Breakthrough on the Brink Surrender

"Take this!"

Han Feng stopped probing and accelerated, launching a full-force attack!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out endlessly.

Logically, with a gap of half a major realm, Han Feng's full-force attacks should have easily crushed Li Tianxing, even if he couldn't instantly kill him.

But as the fight went on, Han Feng's expression grew increasingly ugly.

No matter how fast he was, Li Tianxing always dodged at the perfect moment or blocked with his sword.

It wasn't a panicked evasion; it was a calm, effortless dodge, as if he knew exactly where Han Feng was going to strike.

Han Tieyi's expression gradually turned solemn.

This Li Tianxing didn't have Su Wanqing's terrifying speed, but he was even more bizarre!

His attacks seemed fierce, yet they couldn't even touch the corner of Li Tianxing's clothes.

"Something's wrong!" Han Tieyi muttered to himself in a low voice, his face growing serious.

"This Li Tianxing... his speed might not match Su Wanqing's, but his combat intuition is terrifying!"

"He can actually see through Han Feng's moves!"

Indeed.

Li Tianxing's "Micro-Insight" trait was being utilized to its fullest potential at this moment.

In his eyes, Han Feng's every movement was slowed down countless times.

He could clearly see the contraction of Han Feng's muscles, the turning of his wrist, and could even predict exactly where his next sword thrust would land.

This feeling was simply like having a god's-eye view.

The surrounding bystanders were absolutely thrilled by the spectacle.

"My God! This is amazing!"

"Li Tianxing is insane! He's fighting a peak Foundation Establishment expert head-on with just a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation!"

"It's a back-and-forth battle! I don't see Han Feng gaining any advantage at all!"

"Yeah! Look at Han Feng, he's getting anxious. He's been fighting for so long and hasn't even touched a single hair on the guy!"

"Are the disciples of the Tianyan Sect all monsters? Each one is fiercer than the last!"

"Looks like the Han family is going to lose!"

...

Sure enough, as the battle progressed, Li Tianxing began his counterattack.

Seizing a flaw in Han Feng's defense, he thrust his longsword straight toward Han Feng's throat.

Han Feng turned pale with fright and hastily leaned back. He dodged it by a hair's breadth, but the sword qi still left a bloody gash on his neck.

Immediately after, Li Tianxing unleashed several more strikes, each one lethal, forcing Han Feng to retreat again and again in a sorry state.

One sword strike even brushed right past Han Feng's heart, nearly sealing his fate with a single blow.

Han Feng was completely desperate!

He couldn't lose!

Han Qing had already lost. If he lost too, the Han family would be utterly defeated.

In a best-of-three match, if the Tianyan Sect won two in a row, the third round wouldn't even need to be fought!

Han Feng gritted his teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly took a step back and let out a long howl toward the sky!

"Ahhh——!!"

An aura far more majestic than before erupted violently from his body!

Golden spiritual energy soared into the sky, forming a massive pillar of light!

The surrounding air began to tremble violently.

"What!!"

The entire crowd was in an uproar once again!

"Golden Core! He's breaking through to the Golden Core realm!"

"A breakthrough in the middle of a battle!"

"My God! This is too ridiculous! Breaking through while fighting?"

"Breaking through from peak Foundation Establishment to Golden Core right on the battlefield... how is Li Tianxing supposed to fight that?"

"The difference between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment is like heaven and earth!"

"It's over, the Tianyan Sect is going to lose..."

...

The surrounding rogue cultivators shook their heads and sighed. Some felt pity, some gloated, and others nervously clenched their fists.

Han Feng's aura continued to climb. The bottleneck of the peak Foundation Establishment realm broke like a burst dam. Spiritual energy surged out, and the aura of the early Golden Core stage grew increasingly dense.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth rushed madly toward him, forming a massive vortex above his head.

A smile finally appeared on Han Tieyi's face, followed by a hint of regret.

He glanced at Han Feng, who was still in the midst of breaking through, and then at Lin Yan on the stone throne, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

He smiled because, with Han Feng's mid-battle breakthrough, this round was already a sure win.

