Beat You Until Your Dao Heart Shatters

Yang Shengrong gritted his teeth, gathering all the blood and qi in his body into his right arm before raising it above his head.

He only hoped to block this strike, then retreat and widen the distance.

Bang...

With an earth-shattering boom ringing out from the air, the spear came crashing down onto Yang Shengrong's arm.

Crack...

His blood and qi were instantly scattered, even his bones shattered. His arm went limp and slumped down from above his head.

"Ah..."

Yang Shengrong immediately let out a miserable scream. Strands of blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, and his hair was shaken loose by the aftershock, leaving him in a wretched state.

That blow had dealt a tremendous blow to his body, and a trace of fear involuntarily appeared in his eyes.

He was already afraid.

There was no way he could withstand the next two spear strikes with such ferocious attacks.

"Th-this... Yang Shengrong couldn't even block it?"

The martial artists around the arena were all horrified at the sight.

With a single strike, Yang Shengrong had been beaten until blood seeped from his mouth and nose. What kind of terrifying power was that?

Whether Yang Shengrong could withstand the next two moves was still hard to say.

At this moment, everyone present understood that Lu Yun was unquestionably stronger than Yang Shengrong and absolutely possessed the strength to ascend the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

To possess such strength at twenty-one—another blazing sun was rising on the horizon, perhaps an existence no weaker than Xiao Longcheng.

"Haha... Lu Yun is mighty! Two spear strikes and Yang Shengrong was smashed apart!"

The small number of speculators who had bet on Lu Yun's victory all leaped up excitedly.

Quite a few of them had staked everything they owned in one desperate gamble. This time, they were likely going to make a killing.

In contrast, the martial artists who had bet on Yang Shengrong looked as though their parents had died. Every one of them was listless, their hearts bleeding.

Before the fight, who could have imagined things would turn out like this? Hadn't they said this was free money?

Filled with resentment, these people wished they could kill those who had encouraged them in the first place.

"Interesting. It seems Clear Distance City is about to welcome another peerless prodigy."

Know-it-all smiled faintly.

To witness the birth of a future prodigy with his own eyes was also a kind of honor.

He wanted to see just how far Lu Yun could go.

Every prodigy who survived to the end would become a pillar of the entire human race. He had already begun considering how to build a good relationship with Lu Yun. The returns on such early investments were often astonishing, and someone as clever as he claimed to be naturally would not miss such an opportunity.

Beside him, Ye Quan wore a blank expression, muttering incessantly to himself, "I'm so stupid. I'm an idiot..."

"It's over, it's over. It's all gone..."

Just as the people below the stage were discussing heatedly, Lu Yun had already launched his second strike.

"Get smashed!"

A vicious glint flashed through his eyes as the blood and qi around him erupted.

The spear in his hand crashed down from above once more, its might three times fiercer than before.

Yang Shengrong had no time to react before the spear smashed viciously into his shoulder.

Pfft...

Mouthful after mouthful of blood gushed from Yang Shengrong's mouth, staining the sky red.

With a thud, he dropped straight to his knees. His body began to sway, as though he would collapse the next moment.

"How can there be such a freak in this world? I'm a genius on the Hidden Dragon Ranking!"

At this moment, Yang Shengrong's Dao heart began to shatter. The blows had left him doubting his very life.

The martial will he had forged through more than twenty years of arduous cultivation had been smashed to pieces by two spear strikes.

Yang Shengrong could no longer hold on, and his body fell backward.

He lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky with a look of utter despair.

"You let me win."

Lu Yun put away his spear and smiled as he cupped his fists.

Seeing that his opponent was clearly powerless to resist, he did not unleash the third spear strike.

Otherwise, Yang Shengrong would have been beaten to death. The two had only exchanged words and bore no life-and-death grudge, so Lu Yun naturally would not press matters to the bitter end.

By now, the crowd below the stage was utterly dumbfounded. More than ten thousand people had fallen silent.

