Liu Ruyan's defeat came into view.
Below the arena, Chen Changqing's gaze narrowed slightly.
"Compared to those Foundation Establishment disciples, Senior Sister Liu's strength is indeed somewhat lacking."
"Besides... this Grand Tournament isn't that simple."
Chen Changqing said quietly.
He had naturally noticed that Li Yang, Wen Liang, Meng Zhou, and the others had yet to make a move.
High in the air, True Person Tianbo's gaze swept across the entire venue, seemingly present and absent.
At this moment, Liu Ruyan had already returned to the Seven Courtyards Area.
"Senior Sister Liu!"
The Seven Courtyards disciples looked at her, all wanting to offer some consolation, yet not knowing what to say.
Willow Wood smiled at Liu Ruyan and said:
"Ruyan."
"You've already done very well."
"Among the top twenty on the Scoreboard, you're the only one at Half-step Foundation Establishment."
"Some Foundation Establishment disciples from the other courtyards didn't even make it into the top twenty!"
Hearing Willow Wood's words, Liu Ruyan forced out a faint smile.
After all, the gap in strength was right there.
How could she, a mere Half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator, defeat Jiang An, who was already at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage?
Chen Changqing also glanced at Liu Ruyan and said calmly:
"Senior Sister Liu, victory and defeat are commonplace. Don't take it too much to heart."
At that, Liu Ruyan nodded, feeling much better inside.
A resolute glint flashed through Qing Yang's eyes.
The next moment, he did not hesitate. With a tap of his foot, he leaped onto the arena.
"Seven Courtyards, Qing Yang!"
Qing Yang's hearty voice rang out. The longsword at his waist hummed, and the spiritual power fluctuations of Foundation Establishment Late Stage instantly swept across the entire venue.
Seeing Qing Yang step forth, Jiang An's expression turned solemn.
Everyone knew that Qing Yang of the Seven Courtyards had already ranked among the top twenty in the previous Outer Sect Competition. His strength could not be underestimated.
After a brief pause, Jiang An came back to himself and cupped his fists toward Qing Yang.
"Senior Brother Qing Yang, please enlighten me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang An did not wait for Qing Yang's response. Wind blades abruptly condensed in his hand.
In the next instant, he slashed out dozens of fierce wind blades, all shooting straight at Qing Yang.
"Trifling tricks."
Qing Yang remained calm and drew a stroke through the air with his sword fingers.
Clang!
In an instant, a brilliant sword light poured down like a spilling galaxy, shattering every one of the dozens of wind blades rushing toward him!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"What?"
Jiang An was instantly horrified at the sight.
In his previous matches, he had won with ease.
Yet against Qing Yang, he felt overwhelming pressure.
After all, Qing Yang was at Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
In the brief moment Jiang An lost focus, Qing Yang flashed and vanished from where he stood.
Jiang An's expression tightened. He did not dare think further and hurriedly formed hand seals to defend himself.
However, before Jiang An could even establish his defense, Qing Yang's figure appeared before him like a ghost.
"What swift movement!"
Jiang An's face changed drastically.
Before he could react, a thunderous blast rang out.
Bang!
Qing Yang's sword hilt slammed heavily into Jiang An's chest.
Pfft!
Jiang An was blasted flying, spurting mouthfuls of blood as he fell straight off the arena.
"Seven Courtyards' Qing Yang, victory!"
At this sight, the entire venue was stunned, and discussions erupted everywhere:
"As expected of Qing Yang, a veteran powerhouse who has participated in two Grand Tournaments!"
"Exactly! Jiang An of the Third Courtyard is only at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. How could he possibly be Qing Yang's opponent?"
"In these arena matches, it still comes down to the contest between Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators!"
"..."
Seven Courtyards Area.
After seeing Qing Yang effortlessly defeat Jiang An of the Third Courtyard, the many disciples all erupted into excited cheers.
"Senior Brother Qing Yang is incredible!"
"Yeah! He defeated Jiang An in just two or three moves."
