Chapter 111: Three Years’ Priority

The golden-blue flame that had previously appeared elegant and beautiful suddenly became violent.

Strange marks began appearing across the arena floor.

One after another, hundreds of complex lines rapidly spread across the stone surface, connecting with one another and forming an enormous pattern beneath Long Feng’s feet.

The golden-blue light flowing through those lines grew brighter with every passing moment, and an oppressive aura slowly began rising from beneath the arena.

Long Feng’s instincts immediately screamed danger.

’What is this?’

He narrowed his eyes and quickly circulated his spiritual energy. Across from him, Han Tianyu’s condition was already terrible.

Blood flowed from his nose and the corners of his eyes, while his face had become pale from exhausting nearly all of his spiritual energy.

Yet despite his injuries, a faint smile remained on his face.

"Long Feng..."

His voice was hoarse, but there was an unmistakable trace of excitement within it.

"You thought you had already won? This is a technique passed down by my ancestor. Let me see how will you bear this?"

The expressions of the Azura Heaven Sect elders immediately changed.

"What?"

"Could it be... Han Tianyu actually learned that technique?"

One of the elders abruptly stood from his seat, staring at the arena in disbelief as they recognized the technique.

It was one of the signature techniques of the Elder who stood behind Han Tianyu’s lineage.

On the opposite side, an elder from the Vermilion Flame Sect couldn’t hide the pride in his expression.

"Han Tianyu’s talent is truly extraordinary. Although he has only grasped a portion of the technique, that is already more than enough for his current cultivation."

On the arena, Han Tianyu suddenly raised both hands.

His eyes were filled with determination.

"Burn!"

BOOM!

The entire arena erupted.

Golden-blue flames shot upward from the countless marks carved into the stone floor. They rose like enormous pillars of fire before rapidly spreading in every direction.

In the blink of an eye, the entire arena was swallowed by a terrifying sea of flames. The golden-blue fire surged into the sky, completely engulfing Long Feng’s figure.

The spectators cried out in shock.

"Long Feng! Get back!"

"That attack is too powerful!"

Even the elders watching from the platform became serious.

Han Tianyu’s body trembled violently, yet he continued staring at the enormous sea of flames with an almost obsessive expression.

’He’s dead.’

’He has to be.’

He had used everything he had left.

This was the strongest technique he could currently unleash.

The golden-blue flames continued burning for several moments before gradually weakening. The violent fire began to disappear, and thick smoke slowly spread across the arena.

The spectators stared at the center of the battlefield, waiting to see the result.

As the smoke slowly dispersed, a figure gradually appeared.

Long Feng was still standing. His robes had been burned in several places, and there were traces of dust across his body, but apart from that, he wasn’t heavily injured.

The entire arena fell silent. Han Tianyu’s pupils contracted violently.

"Impossible..."

Long Feng slowly lowered his head and looked at his damaged robe. He brushed away a little ash before raising his gaze toward Han Tianyu.

"You almost ruined my clothes."

His calm voice echoed throughout the silent arena.

Everyone was still trying to comprehend what they were seeing.

Han Tianyu had already used the strongest technique he could currently unleash, yet Long Feng was still standing.

What Han Tianyu didn’t know was that the instant the golden-blue flames had completely surrounded him, Long Feng had opened the Chaos Swallowing Cauldron.

The terrifying flame energy that should have burned through his defenses and severely injured his body had instead been swallowed and absorbed by the black cauldron.

Long Feng slowly began walking forward. Each step echoed clearly through the silent arena.

Han Tianyu tried to stand. His arms trembled as he pushed himself upward, but his body had already exhausted almost all of its strength.

Bang!

A powerful kick struck Han Tianyu directly in the chest. His body flew backward like a broken kite.

BOOM!

He crossed the boundary of the arena and crashed heavily onto the ground outside. Dust rose into the air.

For several seconds, the referee simply stared at the scene. Then he finally recovered and raised his hand.

His voice echoed throughout the entire arena.

"The winner of this battle is... Long Feng of the Azura Heaven Sect!"

The eastern side of the arena erupted immediately.

"AZURA HEAVEN SECT WINS!"

"We won!"

"Hahaha! We actually won!"

The Azura Heaven Sect disciples became completely excited.

Li Qiang clenched both fists and shouted in excitement. Zhi Yuan also smiled broadly, while several other disciples began cheering and celebrating around them.

Even Elder Wei, who had maintained a calm expression throughout the competition, couldn’t hide the relief in his eyes.

