One Punch Sends Nine Layers of Perfection Flying

Wang Hui stood frozen on Arena Nine, his hands trembling slightly as his spiritual energy reserves were more than half depleted.

He had poured everything into that strike—his full strength, ten-tenths of his spiritual power, and the lethal boost of his magical artifact.

Yet... he hadn't even managed to break a basic shield condensed from the opponent's raw spiritual energy?

In that moment, all of Wang Hui's arrogance, ambition, and unwillingness crumbled away.

From start to finish, his opponent hadn't moved a step, his expression hadn't changed, and he hadn't even unleashed a single proper technique.

With nothing more than a casually manifested spiritual shield, he had crushed Wang Hui completely.

What was the point of continuing?

To keep fighting would be nothing more than self-inflicted humiliation.

Stubbornly holding on would only waste his own spiritual energy before he was inevitably finished off with a flick of the opponent's wrist.

Wang Hui's face turned deathly pale, his chest heaving violently. After a long silence, he spoke bitterly.

"I... concede."

A deafening roar of noise and discussion swept across the arena.

"He conceded?! Wang Hui, a mid-stage ninth-layer cultivator, just gave up?"

"My god! Am I seeing this right? Senior Brother Su Yun didn't even strike back once!"

"He defended the whole time, a one-sided crushing victory!"

"That was a lethal move boosted by a magical artifact! And he just tanked it like that?"

"What kind of monster is he? Being at the eighth layer after three months is one thing, but his spiritual energy is monstrous to this degree?"

Many outer sect disciples stood with numb expressions, their worldviews shattered one after another.

The inner sect disciple area was in an equal uproar.

"I watched carefully; Su Yun didn't use any magical artifacts from start to finish."

"That shield was purely condensed spiritual energy."

"No special defensive artifacts, no high-level defensive secret arts—he tanked it purely on his foundation!"

"Hasn't this level of spiritual density long since exceeded the scope of Qi Refining?"

Amidst the crowd, Lin Hao's expression was dark to the extreme.

All the contempt, disdain, and secret mockery he had harbored earlier now felt like stinging slaps across his face.

On Arena Nine, Su Yun heard the concession and casually dispersed the spiritual shield in front of him.

He looked at the pale-faced Wang Hui and said calmly, "You are too kind."

The presiding elder announced the result in a loud voice.

"Arena Nine, Su Yun wins! Advancing to the next round!"

The battle on Arena Nine concluded, but the fervor of the crowd refused to die down.

Everyone's mind was still echoing with that impenetrable spiritual shield.

An eighth-layer newcomer had forced a veteran ninth-layer mid-stage disciple to voluntarily concede.

Time ticked by.

In less than an hour, all the matches for the first round of the sect tournament were finished.

Over half of the four hundred participants had been eliminated, leaving only one hundred and ninety-eight.

None of those who remained were weak.

The worst among them were at the mid-to-late eighth layer of Qi Refining, and the vast majority were ninth-layer inner sect elites.

Soon after, the second-round draw began.

The remaining disciples drew new numbers to determine their arenas.

Countless eyes locked onto Su Yun the moment it started.

Everyone was curious to see who this monster of a newcomer would draw in the second round.

The results were posted quickly.

Arena Nine, Su Yun.

Opponent: Zhao Kun, ninth-layer Qi Refining perfection!

As the news spread, the plaza erupted into chaos once again.

"Holy crap? He's going straight up against a ninth-layer perfection?"

"I know Zhao Kun; he's a veteran powerhouse, just one step away from Foundation Establishment!"

"His spiritual energy density is more than twice as strong as Wang Hui's from just a moment ago!"

"This is going to be a good show. Can Su Yun continue to create miracles?"

The sound of discussion filled the air.

Many disciples abandoned watching the other arenas, crowding together in front of Arena Nine.

High above on the platform, several elders sat up straight, watching Arena Nine with great interest.

Arena Nine.

Zhao Kun wore black, his posture upright, his spiritual energy gathered around him without dissipating.

Compared to Wang Hui, his aura was clearly a cut above.

At the peak of the ninth level, his vitality was flourishing, his spiritual energy was thick, and his practical combat experience was extremely rich.

From the disciples below the stage, he had learned in detail about Su Yun's performance in the previous round.

Resisting a major artifact attack with pure spiritual energy—his defense was absurdly terrifying.

Zhao Kun was incredibly clear in his heart.

Su Yun's foundation was absolutely exceptionally solid; he was by no means the "flashy, quick-success" fighter the outside world claimed.

