Pushing Through Invincibly, Claiming First Place

The second round concluded.

The third round of the Sect Grand Competition began immediately.

The remaining contestants were all elites.

Even the weakest among them were in the mid-to-late stages of the ninth level of Qi Refining, each one a ruthless character who had fought their way up from hundreds of disciples.

In previous years, a clash between these remaining participants would surely have been fraught with danger, requiring a long, grueling struggle to determine a victor.

But this year, everyone's attention was almost entirely fixed on Arena Nine.

It was all because of one person: Su Yun.

The third-round draw ended.

When the crowd saw Su Yun's opponent, many disciples shook their heads in secret.

That was a veteran inner-sect disciple at the ninth level of perfection who had even broken into the top twenty in previous competitions; his strength was formidable.

Everyone had expected this battle to at least be a spectacular, top-tier duel.

As it turned out, once the fight began, everything was settled in just two breaths.

The opponent had barely assumed his opening stance, his internal spiritual energy just beginning to circulate.

Su Yun took a single step and threw a simple, straightforward punch.

A golden gale of force crushed down upon him.

The ninth-level perfection disciple's pupils shrank, and a sense of powerlessness instantly rose from the depths of his heart.

He knew clearly that he could not block it.

If he tried to take it head-on, he would be severely injured at best, or have his blood and energy crippled at worst.

With no other choice, he could only grit his teeth and loudly concede.

The entire arena was in an uproar.

From this battle onward, the path of total domination belonging to Su Yun had officially begun.

The fourth round.

His opponent was another genius at the ninth level of perfection.

Having learned from the previous example, this person immediately unleashed defensive techniques at the start, wrapping his entire body in layers of rock armor, hoping to drag out the battle with his superior defense.

In a fight between peers, this set of rock armor was enough to withstand several strikes from magical artifacts.

Yet, in front of Su Yun, it was as if it didn't exist.

He still did not use any spells.

He merely gathered pure spiritual energy at his fingertips and tapped lightly.

The thick rock armor shattered instantly.

The lingering force sent the opponent's blood into a frenzy, leaving his entire body numb.

The opponent turned deathly pale and, without a moment's hesitation, conceded on the spot.

Over the next two days, round after round commenced in succession.

Everyone became completely numb.

It didn't matter if the opponent was an Earth-element cultivator skilled in defense, a Fire-element cultivator skilled in burst damage, or a Water-element cultivator skilled in mobility.

The outcome never changed.

Without exception, every fight ended in a single exchange.

From beginning to end, Su Yun had not even released a single spell.

He relied solely on his physical foundation, spiritual energy refined to the absolute limit, and the simplest of strikes.

To this day, no Qi Refining disciple had appeared who could block a single punch from him.

Everyone finally understood.

The gap between them was no longer a matter of cultivation level.

Sharing the stage with Su Yun was, in itself, a form of torture.

The mental states of his opponents on the stage collapsed one after another.

The once arrogant geniuses couldn't even muster the desire to resist after stepping onto the platform.

Even though they were all in the Qi Refining realm, the pressure Su Yun exerted on them far exceeded that of their peers.

It was the despair a low-level cultivator felt when facing a high-level powerhouse.

The discussions below the stage shifted from initial shock and skepticism to silence, eventually turning into heartfelt admiration.

"This is too absurd... He hasn't used a single spell from start to finish, just steamrolling everyone with pure spiritual energy."

"Within the same realm, there is simply no one who can force him to use a spell."

"I used to think his foundation was unstable, but now it seems we were the ones sitting at the bottom of the well."

"At the ninth level of Qi Refining perfection, he is no different from a seventh-level disciple in front of him."

"To be honest, the current Su Yun's combat power has long since transcended the scope of Qi Refining."

Many inner sect disciples made their own secret judgments.

The raw strength Su Yun displayed at this moment had already surpassed that of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

On the high-platform viewing stand.

Li Mofan leaned back in his chair, the smile on his lips never fading.

He was in an extremely pleasant mood.

The four great elders sat to the side, their expressions incredibly complex.

Envy, jealousy, regret—a multitude of emotions were intertwined.

Initially, they could still console themselves, thinking that Su Yun only had a fast breakthrough speed and that his practical combat skills might not be top-tier.

But having watched everything up to this point, they could no longer find any reason to console themselves.

