The Grand Tournament Concludes

"This batch really struck gold—a combat genius and a formation puppet prodigy," the Grand Tournament host said with a beaming smile as she watched Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling clash on the stage.

Though Lei Potian and the others were impressive, at this point they paled in comparison to Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling.

Lu Yuling in particular had reached the Clear Mind State and showed remarkable talent in formations. Geniuses like Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling were the kind the Asura Sect only encountered once every few years, yet this year they had found two at once.

The fox-shaped puppet moved with incredible speed. In Zhuge Xiang's eyes, it was nearly on par with the One-Star Mid-Grade Fox Demon he had faced before. More importantly, the puppet's material was extremely tough, its resilience far surpassing the flesh-and-blood body of that demon. With such a helper, Zhuge Xiang felt like he was facing two genius disciples at once. If not for Explosive Steps having no cooldown or stamina cost, he would have lost long ago.

Originally, Zhuge Xiang's ultra-fast movement and dense attacks had left Lu Yuling unable to keep up, and she was on the verge of defeat. But with the Mechanical Puppet joining the fray, the number of strikes Zhuge Xiang could land on Lu Yuling naturally decreased. In her Clear Mind State, as long as the attacks weren't dense enough, she could easily dodge them...

Twenty seconds was hardly a long time. With only twenty seconds left on his Bloodthirsty Technique, Zhuge Xiang's expression turned completely grim. He had no time to overthink.

The fox-shaped Mechanical Puppet was fast, and its material made it highly resistant to damage. If he tried to dismantle the puppet first, the twenty seconds would be gone. That left only one target: Lu Yuling. But with the puppet interfering, the attacks he could land on her were far too few.

"It looks like I'll have to abandon all defense..." His mind raced. Twenty seconds was short. Zhuge Xiang quickly made up his mind, reached into his bosom, and pulled out a pill, placing it in his mouth—the Healing Pill he had never used before.

Healing Pill: No level requirement. Continuously restores HP. Recovers 10 HP per second. Duration: 10 seconds.

Activating Explosive Steps, Zhuge Xiang lunged at Lu Yuling. The Blood Refinement Saber in his hand turned into a dense storm of blade light, sweeping toward her. Though Lu Yuling dodged, under Explosive Steps, Zhuge Xiang's relentless assault resumed, a full-on desperate charge.

The Mechanical Puppet naturally gave chase, biting at Zhuge Xiang to force him back—a classic "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" tactic. But this time, Zhuge Xiang didn't evade. He took the puppet's attack head-on, his hands never pausing as the Blood Refinement Saber continued to swing...

"What!? Has Zhuge Xiang gone mad?" Niu Geng's eyes bulged. Though he could barely make out Zhuge Xiang's moving shadow, he still saw him take the Mechanical Puppet's blow.

"So ruthless..." Hua Nongying, Ling Wufeng, and the others widened their eyes at Zhuge Xiang's all-out, reckless display. Abandoning all defense, ignoring the Mechanical Puppet's attacks, just to defeat Lu Yuling—this ferocity was chilling. Ruthless to others, but even more ruthless to himself.

"He really is a ruthless one," Ji Wuxue remarked, not particularly surprised. He had already experienced that ruthlessness during their duel. Under the threat of death, Zhuge Xiang hadn't thought of retreat but had fought tooth and nail. Ji Wuxue had understood that side of him back then.

The Mechanical Puppet's attacks were still powerful. Just one hit, and Zhuge Xiang could feel his HP drop by 17 points on his Character Interface. But he paid it no mind. Attack—attack relentlessly—that was all that mattered now...

With 130 base HP, 100 from the Healing Pill, plus the Blood Refinement Saber's lifesteal effect, Zhuge Xiang was betting everything on these last twenty seconds. 230 HP, plus the defense from his Star Chasing Boots and Frost Headband, and the 50% defense boost from Bloodthirsty Technique—could he withstand the Mechanical Puppet's attacks for twenty seconds?

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The blade was like blood, the movement like wind. Though Zhuge Xiang had never learned any refined saber techniques, in the martial world, speed alone could break all techniques. When speed reached its peak, even the simplest chop became terrifying.

Zhuge Xiang's desperate ferocity made a flicker of surprise flash in Lu Yuling's eyes. Despite her Clear Mind State, his ultra-fast attacks outpaced her body's reactions. Even with the Mechanical Puppet, now that Zhuge Xiang had abandoned all defense, it couldn't hinder him much...

"What's going on? Why is he still so vigorous?" Lu Yuling understood the stakes: it was a race between whether she could withstand his blood saber or he would fall to her puppet first. But after a while, she was already on the verge of collapse, while Zhuge Xiang remained full of energy. This baffled her. Given the wounds the puppet had inflicted on him, he should have been long past his limit.

