One Strength Suppresses the Four Directions

Inside the Martial Arts Hall of Third Peak, bluestone paved the floor, and the dome hung high.

Twenty disciples stood on both sides, clearly separated.

On the left were ten people from Third Peak. Chen Mo stood at the head, his blue robe neat, though his face was slightly pale.

Qin Yuan stood at the very end, his grey robe plain and clean, his aura suppressed to the point of near non-existence.

On the right were ten people from Seventh Peak. Leading them, the blue-robed young man Li Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips.

The Steward responsible for judging stood in the center of the hall and said in a deep voice, "Old rules. Each side sends ten people to fight in turns. The side with more wins takes the victory. Now, Third Peak, please decide the order of appearance."

Chen Mo turned his head and exchanged glances with the people behind him.

"Senior Brother Chen, let's go according to plan," Wang Chuan whispered. "You and I will go first to secure the first two matches."

Zhao Qingwan, however, showed a worried expression. "Li Xiu was already at Great Perfection of the Twelfth Layer last year. This year, I'm afraid..."

"Shut up," Chen Mo said coldly. "Losing before the fight even begins, what kind of attitude is that?"

He turned to the Steward. "Third Peak, first match Wang Chuan, second match me, third match Zhao Qingwan, fourth match..." He listed the names one by one, finally saying, "Tenth match, Qin Yuan."

Suppressed snickers came from the Seventh Peak side.

A sharp-faced disciple beside Li Xiu sneered, "Putting the outer sect trash last, are you planning for him to clean up the mess, or just not letting him fight at all?"

Qin Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids.

Wang Chuan's momentum was strong when he stepped onto the stage, his Eleventh Layer of Qi Cultivation fully unleashed, his palm strikes fierce.

His opponent was a thin, tall man who wielded twin hooks, also at the Eleventh Layer.

The two fought for over thirty moves, with Wang Chuan gradually gaining the upper hand. He sent a Stone Splitting Palm towards the opponent's chest.

Just then, the thin, tall man's body twisted strangely, and his twin hooks swept up like venomous snakes from an unbelievable angle.

"Pfft—"

Wang Chuan's right arm gained two more wounds that went deep to the bone. He cried out and fell to the ground.

"I concede," the thin, tall man said, retracting his hooks with a smug look.

Second match, Chen Mo against Li Xiu.

Both were at Great Perfection of the Twelfth Layer, but Li Xiu's swordsmanship was clearly superior.

After a hundred moves, Chen Mo was struck in the left shoulder, his blue robe stained with blood. He staggered back in defeat.

Two battles lost, and defeated so miserably.

The Seventh Peak disciples burst into laughter.

"Is this all Third Peak is capable of? Their strongest two look like dead dogs!"

"What are you still fighting for? Just surrender already!"

The Third Peak disciples' faces turned ashen.

Chen Mo clutched his shoulder injury and grunted, "Everyone come out."

The ten of them exited the great hall and gathered under the pine tree outside.

Wang Chuan sat slumped on the ground, blood gushing from his severed arm. Chen Mo's face was deathly pale, his breathing heavy. The remaining eight exchanged glances, no one daring to speak.

"There are eight more matches," Chen Mo said hoarsely. "Who's going?"

No one answered.

After a long pause, Zhao Qingwan, who had drawn the third match, trembled and said, "Senior Brother Chen... I, I had a qi deviation during my cultivation yesterday, and my dan tian is aching. Today, I really can't..."

"You!" Wang Chuan glared angrily.

Sun Hai lowered his head in turn. "My old injury has relapsed, and I can't put any strength into my left leg..."

"Useless! All useless!" Wang Chuan cursed.

Chen Mo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew that the remaining people would only be sent to their deaths. Today, Third Peak was destined to be thoroughly disgraced.

Just then—

"I'll go."

Qin Yuan walked out from the outer edge of the crowd.

A moment of dead silence.

Wang Chuan stared at him as if he were insane. "You? An outer sect disciple at Level 10 Qi Condensation, going up there to die?"

Zhao Qingwan shrieked, "Qin Yuan! If you want to embarrass yourself, don't drag Third Peak down with you!"

Sun Hai shook his head and sighed. "Junior Brother Qin, we appreciate your intentions, but this..."

"How will we know if we don't try," Qin Yuan interrupted him and looked at Chen Mo. "According to the rules, anyone who hasn't fought yet can participate."

