That's it?

Layton felt a surge of irritation. Recalling what he had just said, he felt he had lost face, so he flickered and exited the Virtual Universe, vanishing from the spectator hall.

The several Immortals nearby saw this, exchanged glances, and then smilingly gathered around Marquis Yuankun to offer their congratulations.

"Marquis Yuankun, your young disciple truly has remarkable talent. His comprehension of the Law of Earth Origin is profound, and his defensive capabilities far exceed those of his peers. It is clear that he has been well-taught by you, Marquis."

"Indeed, your young disciple is also very experienced in combat; he must have undergone quite a lot of training."

"In my opinion, Lin Yuan is a shoo-in for the core layer of the Great Axe Arena in this Peak Warrior Tournament."

Marquis Yuankun merely smiled faintly:

"The road is still long. Let us see how far this disciple of mine can go."

Lin Yuan was teleported out of the combat space and returned to the towering palace from before, waiting for his next match.

Not far away, the figure of Resk also appeared simultaneously.

The big guy seemed to have not yet fully recovered from the previous battle; he scratched his head while recalling the fight, looking around in confusion.

Resk spotted Lin Yuan and walked straight toward him.

Lin Yuan watched the massive figure approaching him, thinking the big guy was unconvinced and looking for more trouble.

To his surprise, the big guy spoke up:

"Strong! Very strong! I am, the weak one!"

The big guy's voice boomed, and after saying this, he even bowed to Lin Yuan.

Afterward, Resk added Lin Yuan's Virtual Universe account and turned to leave.

Hearing what Resk had just said, Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised. It seemed this big guy was simple-minded and worshipped the strong, though he treated those weaker than him quite differently.

"Beep. Master, a sum of funds has been transferred to your account."

The Smart Optical Brain sent a notification.

Lin Yuan checked it and discovered that Resk had transferred 10 Hunyuan Units to him.

This big oaf isn't a bad person, just a bit of a bully, Lin Yuan thought to himself.

The Ranking Tournament continued.

Over the next few days, Lin Yuan remained undefeated.

Just like the battle recordings of the top ten students, many students watched them, and the recording of Lin Yuan defeating Resk was widely circulated.

Lin Yuan's name gradually became well-known among the Universe Level students.

Many students were amazed; this newcomer who had only arrived at the Sacred Land a little over ten years ago was displaying such strength in his very first Ranking Tournament, remaining undefeated to this day.

The 17th day of the Ranking Tournament.

Lin Yuan was currently at "169 wins, 0 losses" and was about to face the final opponent of the day.

"Whoosh!"

Lin Yuan was teleported away from the palace.

Virtual Universe, combat space.

This time, the combat location was an arena, ten kilometers in diameter.

Lin Yuan appeared at one end of the arena, and a few kilometers away, another figure emerged.

Lin Yuan looked over and discovered it was a bald man. Upon closer inspection, he found the bald figure looked somewhat familiar; it was none other than Barry, who had wanted to initiate a wagered battle with him earlier.

Lin Yuan had a terrible impression of this Barry.

From the attitude he had shown toward him and Cohen that day, it was clear that he likely bullied other students in the Sacred Land quite often.

"Yo! We finally ran into each other, and the combat site is an arena, too. What a coincidence."

Lin Yuan spoke up first.

"Lin Yuan?"

The bald Barry frowned when he saw his opponent was Lin Yuan.

He had watched the recording of the battle between Lin Yuan and Resk. He had already concluded that Lin Yuan hadn't used even a fraction of his strength during his sparring match with Cohen; Lin Yuan's application of the Law of Earth Origin and the Thousand Mountain Axe was worlds apart compared to back then.

However, Barry still felt he had a chance.

"Hmph, Lin Yuan, I've finally run into you. You've really kept me waiting a long time."

The bald Barry said, still acting arrogant.

"That idiot Resk couldn't beat you, but I'm different, haha," Barry grinned.

"You should have watched my battle recordings, right? That's right, I am the strongest Spirit Reader Illusionist among the Universe Level students in the Nine Flame Sacred Land!"

Lin Yuan was speechless.

Lin Yuan had not watched any of Barry's battle recordings.

"An illusionist, huh..." Lin Yuan smiled playfully.

"My teacher is a master of illusions, the 'Marquis Illusion Moon', one of the four hundred marquises of the Nine Flames Universe Kingdom!"

"Kid, the battle will be over very quickly, so you better prepare to..."

"Enough talk, let's just start."

Lin Yuan was growing impatient and cut him off.

"The battle will begin after the countdown. Five, four..."

The cold, mechanical voice finally began the countdown.

In the spectator hall of the Virtual Universe.

Marquis Illusion Moon's expression was not pleasant; he wished he could enter the combat space and gag his own disciple.

Marquis Illusion Moon felt helpless. After all these years, he had finally found a psychokinetic illusionist with some talent and taken him as a disciple, but he hadn't expected his disciple's temperament and conduct to be so unbearable.

"Marquis Illusion Moon."

At this moment, three figures walked over. It was Marquis Yuankun, who was in the lead, who spoke.

"I've heard you praise your disciple, the second-ranked in the Holy Land, quite a bit over the years, saying how strong his talent is. Now that he's up against my little apprentice, what are the odds you think he has?" Marquis Yuankun asked.

In truth, Marquis Yuankun and Marquis Illusion Moon had a decent friendship in private.

"Odds? If your disciple were also proficient in the soul path, or like Brian, with hundreds of phantom bodies making it impossible to lock onto the real one, then there might be hope. Otherwise... I'm afraid it'll be difficult."

Marquis Illusion Moon replied, feeling very confident in the disciple he had trained.

"Since that's the case, why don't we make a wager?" Marquis Yuankun proposed.

"Wager what?"

Marquis Yuankun raised a hand, and a projection of a crystal-clear stone appeared in the air.

"I'll bet this 'Snow God Crystal'. If your disciple wins, it's yours," Marquis Yuankun said.

Marquis Illusion Moon was stunned. This 'Snow God Crystal' was worth at least several hundred thousand Hunyuan Units; Marquis Yuankun was truly making a grand gesture this time.

"Fine!"

Marquis Illusion Moon's interest was piqued as well. He also raised his hand, projecting a piece of black jade before him.

"Then I'll bet this 'Nether Black Jade'. Its value is about the same as yours."

Marquis Illusion Moon was full of confidence in Barry's illusions.

Virtual Universe, combat space.

"Three, two, one!"

The mechanical countdown ended, and the battle began!

Barry stood on a purple shuttle-shaped psychokinetic weapon, his eyes cold and his lips moving as if muttering something.

"Hum—!"

An invisible wave instantly surged toward Lin Yuan. It moved at extreme speed, crossing several kilometers in an instant to invade Lin Yuan's mind directly.

At the same time, Barry activated the purple shuttle beneath his feet. The shuttle flashed, splitting into three beams of purple light imbued with the fluctuations of the Law of Lightning Origin, shooting straight toward Lin Yuan's head.

However, Lin Yuan, having been struck by the illusion attack, acted as if nothing had happened.

Lin Yuan's eyes remained clear, and his movements did not falter in the slightest.

"Is that it?" Lin Yuan said indifferently.

His domain instantly expanded, and the secret technique "Earth Tremor" was quietly activated. It felt as if mountains were protecting his body, and the three beams of purple light could not even get close to him.

"This... how is this possible?"

Barry could not believe it, and the confident expression on his face instantly froze.