The instant the word "begin" fell...
Lin Qingyin was the first to move.
As she took a step forward, the white jade platform beneath her feet trembled violently, and a powerful aura far exceeding that of the Early First Grade erupted from her body.
The aura was so strong that it had clearly reached the First Grade Late Stage!
"Boom--!"
With the infusion of her First Grade Late Stage Internal Qi, Lin Qingyin unleashed a palm strike.
This palm strike was delivered with full force, without any probing.
Her pale palm swept through the air, and the surrounding air currents were stirred by the extremely concentrated palm force, condensing into an almost transparent palm print in front of her palm.
The palm print was no bigger than a millstone, yet it was as solid as a physical object, carrying a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of Mountain Shatterer, and it slammed straight towards Chu Jinghong.
Where the palm print passed, a series of ear-piercing sonic booms echoed through the air, leaving a shallow scorch mark on the white jade surface.
The power of this palm strike, like Qin Yuan's, also surpassed the limits of a martial artist who Break Three Passes, and was approaching the realm of a grandmaster.
"Excellent palm technique!"
A glint flashed in Chu Jinghong's eyes, and his gaze became serious for the first time.
He did not retreat or dodge; his right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Clang--"
The longsword was drawn, its sound like a dragon's roar, clear and melodious, instantly spreading throughout the entire venue.
The sword's body is a pale purple, shimmering with a restrained radiance, while the blade's edge is imbued with a tangible purple sword aura.
Chu Jinghong thrust out with his sword.
This sword strike, too, was delivered without any probing; it was a full-force attack from the outset.
The sword was infused with the boundless Internal Qi of First Grade Late Stage cultivator, causing its light to surge and transform into a purple streak that seemed capable of tearing through the void, fiercely meeting the palm print head-on.
Where the sword light passed, the air was torn open, leaving a dark rift several meters long.
The crack remained, emitting a low, mournful sound, as if space itself was groaning in pain under this sword strike.
"Boom--!!!"
The palm print and the sword light collided fiercely in mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar.
The sound was so intense that the entire venue trembled violently, and countless audience members' eardrums were ringing, causing them to involuntarily cover their ears.
A visible shockwave spread wildly outwards from the point of impact.
Wherever the shockwave passed, the air was distorted into visible ripples, and even the light seemed to be warped by that force.
Fang Han was watching from below the stage, changed his expression drastically and retreated repeatedly.
Even so, the oncoming shockwave still made him gasp for breath, as if he had been struck in the chest by an invisible giant hammer.
On the spectator stands, the teacups in front of the three princes and princesses shook violently, spilling several drops of Tea.
The Third Prince Chu Yuanchen's pupils contracted slightly, and a hint of certainty appeared in his gentle eyes as he said:
"These two's combat strength has indeed surpassed the Break Three Passes, and is now approaching that of a Grandmaster!"
Before the smoke and dust had even cleared, the two figures on the stage crossed paths once more.
Lin Qingyin moved like lightning, unleashing both palms simultaneously, their shadows flashing and transforming into countless palm prints.
Each palm print was as solid as a physical object, carrying the terrifying power to Mountain Shatterer, enveloping Chu Jinghong from all directions.
The force of her palm strike stirred the air on the entire Combat Platform, creating visible vortexes.
New scorch marks kept appearing on the white jade table, the aftershocks of her palm strike, crisscrossing and densely packed.
Chu Jinghong did not retreat at all. His long sword danced like a wheel in his hand, and the sword light layered on top of each other, turning into a dense purple sword curtain.
The sword curtain appeared gentle, yet it was incomparably sharp; each sword light that swept across tore open a dark rift.
Lin Qingyin's palm print collided with the sword curtain, producing a continuous booming sound, but it was still unable to break through the defense of that sword light.
"Clang clang clang clang--!"
The explosive sound of the palm strike colliding with the Sword Qi was like a thunderclap, spreading outwards in waves.
The two figures rapidly crossed paths on the stage, with purple and pale green beams of light colliding, intertwining, and annihilating each other.
Each collision unleashed a terrifying aftershock that would chill even an ordinary First Grade martial artist to the bone.
The scorch marks and sword marks on the white jade table became increasingly dense. Although they could not destroy the white jade table, they left clear marks on it, as if it had been scorched by fire.
The audience was completely silent.
The eyes of 100,000 people were fixed on the two rapidly moving figures, and even their breath seemed to stop.
This level of combat was completely beyond their imagination.
An ordinary First Grade martial artist would probably not be able to withstand even a single move in such a confrontation.
Below the stage, Qin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, calmly gazing at the stage.
For the first time, genuine seriousness appeared in those deep eyes—both of these people possessed strength that made him take them seriously.
"His combat strength is approaching that of a Grandmaster!"
Fang Han retreated to a distance, his gaze fixed on the two figures on the stage.
He had seen grandmasters fight, but none were as shocking as the duel between the two.
It's not that the two of them have surpassed the Grandmaster in combat power, but rather that the Grandmaster is an older generation, and it's not surprising that he possesses terrifying combat power, while the two of them are his peers and belong to the same younger generation.
On the stage, the battle had already lasted over a hundred moves.
Lin Qingyin's breathing became slightly rapid, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Even a high-intensity, all-out burst of power is a tremendous burden for First Grade Late Stage martial artist.
But in her clear, elegant eyes, the fighting spirit burned ever brighter.
She took a deep breath, her internal Internal Qi erupted, she formed a hand seal, and struck out with her palm.
This single palm strike embodied her entire understanding of the "artistic Artistic Conception of landscape".