Han Feng's foundation was already solid. He had just been suppressing his breakthrough, wanting to polish himself at the peak Foundation Establishment stage for a few more years.

Now, being forced into a corner had actually become his fortuitous encounter.

The regret was that if Han Feng had polished himself for another two or three years, his foundation would have been even more stable, allowing him to go further in the Golden Core realm in the future.

Breaking through hastily now left a bit to be desired.

Still, winning was what mattered.

Han Tieyi turned around and cupped his hands toward Lin Yan. "Senior, breaking through in the middle of a battle is not considered breaking the rules. The Three Realms Martial Tournament is all about relying on one's own abilities!"

"In this old man's opinion, Senior should just concede. Once Han Feng fully breaks through and injures your noble sect's disciple, it won't look good."

Lin Yan leaned back on his stone throne, legs crossed, looking at Han Feng whose aura was steadily rising in the arena, and gave a slight nod.

Being able to break through in battle was the opponent's own ability. If you have the skill, you break through too, right?

He wasn't a sore loser.

"Tianxing, come back."

Li Tianxing's body stiffened for a moment.

He took a deep breath, sheathed his sword, and turned to walk back into the crowd.

What no one noticed was the flash of gratitude in Li Tianxing's eyes.

The Sect Master didn't force him to throw his life away just for the sake of so-called face!

A Foundation Establishment cultivator fighting a Golden Core cultivator was indeed no different from suicide.

Li Tianxing had originally prepared himself to fight to the death. Even if he died, he wouldn't let the sect lose its momentum.

But unexpectedly, the Sect Master just told him to come back.

Without the slightest hesitation!

The Tianyan Sect... is truly wonderful!

[Ding! Detected a significant increase in outer disciple Li Tianxing's favorability. Loyalty +5%]

Lin Yan glanced at Li Tianxing, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

This guy's loyalty had reached 78%. He would soon be able to extract another trait!

On the opposite side, Han Tieyi also smiled.

They had finally won a round!

With Han Feng winning this round, the score was one win and one loss. It all came down to the final Golden Core battle.

Han Yue was at the late Golden Core stage, while the opponent was only at the early Golden Core stage. How could they possibly fight?

The further one progressed in cultivation, the greater the gap between minor realms!

In the arena, Han Feng's aura was still climbing.

The spiritual energy vortex grew larger and larger, drawing in the spiritual energy from miles around. The sky darkened as dark clouds gathered from all directions.

Lightning flashed within the clouds, and streaks of purple thunder rolled, emitting deafening roars.

"Golden Core Lightning Tribulation! It's the Golden Core Lightning Tribulation!"

"Heavens, I actually get to witness a Golden Core Lightning Tribulation with my own eyes!"

"This trip wasn't in vain! It was worth it!"

"To actually witness the birth of a Golden Core Ancestor!"

Some people shouted excitedly.

For these lowly rogue cultivators, being able to witness a Golden Core Lightning Tribulation with their own eyes was already a tremendous fortuitous encounter.

Everyone held their breath, looking up at the sky, waiting to see the spectacular sight of the lightning striking down.

Han Tieyi bowed with cupped hands to Lin Yan and said politely, "Senior, why don't we wait for Han Feng to finish undergoing his lightning tribulation before we proceed with the final Golden Core battle?"

Lin Yan leaned back on his throne, looking at the lightning brewing in the sky, and suddenly let out a chuckle.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but every single person present heard it loud and clear.

"Breakthroughs are not permitted in this place!"

As his words fell, the world changed color!

More accurately, the changing world was forcibly brought to a halt.

The rolling, roaring dark clouds were suddenly stopped in their tracks, as if pressed down by an invisible giant hand.

Those purple thunderbolts that were poised to strike also vanished silently, like candles having their flames snuffed out.

In the span of a single breath, the dark clouds covering the sky completely dispersed, and the roaring thunder came to an abrupt halt.

The sky cleared once more, and warm sunlight cascaded down as if nothing had ever happened.

A deathly silence fell over the crowd.

Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.

They craned their necks to stare up at the boundless, cloudless sky, their mouths hanging open wide enough to fit a fist inside.

"Where... where is the lightning tribulation?"