The second round ended.
The third round of the sect tournament began immediately.
The remaining competitors were all elites.
The weakest among them was at least at the middle or late stages of the ninth Qi Refining layer. Each was a ruthless fighter who had fought their way through hundreds of disciples.
In previous years, when the remaining competitors faced off, every exchange would have been perilous, and the battles would have dragged on before a winner emerged.
But this year, most people's attention was fixed on Arena Nine.
All because of one person: Su Yun.
The third-round draw was complete.
When the crowd saw Su Yun's opponent, many disciples shook their heads to themselves.
He was a veteran inner disciple at the ninth layer, complete. He had even made it into the top twenty in previous tournaments, and his strength was formidable.
Everyone had thought they were about to witness a thrilling clash between top contenders.
But once the fight began, it took only two breaths for everything to be settled.
His opponent had barely assumed his opening stance when the spiritual energy within him had just begun to circulate.
Su Yun stepped forward and threw a simple straight punch.
A golden shock wave of fist force crushed toward his opponent.
The ninth-layer disciple's pupils contracted. A sense of helplessness rose in his heart.
He knew full well that he couldn't block it.
If he tried to take the blow head-on, he would suffer serious injuries at best, or have his vital energy crippled at worst.
With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and shouted his surrender.
The entire crowd erupted.
From that battle onward, Su Yun's path of crushing victories had officially begun.
The fourth round.
His opponent was another talented cultivator at the ninth layer, complete.
Having learned from those who had come before him, this man opened by casting a defensive spell. Layers of stone armor covered his body as he tried to drag out the match with his overwhelming defense.
In a fight between opponents of the same stage, that stone armor was enough to withstand several strikes from magical artifacts.
But against Su Yun, it was as good as nothing.
Once again, Su Yun didn't use a single spell.
He gathered pure spiritual energy at his fingertip and tapped lightly.
The thick stone armor shattered on the spot.
The lingering force sent his opponent's vital energy churning and left his whole body numb.
His face pale, the man surrendered without hesitation.
Over the next two days, round after round began in quick succession.
Everyone had grown completely numb to it.
Whether his opponent was an earth-element cultivator skilled in defense, a fire-element cultivator who excelled at explosive attacks, or a water-element cultivator adept at evasive movement—
the outcome never changed.
Every match ended in a single exchange.
From beginning to end, Su Yun never cast a single spell.
He relied solely on his physical foundation and spiritual energy refined to its utmost purity, backed by the simplest punches and kicks.
Not one Qi Refining disciple had yet managed to withstand a single punch from him.
Everyone understood by now.
The gap between them was no longer merely a difference in cultivation stage.
Facing Su Yun in the arena was a torment in itself.
One opponent after another lost their composure on the platform.
Talented cultivators who had once been proud and arrogant couldn't even muster the desire to resist once they stepped into the arena.
They were all at the Qi Refining stage, yet Su Yun's oppressive presence far surpassed that of other cultivators at the same stage.
It was the despair of a low-level cultivator facing a high-level expert.
The murmurs from below the platform gradually changed. First came shock and doubt, then silence, and finally heartfelt admiration.
"This is ridiculous... He hasn't used a single spell, and he's just crushed everyone with pure spiritual energy."
"Among cultivators at the same stage, nobody can force him to use a spell."
"I used to think his foundation was unstable. Now I see we were the frogs at the bottom of a well."
"A cultivator at the ninth layer, complete, is no different from a seventh-layer disciple in front of him."
"To be honest, Su Yun's combat strength has already surpassed the limits of Qi Refining."
Many inner disciples came to their own conclusions.
The strength Su Yun had displayed was already greater than that of a cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
In the viewing seats on the high platform,
Li Mofan leaned back in his chair, the smile never leaving his lips.
He was in the best of spirits.
The four grand elders sat nearby, their expressions deeply conflicted.
Envy, jealousy, regret—many emotions intertwined.
At first, they could still console themselves by thinking Su Yun had merely advanced quickly and might not excel in actual combat.
But after watching him up to this point, they could no longer find any excuse to comfort themselves.
He was strong in both offense and defense, invincible among his peers, possessed an astonishing foundation, and remained calm under pressure.