"Is that..." In her confusion, Lu Yuling noticed the many wounds on Zhuge Xiang's body. Though they were bloody, upon closer inspection, they were healing at a visible rate. Her eyes widened, and then she recalled the pill he had just swallowed. She felt a bit helpless—where did this guy keep getting so many pills?

Under Explosive Steps' high-speed movement, such a small action as swallowing a pill might have gone unnoticed by others, but Lu Yuling's Clear Mind State allowed her to perceive it. She hadn't expected him to have a pill with such a ferocious healing effect...

Blow after blow, as dense as a raging storm, and then he activated the Frost Headband's slow effect. Finally, under Zhuge Xiang's overwhelming assault, Lu Yuling crumbled. Her defense and evasion completely collapsed under the dense, ferocious attacks.

The blood saber flashed. Zhuge Xiang's Blood Refinement Saber was suddenly pressed against Lu Yuling's neck. The saber's Ghost Face loomed menacingly, its sharp edge making it clear that with just a little force, Lu Yuling's beautiful head would be severed.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Lu Yuling and Zhuge Xiang both stopped. Even the Mechanical Puppet halted. The ultra-fast, intense battle had shifted from extreme motion to extreme stillness in an abrupt instant.

Looking at the Blood Refinement Saber at her throat, Lu Yuling smiled calmly and conceded. As she spoke the words, Zhuge Xiang let out a long sigh of relief. Then, a system prompt rang in his mind.

"Ding. Defeated Lu Yuling of the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer, exceeding your level. Gained 200 experience. Gained Skill Orb."

"Ding. Bloodthirsty Technique automatically deactivated. Entering Weakened State. All attributes reduced by 80%. Duration: 2 days."

The system prompt made Zhuge Xiang's eyes widen slightly. Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer? Lu Yuling had actually reached the Fourth Layer? He hadn't expected that at all—he had always assumed she was at the Third Layer. But as the Bloodthirsty Technique shut down, an unprecedented fatigue hit him, nearly making him collapse.

His clothes, torn to shreds by the Mechanical Puppet's attacks, made him look like a beggar. Having abandoned all defense, his body was covered in wounds, blood soaking most of his frame. With the weakness period setting in, compared to Lu Yuling's injuries, Zhuge Xiang looked far more battered. The victor was in worse shape than the loser.

But as the host stepped onto the stage and announced him as the Grand Tournament's first-place winner, the crowd below erupted in unrestrained cheers for him.

The Grand Tournament champion—he was the strongest among this batch of a Hundred Thousand Disciples. Rising from the masses to stand at the very peak—that was glory. His wounds and disheveled state were proof of his victory. The thrilling battle just now and his sheer ruthlessness had deeply conquered everyone. He was the undisputed number one...

The Grand Tournament was finally over. The top ten contestants all stood on the Duel Platform. Seventeen prizes were laid out before them, drawing envious gazes from the crowd below.

As the first-place winner, Zhuge Xiang had the first pick and could claim five items for himself. But instead of rushing to choose, he turned to Lu Yuling and asked what she needed. Lu Yuling didn't hold back. She pointed to a Soaring Wave Steps movement technique manual, a first-grade defensive inner armor, and a first-grade ring.

"Oh? Isn't this storage belt the most valuable item here? You don't need it?" Zhuge Xiang asked in surprise, looking at what she had indicated.

Lu Yuling turned to him with a faint smile. "How do you think I brought out such a large Mechanical Puppet? I already have a storage belt."

"I see. Then I won't hold back," Zhuge Xiang said with a nod of understanding, and began his selection.

The storage belt—the most practical and precious item—he claimed without hesitation. He also took a certificate, which could be used to upgrade a piece of equipment's quality. With it, he could find a blacksmith at the Asura Sect headquarters to upgrade one of his items for free.

To be honest, Zhuge Xiang didn't really need much. Martial arts? Equipment? He could get those by defeating opponents. But with five prizes up for grabs, he wasn't about to refuse. Next, he picked a magical cloak. After a closer look, he also chose a Yin Gu Pot and a Five Poisons Palm martial art. Niu Geng had a deep interest in poisons, so these two items were perfect for him.

Among the prizes, the Five Poisons Palm and the Yin Gu Pot were considered the least valuable. Seeing Zhuge Xiang's choices, everyone was pleased. Lu Yuling collected the three items she had already pointed out, giving Zhuge Xiang a faint smile without a word. She understood exactly why he had chosen the Yin Gu Pot and the Five Poisons Palm.

Then, the others stepped up one by one to claim their rewards. Ling Wufeng, in third place, took two items. Lei Potian, his face dark, took one. The rest each took one. The seventeen prizes were quickly divided, and the Grand Tournament officially came to an end...