"It's not bad. You haven't neglected your cultivation!" Ye Kongming appeared stern and unsmiling on the surface, but the smiles that kept spilling onto his face showed how pleased he was. He had originally thought that Ye Xiwen doing well enough to pass the first round would already be impressive, but he had not expected Ye Xiwen to clear it so easily. Then the second round naturally would not pose much of a problem either. He might even make it into the third round and squeeze into the top hundred. Naturally, Ye Kongming was in high spirits.
The first round ended quickly, and before Ye Xiwen had waited long, it was time for the second round. His opponent was a youth about his own age, dressed in luxurious robes with a proud expression on his face.
"Ye Xiwen," Ye Xiwen said.
The youth looked at Ye Xiwen and said coolly, "You'd better surrender early, so you won't have to suffer later."
At this time, the disciples below the stage began discussing among themselves. Someone recognized the youth's background.
"It's actually Wang Shaoqi! Wang Shaoqi once encountered a fortuitous opportunity and learned a set of Tiger Cannon Fist techniques. It's an advanced martial art, extremely formidable. The last time he entered the Inner Disciples, he relied on that set of Tiger Cannon Fist to beat many senior disciples until they fled like rats with their heads in their hands. He nearly squeezed into the top hundred, then was accepted as a Closed-Door Disciple by an elder. I hear he's already at the Houtian Fifth Stage Peak now. Even ordinary Houtian Sixth Stage martial artists might not be his match!"
"Really? No wonder he's so arrogant. But this Ye Xiwen isn't simple either. Just now, Shi Feng couldn't even block one move from him before being beaten unconscious, his life and death unknown. It looks like there may be a fierce battle between dragons and tigers!"
Wang Shaoqi seemed to have heard the comments from the watching disciples below. He immediately sneered. "You think defeating Shi Feng makes you my opponent? I'm not some brute like Shi Feng, all brawn and no idea how to use it. He was nothing but a fool!"
"Enough nonsense," Ye Xiwen said calmly.
"Watch me show you what I can do!" Wang Shaoqi shouted. An immense aura rose behind him, and a fierce, savage presence instantly spread in all directions, like a ferocious tiger descending the mountain.
This was an abnormal phenomenon that only appeared when Tiger Cannon Fist had been cultivated to an extremely profound realm. The surrounding air had actually condensed into a tiger.
Bang! Wang Shaoqi stamped hard, and his figure abruptly vanished. In the next instant, he appeared before Ye Xiwen and threw a punch. "Tiger Roars Through the Forest!"
At that moment, it truly seemed as if a fierce tiger were roaring through the mountains and forests. Wang Shaoqi himself had become a tiger, brimming with Killing Intent.
Among the elders' seats, one elder looked proudly at Wang Shaoqi. He was Wang Shaoqi's master, Elder Hu. An elder beside him said with a smile, "Last time, Wang Shaoqi nearly made it into the top hundred and set a record for our sect. This Tiger Cannon Fist of his has advanced by leaps and bounds compared to three years ago. It's nearly at major completion, isn't it? This time, he should at least make it into the top twenty!"
"Ai, Qi'er is still too young. His skill is still far from sufficient. I merely wanted him to see the experts among the sect disciples, so he won't be ignorant of how high the heavens are and how deep the earth is!" Elder Hu said rather sternly, though he could not hide the smile and self-satisfaction on his face. "Still, ordinary people will not be Qi'er's match!"
Suddenly, the disciples in that area let out a wave of startled cries.
They saw Ye Xiwen stamp his foot, and his entire figure instantly disappeared from before Wang Shaoqi. It was precisely the Heavenly Immortal Steps.
Wang Shaoqi passed straight through the spot where Ye Xiwen had just stood, finally realizing something was wrong.
"Not good!" Wang Shaoqi finally lost the confidence he had displayed moments ago and sensed the problem.
"Too late!" Ye Xiwen appeared behind Wang Shaoqi and struck him with a palm.
Bang! Wang Shaoqi did not even have time to react before Ye Xiwen sent him flying out of the arena. Ye Xiwen had not seriously injured him.
Even after being sent flying, Wang Shaoqi still could not believe that he had failed to block even a single move from Ye Xiwen. After a long while, he finally gave Ye Xiwen a cupped-fist salute with a bitter smile. "Brother Ye, thank you for showing mercy. In the past, I truly was a frog at the bottom of a well. How laughable!"
Wang Shaoqi turned and left, his figure somewhat lonely.
"What? How is that possible? How could Ye Xiwen be so powerful? Even Wang Shaoqi wasn't his opponent and was sent flying with one move. It's simply unbelievable!"
The result of this battle stirred up quite a commotion. No one had expected Ye Xiwen to defeat Wang Shaoqi so easily, without even the fierce battle they had imagined.
Wang Shaoqi was also a genius among the Inner Disciples. When he first entered the Inner Disciples three years ago, he had nearly broken into the top hundred. This time, his sights had been set directly on the top twenty, even the top ten. He was a popular candidate to become a Core Disciple in the future.
He had encountered many fortuitous opportunities and had even been accepted as a disciple by an elder. Yet such a powerful genius had actually lost to Ye Xiwen—and been defeated in a single move. It was simply unimaginable.
Elder Hu's face was even more flushed than pig liver. Although he had spoken modestly just now, everyone could see his pride. Yet before his words had even faded, Wang Shaoqi had been defeated by Ye Xiwen in one move. It was like being slapped hard across the face.
"Congratulations, congratulations, Elder Ye! Your son has truly stolen the limelight this time. He passed even the second round so easily. Haha, I'm afraid getting into the top ten won't be a problem at all!"
"That's right, that's right! Elder Ye's three children are all outstanding talents!"
A chorus of congratulations came from the other side of the elders' seats, making Elder Hu's expression turn even uglier.
Ye Kongming merely kept saying that his son still had a long way to go, humble to the extreme.
In his heart, he was extremely satisfied with Ye Xiwen's performance. He had not expected that after disappearing for a month, Ye Xiwen's progress would be so great. Even Wang Shaoqi, who had risen to fame three years ago, had been defeated in one move. Clearly, Ye Xiwen had not used his full strength at all. He had truly brought glory to Ye Kongming. A few expectations even rose in his heart—just how far could his youngest son go?
"Hmph!" Elder Hu snorted coldly, his face ugly. "He merely relied on opportunistic tricks and decent movement techniques. He will fail eventually. He won't even be able to enter the top thirty!"
The elders' seats immediately became lively.
"This Ye Xiwen is remarkable. No one knew about him before. It seems he hasn't used his full strength at all. I wonder when someone will finally force him to go all out!"
"Yes, look at the long saber on his back. There isn't even any sign that he intends to draw it yet. Tsk tsk, truly impressive!"
Quite a few elders who were close to Elder Hu also spoke up.
"Who doesn't know that the Ye Family's third son had mediocre talent? His sudden leap in progress must have come from swallowing some heavenly treasure that boosted his cultivation. But such a realm is fundamentally unstable. When he encounters a true expert, he won't be able to withstand a single blow."
"The road of cultivation is long and slow. He's only at the Houtian realm, yet he already needs heavenly treasures to advance. His future accomplishments will end there!"
The elders discussed among themselves, but the high platform had its own barrier, so those below had no idea what the elders above were saying.
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