Who is that young man?

Outside the arena, spectators watching the No. 13 match were stunned when Kane voluntarily stepped down from the platform. "Kane of the Maple Leaf Style actually lost. Looks like that contestant named Mu Yang needs to be watched."

The match hadn't lasted long, but that only highlighted the gap between the two.

From start to finish, Mu Yang had kept Kane on the defensive, and in the few times Kane managed to strike back, he gained no advantage. The disparity seemed significant. That impressive performance made both the live audience and other contestants remember the name Mu Yang.

His strength was not to be underestimated.

When those familiar with Kane heard the news, they were even more shocked. "Kane got eliminated that fast..." They'd thought he could at least last a few rounds, but he lost right from the start.

Contestants who witnessed the match cast solemn glances at Mu Yang, adding a name to their lists of threats.

"Senior Brother Kane, what a shame!" A disciple walked up, noticing Kane's pale face. "Are you alright, Senior Brother?"

Kane waved his hand. "I'm fine. Just need to rest a bit. The force behind that punch was no joke."

"Ah, was that guy really that strong?"

The junior disciple was both stunned and regretful for Senior Brother Kane. He knew Kane's strength ranked among the best of the Maple Leaf Style disciples. If even he couldn't take a single punch from that person, was that guy actually stronger than their Maple Leaf Style disciples?

"Don't underestimate him. His real strength is probably greater than we think!"

Kane said seriously. Only someone who had actually fought Mu Yang could understand his power. In that battle, the opponent definitely hadn't used his strongest techniques. "This might be the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament's dark horse. Tianxin Style... I've never heard of it before."

At the same time, he felt deeply frustrated, annoyed at his own bad luck. But regardless, under the absolute gap in strength, he accepted his loss without complaint.

On the other side, Mu Yang returned to the rest area after finishing his match. Several more bouts followed, and the results were obvious—Mu Yang won them all.

This made the other contestants in his bracket feel increasingly threatened, and they all began to take him seriously.

Bang! Like a lightning-fast strike, his opponent flew out of the arena.

In another match, Mu Yang defeated an elite disciple from a martial arts dojo, then casually stepped back down from the platform.

"Uncle Xis, I think I have a general sense of the tournament's level now."

Xis's face was slightly flushed, and he was inwardly astonished. "Well done. You've beaten elite disciples from major schools one after another. Keep it up and aim for even better results."

Earlier, Xis had been optimistic about Mu Yang, thinking he had a shot at the top eight. But in truth, reaching the top eight was just a hope, or rather a goal—whether he could actually achieve it was uncertain. Now, with Mu Yang's current performance, a spot in the top eight was basically secured.

One inch gained, one foot forward. Now he was starting to hope Mu Yang could achieve even better results. Heh, if he could win the championship, it would absolutely shake the entire martial arts world.

Ah, getting ahead of himself, way ahead of himself. But he couldn't stop his mind from wandering.

If Senior Brother Aisafu knew about Mu Yang's performance in the tournament, he'd definitely be overjoyed.

Mu Yang smiled at Xis, confident that among the rising generation—with the older martial artists not competing—there were probably few who could match him.

The matches proceeded with fiery intensity. On the second-floor viewing platform of the martial arts hall, a female elder from the Qianhe Style spoke up. "The number of participants in this tournament is on par with previous years, but quite a few outstanding talents have emerged."

"Haha, Elder Nali, I've heard your Qianhe Style has a promising young disciple." The Maple Leaf Style sect leader laughed, then pointed at one of the fighting platforms. "That young girl on Platform No. 2, right..."

Elder Nali smiled pleasantly. "Lis is indeed a good prospect, but I think your Maple Leaf Style's Arlo is also quite impressive."

Tit for tat, a real-life version of mutual back-scratching. The words pleased the Maple Leaf Style sect leader immensely. He nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at Master Xiulin of the Dolin Temple, only to find him sitting with half-closed eyes, meditating.

"Master Xiulin takes things in stride," the Maple Leaf Style sect leader remarked lightly.

"That's because the Master is confident of victory," Elder Nali said.

Just then, a wave of exclamations erupted from another part of the arena. The senior figures turned to look and saw a young man in white martial arts uniform pressing an attack against a monk on a stone-paved platform. That monk was an elite disciple of the Dolin Temple.

At that moment, Master Xiulin opened his eyes, his previously unflappable calm gone.

"Who is that young man in white? He's actually overwhelming Wuting."

The flustered attendant quickly flipped through the roster, found the corresponding number, and said, "That person's name is Mu Yang, from a school called the Tianxin Style..."

"Tianxin Style... I feel like I've heard that somewhere..." Master Xiulin furrowed his brow, his white beard trembling, but he couldn't recall.

Elder Nali spoke up. "The Tianxin Style seems to be a very ancient school, but it has never been well-known."

"So it's from an ancient school. The world truly produces talents without end. Wuting has finally met his match."

Master Xiulin lowered his head, lost in thought, then suddenly smiled.

Even if an ancient school wasn't famous, surviving for such a long time meant it must have its exceptional qualities. It seemed Wuting's trip here wasn't wasted!

Master Xiulin took the match results lightly. Winning or losing didn't matter. The Dolin Temple no longer needed such superficial fame. He only hoped that through this competition, his disciple would gain some growth.

Meeting in combat was easy, but finding a worthy opponent was hard. The others guessed Master Xiulin's thoughts and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, my disciple Kane—he lost to that same person too." The Maple Leaf Style sect leader flipped through the tournament bracket so far and was surprised to find that Mu Yang had also defeated Kane.

Though Kane wasn't the Maple Leaf Style's top seed, he was still a disciple the sect leader greatly admired. He'd thought Kane's rival in the bracket would be Wuting, but he'd already been eliminated!

"It seems we need to keep an eye on that young man named Mu Yang."

The senior figures began to take notice, teasing each other about it.

As young martial artists kept emerging, the martial arts world would only grow more prosperous. The seniors were naturally pleased to see this.