Wang Hui stood frozen in place, his hands trembling slightly, most of the spiritual energy in his body spent.
He had thrown everything he had into that killing blow, pouring in all his spiritual energy and empowering it with a magical artifact.
And yet... he hadn't even managed to break through a basic shield formed from the other man's pure spiritual energy?
In that moment, all the pride, ambition, and resentment in Wang Hui's heart crumbled to dust.
From beginning to end, his opponent hadn't moved a step or changed his expression. He hadn't even cast a proper spell once.
A casually formed shield of spiritual energy alone had crushed Wang Hui completely.
What was the point of fighting anymore?
Continuing would only bring him further humiliation. It served no purpose.
If he stubbornly pressed on, he would only waste his spiritual energy before getting casually killed by his opponent.
Wang Hui's face was deathly pale. His chest heaved violently. After a long silence, he spoke bitterly.
"I... concede."
A deafening uproar swept across the arena, with voices rising from all directions.
"He conceded?! Wang Hui, a mid-ninth-layer cultivator, just conceded?"
"Oh my god! Am I seeing things? Senior Brother Su Yun didn't even fight back once!"
"He defended the whole time and completely crushed him!"
"That last move was empowered by a magical artifact! He just took it head-on?"
"What kind of monster is he? Reaching the eighth layer in three months was already insane, and now his spiritual energy is this absurdly powerful?"
Many outer-sect disciples stared blankly, their entire worldview shattered again and again.
The inner-sect disciples were just as stunned.
"I watched closely. Su Yun didn't use a single magical artifact the entire time."
"That shield was formed entirely from condensed spiritual energy."
"No special defensive artifact, no high-level defensive secret art. He just tanked it with his own formidable power!"
"Isn't the sheer depth of his spiritual energy already beyond the bounds of Qi Refining?"
In the crowd, Lin Hao's face was dark with fury.
All the disdain, contempt, and private mockery he'd felt before had now turned into burning slaps across his face.
On Arena Nine.
Hearing Wang Hui concede, Su Yun casually dispelled the spiritual-energy shield before him.
He looked at Wang Hui's pale face and replied calmly, "You were gracious."
The presiding elder announced the result in a loud voice.
"Arena Nine: Su Yun wins! He advances to the next round!"
The battle on Arena Nine came to an end.
The excitement in the crowd showed no sign of dying down.
Everyone's mind still echoed with the seemingly impenetrable shield of spiritual energy.
An eighth-layer newcomer had forced a veteran mid-ninth-layer disciple to concede.
Time passed, bit by bit.
In less than an hour.
All the matches in the first round of the sect tournament had concluded.
More than four hundred contestants had entered. Over half had been eliminated, leaving just one hundred and ninety-eight.
Not one of those who remained was weak.
The weakest were at least in the mid-to-late eighth layer of Qi Refining. Most were elite inner-sect disciples at the ninth layer.
Next, the second-round draw began.
The remaining disciples drew new numbers and were assigned to arenas.
Countless eyes immediately settled on Su Yun.
Everyone was curious to see who this monster of a newcomer would draw in the second round.
The results were soon announced.
Arena Nine: Su Yun.
Opponent: Zhao Kun, at the ninth-layer perfection stage of Qi Refining!
The news spread, and the plaza erupted once more.
"Holy crap! He's going straight up against someone at ninth-layer perfection?"
"I know Zhao Kun. He's a veteran powerhouse, just one step away from Foundation Establishment!"
"His spiritual energy is at least twice as condensed as Wang Hui's!"
"This is going to be good. Can Su Yun keep working miracles?"
Discussions buzzed through the air.
Many disciples stopped watching the other arenas and packed in front of Arena Nine.
On the raised platform, several elders sat up straighter, gazing at Arena Nine with keen interest.
Arena Nine.
Zhao Kun wore black robes and stood tall, his spiritual energy gathered tightly around him without dispersing.
His presence was clearly more imposing than Wang Hui's had been.
At ninth-layer perfection, his vitality was at its peak, his spiritual energy was abundant, and his combat experience was extensive.
He had heard the disciples below the arena describe Su Yun's previous performance in detail.
Su Yun had withstood a magical artifact's ultimate move using nothing but pure spiritual energy. His defenses were terrifying beyond reason.
Zhao Kun knew all too well.
Su Yun's foundation was extraordinarily solid. He was nothing like the hollow, hastily cultivated pretender people called him.