A huge palm print, several meters in diameter, materialized out of thin air, its surface clear and the lines on the palm visible.
With a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of shattering the heavens and earth, it slammed fiercely towards Chu Jinghong!
Where the palm print passed, the air was compressed into a visible white mist, emitting an extremely sharp sonic boom.
Chu Jinghong's pupils contracted slightly, but she did not back down.
He took a deep breath, held his longsword horizontally in front of him, and a burst of purple light emanated from the blade.
The next instant, he unleashed a sword strike.
This sword strike seemed to embody all his understanding of the " Rainbow Sword Intent ".
The purple sword light transformed into a long streak, several feet long, carrying a resolute intent that seemed capable of severing cause and effect and destiny, and fiercely met the palm print head-on.
"Swoosh--Boom!!!"
First came a faint but sharp tearing sound, as if cloth were being ripped in half.
Then came the earth-shattering explosion!
The enormous palm print was forcefully cleaved in two by the purple sword light.
Two terrifying forces collided and annihilated each other, and the resulting shockwaves swept outwards like an apocalyptic tsunami. The entire Combat Platform trembled violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
The shockwave, still powerful, swept fiercely towards the audience, causing their clothes to flutter as if swept by a whirlwind.
On the stage, the smoke and dust dissipated, revealing two figures.
A figure stood holding a sword, his robes fluttering in the wind.
It was Chu Jinghong.
Another figure, Lin Qingyin, stood still, her face slightly pale, with drops of blood dripping from her palm.
She was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, her voice hoarse but calm:
"I lost."
Chu Jinghong sheathed his sword and nodded slightly.
"Thank you for your concession."
The voice of the old man in red robes rang out in the hall:
" Chu Jinghong of Cangwu Prefecture wins."
After a brief silence, the audience erupted in a deafening clamor.
" Chu Jinghong won!"
"Both were at the First Grade Late Stage, and both displayed combat power surpassing that of those who Break Three Passes and were approaching that of grandmasters. However, in the end Chu Jinghong was the one who won!"
" Chu Jinghong's sword strike was truly terrifying; it gave me the feeling of facing a grandmaster head-on!"
"Tomorrow, Qin Yuan will face Chu Jinghong... Who will win?"
" Qin Yuan and Chu Jinghong are both at the First Grade Late Stage, and both can unleash combat power surpassing the level of Break Three Passes. Who will win? It's hard to say."
"I'm optimistic about Qin Yuan. The power of Qin Yuan's saber technique is no less than that of Chu Jinghong's Sword Technique. He defeated Fang Han, the biggest dark horse of this competition, with just one strike!"
"I'm optimistic about Chu Jinghong. The fact that Chu Jinghong could defeat Lin Qingyin proves that he is the strongest among the three!"
As the red-robed elder announced the end of today's competition, the crowd in the stands gradually dispersed, but the discussions continued for a long time.
Fang Han, Luo Yuntian, Liu Bai, Mad Blade, and the others walked out of the venue together and headed towards the Royal Annex along the wide streets of the Imperial Capital.
There were more pedestrians on the street than usual, mostly audience members who had just come out of the venue.
They gathered in small groups, enthusiastically discussing the day's battles, especially the epic duel between Lin Qingyin and Chu Jinghong.
"Tomorrow, Qin Yuan will face Chu Jinghong. Who do you think will win?"
"It's hard to say, their strengths are too even."
The discussions rose and fell incessantly.
Hearing these comments, Luo Yuntian was naturally curious and looked at Fang Han, asking:
"Senior Brother Fang, who do you think will win tomorrow's battle between Qin Yuan and Chu Jinghong?"
Liu Bai and the others also turned their gazes to Fang Han, clearly wanting to know his judgment.
Fang Han pondered in silence for a moment, then slowly shook his head:
"In today's battle between Lin Qingyin and Chu Jinghong, although Chu Jinghong won, it was not an easy victory. Judging from Qin Yuan's strike today, his strength is roughly equal to Chu Jinghong's."
"In tomorrow's battle, either side could win."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yuntian pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "That's indeed the case..."
On the tenth day, the first rays of dawn broke through.
The entire venue was filled with a surging crowd; all 100,000 seats were occupied, and even the aisles were packed with people.
The cacophony of voices was like a real tsunami, crashing wave after wave over the venue, making the air tremble slightly.
Today is the final battle of the Martial Arts Tournament.
Qin Yuan versus Chu Jinghong.
The old man in red robes slowly walked to the center of the Combat Platform, his gaze sweeping over the two remaining figures below.
Qin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back on the left side of the Combat Platform. His Dark Gold outfit gleamed with a restrained luster in the morning light, a long sword hung at his waist, and his expression was as calm as still water.
Those deep eyes gazed across the room, calm and undisturbed, revealing only an unfathomable stillness.
Chu Jinghong stood on the right side of the Combat Platform, his moon-white robe motionless, Plain Longsword hanging at his waist, his face cold and aloof.
Those calm eyes held no emotional fluctuations, only a pure, sharp fighting spirit, as keen as a sword's edge.
The old man in the red robe spoke softly, yet his voice reached everyone's ears clearly:
"The final round, the tenth round of battles, the rules remain the same, and the winner will be the champion of this Martial Arts Tournament."
" Qin Yuan of Dragon Prosperity Prefecture versus Chu Jinghong of Cangwu Prefecture."
The eyes of 100,000 people were focused on those two figures.
Qin Yuan and Chu Jinghong took to the stage at the same time.
Facing each other from dozens of feet apart, Qin Yuan slowly raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Chu Jinghong also raised her hand and grasped the hilt of the sword at her waist.