After breaking through, Ling Mu laughed heartily. He felt that he was capable again. So what if Ling Hao became stronger? He had also become stronger, and everything was still under his control.

Seeing this, Ling Yunbo felt relieved. Like father, like son; he was indeed his good son. He subconsciously observed Ling Yunfei's reaction.

As he expected, Ling Yunfei's reaction was exactly the opposite of his; his previous joy turned into worry.

Lin Lie, the sect leader of the Burning Heaven Sect, offered his congratulations to Ling Yunbo.

"Brother Yunbo is indeed a good father. His son was able to break through in the heat of battle. He is truly gifted and has a bright future ahead of him."

Lin Xu also flattered, saying, "Congratulations, Uncle Yunbo, with such a promising son, the Ling family's future is bright."

"Yes, Brother Yunbo, your son has a bright future ahead of him."

"Congratulations, Brother Ling."

Many people followed suit and started flattering him.

Ling Yunbo waved his hand modestly, "Hehe, you two are too kind. Mu'er is still far from being good enough and doesn't deserve such praise, haha."

He spoke modestly, but he was overjoyed inside; anyone with eyes could see that he was very happy.

Ling Yunfei was displeased to see his elder brother getting so close to the people from the Burning Heaven Sect and chatting so happily.

Ling Yuwei tensed up when she saw Ling Mu suddenly advance in rank. She was already quite nervous, but now she was even more nervous.

She looked at Qin Feng, somewhat at a loss, "What do we do now? Ling Mu has broken through, the previously evenly matched situation has been broken, and the scales of victory have tipped in Ling Mu's favor."

Qin Feng remained calm and expressionless, saying lightly, "Don't underestimate Ling Hao; this might be an opportunity for him."

Ling Yuwei was shocked and stared at Qin Feng in disbelief. If Qin Feng hadn't enlightened her to comprehend sword intent, she would have thought he had gone mad.

"You mean Xiao Hao might be able to go even further and comprehend sword intent?"

"How is this possible? I'm only at the early Nascent Soul stage and I've just barely grasped it. Xiao Hao is only at the mid-Golden Core stage. The difference is just too great."

Qin Feng nodded calmly.

"Why not? I've told you before, sword intent is actually very simple."

When your will is strong enough, and when you have enough faith in the sword in your hand, you and the sword become one, resonating with each other, and then the essence of swordsmanship can be born.

Ling Yuwei thought Qin Feng's words made a lot of sense, but she still couldn't believe it; it seemed a bit like a fantasy.

Qin Feng hadn't mentioned that he had comprehended sword intent during his Foundation Establishment stage, otherwise he would have scared her to death.

On the battle platform.

He looked at Ling Hao with a mocking expression, "I really have to thank you for helping me break through. You're doomed to lose."

As Ling Mu's opponent, Ling Hao clearly sensed the change in Ling Mu's cultivation level, and he glanced at Ling Mu in surprise.

He wasn't panicked; on the contrary, he was somewhat expectant. Perhaps under this pressure, he could truly glimpse the mysteries of sword intent.

Ling Hao was brimming with fighting spirit, his eyes shining as he looked at Ling Mu.

Ling Mu felt very uncomfortable being stared at by him. He had clearly broken through, but Ling Hao wasn't afraid at all, which made him very unhappy and gave him a sense of frustration at having broken through for nothing.

"Hmph, let's see how long you can keep up your stubbornness. Let me beat you down first."

Having advanced to the late Golden Core stage, Ling Mu possessed an even stronger aura, deeper spiritual power, and a significant increase in strength.

Spiritual energy surged into the spirit sword in his hand, and the sword light shone like a rainbow as it thrust towards Ling Hao.

With the spiritual power of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, Ling Mu's sword strike was a step up in both speed and power compared to before.

As the referee, Ling Yunbo sensed the terrifying power contained in Ling Mu's sword strike and broke out in a cold sweat for Ling Hao. In order to ensure Ling Hao's personal safety, he was prepared to intervene at any time.

Ling Hao stared intently at the incoming rainbow, gripping his spirit sword tightly. At this moment, all he could rely on was his three-foot-long blade.

He was in a wondrous state of perfect harmony with his sword, and with a feeling of tension and excitement, he thrust his sword forward at the tip of Ling Mu's sword.

Clang.

The two spirit swords clashed and separated instantly.

Ling Mu took half a step back, while Ling Hao took more than ten steps back; it was obvious who was superior.

However, Ling Mu was not satisfied with this. His cultivation level was slightly higher than Ling Hao's, and he had just unleashed his full power, yet he had failed to defeat Ling Hao, only managing to force him back. He was very dissatisfied.

Ling Yunbo clearly shared the same thought and was also dissatisfied.

On the other hand, Ling Hao, although he was forced to retreat, had a gleam in his eyes.

He seemed to have glimpsed the mystery of sword intent for a fleeting moment, but that wonderful feeling vanished in an instant, and he didn't grasp it, which was a bit of a pity.

Ling Hao couldn't help but look at Ling Mu with longing eyes, and that shining gaze made Ling Mu very uncomfortable.

Ling Mu was absolutely furious. Ling Hao's reaction was all wrong. Even if he hadn't managed to take down Ling Hao, he was still in the dominant position.

Ling Hao's reaction made it seem as if he had lost the competition just now.

Ling Hao ignored Ling Mu's thoughts; he was full of fighting spirit and shouted at Ling Mu, "Again!"

Ling Mu's expression turned even uglier.

Ling Hao added, "Use your full strength, preferably even stronger than before."

Ling Mu was so angry he laughed.

"Haha, good, good, Ling Hao, you've really made something of yourself. Even though you're at a disadvantage, you act like you have a huge advantage. I'll do my best to satisfy you."

Ling Yunbo looked at Ling Hao strangely. Today's Ling Hao was a little different from the one he remembered. He was a bit crazy and a bit stubborn, but he liked him very much.

Ling Yunfei also looked at his son strangely; Ling Hao's behavior was very unusual.

Ling Yuwei glanced at Ling Hao, then turned to look at Qin Feng, and said with some surprise and uncertainty, "Qin Feng, could it be that Xiao Hao's actions were right?"

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