There was no point trying to wear him down with ordinary attacks.
If defense was useless, then he would simply launch a direct assault.
He would crush Su Yun beneath the most violent barrage he could muster.
The presiding elder stood at the side of the arena and spoke in a deep voice. "Second round, ninth match. Begin!"
The instant the words fell.
Zhao Kun wasted no time. He immediately unleashed his full power!
A vast surge of ochre spiritual energy burst forth, covering the entire arena.
His fingers flew through hand seals at astonishing speed.
Earth-element spells layered one upon another, rapidly taking shape.
Rock Lock Cage! Ten Thousand Crushing Stones! Earth Spike Piercing!
A dense torrent of ochre stones crisscrossed through the air like rocks tumbling in a landslide, crushing down from every direction.
He began with a killing blow.
Su Yun's expression remained calm, without the slightest ripple.
To everyone's shock, he slowly raised his right arm.
It was nothing more than a simple, unremarkable straight punch.
An immense quantity of golden spiritual energy, condensed to its absolute limit, instantly gathered around his fist.
He threw a punch!
The air exploded!
The earth-element spells that had filled the sky crumbled layer by layer, shattering inch by inch!
The flying stones vanished into nothing. The Rock Lock Cage shattered in an instant, and the Earth Spike Piercing dissolved into emptiness.
Zhao Kun had poured nine-tenths of his spiritual energy into those three ultimate moves.
A simple punch had crushed every one of them head-on!
Zhao Kun's pupils contracted. His whole body stiffened, and his mind went briefly blank.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
His long-prepared killing combo was just... gone?
Su Yun lifted his eyelids slightly. "Is that all you've got?"
As soon as he finished speaking.
He followed with a second punch!
This punch was just as plain and unadorned.
No fancy moves. Just a straight shot.
But this time, the spiritual energy it contained was even more violent. With Thousandfold Amplification powering it, its penetrating force was terrifying.
Zhao Kun's expression changed dramatically. A sense of utter danger rose in his heart.
With no time to think, he gritted his teeth and poured out every last bit of spiritual energy remaining in his body.
His storage pouch flashed, and two low-tier magical artifacts appeared at once.
A defensive jade shield of the earth element, and a sharp iron sword.
At the same time, he activated his strongest defensive secret art, layering spiritual energy over his body.
He would stake everything on blocking that punch!
"Stop it!"
The golden force of the punch slammed into the defensive jade shield.
Crack!
The shield fractured instantly and was destroyed on the spot.
Next, the layers of protective spiritual energy crumbled one by one. His secret art's barrier was useless.
The punch finally struck Zhao Kun's protective robes.
A savage, overwhelming force surged into every limb and bone in his body.
Zhao Kun spat out a mouthful of blood. His body went flying like a kite with its strings cut.
He shot out of the arena and crashed heavily onto the ground beyond it.
The entire Martial Arts Plaza fell silent.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, their mouths slightly agape, their minds completely blank.
One exchange.
Two punches.
A one-sided kill against Zhao Kun, who was at ninth-layer perfection!
A few breaths later.
A deafening uproar swept through the entire Martial Arena!
"Two punches! The fight ended in just two punches?!"
"What did I just see? He didn't even use a spell—he crushed him with pure physical strength and spiritual energy!"
"As expected of a metal-element Heavenly Spirit Root! His offensive power is completely insane!"
"Ninth-layer perfection! He was a top genius just one step away from Foundation Establishment!"
"I thought Senior Brother Su Yun's defense was ridiculous. Now I realize his offense is even more terrifying!"
Thousands of outer-sect disciples shouted wildly, their emotions running high.
"Is there anyone in the Qi Refining stage who can stop him?"
"At this rate, there's no suspense about who'll take first place in the tournament."
"Obviously! It'll definitely be Su Yun!"
"I even suspect... that even an early Foundation Establishment inner-sect senior might not beat him head-on."
Below the arena.
Zhao Kun had just landed. Clutching his chest, he felt agonizing pain in his internal organs as his blood and vital energy roiled.
He looked up at the composed young man standing on the arena.
Only helplessness and defeat remained in his eyes.
They were both in the Qi Refining realm, but the gap between them had long since grown beyond comparison.
The presiding elder took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, then announced in a loud voice:
"Arena Nine: Su Yun—wins! He advances to the third round!"