One Sword!

Shen Tiandou stepped with the Seven Star Steps, the Bedrock Sword sweeping down toward Li Xiaoyu with crushing momentum.

Before the sword even reached him, a heavy pressure had already crashed over him.

This was a signature move he had honed for many years. It carried immense force and weight, and ordinary disciples at the same level wouldn't dare take it head-on.

Facing this powerful strike, Li Xiaoyu gave a strange smile.

A contest of strength?

A month ago, he might have had to avoid its edge.

But things were different now.

The spiritual energy in his body had been purified by the Immortal-Slaying Gourd. Its quality and density had long surpassed that of anyone at the same level.

He didn't even use any fancy sword techniques.

He simply raised the Autumn Water Sword in his hand and thrust it straight at Shen Tiandou's Bedrock Sword.

"Clang!"

A crisp clash of metal rang across the Martial Arts Arena.

The tips of the two flying swords struck each other with pinpoint accuracy.

Everyone thought that Li Xiaoyu would be sent flying along with his sword.

But then, something bizarre happened.

The moment the swords made contact, the smug smile on Shen Tiandou's face froze.

He felt a terrifying, irresistible force surge from the tip of his opponent's sword.

The force wasn't violent, but it was so pure that he couldn't begin to understand it.

The immense power behind his Mountain Crushing Style was no match for it. It was swept away in an instant.

"Crack!"

A crisp fracture rang out.

To the crowd's horror, a crack appeared at the tip of Shen Tiandou's sturdy flying sword!

The crack rapidly spread along the entire blade.

"No, impossible!"

Shen Tiandou shrieked.

His magic treasure was about to break?

Li Xiaoyu gave his wrist a slight flick.

"Bang!"

A thunderous blast rang out.

Shen Tiandou's Bedrock Sword could take no more. It exploded with a roar, turning into countless metal fragments that scattered in every direction.

The destruction of his magic treasure sent Shen Tiandou reeling. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

Li Xiaoyu's Autumn Water Sword, meanwhile, remained pristine. Its tip trembled faintly as it pointed at Shen Tiandou's brow from afar.

A frigid sword intent left Shen Tiandou's entire body rigid, unable to move.

The winner had been decided.

The entire Martial Arts Arena fell into deathly silence.

Everyone was utterly stunned by what they had just witnessed.

One sword!

A simple, straightforward sword!

Shen Tiandou, at the fifth layer of the Jade Purity Realm and wielding a heavy sword, had his magic treasure shattered in one strike by Li Xiaoyu, who was only at the fourth layer!

This could no longer be explained by the difference in cultivation realm!

This was an overwhelming display of sheer strength!

Just how deep were Li Xiaoyu's reserves of spiritual energy?!

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Every disciple at Morning Sun Peak, along with the people from other peaks who had come to watch, stood gaping on the Martial Arts Arena, unable to make a sound.

Their minds kept replaying that shocking scene.

It had taken only one sword!

There had been no dazzling techniques, no abstruse spells—just the purest, most direct clash of strength.

Shen Tiandou, at the fifth layer of the Jade Purity Realm, had been utterly crushed, sword and all!

His magic treasure was destroyed, he had spat blood, and he lay sprawled on the ground.

And Li Xiaoyu, who had supposedly only just broken through to the fourth layer, still stood with his sword in hand, calm and unruffled. Even the hem of his robe was untouched.

This Li Xiaoyu was terrifying beyond belief~

"Gulp."

Someone struggled to swallow. The sound rang out particularly clearly across the silent arena.

That sound finally pulled everyone back from their endless shock.

"Whoa!"

The next moment, a storm of discussion broke out!

"What did I just see? Senior Brother Shen's Bedrock Sword just shattered like that?"

"Heavens! How deep are Senior Brother Li's reserves of spiritual energy? That's nothing like the strength someone at the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm should have!"

"Terrifying! Is this what a true genius looks like? After six years in obscurity, he's soared into the heavens!"

"The genius has returned! Our Morning Sun Peak is finally going to rise again!"

Every gaze converged on the tall, straight figure standing in the arena.

All their earlier doubts had vanished from those gazes.

Only shock remained.

In this world, the strong were revered.

With that one sword, Li Xiaoyu had crushed every doubt and secured his place.

Shen Tiandou lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky as he muttered, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

He couldn't accept it.

He had cultivated diligently for years, proud of his cultivation and strength, yet in front of his opponent, he had been utterly helpless.

Ridiculous, and tragic.

Li Xiaoyu slowly lowered the Autumn Water Sword.

The wisp of icy sword intent on its tip faded as well.

He glanced at Shen Tiandou, who had been left utterly dejected, but said nothing to humiliate him.

For a loser who had completely lost faith in himself, any words would be superfluous.

He turned toward Shang Zhengliang, who was also still in shock on the high platform, and bowed slightly.

"Master, I have fulfilled your expectations."

Shang Zhengliang's lips trembled. Looking at his disciple, his eyes brimmed with excitement and joy.

He had expected Li Xiaoyu to win.

But he had never imagined he would win so easily, or so spectacularly!

This was beyond the word "genius"!

He was a monster!

"Good! Excellent!"

Shang Zhengliang leapt to his feet. His usually stern face broke into a wide smile as he praised him again and again.

The guilt in his heart had now turned to relief and pride.

What more could he ask for, with a disciple like this?

Morning Sun Peak's rise was just around the corner!

He swept his hand out and announced loudly, "Li Xiaoyu wins this small competition!"

"By the rules, all of Shen Tiandou's cultivation resources for the next two months belong to Li Xiaoyu!"

His gaze swept across the arena as he proclaimed with authority:

"From this day on, Li Xiaoyu is the new senior brother of Morning Sun Peak!"

"Does anyone object?"

His words stirred another uproar.

Senior brother!

This position was more than a title. It represented status, authority, and resources.

Shen Tiandou's face turned extremely grim.

Not only had he lost the match and suffered humiliation, but now he was going to lose his position as senior brother too.

Yet, faced with Shang Zhengliang's imposing gaze and the matter-of-fact looks of all the disciples below, he couldn't bring himself to utter a word of protest.

The victor became king, and the vanquished became outcasts.

That was the cultivation world's cruelest—and fairest—law.

"This disciple obeys."

Shen Tiandou squeezed out those words through clenched teeth, using every ounce of his strength.

The other disciples bowed to Li Xiaoyu as one and called out loudly:

"We pay our respects to Senior Brother!"

Their voices rang in perfect unison, echoing to the clouds.

Li Xiaoyu stood in the arena, listening to the title, his heart calm.

He didn't care about the position of senior brother.

What he cared about were the two portions of cultivation resources he had won.

His Immortal-Slaying Gourd had long been "famished and impatient."