A monster like him appeared once in ten thousand years.
As the tournament progressed, the final places in the championship match were soon decided.
In the championship match, Su Yun's opponent was the second-ranked talent in overall strength among the Qi Refining contestants, a top disciple at the ninth layer, complete.
This man had long held the top spot among the outer disciples. He was only a step away from Foundation Establishment, had a deep foundation, and possessed extensive combat experience.
In previous tournaments, he would have been the undisputed favorite for first place.
But this year, he had lived in Su Yun's shadow from beginning to end.
When the presiding elder announced that the two of them were to enter the arena,
every eye in the crowd turned toward the championship platform.
Under the gaze of thousands, the disciple ranked second walked slowly onto the platform.
He raised his eyes to look at Su Yun, who stood across from him with a calm expression.
In just a few breaths, the fighting spirit rising within him gradually faded until it vanished completely.
He had witnessed every one of Su Yun's previous matches with his own eyes.
With one move, Su Yun had shattered countless techniques and crushed every ninth-layer cultivator.
Compared with the opponents who had already lost, his strength was about the same.
If he went up there, he would only take one extra punch and humiliate himself.
There was no point.
Rather than being crushed by a punch in front of everyone and losing face, he would surrender of his own accord and preserve at least some dignity.
A moment later, the disciple took a deep breath and called out to the presiding elder:
"This disciple surrenders."
His words rang across the entire Martial Arts Plaza.
The crowd fell silent in an instant.
Everyone understood what those words meant.
The championship match hadn't even begun, and his opponent had surrendered outright.
In other words, Su Yun had won without a fight!
The presiding elder was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and announced loudly:
"In this year's Azure Cloud Sect tournament, the Qi Refining division!"
"First place: Su Yun!"
As his voice fell, the silent plaza erupted in cheers like a stormy sea!
A short while later,
Su Yun followed the rules and stepped up to the sect master's viewing platform at the highest point.
The platform was filled with sect leaders and personal disciples.
Li Mofan rose to his feet and fixed his gaze on Su Yun, his eyes full of approval.
He stepped forward, patted Su Yun on the shoulder, and made no attempt to hide his delight.
"Well done."
"Over the past few days, you've crushed your peers and claimed the championship."
"You've brought honor to me, your master, and to the entire Azure Cloud Sect."
Su Yun bowed slightly. "It's all thanks to your guidance, Master."
Seeing this, the four grand elders stepped forward one after another to offer their congratulations.
The First Grand Elder spoke first. "Congratulations, Su Yun. You're so young, yet your combat strength is heaven-defying. Your future is limitless."
The Second Grand Elder nodded in agreement. "You joined the sect three months ago, and now you've climbed to the top among Qi Refining cultivators. This old man is impressed."
The other two grand elders also offered their congratulations.
On the other side of the high platform,
Senior Brother Xiao Fan and Second Senior Sister Ye Yurou stood side by side.
They had watched every one of Su Yun's arena matches from start to finish.
Xiao Fan spoke. "Little Junior Brother's spiritual energy is so refined, and his physical foundation so strong, that he's surpassed the limits of Qi Refining. An ordinary cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment might not be able to suppress him."
Ye Yurou marveled, "He's not just impressive—he's ridiculous. Crushing everyone at the same stage would be one thing, but he never used a spell from start to finish. He relied only on the fundamentals: spiritual energy, punches, and kicks. I'm even more curious now about how powerful his true trump card is."
Xiao Fan smiled faintly. "Given time, our Azure Cloud Sect will gain another pillar of strength."
In a pavilion by the edge of the plaza, Liu Shuang'er stood quietly.
Her gaze remained fixed on Su Yun atop the platform, and a glint of slyness flashed deep in her eyes.
"He can crush every ninth-layer cultivator with nothing but pure spiritual energy."
"The sheer depth of his spiritual energy is far beyond the limits of Qi Refining."
"Conservatively speaking, his true combat strength is already approaching the middle stage of Foundation Establishment."
Liu Shuang'er's red lips curled as she murmured to herself.
"The Golden Heavenly Spirit Root truly lives up to its reputation. What an interesting fellow."
"When I have some time, I'll have to test you myself and see just how strong you really are."