Offense and defense in one, invincible among peers, monstrous foundation, and a steady temperament.

Such a monster is rarely seen in ten thousand years.

The competition progressed, and the final spots for the championship match were soon decided.

On the championship stage, Su Yun's opponent was the genius ranked second in overall strength for this Qi Refining period, a top-tier disciple at the ninth level of perfection.

This person had long held the position of number one in the outer sect, was only a step away from Foundation Establishment, possessed a deep foundation, and had extremely rich practical combat experience.

In previous years' grand competitions, he was the undisputed choice for first place.

But this year, he had lived in Su Yun's shadow from beginning to end.

When the referee elder announced that the two were to take the stage for the duel, all eyes in the arena focused on the championship ring.

Under the gaze of the masses, the second-ranked disciple walked slowly onto the stage.

He raised his eyes to look at the indifferent Su Yun opposite him.

In just a few seconds, the fighting spirit rising within him faded bit by bit until it reached zero.

He had witnessed all of Su Yun's previous matches with his own eyes.

One move to break ten thousand techniques, sweeping aside all ninth-level cultivators.

Compared to the opponents who had fallen before, his own strength was about the same.

Going up there would only mean taking one more punch and inviting humiliation upon himself.

It was meaningless.

Rather than being crushed by a single punch in front of everyone and losing all face, it was better to concede voluntarily and retain some dignity.

A moment later, the disciple took a deep breath and spoke loudly to the referee elder:

"This disciple voluntarily concedes."

The sentence rang out across the entire Martial Arts Plaza.

The entire arena fell silent instantly.

Everyone understood what this sentence represented.

The championship match hadn't even started, and the opponent had surrendered directly.

In other words, Su Yun had won without a fight!

The referee elder was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and announced loudly:

"The winner of this Azure Cloud Sect Grand Competition, Qi Refining category!"

"First place: Su Yun!"

As the voice fell, the silent plaza erupted into thunderous cheers!

A moment later.

Following the rules, Su Yun stepped onto the highest viewing platform of the Sect Master.

The high platform was filled with high-level sect members and personal disciples.

Li Mofan stood up, his gaze falling on Su Yun, his eyes full of approval.

He stepped forward and patted Su Yun on the shoulder, making no attempt to hide his joy.

"Well done."

"Throughout the grand competition these past few days, you have forcefully crushed your peers and swept your way to the championship."

"You have brought great honor to your master and to the entire Azure Cloud Sect."

Su Yun bowed slightly. "It is all thanks to Master's cultivation."

Seeing this, the four great elders stepped forward one after another to offer their congratulations.

The First Elder spoke first, "Young friend Su Yun, congratulations. At such a young age, your combat power is heaven-defying. Your future is truly limitless."

The Second Elder nodded in agreement. "To join the sect for only three months and reach the pinnacle of the Qi Refining stage—I am truly impressed."

The remaining two elders also offered their own words of praise.

On the other side of the high platform, Senior Brother Xiao Fan and Senior Sister Ye Yurou stood side by side.

The two of them had watched every one of Su Yun's matches from start to finish.

Xiao Fan remarked, "The refinement of our junior brother's spiritual energy and the foundation of his physical body have already exceeded the limits of Qi Refining. An ordinary cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage might not even be able to suppress him."

Ye Yurou exclaimed in wonder, "It's not just impressive; it's absurd. Crushing everyone in the same realm is one thing, but he didn't even use a single spell from start to finish, relying only on basic spiritual energy and martial arts. I'm becoming more and more curious about how strong his true trump cards really are."

Xiao Fan smiled faintly. "In time, our Azure Cloud Sect will gain another top-tier pillar."

In the pavilion by the plaza, Liu Shuang'er stood quietly.

Her gaze remained locked on Su Yun atop the high platform, a flicker of cunning flashing deep within her eyes.

"To sweep through all the ninth-layer cultivators using only pure spiritual energy."

"The density of his spiritual energy far exceeds the scope of the Qi Refining stage."

"Conservatively estimated, his true combat power is already approaching the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

Liu Shuang'er curled her red lips and whispered to herself.

"A Metal-attribute Heavenly Spirit Root is truly worthy of its reputation. What an interesting fellow."

"When I have the time, I shall have to test for myself just how strong you really are."