He slowly stood from his seat and looked toward the disciples of both sects.

"Today’s competition is over."

His voice immediately silenced the surrounding cheers.

"The final result is clear. The Azura Heaven Sect has defeated the Vermilion Flame Sect and will obtain priority over the resources of Blazing Flame Mountain for the next three years."

Another wave of cheers erupted from the Azura side, while the Vermilion Flame Sect disciples remained silent.

After allowing the excitement to settle, Elder Wei looked toward Long Feng, Li Qiang, and Zhi Yuan.

"You three have fought enough for today. You’ve all sustained injuries, and continuing to force yourselves will only damage your foundations."

He reached into his storage ring and took out three jade bottles.

"These are Rank Five Healing Pills. Take one each and return to your residence to recover."

"Rank Five Healing Pills?"

Long Feng, Li Qiang, and Zhi Yuan were all slightly surprised. Even for inner disciples, Rank Five pills were valuable resources.

Elder Wei waved his hand. "You earned them. Don’t stand around staring at them. Go back and rest."

The three disciples immediately nodded.

"Thank you, Elder Wei."

Elder Wei then looked toward the three of them seriously.

"Tomorrow morning, gather here. We will return to the sect."

"Understood."

After saying goodbye to the elders, the three disciples left the arena together. The battle had finally come to an end.

Night had already fallen over the temporary residence of the Vermilion Flame Sect.

The disciples who had spent the entire day watching the battles had returned to their rooms, while the elders had gathered in different courtyards to discuss the results of the competition.

However, inside one particular room, the atmosphere was far from peaceful.

Bang!

A teacup smashed against the wall, fragments scattered across the floor.

Han Tianyu stood in the middle of the room, his face dark and gloomy.

His hands were tightly clenched, and his breathing remained slightly heavy despite having already recovered from his injuries.

The scene from the arena continued replaying inside his mind. Every time he remembered that moment, anger surged through his chest.

"Damn it..." Han Tianyu gritted his teeth.

"I was supposed to win. How did I still lose?"

"Tianyu, you should calm down." A gentle voice came from nearby.

Han Tianyu turned his head and saw Shen Yao sitting several steps away.

She had already changed out of her battle clothes and was wearing a simple Vermilion Flame Sect robe. Although there was still some tiredness in her eyes after the day’s battles, her expression remained calm.

She glanced at the broken teacup on the floor before looking back at him.

"Getting angry won’t change the result."

"How can I calm down?"

Han Tianyu let out a bitter laugh.

"You don’t understand."

Han Tianyu’s expression darkened.

"I prepared for this competition for so long."

"I wanted everyone to know that I am not merely the descendant of an Elder."

"I wanted to prove that I have the ability to become a True Disciple or even more..."

Shen Yao didn’t interrupt him.

She knew how much effort Han Tianyu had put into today’s battle, so she understood why he was struggling to accept the result.

But before she could say anything, the door suddenly opened and an elderly man walked into the room.

He was one of the elders of the Vermilion Flame Sect who had come to oversee the competition.

His expression was calm and composed. There was no anger in his eyes, only a trace of helplessness.

The moment Han Tianyu saw him, his expression became slightly complicated.

"Elder."

Both of them immediently stood and bowed respectfully.

The elder nodded before his gaze fell briefly toward the broken teacup on the floor. He didn’t comment on it. Instead, he looked toward Han Tianyu.

"How are your injuries now?"

"I’m fine." Han Tianyu answered quietly.

The elder nodded. "That’s good."

Shen Yao looked between the two of them and understood immediately. This elder clearly had something he wanted to discuss privately with Han Tianyu.

"Tianyu, you should rest."

She stood up and gave the elder a respectful bow.

"Elder, I’ll leave first."

The elder waited until Shen Yao was completely gone before looking at Han Tianyu.

"Sit down."

Han Tianyu reluctantly sat down.

The elder took the seat opposite him. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Finally, the elder sighed.

"It looks like today’s loss isn’t a bad thing for you."

"Uncle...." Han Tianyu’s expression became slightly ugly. Since they were alone, he didn’t bother to hide their secret relations.

No one knew that such high profile elder of Vermilion Flame sect was actually his uncle.

In reality, the elder was not Han Tianyu’s biological uncle. He had once received guidance from Han Tianyu’s grandfather and had been treated like a junior member of the family ever since.

Because of their close relationship, Han Tianyu privately addressed him as "Uncle."