The Essence of "Knowing When to Yield" Is Being a Worthy Man

"In the next round, Jiang Yan will face Xiao Yun!"

Xiao Yun brought his junior sister Chen Wan and junior brother here, intending only to gain some benefits from this grand event.

During the registration process, he clearly heard a naive young man next to him claim to be "Wen Dao Palace Jiang Yan".

I wanted to ask a question, but I was pushed away by the crowd.

What a coincidence, it just so happens to match.

On the arena, Xiao Yun sized up the tense Jiang Yan opposite him and asked in a deep voice, "You said you're from the Wen Dao Palace?"

Jiang Yan nodded straightforwardly. "Yes."

I remember when we were registering, Jiang Yan asked Qin Wangchuan whether to fill in "Rogue Cultivator" or something else for the sect section.

Qin Wangchuan said you can fill in the Wen Dao Palace if you want, didn't you say you wanted to join?

Then, Jiang Yan actually filled it in.

At that moment, he was unaware that he had stumbled upon the very person he was after.

The junior disciple below the stage secretly tugged at Chen Wan's sleeve, his voice filled with disbelief. "Senior Sister, is this person... really from our Wen Dao Palace? How come I've never seen him before?"

Chen Wan scrutinized Jiang Yan from head to toe with lightning-fast eyes, then shook her head firmly. "Absolutely not. Our Wen Dao Palace isn't some large sect with tens of thousands of members. Even if we don't know his name, there's no way we wouldn't recognize his face."

She snorted coldly, her tone sharp. "Besides, there are clearly only the three of us participating in this Grand Competition."

The junior brother's expression immediately became complicated.

He recalled the carefree days he had spent impersonating Blood Evil Sect disciple, but now someone was impersonating him. This role reversal filled him with an inexplicable sense of unease.

"We've always been the ones who can impersonate others, but now someone is actually impersonating someone from our Wen Dao Palace! This... this is outrageous!"

"Very well." Xiao Yun did not reveal his identity, but suddenly a monstrous aura surged around him. "Then let me see just how capable you people from the Wen Dao Palace are!"

"Start!"

No sooner had the referee finished speaking than Jiang Yan erupted.

He didn't unleash his killing move right away; instead, he planned to test the waters first.

Mysterious Thunder True Body was operating at full power, and thousands of lightning snakes burst forth from his body, turning half of the arena into Thunder Pool.

Jiang Yan took a step forward, leaving a charred footprint on the Mysterious Crystal ground; with another step, he transformed into a bolt of lightning that tore through the sky, hurtling towards Xiao Yun's face!

"The power is good, but the speed is a bit slow."

Xiao Yun's figure flickered like a ghost, letting the lightning brush past him.

He pointed his fingers like a knife, and a crimson Blade Aura tore through the lightning curtain, forcing Jiang Yan to retreat repeatedly.

"Returning Resonance!"

Jiang Yan's fist transformed into Thunder Spear, and a bolt of Purple Lightning tore through the sky and pierced straight down.

Xiao Yun neither dodged nor avoided, but simply extended one finger.

The Thunder Spear shattered three inches from the fingertip, turning into a sky full of sparks.

"It seems the people from the Wen Dao Palace are nothing special after all," Xiao Yun said with a hint of sarcasm.

Anyone who dares to impersonate your family member, I'll beat the shit out of you!

Under complete suppression, a resolute glint flashed in Jiang Yan's eyes.

He clasped his hands together, and a roaring sound, like a furnace, emanated from within his body.

"First Gear!"

Boom--!!!

Crimson lightning shot into the sky, and every strand of Jiang Yan's hair turned into lightning.

A surge of powerful Qi and Blood erupted like a volcano, causing the entire arena to tremble violently, and the protective barrier flickered unpredictably.

At this moment, Jiang Yan seemed like the Thunder God descending to earth, his imposing presence causing an uproar in the audience.