Chen Mo looked at his calm eyes, and his heart stirred inexplicably, but in the end, he shook his head. "No need. Today's defeat cannot be salvaged by you alone."

Qin Yuan said no more and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?!" Wang Chuan shouted.

"Since you guys aren't going, I will," Qin Yuan said without looking back.

The crowd watched his retreating figure disappear in the direction of the hall entrance, stunned.

"Is he... really going?" Zhao Qingwan murmured.

"He's just going to his death," Wang Chuan sneered. "Fine, let the Seventh Peak see that even if our Third Peak sends a good-for-nothing, he still has the courage to fight."

No one noticed that Qin Yuan wasn't heading down the mountain, but directly back towards the Martial Arts Hall.

As Qin Yuan pushed open the hall doors, the people from the Seventh Peak were chatting and laughing.

"Where are the people from the Third Peak? Scared off?"

"They're probably hiding somewhere crying!"

Seeing Qin Yuan walk back alone, Li Xiu raised an eyebrow. "What, did the Third Peak send you to concede?"

Qin Yuan walked to the center of the hall and stood firm, looking at the ten people from the Seventh Peak. "I'll fight all the remaining matches myself."

Dead silence.

Then, earth-shattering laughter erupted.

"What did he say? He's going to fight all ten of us?"

"Has this good-for-nothing gone mad?"

The tall, thin man who had just defeated Wang Chuan eagerly stepped forward. "Senior Brother Li, let me play with him first."

Li Xiu waved his hand, a half-smile on his face. "Since Junior Brother Qin has such grand ambitions, Junior Brother Zhang, you go. Remember, don't finish it too quickly. Save some face for the Third Peak."

The tall, thin Junior Brother Zhang grinned, twin hooks in hand. "Don't worry, I'll play with him nicely."

He walked to within ten feet of Qin Yuan, pointing the tips of his hooks at the ground. "Kid, don't say I'm bullying you. I'll let you have three moves. After three moves, I can defeat you with just one finger..."

Before he could finish.

Qin Yuan moved.

There was no charge-up, no fancy moves. He simply took a step forward and pushed his right fist out.

A mocking smile still on his face, Junior Brother Zhang instinctively raised his twin hooks to block.

"Clang--!!!"

The explosive clash of metal on metal shook the hall beams, causing dust to rain down.

His twin hooks flew from his grasp, and Junior Brother Zhang himself shot backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against a pillar and slumping to the ground, his fate unknown.

One punch.

The hall fell into deathly silence.

The smiles on the faces of the Seventh Peak disciples froze.

Li Xiu's pupils constricted. "You..."

Qin Yuan retracted his fist and looked at the remaining nine people. "Next."

"All of you, attack!" Li Xiu roared.

The remaining eight people seemed to snap back to reality. Swords and sabers were drawn, and various colored spiritual energy lights surged, lunging at Qin Yuan from all directions.

Qin Yuan stood in place, not even moving his feet.

He raised his hand, his five fingers forming a loose grip.

The air seemed to solidify.

The charging figures of the eight men suddenly stopped, as if they had run into an invisible wall. Immediately after, an irresistible, immense force began to crush them from all sides.

"Pfft—" "Pfft—" "Pfft—"

All eight spat blood simultaneously and were sent flying backward, their weapons clattering to the ground. Not one of them could stand.

Only Li Xiu remained.

The genius from the Seventh Peak's face was ashen, his sword-wielding hand trembling. He stared intently at Qin Yuan, saying word by word, "You've been hiding your cultivation... You are definitely not at Level 10 Qi Condensation!"

Qin Yuan didn't answer, merely beckoning him with a finger.

Li Xiu roared, his sword light flaring. Man and sword became one, transforming into a brilliant azure rainbow that shot directly towards Qin Yuan's throat—this was his killer move, "Rainbow Piercing the Sun," honed over three years of hard training, which had once injured someone at Early Foundation Establishment despite the level difference!

Qin Yuan extended his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and gently pinched.

The sword tip, three inches from his throat, was firmly clamped by two fingers.

Li Xiu desperately channeled his spiritual energy, the sword body vibrating and humming, but it couldn't advance even half an inch.

Qin Yuan's fingers tightened slightly.

"Crack—"

The sword tip shattered.

Immediately after, a mountain-like torrent of spiritual energy poured back into him along the sword body.

"Ah—!" Li Xiu screamed, his entire right arm exploding into a bloody mist. He flew backward, crashing through half a wall of the hall and being buried under rubble.

Ten breaths.

