Ye Feng Appears!

"Gasp—!"

A wave of sharp intakes of breath rang out across the plaza once more.

The Elders on the high platform revealed undisguised smiles of satisfaction and nodded one after another.

"Good! What an outstanding Ding Qian!" The Outer Court Elder rose to his feet and announced in a booming voice, "Ding Qian has successfully passed the Inner Sect Selection Competition! Excellent!"

There was not the slightest hint of surprise on Ding Qian's face. With his head held high and pride written all over his face, he strode out of the Arena.

In his eyes, passing the Inner Sect Selection Competition had always been a matter of course.

His goal had never been merely to pass, but to become the "strongest genius" in this selection competition and claim that generous reward.

10 Low-grade Spirit Stones!

In the Outer Court, no one could possibly contend with him for that spot!

Ding Qian gave a cold snort and, with a trace of disdain, headed straight for the resting area to await the announcement of the final results.

No one thought Ding Qian's pride was inappropriate. Geniuses always had the right to be proud.

Several more disciples stepped up to challenge the test, but without exception, they all failed.

It seemed the only truly capable experts in the Outer Court were Wei Zhao, Jin Zhong, and Ding Qian.

Ding Qian's overwhelming performance caused public opinion throughout the Outer Court plaza to tilt completely to one side.

"I declare Senior Brother Ding Qian the champion of this Inner Sect Selection Competition! Who agrees? Who objects?"

"I agree! He defeated a Fierce Beast of the same realm within ten moves—this strength is simply monstrous! Even among Inner Sect disciples, he'd rank above average, wouldn't he?"

"Of course! Senior Brother Ding Qian is a man with one foot already in the Qi Gathering Realm! Those 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones are his for the taking! I'm so jealous..."

The overwhelming majority of Outer Court disciples believed Ding Qian had already secured the championship in advance.

Naturally, a handful of voices raised doubts.

"The competition isn't over yet. Isn't it too early to decide the champion already? What if there's still some hidden genius waiting in the later rounds?"

But those doubts were quickly drowned out by the prevailing chorus of praise.

"Hahaha! Brother, are you stupid? A hidden genius? What kind of hidden genius could be stronger than Senior Brother Ding Qian?"

"Exactly! To defeat Senior Brother Ding Qian, they'd at least have to slaughter a Fierce Beast as easily as he did within a few moves, right? Who else do you think can do that?"

"Besides, if there really were some hidden genius in the Qi Gathering Realm, he'd have leaped out long ago to show off his strength. Would he wait until now?"

The doubters were left speechless by the rebuttals and could only shut their mouths resentfully.

The atmosphere at the scene gradually shifted from fervent anticipation to something rather dull and listless.

After all, the champion's identity seemed to hold no more suspense.

"The final contestant—Ye Feng!"

Just as everyone thought the main event of the Inner Sect Selection Competition was about to draw to a close, the deacon in charge of calling names read out the final name in a somewhat weary voice.

A figure slowly rose from the crowd.

Ye Feng opened his eyes in the corner of the resting area, stretched lazily, then slowly got to his feet and headed toward the Arena.

Ye Feng's appearance did not draw much attention.

Only a few Outer Court disciples who had known Ye Feng before widened their eyes abruptly upon seeing him, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Ye Feng? Why is he here too? Wasn't he only at the Body Refining Fourth Level? When did he reach the Body Refining Tenth Level?"

"My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, are they? It really is Ye Feng! He... he actually hid his strength?"

Their cries of alarm were quiet and quickly swallowed by the clamor of the plaza.

Most disciples who did not know Ye Feng merely gave him an indifferent glance before looking away, their faces carrying traces of impatience and numbness.

He was just here to throw his life away anyway. After watching Senior Brother Ding Qian's performance, everything else was utterly dull.

The Elders on the high platform noticed Ye Feng as well.

When the surging power of blood and qi within Ye Feng swept across their senses, several Elders raised their brows slightly, a barely perceptible flicker of surprise passing through their eyes.

"Hmm? This disciple... his blood and qi don't seem weak either?"

"Interesting. Since when did the Outer Court have so many Body Refining Tenth Level disciples? But he's so young, and his aura isn't solid enough. He probably broke through only recently and likely won't get very far."

Though somewhat surprised, the Elders did not pay much attention. With the attitude of "might as well watch," they prepared to observe this finale exhibition match.

Ye Feng paid no heed to this and stepped into the Arena with a calm expression.

The stone gate slowly opened.

This time, the Fierce Beast that emerged left everyone stunned.

It was a Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle standing three meters tall! Its shell looked as though it had been forged from black iron, gleaming with a cold metallic luster and radiating a heavy, imposing presence.

"Gasp! It's a Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle!"

"My heavens! Why would it be this kind of Fierce Beast? Ye Feng's luck is far too terrible, isn't it?"

"A Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle! A Fierce Beast with defense so monstrous it beggars belief! They say that even Qi Gathering Realm cultivators must spend considerable effort to break through its defenses!"

The Outer Court disciples cried out in alarm.

Everyone recognized the origin of this Fierce Beast.

This Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle far surpassed the Fierce Beasts Ding Qian and Jin Zhong had fought before, whether in defense or endurance!

It was absolutely one of the most troublesome Fierce Beasts one could encounter in the Body Refining Realm!

"This is bad. Ye Feng is dead for sure!"

"Yeah, the Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle fears brute force least of all! To defeat it, you either need a weapon sharp enough to break its defenses or refined True Qi! Ye Feng... he looks completely ordinary. How could he possibly win?"

"Even if Senior Brother Ding Qian fought it, he'd probably need a long time to take it down. There's absolutely no way he could do it within ten moves!"

Almost everyone believed Ye Feng had no chance of victory.

The Elders on the high platform also shook their heads, regret showing on their faces.

They could sense that Ye Feng's vitality and blood were not weak, but against a Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle with such monstrous defenses, relying on the power of his blood and vitality alone would likely make it difficult to break through its shell.

The outcome seemed already set in stone.

Yet Ye Feng, standing within the Arena and watching the enormous creature slowly approach, remained as calm as ever.

"Hm, it's just a little big," Ye Feng thought to himself, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

He had been silently observing the fighting styles and strength of Wei Zhao, Jin Zhong, and Ding Qian, and he had a clear understanding of his own abilities.

Ding Qian was powerful, with abundant vitality and blood and astonishing physical strength. He even had one foot in the Qi Gathering Realm.

But Ye Feng was confident that he might not necessarily lose to him!

Now, it was time to reveal his true strength!

Ye Feng took a deep breath, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Facing the slowly advancing Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle, Ye Feng moved!

His figure flickered like a ghost, and in an instant, he appeared before the Giant Rock Twin-headed Turtle's massive body!