Xiao Yun's expression changed drastically, and the Demonic Blade within his body emitted a thirsty hum.

Its power was indeed extraordinary. Just as he hesitated whether to unleash his weapon, he suddenly recognized the unique operation of this technique—

"This is... a modified version of the Qin Clan's Spirit Power Furnace?!"

In a flash, countless clues came together: unique Thunder Method, the Qin Clan Secret Transmission, a self-proclaimed Wen Dao Palace...

'Could it be the Young Master...?'

Although he had assumed a fighting stance, his gaze was not fixed on Jiang Yan, but rather wandered around, trying to find that person.

In that instant, my mind wandered—

"Take this punch!"

Jiang Yan's fist, carrying earth-shattering power, slammed towards him!

This punch gathered all the power of the Wanjie Thunder Furnace, and the air smelled burnt wherever it passed.

"Puff--"

To everyone's horror, Xiao Yun was punched in the chest and sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

In that very instant.

Using the momentum of his spin, Xiao Yun scanned the entire area—and finally, high in the clouds, he met those familiar Golden Eyes.

As expected of Young Master!

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through Xiao Yun's mind: 'Since Young Master allowed this person to impersonate a disciple of the Wen Dao Palace and imparted the Qin Clan Secret Technique to him, he must be using this battle to hone this person.'

'If I were to go all out now, I could certainly win, but it would ruin your plans Young Master. Perhaps...'

Thinking of this, Xiao Yun immediately put on his dramatic act.

Although Jiang Yan's punch was powerful, it was not enough to knock him off the stage.

We need to work harder!

Xiao Yun twisted his body in mid-air, subtly using his strength to not only deflect most of the impact but also accelerate backward.

At the same time, he gathered his strength and slapped his own abdomen with his palm.

A mouthful of blood gushed out, drawing a blinding red line in the air.

"Thump--"

He crashed heavily off the stage, even deliberately rolling twice on the ground. His blood-stained Green Robe was immediately soaked with dust, making him look extremely miserable.

The entire room Deathly Stillness.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden reversal.

After a brief silence, the audience erupted in cheers.

"Wait! Isn't Xiao Yun Blade Cultivator?" A sharp-eyed cultivator pointed at Xiao Yun lying on the ground. "In his previous matches, his Blade Aura was fierce and domineering. How come he lost this time without even drawing his sword?"

Someone nearby stroked their chin thoughtfully. "It's definitely strange... And did you guys notice? He seemed to have spun around a few times in the air just now, and his backward flight speed was unnaturally fast."

A sharp voice suddenly rang out. "Could it be... a fixed match?"

These words struck Xiao Yun like a thunderbolt, causing him to tremble as he had just "struggled" to his feet.

"Holy crap, how could they have noticed that?"

"Puff--"

He immediately spat out another mouthful of blood, this time deliberately letting the blood stain a large area of his chest. He swayed weakly, as if he might faint at any moment.

Upon seeing this, Chen Wan and her junior brother rushed forward.

"Senior brother!" The junior brother had just taken out the healing pills when Xiao Yun grabbed his wrist.

Divine Sense message exploded within their Sea of Consciousness: 'That kid on stage is connected to the Young Master; he's cooperating in this act!'

A glint flashed in Chen Wan's eyes, and she instantly got into character.

She supported the swaying Xiao Yun, her voice trembling with tears. "Senior Brother's meridians... are all broken! That punch actually shattered your Spiritual Platform!"

The junior brother knelt down abruptly, hugging Xiao Yun and weeping bitterly. "It's all our fault for not being skilled enough, causing our senior brother to suffer such a serious injury! The power of that punch is so great that even Tenth Realm Expert couldn't withstand it!"

This performance immediately swayed the initially skeptical audience.

"Even Tenth Realm couldn't withstand it? Although the power of that punch was indeed terrifying."

"It seems he's truly seriously injured..."

"Could Jiang Yan's strength really be this terrifying?"