Trying to whittle him down or exhaust him through conventional means simply wouldn't work.

Since defense was useless, he would go straight for a heavy assault.

He would crush his opponent with the most violent offensive possible.

The referee elder stood to the side of the arena and spoke in a deep voice: "Second round, ninth match, begin!"

The moment the words fell.

Zhao Kun didn't waste a single word, immediately activating his full-power mode!

Extremely thick, earth-yellow spiritual energy exploded instantly, covering the entire arena.

His fingers flew as he formed seals with extreme speed.

Earth-style techniques stacked layer upon layer, rapidly taking shape.

Rock Lock Cage! Ten Thousand Crushing Stones! Earth Spike Piercing!

The sky was filled with dense, crisscrossing earth-yellow rubble, descending from all directions like a landslide.

From the very start, he used his killing moves.

Su Yun's expression remained calm, without a ripple.

In the astonished gaze of everyone, he slowly raised his right arm.

A simple, plain, straightforward punch.

A massive amount of golden spiritual energy, condensed to the extreme, instantly gathered on his fist.

He threw the punch!

The airflow exploded!

The earth-style techniques that had previously filled the sky disintegrated layer by layer, crumbling inch by inch!

The sky full of rubble was annihilated, the Rock Lock Cage shattered instantly, and the Earth Spike Piercing turned into nothingness.

The three major moves Zhao Kun had unleashed with ninety percent of his spiritual energy were all crushed head-on by a single, simple punch!

Zhao Kun's pupils shrank, his body stiffened, and his mind went briefly blank.

He couldn't believe the scene before his eyes.

His long-prepared finishing combo was just... gone?

Su Yun lifted his eyelids slightly: "Is that all you've got?"

As the words fell.

The second punch followed through!

This punch was still extremely plain.

No flashy moves, just straight and direct.

But this time, the spiritual energy contained within was even more violent; under the blessing of Thousandfold Amplification, its penetrating power was terrifying to the extreme.

Zhao Kun's expression changed drastically, an extreme sense of crisis rising from the bottom of his heart.

With no time to think, he gritted his teeth and poured out all the remaining spiritual energy in his body.

His storage bag flashed, and two low-grade artifacts were summoned simultaneously.

An earthen defensive jade shield and a sharp iron sword.

He simultaneously activated his strongest defensive secret technique, layering spiritual power over his body.

He intended to give his all to take this punch head-on!

"Block it for me!"

The golden fist force slammed into the defensive jade shield.

Crack!

The jade shield shattered instantly, rendered useless on the spot.

Following closely behind, the layers of protective spiritual power crumbled, and the secret technique barrier proved to be nothing more than a facade.

Finally, the impact struck Zhao Kun's protective robes.

A savage, overbearing force instantly surged into his limbs and bones.

Zhao Kun spat out a mouthful of blood, his body losing all control like a kite with a broken string.

He flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground outside the arena.

The entire Martial Arts Plaza fell into dead silence.

Everyone's eyes widened, mouths slightly agape, their brains completely stalled.

One round.

Two punches.

A one-hit kill against Zhao Kun, who was at the Great Perfection of the ninth level!

A few breaths later.

A deafening uproar swept through the entire Martial Arts Plaza!

"Two punches! The fight ended in just two punches?!"

"What did I just see? He didn't even use spells; it was pure physical and spiritual power crushing him!"

"As expected of a Metal Heavenly Spirit Root! His offensive power is simply monstrous!"

"That was the ninth level Great Perfection! That's a top-tier genius only one step away from Foundation Establishment!"

"I used to think Senior Brother Su Yun's defense was absurd, but now I realize his offense is the most terrifying thing about him!"

Thousands of outer sect disciples shouted in wild, emotional excitement.

"Who else in the Qi Refining stage can stop him?"

"Judging by this strength, there is no longer any suspense as to who will take first place in this tournament."

"It's a sure thing; it has to be Su Yun!"

"I even suspect... that even an inner sect senior brother at the early stage of Foundation Establishment might not win if they faced him head-on."

Below the stage.

Zhao Kun, having just landed, clutched his chest as his internal organs throbbed with sharp pain and his blood surged.

He looked up at the calm and composed figure of the youth on the stage.

His eyes held nothing but deep helplessness and frustration.

Though both were in the Qi Refining realm, the gap between them was no longer on the same level.

The referee elder took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and announced loudly:

"Arena Nine, Su Yun—wins! Advances to the third round!"