The next day, the Martial Alliance Grand Competition entered its final stages, and the atmosphere grew ever more feverish.
Everyone who had made it into the top sixteen was among the finest of Qingping County's younger generation.
Every match had countless people on the edge of their seats.
Each one also determined how the spoils would be divided and who would claim the glory.
The top-sixteen matches were fierce, with one upset after another.
Feng Jianyun, the Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall's second senior disciple, had drawn an unlucky lot: Yang Ying, the Soul-Severing Spear's senior disciple and one of the Four Heroes of Qingping from the previous competition.
Feng Jianyun had only just entered the Organ Cleansing Realm, and his Iron Wire Fist was ferocious and unmatched in force. But Yang Ying's Soul-Severing Spear Technique had reached the pinnacle, his spear thrusts like a dragon, vicious and unpredictable.
The two had barely been on the platform for long.
Yang Ying launched four spear thrusts in quick succession, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, so fast they dazzled the eye.
All anyone saw were four flashes of cold light. Yang Ying's icy spearhead had already come to a steady halt three inches from Feng Jianyun's throat.
Feng Jianyun's face went deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down.
He had lost—cleanly and decisively—and ultimately placed tenth.
He stepped down from the platform in frustration, looking at Yang Ying with resentment and wariness.
Liu Ying, the young lady of the Liu Family, also failed to advance past the top sixteen.
Her opponent was Pan Zhenzhou, the eldest young master of the Pan Family.
Pan Zhenzhou practiced the Silk Entangling Hand. After more than ten exchanges, Liu Ying ultimately proved several cuts below him in strength.
Pan Zhenzhou's Garment-Clinging Form scattered her palm