"Their strengths aren't even on the same level."
"I think Senior Brother Qing Yang has a great chance of claiming first place in the second round of the Grand Tournament."
"Go, Senior Brother Qing Yang!"
"..."
The Seven Courtyards disciples were immensely fired up.
Willow Wood narrowed his eyes slightly, and anticipation arose in his gaze as he looked at Qing Yang.
Chen Changqing, however, remained serene and unruffled.
He knew full well that Qing Yang had defeated Jiang An so easily because of the gap in their strength.
And at this moment, quite a few disciples had yet to step onto the arena.
Li Yang, Wen Liang, Meng Zhou, and the others were all nearly as strong as Qing Yang.
After all, the four of them had faced off and fought within that valley in the Void Realm earlier.
In midair, True Person Tianbo's gaze calmly swept over the arena.
"This batch of Outer Disciples has passable aptitude, but none have caught my eye."
True Person Tianbo sighed inwardly.
He had personally presided over this Grand Tournament in order to select promising seedlings early and recruit them beneath his peak once they entered the Inner Sect.
Unfortunately, no one had caught his fancy thus far.
Just then, a strange sound suddenly spread through the plaza.
Boom!
The ground shook violently.
Hearing it, disciples from every courtyard turned toward the sound.
They saw a mountain-like, burly figure slowly emerge from the First Courtyard Area, as the First Courtyard disciples hurriedly stepped aside.
Even Li Yang, who had previously exchanged blows with Qing Yang, instinctively moved aside to clear a path.
This showed just how extraordinary this person's status was within the Outer Sect First Courtyard.
"First Courtyard, Shi Tian!"
After stepping onto the arena, the burly young man spoke in a voice like muffled thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache.
"What?"
"Shi Tian, the one ranked first on the Scoreboard, actually made a move?"
"He's a Body Cultivator! An invincible existence among those of the same realm!"
"This time, Qing Yang has run into a tough opponent!"
"..."
Upon seeing Shi Tian, Qing Yang's expression grew solemn, and he was equally surprised.
Having spent so long in the Outer Sect, he had naturally heard of Shi Tian.
There were many paths of cultivation in this world.
Body Cultivators were among the powerful kinds. With peerless physical bodies, they could crush opponents at the same level!
"Seven Courtyards brat, will you admit defeat yourself, or should I help you?"
Shi Tian grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.
"Admit defeat?"
Qing Yang gave a cold laugh. Though he knew Shi Tian was formidable, how could he speak of defeat before they had even fought?
"Fight!"
With a sharp cry, Qing Yang drew his sword first.
The sword emerged, and Sword Qi arched like a rainbow!
Facing Qing Yang's incoming strike, Shi Tian did not care in the slightest.
He stood firm as Mount Tai, his muscles seemingly cast from refined iron, his skin gleaming with a bronze sheen.
As Qing Yang's Sword Qi swept toward him, Shi Tian suddenly stomped his foot, making the entire White Jade Arena tremble.
Boom!
The next moment, Shi Tian casually threw a punch.
A deafening roar resounded.
Shi Tian's fist struck Qing Yang's sword edge, producing the sound of clashing gold and iron.
"What?"
"Using his flesh to withstand a spirit sword?"
Qing Yang was aghast, his face full of disbelief.
Before he could recover, Shi Tian burst into wild laughter.
"What, is that all? It's not even enough to scratch an itch!"
The moment his words fell, Shi Tian suddenly stepped forward.
For a moment, the arena cracked apart!
In the next instant, he swung out a massive fist, and the air exploded!
Seeing this, Qing Yang hurriedly used his movement technique to evade.
"Competing in movement techniques with a Body Cultivator?"
Shi Tian sneered. His speed suddenly surged, and he charged into Qing Yang like a savage bull.
Bang!
Qing Yang failed to dodge in time and was struck squarely in the chest by Shi Tian's punch, coughing blood as he flew backward off the arena.
"Seven Courtyards' Qing Yang, defeated!"
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