First Place in the Competition

"What?! This is... Sword Intent??"

The instant that razor-sharp Sword Intent appeared, Dugu Fang and the other elders widened their eyes and stared fixedly at Lu Yi on the arena.

Sword Cloud surged forth, rushing toward the palm imprint. The incomparably fierce Sword Intent amplified the White Cloud Sword Qi, greatly increasing its power.

Sword Cloud collided with the palm imprint.

Boom!!

An earth-shaking roar erupted. Blue and white light intertwined as blasts of force and sword radiance shot in every direction, engulfing the arena.

The aftermath became a wild gale that spread in all directions. Bai Yulong and the others below the arena felt the terrifying shockwave, their faces filled with shock.

"Fall back!!"

The few of them retreated again and again, not daring to get too close.

The Outer Sect Disciples watching from farther back also felt a heaviness in their chests. Their faces turned somewhat pale from the powerful aura.

Everyone cried out in alarm, staring wide-eyed toward the arena.

"What terrifying power!"

"A Qi Refining Tenth Layer cultivator can actually be this strong??"

"No, what is going on with Senior Brother Lu Yi?! How did he get stronger again? Didn't they say he was already close to his limit?"

"Hehe... how naive. You actually believed what Junior Brother Lu Yi said? That guy's mouth is full of nonsense! What limit? It was all fake!"

Lu Gaoyang, Wang Siqi, and the others in the sky stared at the surging palm wind and Sword Cloud on the arena, utterly dumbfounded.

"This is... Sword Intent?!"

"My heavens! Nephew Lu Yi has actually grasped Sword Intent???"

"He is only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, yet he has already comprehended an Intent Realm?!"

"Brother Lu, did you know Nephew Lu Yi was this incredible?!"

Lu Gaoyang wore a blank expression as he slowly shook his head.

What the hell did he know?! To be honest, if it were not for this competition, he would not even have dared imagine that Lu Yi could make it into the top ten!

Sword Intent? He would not have dared dream of that even in his sleep.

Wang Siqi beside him was equally bewildered, wearing exactly the same expression as Lu Gaoyang.

Dugu Fang and the other elders were deeply shaken, unable to remain calm.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable! This little fellow's talent is simply astonishing."

"Yes!! To comprehend an Intent Realm while still in the Qi Refining Realm—his future prospects are limitless!"

"Let us not even speak of the Void Realm. He should have quite a good chance of reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm... the Spirit Transformation Realm! He could become one of the pillars of the White Cloud Sect."

The elders all exclaimed in admiration.

This was an Intent Realm! A method generally mastered only by major figures of the Void Realm!

Before reaching the Void Realm, anyone who grasped an Intent Realm was a peerless genius. Yet Lu Yi was only in the Qi Refining Realm! He could already be called a heavenly prodigy.

"After today, those big shots of the Inner Sect will probably be unable to sit still," Dugu Fang said with a smile.

The other elders nodded as well. Such talent was enough to make those Nascent Soul elders scramble madly for him. Even the peak masters and Grand Elders of the Spirit Transformation Realm would be eager to make a move.

As they spoke, the collision on the arena gradually subsided, revealing the scene on the Central Arena.

At that moment, not a single stone slab on the enormous arena remained intact.

Lu Yi and Jiang Fan each stood at one end of the arena, facing one another in a solemn atmosphere without speaking.

Lu Yi's expression was calm. His aura churned, but he remained in fairly good condition.

In comparison, Jiang Fan was in much worse shape. His face was pale, his aura weak, and sweat streamed down his forehead.

Jiang Fan looked at Lu Yi, his expression filled with shock and disbelief.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Fan smiled helplessly and said with open ease, "Junior Brother Lu Yi, you actually grasped Sword Intent... truly..."

Jiang Fan shook his head. "This senior brother admits defeat."

The Surging Wave Palm was, after all, a Foundation Establishment Technique. Using it at his current level consumed an astonishing amount of Spiritual Qi. After that strike, Jiang Fan had little Spiritual Qi left. If he used it a second time, he would be risking his life.

