Arrogance

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen, on charging into the top four!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

Chen Fan's victory naturally earned him even more praise.

Even those who felt jealous or unwilling had to admit that Chen Fan's future status would be far from ordinary. None dared show it openly.

To be honest.

This result was something not only countless spectators but even the masters of the major martial academies had never anticipated.

Li Linliu narrowed his eyes.

"Compared in endurance, Lin Qingyu was indeed inferior. But if they had continued fighting, she would still have had a considerable chance of winning. Chen Fan's sudden enlightenment will greatly benefit his future cultivation, but it will not bring such an outrageous increase to his personal strength!"

Unless Chen Fan's White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm suddenly reached mastery and he cultivated inner breath, only then would his strength undergo a dramatic leap.

After all, a strength-training manual was not a true art martial skill!

Or perhaps Chen Fan's qi and blood could complete another rise.

The master of Cold Plum Pavilion shook his head helplessly. "Qingyu merely lamented that Chen Fan's talent for comprehension was extraordinary. Even if she won the match, it would have been meaningless. Moreover, her qi and blood were inferior to Chen Fan's, and she had expended too much stamina. She lost her sharpness and her will to fight, so..."

Everyone wore complicated expressions.

No matter the reason, Lin Qingyu had voluntarily conceded, allowing Chen Fan to advance into the top four!

And regardless of how Chen Fan performed afterward, his outstanding results in this tournament had already astonished countless people and fully achieved his goal of displaying his talent!

The other top-eight competitors had originally believed Chen Fan was merely lucky enough to fill a spot. After this battle, however, they had no choice but to envy his comprehension and talent.

Feng Yuancheng was somewhat stunned when he saw the final result, but then narrowed his eyes.

"This outcome is good too. Chen Fan may be formidable in a state of sudden enlightenment, but his normal strength is not that absurd. Lin Qingyu's moves were powerful, and dealing with her would have been troublesome... But if I face Chen Fan, it will be easier. I have a seventy to eighty percent chance of winning!"

As he pondered, he narrowed his eyes and looked toward the other side.

"But first, I need to make it into the top four!"

The second top-eight match was Feng Yuancheng against Ge Yuantong, a fellow entry disciple from White Cloud Martial Academy.

Both were considered seeded competitors in this tournament.

They had finally met in the battle to enter the top four!

There were three disciples from White Cloud Martial Academy among the top eight, so it was not particularly surprising that they had drawn one another.

As fellow disciples, Ge Yuantong possessed an exceptionally solid foundation. His strength at the second level of martial arts was beyond what ordinary martial artists could match, and he did indeed suppress Feng Yuancheng!

However, Feng Yuancheng's qi and blood were abundant, and his foundation far surpassed Ge Yuantong's.

He even grew fiercer as the battle continued, suddenly revealing a White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm at the mastery stage. He turned the tables and defeated Ge Yuantong.

This once again left everyone in amazement.

After the match ended, Ge Yuantong walked off the platform in a daze.

Meng Qi sat beside Chen Fan and said enviously, "Feng Yuancheng must have broken through that final barrier and successfully comprehended the inner breath of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm. After this martial tournament, he can head to Yan Capital City to cultivate the White Cloud True Art. From then on, the vast sea and open sky will be his domain, and he'll leave Ge Yuantong, Yu Xingzheng, and the others far behind!"

Their foundations were simply too far apart. One step behind meant falling behind at every step. Ge Yuantong was already no match for Feng Yuancheng now. Unless he encountered some tremendous fortuitous opportunity in the future, he would have no chance of ever becoming Feng Yuancheng's opponent again!

Chen Fan was startled and asked in surprise, "After mastering the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, you go to Yan Capital City?"

Meng Qi slapped his forehead. "Oh, I forgot that Junior Brother has not been with us long. You probably haven't heard the instructors mention it... Those who master the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm can become core members of White Cloud Martial Academy. Their status is higher than that of entry disciples, and they will be taken to the headquarters in Yan Capital City for careful training!"

His face was full of envy.

"Yan Capital City is incomparably prosperous. It is the second-largest city in Clear River Commandery. Whether in resources, instructors, or martial arts manuals, White Cloud Headquarters far surpasses Flying Spirit County. Unfortunately, to catch the headquarters' eye, one must master the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm. It's far too difficult..."

