Roars and cries rolled through the Hundred Battles Arena like thunder crashing over the sea. The cheers rose higher and higher, rattling the banners along the fortress walls. The name Ling Feng would soon spread through every hall of Tianmang Fortress and echo far across all of Nanjiang! Li Qing and Wang Meng were the first to land on the stage. Sun Boce, the adviser, followed close behind. Beside him came Su Dongling, known to all as the Empire's Top Poison Master. Together they stepped toward Ling Feng, who still stood alone at the center of the ring. The noise died away. Even these king-tier experts could not hide the shock in their eyes. Ling Feng's monstrous talent had shaken them all. "Greetings, Adviser! Greetings, General Wang! Greetings, General Li!" All around, the soldiers dropped to one knee and bowed in salute. Each one was among Tianmang's finest, the pride of the fortress. Yet in front of these veteran commanders, respect had to be shown. Only Ling Feng stood straight as ever. He met Sun Boce's gaze and gave a small nod. By rank, he too wore the title of general. There was no need for him to bow. Li Qing and Wang Meng traded a glance. They both admired Ling Feng's strength, but they knew who he answered to. Jingwang's mark was clear. The praise they had on their lips stayed there. Until the Commander-in-Chief made his move, they dared not speak too freely. One wrong word, one wrong step, and they would stand alone. Sun Boce stepped closer and offered Ling Feng a fist-and-palm salute. A faint smile touched his face. "General Ling, you are indeed remarkable. By the fortress rules, the Commander-in-Chief will meet you himself and grant you your reward." Ling Feng raised an eyebrow. This Hundred-Man Challenge had already filled his pockets well enough with just that Supreme Black Diamond Card. He cared little for whatever Yuan Tiangang still planned to give him. But he did wonder how Yuan Tiangang would look when he heard Ling Feng had claimed the title "King of a Hundred Battles". "Then thank the Commander-in-Chief for me." He drew a slow breath. Now that the battle was done, fatigue washed over him all at once. His legs nearly gave way. Before he could steady himself, his body wavered. Su Dongling stepped forward in a flash and caught him by the arm, laughing as he did. "Good. Very good." Ling Feng stared at the old man, puzzled. He was certain they had never met, yet Su Dongling's eyes held a strange hint of familiarity. "Senior, you are...?" Su Dongling stroked his long beard and chuckled. "What, boy? I gave you the Classic Formula of Ten-thousand Poisons. Don't tell me you've forgotten me already." "The Classic Formula of Ten-thousand Poisons?" Ling Feng's eyes twitched as memory returned. They had never met face to face, but Su Qingxuan had passed him that secret text in Su Dongling's name. "You're Mentor Su's father... the Empire's Top Poison Master... Master Su?" Ling Feng blurted out. "Hah! So you do have some sense of gratitude." Su Dongling laughed, nodding. "At least I didn't pass my life's work to an ungrateful whelp." Li Qing and Wang Meng exchanged glances once more. They had not known there was such a tie between Su Dongling and Ling Feng. No wonder the old master looked so pleased with him. "I never had the chance to thank you in person," Ling Feng said. This time he bowed low. "The Classic Formula of Ten-thousand Poisons is full of secrets. I have gained much from it." "Forget the thanks. If Yan Cangtian hadn't snatched you up first, I'd have taken you as my own student long ago." Su Dongling let out another hearty laugh and gave Ling Feng a look filled with hidden meaning, like an elder measuring up a future son-in-law. "Well, now it's about the same." Ling Feng froze for a heartbeat, not quite following his intent, but forced a faint smile. "Senior flatters me." "For that attitude, you deserve a gift." Su Dongling laughed again. He drew out a small stone that glowed faintly, then pressed it into Ling Feng's palm. "This is the Flame-Refining Divine Stone, a rare treasure fallen from the stars. It's yours now." Wang Meng's mouth twitched when he saw it. So that old fox Su Dongling had planned this from the start, handing over something so precious right under his nose. "The Flame-Refining Divine Stone?" Ling Feng's eyelid twitched. As an alchemist, he had heard the tales. These stones were shards of fallen stars, holding power and laws not of this world. Refined into pills, they brought fortune beyond measure. Forged into metal, they could become divine weapons. "Senior, this is too valuable. I cannot accept it." Ling Feng lifted his hands in refusal. "You called me Senior. So take it." Su Dongling pushed the stone firmly into Ling Feng's hand, leaving no room for argument. Off to the side, Wang Meng felt his heart clench. He had fought tooth and nail for that stone, only to watch it land in someone else's pocket just like that. Wang Meng's eyes turned cold as ice. His gaze snapped to his last disciple, Jian Wuchen. This useless brat could not even take one strike from Ling Feng, and now he had cost him a treasure worth more than gold. Out in the crowd, Jian Wuchen was still chatting with his comrades about what it felt like to face Ling Feng's blade when a sudden chill crawled down his back. He shivered, puzzled, never knowing that his master had already cursed him in secret. Ling Feng knew there was no use refusing again. He accepted the Divine Stone and quietly made note of this debt. High up in the stands, a girl in green-robes watched Ling Feng with bright eyes. She let out a soft laugh. "Ling Feng, you really are an interesting man!" Then she slipped through the crowd and vanished without a trace. Too drained to stay any longer, Ling Feng left without a word. With Jiang Xiaofan and the others at his side, he returned to camp. The moment he lay down, sleep swallowed him whole. Inside the command tent, Yuan Tiangang and his generals were busy laying out their next moves. For now, he had put Ling Feng's challenge out of mind. In Yuan Tiangang's eyes, Ling Feng might have had some talent, but if the boy managed ten or twenty wins, that alone would have been impressive enough. He had not given it another thought. So when Sun Boce returned with his report, Yuan Tiangang was caught completely off guard. "You mean to tell me Ling Feng defeated every opponent in the Hundred Battles Arena with a single move, won ninety-nine matches straight, and finished off Linghu Yudao even while exhausted?" Yuan Tiangang could hardly believe it. He knew exactly how strong Linghu Yudao was. That man was half his disciple, trained with the finest techniques the Tianmang Fortress could offer. Yet Linghu Yudao had fallen to Ling Feng, a man who had already fought ninety-nine battles back to back. It was beyond anything he had imagined. Yuan Tiangang drew a deep breath. Even someone who never blinked at a mountain crumbling at his feet could not hide the shock in his eyes.