Two spear strikes had crippled a genius on the Hidden Dragon Ranking? Could it be that Yang Shengrong was simply too weak?

Clearly, that was not the case.

Yang Shengrong had remained firmly on the Hidden Dragon Ranking all these years, his dominance overwhelming. Those challengers who had fallen to him were the most convincing proof.

This could only prove one thing: Lu Yun was too strong—terrifyingly strong.

No one even knew where Lu Yun's limits lay.

Could Lu Yun shatter Xiao Longcheng's unbeaten golden body?

The thought instantly surfaced in countless minds.

This year, two peerless monsters had appeared at once—something rarely seen in thousands of years.

Who was stronger, and who was weaker? In twenty days, at the Twin Stars' ultimate showdown, everyone would wait and see.

At this moment, no one cared about the defeated Yang Shengrong, who had been beaten into ruin. All they anticipated was the clash between Xiao Longcheng and Lu Yun, a battle of the strong against the strong.

Just then, two attendants beneath the stage hurried onto the arena and carried Yang Shengrong away.

"Thank you, Lord Lu, for showing mercy."

The two did not forget to cast Lu Yun grateful looks.

Lu Yun gave a faint wave of his hand, casually gathered up the origin stones on the ground, then jumped down from the arena and walked over to Know-it-all.

"Here. These are the origin stones you won."

Know-it-all, Shen Weihong, smiled as he took out a cloth pouch and placed it on the table.

Lu Yun opened the pouch and swept his gaze over it, only to discover that there were an extra hundred inside. There were a full five hundred origin stones.

He looked puzzled. "What's this?"

"Haha... consider it making a friend. This is a small gift to congratulate Brother Lu on ascending the Hidden Dragon Ranking..."

Know-it-all laughed heartily, his tone bold and forthright.

A hundred origin stones was no small sum, but if it could forge even a thread of good karma, it was absolutely worth it.

His family would even be pleased to see it happen. This was also his wisdom for survival: if strength was lacking, then use money to befriend many powerful people.

Among these geniuses, as long as one of them rose to prominence, anyone who wanted to touch him or his family would likely have to weigh the consequences.

"Fine. I'm making you my friend."

Lu Yun smiled slightly. After putting away the origin stones, he turned and walked forward.

Naturally, he would not reject the other man's goodwill. Besides, Lu Yun most enjoyed making friends with wealthy people.

As his status in the Red Flame Army rose higher and higher in the future, this sort of thing would certainly happen often.

This had long been Lu Yun's goal: first seize the position of centurion, then climb all the way upward to the peak.

As everyone in the venue watched Lu Yun gradually depart, their eyes were filled with reverence.

"The Hidden Dragon Ranking this year is probably about to change."

The shock in everyone's hearts lingered for a long time.

Ye Quan followed several meters behind Lu Yun. As he walked, he slapped his own face with a vacant stare. "I was wrong. I really deserve to die. I shouldn't have doubted Brother Lu..."

"Next time—next time, I'll definitely bet on Brother Lu. Even if the Heavenly King himself comes, he won't be able to stop my loyalty..."

"I've struck it rich. This time, I've really struck it rich..."

The thin man in the corner wore an excited expression.

He had bet more than thirty origin stones on Lu Yun. This time, he had truly made a killing.

Everyone around him looked at the thin man with envy.

The impact of this battle swept through all of Clear Distance City like a hurricane.

Countless Nourishing Qi and Inner Strength martial artists were utterly shocked. No one had expected that this year would produce not only a Xiao Longcheng, but also a Lu Yun.

Some ordinary martial artists who had come into the city from the mountains and wilderness even regarded Lu Yun as their faith.

So top-tier geniuses could emerge outside the city as well. Lu Yun's appearance was undoubtedly a bright lamp, guiding the dreams of countless people forward.

The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, which was responsible for the Hidden Dragon Ranking, took the opportunity to add Lu Yun to it, placing him ninety-fourth.

The number one person below Bone Tempering!