Chen Fan finally understood why none of the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples participating in this tournament had mastered the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm.

Those capable of mastering it had already gone to Yan Capital City!

He also understood why all the major families fought so desperately to get into White Cloud Martial Academy. Their true goal was likely the training offered by the headquarters!

Chen Fan was filled with excitement.

Even a tiny place like Flying Spirit County had so many geniuses. Naturally, he wanted to see a larger stage!

Not to mention that the headquarters in Yan Capital City would provide even more resources!

After his victory, Feng Yuancheng stepped down from the platform and likewise turned his gaze toward Yan Lincu, who was waiting nearby for his match. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes!

His goal was naturally to wash away the humiliation of defeat!

"Just you wait. When we meet again, I will definitely defeat you!"

Yan Lincu narrowed his eyes and sneered. Then he turned and left without even sparing Feng Yuancheng another glance!

Feng Yuancheng clenched his fists so tightly that his hands turned white!

The next two battles followed.

Yan Lincu faced a seeded competitor from his own sect. That disciple had also mastered the first-class manual Flying Tiger Fist and cultivated a true art. Though only at the first level of martial arts, his foundation was much stronger, no weaker than Yu Xingzheng or Ge Yuantong.

Yan Lincu was clearly only a qi-sensing martial artist, and his strength-training manual was no better than his opponent's. Yet with his divine strength and surging qi and blood, he directly crushed his opponent in a clash of power!

Just as when he had defeated Feng Yuancheng, all anyone could do was marvel at how domineering Yan Lincu was!

The final member of the top four was, without question, the eighteen-year-old youth from the Black Tiger Gang at the third level of martial arts.

However.

Because of his foundation and qi and blood, many people felt it was a pity.

This third-level martial artist had most likely cultivated only an ordinary third-class manual. Even though he had tempered all the muscles in his body, his strength was not particularly outrageous. He was only slightly stronger than Yu Xingzheng.

It seemed he had reached his current realm through rapid advancement!

Still, at his age, having fully tempered all his muscles and begun tempering his internal organs was an extremely rare accomplishment. He had a strong chance of winning the championship!

Of course, because his foundation was poor, his future achievements would be quite limited. Unless he acquired some special medicine or treasure later on to make up for his foundation, his achievements in this life would be severely limited. He would most likely never make another breakthrough...

Although there were fewer rounds in the top-four matches, the competitors' strengths were closer, making them far more taxing.

Having just gone through battle, every contestant was physically exhausted. Naturally, they could not continue competing that same day.

At this stage, every opponent was extremely powerful.

Each battle required complete concentration and going all out.

The depletion of qi and blood and mental exhaustion could not necessarily be fully recovered in a single day.

The remaining matches would be held the next day, but the draw had to take place a day in advance.

The four contestants stepped onto the platform again and drew lots anew.

Speaking of which, three of the top four actually came from Arena Five, which was even more surprising!

And when Chen Fan stepped forward to draw, the malicious boos from below the platform were nowhere to be heard.

The disciples of the Four Symbols Sect practically wanted to crawl into the cracks in the ground. How could they dare make trouble again?

Chen Fan drew Feng Yuancheng, his fellow disciple!

Feng Yuancheng narrowed his eyes. When he saw the result, he actually let out a sigh of relief.

"I lost to Yan Lincu before, but I never expected him to grow stronger with every battle and break through in the middle of combat. In the end, my luck is still this good!"

Among the top four, Chen Fan was the only one he dared say he could definitely defeat!

Unless Chen Fan underwent another sudden enlightenment on the spot and used that state to defeat him.

At that thought, he shook his head himself.

If Chen Fan possessed such heaven-defying comprehension, then what the hell was there left for him to compete over? Even losing would be pointless!

After the top-four draw, Feng Yuancheng took the initiative to approach Yan Lincu, his gaze sharp. "Yan Lincu, I will definitely win the next match. I'll be waiting for you in the finals. Don't lose to anyone else!"

Yan Lincu snorted coldly, a faint smile in his eyes as he sneered and left.

Feng Yuancheng turned away with an ugly expression, only to freeze in surprise.

Just a few steps away from him stood Chen Fan, whose face was equally dark.