Excuse

This groundbreaking opening warm-up ended in a way that no one had anticipated.

Zhao Xiaotian's heartfelt "thank you for your help" was like a heavy hammer blow, shattering the last clamor in the room.

On the high platform, Old Freak Wang's face beamed with barely suppressed smugness, as if silently proclaiming something.

"Cough!"

The elder of the Nine Provinces, who was presiding over the competition, coughed heavily, bringing everyone back from their reverie.

He glanced at the slender yet imposing figure in the center of the arena with a complex expression, took a deep breath, and announced loudly.

"Warm-up complete! The main tournament of the academy officially begins!"

His voice resounded throughout the entire square through the amplification Formation Array.

"This year's main tournament will use an individual elimination system! All participants are free to challenge any opponent on the field. Winners advance and can choose to rest or continue challenging; losers are eliminated immediately!"

"Until only one person remains on the field! This person will be the ultimate Champion of this year's Four Academies Competition!"

Boom!

The somber atmosphere instantly replaced the previous shock.

The eyes of all the contestants changed; they were filled with scrutiny and wariness towards each other.

"Li Qingyun of the Heavenly Sword School!"

"Canghai Academy, Zhou Tao!"

The two figures leaped into the arena almost simultaneously, without uttering a single word.

"Please!"

"Please!"

The next instant, the sharp Sword Qi and the roaring Water Dragon collided violently. The clash of laws between the Seventh Grade Immortal Realm experts instantly pushed the atmosphere to a climax.

The battles in the square came one after another, each one spectacular, with each Prodigies displaying a formidable strength enough to suppress an entire region.

However, the eyes of all the spectators involuntarily drifted to the child standing quietly on the sidelines.

After several rounds of intense fighting, a brief lull appeared on the field.

Chen Fan moved.

He stepped into the arena without any airs or pretension, unlike the others who waited for their turn to be challenged.

His gaze was gentle as he looked past the crowd toward the Canghai Academy's camp, and he gave a distant salute to a female disciple dressed in a long blue dress with a cool and aloof demeanor.

"Canghai Academy, Senior Sister Lin Jingyu."

Chen Fan's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Chen Fan from the Star River Martial Academy, I'd like to ask for your guidance."

Lin Jingyu, whose name was called, trembled. She dared not be negligent in the slightest and took a step forward, already appearing a hundred meters away from Chen Fan.

"Junior Fellow Apprentice Chen Fan, please enlighten me!"

Before she finished speaking, she formed a hand seal, and a surge of powerful water-elemental energy shot into the sky.

The Boundless Canghai!

Rumble!

The entire White Jade Plaza seemed to transform into a deep sea in an instant, with endless blue waters emerging out of nowhere, rolling up thousands of giant waves that crashed down on Chen Fan in the center from all directions.

Every drop of water contains terrifying pressure enough to crush mountains and the Power of Laws that erode all things.

Faced with this overwhelming domain that could instantly trap and kill even a powerhouse of the same level, Chen Fan remained standing still, not even the hem of his clothes fluttering.

He simply extended one finger slowly.

A barely perceptible wisp of gray air, like a wisp of inconspicuous smoke, drifted out from the fingertip and merged into the vast ocean.

In an instant, a strange change occurred.

That once spiritually vibrant watery realm seemed to have been instantly stripped of all life and soul.

All the surging waves, all the roaring torrents, froze at the same moment, and then subsided silently.

The entire expanse of water, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a pool of stagnant water exuding an aura of decay and death...

The territory crumbled on its own without being attacked.

"Puff!"

Lin Jingyu was struck as if by a heavy blow, her face turning deathly pale. She could clearly feel that the connection between herself and the energy had been forcibly severed at its source by a powerful force.

She bowed deeply to Chen Fan, a gesture that came from the bottom of her heart.

"Thank you for your guidance, Junior Fellow Apprentice. Jingyu is completely convinced and concedes defeat."

Chen Fan calmly returned the greeting.

Just as he was about to retreat, an extremely fast afterimage, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, landed in front of him.

The newcomer was a genius from the Nine Provinces Machinery Faction, his entire body covered in streamlined exoskeleton Battle Armor, his fighting spirit soaring.

"Feng Qi of the Nine Provinces Machinery Faction! Junior Fellow Apprentice Chen Fan, your path is profound, but I wonder... if you can keep up with my speed!"

Before he finished speaking, Feng Qi's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next moment, hundreds and thousands of identical afterimages appeared simultaneously from all directions, each wielding Alloy fist blade powerful enough to tear through the Void, launching a storm of attacks.

Faced with this dazzling and unpredictable barrage of attacks, Chen Fan remained unmoved and did not dodge.

He just stood there quietly.

A powerful aura of death emanated from his body, enveloping him within a three-foot radius.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

Those incredibly fast and terrifyingly powerful fist blades seemed to sink into a quagmire of time the moment they touched that layer of white light.

Their speed decreased dramatically, to a degree visible to the naked eye.

The violent energy attached to the fist blade, as if eroded by tens of thousands of years, quickly began to decay.

Finally, when they reached Chen Fan, they had become weak and powerless, clattering and sliding to the side, having lost all their power.

In the arena, all afterimages vanished, and Feng Qi stood frozen in front of Chen Fan, still in the punching stance, his face filled with disbelief.

His most prized speed proved utterly futile in the face of Chen Fan's seemingly harmless domain of death.

His attack wasn't blocked; it was... completely annihilated.

Feng Qi gave a wry smile, decisively withdrew his fist, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Fan.

"I lost."

Two consecutive wins.

And each time, the battle ended in an extraordinary and effortless manner.

Chen Fan's strength no longer needs to be proven through fierce battles.

His humility made every defeated opponent feel respected.

The entire venue fell into a brief silence once again.

This time, no one dared to step forward easily.

A deathly silence fell over White Jade Plaza.

The wind seemed to have stopped, leaving only the heavy breathing of dozens of top Prodigies from various universities.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled not only with awe, but also with a profound sense of powerlessness.

The raging power would decay and wither within that small space.

How can we fight like this?

What can we use to fight?

The atmosphere on the high platform was equally subtle.

The Chief Instructor of the Heavenly Sword School let out a long sigh, his voice carrying a hint of relief.

"This child's path is no longer mere technique, but the Origin Source of law. We, his disciples, are not guilty of any wrongdoing."

"Indeed." The female instructor from the Canghai Academy nodded in agreement, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration. "His Dao is all-encompassing and flawless. To lose to him is not shameful, but rather a Creation."

Suddenly, the leaders of the various factions, who had previously been at odds, began to find respectable reasons for their disciples' defeat.

Their words were filled with admiration and amazement for Chen Fan, and the gazes cast at Old Freak Wang were practically dripping with envy.