From the moment Qin Yuan made his move to the complete annihilation of the Seventh Peak's ten disciples, only ten breaths had passed.

At the hall entrance, an old man in hemp clothes stood there, seemingly out of nowhere.

The old man's beard and hair were snow-white, his face gaunt, and a gourd hung from his waist. He appraised Qin Yuan with great interest and nodded, "Not bad."

Qin Yuan cupped his hands. "Disciple Qin Yuan greets the Elder."

"My surname is Zhou, and I am seventh in line. The Sect Master calls me Seventh Elder," the old man said, taking a swig from his gourd. "I saw the entire match just now. One person fighting ten, quite interesting."

He tossed a storage bag over. "This is the reward for this competition. Five hundred Mid-grade Spirit Crystals, a bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills, and a Mysterious Iron Sword. It's yours."

Qin Yuan accepted it. "Thank you, Elder."

The Seventh Elder waved his hand, gave Qin Yuan another deep look, and then turned and floated away.

Urgent footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

The nine disciples from the Third Peak rushed into the great hall and froze upon seeing the mess and the Seventh Peak disciples scattered everywhere.

"This... this is..." Wang Chuan's eyes widened.

Chen Mo's gaze swept across the scene, finally landing on Qin Yuan, who stood in the center of the hall. Qin Yuan held a storage bag in his hand, the reward for the competition.

An unbelievable thought arose in everyone's minds.

Could it be... he did this?

Zhao Qingwan blurted out, "Qin Yuan, these people... did you defeat them?"

Qin Yuan looked at her but said nothing.

Wang Chuan's expression shifted, and he suddenly shouted, "Impossible! How could an outer disciple like him defeat Li Xiu? It must have been some mysterious expert passing by who couldn't stand the Seventh Peak's arrogance and decided to teach them a lesson!"

Sun Hai immediately chimed in, "Right, right! We heard the fighting and rushed in, and we just saw everyone from the Seventh Peak down. Qin Yuan just happened to be standing here and took advantage of the situation!"

"Exactly! How can this credit be attributed to him?" Zhao Qingwan shrieked. "The one who defeated the Seventh Peak was a mysterious expert, but the competition was won by our Third Peak! Qin Yuan, hand over the reward; this is the Third Peak's spoils of war!"

Qin Yuan looked at the shameless faces of these people twisting the truth and suddenly laughed.

He tucked the storage bag into his robes and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Wang Chuan roared. "Leave the items behind!"

Although his arm was broken, his left hand was still functional. He struck at Qin Yuan's back with a palm.

Qin Yuan didn't look back and flicked his hand in response.

"Bang—!"

Wang Chuan felt as if he'd been hit by a heavy hammer. He flew backward, smashing into the wall, and passed out.

Everyone was horrified.

"Qin Yuan! How dare you cause trouble on the Third Peak!" Chen Mo yelled, his shoulder wound tearing open and blood gushing out.

Just then, a furious roar came from outside the hall, "Who dares to injure my Third Peak disciples!"

An old man in black robes descended from the sky, his beard and hair bristling. It was Wang Zhenshan, the Enforcement Elder of the Third Peak.

He landed and scanned the hall, his gaze falling on Qin Yuan. "Junior, you have quite the nerve to injure someone on the Third Peak!"

Qin Yuan calmly replied, "Elder, please see clearly. They were the ones who attacked first to seize credit. This disciple was merely defending himself."

"Seize credit?" Wang Zhenshan sneered. "The reward for the competition rightfully belongs to the Third Peak! How can an outer disciple like you be worthy of it?"

Qin Yuan looked at the Elder's undisguised favoritism and suddenly burst into laughter.

His laughter echoed through the vast hall, filled with mockery.

"Well done, Third Peak," he said, stopping his laughter. His gaze swept over Chen Mo and Zhao Qingwan, finally settling on Wang Zhenshan. "From top to bottom, a lineage of shamelessness."

Wang Zhenshan's face turned ashen. "You're seeking death!"

The pressure of a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator erupted, enveloping Qin Yuan like Mount Tai pressing down.

Qin Yuan stood his ground, his back straight, his grey robes fluttering as if in a wind.

Within him, the spiritual energy of the Thirteenth Layer of Qi Cultivation's "Extreme Realm" began to slowly awaken.

Outside the hall, the Seventh Elder reappeared under the pine tree, holding his gourd and watching the scene inside with a smile.

"Interesting," he muttered, taking a drink. "This little fellow is hiding even more than I thought."