Seeing that Lu Yi still had plenty of strength in reserve, Jiang Fan felt that using it a second time would not change the outcome.

Seeing Jiang Fan concede, Lu Yi smiled slightly and said, "Senior Brother Jiang Fan, you let me win. I was simply fortunate. During my battle with Senior Brother Bai Yulong earlier, I gained a slight insight, which allowed me to comprehend Sword Intent."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan froze. He gave Lu Yi a strange look, then glanced behind him at Bai Yulong, who stood some distance from the arena, his gaze full of disdain. Junior Brother Lu Yi was able to comprehend Sword Intent—what the hell did Bai Yulong comprehend?

Bai Yulong naturally heard those words as well, and he was completely dumbfounded.

No... we clearly fought the same match, so why could Lu Yi comprehend Sword Intent?!

Was there something wrong somewhere?! This was way too absurd, wasn't it?!

Bai Yulong desperately recalled his match with Lu Yi, trying to figure out how Lu Yi had comprehended Sword Intent. Yet after thinking for a long while, he still could not understand it, and was left completely stunned.

Bai Yulong turned his head and saw Lin Wan'er and the others looking at him with complicated expressions. The corner of his mouth twitched violently as he snapped in embarrassment and anger, "What are you looking at?! Is this my fault?! It is not like I wanted that bastard Lu Yi to comprehend it!!"

Lin Wan'er spoke faintly, "...Then what did you comprehend?"

Tie Man scratched his head. "Is the gap between people really this huge?"

Li Yun gave a cold laugh without saying anything, merely shooting Bai Yulong a sidelong glance.

Bai Yulong: "..."

He was starting to withdraw into himself.

At that moment, Dugu Fang landed on the arena. Looking at Lu Yi with immense satisfaction, he nodded repeatedly with a smile. "Not bad, not bad. To comprehend Sword Intent at such a young age, your future is bound to be extraordinary."

Lu Yi smiled. "Grand Elder, you praise me too highly."

Dugu Fang smiled and looked toward Jiang Fan, nodding as well. "Jiang Fan is also quite good. To comprehend a Foundation Establishment Technique, your comprehension is likewise extraordinary. Your future is promising."

Jiang Fan smiled. "Grand Elder, you praise me too highly."

Dugu Fang laughed heartily. "This Outer Sect Competition has produced two geniuses. Very good... The top two have now been decided. You may both step down."

Lu Yi and Jiang Fan nodded and left the arena.

At this point, the top three places had been decided. What followed were the battles to determine the remaining rankings.

Fourth and fifth place were naturally decided between Bai Yulong and Li Yun. Perhaps because Bai Yulong was carrying the resentment of having been crushed by Lu Yi, he erupted with a burst of hidden strength and beat Li Yun into shutting himself off again, taking fourth place.

The final five rankings were also determined through battle. Tie Man took sixth place, Liu Tian, the white-robed senior sister at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, took seventh, followed by three senior brothers and senior sisters at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

The top ten competition did not end until the sun had set. Lu Yi had finished his matches early, so it was time for him to happily watch the show.

These senior brothers and sisters at the Qi Refining Ninth and Tenth Layers were quite formidable. Their battles were rather enjoyable to watch—at the very least, much better than the Preliminary Selection.

Once all the matches were over, Dugu Fang stepped onto the arena once more. He swept his gaze around and spoke calmly, "The Outer Sect Competition has ended. The top ten disciples are to come find me at the Outer Sect Main Hall one week from now, and I will take you to the Inner Sect. In addition, the rewards for the Outer Sect Competition will be distributed by the Affairs Hall. First place will receive one Low-Grade Magic Item and one High Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Second and third place will each receive one High Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Fourth and fifth place will each receive one Mid Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Sixth through tenth place will each receive one Low Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Disciples who passed the Preliminary Selection may receive one bottle of High Grade Qi Condensation Pills, while disciples who passed the Preliminary Selection may receive one bottle of Mid Grade Qi Condensation Pills."