Battle Against the Body Tempering Ninth Stage

At dawn the next morning, the rising sun burst forth.

The Outer Sect Martial Arts Arena was even more packed than during yesterday's assessment.

News that Liu Er had ordered his men to ambush Shen Yuan the previous night and had been captured spread throughout the entire Outer Sect overnight. Everyone knew that Shen Yuan, a mere menial disciple, had not only made it into the assessment finals but had also exposed a steward's scheme against him.

All the elders were seated on the ceremonial platform.

Zhao Kun wore a moon-white martial outfit, a longsword hanging at his waist, his expression icy. Liu Er's failure last night had already left him vaguely uneasy. The letter fragments were merely Liu Er's one-sided records and contained no direct evidence implicating him, so he would not be held accountable for now. But Shen Yuan had become a grave threat to him.

"Today's finals will use a round-robin format. The ten contestants will fight each other in pairs, and their accumulated victories will determine their rankings!" an elder loudly announced from the stage.

The ten disciples who had entered the finals stepped onto the arena one after another.

Shen Yuan stood among the crowd in a simple gray cloth martial outfit. The minor injuries from last night's fight had been treated, and after a night of rest, most of his blood and qi had recovered.

"Shen Yuan, it's great that you're all right after last night!" Wang Dong shouted loudly from beneath the stands.

Quite a few disciples looked toward Shen Yuan with complicated expressions. Some admired him, some envied him, while many more waited to see what would happen when he faced Zhao Kun.

The round-robin matches began.

In the first match, Shen Yuan faced a disciple at the Body Tempering Eighth Layer.

With the True Subduing Tiger Fist unleashed at full force, he decisively defeated his opponent after dozens of exchanges and claimed his first victory.

The second match, the third match...

Shen Yuan won battle after battle.

His True Subduing Tiger Fist had reached perfection, and with the vast combat experience accumulated in the martial arts space, almost no one at the same level could stand against him. Even when facing powerful opponents at the peak of the Body Tempering Eighth Layer, he could find their openings and overcome strength with skill.

With every victory, martial arts points continued pouring in.

However, after several consecutive high-intensity battles, Shen Yuan's stamina was severely depleted. Fresh wounds appeared on his body, and his breathing gradually grew heavier.

Meanwhile, Zhao Kun also swept through every match.

With the formidable strength of the Body Tempering Ninth Stage, dealing with the other finalists was like smashing through dry weeds. Nearly every match ended in a swift victory.

Round after round of the matches came to an end.

The victory counts for all ten contestants were tallied.

Zhao Kun: undefeated.

Shen Yuan: victorious in every match but still awaiting his battle with Zhao Kun.

Everyone present knew that the final clash at the summit had arrived.

"The final match! Shen Yuan versus Zhao Kun!" the elder loudly announced.

The entire Martial Arts Arena instantly erupted, with roaring cheers resounding in every direction like crashing mountains and seas.

Zhao Kun leaped into the air and landed steadily atop the massive central arena. His white robes fluttered, his aura vast and powerful. The force of the Body Tempering Ninth Stage radiated outward, its overwhelming pressure blanketing the entire arena.

"Shen Yuan, come up." Zhao Kun looked coldly down from the stage, his voice carrying across the entire arena. "Three years ago, your talent was astonishing, and I thought highly of you. After your spiritual roots were crippled, you should have sunk into obscurity. Yet you refused to die and stirred up trouble time and time again. Today, on this arena, we settle everything."

Shen Yuan drew a deep breath and leaped onto the stage.

The two stood facing each other from more than a dozen steps away.

The Body Tempering Sixth Layer against the Body Tempering Ninth Stage. With a full three minor realms between them, no one believed Shen Yuan could win.

On the stands, Elder Zhang's expression was grave. The other elders also straightened in their seats.

"Zhao Kun, three years ago, when the original owner's spiritual roots were shattered, how much were you involved?" Shen Yuan lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear.

Zhao Kun's eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile curled across his lips. "On the arena, only victory and defeat matter. If you want answers about the past, defeat me first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Kun stopped wasting words.

His foot slammed down on the arena, and he shot toward Shen Yuan like a streak of white lightning!

He cultivated the Outer Sect's advanced martial art, Mountain-Splitting Palm. His palm wind was razor-sharp, tearing through the air with a piercing howl.

The power of the Body Tempering Ninth Stage was utterly incomparable to the likes of Lin Hao.

Shen Yuan's mind tensed. The True Subduing Tiger Fist circulated at full force, and his blood and qi boiled throughout his body.

Bang!

Fist and palm collided fiercely!

A massive shockwave exploded outward, cracks spreading across the arena's bluestone floor.

Shen Yuan felt a savage force surge from his arm through his entire body. His arm went numb, and he staggered back seven or eight steps in succession. Blood and qi churned in his chest, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

The gap in strength stood plainly before him.

"Is that all you've got?" Zhao Kun sneered, his palm attacks flowing without end as he pressed forward wildly, one move after another.

Shadows of the Mountain-Splitting Palm filled the air, sealing off every direction around Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan did not dare receive them head-on. He could only evade continuously, relying on the True Subduing Tiger Fist's force-dispersing techniques to deflect part of the palm force.

Explosive bangs rang endlessly across the arena.

Everyone below watched while holding their breath.

Shen Yuan was forced back again and again, utterly disadvantaged at every turn. He was soon struck by several gusts of palm force. His clothes tore, and blood seeped from his flesh.

"Shen Yuan is going to lose," many disciples sighed quietly.

Wang Dong clenched his fists, his palms drenched in cold sweat.

On the ceremonial platform, Elder Zhang's brows were tightly furrowed.

Zhao Kun's offensive grew increasingly fierce as he pressed forward step by step, seeking to end the battle quickly.

Shen Yuan appeared to be defending passively and retreating without pause, but his mind was racing. With every exchange, he silently memorized the patterns and circulation paths of the Mountain-Splitting Palm, searching for flaws in its moves.

Within his sea of consciousness, the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele was rapidly analyzing Zhao Kun's palm technique.

"Mountain-Splitting Palm is extremely powerful, but after repeated explosive bursts, the shoulder and arm meridians experience a momentary stagnation." The stele's analysis surfaced in his mind.

Found it!

A sharp gleam flashed in Shen Yuan's eyes.

He deliberately exposed an opening, leaving a wide gap at his shoulder.

"Die!" Zhao Kun's eyes flared with brilliance. Seizing the opportunity, he sent a full-force palm strike at Shen Yuan's shoulder, intending to severely injure his opponent and end the battle in a single blow.

Now!

Instead of retreating, Shen Yuan advanced. He detonated every last bit of blood and qi within his body without reservation.

The strongest killing move of the True Subduing Tiger Fist erupted forth!