By now, the draw results had come out, and upon seeing them, the crowd burst into discussion.
“Whoa! There has to be some shady dealing with this draw, right?”
“Yeah, exactly! Why are all six from the Heavenly Demon Sect matched against our Taiyi Holy Land disciples? Why aren’t they fighting each other?”
“Uh… isn’t it more suspicious if they did fight each other? That’d look like we’re rigging it.”
“Forget the rigging for now—this draw is going to be a show!”
“Su Chen versus Liu Ye! They already fought the other day, but Su Chen seemed to be holding back. He might reveal his trump card today!”
“I never would have guessed—word is Su Chen lost all his cultivation not long ago and had to start over from scratch. Yet here he is at Body Tempering 5th Layer, making it to the top forty! Plenty of Spirit Sea Realm cultivators can’t even beat him!”
“Senior Sister Liu’s opponent is from the Heavenly Demon Sect too! She just broke through to Divine Palace Realm recently, so her odds are good.”
“Sigh~ Senior Brother Huang’s got it rough, though. He’s up against Yan Tianhong.”
“Yeah! And Senior Brother Luo Yin’s facing the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Chief Senior Disciple at Divine Ability Realm 1st Layer. I hope Senior Brother Luo can pull off the win.”
“He’ll win for sure! Senior Brother Luo’s swordsmanship is unbeatable. Word is Elder Sun got some pointers from him a couple days ago and still hasn’t come out of seclusion! Plus, Senior Brother Luo’s a Divine Palace Realm powerhouse now. No doubt about it!”
Unlike the others’ lack of confidence, Ling Qingxue had absolute faith in Luo Yin.
Ever since that day, the guy had changed completely, like he was a whole new person.
Even she, who was always by his side, couldn’t see through him anymore.
Who knew what other trump cards he had up his sleeve!
Ling Qingxue had a vague feeling that Sword Dao probably wasn’t Luo Yin’s main focus. If that was true, it would be downright terrifying.
Could that incident really have bridged heaven and earth, clearing his Ren and Du meridians?
Sigh~
She just wondered when she could fully restore her own strength.
That said, these recent days without cultivation had been pretty enjoyable.
No annoying distractions, no need to worry about training, not even thinking about all that mess back in Central Continent.
The only downside was facing that irritating guy every day. It was a bit of a drag.
Yesterday, she’d even helped him refine pills…
Half an hour later, the matches officially began.
Forty competitors, twenty matches.
They weren’t all simultaneous.
Instead, they were split into two rounds.
The first round had ten matches, the second another ten.
Luo Yin was in the first round.
So were Liu Qingchan and Huang Shijie.
Su Chen was in the second, along with the other two Heavenly Demon Sect disciples.
As a result, everyone’s attention in the first round was fixed on the arenas where Luo Yin and the other two were competing.
Arena No. 7.
The arena was enormous, ringed by a spell formation at the edges to prevent attacks from spilling over.
Luo Yin stood opposite Zhang Xuan, his white robes fluttering in the wind, hands clasped behind his back, expression calm and indifferent.
He didn’t seem to regard this Heavenly Demon Sect chief disciple as any threat at all.
Seeing Luo Yin’s demeanor, Zhang Xuan grinned, baring his teeth.
“Luo Yin, right? I heard you took down my junior brother with a single punch the other day. Impressive, sure. But if that’s why you’re dismissing me like this, you’re making a huge mistake.”
His eyes then sharpened. “That weakling? I could cripple him with one punch too!”
Luo Yin remained unperturbed, looking at him like he was an idiot. “No, you’re the one who’s wrong. My confidence doesn’t come from what happened the other day—it’s from deep inside. Because I’m certain I can defeat you with one punch.”
“Hmph! Arrogant fool! You think I’m Liu Ye? Today, I’ll cripple you!”
Zhang Xuan snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.
From their elevated seats, the elders were clearly keeping a close eye on the arenas with the Heavenly Demon Sect competitors.
Arena No. 10 featured Liu Qingchan against Zhou Liangming.
Arena No. 3 had Huang Shijie versus Yan Tianhong.
Those matches had already started.
Only Luo Yin’s side hadn’t begun yet.
Mo Wenlin, Peak Lord of Mystic Mechanism Peak and Taiyi Holy Land’s Second Elder, gazed down and said calmly, “Liu Qingchan’s swordsmanship has grown even stronger. Before, she might not have stood a chance against that Heavenly Demon Sect guy, but now, she should be fine.”
Chen Shuweng, Peak Lord of Subduing Array Peak and Taiyi Holy Land’s Fifth Elder, nodded as well. “I hear she’s been getting close to that Luo Yin kid lately. That boy’s been making waves recently! No idea what’s going on with him.”
Zhou Zhengchu laughed heartily. “Luo Yin’s recent feats are pretty unbelievable. He must’ve stumbled onto some massive opportunity. But from what I can tell, his heart’s in the right place—he’s generous too. Even Old Sun’s gotten plenty of pointers from him!”
Mo Wenlin chuckled wryly. “Heh! Who would’ve thought— I step away for a bit, and Taiyi Holy Land produces a freak who can advise Old Sun on swordsmanship. Too bizarre!”
Chen Shuweng stroked his beard, frowning. “Old Mo, your disciple looks like he’s struggling down there!”
Mo Wenlin glanced at Arena No. 3. Huang Shijie was a Mystic Mechanism Peak disciple—his personal chief disciple, in fact.
In his fight with Yan Tianhong, Huang Shijie was clearly at a disadvantage.
Yan Tianhong didn’t even seem to be trying hard, casually backing Huang Shijie into a corner. He was on the verge of falling off the arena.
Mo Wenlin sighed. “Shijie’s got good talent, but his temperament is too impatient. And Yan Tianhong’s just on another level entirely. Losing was inevitable. I just hope this doesn’t hit him too hard.”
The group fell silent.
On the spectator stands, the audience gripped their clothes tightly, tension mounting.
With Luo Yin and Zhang Xuan just trading barbs, no one was focused on them.
Liu Qingchan and Huang Shijie’s fights were the main attraction.
“Sigh~ Looks like Senior Brother Huang’s going to lose.”
“It’s only natural. He’s the Heavenly Demon Sect Young Lord, after all—his strength is no joke.”
“What a shame, what a shame~”
“No worries! We’ve still got Senior Sister Liu! Look at her go—green robes flowing, long sword in hand, chasing that Zhou Liangming around like a rat with its tail on fire! The Heavenly Demon Sect’s not all that!”
BOOM!!!
BANG!!!!!
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, a massive roar erupted, followed by a terrifying pressure surging from Arena No. 7.
It felt like the heavens and earth were collapsing, shaking the entire world.
Even the spectators trembled involuntarily.
Their very Daos seemed to cower in fear.
Everyone’s hearts jolted. Had something happened to Senior Brother Luo?
They whipped their heads around to look.
When they saw the scene on Arena No. 7, their eyes bulged and jaws dropped.
At some point, a massive fist print had appeared on the once-smooth arena surface.
It was deeply cratered, cracked in all directions.
In the center of the fist pit lay the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Chief Senior Disciple, Zhang Xuan—filthy, covered in blood, sprawled like a dead dog.
Luo Yin stood casually at the edge of the pit, looking down at him imperiously, hands behind his back. He said flatly, “As I said, one punch to defeat you.”
