ling Zhan in the air.

The dazzling display left the spectators in awe, stunned by Ge Tianming's formidable attack. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the icy swords.

But in the next moment, they were even more shocked. As Ge Tianming's icy swords were about to hit Ling Zhan, his figure ascended higher, the icy swords passing just below him.

"Golden Core stage!" Seeing this, Ge Tianming finally understood. His opponent was in the Golden Core stage, explaining his incredible strength and why he couldn't even touch him.

"It's indeed the Golden Core stage! And he's mastered flying techniques!" Xiao Chen was also taken aback.

"Hiss!"

The crowd gasped again, their eyes nearly popping out. Their expressions were incredibly varied, displaying shock and disbelief.

"My god! A Golden Core stage cultivator in the youth division! This is the first time!"